Chapter 114... My junior brother has something to hide and is afraid I'll find out.

Noticing that Yu Qingzhou's expression was unusual, Shen Yingxue asked, "Is there a problem?"

Yu Qingzhou smiled blankly and explained in a low voice, "It was just a bit unexpected. I... I thought Senior Sister would blame me for not taking good care of Tingyun and letting someone take it away for no reason."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yingxue smiled faintly.

"I gave you the sword so that you could better protect yourself. Now you're blaming me for the loss of a sword? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

That makes sense, but Yu Qingzhou just felt that something was off.

He tentatively asked, "But my senior sister once told me to cherish Tingyun like family—"

There is a difference between treating someone as family and treating them as real family.

Shen Yingxue answered slowly, her gaze towards Yu Qingzhou seemingly carrying a deeper meaning: "Moreover, even true blood relatives may not be able to treat each other equally, let alone a weapon."

"..."

Yu Qingzhou wasn't really sure either.

He was too young when he was brought back to the mountain and had no memory of his family. In his eyes, his senior sister and master were his closest relatives, and the disciples in the sect were his brothers.

Yu Qingzhou once thought that family was a relationship where one could sacrifice everything for the safety of the other without hesitation.

But my senior sister doesn't seem to think so.

This left Yu Qingzhou not only surprised but also increasingly confused.

Suddenly I realized that I might have been misunderstanding something all along.

"Heh, junior brother, you're always so naive." As Shen Yingxue spoke, she suddenly leaned closer, her damp breath brushing against her cheek, carrying a faint scent of wine.

Yu Qingzhou then realized that her senior sister had been drinking.

When Shen Yingxue drinks alcohol, she becomes a little clingy and speaks less coldly than usual, sometimes even giving the impression that she is being coquettish.

However, Yu Qingzhou never saw the other party actually drunk.

Shen Yingxue's alcohol tolerance has always been a mystery.

Those who dared to attempt the challenge always ended up in a miserable defeat, either getting so drunk they were unconscious or vomiting uncontrollably; in short, none of them were able to get back to their rooms without anyone's help.

Yu Qingzhou also expressed her concerns about this.

He asked Shen Yingxue if this was inappropriate.

Upon hearing this, the woman looked up at him, her eyes dark and moist, like a deep pool shrouded in mist.

"What's wrong with it?" Shen Yingxue asked, her eyes half-closed.

Yu Qingzhou listed many negative examples in her mind of how drinking leads to mistakes and harms health, but found that none of them seemed quite right.

My senior sister doesn't drink much on ordinary days. She only drinks a little during holidays and when everyone gets together, so it's not like she'll cause any trouble.

As for the health risks, those two guys who were carried back into the house on their limp legs should be the ones who quit drinking.

After much thought, I finally managed to come up with one.

Drinking too much is never good; it can cloud your judgment.

So what if it disturbs the mind?

Yu Qingzhou fell silent.

He had actually thought of it, but he didn't dare say it. At least not in front of his senior sister; he felt that would be offensive.

Shen Yingxue smiled indifferently.

One can't be too clear-headed while alive. Otherwise...

Otherwise?

It'll probably be pretty boring.

As Shen Yingxue said this, she actually chuckled, then tilted her head back and drank the remaining wine in her cup in one gulp.

That kind of senior sister was very unlike a senior sister, and Yu Qingzhou was also a little swayed by her.

It's as if intoxication can be conveyed through words.

At that moment, the words that had been building up in my heart for so long suddenly came to my lips, as if I had to say them.

Yu Qingzhou called out, "Senior Sister."

Shen Yingxue replied "Junior Brother" with a sly smile in her eyes, staring intently at the boy's eyes, nose, and then mouth, before remaining still.

It seemed as if he was trying to figure out what the other person would say.

Yu Qingzhou opened her mouth, but ultimately only said, "The moonlight is truly beautiful tonight."

Then, pretending to look up at the sky, he realized that the full moon had been obscured by clouds at some point.

