In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

After slightly twisting it and realizing that it was a mechanism rather than a broken thing, Xiang Liang didn't think much of it and simply twisted the mechanical bird's head 180 degrees.

Kaka—Ka—

The sound of a mechanism came from behind, and the mechanical bird's eyes seemed to twitch twice. Xiang Liang was startled and felt something was amiss.

The bird's head twisted back with the sound of gears and slowly floated up.

The words appeared out of thin air.

Xiang Liang just stared blankly, seemingly understanding something, but more than that, he was surprised.

“My brother Xiang Liang, by the time you see this message I left, Wen Ju should have already sent Xiang Yu and Xiang An to Kuaiji.”

"Big brother..." A vague sense of unease flashed through Xiang Liang's mind.

When the strange, masked ghost brought Xiang Yu and Xiang An here, Xiang Liang noticed that the two brothers seemed dazed and unresponsive, their eyes lifeless. He had no choice but to settle them in first, then return to ponder the mechanical bird the masked ghost had given him, and then...

"Please do not think about where I am, and do not search for me, because at this time, I should already be dead, or perhaps I have been dead for some time."

"What—" Xiang Liang suddenly stood up.

"Calm down. I did not die in vain. I died without regrets after fulfilling my own will and living my life to the fullest."

"Don't be sad for me, just take good care of Xiang Yu and Xiang An for me."

Xiang Liang stood there blankly, looking helpless, somewhat sad, but mostly bewildered.

The words continued to appear before him.

"Please give Wenju a proper burial. He was one of my few good friends outside."

Xiang Liang couldn't help but look towards the door.

He realized that the masked ghost was Wen Ju.

Wen Ju's body is currently lying quietly in the woodshed of the Xiang residence, and has not yet been disposed of.

“He brought my children all the way from outside the pass to Kuaiji. He has worked hard and deserves a good rest.”

"in addition......"

“If you want to do something, my two children will be your best help.”

"My eldest son is named Xiang Ji, courtesy name Yu, and my second son is named Xiang Nuo, courtesy name An. I entrust them to you."

"Farewell, my brother Xiang Liang. Please convey my condolences to our father and tell him that I am unfilial. Please give my regards to Xiang Bo."

Farewell.

"Brother—" Xiang Liang looked at the final "Farewell" and involuntarily tried to grasp the ethereal words, but before he could, the words that had appeared out of thin air had already disappeared.

His hand fell limply to his side, and he slumped back onto the bed.

The candlelight continued to burn gently.

My older brother... is he dead?

There is much confusion and even more incomprehension.

Who exactly is this elder brother, and why does he possess the ability to write words out of thin air? How did he learn these skills?

Also, what does "outside the pass" mean?

Suddenly, Xiang Chao, who was somewhat silent and frail, became strange in Xiang An's memory.

But... he's the eldest brother after all.

Xiang Liang sighed.

If I have the chance in the future, I'll go to the area outside the Great Wall to look for my elder brother. He only said that he should be dead, but he didn't say that he was definitely dead.

But those two young men...

Xiang Liang placed Zhi Xiang, who had turned back into a bird, on his desk, stood up, walked out, opened the door to a bedroom, and sat down on the bed.

Lying peacefully asleep on the bed was one of the two brothers. Xiang Liang wasn't sure if it was Xiang Yu or Xiang An, but...

“You really look like an older brother…” He reached out, seemingly wanting to pat the young man’s head, but ultimately felt a little awkward.

With a slight sigh, Xiang Liang got up and went out. He called a servant to bring him a cup of wine, sat on the platform, and drank alone.

And in his bedroom...

The tiny mechanical bird, Zhi Xiang, began to move on its own.

The mechanism expanded and reorganized, and Zhi Xiang's size continued to increase, eventually transforming back into the shape of a large bird with a wingspan of one person.

Kaka—

It cried out, jumped off the platform, flapped its delicate wings made of magic, and flew up again, out of Xiang Liang's window.

It flew towards the northwest.

Xiang Liang, meanwhile, was drinking alone under the moon, seemingly mourning something.

Is it a memorial for an elder brother whom they have almost never met but who remains shrouded in mystery?

Not necessarily. Perhaps it was a tribute to his deceased father and the lost state of Chu.

He was originally the second son, but now he has taken on the main responsibility.

No, perhaps it was destined from the beginning that he would take the lead.

As for Xiang Chao, he probably has more important tasks to complete.

......

the next day.

When Xiang Liang got up, he discovered that the mechanical bird was missing, but after thinking about it for a while, he decided not to think about it anymore.

Perhaps it's another arrangement by my mysterious older brother.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yu and Xiang An had already woken up.

The two brothers had recovered from their semi-dazed state yesterday. They had changed their clothes and, feeling extremely uncomfortable, ate the breakfast that Xiang Liang had prepared. They were now waiting in the front hall.

As Xiang Liang was walking, he encountered another young man who looked somewhat like him.

