Chapter 65: I Am Only His Sister!

“Host, be careful!” Green Coriander cried out, immediately squeezing its eyes shut, too afraid to watch. However, when it didn’t hear Shen Qingli scream, it opened its eyes in confusion.

What it saw was astonishing: the man who had rushed at Shen Qingli was now completely entangled by layers of vines, his limbs bound so tightly he couldn’t move at all.

Shen Qingli herself stared at the scene in utter surprise.

“What happened…” she murmured, puzzled. All she remembered was the man charging at her, and she’d instinctively waved her hand. How had things turned out like this?

“Host, he’s trying to break free!” Green Coriander’s voice broke her reverie. Shen Qingli snapped back to herself and, mimicking her earlier gesture, flicked her fingers. Spiritual energy crackled at her fingertips. The man let out a pained howl, then dissolved into black smoke and vanished.

Shen Qingli paused, slightly stunned—she hadn’t even had the chance to use her spiritual power yet.

“Sister…”

She turned at the sound to see the girl caught in the animal trap. Starlight shimmered faintly around the girl’s hand—clearly, she was no ordinary human.

“Sister, are you all right?” The girl’s face was pale, yet her gaze was full of concern.

“Host, I sense no danger from her. Her spiritual energy is very pure—very much like yours and Mr. Xie’s,” Green Coriander said in her mind. Yet Shen Qingli couldn’t shake a sense of familiarity as she looked at the girl.

Still, since there was no threat, she ought to help.

“Let me get the trap off you first,” Shen Qingli said gently, using a sturdy branch to pry open the jaws of the animal trap.

With some effort, she freed the girl’s leg.

“Thank you, Sister. My name is Ye Qingqing. Did you fall in here by accident too? I came looking for someone. Sister, do you know him?” Ye Qingqing produced a photo, hope shining in her eyes.

Shen Qingli froze when she saw the photo.

This person… wasn’t that Xie Jinchuan?

A strange glint flashed in Ye Qingqing’s eyes, gone so quickly Shen Qingli didn’t notice.

“Oh, that’s my brother. We grew up together. He said he accidentally knocked down a demon who was about to transcend a tribulation, ruining his own foundation. If he wants to restore it, he has to help that demon,” Ye Qingqing explained.

“But I was worried about my brother, so I followed him. I didn’t expect my body to become so weak after arriving here. Thank goodness for you, Sister!”

The girl’s innocent smile made her seem completely harmless.

But what she said left Shen Qingli stiff with shock.

She claimed Xie Jinchuan did it all for his foundation…

“Sister?” Ye Qingqing’s voice was gentle, but inwardly, she sneered at Shen Qingli’s dazed reaction, while outwardly maintaining her look of innocent confusion.

“Oh… I know where he is. I’ll take you to him,” Shen Qingli said after regaining her composure, helping Ye Qingqing to her feet.

“Sister, you’re so kind! And your aura feels so familiar. Hehe, I really like you!” Ye Qingqing beamed, affectionately linking her arm through Shen Qingli’s.

“Mm,” Shen Qingli replied softly, watching Ye Qingqing’s naïve and guileless face.

But her mind was racing with everything Ye Qingqing had just said.

That demon might be herself… Xie Jinchuan, was it really all just for his foundation?

Her gaze flickered, but in the next moment, she cleared her thoughts. How could she doubt Xie Jinchuan? Unless he said it himself, she would never believe anyone else.

“You’re Xie Jinchuan’s sister?” she asked, casting a wary glance at Ye Qingqing, who was limping along beside her, arm in arm.

“Yes! Look, this is the token Brother Jinchuan gave me!” Ye Qingqing declared proudly, showing off a half-pendant shaped like a mandarin duck.

Shen Qingli’s heart sank the moment she saw it.

She’d seen it before—hanging from Xie Jinchuan’s neck…

Looking away, Shen Qingli forced a gentle smile. “It’s very pretty.”

“Isn’t it? My brother said I’m the only one who has this. I must take good care of it!” Ye Qingqing giggled, watching the forced calm on Shen Qingli’s face, the corners of her own mouth curving into a barely perceptible cold smile.

So, Shen Qingli’s feelings for Xie Jinchuan aren’t as deep as I thought. With a little more effort from me, their relationship might just fall apart.

With that in mind, Ye Qingqing’s smile grew even brighter as she looked at the woman beside her.

“Sister, you know my brother, right? Do you also like him? You’re so beautiful—if it were my brother, he’d definitely fall for you.”

Definitely fall for her?

Shen Qingli couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you say he’d definitely fall for me?”

Ye Qingqing’s expression froze, and she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t dare.

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

“Not what?” The more Shen Qingli looked at her, the more she wanted to get to the bottom of it. She had a feeling things weren’t as simple as they seemed.

“Sister, if I tell you, you mustn’t be angry…” Ye Qingqing said, lowering her head with a troubled look. “Actually… actually, you remind me of someone I know, someone my brother… once liked.”

At these words, Shen Qingli’s thoughts whirled.

“Do you have a portrait of that woman or something?”

For some reason, anything related to Xie Jinchuan tugged at her heartstrings, as if some invisible thread bound her to him.

“Sister, take my hand—you can see it through my memory.”

Before Shen Qingli could refuse, Ye Qingqing grasped her hand.

A surge of spiritual power swept through her, and Shen Qingli suddenly saw memories that were not her own.

The scene was of Xie Jinchuan—but there was a woman beside him.

The woman smiled with gentle radiance, her figure graceful—just her silhouette exuded warmth and poise. Watching the two of them laughing and playing, anyone could see they were deeply in love.

“Sister!” Ye Qingqing’s voice sounded in her ear.

As she heard it, the woman’s face appeared before her eyes.

Shen Qingli’s eyes widened, and she instantly pulled her hand free.

“Sister?” Ye Qingqing’s worried voice sounded beside her, while Shen Qingli felt cold sweat bead on her forehead. “I’m fine,” she replied.

It was true.

She and that unforgettable, graceful woman—looked exactly alike.