Shen Yingxue glanced up, but seemed oblivious, and looked at Yu Qingzhou again, nodding.

Then, with a slight smile, she said, "Yes, it's beautiful."

So it's possible... In essence, Shen Yingxue isn't incapable of getting drunk, but rather her way of getting drunk is extremely unique.

He was extremely sober despite being drunk.

Perhaps it was this realization that made Shen Yingxue avoid drinking alcohol regularly.

But now, Yu Qingzhou smelled the aroma of wine emanating from Shen Yingxue, which blended with the original refreshing plum fragrance on her body, making it even more invigorating.

"Senior sister, have you been drinking?" Yu Qingzhou asked, puzzled.

Shen Yingxue hummed in agreement, her words clear and her voice calm: "I suddenly felt like drinking. Maybe it's because I saw you, Junior Brother, and I'm happy about it. If you want some, Junior Brother—"

"That's not true," Yu Qingzhou replied bluntly.

His alcohol tolerance is no better than his senior sister's; he gets drunk almost immediately after just one drop of alcohol.

They were still outside, and Yu Qingzhou couldn't afford to embarrass her sect in front of others. Besides, if she got drunk, who would take care of Li Xiao?

Thinking of Li Xiao, Yu Qingzhou suddenly realized that the boy had sat down on a rock far away from her at some point.

Without saying a word, she just stared straight ahead with her remaining emerald green eye from afar, her gaze fixed and filled with a deep resentment.

Seeing Yu Qingzhou looking over, he suddenly turned his head to the side, looking as if he was very unwilling to pay attention to the young man.

Yu Qingzhou could tell that the boy seemed to be sulking.

But I don't know why the other person is sulking.

So he simply stopped thinking about it. After all, he couldn't even figure out his own problems, so why should he worry about others, especially since the other party was a half-demon who didn't understand human relationships.

"Was that half-demon very beautiful?"

Her senior sister's voice rang in her ears again. This time, her breath brushed past Yu Qingzhou's cheek and lightly grazed the wound on the side of her neck.

Yu Qingzhou couldn't help but shudder.

He almost forgot that his senior sister hated demons the most and never hesitated to assume the worst about them.

In an instant, the woman's face, which had been transformed from the monster that had been split in two before his eyes, vaguely transformed into the face of a boy.

Yu Qingzhou suddenly felt a chill on her back, and she swallowed involuntarily.

"It is or it isn't, why be so nervous?" Shen Yingxue said calmly, then suddenly changed the subject, "Or is it that Junior Brother has something to hide and is afraid I'll see through him?"

There shouldn't be any.

Yu Qingzhou thought, but when she met the woman's probing gaze, the word "no" that was about to come out felt like a fishbone stuck in her throat.

After thinking it over, he explained, "I brought that boy out only to settle a matter on Uncle Chang's mind. Once we return to the sect, the sect leader will decide whether he stays or leaves. At that time, it will be beyond my control."

Shen Yingxue smiled gently: "Junior brother has said so much, it seems he wants to sever ties with that half-demon."

Before Yu Qingzhou could even breathe a sigh of relief, Shen Yingxue continued, "It's a pity that all I asked was whether he was handsome or not. Junior brother went through all that trouble and explained so much, but he didn't seem to realize that the more you say, the more mistakes you make."

Yu Qingzhou knew she was in the wrong and didn't know what else to say. Just as the other party had said, the more she said, the more mistakes she would make.

Shen Yingxue observed the subtle fluctuations in her junior brother's eyes and seemed to find it quite interesting.

"However, I do know now."

Upon hearing Shen Yingxue's sudden announcement, Yu Qingzhou stared at her blankly, looking utterly bewildered.

"...What did you find out?" he asked instinctively.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yingxue stared intently at the young man, her expression a half-smile.

"Of course I know—"

She paused, her eyes fixed on the young man's chest, and said calmly, "So, junior brother, you really do have something to hide."