Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan

Before the morning dew had even dried, Li Nanzhu had already been standing by the window for a long while.

The blank wooden plaque swayed gently in the morning breeze, making a faint clicking sound. Suisui lay perched on her shoulder, its soul fire burning quietly, occasionally reflecting off her pensive profile.

Zhu Yinxi and Duan Xianxing had entered seclusion.

The news had arrived yesterday evening.

There were two brief communication jade slips. Zhu Yinxi's handwriting remained cold and restrained, simply stating, "Returning in three months." In contrast, Duan Xianxing's note featured a crooked, clumsily drawn smiley face, with the words "Wait for me to finish seclusion" scribbled haphazardly beside it. There were even a few suspicious water spots where the ink had blurred.

Li Nanzhu's fingertips gently brushed against the green jade fan pendant at her waist. She suddenly realized that the two senior brothers had not yet had the chance to properly digest the opportunities they had gained in the light gate.

It was because of her—because of her abnormal state during those days, they had been forced to take turns guarding her, never leaving her side.

"They should have entered seclusion right after coming out of the secret realm," she whispered to herself, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the window frame. "It's all because they had to watch over me..."

Suisui's soul fire suddenly flickered, and its bone claws gently tugged at her sleeve.

Li Nanzhu snapped out of her thoughts and realized that the morning sunlight was already bathing the entire courtyard. On the stone table under the plum tree lay the sword tassel that Duan Xianxing had left behind yesterday, glowing faintly gold in the dawn light.

"Don't worry, I'm fine now." Li Nanzhu rubbed Suisui's skull, a hint of chill transferring through the touch. "But perhaps I should also prepare for seclusion...?" Li Nanzhu mused. "The impulse to break through was suppressed last time. By now... I should be able to complete my Foundation Establishment."

"Knock, knock."

A sudden knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Li Nanzhu was slightly startled. Who would be looking for her at this time? Feng Yi? He was probably the only person left in the sect who could wander around freely right now.

Taking a deep breath, Li Nanzhu straightened her clothes before going to open the door.

However, the people outside the door were beyond her expectations. They were two unfamiliar figures—a woman wearing a pale mauve long-sleeved shirt with several small array disks hanging from her waist and a simple wooden hairpin in her hair. Standing half a step behind her was a man in deep gray martial attire, two pitch-black daggers at his waist, standing silently like an eternal shadow.

Li Nanzhu's heart stirred. The physical characteristics of the two people before her perfectly matched the descriptions of fifth senior sister Feng Qingping and sixth senior brother Feng Weilan from the original text. Just as she was about to greet them, the gentle-looking woman broke into a smile first.

"Little junior sister, I am your fifth senior sister, Feng Qingping." She stepped aside slightly. "And this is your sixth senior brother, Feng Weilan. We have just returned from the East Sea."

Feng Weilan nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Li Nanzhu for a brief moment before quickly returning to Feng Qingping. His focused posture suggested that no one else in the world was worth his attention but her.

Their appearance instantly triggered Li Nanzhu's memories of the records regarding this pair of senior siblings in the original novel. Although they both shared the surname "Feng" and appeared to be siblings, the sixth senior brother had actually been picked up and brought home by the fifth senior sister. These details weren't elaborated on in the original text; Li Nanzhu could only piece the truth together from fragments.

What left the deepest impression on her was Feng Weilan's nickname in the cultivation world—"Feng Qingping's Mad Dog."

Should anyone show even a hint of hostility toward Feng Qingping, he would be the first to strike and resolve the issue.

However, anyone who underestimated Feng Qingping's own strength because of this often paid with their lives. This fifth senior sister specialized in the Dao of arrays. The trapping arrays she created could even trap dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators simultaneously in the later stages without her losing the advantage.

Unfortunately, this pair of exceptionally talented siblings eventually perished at the hands of Cang Dongqing.

These thoughts flashed through Li Nanzhu's mind like a bolt of lightning, but she didn't hesitate for a second as she immediately bowed respectfully. "Fifth senior sister, sixth senior brother." She stepped aside to clear the way. "Please, come in."

The three of them sat down on the stone stools in the courtyard. Only then did Feng Qingping take out a brocade box from her sleeve. "This is a meeting gift that sixth junior brother and I prepared for you. We should have given it when you first entered the sect, but back then..." She paused, her gaze lingering on the green jade fan at Li Nanzhu's waist for a moment, her tone apologetic. "We were delayed by some matters."

Li Nanzhu took the wooden box and found a set of exquisite array flags inside, their surfaces embroidered with fine protective runes. Feng Weilan silently handed over another small wooden box—inside lay a pitch-black bone bead, perfectly sized for Suisui.

"This..." Li Nanzhu felt a bit flustered. "This is too precious."

"Keep it," Feng Qingping said warmly. "We plan to stay in the sect for a while after this return." She glanced at the plum tree outside. "It's the perfect time to keep you company."

Li Nanzhu pursed her lips. She suddenly understood why her other two senior brothers had chosen this moment to enter seclusion—because she was finally "much better," and they could finally focus on digesting the opportunities they had delayed.

"They..." Li Nanzhu's voice tightened slightly. "They delayed until now because of me, didn't they?"

Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan exchanged a look, and the woman said softly, "The second senior brother mentioned that the opportunities they gained in the light gate are top-tier and require peaceful meditation to comprehend. It's just that before..." She didn't finish, but Li Nanzhu understood.

It was because they had to guard her.

It was because they weren't strong enough and feared they couldn't protect her.

This realization made Li Nanzhu's heart ache sharply. After a moment's hesitation, she turned and took two small jade bottles from a cabinet. "These are cleansing heart pills I refined. Although they are only tier 1..." She paused, her voice lowering slightly. "They are all high-grade. It's the best I can offer right now."

Feng Qingping took the jade bottle in surprise and poured out a pill to examine it. The blue pill was round and full, its surface bearing cloud-like pill halos—it was indeed high-grade. Even Feng Weilan showed a rare look of astonishment, picking up a pill to observe it closely against the sunlight.

"You refined these yourself?" Feng Weilan's voice was still cold and harsh, but the surprise in his tone was evident.

Li Nanzhu nodded. "I learned from... from a senior." She didn't say who, but all three of them knew. Suisui rubbed gently against her shoulder, its soul fire flickering slightly.

Feng Qingping solemnly put away the jade bottle and suddenly asked softly, "Little junior sister, second senior brother said... you might need help?"

Li Nanzhu looked at their sincere gazes and carefully observed their expressions. Feng Qingping's eyes held genuine concern, and although Feng Weilan was expressionless, his tense jawline betrayed his worry.

She was familiar with such looks—they were exactly the same as the way Zhu Yinxi and Duan Xianxing looked at her.

Perhaps she truly should start lowering her guard and try to believe in them more.

Li Nanzhu pondered for a moment before speaking, "Fifth senior sister, do you believe... that someone you've never met could appear in your dreams and even help you overcome a heart demon?"