The usual rules

Yang Wuzheng and Yan Wushuang both fell silent at her words.

They looked at the girl before them with complicated gazes, tinged with heartache.

Her words were cold and indifferent, but after half a month together, how could they not understand?

If she truly did not care, she would not have been so cold and distant.

That was the protective shell she used to hide everything.

Just as she had once said, coldly and indifferently, that everyone who wanted to see her smile was already gone.

The colder and more distant she was, the more she cared deep down.

She was merely using coldness and indifference to numb her heart.

If she truly did not care, how could she have struck with such ferocity and resolve?

How could she have disregarded her own injuries and tried to approach those villagers with a smile?

That was her way of expressing goodwill.

They had seen far too many people leave mountain villages and become insufferably arrogant once they gained power.

Quite a few even repaid the humiliation they had suffered many times over, venting it on others to prove their status and position.

Yet the girl before them possessed a waste body. Who knew how much suffering she had endured to gain this strength?

Still, in her every movement, they could sense her desire to protect everything she cared about.

That obsession and stubbornness had brought all of this about.

They had turned such a beautiful, fragile girl cold, formidable, and ruthless.

Yet she had retained her original heart, along with an instinctive goodwill toward the world.

But now, that goodwill had been met with fear.

"You shouldn't have said that!"

"What she needs is care, not another blow!"

Yan Wushuang transmitted his voice, shooting Yang Wuzheng an irritated look. Then he turned toward the girl as she walked away and hurriedly called, "Wait."

He strode over to Li Qingyue in a few quick steps.

With a turn of his palm, a white silk handkerchief appeared in his hand. He slowly reached toward her bloodstained face.

"No need. I can do it myself..."

Seeing the handkerchief coming toward her, Li Qingyue hurriedly spoke and instinctively stepped back.

"Don't move!"

Yan Wushuang's voice carried a hint of domineering firmness. Li Qingyue trembled slightly and froze where she stood.

She instinctively raised her head to look at him.

She was rather short. Even with her head raised, she only just reached Yan Wushuang's chin.

She could see only a little of his expression.

It was solemn and earnest, with a trace of heartache.

That expression instantly brought Older Brother's figure to mind.

She had often made herself filthy to conceal her looks and feminine features.

Yet Older Brother had always insisted on washing her with the same domineering firmness.

He would not let her resist.

His expression had been just as earnest.

As though he were wiping clean a precious treasure.

And after Older Brother left, she would always stubbornly make herself filthy again.

It had left Older Brother utterly helpless.

Yet he could not bear to scold her. He would only find ways to cheer her up, hoping to hear her call him Older Brother.

Hoping to see her smile.

But stubborn as she was, in the eight years since she had transmigrated, she had never spoken a word or shown even a trace of a smile.

And her Older Brother had never given up on her, remaining steadfast through all eight years.

Even in death, he had left behind a lingering obsession, hidden within the Ghost Face Mask, so he could meet her again.

At that thought, a sudden pang tore through Li Qingyue's heart.

The white silk handkerchief brushed gently over her face, blood slowly staining it like crimson plum blossoms.

Older Brother...

Li Qingyue's heart trembled slightly. She slowly lowered her eyes and stopped resisting.

Yan Wushuang actually bore some resemblance to her Older Brother.

Perhaps it was because her Older Brother, like Yan Wushuang, had possessed a sacred body.

Unexpectedly, that feeling stirred her longing.

She missed the Older Brother who was sometimes firm and domineering, and sometimes teased her like a child.

But as Li Qingyue lowered her eyes, she caught sight of Yang Wuzheng behind Yan Wushuang out of the corner of her eye.

He, too, held a silk handkerchief, his eyes fixed directly on her.

His fingers unconsciously tightened, slowly drawing the handkerchief into his palm with extraordinary force until none of it remained visible.

Then he smiled as though nothing had happened, calm and detached, at peace with the world.

Yet his eyes remained fixed on her, and on the handkerchief against her face.

They...

Li Qingyue's heart raced as realization struck her.

They were not her Older Brother. They were fundamentally different from him.

Older Brother had stayed by her side and cared for her for eight years, starting when she was six. She had known these two for less than a month.

They had no reason to treat her so well, unless...

I... clearly haven't done anything!

Just as that thought crossed Li Qingyue's mind, Yan Wushuang's voice suddenly came from above her head. "Your hands!"

Li Qingyue's arms trembled. She raised her eyes and said, "I'll do it myself!"

