Chapter 481 - 347: My Ill-fated Senior Brother

Chapter 481: Chapter 347: My Ill-fated Senior Brother

Yu Changsheng’s voice held a hint of a sob, and the grief on his face grew more pronounced. His performance was the very picture of heartfelt sincerity. He even reached up to rub his eyes, and a single tear suddenly trickled down his cheek.

In an instant, it was a truly heart-wrenching, tear-jerking sight.

His eyes were already bloodshot. He stared at the Purple Child, biting his lip as if wanting to say something but holding back with a look of apprehension. In the end, he only opened his mouth without speaking, but his silence said it all.

Seeing Yu Changsheng like this, the conflicted look on the Purple Child’s face deepened. It tapped its little fingertips together, pursed its lips, and suddenly opened its small mouth to speak.

"Th... then..."

After a long while, it finally looked Yu Changsheng in the eye and managed a complete sentence.

"Is what you said... really true?"

Yu Changsheng looked stunned for a moment. The anger on his face then intensified, mixed with indignation and confusion. His brow furrowed deeply. He let out a long breath, as if struggling to remain calm, and spoke in a heavy voice.

"What do you mean? Do you really think I would joke about something like this? He was my senior brother! I, Yu Changsheng, dare to swear an oath to the Celestial Dao, with my Dao Heart as my witness! If the Mansion Master, Cao Jinxian, was not my senior brother, may I be struck by lightning from the heavens and have my Divine Soul utterly destroyed!"

Yu Changsheng spoke indignantly, his tone tragic. His expression hardened as he finished, but the grief in his eyes only grew thicker. Looking at the Purple Child, his composure suddenly crumbled. Like a deflating balloon, he waved his hand miserably and gave a bitter smile.

"Forget it, just forget it. What’s the use of saying all this? You wouldn’t understand anyway. My fate is truly bitter... This is my senior brother’s mansion, yet his junior brother isn’t even allowed a chance to see it one last time."

As Yu Changsheng spoke, he sniffled, and fresh teardrops began to fall silently from his eyes.

"It’s just such a pity. My senior brother and I were so close, our bond was so strong... To think that after being separated by death, I can’t even get a chance to see his home one last time."

"SOB, SOB..." Yu Changsheng let out a quiet sob, his voice muffled and indistinct. His vision blurred. It was a perfect display of raw emotion.

"Senior Brother, do you remember those wonderful times when you taught me the sword, hand over hand? Do you remember the affection you showed me, rapping my knuckles, sitting with me at night, and telling me stories? Do you still miss that time we played a prank on our master, and when we got caught, you stood in front of me and took all the blame?"

Yu Changsheng delivered these lines as if they were gospel truth. Combined with his expression, "heartfelt" was an understatement. Everything seemed natural—his nostalgia tinged with heartache, his confusion laced with indignation. The performance was vivid and utterly convincing.

"Now, all this junior brother knows is that I miss you so much. What about you? Do you miss me...?"

Teardrops fell one by one. With his eyes bloodshot, Yu Changsheng looked up toward the heavens, wiping away his tears while secretly watching the Purple Child’s reaction from the corner of his eye.

Just as he expected, the Purple Child was a picture of conflict. It stared speechlessly at Yu Changsheng, its tiny face flushed bright red. After a long moment, it scrambled over and frantically began wiping away Yu Changsheng’s tears with its small hands.

"Okay, okay, I believe you! I’ll let you go in, all right? I’ll let you go, just please stop crying."

The Purple Child’s young voice was tinged with urgency as it gently wiped away Yu Changsheng’s tears. Gritting its teeth, it pulled the Elixir Yu Changsheng had given it from its sleeve and offered it back to him.

"Big Brother, don’t cry. Eat this, it’s yummy."

Yu Changsheng paused, sniffled, and slowly wiped his tears dry. A cunning, triumphant glint flashed deep in his eyes before vanishing. He looked up, gave the Purple Child a small smile, ruffled its head, and said softly:

"You eat it. I have more. I’m already very happy that you’re not kicking me out. My senior brother, watching from the heavens, will be very happy too."

