If you're curious about what happened to the MC's brother, he spends the next six years after the MC's "death" trying to pacify his court. However, he eventually realizes that he cannot overcome those wily officials and that the only reason he could reign smoothly before was because his brother (the MC) was protecting him. He hangs himself in the MC's old mansion.

He and the MC never meet again. The ML originally wanted to destroy him and his kingdom as revenge, but the MC has moved on at that point and only wants a peaceful life with the ML in the ML's hometown. MC doesn't know or wonder about his brother's death. He was asleep when the ML's fellow townsfolk shared the news and the ML told that townsfolk to hide the news from the MC.

This is the MC (Nan Ge Er) 's thoughts. The person mentioned below is the ml.

He, from Bei Jun, drifted through the river. With his body filled with rounds and his heart packed with despair, he arrived at Guang Tian while nearing death. He initially thought the entire world had abandoned him, or that he was hated by everyone. However, unexpectedly, he met a world, completely different from what he knew, here with his own eyes.

A different life, scenery, and people. Bit by bit, his broken spirit was melted by the warmth. After that, it congealed into a new shape and colour gradually. It wasn’t intentional, nor was it unnatural. He was, truthfully, noisily, then gently, integrated here after starting afresh. And then, presently, a certain person said, it was worth it no matter how long it takes.

Regardless the substantial amount of time needed to heal those previous wounds, the person still thought it was worth it. The person stated, even if others threw him away like a used rag, he is still a treasure in the person’s eyes. Although he was an untrustworthy fellow and had problems with his personally, he still said that seriously.

Nan Ge Er just felt- joyful. yet, he felt like crying for a bit.

I don't know if I like him or not, but, I just felt delighted. There's a person who treasures me as such. He protects me, mindfully in places I'm unaware of, as he is fearful might suffer any bit of wound again. He treats me as though I'm a rare treasure, guarding me carefully since he doesn't have the heart to let me encounter any difficulties. And then, people around me look at such a cherishment innocently; they smile while considering it natural.

I... I don’t know

But, I think, maybe I will try to protect my body even harder, and live on.

Mostly, I just really didn't like the implication that everyone in the outside world is naturally inferior to those born in Guang Tian. Like, I thought the novel was lowkey about overcoming fate (e.g. the main character's "fate" as a transmigrator, as a prince, etc.), but those last few chapters seemed to imply that, just by virtue of being born outside of Guang Tian, certain people aren't worthy of the same considerations/respect as those born on the "inside". The author tries to offset this by having orphans be adopted from the outside in Guang Tian, but it doesn't really fix the base issue.

There's also some really bad implications with the idea that "Guang Tian was made by the only true descendant of this mystical emperor who united the continent" and so "the rest of the continent is Guang Tian's playground to use and rule over". Like... 1) the idea that "blood" rather than "upbringing" is more important (e.g. the emperor's "bloodline" made the utopic Guang Tian, while his adopted children brought the world into chaos) and 2) the idea that there are just people who are naturally superior and so should rule over inferiors (ala, those who don't conform to their standards of living) is just... yikes yikes yikes.

All of this honestly just seemed to contradict a lot of what I got from the earlier parts of the novel. Which might be that I've just been misinterpreting the actual thematic weight behind this story. Though I'd rather believe it's an issue of the author accidentally contradicting themselves rather than my misinterpretation of previous themes, because otherwise all my love for this story would be gone.

I mean, I did enjoy the closure that Nan Ge Er got from going to Bei Jun and realizing he didn't actually need (or want) to be there, and that he'd rather be home with Mo Shu. I felt that this realization was good, and necessary, for the story and their relationship. But, again, I feel like the author overexplains herself here when she reveals that Nan Ge Er's brother hangs himself. Just... just let the ambiguity sit, OK? Much more poignant that way, instead of attempting to explain everything and explaining yourself into a mess.

