Obedient Little Sister

In Bai Xuanling's divine sea.

Chu Xingchen crossed his arms and promptly hid behind Bai Xuanling, casting a smug glance at Xuan Le, answering her silent interrogation with his own wordless defiance.

Watching as Xuan Le's gaze grew increasingly dangerous, the cold gleam of her drawn sword piercing through the air, Chu Xingchen maintained his cocky expression but also scrutinized this woman who was likely Bai Xuanling's blood-related sister—assuming Bai Xuanling didn’t have any other peculiar hobbies.

Upon closer inspection, Chu Xingchen noticed the differences between Xuan Le and Bai Xuanling.

Their facial structures were similar, but many finer details diverged slightly, particularly the faint teardrop mole at the lower right corner of Xuan Le’s face.

From a distance, they appeared nearly identical, and at first glance, it was easy to mistake her for Bai Xuanling—especially since this was Bai Xuanling’s divine sea.

But now, even if the two dressed identically, Chu Xingchen could tell them apart. The distinctions were clear enough.

Bai Xuanling stood with her sword, her tone quickly regaining composure as she spoke:

"Of course, I care for you, sister. But only if you give me less to worry about."

Xuan Le’s expression twisted with sorrow, her voice laced with grief as if she had encountered unbearable heartache:

"Then who is this man? Another newcomer in your divine sea? With your attention already so divided, how much will remain for me? Don’t speak of caring—soon enough, you’ll forget me entirely."

Bai Xuanling frowned slightly, about to respond, when a voice from behind her cut in first.

Chu Xingchen, standing at Bai Xuanling’s back, perked up at these words.

How delightfully melodramatic!

But who couldn’t play that game?

With a faintly pained expression, Chu Xingchen leaned closer to Bai Xuanling, his eyes fixed on Xuan Le as he spoke in a wounded tone:

"It’s alright, Sister Bai. Focus your attention on Sister Xuan Le if you must. I’ll just quietly cherish you from afar. No need to trouble yourself over me—I only want your happiness, not to burden you."

Bai Xuanling’s ears practically recoiled at his words. She shot him a look of utter disdain, as if questioning—Have you lost your mind?

Ignoring her glare, Chu Xingchen merely smirked triumphantly at Xuan Le.

Xuan Le’s sorrowful facade shattered instantly, replaced by unveiled fury. She raised her sword, her figure transforming into a streak of light as she lunged at Chu Xingchen.

His grin widened. Not even bothering to defend himself, he ducked fully behind Bai Xuanling and cried out:

"Sister Bai, look! Xuan Le’s trying to hit me! I only wanted to spare you distress—why is she so angry?"

Bai Xuanling was tempted to step aside and let Xuan Le cleave him in two. The man’s mouth was truly insufferable.

But if that sword struck, Chu Xingchen’s divine sense would suffer damage that would take ages to heal.

With effortless grace, Bai Xuanling lifted her blade, intercepting the cataclysmic force of Xuan Le’s attack—even sending Xuan Le flying back with a single slash. She then turned her sharp gaze to Chu Xingchen:

"Can you speak like a normal person? Even I want to slap you now."

Chu Xingchen straightened, adopting a solemn expression:

"Ah, my apologies. I thought you preferred this style, given how she talks."

Xuan Le, though flung back, didn’t relent. Instead, she attacked again with frenzied desperation.

After observing for a moment, Chu Xingchen concluded that Xuan Le seemed too far gone for reason. He asked cautiously:

"Can she even be calmed down? Would an apology help?"

Bai Xuanling didn’t answer, her gaze locked onto Xuan Le, waiting for the next assault.

Then—she drew her sword.

A tidal wave of sword intent surged forth.

With a single slash, Bai Xuanling reduced Xuan Le to scattered motes of crimson light, dissipating into nothingness.

Chu Xingchen swallowed his next words. He hadn’t expected Bai Xuanling to skip straight to annihilation, bypassing any attempts at negotiation or restraint.

Talk about an aggressive parenting style.

Bai Xuanling kept her sword unsheathed, her dangerous eyes now fixed on Chu Xingchen, the unspoken challenge clear.

Clearing his throat, Chu Xingchen gave a thumbs-up:

"Truly awe-inspiring! What a masterful display of righteous kin-slaying!"

Bai Xuanling didn’t know whether to laugh or rage. Instead, she settled for driving her fist into Chu Xingchen’s skull, slamming him into the ground with a warning:

"Can you speak properly?"

Pushing himself up, Chu Xingchen dusted himself off and sighed:

"Hey, I barely got a word in before your sister tried to skewer me. Can’t blame me for that, right?"

Bai Xuanling ignored the question, her narrowed eyes radiating menace.

"Alright, alright, message received." Chu Xingchen raised his hands in surrender before asking, "Now that you’ve righteously exterminated your sister, can she come back?"

"If she were truly dead, no. But she’s not." Bai Xuanling sheathed her sword, her voice calm. "As long as my memories remain, she’ll return."

Chu Xingchen watched the fading crimson light in the distance and pressed further:

"And those others… old friends?"

"Yes." Bai Xuanling nodded slightly, then added, "Don’t ask. They’re all dead. The living wouldn’t appear here."

A brief silence fell. Then, as Chu Xingchen lifted his gaze, he saw wisps of bloody mist coalescing—reforming into Xuan Le within moments.

Her eyes immediately locked onto them, and she streaked toward them with terrifying speed.

Chu Xingchen hastily retreated behind Bai Xuanling again:

"Don’t you feel even a little guilty when you obliterate your sister’s illusion?"

"At first, I did." Bai Xuanling watched Xuan Le’s approach impassively. "But after enough repetitions, sentiment fades. Illusions are just illusions. If she were truly alive… she’d never want me to grieve."

Xuan Le halted before them, her gaze icy as she studied Chu Xingchen, sword in hand but not yet striking.

Unfazed, Chu Xingchen asked:

"Does she remember the past encounters?"

Bai Xuanling nodded.

"This is my divine sea. She’s an echo from my deepest memories. She can’t access the depths, but surface-level recollections remain. So yes, she remembers."

"Thanks to that, I’ve refined many techniques by killing her repeatedly."

Chu Xingchen eyed Xuan Le’s murderous aura and coughed awkwardly:

"She doesn’t seem… particularly amicable."

Bai Xuanling gave a slight nod, then reached out to ruffle Xuan Le’s hair, gathering a loose strand between her fingers:

"She was worse at first. After I spent three years in seclusion here, hunting her down the moment she appeared, she eventually started calling me ‘dearest sister.’ Much more obedient now—though she still schemes behind my back."

Xuan Le’s expression remained fierce, but she didn’t resist Bai Xuanling’s touch.

Chu Xingchen: "…"

He very much wanted to ask—Isn’t this just self-conditioning?

But given that voicing the thought would likely earn him a brutal beating, he wisely kept it to himself.

Instead, he coughed lightly and offered a warm smile:

"Hello there… Sister Xuan Le?"

Xuan Le sneered.

"Go die."

Boom.

With another swing of his sword, Bai Xuanling reduced Xuan Le to scattered motes of light. Facing the severed head and the seething rage in Xuan Le’s eyes, he spoke calmly:

"My sister is well-behaved. I’ll tolerate your nonsense in front of me, but don’t you dare tarnish her reputation elsewhere."

"Either play your part convincingly, or I’ll gladly spend another decade teaching you some manners."