“Don’t make me laugh, bro.”
“Every time we go shopping for clothes, it’s because I begged you to come.”
Hearing that explanation, Lin Xiaomeng rolled her eyes.
I’ve only been gone for a few days, right? And my brother’s already going shopping for pretty clothes with a woman he just met.
What kind of sorcery did Grand Senior Brother use on him?
“Anyway, just shut your mouth.”
Seeing that gentle persuasion wasn’t working, Lin Xiangyi dropped the act.
He grabbed Lin Xiaomeng’s cheeks and gave them a hard squeeze.
“Ow, ow, owโ!”
He lowered his voice and whispered in Lin Xiaomeng’s ear:
“She’s Senior Brother’s friend. She came to see me for something else that I can’t tell you about. Don’t go imagining things.”
Lin Xiaomeng’s face was molded into all sorts of shapes in Lin Xiangyi’s hands, squeezing every objection she wanted to voice right back down her throat.
“Mmph mmph mmphโ!”
“No talking out of turn, no causing trouble, got it?”
“Mmph mmphโ! (Got it!)”
“Pop.”
Under Lin Xiaomeng’s frantic pleading eyes, Lin Xiangyi let go, and her cheeks bounced back with a crisp sound.
“Ugh… that hurt so much.”
Lin Xiaomeng rubbed her little face and said sulkily:
“Brother, did you forget the important stuff?”
She looked at Lin Xiangyi weakly.
“I just wanted to remind you not to let pretty faces distract you from your exam. And this is how you treat your cute little sister’s good intentions? Hmph.”
‘If you were really that thoughtful, pigs would fly.’
Lin Xiangyi looked at his sister’s act with exasperation, not believing a word she said.
Still.
Xiao Meng had a point.
With Xiao Ye settled here for now, I should think about my own business too.
“What pretty faces? You’re always imagining nonsense.”
“Pfft~”
Lin Xiaomeng shot him a disdainful look.
You’re just too embarrassed to give a pretty girl a gift.
You’re a grown man and you’ve never even had a girlfriend.
And here’s a perfect practice opportunity right in front of you, and you won’t even take it.
Hmph.
You coward, brother.
Fine, if you won’t give it to her, I will.
She quietly glanced at Shen Ye, who was playing on her phone on the couch.
The cute cat-eared girl lay sprawled on the sofa, swinging her little feet in white socks.
Oh, you learned fast. Already figured out the most comfortable position to play on your phone, huh?
The next second, a crisp clatter.
The phone slipped and smacked right onto the girl’s head.
Tears welled up in the cat-eared girl’s eyes. She covered her forehead with both hands in pain, rolling around on the couch like a kitten that couldn’t get a treat.
Lin Xiaomeng even vaguely heard a faint “Meow!”
But she chalked it up to her imagination.
…Uh.
Somehow, Senior Brother seems a bit… less smart these days.
She gave an awkward little laugh, scratched her cheek, and glanced at the dress in her hand again.
Alright.
Maybe now isn’t the right time, but there’ll always be a chance to give her this dress.
She secretly folded the dress, tucked it back into the bag, then casually skipped over to Shen Ye’s side with a concerned look and said:
“Oh my, what happened, Sister Xiao Ye? Did you bump somewhere?”
But let me make one thing clear, my dear Senior Brother.
I just want to see Sister Xiao Ye wear a cute dress. I’m not trying to see you wear one, okay?
Not at all~
Hehe.
The three of them spent a peaceful afternoon.
It wasn’t until the night grew deep that they each returned to their rooms.
“Tomorrow I’ll take you to the Association to register your identity. Make sure you get some sleep.”
In front of Shen Ye’s door, Lin Xiangyi gave the girl his instructions.
“Okay.”
Shen Ye nodded.
“Mm, good night.”
Closing the door, Shen Ye lay down on her bed and took out her phone.
In one afternoon, under the siblings’ relay teaching, she had gotten a decent grasp of how to use the phone.
Who knew such a little gadget had so many uses?
She held the phone in her small hands, tapped lightly, and entered the Spirit Master Association forum.
From what Junior Brother said, Spirit Masters register accounts on the forum after passing the Association’s certification, and both Spirit Beings and humans can communicate there.
So this is where everyone chats in their free time.
Let’s see what they’re talking about.
She casually flipped through the posts on the front page.
[Discussion] Reasonable analysis: can three first-order Executors beat one special-grade Executor?
[Shitpost] 11 PM, Xingyue Bar at Jiangcheng Guild Hall. Looking for a girl to drink with. Guys, stay away.
