Yu Xiang couldn't sleep all night.
Tossing and turning, eyes open and closed, she kept seeing the way Chen Yin had looked at her earlier that day.
That look—she knew she'd probably never forget it.
It was as if his gaze held an ever-present, lingering mist, veiled and sorrowful, as he looked at her.
And in his words, there had been a quiet, suppressed sadness, as he asked her:
"…Do you mean that?"
Yu Xiang didn't know how to respond to that question.
If she could, she would have loved nothing more than to throw herself into her senior brother's embrace.
Not think about anything.
Just breathe in his scent and be at peace.
But on countless nights, she would also wake up in terror, haunted by the brutal scenes of that time.
Those images were etched deep into her bones.
Back then, she had sworn to herself that she'd do anything for revenge.
And then, as if someone had answered her, the system had come to her.
The system told her: from today, you are the villain of this world.
Your task is to defeat the protagonist.
If you follow the pre-planned storyline, you'll get your revenge.
But if you defy the system, everyone close to you will die with you.
…It doesn't matter.
If she could get revenge, nothing else mattered.
With this small and solitary thought, Yu Xiang was able to remind herself on all those sleepless nights that she had to stay alive.
To live. Even if it was just for revenge.
But everything changed when her master took her back to the mountain.
She met her caring senior brother, Chen Yin, and her fiercely protective master, the Immortal Yu Ling.
Everything on Yushan Mountain felt like a warm, gentle illusion, tempting her to forget the vengeance carved into her very bones.
But Yu Xiang knew.
From the moment the system chose her, she had no way back.
Either she followed the system's instructions and completed the storyline,
or she'd end up getting her senior brother and master killed along with her.
The thought terrified her more than dying herself.
She never wanted to go through the pain of losing her loved ones again.
So this time, no matter what, she had to follow the system's directives.
—I'm sorry, senior brother.
The night wind drifted in through the window, dampening her pillow with faint traces of glittering tears.
<+>
Early the next morning, Chen Yin woke up before dawn and went to the kitchen to start making soup.
Their master had gone off on a journey, so it was just him and Xiang'er on Yushan Mountain now.
Only when that little old lady wasn't around did Chen Yin dare to pull out his stash of good ingredients to spoil Xiang'er a little.
As he held up a spoon to taste for seasoning, the door creaked open.
Yu Xiang stood at the entrance, watching him timidly.
"Oh, Xiang'er."
With his usual gentle expression, Chen Yin smiled and said, "Come and have a taste. I got up early just to make this for you."
"This is deer antler and spirit mushroom soup, which is said to preserve youthful looks, nourish the blood, and best of all—enhance the bust~"
"You should drink more, Xiang'er. Someday, let your senior brother experience the true meaning of… 'towering touch.'"
This time, though, instead of blushing and running away from Chen Yin's teasing, Yu Xiang bit her lip softly.
"Senior brother… you're not mad at me anymore?"
Chen Yin paused, then put down the spoon and smiled gently.
"I told you."
"I was never angry with you."
"Maybe you have some unspeakable reason you don't want to tell me."
"It's alright." Chen Yin wiped his hands on his apron, then took it off and put it aside.
He turned and looked at her seriously.
"When you're ready to talk, I'll always be here to listen."
Yu Xiang's eyes began to glisten.
After a moment, her eyes turned red, and she whispered, choking up:
"Senior brother… I…"
"Ah, but now that I think about it, it was a bit hurtful, wasn't it?"
Suddenly, Chen Yin changed his tone, pretending to sound hurt. "I guess I was a little upset. What should we do about that?"
"How about… you cheer me up, Xiang'er?"
Yu Xiang paused, fiddling with her fingers as she asked softly:
"So, what does senior brother want Xiang'er to do to cheer you up?"
"Well, that depends on how sincere you're willing to be."
Chen Yin watched her with a teasing smile, saying nothing more.
After a few shy moments, Yu Xiang's cheeks flushed as she bit her lip.
"Then… senior brother, could you close your eyes, please?"
"Huh? Can't I keep them open?"
"Oh, stop it, bad senior brother! Just—just close them!"
Seeing her urgent, shy expression, Chen Yin chuckled and closed his eyes.
Seeing that Chen Yin had his eyes closed, Yu Xiang stepped forward slowly, rising onto her tiptoes.
Chen Yin could feel warm breaths getting closer and closer to his cheek.
It was almost as if she was right next to his face.
Then, a soft, dream-like voice whispered in his ear:
"This is Xiang'er's first kiss."
"Xiang'er likes you too, senior brother."
"Xiang'er also wants to be the most beautiful woman in your heart forever."
Afterward, his lips felt a touch as light and fragrant as flowers.
The soft, warm sensation was fleeting, yet it left Chen Yin stunned, his eyes still closed as he savored that delicate moment.
When he opened his eyes, Yu Xiang was nowhere to be seen.
