Li Yuechan

Li Muyang's question seemed to freeze the air.

Beneath the setting sun, the girl looked travel-worn. She carried bags and bundles on her back and seemed a little tired.

When she heard Li Muyang's soul-searching question, her eyes went wide.

"You're pretending you don't know me?"

"Brother, I'm your little sister, Li Yuechan! Didn't I write to you before, saying that Sister Ning and I were coming to the Demon Refining Sect?"

The girl glared at Li Muyang, fuming. "On the way here, I even told Sister Ning you'd definitely come to meet us. But we waited for ages at the flying boat dock, and you never showed up."

"Sister Ning got so angry she left by herself. Now we're in trouble. You made Sister Ning angry, so she definitely won't speak to you for days!"

The girl set down her bags and bundles as she threatened Li Muyang.

Her words finally stirred Li Muyang's memories.

It seemed... something like that had happened.

His cheap little sister in this world had sent a letter home before, saying she was coming to the Demon Refining Sect with Miss Ning of Jiuyuan City.

And the original owner had been Miss Ning's lovesick puppy.

The old Li Muyang would have panicked at the news that Miss Ning was angry, jumped to his feet, and gone to beg her forgiveness.

But the current Li Muyang said nothing. His suspicious gaze swept over the girl before him, his face full of doubt.

"You're... Yuechan?"

Li Muyang looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

The original owner's memories showed him what his little sister Li Yuechan looked like, but that Li Yuechan had only been as tall as his chest. Her hair was always tied up in a messy knot, she liked wearing boys' clothes, and she followed Li Damu around every day to learn martial arts. Even at a young age, she'd already had the makings of a tomboy.

But the girl before him wore a pale green dress that outlined her graceful figure.

Her slender waist cut into Li Muyang's field of vision like a carving knife.

Her hair was neatly combed and pinned up with a little jade-green wooden hairpin, a common style for a girl who had come of age.

No matter how he looked at her, the girl before him was a lively, adorable young lady, delicate and charming as a flower in a small courtyard.

—This sweet little girl is my cheap little sister, Li Yuechan?

Li Muyang was a little dazed.

Seeing his stunned reaction, the girl immediately gave two smug little huffs, then happily spun around in place. She showed herself off to Li Muyang as if presenting a treasure. "Bet you didn't expect that, Brother. I've grown up!"

"You've been gone less than half a year, and I've grown this much."

The girl cheerfully compared their heights, clearly pleased by Li Muyang's shock.

Li Muyang looked at her in silence.

They said girls changed dramatically as they grew up... but this was too much.

It was practically like she'd become a different person.

She wasn't a tomboy at all. She was an adorable sweetheart.

After a long silence, Li Muyang managed to squeeze out a flat question.

"What are you doing here?"

The original owner had treated his cheap little sister terribly. Li Muyang didn't dislike her, but he couldn't let his character slip so easily.

So he faithfully played his part and showed his impatience.

But the girl didn't seem to notice his dislike at all. She carried on talking to herself.

"The journey was so tiring, and you wouldn't come meet me. I walked so far and asked so many people before I finally found you."

"I heard you've reached the third level of Qi Refining now, Brother. To reach that level after only two months as a disciple—you've got a lot of potential, everyone says!"

The girl crouched down and rummaged through her bags. At last, she pulled out a food box filled with pastries and other treats.

"Auntie prepared these for you. You've been gone for months, Brother, and you haven't even sent a letter home. Auntie cries every day and wipes away her tears alone at night."

"Oh, Second Uncle is really angry with you. He told me to give you a beating for him once I got to the Demon Refining Sect."

"He said if you dare come back to Jiuyuan City and he catches you, he'll break your legs!"

"By the way, I bought these on the way. They say you can only find them around White Crane Ridge. I tried them, and they're really delicious. Want to try one, Brother?"

The girl rummaged through her bags with great enthusiasm, then held out four or five strange, golden-yellow fruits to Li Muyang, her eyes full of anticipation.

The girl's warm, outgoing, friendly manner left Li Muyang at a loss.

He kept telling himself to stay in character, act like he couldn't stand his cheap little sister, and not show her any kindness.

But standing beneath the setting sun, looking at the adorable girl before him, weighed down with bags and bundles and covered in dust from the journey, yet still happily sharing her food with him at the first opportunity...

Li Muyang realized his heart wasn't as hard as he'd imagined. He simply couldn't bring himself to be mean to her.

What the girl had said had also hit him like a critical blow.

He didn't feel much affection for this world's parents, but when Li Yuechan mentioned the original owner's parents in Jiuyuan City, Li Muyang felt an inexplicable ache and thought of his own mom and dad back on Earth.

The original owner's parents in Jiuyuan City could at least hope that one day their son would grow up, come to his senses, and return home.

But my parents back on Earth...

Sigh... Don't use family love as a weapon against me!

Li Muyang was instantly depressed.

This cheap little sister was seriously clever.

After that one-two punch, even the original Li Muyang would probably have struggled to get angry.

In the end, Li Muyang brought the girl—"extremely reluctantly"—back to his quiet, empty home and told her to sit down.

"Rest for a bit, then get lost," Li Muyang said expressionlessly. "Go report to the steward by yourself later."

"You're an outer sect disciple of the Demon Refining Sect now, too. You can claim a place of your own. Ask the steward for a bag of spirit rice and a copy of the Demon Heart Bone Refining Art."

"The mountain gates are open now, so you don't need to work. You can have a month to yourself. But after that, you'll have to start doing odd jobs."

Li Muyang briefly explained some of the outer sect's rules to the girl.

His cheap little sister didn't seem like a naive fool, so Li Muyang wasn't worried about her safety.

The girl sat obediently in the tiled-roof house, looking around curiously.

"Brother, you live here alone? Why did you move out by yourself? Did you offend someone in the sect?"

Li Yuechan asked, full of curiosity.

Li Muyang glared at her and replied coldly, "Rest a little, then hurry up and get lost. What do my affairs have to do with you?"

The girl didn't get angry when he snapped at her.

She stuck out her tongue and muttered under her breath.

"So fierce... Don't forget, you left Sister Ning and me waiting today. She's angry."

"If you don't go apologize to her soon, she definitely won't speak to you again."

The girl brought the subject up once more.

Li Muyang glanced at her coolly. "I don't care about Miss Ning anymore."

"During my time at the Demon Refining Sect, I've figured things out. I, Li Muyang, am destined to establish my foundation, gain recognition, and climb to greater heights."

"Women are nothing but distractions that slow down my cultivation. I have no interest in them anymore."

"Miss Ning's anger has nothing to do with me. You should stay away from me, too. Don't come bother me again."

Li Muyang's attitude was awful. He wanted the girl to leave as soon as possible so she wouldn't interrupt his gaming.

But when Li Yuechan heard his painfully chuuni speech, she only smiled and nodded.

"That's my brother, all right. Same as ever."

"Fine! Since you're so determined, Brother, I'll listen to you. I won't go help you apologize to Miss Ning."