Xiao Shui sat alone atop a weathered boulder overlooking Wu Tan City, his legs crossed, palms resting lightly upon his knees. Noon sunlight shimmered against the thin blue membrane of water-qi swirling around him—calm, fluid, and deceptively serene, like a lake hiding unknown depths.
Below him, the city bustled unaware. Merchants shouted, children chased each other through narrow alleys, and the Xiao Clan gates stood proudly open.
But Xiao Shui's gaze remained fixed on a single point in the courtyard far beneath him.
Xiao Yan.
His younger brother stood alone, wooden sword in hand, sweat dripping down his forehead as he practiced the basic clan sword form over and over again. Each movement was sharp but tired, committed but weighed down by years of failure.
Once, their genius little brother had been the star of the clan.
Now… whispered insults drifted around him like flies.
"Three-year trash…"
"Fallen genius…"
"If he wasn't Xiao Zhan's son, he'd have been expelled long ago."
Xiao Shui's jaw clenched hard enough that the water membrane around him quivered.
He'd heard it all before. Every day. Every week. For three years.
And yet Xiao Yan endured it with quiet stubbornness—never once breaking, never once losing that fierce spark in his obsidian eyes.
Xiao Shui respected him for it. Admired him, even.
But admiration did nothing to solve the truth he alone knew:
Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was being devoured.
Not lost. Not crippled.
Eaten.
He had sensed it the day it began—three years ago. The very first time Xiao Yan complained about his cultivation slowing, Xiao Shui had searched his brother's meridians with a tendril of water qi… and felt something ancient, strange, and quietly parasitic latched onto his core.
Xiao Shui had kept it secret.
Partly because even he didn't understand what he'd sensed…
And partly because Xiao Yan, even weakened, still refused help, still trained with a stubborn pride that brooked no interference.
A gust of wind swept across the cliff, carrying Xiao Yan's voice faintly upward.
"Again!"
Wood cracked through the air as Xiao Yan forced himself into another repetition.
Xiao Shui exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes, letting the water qi dissipate into the sunlight.
He didn't move from the boulder—merely lowered his head.
"Third Brother…" he murmured.
"How long will you hide your suffering from us?"
Inside the Xiao Clan — Afternoon
Xiao Shui strode through the clan's inner courtyard, robes fluttering around him like rippling midnight waters. Servants bowed respectfully as he passed; elders nodded, some with pride, others with thinly veiled caution.
While Xiao Yan had become the clan's "fallen genius," Xiao Shui had steadily risen.
Not with explosive talent, not with fame or spectacle.
But with control.
Fluid mastery. Steady advancement. The balance and patience of water itself.
He reached the meditation hall and paused when he heard two familiar voices inside.
"Xiao Shui is progressing rapidly, Patriarch."
"Mm. His talent is undeniable… though far quieter than Xiao Yan's once was."
Xiao Shui halted, unnoticed.
Xiao Zhan's voice was unmistakable, deep and strained.
The other belonged to Elder Xiao Lie.
Xiao Shui did not intend to eavesdrop, but the next words held his feet frozen.
"Xiao Yan… refuses to accept help. If this continues, I fear others in the clan will lose faith entirely."
The pain in their voices pierced him more deeply than the content itself.
He hesitated only a moment before stepping through the doorway.
Upon seeing him, Xiao Zhan straightened immediately, a steadiness returning to his expression.
"Shui'er," Xiao Zhan greeted. "Come in. You were cultivating outside?"
"Yes, Father," Xiao Shui replied with a respectful bow.
Xiao Lie offered a warm smile. "You progress well. Your control over the Water Qi is remarkable for your age."
Xiao Shui bowed again, though his gaze flicked subtly toward Xiao Zhan.
"Father… about Third Brother."
Silence pressed down instantly.
Xiao Zhan exhaled, shoulders tightening. "I know what you want to say. But Yan'er will not allow interference. He refuses to bend."
Xiao Lie nodded heavily. "He has his mother's stubbornness."
Xiao Shui's fingers curled at his sides.
"I want to help him," he said quietly. "I feel—no, I know—there is more to his condition than simple loss of talent."
Xiao Zhan and Xiao Lie exchanged a glance.
"You've sensed something?" Xiao Zhan asked carefully.
Xiao Shui hesitated.
Just like the first time… the thing in Xiao Yan's body had been indescribable. Ancient. Dormant yet hungry. Alive in a way no Dou Technique or beast parasite should be.
"Yes," Xiao Shui answered finally. "But not clearly. Not enough to act."
Xiao Zhan's eyes softened with relief and disappointment mixed together.
"Then do not force it," he said. "Yan'er must walk his own path. You both must."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Then Xiao Zhan added, almost to himself:
"Tomorrow, Nalan Yanran returns to the clan…"
Even Xiao Shui felt that name like a stone sinking in water.
And he suddenly knew that whatever path Xiao Yan walked next… tomorrow would shatter it.
That Night — Xiao Yan's Courtyard
The moon cast pale silver light over the courtyard as Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, attempting to cultivate in the dim tranquility.
Xiao Shui approached quietly.
He didn't speak.
He simply sat down by the courtyard steps, leaning back against the railing.
For a long moment, neither brother said a word.
The silence was comfortable.
Peaceful.
Finally, Xiao Yan cracked an eye open. "If you're here to lecture me about overtraining, save your breath, Second Brother."
Xiao Shui chuckled softly. "No. You'd ignore it anyway."
Xiao Yan smirked faintly—tired, but genuine.
Another moment passed.
Then Xiao Shui asked, "Yan'er… tomorrow, Nalan Yanran returns. Are you ready for that?"
Xiao Yan stiffened.
Then he scoffed and lay back on the ground.
"As ready as a crippled cultivator can be."
Xiao Shui winced inwardly. Xiao Yan never spoke like that.
Something in him was cracking under the pressure.
Xiao Shui wanted to reach out—wanted to explain what he'd sensed inside his brother years ago.
But telling him without proof would only crush him further.
So instead…
He reached into his sleeve and tossed Xiao Yan a crystal-clear orb filled with pure water essence.
Xiao Yan sat up immediately. "A Water Essence Pearl?! This is incredibly valuable—what are you—"
"Take it," Xiao Shui said simply. "It won't fix anything. But it will help cleanse your channels and reduce the pain."
Xiao Yan stared at him for several seconds.
Then he lay back again, holding the pearl gently against his chest.
"…Thanks, Brother."
Xiao Shui looked up at the moon.
"Whatever comes tomorrow… you won't face it alone."
Xiao Yan didn't respond.
But the faint tremble in his breath said enough.
At Midnight — Xiao Shui Alone
When the courtyard finally fell silent, Xiao Shui made his way to the far edge and knelt, pressing his palm to the ground.
A ripple of water-like Dou Qi surged outwards, searching, probing the earth and air for the anomaly that had stolen his brother's talent.
It didn't take long.
He felt it.
A dormant energy… no, a presence… lurking faintly inside Xiao Yan's room.
Ancient. Profound. Impossible.
Xiao Shui's eyes narrowed.
"Tomorrow… everything changes."
And somewhere deep in the shadows of the clan, the entity inside Xiao Yan stirred faintly in response.