Li Chen and Fu Yao were flying on their swords, heading toward Central State.
Two figures suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their path.
Li Chen’s expression turned cold. He saw the person he least wanted to see. If he had the power, he would’ve killed Yin Xiumei on the spot.
Unfortunately, he was only at the Golden Core Realm and had yet to form divine abilities.
Even if he did, he still wouldn’t be a match for Yin Xiumei.
Yin Xiumei was once his Junior Sister, personally trained by him. She had already reached the Void Refinement Realm, while Li Chen lagged far behind.
But now, Li Chen had a second chance at life.
This time, he wouldn’t go back—he would reclaim everything he once gave away.
Fu Yao let out a cold snort. “Zhao Xueyi, it’s you again. What do you want this time?”
Zhao Xueyi looked at Li Chen with a gentle smile. “Senior Brother, can we talk in private? Yin Xiumei knows she was wrong. She came to apologize.”
Li Chen looked at Yin Xiumei, only to see her standing arrogantly, saying, “Li Chen, come home with me.”
Li Chen sneered. This was her way of apologizing?
So arrogant and overbearing.
Was this what she called an apology?
Even if she knelt and begged, Li Chen would never forgive her.
His gaze turned icy. “Zhao Xueyi, are you mocking me?”
“I was humiliated by her once.”
“I let it slide a second time.”
“But again and again, you think I’m still the same useless man who couldn’t even reach the Foundation Establishment Realm?”
“Senior Brother, no! I came to invite you home!” Zhao Xueyi shook her head, tears streaming down her face as she anxiously looked at Yin Xiumei. “Junior Sister, why haven’t you apologized yet?”
Yin Xiumei lowered her head and smiled sweetly. “Senior Brother, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Now that you can cultivate again, the Qilin Holy Land has plenty of resources for you. You’ll recover your peak state in no time.”
“You’re still my good Senior Brother.”
Yin Xiumei looked smug. In the past, all she had to do was act cute and Li Chen would listen to her. With just a pout, he would give her pills and treasure artifacts. If she acted coquettish, he would shower her with attention. Even if she was upset, Li Chen would coax her patiently.
In her mind, all she had to do was say sorry with a charming smile and lower her posture, and Li Chen would obediently go back with her.
It had always worked.
Looking at Li Chen, she thought smugly, I’ve already lowered myself. You’ll give in like always. Acting cute is my specialty.
But when Li Chen saw her smiling face and fake obedient posture, he felt deeply disgusted.
Especially that fake smile—he wanted to slap it off her face.
He stared at her with disdain. “Yin Xiumei, drop the act. You’re making me sick.”
Yin Xiumei was stunned.
It didn’t work? How could it not work?
Didn’t he always fall for this?
All she had to do was act cute, and Li Chen would always spoil her and give her anything she wanted.
Seeing the look of disgust on Li Chen’s face, she snapped in anger. “Li Chen, what did you just say?”
Li Chen curled his lips coldly. “Yin Xiumei, stop making me sick. I was blind before, but now I’ll never fall for it again. Even if you kneel and beg for forgiveness, I won’t go back with you.”
“Have you forgotten how you treated me?” New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
Yin Xiumei raised her head unwillingly. “What did I do to you?”
Li Chen raised his right hand.
Yin Xiumei’s face froze.
She remembered clearly—it was the finger she broke.
Zhao Xueyi was confused. “Junior Sister, what exactly happened?”
Yin Xiumei explained, “I had a spirit beast guarding my cave residence. It was well-behaved.”
“But he came and poisoned it to death.”
“I happened to be out and saw it happen. I broke his finger then and there. It was his fault.”
“And now he dares bring it up? Truly shameless!” she added angrily.
Zhao Xueyi frowned deeply.
She had heard before that Li Chen poisoned the spirit beast. It might be true.
She said, “Senior Brother, even if what Junior Sister said is true, she shouldn’t have broken your finger. It was just a spirit beast. Couldn’t she find another one?”
“Should Senior Brother and Junior Sister fight over a spirit beast? Wouldn’t that be a joke if it got out?”