The Purple Child looked conflicted but still nodded. After a moment’s thought, it tapped the Purple Bamboo in its hand. Instantly, a drop of crystal-clear purple liquid shimmering with Spiritual Light slid out. The Purple Child carefully caught it in its cupped hands and offered it to Yu Changsheng.

At the same time, it said in its clear, crisp voice:

"Here, this is good to drink. For you, Big Brother. Please stop crying, okay?"

Its tone was comforting, and its little eyes sparkled. It had the air of a tiny adult.

Yu Changsheng’s brow completely relaxed. He broke into a brilliant smile, gently poked the Purple Child’s cheek, and let his gaze fall upon the purple liquid.

This purple liquid had come from the Purple Bamboo the child was holding. Yu Changsheng knew perfectly well that the section of Purple Bamboo in the Purple Child’s arms was its true body, the anchor of its existence.

’And this must be the Purple Bamboo Liquid that can mutate and give rise to spirits...’

At this thought, Yu Changsheng silently swallowed his spit. He gently took the purple liquid, hesitated for a brief moment, and then, under the Purple Child’s expectant gaze, put it in his mouth and swallowed it whole.

’So this is Purple Spirit Liquid...’

Yu Changsheng smacked his lips. The Purple Spirit Liquid was sweet and cool. The moment it entered his mouth, it slid straight down his throat like a piece of Jell-O.

"Mmm~"

Yu Changsheng couldn’t help but let out a soft moan. He felt as if every bone in his body was being cleansed as the Purple Spirit Liquid flowed through him. His Divine Soul felt a jolt of cool clarity. A wave of comfort spread from the inside out, like welcome rain after a long drought. His body instinctively craved it. Under this nourishing effect, both his physical body and his Divine Soul improved to a certain degree.

Faint specks of purple light seeped out from the surface of Yu Changsheng’s skin, then slowly receded back inside. His body trembled slightly in response.

After a long while, Yu Changsheng finally opened his eyes in comfort and gave a leisurely stretch. He felt his entire body was suddenly filled with vigor, and his spirits were higher than ever before. It was as if every single cell in his body had just been treated to a full-service spa day.

"Got any more?"

Yu Changsheng licked his lips, looking at the Purple Child, and couldn’t resist asking.

The Purple Child froze. Seeing Yu Changsheng’s expression, it hesitated for a moment before extracting another drop of Purple Spirit Liquid from the Purple Bamboo. After carefully handing it over, it quickly waved its hands, its face a mask of pained reluctance.

"No, no more! That was the last drop! There really isn’t any more!"

"Is that so? Let me see."

Yu Changsheng squinted at the Purple Child suspiciously, but in the end, he just took the drop of Purple Spirit Liquid and didn’t have the heart to bully the little thing any further.

"It’s true!"

The Purple Child, dejected, plopped down on the ground with a frustrated look on its face.

Seeing this, Yu Changsheng scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt. He cleared his throat twice, tucked the drop of Purple Spirit Liquid away in his bag, and dismissed the thought of asking for more. He gently pulled the Purple Child to its feet, smiled warmly, and said softly:

"There, there, little friend, don’t be upset. How about this? In a bit, when I open my senior brother’s historic mansion, you can come in with me."

’This can be my compensation for swindling a child,’ Yu Changsheng thought.

"Really? Can I really?"

Hearing this, the Purple Child snapped its head up. Its little eyes met Yu Changsheng’s, blinking and full of hope. Its small face blushed, and it began to fidget shyly.

"But this is your senior brother’s mansion. It wouldn’t be right for me to go in, would it?"

The Purple Child said, worried.

"It’s fine. We’re good friends, after all."

Yu Changsheng chuckled, thinking to himself with a sigh.

’It’s just a child, after all. So easy to trick. A spirit formed from Purple Bamboo... you don’t see one of those every day. What an eye-opener. If I get the chance, I should see if I can tame it.’

Although the spirit formed from the Purple Bamboo possessed impressive Spiritual Wisdom, its intelligence was ultimately only equivalent to that of a five- or six-year-old child. It was naturally no match for Yu Changsheng’s barrage of lies.

"Good friends?"

The Purple Child mulled over the words, thinking about their meaning. After a moment, it tilted its little head and broke into a wide grin.

"Okay. We’re good friends."