Deep Sibling Affection

At that time, the Evil Eye Tyrant had focused the vast majority of its attention on Meng Hongchen.

Yet, facing the ferocious onslaught of a soul beast with a cultivation reaching one hundred thousand years, Meng Hongchen had not suffered any substantial harm.

Of course, the majority of the credit went to the ninth-grade defensive soul guidance device she wore.

But even with a ninth-grade soul guidance device, maintaining and powering it for such a long duration was by no means an easy feat.

Xiao Hongchen was a very intuitive example.

Exhausting all his means, he had only managed to fire a single Soul Guidance Cannon, and even that was one with greatly diminished power.

Furthermore, Ye Luochen had noticed something else at the time.

A thick, icy mist had permeated the area around Meng Hongchen.

Within the range covered by the icy mist, all vegetation had withered away entirely.

This certainly could not have been the effect of a soul guidance device.

Meng Hongchen's attainments in her martial soul were absolutely extraordinary, likely far stronger than those of her brother, the renowned genius at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.

It was just that her personality was truly a bit unconventional.

Thinking of this, Ye Luochen couldn't help but ask:

"Do you have some kind of grudge against your brother? Did he bully you when you were young? Why do you always like to provoke him?"

Hearing this, Meng Hongchen shook her head with a smile.

"I just find it fun. Don't you think it's fun?"

"When he's at the peak of his posturing, with everyone's eyes fixed on him, you walk up and—smack—give him a slap to knock him down. It's exhilarating!"

As she spoke, the smile on Meng Hongchen's face gradually faded.

"My brother would never bully me. He can't bear to. For so many years, he has always stood in front of me; whenever someone bullied me, he was the one to stand up for me."

"There are people who would bully you?" Ye Luochen raised an eyebrow.

Setting aside Meng Hongchen's strength, just look at her background.

She was the granddaughter of the Mingde Hall master.

Let alone in the academy, even across the entire Sun Moon Empire, how many people could surpass her in terms of background?

Regarding Ye Luochen's confusion, Meng Hongchen didn't seem surprised in the slightest; she just nodded and said:

"Yes, and many of them. Of course, it's not what you think—like hitting or scolding me. They don't dare, and they can't beat me in a fight or a verbal argument."

"That's the lowest level of trouble, and the easiest to solve, but that's not where the problem lies."

"Ever since I can remember, the people around me have always been polite and courteous to my face."

"But these are just appearances. Behind my back, I have heard far too many terrible, even vicious, things said about me."

"They flatter me to my face and curse me behind my back."

"It sounds absurd, doesn't it? In truth, I can't understand why it has to be this way either."

"Yes, I am the granddaughter of the Mingde Hall master, but have I ever used this status to suppress others? Yes, my martial soul is very special and possesses a poison attribute, but have I ever used my martial soul to poison those around me?"

"I, Meng Hongchen, can say with a clear conscience that I haven't, yet this two-faced behavior continues to play out over and over again."

"In the academy, I can go anywhere without obstruction, but there is no place that truly belongs to me. I haven't been able to join even a single circle."

Meng Hongchen's voice was very calm, devoid of joy or sorrow, as if she were merely stating the most ordinary of facts.

Yet, Ye Luochen could feel a deep sense of powerlessness in her words.

Because he understood it all too well.

He had experienced far too much of this in his past life.

If your monthly salary is two thousand, your neighbors, friends, and relatives will likely get along with you very harmoniously, and many will even offer you advice on how to earn more.

If your monthly salary is twenty thousand, the attitude of those neighbors, friends, and relatives toward you will likely diminish significantly—though, of course, the superficial harmony usually remains largely unaffected.

But what if your monthly salary is two hundred thousand?

You will inevitably endure malice from those around you.

It sounds absurd, but that is just how absurd reality is.

Human nature is just that absurd.

To put it bluntly, it is nothing more than jealousy at work.

The only way to avoid this situation is to be with people of the same social standing or higher.

But for Meng Hongchen, where could she find such people?

In terms of background, talent, or strength, which student in the academy could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her?

It was impossible to find any.

In this situation, she could only stand at the summit, lonely, enduring the constant malice from those around her.

Beside him, Meng Hongchen's voice continued:

"That is why my brother stepped forward, standing before me with an even more overbearing and arrogant posture.

He looked down on everyone without the slightest restraint, emphasizing to everyone at every moment that I am not one of you."

"And as siblings, we are inevitably compared to one another.

With him playing the role of the arrogant and rude genius, as long as I show even a hint of gentleness, I am bound to gradually win people's favor."

"He used such a clumsy method to shield me behind him."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen was somewhat surprised.

He truly had not expected that there would be such a deep-seated reason for Xiao Hongchen's usual display of arrogance.

Just as Meng Hongchen had assessed, this method was indeed very clumsy.

But Ye Luochen had to admit that this clumsy method was actually quite effective.

With Xiao Hongchen there to attract all the animosity, people's perception of Meng Hongchen would naturally be better.

Because comparisons were inevitable.

"Then why do you provoke your brother every day?" Ye Luochen asked again, puzzled.

The previous explanation of "finding it fun" clearly had not convinced him.

Especially now that he knew so much, how could Meng Hongchen keep doing that just because she found it fun?

"Hehehe, it really is fun, don't you think?"

Meng Hongchen chuckled.

However, the smile lasted only for a moment before her expression turned serious again.

"Because I don't want him to do this."

"He thinks that by standing in front of me and bearing the malice from those around us, it will be enough, but I have personally felt that malice and know how unbearable it is."

"My brother is only a few minutes older than me, not years older. We are the same age; if I cannot bear it, how could he possibly bear it if it fell on him?"

"I have told him many times that he doesn't need to do this for me, but he insists that this makes things easier for me."

"There was no other way. I couldn't win an argument against him, so I had to take action. Whenever he starts playing the villain, I strike."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen was momentarily speechless.

He did not quite know what to say.

This was supposed to be a touching story of deep sibling affection.

A brother striving to protect his sister, and a sister feeling for her brother, unwilling to let him suffer grievances on her behalf.