MC's growth is accepting the karma / cycle of life. Him asking the ML to not care about that country anymore even though he could easily get his revenge at the drop of the hat, is the author's way of showing that the MC moved on from his past mired in mortal baggage and complex relationships/manipulations.

MC should have died if he hadn't come across the island (and we, the reader, do not know if the MC did actually die and the entire story takes place in a metaphorical purgatory or 'Heaven' of sorts, so to speak). Even if everything else flew over your head, the fact that the island is a metaphysical/fantastical place should be very obvious.

mu*der husbands!

The way everyone in the city is apparently a genius, everyone outside it is treated as utterly worthless, killed as easily as one would kill ants or bugs... good grief! The casual mu*der of random people, the denigration of them as being mere fodder for the people of the city, all of it made me nauseous. Mo Shu will starve himself for the people in his city, but mu*der twenty innocent outsiders without batting an eye for just.. being there. And, of course, it's all down to birth in the end - the Guang Tian people are descended from the "true emperor" and so are special, the outsiders are not and are therefore treated as animals raised for slaughter.

I'm still angry about what happened to Mo Shu's character, actually. Kindness and strength of character aren't based only on how you treat the people in your circle or community. Genuinely good people are good to everyone. I'm not suggesting naive kindness in response to cruelty, but recognising that innocents deserve to live as much as anyone else shouldn't be too much to ask!

letting go of his past and any desire for revenge, which is nice

The MC transmigrates into a prince, helps his younger brother ascend the throne, but his brother tortures his and throws him in the ocean. The MC lands in a secret village, where he is rescued and nurtured back to health.

Now for the mystery part: the village, despite being in the land of a specific country, is basically the central hub of the world - they adopt orphans, raise them into incredible talents who are all giant figures in the outside world, and when they get tired, they return. But, herein lies the problem - how they deal with outsiders.

Despite all of them being just human, it seems that the people from the village, and especially the ML, have a superiority complex bordering on psychotism. The ML treats outsiders as not human, going to the extent of conducting a massacre because people were blocking his way. And the worst part of it is, the MC accepts it, and decides not to change it.

I can understand why the ML has such an attitude considering his backstory, and I can barely accept killing people who intrude into the village, even if unknowingly, to protect the secret, but such wanton massacres of living, breathing humans just because they said something wrong or stood in their way?! f*ck that, I can't accept that. That's behaviour of a villain, and it's the ML...

Ffs, and the MC doesn't even do anything. If I were in that situation, and knowing the other's affection, I'd at least use his affection for me to stop his wanton massacres. Because ffs, they are wanton.

This setting is making me question just how did the ML manage to accept the MC at first without lopping his head right off when they bumped into each other or something.

Thinking back now, the MC didn't meet the ML for the first month or so when he was in the village, and I think it's precisely because of this.

Still, if you need the MC to avoid the ML for months because if he didn't integrate into the community he'd get killed without a reason, that's a pretty big red flag...

Like, actually didn't matter. When MC asked if there was a way to "polish off" his scars, ML thought he was asking for a new face and straightforwardly stated what kind of options he had - which was anything, and it really didn't seem to matter to ML.

I felt a bit jipped by the whole 'mystery' behind Guang Tian. I honestly thought it would be supernatural, like the world was in limbo and only accepted certain souls and maybe the ML himself was a supernatural being or something. All the hints seemed to lead up to that! The mythical beasts that are hunted and found in Guang Tian and seen nowhere outside that world for hundreds of years. The fact that the river washes up outsiders and then they go and 'decide' whether to send the people out or accept them into the city... like how did they 'see' that MC wasn't a soul with harmful intentions as opposed to another one?

I also don't understand ML's background... like his mother saw his ruthlessness (from his training...!) and wanted to drink the amnesia potion to forget about him... and forgot about him and managed to remarry and have another family and son... and the second son is only a few years younger than ML. Like, isn't that way too young to decide right away? I feel like that part and the part about ML's father dying of heartbreak later was just there to get pity points from the MC.