More Afraid of Brother Than of Pops

Quentin Lian said, "I do have a Fiendbloom here. Wait a moment, I'll go get it."

"Thank you, High God!" Lily Bai finally let out a sigh of relief.

Nine Li exchanged a glance with her, a faint smile curling at his lips.

He knew it—his gamble had paid off.

"Huh? Who's this?" Ryan Lu looked at Nine Li, curious.

"He's my junior brother, Nine Li," Lily Bai explained.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He was poisoned by Demonic Poison," Lily Bai replied.

Ryan Lu was shocked. "Demonic Poison? How did that happen?"

So Lily Bai repeated her lie for the third time.

You know what they say—tell a lie a thousand times, and even you start to believe it.

By now, her third retelling was more vivid and seamless than the first two.

She said the two of them were in Skycrest City when black clouds rolled in overhead.

Then she did a divination and raised a Spirit Barrier.

And next, they ran into Lord Noctis.

One of his little demons poisoned Nine Li...

...

"Are you saying Lord Noctis went to massacre a city?" Ryan Lu frowned.

"That's what I think," Lily Bai said. "Because after he was chased off by another group, the black clouds disappeared."

"Who was that other group?"

"No idea," Lily Bai answered, cool as a cucumber.

"That Lord Noctis is just... Ugh! I need to report this to Tanya Quinn!" Ryan Lu exclaimed.

Tanya Quinn is the Phoenix Divine Lord, ruler of the Southern Realm.

Lily Bai asked, puzzled, "Why do you need to tell Tanya Quinn?"

Ryan Lu's eyes instantly lit up with the flames of gossip. "You don't know, do you? Lord Noctis used to be Emperor Ray Quinn's Spirit Beast. After Emperor Ray Quinn retired, Noctis lived in Southcourt Palace for tens of thousands of years.

Back then, he was just a brocade-furred mouse, carried everywhere by Tanya Quinn when she was a little girl—she treated him as her pet and never went anywhere without him."

Lily Bai: "Huh?"

"And the reason he turned out this way is mostly because of Tanya Quinn."

"Why?" Lily Bai asked.

"Because—"

"Ryan Lu!" Suddenly, a deep, commanding voice came from outside the door.

Ryan Lu instantly froze, glancing outside. "Big Brother? You're back?"

A High God walked in from outside, his features resembled Ryan Lu's, but his demeanor was calm and reserved, his eyes sharp and bright, and every move dignified.

He was High God Quentin Lian's eldest son—Ethan Lu.

Last time Lily Bai saw him, she thought he and Luna Lian were clearly siblings, while Ryan Lu must've been picked up off the street by High God Quentin.

"What nonsense are you spouting now!" Ethan Lu glared at him.

"N-no... nothing..." Ryan Lu wasn't afraid of his dad, but he was terrified of his big brother.

Seeing him was like a mouse spotting a cat.

According to Luna Lian, that's because Ethan Lu is the High God in charge of punishments at the Radiant Palace.

Ever since they were kids, whenever they messed up, their parents would just let it slide, but if Ethan Lu caught them, they'd get what was coming—sometimes they'd practically shed a layer of skin.

That's why they've always been way more scared of their big brother than of High God Quentin.

"If I hear you spouting nonsense again, you're grounded. Stay home and learn how to talk before you go out," Ethan Lu warned.

Ryan Lu nodded like a chicken pecking rice, clamped his hand over his mouth, and said, "No more nonsense! No more nonsense!"

Ethan Lu ignored him and turned to Lily Bai and Nine Li. "What's wrong with him?"

Ethan Lu ignored him and looked at Lily Bai and Nine Li. "What's wrong with him?"