Chapter 8- Secrets That Should Never See the Light of Day

Amon was slightly stunned, but after a moment, he nodded his head.

"Good, now pick the candy you want."

This time, Amon didn't hesitate, and he turned to the stall to pick up the biggest apple candy.

When the stall owner saw this, his eyes twitched. He wanted to say something, but Ah Mieu pulled Amon away before he could.

As the two youths walk along the street, their figures cast a faint shadow on the ground from the lights coming from the shops they pass.

Amon, who opened his mouth to eat his apple candy, suddenly stopped and turned to Ah Mieu to extend the apple candy to him before asking.

"Big Brother Ah Mieu, do you want to taste it?"

Ah Mieu, who seemed to be in his thoughts, came to and turned to Amon. Smiling, he suddenly shifted the bamboo food boxes to his left hand and revealed his right hand that was holding three apple candies between his fingers.

"No need, I already have three."

When Amon saw this, his eyes went wide while his mouth fell open from shock.

Seeing Amon's expression, Ah Mieu let out a peal of laughter.

"Big Brother Ah Mieu, you—you stole from the stall?"

Ah Mieu stopped laughing, but an amused smile still lingered on his lips as he waved the three apple candies and said.

"I did. Do you want to know how I did it?"

Amon's eyes flickered for a moment before he nodded his head firmly and said.

"Yeah, Big Brother Ah Mieu, will you teach me?"

Ah Mieu let out another round of smug laughter before he puffed out his chest and said.

"Little Amon, just follow your big brother and you'll never go hungry again!"

Amon's eyes lit up as he looked up at Ah Mieu, and he responded with a firm nod of his head.

With that, Ah Mieu taught Amon the concept of misdirection and sleight of hand as they walked along the street.

However, it wasn't long before a few more kids approached Ah Mieu. They had been observing how Amon was taken to the stall after begging Ah Mieu for coins, and after hesitating, they decided to approach Ah Mieu as well.

Ah Mieu had already noticed these germlings, so he had bought twenty buns to share between the dozen or so of them. He also bought a few more pastries from the stalls he passed by.

Soon enough, Ah Mieu was surrounded by a bunch of beggar children, some ranging from as little as five to as old as sixteen.

Like a benevolent monk going on a crusade to help others and spread the teachings of Buddha, Ah Mieu splurged on the items at almost every stall he passed, while at the same time guiding the beggar children in swiping an item or two from those stalls. But even though he taught them how to steal, he made sure to emphasize moderation and self-restraint. They should never steal more than they need, or else they would easily get caught, and thus lose a target they could slowly get food from overtime.

This point of his was especially emphasized when one of the older youths, who was around Ah Mieu's age, was caught stealing four pastries instead of a single one that Ah Mieu had tasked him with. Luckily, Ah Mieu stepped in to clarify that they were items he would pay for.

After leaving the stall, Ah Mieu had harshly scolded the youth and took this chance to plant a seed of fear in everyone's hearts about what it was like getting caught.

However, while Ah Mieu and the beggar children were happily enjoying their stroll along the streets, some of the pedestrians they passed turned to give them disgusted looks. But under Ah Mieu's guide, the beggar children quickly stopped paying attention to those gazes.

As the night deepened and the beggar children got tired, especially the younger ones, Ah Mieu decided to part ways with them.

The last one to say goodbye to him was Amon. Ah Mieu performed a magic trick by having his wooden bowl appear in his empty hands. Needless to say, Amon was starstruck as he had no concept of storage rings.

After giving Ah Mieu a tight hug, Amon tearfully turned around and walked away. From a distance in the crowd, he waved his hand over his head at his Big Brother one last time before running to catch up with the other beggar children.

Ah Mieu waved goodbye with a gentle smile on his face. After watching Amon's figure disappear into the crowd of pedestrians, he allowed his hand to fall to his side. Then, after one final glance at the crowd, he turned around to leave the market street.

However, after reaching the end of the market street, Ah Mieu's hand was suddenly grabbed by someone. This person, without a word, quickly led him away from the main market street and into a secluded alleyway.

"It's you."

