Qian Renxue was completely stunned, standing there blankly, her beautiful eyes flickering.
Her chest rose and fell violently.
'This… Could it be that Xue Tianyu is my brother?'
But that didn't make sense.
Xue Tianyu's martial soul was of the ice and snow attribute—there was no way he could be her brother.
According to Qian Daoliu, her brother's martial soul should be an angel.
Qian Renxue's first thought was that the pearl might be broken.
But the Angel God had only given it to her a few days ago.
'Could it be…?'
Although she didn't want to admit it, deep down, she had already accepted the truth—Xue Tianyu was indeed her biological brother.
Emotions surged within her, and her mind went blank.
"Tianyu, are you perhaps…"
Qian Renxue started to speak but suddenly choked on her words.
She hesitated.
She wasn't sure if she should ask him whether he had twin martial souls.
"Hm? What is it?"
Xue Tianyu didn't catch what she said and asked again.
"It's nothing," Qian Renxue sighed.
Her heart was in complete turmoil.
On one hand, she had searched for her brother for so long, and now, she had found him effortlessly.
On the other hand, her feelings for Xue Tianyu…
She…
She didn't know how to face him anymore.
The word 'conflicted' was written all over her face.
Finding her biological brother should have been a joyous occasion.
But how was she supposed to face Xue Tianyu now?
She had been prepared to confess her feelings, and now she was told they were siblings?
Her gaze toward Xue Tianyu carried an inexplicable sadness.
"What's wrong?"
Xue Tianyu noticed something was off in her expression. "Are you sick?"
He reached out to touch Qian Renxue's forehead, his face full of concern.
"I'm fine…"
Qian Renxue grabbed his hand and placed it against her face.
Xue Tianyu felt that something about her was different.
It was as if she had suddenly started looking at him in a completely new way.
This puzzled him deeply.
As he stared at her, confused, Qian Renxue suddenly stood on her tiptoes, hooked her arms around the back of his neck, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Her gaze was gentle as she wrapped her arms around his, pressing her body close.
She suddenly recalled that Xue Tianyu had once said he grew up in the Extreme North.
A place covered in ice and snow all year round.
Qian Renxue's heart ached.
She had grown up in Spirit Hall, enjoying eternal spring, a life of luxury and leisure, indulging in the finest delicacies and playing with all the toys she wanted.
Life in Spirit City was rich and colorful. If only her mother had loved her, she would have been the perfect princess, untouched by the mundane world.
But compared to her, her brother had grown up in the harshest of environments.
No toys, no fine food, not even decent clothes…
Qian Renxue couldn't bear to imagine it. They were biological siblings, yet their childhoods had been so vastly different.
Her brother had suffered too much.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.
"You must have had a hard time growing up in the Extreme North. You didn't even have any toys to play with as a child."
As she spoke, she imagined his childhood in the frozen wasteland.
Day after day, nothing but endless snow.
Not a single peer to play with.
Both materially and emotionally deprived—how had Xue Tianyu managed to grow into such an elegant person despite that environment?
Qian Renxue cupped Xue Tianyu's face in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears.
'How much pain must he have endured to become the person he is today…?'
Xue Tianyu, on the other hand, was confused as to why she was suddenly bringing up his childhood.
"Not at all. Aunt Bing and Aunt Xue treated me very well."
He looked at her, puzzled. "What's wrong with you?"
Xue Tianyu had no idea what was going through her mind—only that she seemed troubled.
"Tonight, we'll go kill Xue Ye. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."
He gently pulled Qian Renxue into his arms, comforting her. "Don't overthink it."
"Mm…"
When she realized that Xue Tianyu was trying to comfort her instead, Qian Renxue finally became aware of her own inner turmoil.
She quickly wiped away the tears that were about to fall.
This was the best brother in the world!
She lifted her head and reached out to stroke his hair, just like an older sister would with her younger brother.
After twenty years, this was the first time they had shared such a moment as siblings.
But she still didn't know how to handle this shift in their relationship. She wasn't ready to reveal the truth yet.
"After tonight, I will be the Empress. No matter where you are in the future, I will always protect you."
'Protect me?'
Xue Tianyu was stunned for a moment.
Then he chuckled. "Silly girl, I don't need you to protect me."
But hearing her say that still warmed his heart.
He had no idea that Qian Renxue had already discovered his identity. He still thought of their relationship as nothing more than close friends.
"I don't care! I'll be the Empress, so you have to listen to me!" Qian Renxue said with a playful smile.
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you." Xue Tianyu couldn't argue with her and just indulged her.
Seeing how obedient he was, Qian Renxue grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's take a walk."
Xue Tianyu didn't pull away.
And so, they walked through the streets, hand in hand.
During this time, Qian Renxue was like a curious little girl, looking around excitedly.
She stopped at every stall that caught her interest, lingering for a long time.
Xue Tianyu sighed internally.
'After tonight, she'll be the Empress. She won't get to do things like this anymore.'
As he watched her, he made up his mind.
'In the future, I will make the whole world envy the fact that you are my sister!'
…
While Xue Tianyu and Qian Renxue were strolling through the streets, Feng Xiaotian was also wandering alone.
The reputation of their Divine Wind Academy had taken a severe hit.
Being utterly defeated by a single person—no academy could accept such humiliation.
And to make matters worse, there was Huo Wu.
He had just gone to her for comfort, only to be told to scram. She even said she didn't want her "Brother Tianyu" to misunderstand…
Feng Xiaotian felt like he had just swallowed a pile of filth.
He had liked Huo Wu first, but now, all he could see was an endless field of green above his head.
Just then, as he was wandering through the crowd, he spotted Xue Tianyu and Qian Renxue walking hand in hand.
At that moment, something inside him exploded.
'You already have such a beautiful woman by your side, and you still dare covet my Huo Wu?!'