The shy girl had probably run away.
Chen Yin gently touched his lips and smiled quietly.
—That's always been the feeling Xiang'er gives him.
Pure and genuine, like an untouched Yushan Flower.
Unfortunately, in both his previous and current lives, he'd never had siblings.
Xiang'er was as close and dear to him as a sister, and like a girl-next-door hiding blossoming feelings in her heart.
From the moment she'd arrived on the mountain as a child and called him "senior brother" with a soft, dimpled smile,
Chen Yin had decided that he would protect this girl for a lifetime.
—Although, there was one regrettable thing.
Xiang'er had given him her first kiss.
But his first kiss… wasn't hers.
Recalling a certain memory, a different sensation seemed to rise instinctively on his lips.
With a cough, he sighed helplessly.
'Sigh. Xiang'er, don't blame your senior brother for having a colorful past.'
Some things are just out of his control.
<+>
A few days passed.
During this time, Yu Xiang and Chen Yin returned to their usual warm and playful routine, as if they'd agreed to quietly forget what happened that day.
Chen Yin continued to tease Yu Xiang with his flirtatious comments, making her blush and pout.
And every day, Xiang'er made different delicious dishes for him, which he savored.
Without the bossy little old lady around, Chen Yin almost felt out of place.
—Who knows what their master was up to?
Oh well. As she had said herself,
No one in the entire immortal cultivation world could likely kill her.
What was he even worrying about?
Peaceful days flew by quickly, and before long, it was almost time for the World's Heavenly Beauty Summit.
Chen Yin and Xiang'er began preparing for the journey.
"By the way, senior brother, why is Master having you take me? Couldn't I go on my own?"
"What are you saying?" Chen Yin put on a serious face. "How could we let a young lady like you travel so far alone? Neither Master nor I would feel right about that."
"What if some scoundrel appears on the way and tries to harm you? I wouldn't even have a place to cry."
Yu Xiang couldn't hold back her laughter. "As if! Senior brother, you're always busy carousing. My cultivation level is higher than yours!"
"If we ran into someone even I couldn't beat, how much help would you be, Mister Not-Even-in-the-Cloud Realm?"
Chen Yin put on a wounded expression. "So… in Xiang'er's eyes, her senior brother is just a useless weakling…"
"Boo hoo, I don't want to live anymore."
Worried that she'd gone too far, Yu Xiang was about to comfort him, but in the next second, Chen Yin put on a tragic expression and said:
"It's okay! Xiang'er, if we do meet someone we both can't beat, just leave me behind! Run!"
"I'll fight with my life on the line if it means keeping you safe!"
Yu Xiang squinted her eyes, laughing.
"Oh, senior brother. Even now, you're still putting on a show."
"If we really can't win, you should just run. I can handle it."
"No way." Chen Yin replied firmly. "I'd die before I'd let anything happen to you! Anyone wanting to harm Xiang'er would have to step over my body first!"
"...Senior brother, your legs are shaking."
"..."
Their usual banter continued. They were both used to it by now.
After tidying up the house, Chen Yin took the mask he'd been hiding, tucked it into his robe, and shrank the Everbright Sword into his sleeve when Xiang'er wasn't looking.
Then, he exchanged a glance with the little fox, Luoluo, who'd stuck her head out from the void outside, and nodded.
Once everything was ready, Chen Yin said cheerfully:
"Let's go! Off to the World's Heavenly Beauty Summit, full of beautiful maidens!"
"...Senior brother."
Yu Xiang suddenly looked at him skeptically. "You didn't ask Master for an excuse to escort me just so you could go flirting at the Heavenly Beauty Summit, did you?"
"Cough, cough—what, as if! Do you think your senior brother would have ulterior motives like that?"
Chen Yin cleared his throat, straightened up, and said stubbornly, "I'm only going because I genuinely care about your safety."
"Don't worry about me, senior brother. If anything, you'd just hold me back."
Yu Xiang pouted. "Promise me, if I tell you to run, you'll run, okay?"
"…Look," Chen Yin sighed, "you're only in the early stages of the Cloud Realm. Just a bit stronger than me."
"Is that any reason to look down on me?"
"Who told senior brother to slack off on his training and let his cultivation stay so low?"
Seeing her mischievous smile and her long lashes, Chen Yin sighed softly.
Then, suddenly, he raised his hand.
In an instant, the aura of heaven and earth gathered around Chen Yin, swirling like a vortex toward him.
Before Xiang'er could process what was happening, the vortex disappeared.
Chen Yin, standing in front of her, now emanated an aura even more ethereal than before. He smiled and spread his hands:
"Will this do?"
"Now."
"I'm also in the Cloud Realm."
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please join my Patreon, for $5 each month, you can read all of the available chapter.
Patreon Account:
Latest Chapter In Patreon:
Link to the latest chapter: