Has My Senior Brother Stopped Liking Me?

Lotus Peak is shrouded in mist and wisps of haze, with rugged rocks and lush forests.

The mountain wind howled, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, threatening to shatter gold and stone.

As You Su walked back, contemplating the sounds of nature, he unexpectedly grasped the profound truths of the Unseen.

At this moment, he was clear-headed and his mind was serene, as if he had reached a state of transcendence and forgetting himself and the world.

This state is recorded in various immortal scriptures, and it also has another name in the Joyous Union Technique) – the Sage Realm.

It is said that once this level is reached, a person's comprehension and concentration will undergo tremendous changes, and the ability to apply knowledge to new situations will become effortless.

You Su had a deep understanding of this. He even felt that his previously perfected Spirit Platform Middle Stage was now faintly approaching the barrier to breakthrough.

With just one step, one can reach the lower realm of the Spirit Platform.

Looking back on these days, it has only been four months since he broke through to the Spirit Platform Realm, and he is about to cross two small stages. Such a speed of cultivation is already astonishing.

After careful consideration, You Su decided to take a short rest today and set off immediately. It wasn't to rush to pass the test, but simply to clear his mind.

So he silently returned to his room, only to find someone already waiting for him.

"Junior sister?"

"It's me, what's wrong?"

Ji Lingruo sat at the tea table, arms crossed, and glared at You Su. For some reason, she felt annoyed by the way You Su's lips unconsciously curled up.

Doesn't this blind man realize the immense danger he's about to face? Why does he have that blissfully smug expression on his face?

"Nothing, it's just that it's you."

You Su's smile deepened. At this moment, his mind was clear, and he had no more worries, so he openly expressed his love.

Ji Lingruo only subconsciously retorted to You Su, but she didn't expect that this guy would change his usual way of bickering with her and use a soft approach to overcome hardness?

What's even more infuriating is that she's the type of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force...

Of course, at certain times she can also turn into the opposite, becoming a stubborn woman who only responds to firmness.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ji Lingruo blushed and spat lightly. "What's the use of always going to her when something happens? She can only watch helplessly as you have to face the evil spirits."

How could You Su allow his junior sister to look down on their master 'Mistress? He said seriously, "Junior sister, the matter of the Divine Child is not something your Mistress can control. From the time Chuyun City, I was perhaps destined to walk this path, and you should understand that. She has already helped me a lot, so don't think of your Mistress like that."

"How did she help you? As far as I know, your swordsmanship was also taught by your senior sister, right?"

"Mistress ..." You Su pondered for a moment, then suddenly said firmly, "She is my mentor in life!"

Whether in spirit or in body, He Shutong deserves these four words.

"When I was confused, my Mistress would always enlighten me; she helped me a lot."

Hearing You Su's protective words, Ji Lingruo pursed her pink lips. She was only grumbling; of course, she wouldn't really disrespect her new master.

"Alright, alright, I know." Ji Lingruo lowered her eyes. "She's a good Mistress, I'm not a good junior sister, okay?"

The girl seemed to be blaming He Shutong, but in reality, she was angry at her own powerlessness.

"Junior sister is the best junior sister in the world."

You Su sat down naturally, placing his large hand on Ji Lingruo's snow-white, soft hand.

For more than half a month after Ji Lingruo went up the mountain, apart from the initial encounter when he and his senior sister were caught in a pincer movement, he didn't even touch Ji Lingruo's hand once.

Ji Lingruo froze, staring at You Su in surprise. Her heart skipped a beat, as if a mischievous little rabbit was crouching there, and her face inexplicably flushed.

The blind man suddenly changed his attitude, launching such a direct attack that he caught her off guard.

Is he making his final arrangements because he fears he might never return?

This strengthened Ji Lingruo's resolve. "Then do you want to leave me?"

"Of course not, I wish I could be with my junior sister every moment." You Su replied decisively without hesitation.

"Alright, then I'll go to Moxie City with you." Ji Lingruo let You Su hold her hand, and clearly felt the boy's grip tighten a bit.

"First Elder also tell you that?"

"Shouldn't he have said something?" Ji Lingruo's tone was unfriendly. "He returned and took Senior Sister away, telling me to tell you not to wait for her; she will appear in Moxie City at the appropriate time. Before leaving, he also told me that I am Demon Race, and if I were to announce this publicly at this time of tension between humans and demons, many disciples would definitely want to spar with me. Although I am not afraid of them... I don't want to fight them."

Ji Lingruo has been on the mountain for nearly a month. Due to her sensitive identity, she has attracted far more attention than You Su did. Almost everyone knows that Xuanxiao Sect has a new disciple from the Demon Race.

