Seeing Ji Lingruo and Wangshu Fairy suddenly appear, He Shutong felt a strange sense of guilt. She quickly loosened her embrace and was at a loss for what to do.
She wasn't the only one who felt the same way. You Su sensed the hostility in her junior sister's tone and preemptively struck:
"Junior sister! You're awake!" she said, wiping away the tears on her face.
The look of heartache on Ji Lingruo's face vanished in an instant. She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the two of them, and suddenly said coldly to He Shutong:
"What exactly is your purpose?!"
Their words were brimming with hostility.
Ultimately, she had absolutely no feelings for this so-called Mistress. You Su went through all sorts of hardships, but she remained aloof. Although it seemed that she was the one who saved them in the end, Ji Lingruo still harbored a lot of resentment towards her.
He Shutong was not good with words to begin with, and when he was questioned so harshly, he didn't know where to begin. The words of explanation were stuck on his lips, but he just couldn't say them.
You Su stood frozen in the middle, unsure of whose side to speak to. Meanwhile, her Mistress stood up, glanced disdainfully at Ji Lingruo, who was a good half a head shorter than her, and said indifferently:
"You guys talk first."
She then turned and brushed past the girl, Ji Lingruo stared at her with wide eyes, refusing to "show weakness to the enemy."
You Su savored the lingering touch and warmth on his face, watching He Shutong's retreating figure disappear through the blurry vision as if fleeing into the doorway. A slight unease stirred within him; he sensed that his Mistress had changed.
If she had left like this before, she would have been haughty and aloof, not bothering to say a word. But now, it seems she was unable to cope and fled in panic.
"Junior sister..."
Once only the two of them remained in the room, You Su finally called out to them affectionately and dependently.
Ji Lingruo hearing this, and bit her lower lip lightly. She had imagined the scene of her reunion with You Su. She was sure that she and You Su would rush to each other, embrace each other tightly, and pour out their hearts to one another.
The first thing she did when she woke up was to go to You Su's room to find him, but when she saw You Su so close to that irresponsible Mistress, her enthusiasm immediately diminished.
She hesitated and asked:
What were you doing with her just now?
"As you can see, what else can I do?" You Su asked innocently and matter-of-factly, "My Mistress saw how miserable I was and wanted to comfort me."
Seeing his composed demeanor, Ji Lingruo as if he were implying that she was being unreasonable by asking such a question. She curled her lip slightly and retorted indignantly:
"Why do you seem to have such a good relationship with your Mistress before?"
"I have no father or mother, and I was raised by my Mistress alone from the age of ten. Although I didn't show it much on a daily basis, my Mistress must have taken care of me."
"She was nowhere to be seen when we were in life-or-death crisis, but came to offer hypocritical comfort as soon as everything settled down. Does she even deserve to call you 'Mistress'?"
"I think Mistress... must have her own reasons."
"I think you're just being wishful!" Ji Lingruo, hands on her hips, looking at him with a disappointed expression.
You Su looked somber. Ji Lingruo some extent; he always gave the utmost trust to those around him without reservation.
He recalled when he was very young, his master would instruct him on how to walk, saying left and he would go left, saying right and he would go right. But he never believed his master's instructions, always feeling that he was deliberately pointing him into a pit so that he could make a fool of himself.
After that, his master gave him a severe beating and expressed his deep disappointment in him.
The master said that a blind person, unable to see, is forced to spend more time and effort to understand the world than an ordinary person, and it's understandable that they overthink things. But if You Su doesn't even trust his closest relatives and constantly suspects them, what kind of person will he grow up to be? A gloomy, cunning, and treacherous villain?
He, Guan Chujun, certainly didn't want a fox who was always sensitive and suspicious as his apprentice; who knew, the fox might turn out to be an ingrate one day.
You Su felt deeply ashamed, and as he grew older, he understood his master's words more and more. It is very sad for a person to have nothing to believe in, let alone a blind person who already lacks a sense of security.
This is probably why he developed the personality of being closer to his relatives and more distant to those he didn't...
However, You Su also understood that Ji Lingruo's complaints were not really meant to accuse him of wishful thinking, since it was through this that he had gotten closer to his junior sister.
He smiled, understanding Ji Lingruo's thoughts. The girl was worried that he, the blind man, had forgotten who he had shared this difficult time with, so she said softly:
"However, no matter how much I feel about my Mistress, it can't compare to even a fraction of my junior sister's affection. I remember all the life-and-death situations we've faced together during this time. I can never repay her kindness in this lifetime."
