Words long engraved.

Lang Huo practically burned with excitement upon learning that she would be the future Lang clan leader, its matriarch. She realized that it would be exceedingly hard, she would have to manage the entire clan after all, but she wasn't worried about hard work or the like, she was confident that she would be able to handle it once she grew up.

But while she was burning with excitement, she forced herself to calm down, a somewhat hard task considering her young age. Luckily, Yin Long's parents knew that their children would have to grow up quickly, after all, who knew how much longer they could last before the fires of their lives gave out and their children ended up alone in this cruel world?

As such, they had put a great deal of focus on maturing their children while teaching them about cultivation, it wasn't always useful, but it showed up whenever it was necessary. Once she finished calming herself down, Lang Huo let go of Tang Fen's hand and scooted closer to Yin Long, placing one hand on his shoulder while using the other to pat her chest.

"Don't worry, Big Yin, I promise that I'll give you the best job in the entire clan! And if anyone dares to bully you then you have to come and tell me, I'll punish them all!"

Lang Huo might be what could be considered a rascal, but she still had her sensible moments here and there. As the sole son of the Lang couple, it was practically 99% certain that Yin Long would inherit the position of the clan leader. Sadly, he had drawn the short straw and ended up in that elusive 1%, losing what should be rightfully his to his own sister. As such, Lang Huo was certain that if there was ever a time where Yin Long felt down and sad, it would be right now.

But faced with Lang Huo doing her best to comfort him, Yin Long simply looked at her with a calm expression, the corners of his mouth tugged up into a rather warm smile. Looking into his pitch-black eyes, Lang Huo felt an unprecedented sense of peace seep into her soul, it was as if she had laid down in a warm bath and was washing away all her fatigue. And while Lang Huo was caught off-guard by the unusual depth and calm that she had never seen in his eyes before, Yin Long stretched out an arm and gave Lang Huo's forehead a slight flick.

"Bleh, what sort of big brother will I be if I need my little sister to defend me against bullies? You don't need to worry about me, the position of clan leader isn't suited to me, I don't think it ever was. So I don't mind giving up on the position, as well as all the benefits that it comes with."

It wasn't just Yin Long's training, as well as one additional factor that he himself was yet unaware of, that caused his eyes to be filled with such calm and depth. The main factor behind it was simple, he had come to a decision and accepted the choice he ended up making. He was only half a minute older, but he was still a big brother, and not just any brother, but the only son in the family, and those titles meant that he had to carry a certain responsibility.

He had to protect his family, he had to protect their happiness as if he was taking part in a life-and-death battle. And if there was one thing that his teacher had taught him then it was that there was no room for mercy in battle, not to your enemies and not to yourself. So he made his decision, he threw away what he wanted and came to terms with it, all to fulfill his duty as the big brother, all to protect the smile of his cherished little sister.

Lang Huo's body was, in fact, tougher than Yin Long's, her cultivation was after all higher than his. But even though the flick to her forehead didn't hurt in the slightest, she still covered the spot with both hands and puffed out her cheeks to pout.

"But you're weaker than me so it's only natural that bllrl!"

Yin Long cut off Lang Huo's words by pinching and stretching her cheeks, resulting in garbling of the words that she was about to speak. He let go of her cheeks after a few seconds and let out a quick snort with his nose, acting in a haughty and disdainful manner.

"Weaker than you? Bleh, save those kinds of words for after I've taught you how to use a sword, you'll see!"

Yin Long had no problem with admitting that his cultivation and strength were lower than Lang Huo's, that was an undeniable fact. But while she had focused on cultivation for the last six and a half years, Yin Long had focused almost entirely on sword fighting, repeatedly getting beaten down and taught by someone far stronger than him. As such, he felt confident that he stood a good chance if he were to spar with Lang Huo, it would also serve as a chance for him to show his parents what he had learned under Bai Xiang's tutelage.

Lang Huo rubbed her cheeks and cut into Yin Long with a pouting glare, sticking her tongue out at him. Tang Fen and their parents smiled softly while looking at them from the side, only Lang Ru had a slightly complicated look in her eyes. Lang Huo and Tang Fen were too young and childish and their parents were too old and had thus inevitably lost a bit of touch with the youth and emotions they once had. As such, it was only Lang Ru that noticed something, only she that could share in Yin Long's secret.

Lang Ru was a touch lazier and more laid-back than Lang Huo and Yin Long, but she wasn't dumb. Yin Long had made his decision in silence, so as his big sister as well as the only other one to see his decision and determination, the duty of silence also fell on her. So she didn't say anything, she allowed the family excursion to continue without further incident, the words Bai Xiang engraved in her mind right after her birth quietly echoing through her soul.