[Party Up] C-level task needs one more. Need someone who can make fire, water types also fine. Details in the comments.
Three first-order? I should be able to handle them.
People can just ask others out for drinks like that?
Wow, you can form parties here too? No need to go all the way to the guild hall. How convenient.
She kept scrolling.
Her finger froze when she saw the title of one post.
[Featured] Where did Shen Ye go? Why didn’t he show up for that Spirit-related case in Shu Capital yesterday? Several Executors were badly injured. If he’d been there, none of this would’ve happened.
Shen Ye stared at that title, frozen for a moment.
Then, she clicked in.
1F: Those who know, know.
2F: What’s going on? Doesn’t Shen Ye get involved in every single case as long as it’s related to Spirit Beings?
…
…
7F: Word from the Association is that he’s on leave. But let’s be real.
That guy hasn’t taken a single day off since becoming an Executor. He’s like an Iron Man. And now he suddenly says he’s on leave, but nobody’s seen him anywhere else. Don’t you guys think that’s weird?
8F: True. Strong and dedicated. Anyone else agree that Shen Ge is the benchmark for us Executors?
9F: Keep flattering, why don’t you? Everyone knows Shen Ye plays favorites with Spirit Beings. Ask him to choose between humans and Spirit Beings, and he’ll pick the other side. He’s just biased.
10F: Ha, too many Shen Xiaozi around here. He’s just scared, that’s all. Ran away. Nothing more. You really think he’s invincible?
There were many replies under the post, mostly about Shen Ye’s whereabouts and various rumors. But every single floor had a comment from the same ID.
It was as if this commenter knew Shen Ye extremely well, replying to every malicious comment aimed at him.
Those who made baseless speculations, she answered politely.
Those who twisted the facts, she earnestly corrected.
Those who spewed garbage from their mouths, she gave it right back twice as foul.
The further she scrolled, the more heated the discussion became. Yet that ID kept replying at the very first moment.
โใMeng Er Xiao Linใ
Shen Ye curled up under the blanket, her small eyes blinking.
I don’t know who you are, but thank you.
She turned off her phone.
The arguments on the forum had soured her mood a little. She didn’t want these people to ruin the nice time she’d had with Junior Brother and Junior Sister.
But she still couldn’t understand.
Why are people so rude on the forum?
The Executors I’ve met never talk like that.
Still.
It made her a bit happy to see someone defending her.
Shen Ye shifted onto her side, adjusted her tail into a comfortable position, and let out a yawn.
“Haah~”
Well, no point dwelling on it. Time to sleep.
At that moment, in the room next to Shen Ye’s.
The room was silent and dark. The computer screen beside the desk was the only source of light.
The crisp clatter of the keyboard echoed through the darkened room. The glow of the monitor reflected in the girl’s eyes as lines of text continuously formed and were sent out.
Lin Xiaomeng sat at the computer desk with a serious expression, her hands becoming blurs over the keyboard.
As the youngest junior sister of the Azure Cloud Sect, she might not match her two senior brothers in spiritual practice, but in other areas, she had plenty to say.
As the head of the “Shen Ye Fan Club” within the Spirit Master Association,
Lin Xiaomeng fought day and night on the front lines of the Association’s forum, battling all kinds of Senior Brother’s haters.
I’ve always seen the effort Senior Brother has put into maintaining harmony in the Spirit Taming Realm.
Compared to when my brother and I first joined the Azure Cloud Sect, the peace in the Spirit Taming Realm nowadays is practically a luxury.
The moment Senior Brother goes quiet, all these snakes and ghosts crawl out to jump and mock him. I really don’t get what they’re thinking.
Do they really think the Azure Cloud Sect has no one left?
I will never allow,
these petty people to slander Senior Brother’s deeds behind his back!
“Click-clack-click-clack-click-clackโ”
Another barrage of furious output.
After typing out the final character, Lin Xiaomeng set down her keyboard.
“Hmph.”
In the darkness, the girl’s vermilion lips curled up into a contemptuous smile.
All trash. So what if I take on ten at once?
Even if the world tilts and the heavens fall.
I, Lin Xiaomeng, have but one key.
Enough to suppress all demons!
“Ding-ding-dingโ”
At that moment, a red notification lit up in the upper right corner of the page. Lin Xiaomeng clicked in and saw a member @-ing her under a post.
Huh?
Someone else courting death by starting rumors about Shen Ge?
God damn it. If I don’t tear you all apart today, I’ll take my brother’s surname!
When heaven gave birth to me, Lin Xiaomeng, the Keyboard Dao’s ten thousand ages shall shine like the eternal night!
Key, come forth!