Ah Mieu said surprised while he was being led into the alley. It was the youth who had almost been caught stealing the pastries. Ah Mieu recognized him because he wore a baggy hood that covered his hair and face.

Ah Mieu was not annoyed by the youth's action. Even though he had gone against his words and stolen more than necessary, it was thanks to that he was able to instill the fear of being caught because of greed in the others' hearts.

"Why did you come back? Is it that you wanted to ask me for something?"

Ah Mieu asked curiously when they stopped in the alleyway.

The youth didn't respond and instead glanced at the alleyway entrances to see if anyone was coming this way. After he saw that no one was approaching, he finally faced Ah Mieu.

Seeing his actions, Ah Mieu was intrigued by this youth. While he had been walking around with beggar children, this youth had never spoken once.

Ah Mieu had also keenly noticed that this youth had been avoiding his line of sight, always walking at the back. As the youth turned to face him now, this was the first time he saw his chin; the rest of his face was hidden by the hood.

Ah Mieu hadn't thought about it deeply then, but now, he was not only intrigued; his heart couldn't help but let out an anxious thump.

After turning to face Ah Mieu, the youth reached up and flipped over the hood to reveal his appearance. Immediately, a bundle of snow-white hair cascaded down the youth's shoulders, while his piercing blue pupils bypassed Ah Mieu's hair and stared into his blue and red eyes.

The moment Ah Mieu saw the youth's appearance, his guess was confirmed to be right, and tears welled up in his eyes as he whispered.

"Elder Brother…"

A smile appeared on the youth's pale face as he reached up and parted Ah Mieu's hair to reveal teary eyes.

Shockingly, both Ah Mieu and this youth's face looked identical. The only difference was Ah Mieu's unique pupils, as well as this youth's odd appearance. Not only his hair, but also his eyelashes and eyebrows were snow-white. Adding this with his pale complexion, he seemed to be a fairy rather than human. But his appearance could be explained by the fact that he had albinism.

Ah Mieu pulled his twin brother into a tight hug, and the tears in his eyes flowed down his cheeks uncontrollably.

Ah Nai rubbed his brother's back comfortingly, while he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes from falling.

After a moment of the two hugging, Ah Nai cupped Ah Mieu's cheeks and wiped away tears. He then used one of his hands to perform sign language.

"Little Brother, I came to see you before I leave the city."

After reading this, Ah Mieu quickly raised his hand and signed back while saying.

"What about the remnant forces of the Morong Clan and the force behind them in the Main Circle?"

The words Ah Mieu spoke aloud were symbolic, as his brother was deaf. However, he could read lips, so he did it to help him understand what he signed better.

Ah Nai used both hands and signed a response.

"Don't worry. After a year, I have hunted down all the remnant forces of the Morong Clan, and everyone who knows your identity. As for the force from the Main Circle behind them, after I destroyed the Morong Clan, they had been secretly observing the exits of the city. However, after a year without discovering me, they've relaxed the security. So, I'm going to take this opportunity to sneak out."

Ah Mieu's expression turned solemn as he said.

"Elder Brother, you should be careful. The forces in the Main Circle are far more terrifying compared to the Clans and Sects in the Inner Circle, way more than I initially thought. They wield strange abilities that can even predict the future, and the fate of an individual, so their laxity in security might be a trap for you."

Ah Nai smiled when he read his brother's sign, and he shook his head before signing back.

"My scaredy-cat of Little Brother, there's no need to worry. Their ability to predict the future and see someone's destiny is due to their Ancestral Treasures. However, they have to pay a certain price to use those treasures, so unless it's for something significant, they wouldn't carelessly use them."

Ah Mieu pouted and angrily signed back.

"I'm only scared because I don't want you to get hurt... Maybe I should help you after all."

Ah Nai was initially touched by his brother's concern, but upon reading the latter half of his words, he hurriedly shook his head and signed.

"I refuse. It took you so long to escape that woman's leash. I don't want you to owe that demoness anything that she can use against you. If it were not because she has two Core Formation Realm old monsters guarding her, I would have killed her so we could get rid of the only person who knows of your connection to the Morong Clan. That's not even mentioning the fact that she sold you to those young ladies and young masters from the Inner Circle to boast their talent. I'll never forgive her."

