Caught off guard by Shen Yu's brown eyes, Chi Yao's heart immediately tightened.
In truth, most of the time she didn't dare meet Shen Yu's gaze.
She was afraid her dirty thoughts would be detected by Shen Yu—if that happened, she would likely lose her chance to spy on him.
"S-Senior Brother…"
Chi Yao's voice trembled slightly.
She truly had no way to explain why the pouch was in her hands.
When the pouch had fallen earlier, Shen Yu hadn't gone far. If she had truly intended to return it, she should have called out to him right then, instead of taking the pouch back to her own quarters.
With Shen Yu's keen perception, there was no way he couldn't see through all of this.
Looking at the face she dreamed of day and night, Chi Yao's heartbeat kept accelerating. For a moment, she even wanted to lay everything bare.
To tell Shen Yu that she had coveted him for three years, that she thought constantly of locking him away so he would belong to her and her alone.
But reason made her suppress that impulse.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for Shen Yu's verdict.
She had even already imagined the scene—Shen Yu sternly telling her to abandon her improper thoughts.
Chi Yao knew this day would come sooner or later; she just hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly.
But it didn't matter. Shen Yu only forbade her from liking him—whether she gave up was not for Shen Yu to decide.
At worst, she would simply be more careful in the future.
She would still have her chances.
In the instant she closed her eyes, Chi Yao had already thought through all of this.
When she opened them again, she slowly exhaled and lifted her gaze to look at Shen Yu once more.
At that moment, the Shen Yu in the mirror finally moved—but instead of scolding her as Chi Yao had expected, he simply turned and walked toward the bookshelf nearby.
Chi Yao froze.
She stared at Shen Yu in astonishment.
It wasn't until Shen Yu reached the bookshelf, took down a book, and opened it to read that Chi Yao vaguely realized a possibility.
Shen Yu might not be able to see her.
This guess made Chi Yao secretly excited. Her heart raced, and her gaze toward Shen Yu grew ever more scorching.
And Shen Yu truly hadn't noticed anything, still focused on selecting books by the shelf.
Now Chi Yao finally confirmed it—Shen Yu really couldn't see her.
Her wish had come true.
From now on, she no longer had to hide in the shadows; she could spy on Shen Yu's every move without restraint.
In the past, though Chi Yao had spied on him frequently, she had always held back, not daring to be too brazen.
This was the first time she had ever spied on him so openly and without any scruples.
In her excitement, Chi Yao's breathing grew rapid, and her gaze gradually turned obsessive.
Unable to help herself, she reached out and touched the mirror's surface, as if doing so would let her reach through the glass and caress Shen Yu's brow and eyes directly.
But the instant her fingertips touched the mirror, Shen Yu had already chosen his book and turned to walk away.
Chi Yao's hand froze, watching helplessly as Shen Yu disappeared from the mirror.
Just as the last hem of his clothing vanished, Chi Yao grew desperate, pressing her entire palm against the mirror.
And at that very moment, the image in the mirror suddenly shifted.
Chi Yao immediately noticed the anomaly. She lifted her hand and carefully touched the mirror again—the image inside indeed moved along with her motions.
This discovery filled Chi Yao with delight. She quickly raised her hand and channeled a stream of spiritual energy into the mirror.
The next moment, the image in the mirror moved according to her will, and Shen Yu's figure reappeared in the glass.
At this moment, Shen Yu was sitting at his desk, flipping through the books he had just selected.
Seeing this, Chi Yao's tense expression finally relaxed. Then she manipulated the mirror, moving it in different directions.
In the end, she discovered that this mirror could see anywhere in Shen Yu's sleeping quarters—even the bed where he rested every night could be seen with perfect clarity.
This discovery thrilled Chi Yao.
The mirror suited her wishes perfectly, as if it had been tailor-made just for her.
After surveying every corner of Shen Yu's sleeping quarters, Chi Yao manipulated the mirror again, bringing the image back to Shen Yu himself.
Shen Yu was still reading, and reading with great concentration.
Chi Yao couldn't see the contents of the book—she could only tell from the cover that it was an alchemical treatise.