You Su's sudden bluntness made Ji Lingruo blush instantly. She turned her head slightly, her smoky eyes half-closed, secretly annoyed that You Su was truly outspoken, especially that last sentence, which was clearly an allusion to what happened in the coffin that day.
Just thinking about that day Ji Lingruo feel shy and embarrassed, and a strange sensation arose in her lower body. She couldn't help but get annoyed and said:
"Then I'll make sure you have no way to repay this kindness and live with regret for the rest of your life."
As soon as she finished speaking, she thought that if her words really came true, it wouldn't just be You Su who would feel regret.
She hesitated for a moment, and seeing that You Su didn't respond, she tried to say a few more words in a gentle tone, but You Su interrupted her.
"Junior sister, do you mean you're leaving?" You Su seemed lost in thought, her eyes lifeless.
"Huh? I... I..." Ji Lingruo stammered, "Did I say that? Don't make wild guesses..."
"I... cough cough!"
You Su had barely uttered a word when he began to cough violently due to his overwhelming emotions. Ji Lingruo's feigned composure vanished instantly, and she rushed to You Su's bedside, gently patting his back.
Once You Su had recovered a little, he shakily raised his head to look at the girl who was so close to him. He tried to activate his eyes, but the previous overexertion left him with no reaction, even though his eyes were bloodshot.
Without waiting for a reply, You Su grabbed Ji Lingruo's hand, her tone earnest, "Junior Sister, what else are you hiding from me?"
Ji Lingruo taken aback by the question. She let You Su hold her soft hand, "No..."
"Now that things have come to this, is my junior sister still wary of me?"
Seeing the sadness on You Su's face, Ji Lingruo felt the same way. She didn't reveal her background not because she was wary of You Su, but simply because she didn't want to announce their separation too soon.
"I... I'll tell you."
You Su hummed in agreement, then casually grabbed Ji Lingruo's forearm, as if afraid she would run away. Seemingly feeling that this wasn't enough, he moved closer to Ji Lingruo and gently rested his head on the girl's shoulder.
"Behave yourself... That day was due to circumstances, but it doesn't mean you can touch me however you want in the future."
"Of course, but at this moment, could Junior Sister allow her poor Senior Brother to lean on her for a while?" You Su smelled the fragrance that was completely different from that of his Mistress, and felt that all his fatigue was relieved.
It wasn't just permission; Ji Lingruo wished she could be relied on by You Su forever, so she muttered:
"Only for a short while."
You Su nodded obediently, waiting for Ji Lingruo to speak.
"Senior brother, do you know about Tai Sui?"
You Su nodded again.
"How did you, senior brother, discern that Tai Sui was mine in that white space?"
"I will never fail to recognize my junior sister." You Su's tone was firm, as if he were speaking to Ji Lingruo, or perhaps to himself.
"Tch, that sounds nice." Ji Lingruo's lips curled up as she glanced at the smug You Su. "Then tell me your story first, and don't lie."
You Su felt a sense of helplessness. He had confessed twice before, but he never expected that he had been talking to the same monster both times.
So You Su recounted his experiences over the past month in great detail. In fact, Ji Lingruo had already heard it once in You Su's consciousness, but now she just wanted You Su to tell her it again in person.
"So, senior brother, do you now understand why Tai Sui and the Dream-Eating Ghost did this?"
You Su shook his head; he truly couldn't figure out the answer.
Ji Lingruo organized her thoughts and told You Su about the memories she had been able to glimpse before Tai Sui dissipated.
After recounting the story, it was unclear how much time had passed. You Su gathered her thoughts:
"So the True Lord's Power that City Lord Liu went to so much trouble to obtain is now within my body?"
"That's right. This isn't a simple matter, Senior Brother. You can't tell anyone, you know? Not even your Mistress."
Ji Lingruo was worried and deliberately lowered her voice to give You Su instructions, which You Su naturally understood.
God—the source of all evil.
This secret was laid bare before You Su's eyes, and he had become a witness to it, which made him feel quite unreal.
Is it truly his duty to eradicate all sin in the world?
You Su has not yet received an answer.
"This is a secret only my junior sister knows."
Ji Lingruo's serious expression softened slightly. "Senior brother, do you hate that Tai Sui?"
You Su hadn't expected Ji Lingruo to ask this question. "Of course I hate her. She dared to try and replace you, how could I not hate her?"