A furious expression appeared on Ah Nai's delicate face, but Ah Mieu forced a smile and signed.

"Elder Brother, my time at the Nine Desires Pavilion wasn't so bad. I was extremely cared for by the manager and was never harmed by the customers because of her protection."

Ah Nai let out a weird sound that sounded like a snort before he coldly signed.

"She only treated you like that because of your Divine Physique! I'll never forgive her for allowing so many people to take liberties with you!"

Ah Nai, upon reading his brother's hands, blushed a bit, then signed.

"Brother, stop speaking as if I were taken advantage of. The customers were the ones on the receiving end, so I'm honestly sorry for them more than anything."

Ah Nai frowned at his brother and signed with displeasure.

"Little Brother, you should value your Divine Physique more. Also, when I'm gone, be careful not to reveal it to anyone. Especially now that you've left the protection of the Nine Desires Pavilion."

Ah Mieu smiled and responded.

"Don't worry, Elder Brother, I'll be careful."

Ah Nai still looked worried as he asked again.

"Are you sure you want to stay in this city and go through with your plan? Can that Han Clan be trusted?"

"Elder Brother, it'd be a waste if I don't leverage the knowledge I have against all my customers. Also, from my investigations, the Han Clan is perfect for my plans."

With that reminder from his brother, Ah Nai recalled the type of people who had come to his brother to increase their talent in the Inner Circle, and he had to admit it would be a waste not to blackmail them and their Clans. Some of those people had even left for the Main Circle.

After thinking this, Ah Nai released a sigh in his heart before looking at his brother and signing with his hands.

"Okay, since you're determined to go through with this, then your Older Brother won't slack off. I'll do a final sweep of the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle for the remnants of the Morong Clan and get rid of any I find to pave the way for you in this city. Afterwards, I'll leave, but I will be waiting to welcome you outside with a big gift once you set your sights beyond this city."

Smiling, Ah Mieu signed a response.

"I can't wait for your gift."

Ah Nai returned his brother's smile before he opened his arms and hugged him.

The two brothers stayed like that for a very long time before reluctantly letting go.

Ah Nai cupped Ah Mieu's face with his palm and lovingly kissed his left cheek before he signed.

"Goodbye, Little Brother. I'll see you soon."

Tears appeared in Ah Mieu's eyes as he signed back.

"Goodbye, Elder Brother."

Ah Nai turned and walked over to the wall of the alleyway before placing his palms against it. Immediately, a blue Rune Incrsiption appeared on the wall before faint fluctuations appeared. However, these fluctuations were contained within a two-meter radius of the Inscription, ensuring no one beyond the alleyway could sense it.

However, even if these fluctuations were spread to cover the entire Northern District, these fluctuations came from Tier 7 teleportation Rune Inscription, which could only be detected by the Divine Sense of Golden Core cultivators and very few peak-level Foundation Realm cultivators.

As the Teleportation Rune Inscription activated, Ah Nai turned to give Ah Mieu one final reminder.

"Little Brother don't let anyone into your heart except your Older Brother! Be wary of everyone, especially that demoness in Nine Desires Pavilion!"

"Go!"

Ah Mieu signed back, an exasperated expression on his face.

Ah Nai pouted, and after giving his Little Brother one final glance, he allowed the Teleportation Rune Inscription to fully activate and teleport him away. As for where he was teleported to, it could be anywhere within the Inner Circle or the Outer Circle.

After his brother left, Ah Mieu watched the blue Rune Inscription burst into specs of blue light and disappear without a trace.

Ah Mieu felt a bit sad that he wouldn't be able to see his brother anymore, but he was happy he was able to say goodbye to him before he left.

"Well, it's not like I won't be able to see him in the future. It just depends on how long it would take to overthrow this city and meet him outside."

After saying this, Ah Mieu turned and left the alleyway with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Thankfully, no one had overheard him. If the wrong people had, they would have used any means necessary to send him back into the clutches of the Nine Desires Pavilion. After all, to achieve this goal he would surely use their secrets, secrets that should never see the light of day.