Chapter 43 (Part 1)

“Senior Sister, are you hungry? I’ll go cook.”

Of course Yu Yu knew that Lingyin, as a Soul Transformation cultivator, could not possibly be hungry. But he truly did not want her holding him in her arms and playing with him like a doll anymore.

It felt as though his cheeks had been rubbed red. He was a person, not a doll!

Perhaps Lingyin had finally played enough, because she temporarily let her little junior brother go.

“All right. Your senior sister is pretty good at cooking. I’ll help you.”

Lingyin had originally assumed that when her little junior brother said he was going to cook, he meant the menial disciples would do the work while he watched, perhaps offering a few pointers and calling that cooking.

She had not expected to enter the kitchen and discover that her little junior brother truly knew how to cook. He could slice vegetables into fine shreds and thin pieces.

Even the meat was cut into delicate strips. One glance at the way he stir-fried was enough to tell that he was experienced. Before long, several dishes had been arranged on the table.

She had gone in intending to help, but in the end, she did nothing at all. Instead, she was fed quite a lot of delicious food.

When she had first arrived at Holy Sun Peak, her little junior brother’s adorable appearance had immediately won her over. He was simply the little brother of her dreams.

He perfectly matched everyone’s imagined ideal of a younger brother: obedient and well-mannered.

That was why, the moment Yu Yu finished greeting her, she picked him up.

Yu Yu did not resist even once from beginning to end. There was only a slightly helpless expression on his face.

He understood very well that when an older sister wanted to play with you, it was best not to resist. Otherwise, she would only become more interested.

After all, compared with a little brother who passively let himself be handled, a little brother who struggled was much more fun.

As long as you did not resist, they would tease you a few times, lose interest, and release you on their own.

Yu Yu had acted according to his past experience today as well. Unfortunately, Senior Sister Lingyin did not behave according to common sense. She teased him for a full half hour without losing the slightest bit of enthusiasm.

Yu Yu therefore had no choice but to find a way to save himself. The result was obvious: it worked rather well.

As he cooked, he kept feeding Lingyin. Before mealtime had even arrived, her stomach was already nearly full.

Mmm—Little Junior Brother’s food smells so good. I can still eat two large bowls of rice.

Her face remained completely expressionless, but her thoughts were exceptionally lively.

Had Senior Brother Lingbao and the others not told Yu Yu about this senior sister’s past deeds, he might have assumed she disliked him.

How much emotion could you expect from someone who watched everyone else laugh without showing a single expression?

She was even colder than Eldest Senior Brother Lingji. Other than showing a trace of emotion toward her master, Qingsheng, she could not even be bothered to respond to her own senior and junior brothers.

Then again, Qingsheng had rescued her from outside the sect. After healing her injuries, he discovered that she possessed a spiritual root—and an exceptionally rare wind spiritual root at that—so he accepted her as his second disciple.

Lingtong was Lingbao’s third junior brother, while Lingyin was his second junior sister. There had also been a youngest junior brother named Lingyu, but he had died in an accident long ago.

Regarding Senior Brother Lingyu, Yu Yu had only heard that he died in an accident while participating in the secret realm grand competition held among the Ten Great Sects. Although Martial Uncle Qingsheng avenged him, Qingsheng never accepted another disciple afterward.

Even though the Taizhen Immortal Sect was a major sect, one of its disciples had still been framed and killed during the competition.

Lingyu was the sect master’s disciple. Despite the Taizhen Immortal Sect’s longstanding culture of caution and self-preservation, his murder still drove Qingsheng into a towering rage.

After finding those responsible for framing Lingyu, Qingsheng disregarded the opposition of their masters and sect and directly annihilated them. He did not even leave behind their souls.

Although Qingsheng had shown them no respect, Lingyu’s death had ultimately been their side’s fault. Thus, the incident ended in a subdued and unsatisfying manner.

As for the disciples who had been killed, their own sect was furious with them for bringing disaster upon everyone. Had Qingsheng not killed them first, the sect itself would not have spared them.

During competitions among the Ten Great Sects, schemes were permitted, but taking lives or destroying spiritual roots was forbidden. That was the mutual understanding shared by all ten sects.

Thus, Lingyu’s death did not merely cause an uproar within the Taizhen Immortal Sect. The other nine sects were also alarmed.

If someone dared to target the disciple of a sect master today, who could say they would not target their disciples or descendants in the future?

Such behavior could not be allowed to spread. The sect masters of the various sects all had their own selfish motives, but their minds still functioned normally. Naturally, they understood that sects should not recklessly form blood feuds.

A feud benefited no sect. Everyone understood that clearly.

And so, the matter ended there. The storm had been fierce, but it remained confined within a small circle and did not spread throughout the Ten Great Sects.

As a result, however, every sect began placing greater importance on protecting its disciples and descendants. They showed no mercy toward anyone who plotted against them, thereby preventing similar incidents from happening again.

Yet the dead could never return to life. Within Qingsheng’s lineage, the name Lingyu became taboo.

Lingyu had been slightly younger than Lingji, and the two had become disciples at around the same time. Had Lingyu not died young, they probably would have become a pair of close senior and junior brothers.

After all, they had grown up together, cultivated together, and were close in age. Their bond would surely have been strong.

Yu Yu had not originally known that Lingyu existed. Qingyang himself had told him, intending to remind his youngest disciple to remain wary of those around him whenever he went outside.

Whether they belonged to his own sect or another sect, he needed to be cautious. One could never be too careful around others.

Lingyu had simply been too innocent. He believed that the Ten Great Sects watched over and supported one another. Because he trusted the other party’s words, he fell into their trap and ultimately paid with his life.

Yu Yu could hardly imagine what Martial Uncle Qingsheng must have felt when he learned of Senior Brother Lingyu’s death.

