Chapter 7: Second Brother is a General

Juanjuan shook her head and looked back towards Eldest Brother. She couldn’t possibly say that maybe it wasn’t their mother influencing them, but rather that both their father and mother might not be the same as before.

Bai Yunqi was incredulously sizing up this “father” of his. Such a sudden change? This father… This father is great! This father is truly wonderful! With the steps all laid out for him, he was more than willing to stop being a troublesome child like Goudan.

Suddenly, everyone saw the eldest son, Eldest Brother, burst into tears. “Dad, I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again…”

Bai Tian: 【Wait, my words were that powerful! It must have been that slap just now. As my dad used to say, little boys can take a beating!】

Jiang Dai: 【Ah, this is satisfying. I’m very pleased with this outcome.】

Bai Yunqi (Goudan): 【This should be enough. I can smoothly step down from this stage without it seeming abrupt.】

【Finally, I don’t have to pretend to be Goudan anymore. I can continue being myself.】

Juanjuan’s mind was almost smoking from overthinking as she nestled in her mother’s warm embrace, trying hard to analyze their whispered words. As she pondered, she suddenly sensed something move in front of her.

Juanjuan’s gaze shifted slightly and met the eyes of Third Brother, who had been lying sideways, unconscious. Their eyes locked, and Juanjuan’s gaze was filled with curiosity. Could Third Brother also speak in whispers without opening his mouth like their parents?

【This world really doesn’t have zombies…】
【The System didn’t lie to me. After saving humanity, I really arrived in a world without zombies.】

Third Brother’s voice resonated in her ears as expected. Juanjuan’s first reaction was to watch Third Brother’s mouth. Good, it didn’t move. Then she looked up at her parents and Eldest Brother, who clearly hadn’t noticed Third Brother waking up.

“Third Brother is awake,” Juanjuan alerted her parents. She tried hard to recall what Third Brother had just said, but while she understood each word individually, together, they made no sense. Something about washing buckets, mulberries, and steamed dumplings…

Fortunately, Juanjuan had always been too shy to speak much with her family, preferring to quietly listen to others. If it were another child, like the noisy Da Chui next door, they would have blurted everything out by now.

As Juanjuan finished speaking, three pairs of eyes turned to Er Mao. “Er Mao, you’re awake! Are you hurt anywhere?” Jiang Dai asked softly, though inwardly she wondered: 【Why does this little one look so dazed even after waking up?】

Bai Tian also asked with some concern, “Er Mao, do you remember who I am?”
【In my memory, Third Brother was always a bit dazed. Let’s hope he hasn’t become even more so after the fall.】

Goudan Bai Yunqi, who had just received a slap, was scrutinizing his newly awakened brother when his gaze suddenly met that of his little sister. Caught by Eldest Brother, Juanjuan: (#?Д?) Juanjuan immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at Eldest Brother again. She was just curious why Eldest Brother wasn’t whispering.

【Are these… my new family members?】

【I ended up in such an ancient place, but it’s okay. Everything here is all-natural.】

【Once everyone’s gone, I’ll check out the space the System promised me.】

Newly awakened, Yun An looked openly at the people in front of him. But to Jiang Dai and Bai Tian, his openness seemed foolish.

Jiang Dai held up a finger. “Mao’er, how many is this?” Bai Tian urged, “Mao’er, quickly, say it.”

The top-tier Apocalypse ability user Yun An, whose intelligence was being questioned: … “One.”

Perhaps it was a special twin connection. As soon as Yun An spoke, he instinctively turned to meet a pair of bewildered eyes. Yun An raised his hand and pointed to Da Mao beside him. “He’s awake.”

“Oh my! Da Mao is awake too!” Jiang Dai immediately turned to look at her second son. So far, apart from the eldest son being an unruly child needing discipline, the little daughter and third son seemed quite alright. This feeling was like opening a mystery box.

Jiang Dai: 【Hehe, hopefully, this one is a good kid too!】

Juanjuan released her grip on her mother’s dress, using her small hands to prop herself up on the bed’s edge, tiptoeing to look at Second Brother.

Only Second Brother was left, and Juanjuan hoped that he would change too, because…

Despite Second Brother’s honest and simple demeanor in front of adults, it was all an act. Only she knew the truth.

Second Brother was truly terrifying.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Da Mao, who had just woken up, clutched his head and weakly said, “My head hurts…”

Da Mao’s head really did hurt, and not just his head—his heart throbbed with sharp pain. It was caused by the crossbow arrow shot from the direction of the Di Nation’s army. To protect his younger brother, who had only been on the battlefield for a year, he had taken the arrow with his own body.

The headache came from a flood of unfamiliar memories rushing into his mind.

【So, I died, killed by the Di Nation’s treacherous arrow, but I’ve come back to life.】

【This is like Borrowing a Corpse to Resurrect the Soul from those storybooks. I might still be in the Great Yu Nation.】

【Which means I can return home, back to the General’s Manor.】

Being a young master from the General’s Manor who had been on the battlefield, Da Mao’s mind was exceptionally quick.

Yes, the Twelfth Young Master of the General’s Manor, his childhood name was Da Mao.

【No wonder the sorcerer back then said the name Da Mao must be used until adulthood.】

【It seems that because my childhood name was Da Mao, I have been reborn into this Da Mao’s body.】

“General…”

In a place where no one noticed, four-year-old Juanjuan whispered silently. She curiously looked at Second Brother. So, according to the “whisper” she just heard, is Second Brother now someone from the General’s Manor?

Even though four-year-old Juanjuan had never left Niantao Village, she knew what a general was and that the General’s Manor was the home of a great general.

Second Brother is truly impressive.

【Juanjuan… was she saying something about a general?】

Suddenly, Eldest Brother’s thoughtful voice sounded in her ear. Juanjuan’s body stiffened, and she turned her gaze to the corner where the seemingly forgotten Eldest Brother was.

Thus, the eldest and youngest of the Bai Family met eyes once again. One was a four-year-old child, the other a “young” cultivator who had lived for over a thousand years in the Immortal Cultivation World.

With just one glance, the four-year-old child immediately lowered her head in submission. The thousand-year-old cultivator wasn’t surprised; according to his memories, little Juanjuan was indeed afraid of Goudan.

But…

【I feel like something was off just now.】

Juanjuan listened to Eldest Brother’s words, nervously swallowing, unsure of what to do next.

Suddenly, a “grumble” of hunger sounded.

Bai Tian looked at Er Mao, whose stomach had growled. “Hungry? I’ll go make you something to eat!”

Jiang Dai, who had witnessed the “kitchen explosion”: ?