Chapter 3：Let it go

In the quiet of the late night, the ticking of the clock echoed like the footsteps of time, steadily drawing closer. Its rhythmic sound pierced through the silence of the night, akin to a messenger of time, quietly recounting the passage of years. Chen Yang, amidst this uninterrupted ticking, slowly opened his dry eyes, silently repeating to himself, "It's already five o'clock in the morning."

Throughout the night, he lay in bed, his thoughts surging like tides, filled with plans and visions of the future, allowing him only a brief hour of restless sleep. Although his body had yet to engage in training, his energy was lacking, exhaustion and fatigue mingling with every breath. But the hardships of over fifty years of life had already forged his will as strong as steel. For him, these feelings of weariness were nothing more than fleeting clouds. He decisively pushed aside the blankets covering him, rising from bed with clean and swift movements.

As he opened the window, a fresh and moist air greeted him. The spring rain had ceased, and the air was filled with the scent of soil, trees, and wildflowers, instantly sharpening his mind, dispelling all weariness. At this moment, the sun had yet to rise, the sky a deep and bright blue, as if on the border between dream and reality. In the forest before him, the wooden houses built with stones and trees appeared particularly tranquil and mysterious against the backdrop of the mountains. These houses, at least two stories tall, showcased the unique style of mountain dwellings, with the ground floor supported by huge wooden stilts, while the actual living space was on the second floor. In one such wooden house on the second floor, Chen Yang and his brother Chen Yuan lived.

"Master Chen Yang, you're awake. I'll come up to assist you with your morning routine." At that moment, a gentle voice of a young girl came from downstairs. Chen Yang glanced down, only to see his maid, Ellie, already prepared with warm water for his wash, hurrying up the stairs.

Ellie, a plain-looking yet well-dressed girl, wore a long shirt and pointed shoes. The golden hairpins in her golden hair shimmered, exuding a youthful vitality. She filled a copper basin with warm water for Chen Yang's wash, while mouthwash was prepared with tea water, both for cleaning his mouth and protecting his teeth. Though Ellie served Chen Yang tenderly, occasionally attempting to allure him with her proximity, Chen Yang remained unmoved. His heart was as calm as still water, fully aware of the true nature of this maid—not only was she a spy for his uncle's family, but also someone who admired vanity and had a cold personality. In his memories from his past life, he had been deceived by Ellie, but when his status plummeted, she immediately turned her back on him. All these experiences made him see through Ellie's attempts, but remained unaffected.

At that moment, Chen Yang's brother, Chen Yuan, walked in and saw Ellie tidying up Chen Yang's clothes. A hint of envy and jealousy flashed in his eyes. For many years, he had lived under his brother's protection, and though he also had someone serving him, they were far less youthful and beautiful than Ellie.

"If one day, Ellie could serve me like this, what would it feel like?" Chen Yuan thought to himself, feeling both hopeful and hesitant.

It was widely known in the household that Uncle and Aunt favored Chen Yang. Originally, Chen Yuan didn't even have a maid serving him; it was Chen Yang who had actively requested Ellie to serve Chen Yuan. Even the interactions between master and servant in this household were filled with indescribable schemes. Chen Yuan, despite being the young master, had never dared to underestimate Ellie, this seemingly gentle maid. Behind her, lay a formidable force—her mother, the old steward who controlled the internal affairs of the family, enjoying the deep trust and power of Aunt.

"Enough, stop wasting your efforts." Chen Yang's voice was cold, echoing as if from the depths of an abyss. With a gentle wave, he brushed away Ellie's hand, each touch of hers on his clothes merely a futile struggle to climb to an unreachable height.

Ellie's ambition, like shadows creeping in the night, silently expanded. In her eyes, Chen Yang was not just a person but the ladder for her to reverse her fate. In his past life, he had blindly sunk into her tender embrace, unaware of the sharp blade hidden behind her gentleness. However, in this life, reborn, his heart had become as firm as ice, indifferent to all her attempts.

"Stay away from me." Chen Yang's indifferent voice remained unchanged, as if his gaze penetrated Ellie's soul, freezing any coquettishness or protest she might have wanted to voice. Her lips quivered slightly, filled with complex emotions, but in the end, she could only silently accept his command and retreat.