Even so, the public announcement of the True Disciple is a rule, and it's also the way new disciples greet all their fellow disciples. Even if Ji Lingruo Demon Race, she wouldn't be exempt from it.

Ji Lingruo learns swordsmanship quickly, but her practical combat experience is pitifully scarce. You Su and Wangshu Fairy have done their best to help her improve, but how can they withstand the 'covetous eyes' of so many people? Although there are definitely people behind the scenes who won't let the situation become too ugly, it's really too difficult for this Demon Race sister to avoid being intimidated.

"Junior sister, wait for me to return. I'll be sitting on the sidelines, making sure no one dares to challenge you to a duel."

You Su squeezed Ji Lingruo's delicate little hand.

Ji Lingruo chuckled, "What? Is our Young Master You some kind of invincible villain? You think you're so powerful?"

You Su was initially embarrassed, but then straightened his chest and said:

"What's so difficult about that? Whoever challenges me first, I'll remember their name. After my junior sister defeats them, I'll personally challenge them to a duel and teach them a lesson. Let others see what happens when they dare to challenge my junior sister."

Ji Lingruo outwardly rolled her eyes playfully.

"By doing this, aren't you putting me in an unjust position? If everyone knows that this Demon Race is a sore loser, how can I hold my head high in the Xuanxiao Sect afterward? I don't want that. In any case, I'm determined to go to Moxie City."

"We can discuss the matter of public announcement later. But you absolutely must not go to Moxie City, Junior Sister." You Su's tone left no room for refusal.

Ji Lingruo, was not afraid of him and retorted sarcastically, "What's there to discuss? I've been up the mountain for so long. If this isn't made public soon, it'll cause public outrage. How can I wait for you to come back? Don't flatter yourself. I went to Moxie City not to accompany you, but for important business, okay? This is a task given to me by the First Elder."

You Su frowned. "What mission?"

"The First Elder said I should be Wangshu Fairy's helper in slaying evil. Anyway, isn't your mission to clear obstacles for Senior Sister? What's wrong with letting me get a share? Using this achievement instead of public announcement will definitely shut many people up. The Xuanxiao Sect is said to be the number one sect in the Central Continent, but in reality, most of its disciples have never even seen an evil spirit with their own eyes. If things go well, I'll already be far superior to them."

Ji Lingruo smiled. In truth, the First Elder had only given her this choice, but she had unhesitatingly taken it as the only path.

Not for any other reason than to be able to stay by You Su's side and offer him a little help at this important turning point in his life.

"No! This is far too dangerous!" You Su still refused to involve his junior sister.

"Who was it that just said they didn't want to be apart from me for even a second?" Ji Lingruo's question turned out to be premeditated.

"This is different..." You Su helplessly.

Ji Lingruo lost all her sharpness and, unusually, did not continue to question him. She sadly withdrew her hand from You Su's and sighed:

"I understand, you're looking down on me, thinking I'll be a burden to you... My sister was also at the Spirit Platform Middle Stage when we were at Jade Ring Pool, yet she was able to fight alongside you through thick and thin... I've worked so hard to catch up to your level just so I could fight alongside you, but I'm still being looked down upon by you... I guess I'm just not as good as my sister, right? No wonder some people like her, and others don't..."

"Junior sister, stop talking." You Su interrupted Ji Lingruo's self-pity. "I could never despise you, junior sister, nor could I dislike you."

Ji Xueruo was indeed at the peak of the Spirit Platform Middle Stage when she was in the Jade Ring Pool, but she had already broken through to the peak stage of the Spirit Platform Realm when she came out of the pool, while You Su was still a step behind.

You Su could tell that Ji Lingruo putting on an act, but what she said was indeed something he couldn't refute.

"So you agree to let me go with you?" Ji Lingruo excitedly placed her hand on You Su's hand.

You Su felt the soft, yielding touch of the girl's fingertips and sighed inwardly:

"You must stay by my side the entire time, obey my every command, never let your guard down, and never act on your own. Can you do that?"

"Yes, yes, of course you can!"

Ji Lingruo was overjoyed. She jumped up and grabbed You Su's hands, swaying them back and forth. She didn't look like someone who was about to solve the evil spirit's problem, but rather like someone who was going on an autumn outing to Moxie City with You Su.

Seeing this, You Su could only sigh helplessly.

The First Elder's actions were quite obvious; he was putting pressure on him, and he deliberately chose to do it when he was not around. The First Elder knew that if he had known beforehand, he would have refused on behalf of his junior sister.