But she didn't care what book Shen Yu was reading. All her attention was fixed on that face she dreamed of day and night.
Chi Yao moved the image closer.
At this distance, it was as if she were standing right beside Shen Yu.
The only difference was that now she could spy on him without any restraint.
Shen Yu's face was clearly presented before Chi Yao's eyes, and her gaze greedily swept over his brows and eyes, unwilling to miss a single detail.
It wasn't until the sound of a turning page reached her that Chi Yao's gaze shifted downward, landing on those well-defined, elegant hands.
Shen Yu truly lived up to being the Reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao—he was simply too perfect.
Even his hands alone were enough to hold one's gaze captive.
Shen Yu's hands were very fair, his fingers slender, with a faint hint of pink at the joints.
Chi Yao couldn't imagine what it would look like to one day lock iron chains around such hands.
She only knew that the mere thought of it—that sense of defiling a god—made her tremble with excitement.
Chi Yao still clearly remembered the feeling of that hand holding hers.
Three years ago, after she fled with Shen Yu, they were blocked by mountain bandits. She had been knocked to the ground, and after Shen Yu killed the bandits, he had walked toward her step by step and extended his hand to her.
She loved the warmth of Shen Yu's palm—it was so warm, giving her an unprecedented sense of security.
And it was precisely because of this that her obsession with Shen Yu grew deeper and deeper.
During those three years of devoted cultivation, she dreamed of Shen Yu more than once, and sometimes even had hallucinations, seeing him appear in her quarters.
But why would someone as heaven-favored as Shen Yu ever notice an insignificant nobody like her?
In those three years, she had only seen Shen Yu once—and even then, just a distant glance from within a crowd.
Back then, Shen Yu was like a bright moon hanging high in her heart—visible, yet forever beyond reach.
Though Shen Yu today was still as unattainable as ever, fortunately she had now become his junior sister, and the distance between them had narrowed considerably.
Chi Yao believed that one day, she would pluck that moon down with her own hands.
Chi Yao stared at the mirror for a long time, until the sky gradually darkened and drowsiness began to wash over her. Only then did she finally, reluctantly, tear her gaze away and turn toward her bed.
But before climbing in, she couldn't help turning back to look at the mirror.
In the mirror, Shen Yu was still reading, occasionally jotting down notes with his brush. His focused demeanor was just as captivating to Chi Yao.
"Senior brother, sweet dreams."
Chi Yao gazed at Shen Yu in the mirror and murmured softly.
Only then did she extinguish the lamp and go to sleep.
The breathing on the bed gradually became even, and at the same time, Shen Yu in the mirror slowly raised his head, looking toward the mirror.
Those cold eyes revealed a trace of morbid obsession.
"Sweet dreams, Junior Sister."
…
Chi Yao held a high seniority in the Tianyan Sect, and most disciples had to address her as Young Martial Aunt.
But all new disciples had to attend morning lessons, and even Chi Yao was no exception.
Early the next morning, just as Chi Yao walked out of Guiyun Peak and was heading to the place where morning lessons were held, an anxious figure came rushing up to her.
"Young Martial Aunt, you're finally out!"
The person who ran over was Ji Jiusi, whom Chi Yao had met on her way to the Tianyan Sect for the examination.
Back then, Ji Jiusi had been trapped in a snare and had almost missed the disciple examination—it was Chi Yao who had saved him as she passed by.
Later, both of them passed the examination, and Ji Jiusi had stuck to her like a little tail ever since, often following behind her.
However, Ji Jiusi's path didn't coincide with Chi Yao's, and he usually arrived at morning lessons later than she did. Yet now he had appeared outside Guiyun Peak in such a frantic hurry, looking so anxious, that it gave Chi Yao an ominous premonition.
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you only coming out now, Young Martial Aunt? Morning lessons have already started, but Senior Brother Zhang said he wouldn't begin until everyone arrived. Everyone is waiting for you right now."
This made a hint of doubt appear on Chi Yao's face, and she couldn't help but glance up at the sky.
