Chapter 98: Third Sister’s Secret

  "Third Senior Sister, why did you do it?"

  A young girl, about the same age as Xu Mo, spoke with anger as she glared at another girl in her twenties.

  "What do you mean, Fourth~?"

  Her senior sister stretched lazily, avoiding eye contact as she stood up and walked over to flip through some books on the shelf in her room.

  "Third Sister, you know exactly what I mean. Even if you wanted to test my brother, you could’ve chosen an easier beast. What were you thinking when you picked a Profound Stage beast?"

  Zhen Luo placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward slightly.

  "Okay, okay, I’m sorry! But aren’t you happy that your brother passed the test with flying colours?"

  Her Third Sister walked closer and nudged her shoulder with a mischievous grin, making Zhen Luo’s face flush red from embarrassment.

  “Y-You can’t just change the s-subject!”

  Zhen Luo stumbled over her words. Although she loved her elder brother deeply, it was still embarrassing when someone else pointed it out. She struggled to speak properly.

  Zhen Luo looked at her Third Sister, who was a stunning beauty in her own right—with a short neck, long wood-coloured hair, and almond-shaped eyes of a deep brown shade. Zhen Luo had been fortunate enough to be chosen by a female elder who only accepted girls as disciples. Her Second and Eldest Sisters were already proud Inner Disciples, and her Third Sister had also managed to secure one of the top ten positions in the tournament held to select the fifty best performers from the Outer Sect.

  That meant, soon, only she and her master would be left in the Outer Sect—

  No... she still had her elder brother here.

  "But you know, I was really surprised when I found out your brother carried you on his shoulders, knowing full well it could put his own life at risk."

  Her Third Sister played with a strand of her hair and added softly, "You should cherish him. That kind of brotherly love is rare these days."

  Zhen Luo knew her Third Sister was right. Though her elder brother used to play pranks on her when they were younger, and she had been terrified at the thought of coming to the sect, he had taken care of her. And yet, she had been shocked to see a side of him that felt completely unfamiliar—mature and dependable.

  Her parents had told her to write home if her brother played any more pranks on her, but she hadn’t found anything to complain about. Especially after the incident in the forest, she had started to believe she could blindly trust her brother, who was older and stronger.

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  It was said that a person’s true nature revealed itself in the face of death.

  "But, Third Sister..." Zhen Luo narrowed her eyes, "...why are you so interested in my brother’s affairs?"

  She couldn’t understand why her Third Sister had gone so far as to put Zhen Yuan through such a dangerous test.

  "Um..."

  Her Third Sister pursed her lips and lowered her head, her previous teasing expression gone.

  Zhen Luo blinked. She had expected some kind of reason—but not one heavy enough to completely silence the most mischievous of her master’s disciples.

  "Fourth~" Her Third Sister said in a near whisper, "You should go back now. We can talk about this another day."

  "Okay, Third Sister. And sorry... if I asked something that made you uncomfortable."

  Zhen Luo bowed slightly, feeling guilty. Perhaps her elder brother had been right—she needed to learn when to speak and how much to say, now that she was growing up.

  Su Wenqing watched Zhen Luo leave her house. Her body occasionally shivered, and she had to put her palm over her mouth to suppress her reaction. Only when she heard the front door click shut did she drop all pretenses—and burst into laughter.

  “Hahahah!”

  Su Wenqing slapped her thighs and bent forward, tears forming in her almond eyes as they squeezed into crescent shapes from laughter.

  "I can’t believe she fell for my terrible acting! Fourth~ Fourth~"

  She sat down on a swing in her courtyard and chuckled, remembering how easily she’d tricked Zhen Luo into thinking there was some dark, unpleasant past behind her actions.

  "It’s good I already planned for something like this happening..."

  Su Wenqing cupped her cheeks between her cold palms, pausing her swing with a tap of her foot.

  "I couldn’t possibly tell her that I’m madly in love with her brother... or that I was the one who asked Master to accept her as a disciple just so I could leave a good impression on Zhen Yuan."

  "Hmph. That stupid Zhen Yuan..."

  Su Wenqing pouted cutely. She had dropped so many hints, yet it felt like he only had eyes for his younger sister.

  "Hmm... but thinking about it from another angle, it’s kind of reassuring. No girl other than Zhen Luo—who’s his blood relative—is close to him. And it doesn’t look like he has a crush on any random female disciple either."

  Her mood suddenly lifted.

  She and Zhen Yuan had met three years ago when they both took the Talent Stone test. Back then, she hadn’t thought much of him, but slowly, after a few shared missions and interactions, she’d started developing feelings.

  Zhen Yuan was quite handsome, but because of his average talent, others kept their distance—as if he were a plague. Nowadays, his only job was looking after his little sister. He had few close friends, just one or two who were in similar situations.

  "But who was that masked senior the Fourth spoke of...?"

  Su Wenqing’s smile faded slightly. She still wasn’t sure who had protected Zhen Yuan and Zhen Luo from the Profound Beast.

  It might’ve been a disciple who had already broken into the Foundation Building stage. There were indeed such people in the Outer Sect—though they were all in their forties, most had long since married and only returned to the sect to collect their monthly allowances. Their potential exhausted, the sect didn’t accept them into the Inner Sect anymore.

  In fact, most Outer Sect elders were former Inner Disciples who couldn’t advance further in rank or cultivation. Even her own master.

  But her master was lucky—she had four talented disciples, and that alone had secured her standing in the sect...

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