As the daughter of Lan City's lord, Xiao Xinran had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
From the time she could remember, her parents had pampered and protected her. If she wanted something, it usually appeared. If she cried, the whole residence moved. Trouble was something that happened to other people's children, never to her.
By now, the Xiao family's daughter had grown into an intelligent, graceful young girl with extraordinary spiritual roots. She was a fire-element genius with excellent aptitude for cultivation, and her father treated her as the great hope of the clan.
For her, the family prepared the best beginner cultivation method, hired the best private tutors to guide her, and spent heavily on the best elixirs to nourish her meridians.
Even the eldest princess of the dynasty was not treated this generously. Before she had even set foot on the Sect's mountain, Xiao Xinran had already become the Divine Favor Sect's designated candidate.
And she did not just have resources. She also had an excellent protector growing up beside her.
The Xiao and Yun families had been close for generations. They had arranged a marriage long ago to tie their bloodlines even closer.
The youngest son of the Yun family was a few years older than her and possessed a Heaven-grade spiritual root. He had joined the Divine Favor Sect two years ahead and, at a young age, had already become an inner disciple.
The two of them had grown up together, childhood sweethearts who were practically glued to each other. In everyone's eyes, they were a perfect match.
Back then, Xiao Xinran had not really understood what a Dao companion was. She only knew that it was something like a contract: from that moment onward, she and Yun Liu would belong to one another and would naturally become husband and wife in the future, proving the Great Dao side by side.
She had a reliable "big brother" who was always by her side, always patient, always gentle.
Xiao Xinran enjoyed that feeling. It felt right to her, so she leaned into it even more, becoming more and more dependent on him without noticing.
Until a blonde girl descended from the sky and shattered that peaceful little world. From that moment, the gears of fate began to turn.
That day, Yun Liu and Xiao Xinran had gone out to train together.
Divine Favor Sect would begin its new term in half a month. With her letter of introduction, Xiao Xinran would not need to wait in a long line to have her spiritual roots tested, but she still had to sit for the entrance assessment with the other candidates.
Fortunately, Yun Liu was already an inner disciple of the Five Peaks, with plenty of experience and a good temper. He gave her a lot of advice on what to expect.
So, they decided to head out and hunt some wild beasts, to warm up for the martial exam.
Xiao Xinran was fourteen that year and had already reached the third stage of Qi Refining. Aside from her basic Qi cultivation method, she had only learned a few introductory sword technique and simple spells, and she often slacked off. Even so, she was about as strong as Yun Liu had been at that age.
"Where do you think you're going? Watch my sword!"
The girl in red gave a sharp shout and cut down a charging wild boar in one smooth stroke. She turned and grinned, pleased with herself.
Yun Liu gave her a thumbs-up. Most days he cultivated diligently up on Cloud Sea Peak and only came back down the mountain to visit her and check her progress when he happened to have leave.
Her skills were more than enough to pass the entrance exam; this outing was really just to keep her from getting complacent.
Before long, plain wild beasts no longer satisfied Xiao Xinran. She grew more and more confident and suggested they head toward the forest near Cloud Sea Peak to see if they could find any "real" monsters like in the stories.
At first, Yun Liu shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous. If we run into a strong demon, I might not be able to protect you."
"I don't need your protection!" she said at once.
Overflowing with confidence, the girl pushed deeper into the trees. She was used to being a bit arrogant, with the quiet certainty that her "big brother" was always behind her.
Yun Liu had no choice but to follow. There usually weren't many real monsters near Lan City. He told himself their luck wouldn't be that bad.
They had taken only a few more steps when human voices drifted from up ahead. The two of them quickly dove into the grass, peeking between the branches.
A group of men in black was combing the forest. Their faces were unfamiliar, and each one gave off a sinister aura.
"Strangers?" Xiao Xinran whispered.
"People from the Demonic Sect," Yun Liu said, face darkening. "We need to run."
He grabbed her wrist and turned to retreat, but they were already too late.
Among the Demonic Sect disciples, there were also veteran cultivators. The moment someone noticed a disturbance, the group spread out and encircled them. Hostile gazes and biting killing intent locked onto the pair.
"Disciples from Divine Favor Sect, hm? Looks like we found them," one of the men sneered. "We still don't know where that kid is hiding. If we alert the inner sect elders, that will be troublesome."
"W-What do we do?"
Xiao Xinran's face went pale. Her sword hand shook, and she instinctively shrank behind Yun Liu. She had never seen something like this in person. Demonic Sect cultivators were described in stories as monsters who killed without blinking.
The leader was a short, thin man with a sallow face. His cultivation was at the ninth level of Qi Refining. He held a bone spike-shaped magic artifact in one hand and gave a wet sniffle.
With no way out, Yun Liu made up his mind in an instant. His hand closed around his longsword, and he moved without holding back.
Sword light crisscrossed the trees. The young man met the closest attackers head-on, forcing several Demonic Sect disciples to stagger back, blood tracing lines down their sleeves. As they retreated, he drove straight through the gap and charged at the leader.
The short man clearly had not expected his opponent to be this decisive. He had written Yun Liu off as an ordinary sect disciple, and in his haste he misjudged his opponent's strength. He hurriedly activated his magic artifact to counterattack, then suddenly felt a chill at his neck.
A flash of pale light swept past like moonlight.
The white-robed youth was already back at Xiao Xinran's side, sword raised. The ninth-stage Demonic Sect cultivator stood frozen for a heartbeat before his body toppled backward, head rolling one way and body falling the other.
