Lizhu’s eyes flickered slightly.
The term “Dao Companion”—he understood it well enough. It was a pact formed between two cultivators who were in love.
Shen Qinghe was about to continue when a knock sounded at the door, followed by a maidservant’s voice.
“Miss, I heard noises from inside just now. Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing. You may leave.” Shen Qinghe paused, then asked, “Has my brother returned?”
“He has. He brought Miss Su and Young Master Xiao with him. Word is that Miss Su was gravely injured…”
Shen Qinghe ground her teeth and clutched tightly at Lizhu’s sleeve. “Didn’t you want treasures? I’ll take you to the Treasure Pavilion right now. Take whatever you want.”
Within a single day, two major events shook the Azure Profound Sect.
The first was that the Sect Master had once again brought Su Wanqing back—and this time, he’d also brought along her paramour, showering them both with care and lavishing them with every kind of heavenly treasure and rare material.
But this wasn’t the first time, and everyone had grown accustomed to it. The second event, however, left no one unmoved.
Because the rumored gentle and demure eldest daughter, Shen Qinghe, had actually brought a white-haired youth to the sect and taken him directly to the Treasure Pavilion—a place strictly forbidden to outsiders—letting the white-haired youth pick anything he pleased.
The first thought that ran through the entire sect was: their brother was already a shameless simp, but the sister was somehow even worse!
“Does it look good?”
The youth wore a proud, haughty expression, his flowing white hair casually draped over his shoulders. He was decked out in an absurd array of treasures and jewelry, yet his exquisite features made it all seem perfectly natural. No matter how dazzling the jewels, the first thing anyone noticed was still his breathtakingly stunning face.
“Beautiful!”
Shen Qinghe praised him with genuine sincerity, then picked out a pair of earrings and fastened them on him with her own hands. “These Red Spirit Jade earrings make you look even more handsome.”
The cool tips of her fingers brushed against his earlobe. Lizhu stared at his reflection in the bronze mirror, momentarily lost in thought.
Just then, the door behind them was violently shoved open. Shen Qingci strode in, sword in hand.
“Wretch! How dare you deceive my sister into bringing you here!”
Shen Qinghe stepped in front of Lizhu to shield him. “Brother, I gave him all of this willingly. If you must punish someone, punish me.”
“You’ve clearly been bewitched. Once I rid you of this beast, you’ll come to your senses.”
Shen Qingci shot a look at the two elders beside him. Shen Qinghe tried to move, but found herself frozen in place as the elders pulled her aside.
Shen Qingci raised his sword and thrust it toward Lizhu.
In that instant, the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror floated out from Lizhu’s body, blocking the blade.
The sword halted mid-strike.
“It’s actually the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror… My sister gave you her Life-Bound Magic Treasure.”
Disbelief flooded Shen Qingci’s eyes as he turned to stare at Shen Qinghe in shock.
Shen Qinghe, who had just manipulated a sliver of her Divine Soul to feign resistance against the attack, cleared her throat. “That’s right. I gave it to him. Brother, you’re at the Spirit Severing Stage now—you can destroy the mirror if you wish. If you have the heart to, go ahead. I’ll find plenty more protective treasures for Qi An in the future anyway.”
Elder Zhong covered his face and wept bitterly. “This old man is useless—I let the young miss be led astray, and now she’s throwing away her very life.”
Shen Qingci was beside himself with fury. “Qinghe, do you have any idea that your Death Tribulation has yet to pass? Without the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror, your identity as one born with Pure Yin Essence will be known to all. What will you do when the Death Tribulation comes?!”
“My fate is decided by heaven, not by me. If I’m meant to die, I’ll die no matter when. I’d rather give the thing to someone I love—this is what you taught me, brother.” Shen Qinghe had already accepted her fate.
When she was young, someone from the Spirit Race had prophesied that she would not live past nineteen.
She had always been frail, no matter how many heavenly treasures and rare herbs she consumed, nothing improved. Being born with Pure Yin Essence, countless Evil Cultivators had their eyes on her.
It wasn’t until she obtained the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror, which concealed the aura of her Pure Yin Essence, that she was allowed to go outside.
In her previous life, everyone including herself believed that the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror could ward off this Death Tribulation.
Yet, she still died of illness. The mirror couldn’t protect her from what was wrong within.
This time, the mirror was damaged, and she didn’t feel much regret. At worst, she’d attract the attention of Evil Cultivators, but it also made her plan easier to carry out.
