Chapter 14: What a Monster

"Elder sister, don't feel indignant on my behalf. Think about it from another perspective, if Second Senior Brother hadn't broken off the engagement, I wouldn't have had the chance to reach Foundation Establishment. Now that I can set foot on the path of cultivation, it's my opportunity, perhaps even an opportunity given to me by Second Senior Brother. I feel that losing a man who doesn't love oneself, but gaining the opportunity to cultivate, means that the heavens haven't treated me unkindly."

Shen Qinghe couldn't tell Shen Zhiyao directly, if it weren't for the severe shock she suffered that day, realizing she was an early-dying cannon fodder in the book, and her unwillingness to accept her fate, she wouldn't have been able to hold out until Mr. Wuya came to save her.

It was precisely because she wouldn't accept her fate that she managed to escape from death and change her predestined early death.

Her greatest wish now was to change the tragic ending that Shen Zhiyao had in the book.

Shen Zhiyao looked at Shen Qinghe with burning eyes, "Qinghe, I think Yan Changsheng's loss for missing out on you is his loss."

Her little sister was so good; it was Yan Changsheng who didn't deserve her!

Afterward, Shen Qinghe made a delicious meal. After Shen Zhiyao had eaten her fill, she sprawled on Shen Qinghe's bed, reluctant to leave, "The food you make is really delicious. No wonder you don't want to practice fasting."

Having lived as a mortal for twenty years, Shen Qinghe naturally was accustomed to eating.

Finally, Shen Zhiyao fell asleep on the bed, while Shen Qinghe studied the Secret Manual that Dongfang Wuya had given her.

The cultivation method in the Secret Manual was suitable for cultivators with Unusual Spiritual Roots, which meant that if Nan Sheng had this Secret Manual, it would greatly benefit her.

Shen Qinghe didn't know if she herself was a cultivator with an Unusual Spiritual Root; she only knew she lacked a Spirit Root. A Spirit Root could gather Spiritual Energy, while the place where she gathered Spiritual Energy was her birthmark. Did that make her an Unusual Spiritual Root?

She sat down to Enter Meditation, deciding to try the cultivation method described in the Secret Manual.

After completing the Thirty-six Heavenly Circuits, Shen Qinghe could clearly feel the abundant Spiritual Energy circulating throughout her body.

Although she had already achieved Foundation Establishment before, she always felt some obstruction and couldn't use it freely, but the cultivation method in this Secret Manual made her feel like a fish in water.

When Shen Zhiyao awoke from her sleep, she found Shen Qinghe in meditation.

Deciding not to leave, she silently protected Shen Qinghe.

What she hadn't expected was that Shen Qinghe would remain in meditation for half a month.

She was bored to death and finally waited until Shen Qinghe opened her eyes.

"Qinghe, why do I feel like you've changed again?" Shen Zhiyao leaned close to Shen Qinghe's face for a closer look, noticing that her skin was clear as ice, so pale it was almost transparent, and the faint pink birthmark had turned to a powdered red and shrunk a bit, sitting right at the center of her nose, looking playful and lively.

Shen Qinghe felt lighter in her body; there had been an instant she thought she was about to break through, but over half a month, she had depleted all the Spiritual Energy stored in her birthmark.

It was a pity that, despite the abundant Spiritual Energy within the Sky Pole Sect, she couldn't draw from it. She could only approach the main characters and draw enough Spiritual Energy from them.

In other words, she needed to actively approach the main characters.

Actually, Shen Zhiyao, this malicious female support character, also had the Spiritual Energy she needed. She could draw some. Before her Foundation Establishment, she felt the Spiritual Energy on Shen Zhiyao was enough for her.

But after half a month of cultivation, she discovered she needed a lot of Spiritual Energy, and Shen Zhiyao's alone was far from sufficient.

"I'm talking to you, do you hear me?" Shen Zhiyao was dissatisfied with Shen Qinghe being distracted.

Shen Qinghe blinked and took Shen Zhiyao's arm, "Elder sister, shall we go see father?"

