Hearing such a child's voice but seeing such a mature expression, Liu Wenxiu had a momentary illusion that Lan Yan in front of him was not his sister, but someone else entirely.
Someone he didn't know well.
"I just feel that you're not quite like your parents." Liu Wenxiu didn't hide anything and directly expressed his true thoughts.
"Brother, just think of me as someone who still retains memories of my past life," Liu Lanyan said with a smile, though the smile on her face was so bitter.
It was so bittersweet that Liu Wenxiu suddenly felt an urge to cry.
He had seen many wounded soldiers who returned from battle with his father, and he had also seen many elderly, weak, women and children who had lost their families. He had witnessed their grief-stricken cries and their heart-wrenching separations.
It's the same sadness every time.
However, that kind of sadness was nothing compared to the pain I feel now.
His heart felt as if it were being squeezed and kneaded by a pair of large hands, causing him great pain.
"Lanyan, you actually have memories of your past life?" Liu Wenxiu stared at Liu Lanyan in surprise, as if trying to see through her small body to her soul.
Is there another soul residing within this familiar, youthful body?
"I don't know." Unexpectedly, Liu Lanyan gave Liu Wenxiu an extremely vague answer.
Liu Wenxiu looked at Liu Lanyan in confusion and blurted out, "What do you mean you don't know?"
If you have memories of your past life, then you have them; if you don't, then you don't.
Actually, having memories of past lives is not a strange thing.
In every realm, there are cultivators. Some cultivators are so powerful that even if their bodies die or are destroyed, their wandering souls will still be reborn with their memories.
It's nothing serious, it's normal.
"I feel like I don't belong here." Liu Lanyan clenched her small fists and pounded her head twice. "But I can't remember anything."
Liu Wenxiu grabbed Liu Lanyan's chubby little arm and scolded her, "Don't hit yourself. You don't feel pain, but I do."
"Brother..." Liu Lanyan drawled out her voice, calling out sweetly, her tone full of coquettishness, and she smiled with such happiness.
"No one is allowed to bully my sister, but look what you've done, you've bullied yourself." Liu Wenxiu glared at Liu Lanyan, feigning anger, and scolded her.
"If you can't remember, don't think about it. Maybe you were an extraordinary expert in your past life." Liu Wenxiu didn't pay much attention to what Liu Lanyan said.
So what if she carries the remnants of her past life? She's still his sister.
"It's really hard to not have those memories." This was the first time Liu Lanyan had revealed her inner thoughts to someone in a long time.
Who can understand that even though you live in reality and every day is real, there's a voice in your head, deep in your heart, telling you that this isn't real?
She doesn't belong here.
This sound reminds her every day, and it has never stopped.
For a long time, Liu Lanyan doubted whether she had gone mad.
Why would someone have such a strange idea?
Therefore, she prefers to stay in her room most of the time, not going out or interacting with others.
Fortunately, her parents thought she was just a quiet child, and her brother always came to play with her. Everyone treated her like a delicate flower and took good care of her.
Gradually, she got used to the strange idea in her mind.
I stopped resisting and gradually accepted it, even wanting to "ask" to understand why I had such thoughts.
Unfortunately, apart from that feeling of being out of place in this world, she could find nothing else.
It was like groping in a maze, searching aimlessly in the dark. Finally, she found the exit door, pushed it open, and stepped out, only to find herself in an abyss instead of a way out.
The feeling of stepping into thin air is so uncomfortable and painful.
She took a long time to adjust but couldn't get used to it.
However, she vaguely sensed that a great calamity was about to befall the Three Realms.
She absolutely cannot tell her parents.
The best candidate was her own brother.
"If it's not there, it's not there." Liu Wenxiu smiled and pinched Liu Lanyan's rosy cheeks. They felt so good that he couldn't help but pinch them gently, which immediately drew a dissatisfied and complaining look from Liu Lanyan.
Seeing Liu Lanyan's aggrieved and complaining look, Liu Wenxiu quickly let go of her hands and smiled awkwardly.
It felt so good, I couldn't resist.
Clearing his throat, Liu Wenxiu quickly covered up what had just happened: "Lanyan, what do you plan to do?"
"Let's keep our parents away from the royal city and the demon realm." Liu Lanyan voiced her idea, only to be met with Liu Wenxiu's vehement disapproval and a violent shake of his head. "Impossible."
“You and I both know how loyal Father is to the demon realm. How could we possibly let your parents leave?” No matter how Liu Wenxiu thought about it, this was impossible.
"So, we need to make some serious plans." Liu Lanyan suddenly smiled, a smile that sent chills down Liu Wenxiu's spine.
"What are you thinking about?" The familiar voice made Liu Wenxiu look up. He saw Liu Lanyan after she had grown up and was momentarily dazed before he snapped out of his memories. He chuckled awkwardly, "I was just thinking about the time you told me about the plan."
"Really?" Liu Lanyan tilted her head and smiled, recalling the scene from when she was young. "Did I scare my brother back then?"