A hint of stubbornness colored her tone.

With that, she turned away decisively. But the next instant, a hot palm caught her arm.

Yan Wushuang's voice came again, carrying a hint of concession. "All right. Do it yourself."

"But take this with you!"

As he spoke, a porcelain bottle appeared in his palm.

"This is medicine for your wounds. Apply it externally!"

"Oh, right, Old Yang. Bring out another set of clothes!"

Yan Wushuang turned to Yang Wuzheng as he spoke. He himself was tall and broad, and his clothes would not fit Li Qingyue.

Yang Wuzheng's build was a little more suitable. Although his clothes would still be too long, they would fit much better than those made for Yan Wushuang's nearly six-foot-three frame.

Li Qingyue looked over as well.

But she and Yan Wushuang focused on slightly different things. Yan Wushuang looked at Yang Wuzheng's calm, uncontentious expression.

Li Qingyue, however, saw an identical porcelain bottle flash through Yang Wuzheng's palm before vanishing instantly.

It happened so quickly that she almost thought she had imagined it.

Only then did a neatly folded, moon-white robe appear in his hands.

I-I... really haven't done anything!

At that sight, Li Qingyue's heart gave a small leap.

They had only known one another for half a month, and she could feel the kindness both men showed her.

She had merely kept it silently in her heart, intending to repay them little by little in the future.

Throughout their journey, she had been exceptionally quiet. Apart from eating a little more, she had hardly caused either of them any trouble.

But she had never imagined anything like this would happen.

No! We... should count as friends, as companions, right?

It's perfectly normal for friends to care about each other.

I'm overthinking it!

I can't flatter myself. I'm only a mortal.

Perhaps... they're simply good people?

Li Qingyue repeated those thoughts silently as she watched Yan Wushuang take the clothes from Yang Wuzheng and place them in her hands.

She hurriedly turned away and headed into the mountain forest.

Her heart was still somewhat unsettled.

She only wanted to learn cultivation scriptures and knowledge from them, to seize every opportunity to grow stronger.

She had never considered anything else.

Watching Li Qingyue disappear into the forest, Yan Wushuang turned to Yang Wuzheng. "You shouldn't have said those things."

Yang Wuzheng's calm, detached expression shifted slightly, and he instinctively said, "She's strong! Stronger than you imagine."

Only after speaking did Yang Wuzheng realize what he had done, leaving him somewhat dazed.

Ordinarily, he rarely argued with anyone, especially his fellow disciples.

"No matter how strong she is, she's still a young girl. What she needs is care and protection, not another blow!"

Yan Wushuang continued, failing to notice anything unusual about Yang Wuzheng.

Yang Wuzheng fell silent, recalling their interactions over the past half month.

As someone with an Innate Dao Body, a physique close to the Dao, he was profoundly sensitive to changes in nature.

Because of that, his mind was exceptionally perceptive, allowing him to sense everything about Li Qingyue.

Strong and stubborn, she harbored goodwill, yet was also exceptionally vigilant, guarded, and sensitive.

She was cool and quiet by nature, seldom speaking. Throughout their journey, she had been so considerate that it made his heart ache.

Now he had seen another side of the girl. Against her enemies, she was merciless and ruthless, her love and hatred sharply defined.

She never wasted even the slightest bit of food.

Only when she ate could he occasionally see a trace of a smile and satisfaction on her face.

That was her obsession with growing stronger, surpassing everything else.

"No!"

Yang Wuzheng contradicted him, his expression unusually earnest as he said calmly, "She doesn't need those things. Those aren't what she needs!"

His junior brother Yan Wushuang did not understand that girl at all.

Instead, her quiet fragility and delicate beauty had stirred Yan Wushuang's protective instincts as a man.

Only then did Yan Wushuang notice something unusual about Yang Wuzheng.

Ordinarily, Yang Wuzheng rarely argued with anyone. Over minor matters, even if he disagreed, he would simply let them pass with a smile.

Yet now he was actually arguing back, and so earnestly.

The last time their views had clashed was a long time ago.

Yan Wushuang paused slightly. As though something had occurred to him, he laughed heartily. "Looks like I won't be able to convince you this time either."

"But I don't agree with how you're doing things."

"The usual rules?"

The image of the girl having her face wiped clean flashed through Yang Wuzheng's mind. He gently clenched his fist and raised his head to look Yan Wushuang straight in the eye.

Suddenly, he really wanted to give this fellow a beating.

"All right. The usual rules!"

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