This trip to Moxie City will not only be his test, but also to improve his senior sister's image and to solve his junior sister's troubles regarding the public announcement.

Therefore, he cannot afford to make any mistakes on this trip.

The overjoyed girl didn't think much of it; she was simply immersed in the joy of her wish coming true.

After concealing themselves and leaving the Xuanxiao Sect, they found themselves on a wide mountain path.

This road down the mountain leads directly to Henggao City, the largest city in the entire Central Yuan Continent.

You Su recalled her promise to her junior sister to buy a house in Henggao City, and secretly found the memory amusing.

Ji Lingruo walked alongside him, looking around curiously.

The girl behaved very well on her way down the mountain, not making a sound at all, to the point that You Su almost wondered if she had been replaced by some evil spirit again.

"Senior brother, there's a really beautiful woman!"

Ji Lingruo had sharp eyes and immediately spotted an exquisitely decorated sedan chair parked on the side of the road ahead.

Beside the carriage stood a tall woman in a purple gauze dress. Her black hair was intricately braided, with a few strands of silver hair fluttering in the wind, adding a touch of cold elegance to her features. Her gauze dress danced in the wind, and she exuded a sharp and profound aura.

"No matter how beautiful it is, it has nothing to do with me, I can't see it anyway." You Su admired herself for being able to give such a perfect answer.

Ji Lingruo glanced at him suspiciously, feeling that the blind man was trying to cover up his true intentions.

"I haven't even said anything yet... I have a feeling she's the one who's taking you to Moxie City," Ji Lingruo whispered to You Su.

For some reason, You Su felt a sense of familiarity when he probed with his Divine Sense.

"Excuse me, are you Young Master You Su?"

Just as You Su and Ji Lingruo were about to pass the woman, the woman in the purple dress finally spoke up to ask a question.

"It is I." You Su stopped in his tracks, Ji Lingruo consciously lowered herself half a step below him.

The woman in the purple dress glanced coldly at You Su, her gaze deep and unfathomable. "If you've made up your mind, get on the bus. Once you're on, there's no turning back."

The woman spoke arrogantly, but her demeanor was humble; she even took the initiative to lift the carriage curtain for You Su.

You Su clenched her fist, then grasped Ji Lingruo's outstretched hand and led her to sit down together.

As expected, the carriage was a flying magical Law Artifact capable of carrying many people. Before long, it soared into the sea of clouds, causing Ji Lingruo somewhat dizzy.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zi Yiyi. I'm the one who escorted Young Master You to Moxie City, and Young Master You 'm also the sole examiner for your assessment. Feel free to ask me any questions, and I'll answer them to the best of my Young Master You."

"Senior Sister Zi, you don't need to call me Young Master, just call me Junior Brother." You Su could sense that the other party was not old, but at least at the Condensing Water Realm.

"Young Master You is too kind. I am merely a maidservant of the Hua Jing, First Seat, and I am unworthy of being addressed as Senior Sister by you. For this journey, please simply call me Yiyi."

The woman remained unchanged, her words devoid of any aggression, yet her tone was extremely arrogant, as if she did not truly regard herself as someone of lower status than You Su.

"Then I'll have to trouble you Sister Yiyi."

No wonder You Su felt it was somewhat familiar; it turned out that the impression left by Venerable Hua Jing's gaze was too profound.

The examiners this time were also her people... Was this also specially arranged?

Ji Lingruo glared at You Su, seemingly disgusted by his overly familiar way of calling her "sister." But if she really addressed her as Yiyi directly, it didn't seem quite appropriate either...

So the girl just glared at him, without actually retaliating.

"This is all part of my duties. However, I have a question for you, Young Master You. Are you sure you don't want to prepare a little more? If you feel it's inappropriate before we go too far, I can turn back. This won't affect your assessment."

Zi Yiyi gazed at the handsome young man, trying to glean some secret from him. Unfortunately, even her master, Venerable Hua Jing, couldn't see through him; how could she possibly succeed?

You Su picked up her teacup with ease and said, "Once you step into the sedan chair, there's no turning back. That's what Sister Yiyi told me."

Zi Yiyi's eyes flickered for a moment; she couldn't understand where the young man got such confidence.

As one of the personal maids of the Hua Jing, First Seat, she naturally knew about You Su's affairs. Like her master, she advocated directly extracting You Su's brain matter to gain some insight.

She didn't think a blind person could be of any value in being trained. Those speculations about the mysterious person were utter nonsense.

But this blind man seemed to be quite different from what she had imagined...

Happy 520 everyone! I love you all. I remember every friend who gave me a reward, voted for me, recommended me, or commented. I won't thank you all individually.