Ji Lingruo bit her lower lip. She hated her too, but the other woman's past made it difficult for her to truly hate her. The girl's heart was softer than her lips. If Tai Sui could come back to life, Ji Lingruo wouldn't forgive her, but she certainly wouldn't seek revenge.
"She's just a pitiful person..."
You Su remained noncommittal. "Junior Sister, could it be that your sudden surge in cultivation is related to that Tai Sui?"
"Yes... she really helped me a lot."
"Then what's with that round elixir in your body? I observe the Mystic Qi within you; you should have entered the Spiritual Platform realm, but why is there a round elixir instead of the Spiritual Platform?"
"Because, I..." Ji Lingruo finally making up her mind, "I am not human, I am a demon."
"I see," You Su said calmly.
"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you surprised at all?" Ji Lingruo looked incredulous, as she had kept this secret for so long.
"Unless you say you're a jinx right now, I really can't be surprised." You Su sat up straight and looked at Ji Lingruo calmly.
Ji Lingruo pouted, a blush creeping onto her face, and leaned her head on You Su's shoulder:
Do you want to hear my story?
"Certainly."
Monsters are formed from rare animals with spiritual energy that absorb Mystic Qi. Records show that the conflict between humans and monsters is even more ancient than the conflict between the creatures of the five continents and evil spirits.
At the same level, demons are slightly stronger than humans, but there are not as many demons as humans, and the cultivation difficulty for demons is far greater than that for humans.
Of the five great immortal ancestors, only Star Zhao Immortal Ancestor is a demon, and is also known as the Demon Ancestor.
After the passing of the Star Zhao Immortal Ancestor, most of the monsters in this world were driven by the human race to live in the Eastern Ying Continent, which was protected by the Star Zhao Divine Mountain.
Ji Lingruo and her sister grew up in the Eastern Ying Continent; they had no parents from a young age.
Granny Liu, who raised them from childhood, told them that their mother, Ji Muyan, was the hope for the revival of the snake clan, but she had developed an inappropriate relationship with a down-on-his-luck human cultivator who had wandered to the Eastern Ying Continent.
They eloped, fell deeply in love, and conceived a forbidden child. However, the human cultivator took advantage of Ji Muyan's weakness during childbirth and personally killed her, the Ji Muyan who had abandoned everything for him. His purpose was to obtain Ji Muyan's Demon Core.
Human cultivators store their Qi through their spiritual platforms, while Demon Race cultivators rely on their Demon Core. This is the most straightforward difference between humans and demons.
Having no hope of breaking through, the human cultivator set his sights on the Demon Core.
When Granny Liu found Ji Muyan, he was already a corpse, with only two children crying in his arms. Until his death, no one knew the male cultivator's name.
This even led to a fierce conflict between humans and Demon Race, which ultimately ended inconclusively due to the lack of successful revenge.
As the two poor children grew up, their defects became increasingly apparent, as they were the product of a union between a human and a demon.
The elder sister Ji Xueruo, possessed exceptional talent but lacked Demon Core; the younger sister Ji Lingruo, had average talent but possessed Demon Core.
These two young ladies alone were not enough to reverse the decline of the snake clan. Therefore, the elders of the snake clan decided to take the Demon Core from the younger sister and graft it onto the older sister while the two were still young and unaware of the consequences.
From then on, her elder sister became a true genius, surpassing even Ji Muyan in his prime, and seemingly poised to lead the Serpent Clan back to Star Zhao Divine Mountain. It should be noted that, like the other four divine mountains of the human race, only the illustrious and powerful Demon Race could reside on the divine mountains and enjoy countless resources.
From then on, the younger sister became even more indistinguishable from the crowd and was increasingly ignored by the snake clan.
One day, Ji Lingruo learned the truth, and she had no complaints. She only hoped that one day she could avenge her mother.
Ji Xueruo, however, did not think so. She tried her best to satisfy all her sister's requests, but she was unwilling to let her sister participate in the revenge, because her sister's strength was too weak. Without the Demon Core, she would have no way to become an immortal, and forcibly intervening in this matter would only increase the danger.
Her autocratic behavior caused Ji Lingruo all her pent-up grievances, and the girl angrily ran away from home. A demon told her that in ancient times, there were demons but no Demon Core, but they relied on the cultivation methods of the human race to build spiritual platforms and embark on the supreme path of immortality.
That year, she was fourteen years old and resolutely boarded the giant ship bound for the Central Yuan Continent. She secretly vowed that even if she gave the Demon Core to her sister, it wouldn't matter. She, Ji Lingruo, would definitely become strong enough to avenge her mother with her own hands.