"You wouldn’t actually want to become my master’s disciple, would you?" Bi Hong looked her up and down with an expression that screamed "how naïve can you be." "My master is the strongest cultivator in the immortal realm. Countless people would kill to join his sect, yet he’s only ever taken me as his disciple. And you…" He snorted dismissively. "Even if he were willing, you don’t even have a spiritual root. How could you possibly cultivate?"
Shi Xia’s enthusiasm instantly deflated. "So… if I don’t have a spiritual root, there’s absolutely no chance for me to cultivate?"
"Not necessarily…" Before Bi Hong could finish, a cool, composed voice interrupted.
Hou Chi approached from a short distance away.
"Master." Bi Hong immediately straightened up, abandoning his earlier arrogant and bullying demeanor, and bowed respectfully.
"Hey, good guy Hou Chi! Morning!" Shi Xia waved at him cheerfully.
"How dare you address my master so casually!" Bi Hong glared at her, practically bristling.
"What’s the point of a name if people can’t use it?" What’s this old man’s problem now?
"You—"
Shi Xia ignored him. "Hou Chi, what did you mean earlier?"
Hou Chi turned to her. "The Great Dao has three thousand paths, each with its own destiny."
"Are you saying I can cultivate even without a spiritual root?" Shi Xia’s eyes lit up.
"Mn."
"But Master," Bi Hong couldn’t help interjecting, "without a spiritual root, how could she draw in qi or advance her cultivation?"
"We rely on spiritual energy because we follow the path of spiritual cultivation," Hou Chi explained. "But there are other methods. Buddhist cultivators accumulate merit, ghost cultivators harness yin energy, demonic cultivators walk the path of slaughter, and even mortals have martial cultivators."
Of course, aside from demonic cultivators, none of these paths were taken seriously by orthodox cultivators. Buddhist and ghost cultivators progressed painfully slowly, often passing away before reaching great heights, and mortal martial cultivators rarely lived past a hundred years. None had ever produced a true powerhouse.
But… so what? As long as his little sister was happy! (～￣▽￣)～
"Really? Seriously?" Shi Xia was practically vibrating with excitement. She didn’t need much—just some survival skills would do. "Hou Chi, do you know any of those other methods? Can you teach me?"
"Outrageous!" The old man—Bi Hong—jumped in again like a roadblock. "My master is the Supreme Elder of the Jade Flower Sect. You’re not even a disciple—what right do you have to learn?"
Ugh, sect elitism was the worst! Shi Xia pouted.
Hou Chi leisurely pulled out a manual, his gaze lingering on Shi Xia in a way that felt… oddly calculating. "I do happen to have a martial cultivation manual here."
Shi Xia’s eyes locked onto the book like a magnet.
"However… Bi Hong isn’t entirely wrong. As a member of the Jade Flower Sect, I should only pass teachings to those within the sect. If you’re serious about learning… perhaps I could take you as—"
Wait, was he about to accept her as his disciple? Shi Xia’s eyes sparkled, completely missing the sly glint in his. This was perfect—an instant, top-tier backer!
"I accept!" She eagerly raised her hand like an overeager puppy.
"Master, you can’t!" Bi Hong protested at the same time, also raising his hand in objection. There was no way he’d accept this carrot-stealing brat as his junior sister!
"Very well, as you wish." Hou Chi ignored his disciple entirely.
"Master…" Bi Hong clutched his chest as if struck by a critical hit. "You promised I’d be your only disciple."
"And you are."
"Then… she’s not my junior sister?" You just accepted her!
"Who said she’s your junior sister?" Hou Chi replied with utmost seriousness. "She’s your martial aunt."
"…Huh?" What?
Hou Chi reached out and patted Shi Xia’s head, his face as expressionless as ever. "Be good. Call me ‘brother.’"
Shi Xia: "…"
Bi Hong: "…"
Hey, big bro (currently recovering back in the modern world), bad news—someone’s trying to steal your spot.
The strongest cultivator in the immortal realm, the unfathomably powerful Supreme Elder of the Jade Flower Sect… wanted to adopt her as his little sister. This bombshell left both Shi Xia and Bi Hong in rare agreement: The wind must’ve been too loud earlier—we definitely misheard.
Yep. No way Hou Chi (Master) had any interest in raising a little sister.
Having rationalized it away, Shi Xia promptly forgot the whole thing and went about her day—until that night, when she saw the ever-composed Hou Chi casually climbing through her window.
His movements were fluid, utterly silent, his white robes still pristine without a speck of dust. He looked as ethereal as ever. Shi Xia stared for a full two minutes, frozen.
"Why are you climbing through the window?" she finally asked.
