As that voice rang out, the disciples guarding the entrance quickly parted to make a path.
After a night of commotion, the sun was rising from the east.
The man wore a neat white disciple robe, with blue auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs.
His black hair was half tied up with a plain hairpin, revealing a face as smooth as jade. His features were gentle, with a hint of weariness in his eyes, yet a faint smile still lingered at the corners of his lips as he strolled in leisurely.
The moment she caught sight of him, Shu Wanzhao went as still as a mouse spotting a cat.
Her body trembled instinctively.
She couldn’t help but complain inwardly—if the female supporting character was supposed to run away, why did the body simulated by the System still have muscle memory?
She didn’t even dare speak to the man, trying to play dead by staying sprawled on the ground.
Unfortunately, some things couldn’t be avoided by running. Senior Brother Shen Changan’s voice was like a death warrant, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her. “How exactly does Junior Sister plan to make this Senior Brother look good?”
Shu Wanzhao’s little heart quivered. Even though the punishment scene hadn’t happened yet, she was already imagining the pain.
She didn’t even dare to put on an act now, stammering, “Senior Brother is already good-looking as he is. No need for Junior Sister to make you look better.”
The disciples behind Shen Changan: “…”
After going out once, this troublemaker’s skin had grown even thicker. That wasn’t what she’d said just now.
Shen Changan said nothing. His gentle gaze, light as a feather, swept over their positions and came to rest on the large hand at Shu Wanzhao’s waist.
Someone had already recounted the night’s events to him, embellishing the story, claiming that Shu Wanzhao had harmed Xie Hansheng.
Shu Wanzhao didn’t defend herself either. She even nodded seriously in agreement.
It made everyone grit their teeth in frustration.
But the priority now was to separate Shu Wanzhao and the others first, then help Xie Hansheng dispel the Demonic Qi.
The Sect wasn’t as wealthy as the major sects. Over the years, Shen Changan had acted as both father and mother to these troublesome junior brothers and sisters, and had learned a fine skill in medicine.
He lowered his eyes, his jade-like fingertips gently resting on Xie Hansheng’s hand, trying to pry it apart.
Though the man was clearly unconscious, he still instinctively tightened his grip, as if afraid someone would take Shu Wanzhao away.
Shen Changan applied force.
Shu Wanzhao heard a crack, and the pressure around her waist suddenly released.
Turning her head to see Xie Hansheng’s wrist bent at an unnatural angle, she looked like a startled little animal, eyes wide as saucers, her hair practically bristling.
The gentle, jade-like Senior Brother, the refined and courteous one, had actually snapped Xie Hansheng’s wrist joint clean out of place.
Yet the culprit behind it all smiled elegantly. “How much longer are you going to lie on him?”
“Se… Senior Brother, he… he?”
Shen Changan lowered his eyes slightly.
His most mischievous junior sister was lying in someone else’s arms, her face pale, her black-and-white eyes glistening with fear of him, her small frame trembling nonstop like a fledgling bird with unformed wings—pitifully endearing.
As if one more bit of teasing, one more scare, and she’d start crying in earnest.
Tears on that fair, tender face would surely be as beautiful as dew drops falling from morning petals.
A strange thought inexplicably rose in his mind—something that had never occurred before.
His expression unchanged, he personally reached out, hooked the back of her collar, and effortlessly lifted her up, setting her aside to stand properly.
His voice fell like jade beads rolling. “He’s fine. Everyone out. I’ll dispel the Demonic Qi for him.”
As for the rest—a hand was nothing. If he could break it, he could heal it.
With that thought, his gaze flicked to Shu Wanzhao. “You. Wait obediently for me outside.”
From start to finish, his emotions remained steady and he never lost his temper, yet Shu Wanzhao had the distinct illusion of “Just you wait—once I’m done with him, I’m coming for you.”
In this man’s presence, she felt an indescribable oppression and fled as fast as she could.
But she didn’t dare go too far.
She obediently stayed by the door, praying inwardly for Senior Brother to save Second Senior Brother quickly, while also hoping he wouldn’t completely eradicate the Demonic Qi from Second Senior Brother’s body.
666 sensed her thoughts. [Host can rest assured. In the original novel, although your Senior Brother dispelled Xie Hansheng’s Demonic Qi, it still left hidden dangers. If Demonic Qi were that easy to dispel, it wouldn’t be so feared. Next, when he wakes up, you just need to hold him back during his missions and make him develop an Inner Demon.]
Demonic Qi could be suppressed, but an Inner Demon would only keep amplifying.
