Gaining a Little Brother

Li Sanlang handled the procedures for transferring ownership of the house. While casually chatting with the person in charge at the pawnshop, Li Sanlang inquired about any recent events or interesting occurrences in Rongcheng. The pawnshop staff, being well-informed, shared quite a bit of information, including the incident involving White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower wiping out the Tianluo Sect.

As soon as the topic came up, people around them joined the discussion. It had been nearly two months since the incident, but it seemed that the people of Rongcheng still remembered the commotion caused by White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower. This demonstrated the significant impact they had on the city during their time there.

Li Sanlang listened to the discussions about his lively and adorable siblings being described as a burly blacksmith and a cunning, ruthless woman. Despite his attempts to correct their assumptions, the people's imagination ran wild, and he found it hard to refute their points.

"They think White Moonlight has a refined name, more like a beautiful girl than a burly blacksmith," someone remarked.

"And Black Lotus Flower, despite being black, she's still a lotus flower. How could she be ugly?" another chimed in.

Li Sanlang couldn't help but feel helpless as he listened to their reasoning. They seemed to have a valid argument, and he couldn't find any rebuttal.

Unable to defend his siblings, Li Sanlang decided it was best to retreat from the conversation. He returned to their new home, where Li Wuya and Li Qilang were busy cleaning and preparing the place.

"Brother, you're finally back. Let's think about what we need to buy and quickly set up the place before going to pick up Mom, Dad, and Sister," Li Wuya said.

Without responding immediately, Li Sanlang watched his siblings for a moment. Then, with a complex expression, he asked, "How did you come up with the names White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower?"

Li Wuya replied nonchalantly, "I thought those names had a lot of imaginative potential!"

Li Sanlang chuckled, "Indeed, it's too imaginative. Do you know how people are talking about you both outside?"

Intrigued, Li Qilang and Li Wuya asked, "How are they talking about us?"

Li Sanlang recounted the gossip he had heard, leaving his siblings speechless.

"I'm considered a burly blacksmith?"

"And I'm seen as a faceless woman?"

Li Wuya and Li Qilang couldn't accept these descriptions.

"Do people out there have something wrong with their heads?" Li Qilang said indignantly.

Li Sanlang sighed inwardly, finding it difficult to argue with them.

Seeing their crestfallen expressions, he said, "Alright, forget it. From now on, you both mustn't act under the names White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower."

Li Wuya quickly protested, "But how could we give up our newfound fame? We've finally gained some recognition!"

Li Sanlang couldn't help but think that their fame had gotten out of hand. "You two plan to continue as White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower, moving towards the path of assassins? That's not a righteous way to live."

Li Wuya hurriedly shook her head, "No, I don't like fighting and killing at all."

Li Sanlang was speechless and gave his sister a disapproving look.

Unaware of her brother's silent critique, Li Wuya continued, "We should focus on our new life now that we have a house in Rongcheng. Once Mom, Dad, and Sister arrive, we can start anew."

Li Sanlang couldn't help but smile at his sister's optimistic outlook. The incident with White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower had indeed given them some notoriety, but he hoped his siblings would move on to a more peaceful and respectable life in Rongcheng. With Chen Xiaohu joining their family, they had a bright future ahead of them.

"In a few days, I'll get all the furniture properly arranged. When Sister arrives, we can hire a tutor and start studying, reading, and learning feminine skills at home. I quite like the life of ancient ladies in the boudoir, peaceful and quiet, sipping tea and embroidering small flowers. It's much more enjoyable than going out and fighting."

"By the way, I also want to learn to play the zither. I can't waste the soundwave secret technique from the Tianbomen sect. I have so many things to do, how could I have time to go out fighting and killing?"

"But you two can go out and do it."

"Brother, our family has no foundation in Rongcheng. If we want to make a name for ourselves, we need some leverage!" Li Qilang agreed, nodding his head vigorously. "Why don't you become White Moonlight in the future?"

Hearing this, Li Wuya immediately objected, "No, White Moonlight is my name. Brother should come up with a new one."

Li Qilang's brain started spinning actively. "What name should Brother choose? It must be domineering so that people tremble when they hear it."

"And Sister shouldn't be left out. Previously, it was just the two of us in the Anxiangmen, which was embarrassing. With Brother and Sister joining, it can be considered a small sect now."

"Right, Sister should have a name too."

Watching Li Wuya and Li Qilang enthusiastically discussing names for him and Li Erya, Li Sanlang felt mentally exhausted. He told them not to act as White Moonlight and Black Lotus Flower, yet they turned around and pulled him and Li Erya into it.