"Don't morning lessons start at the hour of Si? That hour hasn't arrived yet."
Now it was Ji Jiusi's turn to be stunned. "Yesterday, Senior Brother Zhang told us that morning lessons had been moved up by half an hour. Didn't you know, Young Martial Aunt?"
Chi Yao indeed didn't know.
But after thinking it over carefully, she understood the reason.
The one teaching them these past few days was a disciple named Zhang Mu, and Chi Yao could sense that Zhang Mu harbored hostility toward her, often making things difficult for her during lessons.
She just hadn't expected that after failing to trouble her, Zhang Mu would resort to such an underhanded trick.
"I really didn't know, but since it's come to this, let's just head over first."
With that, Chi Yao quickened her pace and hurried with Ji Jiusi toward the hall where morning lessons were held.
Meanwhile, in the teaching hall.
The disciples had already been waiting in their seats for a long time. Many were propping up their heads, looking utterly bored, while some were showing signs of impatience.
"Senior Brother Zhang, we've been waiting for two quarter-hours already. When are we going to start?"
At last, a disciple couldn't hold back and voiced his complaint.
Zhang Mu sighed with feigned difficulty. "Please be patient, Junior Brothers and Sisters. There's nothing I can do about this. She is Immortal Venerable Yun Yi's disciple, after all. If she doesn't come, all we can do is wait."
These words instantly made everyone even more dissatisfied, and the disciple who had just complained couldn't help but slam the table and stand up.
"What a grand display of airs! Does being Immortal Venerable Yun Yi's disciple mean she can act so willfully?"
Seeing that everyone's emotions had been stirred up, a flash of smugness crossed Zhang Mu's eyes, and he continued to fan the flames.
"Careful with your words, Junior Brother. She is our Young Martial Aunt, after all. If she hears that, who knows how she might torment us in the future."
"What a coincidence—I've already heard. Martial Nephew Zhang, care to guess how I'll torment you?"
The sudden voice made Zhang Mu's face freeze instantly. He turned to look toward the hall's entrance, only to see Chi Yao standing outside the door.
Meeting Chi Yao's gaze, Zhang Mu instinctively felt a flicker of guilt, but since his words had already been overheard, he decided to double down and hardened his tone once more.
"How could someone like me ever hope to influence the Young Martial Aunt's decisions? An honest, well-behaved disciple like me can't compare to the Young Martial Aunt's methods—managing to catch Immortal Venerable Yun Yi's special favor."
With that, Zhang Mu swept a meaningful gaze up and down over Chi Yao.
He was clearly telling everyone that Chi Yao had used some unsavory means to become Immortal Venerable Yun Yi's disciple.
At this, Chi Yao finally understood where Zhang Mu's hostility toward her came from.
So it was jealousy.
"The face of jealousy your junior-nephew wears is truly ugly. But what a pity—no matter how jealous you are, it won't help. Even if Master hadn't taken me as his disciple, he would never have taken someone like you, who has spent ten years in the sect without the slightest improvement in cultivation."
As soon as these words left her mouth, the crowd burst into laughter.
Zhang Mu's face flushed the color of pig liver. Nothing enraged him more than having this brought up.
He had mediocre talent, but fortunately came from a good family. Ever since he learned Qi Induction, his family had supplied him with all kinds of pills to boost his cultivation.
In the beginning, his cultivation advanced rapidly, which gave him the illusion that he was a genius.
However, as his cultivation grew, the pills' effects gradually weakened, and his training became increasingly difficult.
Especially after joining the Tianyan Sect—lacking talent and unwilling to endure hardship—Zhang Mu spent ten years with barely any progress in his cultivation.
Now that this had been exposed in public, Zhang Mu felt as if his face had been slapped raw.
He glared at Chi Yao, trembling with rage.
"You bitch! I'll make you pay!"
Zhang Mu suddenly raised his fist and charged at Chi Yao.
No one anticipated this move. By the time Chi Yao came to her senses, Zhang Mu was already upon her.
Just as the fist was about to come down, and Chi Yao was about to dodge, a familiar figure stepped in front of her first.