After a deeply moving reunion between brothers, Chen Jing pulled you by the hand and sat you down on his Great Khan's throne.
Chen Jing's eyes were rimmed red, his voice somewhat choked with emotion.
"I only ascended to this position three years ago. Before that, I lived in constant fear and trembling. One wrong move, and I could have been eliminated by my rivals. It's not that your elder brother didn't want to find you all, it's just that the mountains were high and the roads were long. I could barely take care of myself. It wasn't until last year that the people I sent out finally brought back news. Only then did I learn that Luoding Village had been slaughtered decades ago! My heart turned to ashes, I thought there were no more of my kin left in this world. Until not long ago, on the battlefield, I saw Shen Qingshan. When my spies investigated his identity, they learned his wife was named Chen Yun. I followed this clue, conducted a series of investigations, and finally confirmed that this Chen Yun was indeed my Third Sister, Chen Yun! So, I devised a small scheme, captured my brother-in-law alive, thinking I could meet him, learn about Third Sister's situation, and see how to prevent their family from being caught up in this war."
At this point, Chen Jing shed much of the usual majesty he carried as the Great Khan, appearing much more approachable. He even offered an apology to Shen Qingshan.
Shen Qingshan, however, was somewhat flustered and respectful.
"Your words are too kind, Great Khan. Two armies clashed, I was captured due to my own lack of skill. I am already grateful you did not kill me."
Chen Jing was not pleased to hear this.
"What's with all this 'Great Khan, Great Khan'? If you don't call me Elder Brother, does that mean you still hold a grudge against me in your heart? We have statuses now, there are some things we can't decide arbitrarily. You have to understand your elder brother's position!"
Shen Qingshan smiled bitterly.
"Elder Brother."
He said these two words rather awkwardly.
But when you said them, they flowed much more naturally.
"Elder Brother, what exactly happened to you and Second Sister back then? Where is Second Sister? Where is she now?"
It was the year you were eight, which meant Chen Jing was thirteen.
Chen Jing and your Second Sister went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables.
Just as they reached halfway up the mountainside, a huge eagle suddenly appeared, seized them both with its sharp talons, and carried them away.
"This great eagle carried Second Sister and me, flying northeast the entire way. Midway through the flight, I saw a large lake below and struggled desperately. A chunk of flesh was torn right off my back, but I finally managed to break free from its grip. I fell from the sky, plummeted into the lake water, and was knocked unconscious on the spot. When I woke up again, I was already with a caravan. They were envoys from the Northern Frontier returning from paying tribute to Great Qian. They saved me and brought me to the Northern Frontier..."
After that, Chen Jing could have followed Northern Frontier merchants back to the Central Plains.
But the Great Khan at the time discovered he possessed Earth-Grade Innate Talent and a special constitution, making him a martial arts prodigy.
Chen Jing's special constitution was called the Gluttonous Tyrant Body.
His digestive ability was incredibly miraculous; he could convert any food into cultivation progress. During battle, he could even eat while fighting to boost his combat power.
Eating meat had the best effect.
And as fate would have it, he had ended up in the Northern Frontier, the place least lacking in meat.
Now you understood. No wonder, when you were young, your parents always said Elder Brother was a bottomless pit, never getting full, and that he was going to eat the family into poverty.
The previous Great Khan adopted Chen Jing as a foster son and enrolled him in the "Succession Struggle" that lasted for decades and involved over two hundred foster sons.
It was a true battle royale of cultivation.
Every year, all the foster sons had to show improvement and meet targets set by the Great Khan in numerous subjects: martial arts, culture, politics, popular support, and many others.
If they failed to meet the targets, those at the same martial arts level had to engage in life-or-death duels. The victor continued the competition; the loser was fed to the eagles.
It was in this brutal competition that Chen Jing persevered for a full forty years.
Not only was his martial arts aptitude not lacking.
The key was, he was also exceptionally skilled at utilizing interpersonal relationships.
The Northern Frontier had many tribes, not a monolithic block.
Chen Jing exploited the grudges, affections, and enmities between them to secure benefits and support for himself.
By the time, three years ago, when he was to succeed to the throne, the previous Great Khan essentially had no choice but to pass the position on.
Among the major tribes of the Northern Frontier, few still supported the former Great Khan; most were backing Chen Jing.
"Elder Brother, you're amazing!"
Chen Jing smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"You don't know how many times I had one foot practically in the underworld. Amazing? A little, I suppose. But luck also played a big part in my success."
"Elder Brother, no need for modesty. Luck is inherently part of a person's strength. But what about Second Sister? Where did that great eagle take her?"
"I'm still investigating, no solid leads yet... By the way, Fourth Brother, what exactly happened to our village? Why was it slaughtered?"
You informed Chen Jing about the connections between the Chixin Sect, the Sacred Flame Cult, the Blood Moon organization, and this case.
However, you did not mention that Da Chun was an Artifact Spirit, nor that the true mastermind behind this incident might be targeting Da Chun.
Because, for the time being, you didn't want to reveal that the Nine Provinces Cauldron was in your possession.
It wasn't about distrusting Elder Brother; you believed that no matter what treasure you had, Elder Brother wouldn't compete with you for it. It was simply to minimize the risk of exposure.
"SMACK!!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing flew into a rage on the spot, slamming his palm down and shattering his seat.
"Guards! Mobilize the army immediately! Attack the Central Plains! Wipe out that damned Chixin Sect, leave not a single soul alive, slice every earthworm in half!!"
The murder of his father! The murder of his mother!
Chen Jing was now the esteemed Great Khan of the Northern Frontier. How could he possibly endure this?
Having the ability but not seeking revenge, what difference was there from pigs and dogs!
You quickly grabbed hold of your elder brother, whose eyes were starting to blaze with fire.
"Elder Brother, Elder Brother, did you not hear clearly just now? This Chixin Sect was already wiped out by the Demon Tribe's Founding Ancestor."
"Oh... Guards! Mobilize the army immediately! Crush Xiliang! Wipe out that damned Sacred Flame Cult, leave..."
"Elder Brother, Elder Brother, this Sacred Flame Cult was also already wiped out by the Blood Moon organization."
"Oh... Guards! Mobilize the army immediately! Crush the Great Wastes... The Great Wastes are a bit too vast. Where exactly in the Great Wastes is this Blood Moon organization?"
You shrugged, indicating you didn't know either.
Chen Jing was furious.
"Unable to avenge our parents, I am ashamed to sit upon this Khan's throne!"
"Elder Brother, there's no rush for revenge. Aren't you currently at war with the Central Plains? 'Heading south to capture the dragon' is a major undertaking. If successful, Elder Brother, you could advance even further, become the Emperor!"
If Elder Brother becomes Emperor, you'd be the Imperial Brother!
And in the end, a phrase like "My brother should be like Yao and Shun" wouldn't be out of the question either!
However, Shen Qingshan, listening beside you, wasn't finding this very palatable.
He was still quite loyal to the imperial court. Hearing you two rebels talk like this naturally made him uncomfortable.
Unexpectedly, Chen Jing told you with complete seriousness.
"Fourth Brother, don't talk nonsense. My Northern Frontier has been a vassal of the Central Plains imperial dynasty for generations. How could I commit such a treasonous act?"
You looked at your elder brother with a strange expression.
"Elder Brother, we're all family here, no need for formalities. Weren't you just telling your generals about 'heading south to capture the dragon'?"
"Fourth Brother, you misheard. It's the 'assist' in 'assist the king,' not the 'capture' in 'capture and seize.'"
You blinked.
"Is there a difference?"

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