Unfortunately, their arguments made sense, and he couldn't find a reason to oppose them.

In Tianling Tun, survival depended on knowing how to farm, but to survive in Rongcheng, he knew they needed to learn many other things.

Especially since they were not content with an ordinary life. If they wanted to achieve something significant, they needed to have solid skills.

Naming oneself required the consent of the person involved. As Li Erya was not there, Li Wuya and Li Qilang discussed it for a while but eventually stopped and continued cleaning the house.

"Brother, the New Year is in a few days. Let us take care of setting up the house while you go back to pick up Mom, Dad, and Sister."

If it were before, Li Sanlang would never leave Li Wuya and Li Qilang alone in Rongcheng to go home. But now, knowing that they would finish any target set for them, he left without any hesitation.

Worried about them?

That didn't exist!

Now, he was concerned about others, hoping that no one would challenge his siblings; otherwise, the outcome... sigh!

As soon as Li Sanlang left, Li Wuya and Li Qilang immediately immersed themselves in furnishing the house.

Regarding spending money, Li Qilang, who used to obey Li Wuya, now had a different opinion.

"Sister, aren't we spending too much money? Why not be more frugal? The second-hand bookcase earlier was quite good; it just had a few scratches on the tabletop, but it didn't affect its use."

"Using things others have used, don't you find it unappealing?"

"I don't find it unappealing. As long as it's still usable."

Li Wuya gave Li Qilang a side-eye, feeling the need to correct his habit of being stingy. "Qilang, why do we work hard to earn money?"

"To live a better life, of course."

"That's right, to live a better life. What does a good life mean? It means buying whatever we want, eating whatever we desire. We earn money to spend it."

"I didn't say we shouldn't spend it. I just want to be more thrifty."

"We are not short of money now. Buying new things to decorate the house will make us feel better. Otherwise, what will we do with a pile of silver at home? Look at it?"

"Yes, I love looking at silver. It gives me peace of mind."

Li Wuya was speechless and saw that her brother was determined to save money. She couldn't change his mind. "Fine, you decorate the West Wing with Brother, and I will take care of the Master Bedroom, and the East Wing for Sister. Let's each manage our areas."

As a result, the same courtyard had two completely different decoration styles.

Li Wuya decorated her area to her liking, not caring much about the price.

Li Qilang, on the other hand, did the opposite. He decorated as thriftily as possible. Besides the bedding, everything else was secondhand.

After they finished setting up, the Master Bedroom and East Wing looked refined and bright, showing that someone with a decent background lived there.

As for the West Wing, it looked shabby and old. If it weren't for the new exterior, it would have appeared like an old house that had been lived in for decades.

With such a stark contrast, Li Qilang didn't seem to care at all.

Li Wuya sympathized with her brother for a few seconds. "If Brother sees the house you've arranged in the future, he probably won't want to acknowledge you as his brother."

"It's impossible!"

Li Qilang was feeling confident, "Brother is even more frugal than me. He only praises me for being good at managing daily life."

...

Li Wuya expressed that as long as her foolish little brother was happy, that was enough.

With the house furnished, Li Wuya took Li Qilang out to buy New Year's goods. It was their first time celebrating the New Year in the new house, so she decided to make it lavish, ignoring her little brother's nagging, and bought a lot of festive items.

There were nuts and snacks covering half of a table, and they bought two whole sheep for the kitchen.

Regarding clothing, each family member received four new outfits, all bought from ready-to-wear stores.

They even bought a basket of firecrackers and fireworks.

Red lanterns hung under the eaves, and every door was adorned with couplets and auspicious characters.

After the decorations, the entire courtyard looked lively and full of joy.

As the New Year approached, a night market opened in the southern part of Rongcheng. Li Wuya thought that their rooms lacked a bit of red, so she took Li Qilang out in the evening to the night market to buy some red decorations like paper-cuttings and couplets to embellish the house.

It was a dark and windy night.

As they were passing by a small alley, they saw a fierce one-against-many battle taking place inside.

Both siblings recognized the person being besieged as the tooth shop's boss, Shang Laojiu, whom they had met before.

Li Wuya glanced indifferently and walked past the alley without any intention of getting involved.

However, Li Qilang kept looking back and couldn't help but say, "Sister, that tooth shop owner is about to be killed."

Li Wuya looked at him and said, "Everyone has their own karma. If he dies, it's because of the causes he sowed."

