A silhouette darted across the hilltop, swiftly pursued by another figure hot on their heels.
"Ha… Ha… That damn Tang Yin is chasing me again!" cried Tang San, his face pale as he struggled up the steep incline.
"Stop right there, Tang San! Big brother will play with you to your heart's content!" shouted Tang Yin with gleeful menace, sprinting after him.
(You might be wondering—who is Tang Yin? If you guessed Kevin, reborn in this world and named after Ah Yin, then give yourself a pat on the back!)
"Huff… Huff…" Tang San finally slowed as he reached the summit, legs trembling with exhaustion.
"Please, Tang Yin… just leave me alone. I'm begging you," he pleaded, nearly in tears. Ever since they were two years old, Tang Yin had clung to him like an ever-present piece of sticky plaster.
"Hehehe… Tang San, oh Tang San," Tang Yin chuckled darkly to himself. You may train in Mysterious Heaven Technique all you like, but I'll make sure you never get the chance to cultivate Purple Demon Eye in peace.
"Tang San, why are you avoiding me? Don't you love your brother anymore? Huhuhu…" Tang Yin wailed dramatically as he plopped down in the middle of the road like a wronged girlfriend, complete with sniffles and quivering lips.
Tang Yin, with his lustrous blue-silver hair inherited from their mother and porcelain-smooth chubby cheeks, was admittedly an adorable sight. His pitiful expression stirred a pang of guilt even in Tang San's weary heart—after all, his brother was just a child.
Tang San sighed and began coaxing him gently, terrified the little devil would complain to their father.
As you might recall, Tang San was an orphan in his past life. In this one, he had Tang Hao—a negligent father at best. The last thing he wanted was to be painted as the villain by his clingy older brother.
Having missed the best time of day to cultivate his spiritual technique, Tang San gave up and headed home, dragging along the ever-cheerful Tang Yin.
"Hello, Uncle Chen! Hello, beautiful Auntie!" Tang Yin chirped as they passed villagers on the road, flashing a bright, charming smile.
But behind that angelic face, curses were brewing. Damn you, Tang Hao!
You see, Tang Hao was notoriously bad at raising children. Tang Yin had learned early that acting sweet and energetic around the villagers was the only way to secure proper food and nutrients—and protect his future soul power.
In the original story, Tang San looked malnourished, clearly lacking proper care. Tang Yin had no intention of ending up the same way. So he doubled down on charm.
"Tang Yin, come eat with us—we've got poultry today!" Auntie Qin beamed, taking his small hand and leading him to her home alongside her kids.
"Sorry, Tang San! Tell Baba I'm eating at Auntie's today!" Tang Yin called over his shoulder, vanishing with the plump woman like a gust of wind.
Tang San's mouth twitched. In mere seconds, his brother had transformed from a crying mess to a smiling social butterfly.
Shaking his head, Tang San turned and made his way home to prepare a meal for their useless father.
Withdrawn and quiet, just as he had been in the original story, Tang San didn't bother socializing with the other village children and rarely smiled at anyone. Unlike Tang Yin, he hadn't built any bonds with the villagers—and as a result, their doors remained firmly closed to him.