Chapter 26: IN THREE YEARS TIME I WILL COME FOR YOU

Huixin studied him quietly, but the uncertainty in his eyes remained. He knew his brother well enough to understand that Hu Bai would not say more unless he wanted to.

"Third Brother, will you really be all right?"

Hu Bai looked at him and found the concern on his face almost impossible to ignore. He reached across the table and lightly tapped his forehead. "You have asked enough questions for tonight. Trust me."

Huixin rubbed his forehead, lowering his gaze. "I do trust you."

"Then there is nothing else for you to worry about."

The boy nodded, though he still looked troubled. After a brief silence, he gathered enough courage to speak again. "What if becoming Crown Prince really is the only way?"

Hu Bai’s eyes immediately hardened.

Huixin’s voice faltered under that gaze, and he lowered his head.

"Do not bring it up again," Hu Bai said quietly. "I mean it."

"I only thought—"

"I know what you thought." Hu Bai’s tone softened slightly, but his words remained firm. "You thought taking the position would draw Mother’s attention away from me. You thought you could carry the burden instead. But this is not simply about doing a nice thing for your older brother."

Huixin’s fingers curled against his robes.

"You have no idea what you are offering yourself to."

Hu Bai leaned back, his gaze becoming distant. "Mother does not give people power without taking something in return. The moment she makes you Crown Prince, your choices will no longer belong entirely to you."

Huixin remained silent.

"She will decide what you do, whom you marry, where you go, and eventually what kind of Emperor you become. You may think you are protecting me, but you would only be placing yourself in the same cage."

Huixin’s eyes reddened. "I don’t care about becoming Emperor; I only care about you."

"You will care when you are no longer allowed to choose."

The words left Huixin speechless. Hu Bai watched him for a moment before sighing.

His expression softened, and he reached across the table again, this time resting his hand on Huixin’s head.

"Xinxin, you are thirteen. You have not even had the chance to see what kind of life you want yet. Do not give it away because you think you owe me something. I can fight for myself, and protect you while doing that."

Huixin looked up at him.

"I don’t think I owe you anything," he whispered. "I just want you to be free."

Hu Bai’s hand paused. For a moment, the coldness in his eyes disappeared.

"I know."

His fingers gently ruffled Huixin’s hair before he withdrew his hand.

"That is why you must not do this."

Huixin lowered his head again. After a long silence, he finally nodded. "I understand."

"Good."

The two remained quiet for a while, the earlier tension gradually fading. Huixin picked up his teacup, though he barely touched it, while Hu Bai stared through the open doors at the night beyond the courtyard.

His mother’s threat still lingered in his mind.

She intended to collect the debt she believed he owed her.

Hu Bai had spent years avoiding the future she had chosen for him, but perhaps running would eventually stop being enough. If she truly intended to force the crown upon him, then he would have to decide what he was willing to sacrifice to keep control of his own life.

His eyes darkened.

He would return to his sect, continue cultivating, and wait.

When the time came, he would deal with his mother himself.

"Third Brother?"

Hu Bai looked toward Huixin.

The boy smiled faintly. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were still here."

Hu Bai’s expression softened.

"I am. You may sleep here if you wish; I will not stop you."

Hiuxin smiled; he was about to ask if he could spend the night, but he guessed his brother had seen through him.

"Thank you, it is always nice when you are around. I wished you would stay for long.." he pulled his knees together, it was a selfish reason but he couldn’t help it.

Their family was unlike most, and his third brother was the only person he could confide in.

"How about this? In three years, when you come of age, I will come to fetch you and take you along on my journey."

Huixin’s eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really." Hu Bai smiled at him. "But I have one condition. By the time I come for you, you must have reached Gold Qi."

Huixin’s excitement faltered for a moment. Gold Qi was several realms above his current cultivation, and reaching it within three years would not be easy.

Hu Bai noticed his hesitation and chuckled. "Do not look so frightened. I am not asking you to reach it tomorrow. You have three years, so use them wisely."

"And if I reach Gold Qi?"

"Then I will take you with me." Hu Bai’s expression became serious. "Even Mother will not be able to stop me from taking you away once you have reached that level."

Huixin’s eyes brightened again.

"Really? Even Mother?"

"Even Mother."

The certainty in Hu Bai’s voice made Huixin’s heart settle. He had never heard his brother make a promise lightly, and if Hu Bai said he would come for him, then he would.

"Until then, focus on your studies and cultivation. Be a good child and do what you are supposed to do." Hu Bai paused before adding, "But that does not mean you should spend the next three years burying yourself in books and cultivation. You are thirteen. Go outside, make friends, have fun, and enjoy yourself."

Huixin nodded eagerly.

"There is only one thing I want you to remember."

"What?"

"Do not provoke Mother."

Huixin’s smile faded slightly.

"Stay out of her way, do not deliberately attract her attention, and do not give her a reason to interfere with your life. If you can do that, you can continue living comfortably until I come for you."

Huixin nodded solemnly. "I understand."

"Good." Hu Bai leaned back in his chair, finally looking more relaxed. "Then we have a deal."

Huixin smiled.

For the first time that night, the future did not seem so frightening.

Three years.

He had three years to become stronger, finish his studies, and wait for his brother to return.

And when his brother came for him, they would leave the palace together.