It's fortunate that Liu Wenxiu has a strong mentality; otherwise, no one else would have believed him.
"Yes, I was really scared," Liu Wenxiu nodded in acknowledgment.
"Brother still believed me." Liu Lanyan was very gratified to have such a brother; otherwise, her plan would not have been able to be carried out.
"How can I not believe it?" Liu Wenxiu shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly, "Could such terrifying strength be achieved by a little baby?"
If it were the current adult Liu Lanyan showing this in front of him, he would definitely not be so shocked. The problem is, how old was Liu Lanyan back then?
Fortunately, Liu Lanyan was still very young at the time, so he easily believed such an unusual thing.
“Because the matter was really too urgent, and I didn’t know if I could get my parents out of the demon realm as soon as possible.” Liu Lanyan lowered her eyes slightly. “My brother’s ‘accidental’ disappearance made my parents anxious, and then my parents also had an ‘accident’, which is why they were able to leave safely.”
"I feel really sorry for my parents." Liu Lanyan still felt bad when she thought about what happened in the past.
After all, my brother's disappearance back then caused my parents a long period of grief.
"Don't think about those things." Liu Wenxiu sighed softly to comfort Liu Lanyan. "If I don't disappear in advance, how can I help you arrange things in the early stages? If things aren't arranged properly in the early stages, your parents won't be able to escape the demon realm."
"Didn't you say that you were letting your brother cultivate properly? Your sudden return really startled me," Liu Lanyan complained softly.
She had been keeping an eye on Liu Wenxiu's cultivation with Bingling, because she didn't want him to come back and get involved in the affairs of the demon realm.
"Who told me back then that I would come back to help her when I achieved success in my cultivation?" Liu Wenxiu asked Liu Lanyan in an unfriendly tone.
Liu Lanyan pursed her lips and muttered softly, "Isn't that why I gave you a reason?"
"You never intended for me to come back, did you? You just wanted to stall me and keep me out here." Liu Wenxiu was so angry that he slapped Liu Lanyan on the back of the head, causing her to stagger and almost fall off her chair.
"No..." Liu Lanyan pouted, feigning a cute and innocent look.
Her dark, bright eyes blinked pitifully, making her look utterly pathetic.
Unfortunately, Liu Wenxiu knew Liu Lanyan too well. He simply snorted and bluntly said, "Don't give me that."
"Bad brother," Liu Lanyan muttered under her breath.
"Liu Lanyan, what did you say?" Liu Wenxiu's voice suddenly rose as he stared dangerously at Liu Lanyan.
"I didn't say anything." Liu Lanyan immediately put on a smiling face to appease her. "What I meant was that things aren't that difficult, and brother doesn't need to come back."
Seeing that Liu Lanyan's attitude was not bad, Liu Wenxiu's expression softened, but his words were still cold.
"Who was it that told me to leave first, to prepare for my parents' departure, and then she would leave?"
"Huh? It's been so long, why are you going back on your word?" Liu Wenxiu felt angry just thinking about it.
They had both planned it out, intending for their parents to disappear from the demon realm in the most natural way possible.
They even made the soldiers of the demon army witness their parents' "death".
Of course, those deaths were all pre-arranged by them.
Everything went smoothly, which is why he listened to Liu Lanyan and went to cultivate.
But after all this time, she hasn't done what she promised at all.
“I kept my word.” Liu Lanyan frowned, retorting aggrievedly, “My parents’ souls are still fine. As long as their bodies are properly restored, they can come back to life.”
She has been working hard on this for many years.
Actually, when my parents disappeared, there was a small accident; it wasn't a preordained opportunity for them to disappear.
"I wasn't talking about that." Liu Wenxiu knew what Liu Lanyan was concerned about. Her parents' situation was a little troublesome, but not serious.
"I mean, why are you still in the demon realm?" Liu Wenxiu stared intently into Liu Lanyan's eyes, not missing a single change in her emotions.
"I……"
"Didn't you say you'd be leaving the demon realm soon? That our family could live a quiet life elsewhere? Why are you still in the demon realm?" Liu Wenxiu questioned Liu Lanyan.
Then, a bitter smile appeared on Liu Lanyan's face as she whispered, "Brother, I'm afraid I have to break my promise... I can no longer leave the demon realm."
Chapter 101 Former Friends
"Can't leave? Why?" Liu Wenxiu simply couldn't accept this answer. Who was it that said the family should stay away from the demon realm?
Now that her parents are gone, she, the one who made the plans, says she can't leave the demon realm.
Liu Lanyan didn't speak, but lowered her eyes and smiled gently with her lips pursed.
Looking at Liu Lanyan's delicate and charming demeanor, Liu Wenxiu frowned deeply and said with certainty, "Because of the Venerable One."
Liu Lanyan still didn't answer, but simply nodded slightly.
"Why?" Liu Wenxiu asked loudly. It was impossible that his whole family had left and Lan Yan had stayed behind.
Faced with Liu Wenxiu's questioning, Liu Lanyan remained silent, only lowering her head slightly and looking down at the ground.