Spirit Hall Hotel, Ninth Floor.
Inside the room—
Qian Renxue stared blankly at the ceiling, dazed. "Mm…"
Su Linfeng's performance today had been far too dazzling.
Yes, he was only fifteen and still a Soul King, weaker in the realm compared to her. Yet his offensive power was in no way inferior to her Angelic Martial Spirit.
More importantly, when his true form manifested—
Her Angel Martial Spirit had trembled.
That fifth soul skill of his… was even more terrifying than her full-powered sixth soul skill. And she was a god-level martial spirit!
Indeed—
Though only eighteen, Qian Renxue's spirit power had already broken through to rank sixty.
This was even while she had been undercover. Without her mission at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, she would likely already be close to rank seventy Soul Sage. But even so, today she had been shocked by Su Linfeng.
Creak~
As her thoughts wandered, the familiar sound of a window opening startled her. She immediately sat upright on the bed.
"Big Sis, are you asleep?"
"!!! Again?"
Qian Renxue's eye twitched uncontrollably. She tensed slightly. "L-Linfeng, you came…"
She turned around and sat cross-legged, her expression stern.
Unlike before, she now looked at Su Linfeng with a trace of severity.
"Big Sis, what's wrong?"
Su Linfeng was unsettled. Why is her attitude different? Could it be she still minded what happened last night? Impossible, right? She didn't resist at all—she even allowed it.
"Linfeng."
Qian Renxue drew in a deep breath and motioned for him to sit. Her eyes wavered slightly. "From now on, listen carefully to what I say."
"Huh? What is it?" Su Linfeng blinked and sat beside her.
They sat there in silence.
Neither looked at the other. Only the sound of rain fell outside the window.
Finally, Qian Renxue spoke: "You're already fifteen. You can't cling to me like when you were a child. And you must never act toward me as you did last night."
"Last night, you almost committed an irreparable mistake."
"That kind of thing is absolutely forbidden."
"I thought you were still just a child. That's why I indulged you."
"But…"
She placed a hand on Su Linfeng's shoulder. "We're siblings, aren't we? And we'll be living together in the future."
Su Linfeng: "…"
Qian Renxue lightly patted his shoulder. "We're family. You may not fully understand what I mean yet, but once family ties become awkward, things can't return to normal."
She looked at him, waiting for his reply.
She thought she'd explained well—logic, reasoning, relationship—clear enough to remind him never to cross that line again.
But Su Linfeng's next words shattered everything.
"Big Sis, it's true we're family."
He looked at her seriously. "But in the end, I'm a spirit beast, and you're human. Besides… I've always liked you since I was little. Can't that be allowed?"
Qian Renxue: "…"
Was this… a confession?
No.
He probably didn't even understand what "liking" truly was. He was just drawn to her. She couldn't allow herself to soften!
"Yes. Even if you 'like' me—it's not allowed."
Qian Renxue steadied her heart; her face tinged red. "If you keep relying on me like this, you'll never find the person you truly love in the future. You don't want that, do you?"
Su Linfeng: "…"
What? She's lecturing me like marking dates on a calendar? There's no blood relation between us. One's a spirit beast, one's human. Different races entirely. Is she really treating me like a real younger brother? How's that acceptable?
"Linfeng!"
Seeing the flicker of loss in his eyes, Qian Renxue couldn't help but stand up. Her face flushed crimson. "I said this not because I hate you. Do you… Do you understand my intention?"
She sighed inwardly after speaking.
He can't really like me. He must mean it like how a younger brother likes his sister.
There was no helping it.
This was the right choice.
They couldn't let anything worse happen—otherwise, the fallout would be impossible to control.
Hoo~
After speaking, Qian Renxue felt relieved. She flipped onto her bed. "That's all I needed to say. You should know what to do now, right?"
Her cheeks burned. She deliberately turned her body away.
The message was obvious.
She wanted Su Linfeng to leave.
…But why was there no sound behind her? What was he doing? Why did her heart feel uneasy, as though something was about to happen?
"Hehe, I get it, Big Sis."
Su Linfeng chuckled and climbed onto the bed. "You mean I should make you into the one I love most. And I really do love you."
"Big Sis, do you love me?"
"Uh—"
Qian Renxue trembled. Familiar warmth enveloped her. Her heartbeat quickened.
What kind of twisted logic is this?
Did she love him?
Her face flushed as her mind tangled. Why did she suddenly feel shy? Why was her heart racing?
He's the younger brother I raised!
Since childhood, they had survived together in the forsaken, forbidden land where they were abandoned. They spent every day together—sometimes losing track of time completely. In that world, there had only been the two of them.
Now, to be asked if she "liked" him…
Like…
That was indeed her truest thought. Over all these years, in her heart, there had only been her grandfather and Su Linfeng. No more, no less.
This is ridiculous.
"You're moving again!" Qian Renxue blurted, her face redder than ever, not knowing how to answer.
At last, she gave a coquettish cry, shut her eyes tightly—
Just how far should I let Linfeng go?
At this point, she was already letting him do as he pleased.
Forget it. Let him. I don't care anymore!
Meanwhile—
Outside Spirit Hall Hotel, a shadow appeared midair.
Sitting cross-legged on the rooftop, Dugu Bo opened his eyes instantly. "Who's there?"
"It's me."
Bibi Dong walked toward him calmly, her expression neutral. She nodded approvingly. "I didn't expect your vigilance to be so high. Even though I concealed all my spirit power, you still noticed."
"Your Holiness!"
Seeing her, Dugu Bo stood and bowed quickly. "Why are you here?"
"Spirit Hall is stifling tonight. I wanted some fresh air."
Bibi Dong smiled faintly, then asked, "She's still in the room, isn't she?"
"Uh—"
Dugu Bo's mouth twitched. He nodded reluctantly.
Fresh air, really? Isn't this clearly just to check on Qian Renxue?
But knowing Bibi Dong's pride, he didn't expose her. Though Qian Renxue hadn't left the room once…