Shen Liuyu's Interesting Discovery

Spring was in full bloom.

Winter had been gone for some time, and the breath of spring was growing ever stronger. The air carried a faint fragrance of earth, no longer so dry and cold.

The various ornamental trees along the road had already sprouted new buds. Two droplets still clung to the delicate flowers, which had been left somewhat wilted by last night's light rain, giving them a shattered sort of beauty.

Shen Liuyu walked ahead with her hands clasped behind her back and her head held high, brimming with delight. She radiated the liveliness and prettiness unique to a young girl.

Shen Hanyu held two sticks of candied hawthorn in his hand as he followed behind her with some helplessness, kicking a pebble by the roadside in frustration.

The pebble flew through the air and finally embedded itself in the bark of a large tree. Two green leaves fell from the impact, drifting slowly onto the still-damp ground.

"Older Brother~ Walk faster. Element City is just up ahead, and your cultivation is so high, yet you can't even walk as well as I can... Hmph!"

Shen Liuyu snatched a stick of candied hawthorn from Shen Hanyu's hand, opened her cherry-red lips to take a bite, then complained with dissatisfaction.

The corner of Shen Hanyu's mouth twitched, and two dark lines fell across his forehead as he said,

"Who was it that wanted to get out of the carriage halfway back after seeing a candied hawthorn stall? Who was it that cried tired after taking only a few steps and made me carry her all the way? And who was it that enjoyed herself on my back while saying she needed to lose weight..."

"Ah, Older Brother... stop talking already. I was wrong, okay? There are people around..."

Shen Liuyu hurriedly turned back and covered Shen Hanyu's mouth before he could say any more, glancing guiltily at the pedestrians nearby.

Shen Hanyu rolled his eyes, but still nodded. He moved the little girl's hand away, tapped her forehead, and said with exasperation,

"Can't you learn something from your brother? Cultivate properly. All you think about every day is going out to play and eat with your friends. Keep this up and you'll become a little chubby girl. Then even I'll dislike you along with everyone else."

Shen Liuyu did not take it seriously. She counted on her fair fingers and said,

"Tch~ You're not getting any younger, Older Brother, yet you still haven't found me a sister-in-law. Sixth Brother Liu isn't much older than you, but his son is almost old enough to awaken his Martial Soul. Older Brother~ When are you going to find me a sister-in-law and a little nephew to play with?"

Shen Hanyu froze. What did she mean, a sister-in-law for her to play with?

Little girl, that's dangerous wording. You'd better watch yourself...

"We'll see in the future. I haven't met anyone suitable. If I do, I'll find one."

Shen Hanyu answered casually, not taking it seriously at all. His little phoenix had not grown up yet; he would worry about anyone else when he met them.

It would have been fine if Shen Liuyu had not mentioned it, but once she did, Shen Hanyu recalled his fleeting encounter with Ye Lingling in Hagen-Dazs City.

It was not that Shen Hanyu could not move when he saw a beauty. Ye Lingling simply had the exact temperament and appearance that appealed to him. To put it more simply, she was the kind of girl who had been the unattainable white moonlight of his Previous Life—the kind that instantly struck a chord with him.

The corners of Shen Hanyu's lips unconsciously curved upward before quickly returning to normal. Pretending to be casual, he asked,

"Ayu, has life at the academy been alright lately? Have you had any conflicts with your classmates?"

Shen Liuyu tugged at her short blue hair in distress and said,

"It's been alright, I guess. I just had an argument with Qingbo. Bing'er and Yue'er are often taken away by the dean, Awu has to deal with academy matters, and Hai Rou and Sister Ruoshui are busy working part-time and cultivating. None of them have much time to go out and play with me..."

"Oh? Shui Bing'er, the one whose Martial Soul is the Ice Phoenix?"

A trace of amusement flashed through Shen Hanyu's eyes as he continued asking.

Shen Liuyu nodded, hugged Shen Hanyu's arm, and muttered,

"Bing'er and Yue'er are both so pitiful. Their parents passed away one after another, and the dean, their aunt, is their only family. Luckily, both of them are extremely talented and diligent in cultivation. They're also very kind to us. Yue'er even often introduces handsome guys from other academies to me..."

Shen Liuyu seemed to suddenly realize something was wrong. She giggled and hurriedly added,

"Just talking about them, Older Brother. I've never gone to see them, so don't tell Mom..."

Shen Hanyu's face darkened slightly. Anyone who dared lure away his little sister would have to step over his spear first. Otherwise... he could only fulfill an older brother's duty of protecting his little sister from Blondie's harassment...

Shen Liuyu playfully stuck out her tiny tongue. She knew her brother was a very rational person. Though he did like to keep an eye on her sometimes, it was for her own good. She did not resent it in the slightest; on the contrary, she greatly enjoyed the feeling of being wholeheartedly cared for.

The siblings fell silent for a moment before Shen Liuyu spoke again.

"But, Older Brother... I remembered something very interesting. When Bing'er went out to play with us, she said that when she was five, she met a strange man who kept insisting that she become his child bride. Bing'er remembered that person quite clearly and often told us about him. She even showed us half a comb, saying that strange man had left it for her... And especially that description of his appearance..."

Shen Liuyu raised her head and examined Shen Hanyu's figure and features. At last, with a rather complicated expression, she said,

"It's exactly the same as you, you bad Older Brother. Especially that blue-purple hair. Other than you, I've never seen anyone else with such flashy and strange hair..."

Three black question marks seemed to rise above Shen Hanyu's head as his mind blanked for a moment.

No, little girl. Talking about your brother like that might very well make you lose a real brother and gain a sworn enemy...

Still too young...

Though he thought so, Shen Hanyu calmly shook his head, spread his hands, and said,

"A person's hair color can change because of their mental state or Martial Soul. That's common knowledge. Don't tell me you didn't know that..."

"Besides, with looks and talent like mine, what kind of woman couldn't I get? Even if I went to see the emperor right now and said I wanted to marry one of his women, he'd probably happily marry his daughter off to me..."

Shen Liuyu nodded as if she understood, but the look in her eyes was so strange that Shen Hanyu nearly got goosebumps all over.

In the end, Shen Hanyu was the one who spoke first.

"Alright, stop staring. Hurry back. You start school again tomorrow..."

Only then did Shen Liuyu come back to her senses. Then, as though nothing had happened, she continued hopping toward the front.

Yet when Shen Hanyu could not see her, an eerie smile appeared on Shen Liuyu's pretty face. Her lips kept moving soundlessly, and she no longer resembled the beautiful young girl from before. She looked entirely like an avid gossip enthusiast...

Shen Hanyu also did not know that the tiny flaw he had inadvertently revealed would lead him to experience something entirely unexpected, nor that it would add a new kind of meaning and amusement to his life from then on...