"Second brother, shall we get up and start training?"

This is Xiang Liang's third brother, and the youngest of Xiang Yan's three children, named Xiang Bo.

Xiang Bo's name is quite strange. Generally speaking, the order of children is Bo, Zhong, Shu, and Ji. However, Xiang Bo, the third son, used the character Bo, which is usually reserved for the eldest brother, as his name.

No one knows what Xiang Yan was thinking. Xiang Liang simply glanced at his younger brother and nodded.

"I heard that you sent your son back?" Xiang Bo was quite well-informed and came to inquire early in the morning.

"It's right in the front hall," Xiang Liang pointed and walked towards the front hall.

"Why would my brother suddenly send the children back? And... are they really my brother's children?" Uncle Xiang asked with some worry. "And I heard that those two boys were sent by the Black-Faced Ghost. I'm a little uneasy about it."

"It's alright, he is indeed my elder brother's child, I've confirmed it." Xiang Liang's tone was unquestionable. He had been in control of the Xiang family for several years, and his authority was deeply ingrained in people's minds. "You'll know as soon as you see him."

------------

Chapter 786 Knowing it was heading northwest, it landed in Xianyang.

Xiang Liang and Xiang Bo walked to the front hall and saw two young men.

Xiang Bo had little recollection of his elder brother's appearance, since he was quite young when Xiang Chao left the family. But for some reason, he understood Xiang Yu and Xiang An at first glance.

These two children are the eldest brother's sons.

Upon seeing the two men arrive, Xiang Yu walked over and bowed, saying, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle."

Xiang An followed behind Xiang Yu and bowed in return, saying, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle."

"They are indeed polite." This time, Xiang Liang could pat the two brothers on the head and exclaimed, "It seems that the eldest brother has given them a good lesson."

"Two clever young men." Xiang Boyi looked at the two brothers, who were now almost as tall as him, with a broad smile. If it weren't for the traces of childishness still remaining on their faces, he wouldn't have believed that they were teenagers. "What are your birth dates? Who is your mother?"

Xiang Yu's expression showed a hint of confusion, but he quickly composed himself, cupped his hands and said, "Uncle, my brother Xiang An and I were born in the same year and are almost sixteen years old this year. But our birth mother... Uncle, in my memory, it was always our father who raised us brothers. I have never seen our mother."

"Haven't you seen your mother...?" Xiang Liang pondered for a moment.

Xiang Bo frowned and leaned close to Xiang Liang's ear: "Second brother, could these two boys be the eldest brother and a commoner...?"

They were nobles of the former Chu state, and even though the Chu state had been destroyed, Xiang Bo still considered himself a noble.

Nobles were not allowed to marry commoners, and children born to nobles from commoners would not be considered legitimate offspring. At most, they would be considered illegitimate offspring, and the best outcome for an illegitimate offspring in a noble family would be to become a servant or a waiter.

Xiang Bo's implication was: what if these two children were not Xiang Chao's legitimate offspring?

Xiang Liang glanced at Xiang Bo, then quietly pushed him aside and put his arm around the shoulders of the two brothers.

"From today onwards, you two brothers can call me Uncle." He looked at the two brothers' faces, which resembled Xiang Chao's, and sighed. "Since my elder brother entrusted you to me, I must shoulder the responsibility for you."

He summoned one of his customers: "Wu Ju, I have something to tell you."

"Lord Xiang," Wu Ju, who appeared to be around thirty years old and had an elegant demeanor, bowed respectfully to Xiang Liang, "Please speak, Wu Ju will certainly do it, even if it means climbing mountains of knives..."

Xiang Liang interrupted Wu Ju impatiently: "Alright, alright, it's a very simple matter. Nobody's asking you to go through hell."

He pulled over the silent Xiang Yu and Xiang An brothers, who were standing to the side, and said to Wu Ju, "These two are my nephews. Call me uncle, and from now on they will be like my sons."

"I need you to show them around the Xiang residence and then inform the other diners of their identities."

"Remember, you must not be rude, or you will be held accountable."

"Yes!" Wu Ju quickly agreed.

He looked at Xiang Yu and Xiang An with a fawning expression: "My two young masters, please come with me."

Xiang An frowned and quietly moved a little closer to Xiang Yu: "Brother, I feel that this person has ill intentions."

"It's alright, he's just my uncle's guest, it's nothing." Xiang Yu smiled and patted Xiang An on the shoulder, offering a word of comfort.

Xiang Liang sighed speechlessly and glared at Wu Ju: "Hurry up and go!"

"Ah, yes! This way, gentlemen!" Wu Ju was startled, became serious, and spoke faster.

Xiang Liang stood there, watching Wu Ju leave with his two brothers, and unconsciously touched his forehead: "That Wu Ju..."

"Second brother, why did you push me just now? What if those two are eldest brother's illegitimate children instead of legitimate ones?" Xiang Bo said with dissatisfaction.