“Shut your mouth, or I’ll air all your dirty laundry!” Xiao Qingge rolled her eyes, her irritation palpable. “It’s easy for you to talk when you’re not the one suffering!”

“Senior Sister Xiao, what business is she talking about?” a male disciple nearby asked, his curiosity piqued.

Li Yan shot the disciple a sharp glare before turning back to Xiao Qingge with a playful, teasing grin. “Oh, Senior Sister Xiao, you know I was just joking. Don’t take it to heart.”

She looped her arm through the male disciple’s. “Well, we’ll get going then. We wouldn’t want to disturb you any longer!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Sigh…”

“Why is my life so bitter?”

Watching Li Yan and her ‘Good Junior Brother’ walk away, stuck together like lacquer and glue, Xiao Qingge felt a sour pang in her chest. She let out a long, heavy sigh and slumped onto the stone bench, staring blankly at the sky, the very picture of dejection.

At that moment, a single flower, radiating an enticing fragrance, drifted into her view, swaying gently before her eyes.

“This old lady is in a bad mood. Get lost!”

The flower wiggled again.

“If you bother me again, I’ll break your legs! All three of them!” Xiao Qingge swatted the flower away violently, her patience utterly spent.

“Is that so? … I suppose I’ll leave then.”

A voice—familiar, deep, and long-unheard—drifted into her ears.

Xiao Qingge’s delicate frame trembled violently. She bolted upright, her eyes snapping toward the source of the sound. A tall, broad-shouldered figure had already turned his back to her and was making a show of walking away.

Xiao Qingge’s beautiful eyes narrowed. Her voice dropped, taking on a tone that brooked no argument.

“You… stop right there!”

The tall figure paused.

“Turn around!” she commanded.

The figure didn’t react. He simply stood there, quiet as a statue, showing no intention of obeying.

Xiao Qingge’s willow-like brows knit together in confusion.

That voice… she was certain of it. It was definitely Han Lie’s voice!

But this silhouette was completely different. In her memory, Han Lie had a slender, almost scholarly build. He was certainly not this tall, nor this robust. The man standing before her radiated a physical power that the old Han Lie never had.

And yet… her instincts screamed that the voice belonged to him.

Seeing that he wouldn’t turn, Xiao Qingge didn’t wait. She crossed the distance in three quick strides, circling around to face him.

A face came into view—young, handsome, yet possessing a maturity and steadiness that spoke of weathered storms. Compared to five years ago, the Han Lie before her had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

But no matter how much the features matured, Xiao Qingge would never forget that outline.

“Brother!”

The moment recognition clicked, the fierce demeanor vanished. Xiao Qingge pounced like a starving tiger, launching herself straight into Han Lie’s arms.

She clung to him desperately, burying her face in his chest as if trying to merge her body with his.

“Little Sister missed you to death! Sob, sob!”

Han Lie smiled, gently stroking her hair. “Really? But didn’t you just threaten to break my legs and tell me to get lost?”

“Th-that was a misunderstanding! I didn’t know it was you, Brother! I thought… I thought it was one of those boring Junior Brothers coming to annoy me again!”

She looked up, her eyes shimmering with exaggerated innocence. “Brother won’t be angry, right?” she whined, her voice dripping with coquettish sweetness.

“Do I look like a narrow-minded person?”

“Of course not! Brother’s heart is broad enough to encompass heaven and earth. You definitely wouldn’t hold a grudge against me, right?”

“……”

While Han Lie and Xiao Qingge enjoyed their tearful, affectionate reunion, trouble was brewing nearby.

Behind a wall not far away, several disciples from the Spirit Treasure Hall were peering around the corner, their eyes wide with scandal.

“Senior Brother, look! Your Senior Sister Xiao seems to be hugging another man!”

“Be confident. Drop the ‘seems’. She definitely is!”

“Yeah, Senior Brother! Are you just going to watch? Go break that kid’s legs!”

The group of young disciples turned their gaze toward their leader—a somewhat handsome Senior Brother whose face was rapidly darkening. Their eyes were filled with eager anticipation. They were just waiting for the command to swarm forward and capture this interloper.

“Damn it! You go! You guys go break his legs!” the Senior Brother snapped, though his feet remained planted firmly on the ground.

“Are you crazy? That kid is radiating the aura of Golden Core Perfection! We wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth! What are we going for? To humiliate ourselves?”

The Senior Brother raged impotently, his voice cracking slightly.

“G-Golden Core Perfection? Who said that just now? Not my business!” one disciple stammered, backing away.

“I remember it was you who suggested attacking?”

“No, I distinctly remember it was you!”

“Fine, the reward is yours then. You go break his legs!”

“Ahem, actually… I just remembered something. I have a batch of Spirit Grass burning in my furnace right now. I can’t delay! I’ll be going first!”

“………”

Judging by the pressure Han Lie released, he indeed appeared to be at the Golden Core Perfection stage. However, what these Spirit Treasure Hall disciples couldn’t possibly know was that this was merely a suppression of his true power. Han Lie was no longer a Golden Core cultivator; he was a Nascent Soul monster.

Even so, the mere facade of Golden Core Perfection was enough to terrify them into submission. They didn’t dare cross the thunder pool by even half a step.

In the blink of an eye, the gaggle of disciples scattered like birds and beasts.

If Han Lie had only shown the aura of the early or mid-Golden Core stage, they might have summoned the courage to posture and fight. But Perfection?

Sorry to disturb you!

After indulging in their public display of affection, Han Lie took Xiao Qingge’s hand and led her away from Spirit Treasure Peak, walking toward the central plaza of the Heavenly Void Sect.

“Brother, where have you been these past five years? You’ve changed so much!” Xiao Qingge clung to Han Lie’s arm, her face beaming with joy.

“Changed how?” Han Lie asked, feigning ignorance.

“You’ve become much more handsome! And you look so young!”

“Hehe, Little Sister Qingge’s mouth is as sweet as honey, as always.” Han Lie chuckled, lightly scraping the bridge of her nose. “Actually, the Sect sent me out for secret training these past five years.”

Xiao Qingge’s eyes lit up with realization. “So that’s it! No wonder Brother didn’t come to find me for so long. You were out training! That explains everything!”

She squeezed his arm tighter. “Good thing I didn’t listen to those rumors. I knew Brother would never abandon me, hehe!”

Five years was a strange length of time. It wasn’t an eternity, but it certainly wasn’t short. For some flighty fairies with weak wills, five years was more than enough time to find a new love.

That was precisely why this moment tasted so sweet. Xiao Qingge had waited bitterly, enduring the loneliness, and now her patience had finally borne fruit. She savored the happiness radiating through her.

“Just kidding. How could I possibly abandon such a cute Little Sister like Qingge?” Han Lie said, his face full of doting warmth.

“Am I… really cute? Even though earlier, I clearly…”

Xiao Qingge faltered. Having been caught by Han Lie in her ‘other’ state—the rude, violent one—she felt she hardly deserved the word ‘cute.’

What kind of cute girl threatens to break a man’s legs?

“Haha, that’s exactly what I meant,” Han Lie laughed heartily.

“Ah…?”

Xiao Qingge blinked, utterly confused.

Why would he think I’m cute when I’m being rude?

She certainly didn’t think so. In fact, she hated that side of herself. It was a defense mechanism that only came out when Han Lie wasn’t around to protect her. Without him, her true, prickly nature was exposed to the world.

Anxious to move past her slip-up, Xiao Qingge quickly changed the subject.

“Brother, let’s not talk about that! Where are we going to play next?”