Were it Yu Yu, anyone who dared harm someone important to him would first be made to suffer a fate worse than death, then be erased entirely.

“Senior Sister, would you like some spirit fruit juice?”

Yu Yu was not accustomed to silence during meals. After no one spoke for a long while, he finally found an excuse to break the quiet.

“All right.”

Lingyin did not refuse. She had long wanted to try the spirit fruit juice that Lingfeng claimed was especially delicious.

Thinking of the letters Lingfeng had written specifically to infuriate her, which were still sitting inside her storage ring, Lingyin wanted to charge into Lingfeng’s cave residence and beat her up.

This junior sister was extraordinarily irritating. Although the two had met only a few times, and one was at Soul Transformation while the other was merely at Golden Core, with a considerable age gap between them, they simply could not get along.

Whenever they met, Lingfeng first provoked Lingyin one-sidedly. Then Lingyin, thoroughly annoyed, gave her a beating.

It could be considered mutual harm. One inflicted damage mentally, while the other inflicted it physically.

As for why they disliked each other, it could only be attributed to their personalities.

One thought the other was too cold and heartless, refusing to respond even when greeted.

The other thought her opponent was unbearably noisy. Every time Lingfeng opened her mouth, Lingyin felt as though hundreds of ducks were quacking beside her ears, making her head buzz until she could barely stand it.

For those two reasons, Lingyin and Lingfeng were constantly at odds. Although they were closely connected, they were simply incapable of getting along peacefully.

They were also the only pair of senior and junior sisters among all their senior and junior brothers whose relationship was openly discordant.

Fortunately, no matter how much they quarreled or fought, they both knew where to draw the line. Their elders therefore stopped interfering. Neither of them was going to die, so they could settle things themselves while everyone else watched the entertainment.

Because she did not get along with Lingfeng, Lingyin rarely returned to Holy Sun Peak after leaving it. Whenever something arose, she asked Eldest Senior Brother to pass along the message and avoided visiting Holy Sun Peak unless necessary.

In truth, everyone understood that Lingyin was a perfectly qualified senior sister. Otherwise, given the difference in their strength, did anyone really think Lingfeng’s bones would not have turned white long ago?

Lingfeng herself did not have enough sense to consider any of that. Whenever she saw Lingyin, she simply could not resist provoking her. She truly deserved her reputation as the most brainless person in the Holy Sun lineage.

Even little Yu Yu had started worrying that if she were allowed to go out and gain experience, she might accidentally train herself straight out of existence.

How could anyone enjoy sprinting down the road to self-destruction so much?

What was your cultivation level? What was Senior Sister Lingyin’s cultivation level? Did you really have no idea whatsoever?

Sure enough, it was not only Holy Sun Peak that indulged Senior Sister Lingfeng. Her other senior brothers and sisters constantly yielded to her as well.

No wonder Senior Sister Lingfeng had such a terrible temper and personality. After all that, it turned out that not a single member of the direct lineage was innocent.

Had Senior Sister Lingyin beaten Senior Sister Lingfeng badly enough to hurt from the very beginning, Lingfeng would never have dared provoke her again.

“What is it?”

Lingyin noticed that Yu Yu kept staring at her while making the juice. Finally unable to endure it any longer, she asked.

“Nothing. I just think you’re really gentle, Senior Sister Lingyin.”

Yu Yu placed the freshly pressed juice in front of Lingyin and himself, then smiled at her.

“Gentle? Little Junior Brother, did you say the wrong word?”

Lingyin asked in astonishment. She was gentle?

The disciples who had suffered nightmares because of her over the years would never agree with her little junior brother.

“Gentleness isn’t judged by someone’s outward appearance. It depends on what they do. You’ve always been yielding to Senior Sister Lingfeng. Isn’t that gentleness? You gave me so many resources. Isn’t that gentleness too? When you learned that Senior Brother Sect Master needed someone to take control of the Punishment Hall, you volunteered to help him. How is that not gentle?”

The more Yu Yu spoke, the more he felt that this senior sister was far too gentle. She never explained herself, and she did not care even when others misunderstood her.

Perhaps it was because of her personality. She never displayed her feelings openly and only worked quietly behind the scenes.

A person like that was too heartbreaking to watch. Yu Yu reached out and hugged his senior sister.

“From now on, you need to say something when things happen. Otherwise, how will everyone know you’re acting for our sake?”

Yu Yu’s words left Lingyin frozen. She did not recover for a long while.

She had never defended her actions. Even when others misunderstood her, she did not explain.

Everyone misunderstood her, yet this little junior brother, whom she had met for the first time today, seemed to possess a pair of heavenly eyes capable of seeing through everything.

“I don’t know how.”

Lingyin looked troubled. She was not eloquent by nature and usually spoke very little. Asking her to explain herself was probably impossible even if she waited until her ascension.

“I’ve got it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how, Senior Sister. I’ll explain for you.”

Yu Yu clenched his right hand into a fist and struck it against his left palm.

Lingyin’s heart trembled when she heard him. She stared at the tiny junior brother before her in disbelief.

What had Little Junior Brother just said? Had he said he would explain things on her behalf? Was that really what he meant?

Perhaps noticing the confusion in Lingyin’s eyes, Yu Yu smiled.

“That’s right. You didn’t hear me wrong, Senior Sister. That’s exactly what I mean. Other people may not understand you, but I do!”

The moment he finished speaking, Lingyin pulled him into her arms again. This time, however, the embrace seemed to contain a different emotion.

“Thank you, Little Junior Brother.”

Yu Yu could not see her face, but he could hear the tremor in Senior Sister Lingyin’s voice.

“There’s no need to thank me. We’re senior sister and junior brother!”

Yu Yu was the sort of person who repaid one measure of kindness with ten.

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