River City, morning, before dawn.
A residential building.
Shen Ye stared at the apartment door just inches away, hand raised in midair, hesitating to knock.
Behind that door was his junior brother, whom he hadn’t seen in six months—Lin Xiangyi.
After all this time apart, this should have been a joyful reunion. As the senior brother, he ought to be happy.
But…
Pushing aside the chaotic thoughts, Shen Ye withdrew the hand that was about to knock and waved it lightly in the air.
Moisture condensed, and a smooth Water Mirror materialized out of thin air before him.
He tilted his head to look. Reflected in the mirror’s surface was a stranger—a young girl—
Frost-like features, cool and pure. Delicate brows and eyes like a painting. Beneath her naturally cascading black hair, a pair of doe-like eyes held a hint of unease. The whole of her exuded a fragile, pitiable charm that tugged at the heart.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Shen Ye felt nothing but unfamiliarity.
Who would have thought that this pretty girl in the mirror had been a man just yesterday?
In this world, besides humans, there existed a species known as Spirit Beings.
Unlike humans, Spirit Beings were born from gathered spiritual energy, and a rare few could attain the realm of “Heaven-Matching Longevity” through cultivation.
And she—was the child of a Spirit Being and a human.
It was only recently, after awakening the Spirit Bloodline within her body, that she had been reduced to this frail form.
Shen Ye felt dazed.
If Mom and Dad were still around, what would they think if they saw their child like this?
…
Slap!
I am Shen Ye, Grand Senior Brother of Azure Cloud Sect.
That identity—there’s no doubt about it!
He patted his cheeks to clear his mind, then looked back at the mirror, carefully arranging his expression, trying to find some trace of his masculine bearing.
The girl in the mirror had smooth, fair cheeks now flushed with red from the slaps. Her serious, focused gaze looked like a high school girl trying too hard to seem mature.
No matter how hard she tried, all she produced was an adorable cold-faced look. Not a shred of the Grand Senior Brother’s original aura could be seen.
Looking at the pretty girl in the mirror, Shen Ye*’s face fell, and he couldn’*t help but worry about the upcoming “senior-junior brother reunion.”
After being apart for half a year, the senior brother shows up as a girl under 5’3″. How exactly is he supposed to explain this to his junior brother?
But I can’t tell my junior brother about the fact that I became a girl because of the Spirit Bloodline.
Shen Ye stared at the mirror, frozen in place, as if pondering some troubling problem.
After a moment, she seemed to have figured it out and snapped back to reality.
No matter what, I’m still his senior brother.
We lived together for over a decade. As long as I answer some secrets only we know, how could my junior brother not recognize me?
Alright. Like this, there*’s no way it’*ll go wrong!
The girl clapped her hands, full of confidence.
She raised her hand to retract the Water Mirror, but suddenly felt a tingling itch atop her head, as if something was trying to push its way out of her hair.
“Ugh—!”
Damn it—! My ears!
Shen Ye’s expression changed in an instant. She hastily stopped her technique and clutched her head, halting the flow of her power.
The Water Mirror floating in midair, as if losing the force that sustained it, collapsed with a crash. A sheet of water slammed onto the ground, splashing up and soaking her clothes.
The girl crouched on the floor, desperately clutching her head like some dignity-obsessed vampire noblewoman. The cold, beautiful image from the mirror moments ago was utterly shattered.
W-why… It’s just the most basic Spirit Control Art and already—
The girl’s pretty face twisted, as if enduring some tremendous pain. She could feel a surge of energy rampaging wildly within her body, yet it was directed with purpose toward two areas—the top of her head and the base of her spine.
N-no… I’m about to see my junior brother. I absolutely cannot let him see this.
Shen Ye gritted her teeth, steadied her mind, and focused all her concentration on suppressing the energy threatening to burst from her head and tailbone.
Thankfully, even with a different body, her experience in controlling power remained.
After a long while, that wild energy finally receded like an ebbing tide.
“Hahh…”
Shen Ye gasped for breath and pushed herself up on shaky legs. Suppressing the失控 within her had nearly drained all her mental energy.
