Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 102: Two Brothers.

Fang Tian hesitated, then asked softly, "Brother... was your master really an immortal?"

Fang Yuan let out a soft laugh, warm and wistful.

"No... not truly an immortal," he said. "Just a mortal man who had long transcended mortal desires. He lived simply... found joy in the quiet things. That’s why I called him the Thousand-Faced Immortal."

Because he never had a name, Fang Yuan added silently. And I was only his disciple because... no matter what face he wore, I kept finding him.

He lifted his gaze to the skies where birds glided freely beneath the golden sun.

His voice dropped to a murmur.

"But one day I disappointed him and failed him as a disciple. But he still left me that ring, something to remember him by."

Fang Tian turned to him with quiet eyes. "Then, Brother... if this ring meant so much to you, why—"

But Fang Yuan raised a hand, gently cutting him off.

"Because I’m stuck here," he said, his voice firm but not bitter. "And strong enough now that I don’t need it anymore."

He stepped forward and placed a steady hand on Fang Tian’s shoulder, his smile faint but full of pride.

"You’re the one heading out into the world now. And the world’s not nearly as kind as it looks from the mountains. You’ll need it more than I ever did."

Fang Tian looked down at the ring, its weight suddenly heavier. He clenched it in his palm and nodded with quiet resolve.

"I’ll carry it well, Brother. I’ll remember your master’s title... and your trust."

Fang Yuan nodded, the corners of his eyes softening. "Good. Now then... what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

Fang Tian straightened, his expression sharpening. "I made a deal with Pill King Tushan."

Fang Yuan tilted his head. "Mm. Go on."

Fang Tian took a breath. "He’s agreed to attempt refining a Hollow Spirit Pill, three times.

No cost, just one condition: you provide the ingredients."

A long silence followed.

Fang Yuan studied him, silent, pensive.

Fang Tian pressed on.

"I also found a lead. On the Hollow Yeklo Grass."

Fang Yuan blinked, but said nothing.

Lately... he had been stumbling upon that grass more often than he cared to admit. The Hollow Yeklo Grass, once thought elusive, seemed to appear everywhere.

Coincidence? Fate? He wasn’t sure. But he didn’t voice this thought, nor let it flicker across his expression.

He simply listened, eyes calm, as Fang Tian continued.

"It’s being held in the royal treasury," his younger brother said. "But they are looking for a Seven-Ring Lotus in exchange."

Seven-Ring Lotus.

The name stirred something within Fang Yuan.

A rare herb in its own right, slightly easier to locate than Hollow Yeklo Grass, if only one had the patience to let time season it.

A spiritual plant that bloomed once every seven years, known for its power to nourish and mend a damaged dantian.

He exhaled softly through his nose.

So, they want that. Of course they do.

His gaze lowered for a fleeting second as an image surfaced in his mind, Du Juan.

That herb... he thought to himself, it would be perfect for someone like her.

Fang Yuan let out a low chuckle and smiled. "Brother... thank you. For thinking of me."

Before he could say more, Fang Tian dropped to his knees and gave a deep kowtow.

"Elder Brother... it’s the least I could do. You’ve spent your life raising me, guiding the clan. I want to bring joy to your life, the same way you brought light to mine."

And inwardly, he added with silent determination—

And one day, I wish to be strong enough to stand beside you... shoulder to shoulder, sharing your burdens.

Fang Yuan’s heart stirred. All his fatigue, his frustrations, it felt as though they evaporated, like smoke carried away on the wind.

"Seeing you healthy and happy," he said gently, "will always be the greatest joy of my life."

He bent down and helped Fang Tian to his feet. Then, with a smile tinged with playful mischief, he added,

"Now that you’re leaving... can this big brother entrust you with one little task?"

Fang Tian nodded with a grin. "Yes, Brother. I’m all ears."

"Pay Elder Yin a visit," Fang Yuan said, brushing imaginary dust from his robes. "Check on Tushar Village. And if you come across any bandits..."

He paused, then smirked.

"Clean them up, would you?"

Fang Tian clasped his fist and bowed. "Understood, Brother. I’ll finish it without delay."

Fang Yuan watched him walk away, the evening sun casting a long shadow behind the younger man’s back.

"...Father, Mother," Fang Yuan murmured to the fading horizon,

"our little Tian... is growing up just fine."

The sky blushed with the colors of twilight as birds flew home across a crimson sun.

Just then, a shimmer of light flickered before Fang Yuan’s eyes, the system interface sprang to life.

[System Upgrade Complete.

Faith System successfully integrated.]

[Current Active Quest:

Task: Eliminate the bandits near Tushar Village.

Reward: 500 SP

Failure: Village Faith Loss]

Fang Yuan’s gaze slid down to the newly unlocked clan interface:

[Fang Family – Current Faith Overview]

Fang Tian

Realm: Mid-Stage Golden Core

Root Quality: Divine

Faith in Host: 91

Fang Yuan blinked.

"Divine Root? You’re kidding me," he muttered aloud.

How the hell was he stuck in Qi Condensation for so long, then?!

He couldn’t believe it, no, no one who heard him would believe him either!

Reaching the peak of golden core by the age of twenty was something someone even with a lower talent then the divine root could achieved!

Yet when this should have been what surprised him.... his eyes suddenly drifted to the next entry as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

[Fang Chen

Realm: Peak Qi Transformation

Root Quality: Black

Faith in Host: 99]

Fang Yuan stared.

Then blinked.

Then stared again.

"Wait... Uncle?" he muttered under his breath, brows twitching.

"So much faith in me?"

His face twisted into a confused, almost betrayed expression, half disbelief, half amusement.