Hou Chi paused, then answered with complete sincerity, "Didn’t want to wake you." He seemed entirely unbothered by the fact that he was essentially breaking and entering in the middle of the night.
"…" She blinked. I wasn’t even asleep, genius.
Not to mention her door wasn’t even locked. Why climb the window?! This guy… might actually have a few screws loose.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing," he replied, straight-faced.
Nothing?! Then why scare the life out of me?!
"Since you’re still awake…" He stepped forward, dead serious. "I’ll help you fall asleep." Lie down! ＜(￣︶￣)＞
"Excuse me?!" Is this guy for real?!
Without warning, Hou Chi grabbed her, tucked her into bed, and pulled up the covers, then asked with the same solemn expression, "Want me to tell you a story?" Say yes. ＜(￣ˇ￣)/
"…" Dude, did you forget to take your meds today?
"I’ll tell you about my past, then."
"Wait—" Who said anything about storytime?! Explain yourself first!
"I entered the Dao at ten, built my foundation at twenty. During my Golden Core stage…"
"Hey, listen—"
"That year in the far south, I encountered a…"
"STOP!" Shi Xia threw off the covers and sat up, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "What are you actually trying to do?"
Hou Chi frowned slightly at the interruption but answered earnestly, "Telling you a story."
"Why?!" A grown man sneaking into my room at night to tell stories is creepy as hell!
"To help you sleep," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why do you need to help me sleep?!" Go bother Bi Hong instead!
Hou Chi tilted his head, studying her for a long moment until Shi Xia started to squirm. Then, slowly, he reached out and patted her head. "I’m your brother now. It’s my job to help you sleep." ︿(￣︶￣)︿ The Demon Lord said you love bedtime stories.
"…" Shi Xia’s face went blank. So the whole "little sister" thing wasn’t a joke. And where the hell did he get the idea that brothers are supposed to tuck people in?!
She decided it was time for a serious talk.
"Hou Chi, listen—"
"Call me ‘brother.’" Insistent. (∩_∩)
"……" Are you seriously arguing with me? I never realized how hard it was to get through to this guy before. Shi Xia took a deep breath. "I can't be your little sister, understand? I already have a brother—a real one! And no, it's not the Demon Lord. I never even thought about having a sworn brother or anything like that." Her own brother might be a bit of a mess, but the two of them had grown up relying on each other, so their bond was naturally deeper than most siblings. The word "brother" held a special meaning for her.
"Not a sworn brother," he said, enunciating each word clearly. "I’ll be your brother—your real brother."
"……" Seriously? Did he think being a brother was like running for president, where you could just campaign for the role?
"You agreed," he added. "During the day."
"That was because I thought you wanted to take me as your disciple!"
His eyes narrowed slightly as he patted her head, completely ignoring any objections. "Call me brother," he said firmly.
Call me brother, call me brother, call me brother. Important things should be thought of three times. ＜(＾－＾)＞
"But you’re really not my brother!"
He didn’t respond, but Shi Xia faintly heard a snap—like something had just broken. The hand resting on her head stiffened, and the air around them seemed to freeze over. The room instantly felt dozens of degrees colder, and his already icy expression looked like it could start snowing at any moment.
Her heart sank as she vaguely saw a surge of energy burst out from behind him.
Then—BOOM!
One-third of the cottage she’d been living in for over a month was instantly obliterated. Aside from the half of the roof above her bed, everything else had turned to dust. When she looked up, she could see the moon and stars behind Hou Chi.
Shi Xia gaped in shock before promptly throwing her dignity to the ground.
She threw her arms around the furious man in front of her. "Brother! You are my long-lost real brother!"
The person in front of her seemed momentarily stunned before a cold hand finally settled back on her head.
"…Good girl." The stoic man was thoroughly satisfied. As expected, my little sister does like me! ＜(￣︶￣)＞
"Do you still want to hear a story?"
"Yes, I’ll listen to whatever you say."
"Mm."
"……" Shi Xia could practically see her dignity running off into the sunset—just like her long-lost brother.
Hou Chi had been eyeing this little sister of his for a hundred years now.
He had cultivated for too long, and the people around him came and went until he was the only one left. At first, he hadn’t understood the Demon Lord’s idiotic, blissful expression whenever he talked about his sister. He hadn’t paid much attention to the concept of a "little sister" either. But after being subjected to the Demon Lord’s relentless, 360-degree brainwashing—where he praised his sister as if she were one of a kind—Hou Chi had inevitably absorbed a bit of it.
At first, it was just a vague idea. But as the Demon Lord’s descriptions grew more detailed, a faint image began to take shape in his mind. Then, when the Demon Lord disappeared, there was no one left to chatter endlessly about how wonderful his sister was. The unfinished image in his heart suddenly lost its artist, leaving it forever incomplete.