If Shen Qingci had previously thought his sister was just fooling around, now he truly believed her. After all, this was the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror she always kept by her side, and she had simply given it away to someone else.
Other than deep love, he could find no other reason.
“Brother, he is my true love.” Shen Qinghe said with utmost seriousness.
Shen Qingci pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling nothing but helplessness and irritation.
“Qingci, brother, so you’re here.” Su Wanqing trotted over, and her eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the various treasures hanging in the treasure pavilion.
Moreover, Lizhu was already adorned with many of them. After a moment’s thought, she spoke up: “That must be the Fengqi Glazed Bead. I’d love to see it.”
If it were any other time, if Su Wanqing wanted it, Shen Qingci would have given it to her. Not just one Glazed Bead—if she wanted ten, he would find a way to get them.
But looking at his sister, who was crazily in love not far away, he suddenly didn’t dare to agree.
What if his sister followed her example? Would she give her very life to an outsider next time?
“Another time. The treasure pavilion doesn’t allow giving things to outsiders.”
“Then him…” Su Wanqing looked at the white-haired youth covered in jewelry and ornaments.
Shen Qinghe immediately said: “He is my future Dao Companion. If you become my brother’s future Dao Companion, you can naturally take whatever you want.”
A glimmer of hope appeared in Shen Qingci’s eyes.
If only Su Wanqing were willing to become his Dao Companion…
Su Wanqing’s eyes flickered, and she avoided his gaze. “Qingci, brother, you’re wonderful, but I’m not worthy of you. I’ll be going now.”
She left in a fluster, and Shen Qingci was about to follow when Shen Qinghe hastily said: “Qi An, brother, you wanted to see our sect’s treasured artifact, right? I’ll take you to see it right now.”
Shen Qingci halted mid-step, his face darkening. “Don’t you dare take him to see it!”
Shen Qinghe and Lizhu were both chased out.
Shen Qingci no longer had the heart to pursue his beloved. He looked at Lizhu with a complicated gaze. “Come with me. I have something to say to you.”
Shen Qinghe immediately blocked their path. “Brother, don’t you dare try to break us apart!”
Shen Qingci’s lips twitched. “As long as his character is up to standard, I naturally won’t stand in your way anymore.”
Shen Qinghe walked over, placed the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror in Lizhu’s hands, and carefully instructed: “Hold onto this. It will protect you.”
Shen Qingci: “…”
So this was what it meant when a daughter was no longer kept at home?
After Shen Qinghe left, the aura around Shen Qingci instantly became formidable, the pressure of his mid-Spirit Severing Stage cultivation laid bare without any concealment.
Lizhu’s expression remained calm, showing not the slightest fear.
Shock and suspicion flickered in Shen Qingci’s eyes. Unless Lizhu was at the Spirit Severing Stage or above, there was no way he could withstand this.
Lizhu glanced down at the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror as it transmitted a voice message: “Are you there? Are you there?”
He knew she was communicating with him through her Divine Soul. “I’m here.”
“My brother will definitely try to intimidate you with his pressure. When he does, you must act very frightened and scared.”
“Why?”
“Just do as I say, Lizhu. It’s all for the greater plan.”
Lizhu didn’t understand, but after thinking about how others looked when he suppressed them, he mimicked the behavior—stretching out both hands and pretending to resist with all his might.
Seeing this, Shen Qingci’s face twisted with disdain.
Someone like this—how could he be worthy of his sister?
That earlier feeling must have been his imagination.
Withdrawing his pressure, Shen Qingci said coldly, “I raised my sister with my own hands. I know her character better than anyone. You must have used some trick to bewitch her. I will never allow you two to be together.”
At that moment, another message came through the mirror.
After listening, Lizhu said flatly, “I never had any interest in your sister. The only thing I want is her Magic Treasure.”
Shen Qingci stared at him. “What did you say?! You dare to look down on my sister!”
Shen Qinghe continued through the Heart-Protecting Mirror: “That’s right. I only wanted to use her from the very beginning. If she’s happy to keep fawning over me, I’ll play along for a while. If she becomes useless, I’ll just discard her.”
Lizhu recited every word with a blank expression.
Shen Qingci’s sword had already unsheathed itself, pointing directly at Lizhu, ready to strike at any moment.
But the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror happened to glow with a soft, shimmering halo at that instant, indicating it was actively providing protection.
Of course, Shen Qingci had no idea the Xuantian Heart-Protecting Mirror was already broken and had become nothing more than a communication mirror. All he knew was that the mirror represented his sister’s stance.
How could the person his sister loved be such a piece of trash?!