Shui Qinghan is the older brother of Shui Qingrou.
Their mother died in childbirth when Shui Qingrou was born, and their father, the best hunter in the village, fell into depression, becoming a lazy drunkard.
A few years later, their drunken father got into a fight with a drunkard from the neighboring village, and both fell into the river, becoming water ghosts...
From then on, the two siblings, not yet ten years old, began to rely on each other for survival and lived a very difficult life.
While others had carefree childhoods, for the siblings it was a long, perilous journey...
As the older brother, Shui Qinghan always protected his sister since they were young. Although he was quite ordinary himself, he would stand in front of his sister bravely against any danger.
The petty thefts they committed for survival brought countless beatings, but he bore them alone.
when the owner of the sweet potato field came with a stick, he would desperately hold onto the man’s leg to buy time for his sister, covered in mud and holding sweet potatoes, to escape, while he was beaten black and blue.
when the watchdog guarding the fruit lunged at them, he would protect his terrified sister under him, as pieces of bloody clothing were torn from his backside...
He even once wielded a machete to hack to death an old bachelor who was trying to molest his sister, shouting "Ugly or not, she’s a flower in the sheets", and he was only twelve then...
He didn’t do these things because of a promise to his parents, nor because it was his duty as a brother, but simply because... he was used to it.
Brothers protect their sisters.
It had always been this way since childhood.
However, now he suddenly realized that his sister no longer needed his protection.
Now she is a disciple of the Supreme Elder, with the strongest backing, and no one dares to bully her anymore.
Moreover, she had awakened a mysterious constitution and was about to soar, leaving her average brother far behind.
With her current beauty, even those suitors around her are stronger than him!
His sister’s hardships were over, and he was truly happy, but unfortunately... there was no place for him beside his sister anymore.
It wasn’t that his sister had changed.
She was still the same sister, still respecting him as her brother, but he could no longer protect her.
If danger arose again, he would never have the right to stand in front of her; instead, she would stand before him.
the habit he had formed since childhood seemed to have no place anymore, and might even become a joke!
It was like a father who painstakingly raised a daughter working in the city, his pride.
But when he brought a hen to visit his daughter, seeing her well-dressed friends, and his own mud-splattered shoes and pants, he suddenly realized... he was embarrassing his daughter.
Protecting his sister had long been the meaning of his life; if she no longer needed his protection, what was the point of his life!
"Hehe, maybe it’s time to try there."
He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Before, I was afraid to die because I couldn’t let go of Qingrou, afraid she would be left helpless."
"Now that she no longer needs my worry, what do I have to fear? Rather than live a mediocre life, it’s better to take one bold risk!"
Actually, he had a secret in his heart all along.
Since he joined the Seven Martial Sect, there had always been a faint voice calling him, though he couldn’t make out what it was saying.
After half a month of exploring, he finally discovered the source of the voice: it was a very secretive sinkhole.
And standing outside the sinkhole, he finally understood what the voice was saying—a voice of an old man at the bottom, asking him to come down!
The sinkhole was bottomless and pitch black, as if it could devour his soul, and he dared not go down.
This could be a great opportunity.
But it could also be deadly!
The last time his sister was humiliated by Wu Xiu’s followers, he almost entered the sinkhole in anger, but then Qin Zi intervened, advocating for them siblings, and he dismissed the idea.
And now, he was ready to go down and have a look.
If it was a deadly trap, he could die, for he had nothing to hold onto anymore.
But if it was a great opportunity, then he could rise again, regaining the power to protect his sister!!
"Life or death, let’s risk it here!"
He took a deep breath, then with a determined expression, walked towards the outside with a sense of tragic resolve.
"Senior Brother Shui Qinghan."
"Hehe, good morning, Senior Brother Shui."
"Senior Brother Shui, I want to aim higher with this move..."
Along the way, many disciples greeted Shui Qinghan courteously, even the Inner Sect Disciples addressed him as "Senior Brother."
As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, all those around prosper.
Now that Shui Qingrou had soared high, her status in the sect skyrocketing, Shui Qinghan, as her brother, naturally benefitted as well.
However, Shui Qinghan ignored all these friendly words and walked away without a glance.
On a regular day, he wouldn’t be so aloof; instead, he was quite worldly-wise, knowing when to yield and when to rise.
Precisely because he could endure what others could not, he managed to raise his sister safely amidst a world full of dangers.
But today, he didn’t want to deal with these people because... if he greeted them or even smiled, wouldn’t that unburden this tragic aura he bore?
He knew that if the "warrior’s point of no return" aura dissipated, he would likely chicken out...
Very quickly, Shui Qinghan had walked far away.
The people who greeted him, after a moment of awkwardness, began to cover it up with mockery.
"Hehe, Shui Qinghan is so different now, doesn’t even see us."
"Pah! What is he flaunting, isn’t he relying on his sister? Besides, she just got lucky, not based on strength, nothing to be proud of..."
"Right, what’s gained by luck will eventually be lost without strength. Don’t be fooled by her current high status, who knows what’s to come."
"Yeah, I’ve heard some special constitutions are just superficial. If not well cultivated, they’ll still be ordinary."
These comments were naturally unheard by Shui Qinghan, and even if he did, he wouldn’t care.
He had long seen through the ugliness of human nature, whether hidden or apparent, it made no difference.
Most of the time, he used his own wisdom to prevent such ugliness from showing.
If I praise you, you would feel too embarrassed to act despicably.
If I commend you, you would have to greet me with a smile.
If I present myself as weaker and express admiration for you, you would have to turn into a helpful person.
What was there that he didn’t understand?
Even though he was of average aptitude and appeared mediocre, how could someone who raised a sister from the age of ten in such a perilous world be simple?
Some people are like dragons hidden in the abyss.
They can lurk in silence for many years, and if unlucky, live a life unnoticed.
But as soon as there’s a sliver of opportunity, they will undoubtedly ascend and soar to the heavens!