Yin Xiumei grew anxious. “That spirit beast was like a child to me! How could I not react? It was his fault. How dare he blame me!”
She raged internally: How was it my fault? It was that dog Li Chen who killed my spirit beast. I didn’t even kill him—breaking a finger was already merciful! And now he dares bring it up?
If Zhao Xueyi wasn’t here, Yin Xiumei would’ve already acted, breaking his fingers again.
No…
Just breaking his fingers would be too easy. She wanted to poison him slowly, slice his flesh bit by bit, and make him taste the pain of being poisoned.
These thoughts burned inside her.
Zhao Xueyi looked at Li Chen and sighed. “Senior Brother, this really is your fault.”
Li Chen’s eyes were filled with hatred.
Cute?
He remembered very clearly. That so-called spirit beast was actually a demonic beast called a Noonbeast—a three-meter-long ferocious tiger, violent and brutal.
Yin Xiumei had it guard her cave residence.
Many in the sect had complained, but since Yin Xiumei was the personal disciple of the Sect Master, no one dared question her.
Li Chen went to reason with her. But the beast lunged at him, forcing him to kill it with poison in self-defense.
Yin Xiumei then came out and, without listening to any explanation, insulted him and broke his finger in front of everyone as punishment.
Li Chen glared coldly at her. “Yin Xiumei, why don’t you tell her—was that thing a spirit beast or a demonic beast?”
Zhao Xueyi looked at her in shock.
There was a huge difference.
Spirit beasts were gentle and could be used as mounts. Demonic beasts were violent and dangerous—some even ate humans. Keeping one was forbidden and could bring disaster.
Zhao Xueyi asked, “Junior Sister, was it a demonic beast or a spirit beast?”
Yin Xiumei’s face turned pale. She quickly argued, “Yes, I caught it in the wild. So what? It was gentle and never bit anyone. Besides, aren’t spirit beasts also caught in the wild? What’s the difference?” Follow the newest chapters on NovelPing.
Zhao Xueyi’s voice grew angry. “Have you forgotten the rules of the Holy Land? We’re not allowed to raise demonic beasts privately. And yet you blame Senior Brother?”
“It was gentle and sweet. I did nothing wrong,” Yin Xiumei insisted.
She still believed she had done nothing wrong and blamed everything on Li Chen.
If he hadn’t poisoned the beast, she never would’ve broken his finger.
Li Chen rolled up his sleeve, revealing a deep bite mark on his arm.
It had pierced the bone—an alarming wound.
Zhao Xueyi was stunned. “Senior Brother, that beast did this?”
“Yes.”
She turned furiously to Yin Xiumei. “Junior Sister, what else do you have to say? Your demonic beast bit Senior Brother’s arm!”
“You still dare to call it gentle, cute, obedient?”
“You’ve gone too far!”
Yin Xiumei stared at the wound and shook her head. “Impossible! My beast was so sweet! There’s no way it bit him. Who knows where he got that wound—it’s just a setup to frame me!”
She truly didn’t know.
Li Chen had never shown her the wound or told her about it.
He bore it silently.
When she broke his finger, nothing else mattered. His heart had already died.
Li Chen said calmly, “You came to the mountain at six years old, right?”
“You were only this tall,” he gestured with his hand.
“You were a sickly, innocent little girl back then.”
“Master asked me to take care of you.”
“I taught you how to cultivate.”
“You followed me for years. Yin Xiumei, tell me honestly—did I ever mistreat you?”
Yin Xiumei lowered her head. “No.”
“When you asked for Essence Pills, did I give them to you?”
“You did.”
“When you wanted to learn alchemy, did I teach you?”
“You did.”
“When you needed treasure artifacts, did I give them to you?”
“You did.”
Li Chen stared at her coldly. “I raised you, protected you, cared for you. And how did you repay me? You broke my finger without even listening to my side. That was your gratitude?”
Li Chen was furious.
He had treated Yin Xiumei like a daughter, if not better. Even more than a father, even more than a Master.
And what did he get in return?
Cruelty. Betrayal. A broken finger.