Xiao Xinran barely had time to feel relief when she saw the bone spike that had pierced Yun Liu's abdomen and the blood pouring from the wound.
"Brother Yun!"
The remaining Demonic Sect disciples stared at Yun Liu, stunned by his swordsmanship. Their leader had been cut down in a single exchange. Fear spread between them, and not one dared be the first to rush forward.
Yun Liu forced himself to stand and shield Xiao Xinran with his body, facing the enemies alone. For a while, his sword never wavered. But his Qi Sea felt like a wineskin that had been sliced open. Spiritual power leaked endlessly away. His consciousness grew dimmer and dimmer.
Just as the last of his strength was about to run dry, a golden streak split the air in front of him.
A mysterious girl descended from the sky. She was an ally, not an enemy. Her sword flashed again and again, cutting down the remaining "small fry" as easily as chopping vegetables. Blond hair flicked through the air, and in a few breaths she was standing calmly in front of the stunned girl in red, smiling gently.
"Don't be afraid. It's over," she said.
Later, someone carried Yun Liu home in a rush. Word quickly spread through Lan City that Demonic Sect cultists and demonic beasts had been lurking near the city and had nearly harmed the city lord's beloved daughter. The county guards were alarmed and launched a full investigation.
The external injuries were easy to treat. The wound in Yun Liu's abdomen began to heal within a few days. The true problem lay deeper. The malignant energy from the bone artifact had struck his Qi Sea, damaging his vital foundation. Every doctor they called shook their heads.
Xiao Xinran did not fully understand what a "shattered Qi Sea" meant, but she knew that Yun Liu needed rest and that the injury was serious. What she felt most was not heartbreak, but guilt.
If she had been as strong as that golden-haired older sister, Yun Liu would not have been hurt at all. For the first time in her life, she felt a burning urge to become stronger.
In the days that followed, the mysterious girl stayed at the Xiao residence as a guest. The two girls quickly grew close and got along very well.
Ji Shiyu came from the distant High Heaven and had also come to Divine Favor Sect to further her training. Her cultivation was high and her swordsmanship superb.
Xiao Xinran became more and more enamored with her, often clinging to her side and peppering her with questions about the wider world. Before long, the two agreed to enter the sect and become its disciple together.
What felt strange was the Xiao clan elders' attitude.
When they first heard that Yun Liu was gravely injured, their expressions had changed dramatically. For a moment, they had seemed worried. But that concern faded quickly. Before long, they were focused almost entirely on thanking Ji Shiyu for saving her, even though Yun Liu had also fought to protect her.
Strictly speaking, he was the one who had traded his life for that ninth-level Qi Refining expert and created the opening.
Yet everything became "thanks to Miss Ji."
Ji Shiyu's background was indeed impressive. When the clan elders learned that she came from the Ji clan of Star Island in the High Heaven and carried "that" bloodline, their respect deepened further.
Even her father, the City Lord himself gradually seemed to put Yun Liu to the back of his mind. His attention centered on Ji Shiyu, afraid of neglecting this savior.
The old housekeeper even received orders not to disturb Young Master Yun during his recovery and quietly changed how he addressed him, no longer calling him "young master-in-law," just "Young Master Yun."
Xiao Xinran did not think too hard about it. She was simply happy to have gained a new friend.
This beautiful, talented young lady was about to become her fellow sect disciple. What was there to complain about?
After staying home for a few days, Xiao Xinran became restless. Worry for Yun Liu, mixed with boredom, finally made her sneak out of the house with Ji Shiyu to "take a look."
But when Yun Liu woke up, he seemed like a different person.
He ignored her, looked only at the blonde girl, and spoke to Xinran with a cold politeness that made her chest hurt.
Anger flared up before she could stop it. Xiao Xinran stomped back home, slammed the door to her room, and sulked all morning.
"He actually… he actually called me Miss Xiao!?"
Did she mishear? Had he really said that?
Could it be Brother Yun hurt his head and lost his memory…?
She glanced down at herself, then thought of Ji Shiyu's figure, and felt a tiny stab of gloom.
"So what if her chest is a bit bigger and her butt is a bit rounder?" she muttered. "Give me a few years, I can be like that too."
She firmed her jaw for a moment, but the more she thought about it, the more her anger wavered.
The boy had been seriously injured. When he woke up, there had been no one he truly trusted at his bedside. No one had even been there to pour him a cup of water when he was thirsty.
Xiao Xinran bit her lip. The edges of her anger softened. She regretted losing her temper and saying those thoughtless words. It was obvious she had been in the wrong first.
Brother Yun must be really sad. I'm the one who's angry when I'm not the one lying there hurt…
Thinking like that, she could no longer sit still. Xiao Xinran rushed out, ignoring the housekeeper trying to stop her, and ran toward the Yun residence to apologize.
At the gates of the Yun estate, she almost collided with the person she'd come to see.
Yun Liu was just heading out. Before she could open her mouth, she saw that he was not alone.
A blonde girl walked beside him.
The two of them strolled down the street, chatting and laughing like old friends. They made a striking pair, and heads turned as they passed.
"Huh?" Xiao Xinran blinked. "I was wondering why I couldn't find Shiyu. So she's with Brother Yun… and they're walking that close together."
She remembered how Ji Shiyu had once told her, very seriously, that all men were big stupid pigs and none of them were trustworthy.
"Didn't she say that?" Xiao Xinran whispered to herself, tilting her head in confusion. "So… what is this supposed to be?"