"Sister, I heard you were punished by Mother for causing trouble? I’ve come to see you, sister."
Yueye cast a worried glance at Anlan’s neck, where she had been injured by the light whip. Fortunately, had it not been for the clashing elemental attributes, the wound wouldn't have been so severe. After the Demon Physician had examined it, it had mostly healed, leaving only a faint trace of the lash.
But children aren't yet adept at hiding their expressions. At a single glance, Anlan caught the flash of gloating and pity in Yueye’s eyes.
Anlan was just looking for a place to vent her anger!
Before Yueye could regain her composure, Anlan leaned in, pressing her face against Yueye’s, startling her into a shiver.
"Sister, what are you doing?"
"What am I doing? Yueye, I should be asking you what you’re doing. Did you make this special trip just to laugh at my misfortune? I’m truly puzzled. As your elder sister, I’ve never treated you poorly. Even if my strength isn't much to speak of, I’ve always fulfilled my responsibilities as a sister well, shielding you from much malice. Yet, is this how you repay me? Hoping I’d fall into disgrace?"
"I… I don’t understand what you mean, Sister."
"You don't understand? Fine, then I’ll help you refresh your memory."
As she spoke, Anlan raised her small hand and gripped Yueye’s face. She showed no mercy, using her Tier 4 strength to force a cry of pain from Yueye. Anlan didn't care in the slightest; she squeezed her chin, pulling her even closer.
Staring into those fearful eyes, Anlan said coldly, "Why don’t you tell me, Sister? Since you knew that the place where His Highness Abao was being punished was a forbidden area for the Demon Race, why did you incite me to go there? Don’t tell me you didn’t know. As a playmate to His Highness Abao and Princess Leng Xiao, it’s impossible for you to have been unaware. Did you purposefully trick me, knowing I was ignorant, just so I would be severely punished? Yueye, oh Yueye, I am your sister. Do you hate me that much?"
Seeing that Yueye still wanted to quibble, Anlan sneered and shoved her away, sending her sprawling onto the floor.
"Don’t take everyone for a fool, Yueye. Do you really think I don’t know about the times you’ve schemed against me before? I just chose not to speak of it! After all, we share the same blood; you are my closest kin. There are some things I can overlook, but don’t you dare push me too far!"
"Push you too far? Yue Anlan, who can you blame for being a fool? This is the Demon Race! What is wrong with me trying to protect myself?"
"Finally, you’ve stopped pretending, my dear sister?"
Anlan sneered at Yueye’s resentful expression. Seeing her like this only made Yueye more furious.
"What makes you so great? You always act like you’re doing things for my own good, but you have no idea how much I despise that! If you are inferior to me in every way, you should have just stayed in the shadows! Why did you have to jump out? Do you have any idea how your crude behavior disgraces our noble Moon Demon God bloodline? Yet why, why has Father been looking at you differently lately? It’s not fair!"
"Fair? Noble? How laughable!"
Anlan let out a cold laugh, staring at her with razor-sharp intensity. After a while, Yueye couldn't take it anymore and turned her head away.
As soon as she looked away, Anlan raised her hand, gathering a powerful ball of spiritual energy and slamming it directly at Yueye’s feet.
Yueye screamed and scrambled away in terror.
"You asked why? I’m telling you, this is the reason! Everything you cling to is a joke in my eyes. In a world where the strong set the rules, neither fairness nor nobility matters as much as strength! That is the reason, and that is the difference between you and me. So, don’t provoke me—you can’t afford it! What you value, I might not even look twice at. From today on, we shall mind our own business. If we do that, we can coexist peacefully. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not showing you any respect!"
Yueye stared at the crater beneath her feet with a pale face. When she looked up at Anlan, she realized with horror that the sister she had always looked down upon seemed to have changed.
She had become stronger!
Her aura had become more terrifying, and her cultivation base was so deep that even Yueye, who had stepped into the third tier, could no longer perceive it. What did this mean?
It meant that her "useless" sister was actually more powerful than her!
How could that be?
Refusing to accept this, Yueye glared at Anlan, stood up, dusted off her clothes, and left, struggling to maintain a facade of nobility.
Anlan scoffed at this.
So be it. They were never true sisters anyway; if the mask had to fall, let it fall!
Besides, as a lonely demon in this world, Anlan wasn't used to having a sister anyway.
Pushing aside the faint sense of disappointment, Anlan cast these bothersome matters out of her mind and returned to her cultivation.
The energy of the Divine Blood, though only extracted in small amounts, was truly remarkable. She hadn't even fully absorbed those few wisps yet; she didn't dare to imagine how much her cultivation would advance once she absorbed it all. Anlan felt a surge of anticipation!
With that thought, the gloom of falling out with a relative was completely forgotten. When she finally emerged from her cultivation, her personal maid approached.
"Princess Anlan, you’ve finally finished. His Highness Abao has been waiting for you outside for quite some time. Would you like to see him?"
"Brother Bao? What is he doing here? Didn't he just receive twenty lashes? Why is he wandering around? Never mind, invite him in."
"Yes!"
As Anlan waited in her bedchamber for Abao, she found her eyes and soul cleansed once more by the sight of a breathtakingly beautiful person.
Why?
Naturally, because Anlan had caught sight of a stunningly handsome man once more!
Abao was already an exceptionally handsome young man, but the little boy standing beside him truly embodied a line Anlan had learned from the humans—though she wasn't sure if it was entirely appropriate:
"A stranger like jade, a youth without peer!"
Especially those eyes, which seemed to contain all the stars in the heavens; one look, and you felt as though you might drown in them.
Had Anlan’s soul not been powerful, she might not have been able to regain her senses for quite some time.
Fortunately...
Anlan mused inwardly for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, Abao hurried over, looking anxious.
"Little Sister Anlan, I heard you were punished by Mother. Are you hurt badly? Are you alright? Have you seen the Demon Physician?"
Three questions in a row; Anlan couldn't even get a word in. She was certain that if not for the decorum between men and women, the worried Abao would have started checking her himself. Even without touching her, Abao’s searching gaze was impossible to ignore, finally resting on Anlan’s neck with a look of heartache.
Anlan was a bit dazed, shifting her collar uncomfortably. *He really is the younger brother I’ve claimed; he’s already started worrying about his little friend?*
Anlan was quite pleased. "I’m fine, just superficial wounds. The Demon Physician has already seen me, and I’m almost healed. Brother Bao, you don’t need to worry. By the way, how are you? You just received twenty lashes; are you alright?"
Meeting Anlan’s beautiful, concerned eyes, Abao immediately felt that the pain in his own body didn't matter at all.
"I’m fine. I’m used to it, and I’ll recover quickly. I’m nothing compared to your delicate constitution, Little Sister."
Anlan was left speechless. *Delicate? Did he call the person who fought seventeen people and beat up seven or eight Tier 4s delicate?*
Anlan grumbled internally, but seeing that he was truly worried about her, she decided not to argue. Seeing that he still wanted to nag about her injuries—and not wanting to make a scene that would lead people to believe she was truly delicate—she quickly changed the subject.
"Brother Bao, who is this?"