She stood rooted to the spot, legs trembling, staring blankly at the hand that had summoned the Water Mirror.
Her tender little hand was as fair as jade, the water-damp skin shimmering. No matter how she looked at it, it was a pretty girl’s hand.
Shen Ye felt a little dazed.
A Spirit Control Art of this level—in the past, it was something she could do with a flick of her wrist. But this failure before her now mercilessly shattered whatever shred of luck she’d been clinging to.
Has my control over Spiritual Power really fallen to this level?
A sense of unease spread through her heart, twisting her expression into something grim.
Ever since she’d taken this body, her control over her power was no longer as fluid as before. Even the slightest overexertion would cause consequences like what just happened.
And more than that—if she didn’t adjust soon, as her control over Spiritual Power continued to weaken, the Spiritual Power forcibly sealed within her by Master would go berserk. When that happened, all that awaited her would probably be…
…Better not think about it anymore.
Shen Ye shook her head. Looking at her soaked clothes, the corners of her mouth drooped again.
There were no suitable clothes on the mountain, and she*’d left in such a hurry, so she had to borrow Junior Sister’*s outfit.
If I dirty her clothes, she’s going to be angry.
Shen Ye summoned a small wisp of Spiritual Power and placed her hand over the wet spots on her clothes, trying to draw out the water clinging to the fabric.
The water droplets that had seeped into her clothes gathered together, slowly forming a sphere of water in the air.
But halfway through the water-drawing motion, that familiar itching sensation struck again.
The girl’s pretty brows knitted into a tight knot. She decisively cut off the Spirit Control Art.
The water sphere fell, splashing everywhere.
The Spiritual Power in her hand dissipated into the air as well.
Watching the scattered specks of light, Shen Ye’s eyes were filled with melancholy.
Even this little bit isn’t possible?
Since birth, Shen Ye had possessed an extremely high Spirit Affinity.
In the past, Water Creation and Control came to her as easily as breathing.
But now, even the simplest Spirit Control nearly killed her.
She had come down the mountain to find her junior brother not only because she had almost completely lost her Spirit Control abilities, but also because her identity as a Spirit Being must never be known to outsiders.
Most importantly, only her junior brother, Lin Xiangyi, could help her regulate the Spiritual Power Imbalance in her body.
Shen Ye pressed her forehead. Interrupting the technique had consumed a great deal of Mental Energy.
Right now, just standing upright was already an effort of sheer will.
She couldn’t delay any longer.
She looked at the closed door before her.
Xiangyi… will he recognize me?
Master said he*’d explain the situation to my junior brother after I left. I wonder what he’*ll think.
What was that tool they used to communicate called again?
“Phone,” was it?
So convenient—being able to talk to each other from such a distance. I’ll have my junior brother get me one this time.
Shen Ye pushed down the dizziness swirling in her head, straightened her damp clothes a little, and stood up tall, trying not to look so pitiful.
No matter what, I still need to look like a senior brother.
Standing back at the door, she sheepishly touched the back of her head and the top of her scalp, then—with a nervous heart—knocked on the door.
Hurried footsteps sounded from inside. A moment later, the door swung open, and a young man with an anxious expression rushed out.
“Shen Ge!”
Shen Ye was a bit surprised.
He actually still recognizes me. Did Master tell him about my situation? But how did Master explain the fact that I’m a Spirit Being?
“Xiangyi!”
No matter how many doubts still lingered in her mind, her junior brother, whom she hadn’t seen in so long, stood right before her. The joy of reunion surged through her heart.
The corners of Shen Ye’s mouth lifted into a gentle smile.
She stepped forward, wanting to give her junior brother a hug—but suddenly, her vision blurred.
Perhaps it was the excessive Mental Energy consumed while regulating her Spiritual Power, or perhaps the girl had overestimated the endurance of this body.
After traveling for hours through the night and finally seeing her junior brother, the girl, who had let down every guard, could no longer withstand her body’s exhaustion. Her body went limp, and she pitched forward.
In the last moment before she lost consciousness, only one thought occupied Shen Ye’s mind—
“Dammit. There goes my dignity as the Senior Brother.”