Li Qilang hesitated for a moment and asked, "Sister, you said that when we came to Rongcheng, we should make more friends to establish ourselves better here. The tooth shop owner seems nice. Can't we befriend him?"

Li Wuya stopped and looked at Li Qilang, "Do you want to save him?"

Li Qilang nodded, "Yes."

"Why?" Li Wuya inquired.

Li Qilang explained his thoughts, "The tooth shop owner runs a tooth business, and if we become friends, we might be able to gather information more easily in the future."

Li Wuya paused for a moment and said, "Your idea is not bad, but... saving someone is not difficult. However, once we intervene, we will be involved in his karma, which may bring us a lot of trouble."

"The people fighting against the tooth shop owner are all at the sixth or seventh rank in martial cultivation, and they can gather so many people, indicating they have some influence."

"Powerful dragons don't oppress the local snakes, especially since we are new in Rongcheng and want to live here peacefully. Getting involved in others' conflicts rashly is not a wise move."

Li Qilang nodded in understanding, "I didn't think it through."

Li Wuya patted his shoulder, "It's okay. It's already good that you thought of gathering information through the tooth shop owner. Rescuing him is not impossible, but..."

"It depends on the benefits. If the tooth shop owner can bring us more value than potential danger, saving him is not out of the question."

By this time, the intense battle in the alley had ended.

Shang Laojiu, the tooth shop owner, had single-handedly defeated all his opponents, but he himself was lying on the ground, unable to get up due to serious injuries.

Li Wuya thought for a moment and decided to take a look, "Let's go over and see if he's worth saving."

In the alley, Shang Laojiu was on the brink of despair. He thought he was about to die silently in the alley, but suddenly, two figures appeared in his line of sight.

It was two children!

Shang Laojiu's hope reignited when they approached. With great effort, he said, "Little kids, please help me by delivering a message to the Jiubian Tooth Shop."

Li Wuya crouched in front of Shang Laojiu, "Still want to live?"

Shang Laojiu was taken aback by her response. He stared at her for a while before nodding.

Li Wuya assessed his injuries, "Multiple knife wounds on the abdomen, affecting internal organs; lips are black, veins on the wrists and neck are black, indicating poison."

"Tsk tsk~ Your situation is grim. Even if we help deliver the message, unless you have a highly skilled doctor, you won't survive."

Shang Laojiu didn't expect the young girl in front of him to be so perceptive. He was both shocked and amazed.

Li Wuya smiled faintly, "However, you're lucky to meet me. I can save you, but I need to see if you're worth saving."

Shang Laojiu struggled to raise his head and looked at her for a moment.

This little girl in front of him was probably only around ten years old, but her words and actions were even more mature than people in the martial world!

Seeing him not responding, Li Wuya reminded, "The poison in your body needs to be neutralized urgently. Your time is running out."

No one wants to die. Shang Laojiu immediately said, "I have nine camel caravans, and I own tooth shops in several good cities on the border. If you save me, I will reward you generously."

Upon hearing that this man had so many caravans, Li Wuya's interest was piqued, "I don't want money. If I save you, you must recognize me as your leader!"

This condition...

Shang Laojiu was so surprised that his eyes widened, and he breathed more heavily.

Recognize a little girl as his leader? Wouldn't that be a loss of face for him?

Before Shang Laojiu could respond, a few men carrying knives rushed into the alley.

Seeing these people, Shang Laojiu's eyes instantly filled with despair.

The third-in-command of the Sand Bandits Iron Wolf Gang had personally come to chase him!

It was over; there was no doubt that he would die this time!

Seeing the approaching gang members, Shang Laojiu felt sorry for the two children in front of him.

Indeed, one should not take advantage of a crisis, and more importantly, not harbor greed!

Now these two kids would lose their lives here.

Shang Laojiu closed his eyes in despair, waiting for the pain of being killed by the knives. However, after waiting for a while, the expected agony didn't come. Instead, he heard a muffled groan, and when he opened his eyes, he was stupefied.

All the Iron Wolf Gang members were dead!

There were only two people left in the alley – the two children!

Li Wuya dropped the knife in her hand, crouched in front of Shang Laojiu again, and asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

Struggling, Shang Lao

jiu looked at the fallen third-in-command of the Iron Wolf Gang, then raised his head to look at Li Wuya. He immediately shouted, "Boss, I'll be loyal to you in the future!"

An eighth-rank expert killed all the members of the Iron Wolf Gang in an instant; this little girl was extraordinary!

Li Wuya smiled with satisfaction. With a flick of her silver needle, Shang Laojiu lost consciousness.