The young man stomped to Li Yinyi with a dark face. "I told you to call me Li Yangyi when outside, didn't I," he said and kneaded his little sisters cheek.
"Ehh, big brother, I am sorry. Ouch~ you're going to rip them off." She grabbed his hands and complained.
"You—I told you to call me Li Yangyi! Well, whatever, let's put that aside first. Where have you been? Do you know that father was worried sick?"
Hearing him say 'father', Li Yinyi turned pale. "I wanted to come back sooner, but there was a sudden storm and I couldn't leave. I found shelter at a store."
"I don't believe you!"
"That is unfair, you don't believe anyone. If people told you you are human, you'd think you are a dog." She pouted in silence.
"And whose fault do you think that is," Li Yangyi shouted, "you're the kind of girl who gets sold and counts the money with the traffickers."
Li Yinyi pouted, and felt incredibly wronged. "You don't have to be so mean about it. It only happened twice."
Hearing her words, Li Yangyi listlessly stared at the sky, questioning his life choices. That girl was incurable. She had always been like this, way too trusting towards other people and thus always being misled. When she was small, she had always been teased without even realizing it. The problem was, even after the many incidents, she still showed no improvement in wisdom or judgement. Their parents, fearing that when she grew up she would be tricked by robbers, decided to lock her up in the mansion until she learned not to be so trusting.
Li Yangyi turned stern. "Li Yinyi, tell me what is our family?"
"Eh, isn't that obvious? The Li family, it says so in our name," she answered simply.
"Yes, but what is the status of our Li family, can you tell me that?"
"Eh, I don't remember, something important, I guess." She tilted her head. Evidently, Li Yinyi was not good with these things.
"We are one of the three big families of the Empire! You have to at least remember that. Though, we are only a branch family, the blood in our veins is real. As one of the prestigious three, our family has a lot of enemies—foreign spies, rogue cultivators and families envying our fame. So what do you think would happen if these people got to you? Imagine how many lives you could put at risk if you gave them classified information," her brother continued berating her. "You can't continue to be so irresponsible."
Li Yinyi grew sadder, as his voice continued. She had heard that speech many times over her life, and though she wanted to prove herself that she was independent, no on gave her a chance to do so. "I think you are underestimating me. I still know how to discern right from wrong." She curled her fingers into a fist and stared at the ground.
Her brother after saying everything, softened up. Seeing the dejected look on her face, he thought maybe he had gone too far, but that was only because he felt worried about her. He loved his sister—of course, only as much as a brother could—and he would go through great lengths to protect her, even if he had to pay sacrifices to do so.
His sister had always been naive, so he tried to cover her flaws by being distrusting. It was fine as long as he could prevent people from hurting her, but now in a twist of fate, it was him who hurt her by doing so.
He took her hand and embraced her tightly. "I apologize, Li Yinyi, I might have been too harsh." The man was ridden with guilt.
"Ah, what are you doing, you're embarrassing me." Li Yinyi felt confused by her brothers sudden change of heart and tried pushing him away, but his cultivation had reached a higher realm than hers. "If you feel so sorry, then give me some money."
Li Yangyi loosened his grip. "Huh, money? Don't you still have the spirit stones that father has given you? And I remember that mother always spoils you with extra change. Of course, I don't mind, but where did yours go?"
"I used it all."
"Y—You used it all?" Li Yangyi felt a bad premonition welling up inside his heart. "On what?"
"Oh, big brother you won't believe it," Li Yinyi's eyes sparkled when she remembered Shou's store. "I paid it to enter an illusory world, where there was a witch who had incredible cultivation strength. She lifted her hand, and there was a boom, then a whoosh, and I died. But that was fine though, because I revived again, and the owner promised I could learn the technique, if I just pay—big brother, are you listening?" She had stopped because she saw her brother turned strangely silent.
He looked at Li Yinyi and grit his teeth. "Damn it, you idiot sister!" Decisively, Li Yangyi hit the back of his sisters head—truthfully, it hurt him more than it hurt her. He promptly fell to his knees and held his hand in shame. "No, it had to be done, I had no other choice," he muttered, immersed in his own world.
That was probably also why he hadn't even realized his sister had advanced in her cultivation.
...
"I can't get married anymore," Si sniffed. It was the next morning.
"Don't be overdramatic," Shou said, "so what if I saw you completely overhauling the store? I found it impressive how you created the new walls and changed the chairs. Haven't I already seen your system magic before?"
"You don't understand, teleporting items is different from changing the whole store. Usually, the Host would go to sleep, and then the system would give it their best to design a stunning layout, and when the Host woke up, they would be mesmerized by the effortless renovation, and feel the system is omnipotent. That was supposed to be a bonding moment. But now... it's like you've seen me naked. [tears falling]."
"I feel like seeing someone naked can also be a bonding experience. Can you even be naked in the first place?"
"How rude, what do you think we systems are?"
"To answer truthfully, I have not a single clue." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, it's a new day, let's open the store."
"Wait, take a look the next Quest first," Si reminded him, "I feel like you aren't taking this seriously enough. Come on, I beg you, my livelihood's on the line. You don't want a cutie like me to die so young, right?"
Shou decided not to comment and simply opened the Quest Window.
[Chain Quest - Run a successful business.
Second Chain Quest: Find Your Roots.
Description: Get at least 10 people to buy and enter the illusory world 'Deadly Witch Hunt'. 9 remaining. Time limit: 7 days.
Reward: Store size upgrade. Ascending to the 'Mortal Fortification' stage.]