By then, Xie Hansheng would be completely beyond redemption.
Shu Wanzhao waited outside the door, unaware of what was happening inside. She waited until noon, when the sun overhead was at its strongest and the temperature had risen.
As a cultivator, her endurance should have been strong, but she couldn’t bear even a little hardship. She hid under a tree to cool off, and only when she sensed movement from the room did she immediately run back to stand by the door.
Shen Changan came out and spotted her timid, cowering gaze at once.
She asked dryly, “How is my Second Senior Brother?”
“The Demonic Qi has been dispelled, but it lingered too long. The damage to his body will need time to recover. He’ll wake within three days. You… come with me.”
He walked past her, exuding a faint, pleasant scent—something like mint, or perhaps some other medicinal herb.
She followed behind him like a little tail, unable to resist taking two extra breaths, then stealing a glance at his back.
His build wasn’t as robust as Xie Hansheng’s, but he stood like a pine or bamboo, his gait elegant and composed.
If she hadn’t seen him casually snap Xie Hansheng’s hand, Shu Wanzhao might have taken him for one of those refined young gentlemen, as gentle as jade.
Unfortunately, this man was terrifying.
She was so lost in her daydreaming that she didn’t even notice when Shen Changan stopped. Before she knew it, she walked straight into his back, as if hitting a wall, and let out a pained hiss.
Indeed, appearances could be deceiving—he looked elegant and refined, but beneath his robes was the body of a trained martial artist.
Hard, solid muscle.
Right, this was a cultivation world. Even if he looked harmless, he was still a cultivator.
He hadn’t expected her to bump into him, his body pausing slightly before he let out a resigned sigh. “Junior sister, watch where you’re going.”
“Oh.”
Shu Wanzhao clutched her head, keeping a serious expression as she looked ahead. They arrived at a bamboo grove.
Before them stood an ancient, elegant pavilion. On the plaque high above, the three characters “Qingfeng Pavilion” were written with restrained sharpness yet imposing grandeur.
This was where the Sect’s scrolls and records were kept—Shen Changan’s domain for managing internal affairs.
He led Shu Wanzhao inside, passing through layers of bookshelves, and sat down beside a long desk. His features were handsome and refined, his brows and eyes like clear spring water in a secluded orchid valley, making one unconsciously lower their guard.
“Is the Demonic Qi in Hansheng’s body caused by you?”
He spoke like an elder making casual conversation, his tone revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure, but Shu Wanzhao knew exactly what was coming for her.
The gentler this man appeared on the outside, the more ruthless he was within.
In the original novel, when she pushed Xie Hansheng into the Demonic Qi, the Senior Brother had lightly punished her with a full twenty lashes of the Soul-Suppressing Whip.
The so-called soul-suppressing meant that beyond the pain of flesh wounds, the soul itself would not be spared.
The cultivation world placed the utmost importance on the soul, and damage to the soul was several times more painful than damage to the body.
She knew exactly what punishment awaited her, yet she still had to go through with it.
Because the original owner’s conflict with the two male leads had deepened precisely because of this punishment. She believed that if it weren’t for Xie Hansheng, Shen Changan wouldn’t have punished her, and from then on, she never missed an opportunity to cause trouble for Xie Hansheng.
Although Xie Hansheng’s cultivation base was higher than hers, his background wasn’t as formidable. The Sect had shown him great kindness and was his only refuge, so he wouldn’t make a fuss over such trivial matters. He had always endured the original owner’s bullying in silence.
So, the whip had to be taken, and the conflict had to deepen.
Even though Shu Wanzhao’s calves were tense with panic, she kept her face stern and pretended to show no remorse. “So what if it was? He’s my senior brother. Saving me is only natural.”
The man across from her must have been defeated by her willfulness—his gaze at her was clearly unfocused.
He must think she was truly vicious, right?
Shu Wanzhao felt emboldened and lifted her chin higher. “Anyway, my parents both died for Master. If not for my parents, there would be no Master, and without Master, there would be no Sect. You should be grateful you can cultivate in this Sect, and you should protect me all the more.”
The more the girl spoke, the braver she seemed to become. Her pale complexion regained its color, her cheeks fair with a rosy tint, as if molded from dough.
Her black-and-white eyes sparkled brilliantly, and behind her, it seemed as though a proud, wagging tail had appeared—like a fierce little kitten, whose angry meows were utterly adorable in anyone’s eyes.
Shen Changan watched her quietly, his gaze settling on her lips as they opened and closed.