Shen Zhiyao was about to nod when she realized something was amiss, "That's Bixiao Tower, can we go in?"

A Barrier was set up outside Bixiao Tower; apart from the sect leader, who else could break through Bixiao Tower's Barrier?

"Give it a try," Shen Qinghe's true purpose was only to get close to Dongfang Wuya and draw the spiritual energy from his body.

If she could see the unconscious Elder Shen, that would be even better, but she felt the chances were slim.

This time, the sisters were in perfect agreement and headed towards Bixiao Tower.

Shen Zhiyao was an ardent fan of Dongfang Wuya, but she was also somewhat intimidated by him. Once outside the barrier, she pushed Shen Qinghe out to call out to him.

Shen Qinghe didn't want to disturb Dongfang Wuya; she only wanted to know if she could draw spiritual energy from him outside the barrier.

It turned out that outside the barrier, she could not draw any spiritual energy.

She cleared her throat and called out, "Elder Uncle, my sister and I would like to visit our father. May we?"

As soon as the Shen sisters arrived outside Bixiao Tower, Dongfang Wuya knew they had come, though he did not like being disturbed by outsiders.

However, if it was the young girl he had personally saved, seeing her would be no harm.

When the paper puppet appeared, Shen Zhiyao grabbed Shen Qinghe's arm excitedly, "I had long heard that Mr. Wuya had crafted a masterful puppetry. In the entire Sky Pole Sect, only Mr. Wuya has such a skill. Seeing it today, his reputation is well deserved."

Shen Qinghe remained expressionless, long accustomed to Shen Zhiyao's blind adoration of Dongfang Wuya.

The sisters smoothly entered Bixiao Tower. Although Dongfang Wuya did not show himself, for Shen Qinghe, it was already satisfying enough. She could visit the unconscious Elder Shen and draw the pure and abundant spiritual energy from Dongfang Wuya, even without seeing him.

As long as Dongfang Wuya was near her, she could draw endless spiritual energy...

"Elder Sister, I have something to discuss with Elder Uncle. I'll be back shortly."

Shen Zhiyao caught hold of her, asking anxiously, "You haven't really fallen for Mr. Wuya, have you?"

Although she hoped that Mr. Wuya and Qinghe could end up together, Mr. Wuya saw Qinghe as his junior, and Qinghe had just come out of a previous relationship, deeply hurt. Now, people were still talking about the incident of Yan Changsheng breaking off the marriage, and she did not want Qinghe to suffer from emotional wounds again.

Shen Qinghe quickly denied it, "Not at all, I have something to discuss with Elder Uncle."

Dongfang Wuya, overhearing the dialogue between the Shen sisters, suddenly had an epiphany.

So, Shen Qinghe's visit to see Elder Shen was a pretext, a ruse to get close to him because she wanted to see him.

Shen Qinghe found Dongfang Wuya in the attic.

The man in red was seated carelessly, his legs stretched out long, backed by a vast expanse of autumn sunlight. The leaves swayed in the wind, casting shadows that flickered and danced, making the man's dark hair appear even inkier and his complexion as white as jade.

His peach-blossom eyes held a faint alluring tilt, as if silently enticing someone.

Shen Qinghe knew well that Dongfang Wuya was handsome, but even now, faced with such a beautiful person in an equally beautiful scene, she was dazzled and secretly exclaimed in her mind, 'What a seductive being.'

Dongfang Wuya saw her momentary lapse into a daze and silently sighed to himself, as the girl was obviously still craving his body.

His lips, tinted a deep red, parted slightly, "Don't you know to greet your elder when you see him?"

"Elder Uncle, are you feeling unwell?" Shen Qinghe voiced her concern.

She had only just realized, if she could draw spiritual energy from Dongfang Wuya, would that possibly harm his cultivation base? Dongfang Wuya was her great benefactor, and she could not repay kindness with enmity.

Dongfang Wuya thought she might as well have written her intentions across her face, and for a moment, found her pitiful, "I'm quite alright."