Douluo: Two brothers in douluo (completed)

Li Si: "Lin Fan, do you think we'll ever get to go back?"

Lin Fan fell silent at the question.

Return?

Lin Fan: "It should be possible. If we could come here, it stands to reason we can go back."

He sighed deeply before continuing.

Lin Fan: "But if we leave, what about the ties we've made here on the Douluo Continent?"

Li Si, too, grew silent.

He wasn't the same person he had been when he first arrived. Both of them had created bonds and connections too deep to simply abandon.

Li Si: "If I could bring them back, even at the cost of all my cultivation, I'd do it. But it's impossible—we can't go back."

Lin Fan's eyes glimmered with a sudden thought.

Lin Fan: "Or maybe not. Don't forget, you're someone destined to one day traverse the river of time. Even if only within the Douluo Continent, that's an incredible feat."

Li Si: "???"

The idea left him dumbfounded. "Why don't I know about this?"

But he trusted Lin Fan implicitly. If Lin Fan said it was possible, it probably was—perhaps he had even witnessed it.

Lin Fan (chuckling): "When you joined Notting Academy, I had a choice to make. I was considering setting you on the original path—having you follow the canon story. But then, the future you crossed the river of time and yelled at me…"

Lin Fan smiled at the memory.

Even the gods had been bewildered, calling it a bug in need of fixing.

Li Si: "…"

He understood Lin Fan's intentions, but the revelation still made him bristle.

"What, you didn't think I could reach the peak without sticking to the original script? You don't trust your brother?"

He didn't need the canon's guidance to rise to the top. With or without the Tang Sect's legacy, Li Si believed he could stand as an equal to anyone.

Li Si (sighing): "Lin Fan, do you know why I feel like punching you right now?"

The question caught Lin Fan off guard.

Lin Fan (confused): "Why? I didn't even 'scam' you…"

Seeing Lin Fan's bewildered expression, Li Si glared at him and growled.

Li Si: "While I was scraping by, you were over there agonizing over whether to choose Xiao Qing or Xiao Xue! You absolute bastard!"

Lin Fan: "…"

Li Si: "You deserve to be punched, you scumbag!"

Lin Fan (raising an eyebrow): "You just can't stand seeing me happy, can you? Fake friend!"

Li Si: "Damn right I'm jealous!"

Lin Fan: "Oh yeah? Then bring it on!"

Li Si: "Fine, no using the Indestructible Diamond Technique!"

Lin Fan: "Fine, no divine inheritances either!"

They glared at each other before bursting into laughter. The tension evaporated.

Li Si: "Once I'm back, I'll look for a chance to kill Dai Mubai and see if you gain the ability to cross into my world."

He paused for a moment, then added.

Li Si: "Honestly, I might not even need to do it myself. Even if Davis spares him, someone else will take him out."

Lin Fan tilted his head in surprise. "Dai Mubai's that pitiful in your world?"

It wasn't entirely shocking. Without the canon's miraculous herbs and protagonist blessings, there was no way Dai Mubai could compete with Davis and Zhu Zhuyun.

Even if Davis didn't kill him outright, he wouldn't allow Dai Mubai to win. That would endanger Zhu Zhuyun and himself.

Lin Fan (patting Li Si's shoulder): "Why would I go to your world? Focus on soul tool research instead. When you've made some progress, send me the results."

Li Si (bristling): "Screw you! That's my and my wife's work. If you want soul tool knowledge, go to the Sun-Moon Continent and learn it yourself!"

He swatted Lin Fan's hand away, visibly annoyed.

"This guy just wants to leech off me? Not happening!"

Lin Fan (grinning): "Don't be so stingy. It's just some research."

Li Si: "Does that sound remotely reasonable to you? I'm regretting coming to see you!"

He glared at Lin Fan, barely holding back the urge to smack him. "This guy's the worst!"

Li Si: "Alright, focus on your Reaper's Nine Trials. My wife's probably worried by now."

He hesitated briefly before adding.

Li Si: "And I still need to make a trip back to the Douluo Continent after this—so much to do."

Lin Fan nodded, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes. "Parting is just preparation for the next meeting."

As Li Si turned to leave, Lin Fan quipped.

Lin Fan: "You're right. I should spend more time with my wife too."

Li Si froze for a moment, then sighed.

"This guy really has too many wives. How does he even manage?"

Unlike Lin Fan, Li Si prided himself on his "pure love" approach. Two wives were enough for him.

Without another word, Li Si extended his fist. Lin Fan mirrored the gesture, their fists bumping in a silent farewell.

In the next instant, Li Si vanished.

Lin Fan (muttering): "Couldn't even stay for a meal…"

Li Si (muttering): "Didn't even offer to host me for a meal…"

Time passed. After Li Si's departure, Lin Fan returned to Shrek Academy in Heaven Dou City, spending a month with his wives before resuming his Reaper's Trials.

As he prepared to head for the Slaughter City, Lin Fan discovered he had gained the ability to traverse into the novel world. It seemed Li Si had wasted no time—Dai Mubai in the novel world had already met his end.

Lin Fan (chuckling): "That guy works fast."

Still, he chose not to visit the novel world immediately. Completing his Reaper's Second Trial took precedence.

The Slaughter City's location was unknown to Lin Fan, but Spirit Hall knew it well. Many of the most heinous soul masters were sent there—not for imprisonment, but as a form of execution.

Death within the Slaughter City was considered the ultimate punishment, forcing these criminals to endure its horrors before meeting their end.

Even among the powerful, only a handful had ever escaped its clutches over millennia.

Lin Fan arrived at the entrance: a small tavern.

Inside, a collection of fierce-looking individuals exuded an air of menace.

When they spotted Lin Fan, their eyes widened in terror.

"Crap! What's he doing here?!"

The story of the Holy Spirit Sect's single-handed annihilation of the Clear Sky Sect was already well-known. The Sect Master's name alone inspired fear across the Douluo Continent.

Seeing Lin Fan stride in, the crowd tensed, many swallowing nervously.

Relieved when he didn't immediately attack, they collectively exhaled.

Lin Fan (smirking): "Bartender, one Bloody Mary."

The others echoed nervously, eager to enter the Slaughter City as quickly as possible.

"Bartender, one Bloody Mary!"

(Chapter End)