Turning to Chen Yuan, Chen Yang's gaze held a hint of meaning. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Chen Yuan stood at the doorway, looking down at his own toes, his voice trembling imperceptibly as he softly replied. In reality, he had woken up earlier than anyone else, his nervousness causing him to toss and turn in bed, getting up early to prepare. Despite this, dark circles still hung under his eyes.

Chen Yang nodded gently, the anxiety and fear in his brother's heart, to him, were insignificant secrets. In his past life, perhaps he had been oblivious to them, but how could he not see through everything after being reborn? In this world full of darkness and conspiracy, even the slightest emotional fluctuation could become the key to changing fate.

Chen Yang's nod seemed to be an unspoken understanding. The stirring thoughts in his brother's heart, in his eyes, were like naked souls, with nothing to hide. But at this moment, revealing the scars in the depths of their souls was pointless. His indifferent voice, like the winter wind, pierced through the cold, "Let's go, then."

So, the two brothers stepped out of the house and into the dim light of dawn. Along the way, they encountered many figures of their age, either in pairs or alone, all gathering for the same purpose. The murmurs around them were like whispers in the mist, both distant and grating.

"Isn't that the two young masters from the Chen family?" a cautious voice whispered among the crowd.

"The one leading is none other than the extraordinary Chen Yang." The voices contained both admiration and envy for his talent.

However, behind envy often lay jealousy and misunderstanding. "Look at him, so arrogant and rude, just like the rumors say." The comments were filled with bitterness and dissatisfaction.

"If only you had half his abilities, perhaps you could be like him too." Amidst the sarcastic remarks lay deep-seated resentment and frustration.

For Chen Yuan, it seemed as though he had long been immune to it all, accepting the surrounding voices with an expressionless face. He kept his head down, following silently behind. As the morning light rose, Chen Yang's shadow fell diagonally on his face, seemingly reminding him of something.

As the sun slowly rose, everything around gradually brightened, yet Chen Yuan felt an indescribable sense of oppression and darkness in his heart. This darkness stemmed from his brother— the shadow that loomed over his life. On this brink of dawn, he had a strange premonition, as if he was stepping deeper and deeper into darkness, and the source of this darkness was his great brother.

A nameless sense of suffocation tightly gripped his chest, every breath feeling like a dance on a blade. The despair and oppression made him involuntarily connect the word "suffocation" with himself. On this seemingly bright path, Chen Yuan felt an unprecedented loneliness and fear, beginning to doubt whether he could step out of this huge shadow, or whether this was his destined fate.

"Humph, such gossip is like trees in the forest, bound to be swayed by the wind." Chen Yang's heart resonated with a hint of sarcasm. To him, the whispers and murmurs around him were nothing more than insignificant noise in the world.

He had long understood that once his extraordinary talent was revealed, he was destined to face envy and indifference from all sides. The increasingly heavy breathing of his brother Chen Yuan also echoed in his mind, things he had never noticed in his past life were now clear as day in this life.

All of this, he owed to his life experience spanning half a century, which endowed him with exceptionally sharp insight. Thinking of the methods employed by his uncle and aunt, he couldn't help but smirk inwardly. They had actually arranged for Ellie to act as a spy by his side, while they assigned an old woman to accompany his brother Chen Yuan. Furthermore, there were differences in treatment in every aspect of life, clearly all deliberate, with the sole purpose of provoking dissatisfaction in his brother's heart and thereby sowing discord between us brothers.

People suffer not from injustice, but from barrenness. In his past life, due to his lack of experience and his brother's naivety, they were easily swayed by his uncle and aunt's schemes.

Since his rebirth, with the imminent God-invocation ceremony, though the situation seems set and difficult to reverse, with the political acumen and wisdom that Chen Yang now possesses, why couldn't he pave a new path? This brother, he could easily suppress and subdue; that Ellie, she was just a mere maid, easily controlled in advance; as for his uncle and aunt, clan elders, and so on, there were hundreds of methods available to make them bow down and submit.

"But why should I do this?" Chen Yang couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Even if it's his own brother, without affection, he's just a stranger; even if Ellie is beautiful, without love and loyalty, she's just an empty shell; as for his uncle and aunt, clan elders, they are just passing travelers on the journey of life, why waste energy and effort dealing with these insignificant figures?

As long as they don't become obstacles on my path to immortality, let them be, I can't even be bothered to look at them again.