After everyone was reborn, I was strictly disciplined.

The north wind swirled fine snowflakes, stinging my cheeks slightly, and the world was a vast expanse of pure white.

Li Shuyue obediently pursed her lips, which were red from the cold, and tightly gripped her brother's warm wrist with her little hands. Her short legs moved quickly, following closely behind Li Hanjiang.

Her gaze swept over her brother's shoulder and landed on the enormous flying ship standing in the snowstorm not far away. Her round, almond-shaped eyes instantly lit up, brimming with undisguised envy, and even her voice carried a hint of timid excitement:

"Brother, look, look—that ship is so beautiful! It's so big and magnificent, and the patterns on its hull are even shining!"

She tilted her little face up, her nose red from the cold, her voice full of longing and anticipation: "Will we... be able to have such a flying boat someday? Then we won't have to walk in the wind and snow, and we can go wherever we want."

Li Hanjiang stopped, raised his hand and gently brushed away the snowflakes clinging to his sister's hair, his tone soft yet firm:

"Yes, Yueyue. Once we successfully join Cangfeng Valley and cultivate diligently, we will definitely be able to own such a large and magnificent flying boat in the future. Then I will take you on the flying boat to see all the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas in the world."

"Um!"

Li Shuyue nodded emphatically, her little head bobbing like a rattle drum. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with adoration and complete trust for her brother, as if every word Li Hanjiang spoke was a promise he would definitely keep.

"Yueyue believes in her brother. If he says he can have it, he definitely can!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly remember something, gently tugging at Li Hanjiang's sleeve with her small hand, a faint blush rising on her face: "Brother, did you...see that little brother just now?"

Li Hanjiang's body stiffened abruptly, his fingertips tightened almost imperceptibly, and a deep shadow of gloom flashed across his eyes in an instant, so fast that it was impossible to catch.

After a moment, he regained his composure, took his sister's hand, and walked slowly forward, his tone casually indifferent: "I saw it. Why are you suddenly asking this?"

The blush spread even wider across Li Shuyue's fair face. She lowered her head slightly, twisting the dusty hem of her clothes with her small hands, her voice barely audible, yet unable to conceal the admiration in her heart:

"That little boy is so handsome, even more handsome than Yueyue..."

As she spoke, she subconsciously looked down at the gray dress she was wearing. The dress was made of rough material and the stitches were a bit crooked. Apart from being able to block the wind and keep warm, it had no beauty to speak of. It was a dull gray color, and wrapped around her body, she looked like an inconspicuous little sparrow.

Her eyes instantly dimmed, her lips drooped, and her little face was full of disappointment and frustration; even her voice carried a hint of grievance.

"And the clothes he was wearing were so beautiful, snow-white, embroidered with lovely patterns, and sparkly..."

She knew without even thinking that such luxurious clothes were something she wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Compared to the little boy Xie Xingran's white clothes, her own dress was nothing but dust, not even worthy of comparison.

No matter how sensible Li Shuyue was, she was still just a little girl of a few years old. Deep in her heart was a girl's innate love of beauty. When she saw such beautiful people and such gorgeous clothes, she couldn't help but feel envious and also couldn't help but feel disappointed in her own poverty.

Hearing the grievance and disappointment in his sister's voice, Li Hanjiang suddenly stopped in his tracks, and his aura instantly turned somber.

"Brother?" Li Shuyue sensed something was wrong, looked up at him with a blank expression.

Li Hanjiang slowly squatted down to be at eye level with his younger sister. He reached out and gently smoothed her furrowed brow, his hand trembling slightly, but his gaze was unusually serious and solemn: "Yueyue, promise your brother something, okay?"

Li Shuyue rarely saw her brother with such a serious expression, so she nodded vigorously, her little face full of earnestness: "Okay! Yueyue promises brother! No matter what it is, Yueyue will listen to brother!"

Li Hanjiang looked at her deeply, his eyes churning with complex emotions: pain, sorrow, regret, and a hint of extreme forbearance. These emotions intertwined, almost overwhelming him.

He paused for a moment before speaking, each word uttered with utmost solemnity: "From now on, whenever you see that little boy, stay away from him, the farther the better, understand?"

Why?

Li Shuyue tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face, her big almond-shaped eyes filled with confusion, and gently took Li Hanjiang's finger with her little hand.

"Brother, didn't you say before that Yueyue should make more friends and not be too timid? Why did you tell Yueyue to stay away from that little brother? He looks so gentle, not fierce at all."

"because……"

Li Hanjiang's voice trailed off, as if something was blocking his throat, preventing him from making a sound.

He remained silent, the pain and sorrow in his eyes could no longer be concealed, and images from his past life surged forth like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing him.

The sky was filled with blood, the figure of his younger sister lying in a pool of blood, Xie Xingran's cold and arrogant face, and his own despair of being powerless.

That was his lifelong pain.

In his past life, his most trusted senior brother, the peerless and exceptionally talented Xie Xingran, personally killed his only relative in this world and his most beloved younger sister.

At that time, he lacked strength and was insignificant in Cangfeng Valley, his status far inferior to that of Xie Xingran, who came from a prominent family.

Even with a heart full of hatred and unbearable grief, he was unable to avenge his sister, and he didn't even have the right to approach Xie Xingran or question him.

He couldn't forgive Xie Xingran, but he was powerless to do anything about it and could only watch helplessly as the murderer went unpunished.

In this life, he does not seek revenge, but only to protect his younger sister as she grows up safely, and only to never cross paths with Xie Xingran again, so that he will never be entangled by that bloody past.

Looking at the pain in her brother's eyes, Li Shuyue didn't understand why he was like this, but she knew that he must have his own difficulties.

She reached out her little hands and gently hugged Li Hanjiang's neck, pressing her face against his shoulder, her voice soft and utterly obedient:

"Brother, Yueyue understands. Yueyue promises you that if I see that little brother again, I will stay far away from him and never come near him."

"Yueyue is such a good girl."

Li Hanjiang forced a smile, a smile full of exhaustion and forbearance. He reached out and gently rubbed his sister's head.

He stood up again, holding his little sister's hand tightly. The two small figures walked slowly forward in the howling wind and swirling snowflakes, their figures gradually becoming blurred by the wind and snow, growing farther and farther away.

Li Hanjiang gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve: Xie Xingran, in this life, I ask for nothing more than that we never cross paths again.