At this moment, Zhou Sichen still had no idea what had just transpired back at the Sea God's Pavilion. After leaving, he went straight to his sister's villa.
Ye Guyi and Dugu Xianmeng had just finished a day of cultivation. By now, the sun had completely set, and the two had packed up some food to eat at Ye Guyi's place.
Xianmeng was thinking it was time to cozy up to the eldest sister—after all, she was about to steal her younger brother. The least she could do was try not to upset her.
But the truth was, Ye Guyi had already been feeling hurt for some time. She only pretended nothing was wrong to avoid making her brother sad.
Since Zhou Sichen hadn't spoken clearly to her about his relationship with Xianmeng and continued to act ambiguously with her, Ye Guyi could only bottle up her pain. There was no one she could talk to about it.
All she could do was anxiously wait for her brother to return, determined to get a clear answer from him!
The two girls were chatting and eating when suddenly, the front door burst open and Zhou Sichen stepped inside.
Both of them stood up at once, calling out in unison:
"Sichen?!"
Ye Guyi had just taken a step forward when Xianmeng suddenly shot forward like the wind, throwing herself into Zhou Sichen's arms before he could even react.
Zhou Sichen didn't hug her back. His hands raised awkwardly as he looked at Ye Guyi with a guilty expression—as if he'd just been caught red-handed.
Ye Guyi's heart had clenched the moment Xianmeng ran ahead, but seeing Zhou Sichen's body language and expression, she felt a little better.
She wasn't foolish—she could tell what was going on.
Clearly, Xianmeng had misunderstood something. After all, she didn't know about the feelings shared between Ye Guyi and Zhou Sichen.
But whether or not it was a misunderstanding, there was one thing that couldn't be denied—Zhou Sichen had given her a signal.
Otherwise, Xianmeng wouldn't have been so proactive. And after spending so much time together, Ye Guyi understood her well enough to know this wasn't normal behavior.
Xianmeng quickly realized the awkwardness too and let go of Zhou Sichen with a bright smile.
"You're finally back! You didn't get hurt, right?"
Zhou Sichen smiled and shook his head.
"Nope. What are you two eating? I'm starving—mind if I join you?"
He sat down with them again. He was ravenous and didn't even care that he was using the same bowl Ye Guyi had eaten from—he just picked it up and started eating.
The two girls didn't have big appetites, so there was still plenty of food left. They simply watched as Zhou Sichen devoured it.
Xianmeng noticed the small detail of him using the same bowl as Ye Guyi and couldn't help but feel a small sting in her heart.
But she didn't overthink it. Wasn't it normal for siblings to be close? Before Zhou Sichen even arrived, Ye Guyi had already cleaned his room and prepared everything. They were living together—what was sharing a bowl?
Besides, Zhou Sichen clearly looked exhausted and rushed. He hadn't even had time to bathe. Who'd care about small things like bowls right now?
After Zhou Sichen had eaten his fill, they finally began chatting.
Zhou turned to Dugu Xianmeng and asked,
"Xianmeng, did you absorb your fifth soul ring?"
Hearing him call her just "Xianmeng" made her freeze for a moment.
Before she went into seclusion, it had still been "Sister Xianmeng." Now it was just "Xianmeng"?
But thinking about it, it made sense. Zhou Sichen was now Elder Mu's personal disciple, putting him on the same level as Ye Guyi and the academy's deans. Calling her by name was actually more appropriate now.
She only ever called Ye Guyi "Big Sister" because Ye had once defeated her in battle, and she respected her. It had become a habit over time.
In truth, Ye Guyi was actually a few months younger than she was.
But after Ye Guyi became Elder Mu's disciple, her status naturally rose. It wasn't a secret. Ye could call them however she liked—but they had to be clear on where they stood.
Of course, Ye Guyi herself didn't care much about these things. In the academy, she was just a student. But when Elder Mu was present, she was his disciple.
As long as Mu or Dean Yan weren't around, how they addressed each other didn't matter.
Still, hearing Zhou Sichen call her "Xianmeng" so casually made her feel a bit odd.
Before seclusion, it was "Sister Xianmeng." Afterward, it was just "Xianmeng." The change came too suddenly.
But that didn't change how kind Zhou Sichen was to her. After all, he had given her the 15,000-year-old Serpent Queen Medusa soul ring. What could possibly suit her Green Phosphor Serpent martial soul better?
Having cultivated the Five Venoms of the Phosphor Serpent, the Medusa soul ring was practically tailor-made for her.
Xianmeng giggled.
"I'm already at Rank 51. It's all thanks to you and Big Sister that I got such a perfect fifth ring. I don't even know how to repay you both."
Zhou smiled softly.
"No need to be so formal. Have you forgotten the promise you made me?"
The moment he said that, Xianmeng's face flushed red.
Did he really have to bring that up in front of Big Sister?
Oh, right… Zhou Sichen didn't know she had already told Ye Guyi about it…
But Ye Guyi did know. She knew all about how Xianmeng had said she needed to grow stronger if she wanted to stand beside Zhou, to be his support and offer him help…
Xianmeng blushed even harder. Ye Guyi shot the two of them a sidelong glance.
Her heart ached, but she could tell from their behavior that things hadn't unfolded exactly as Xianmeng had described. She'd wait until later that night, after Xianmeng left, to slowly ask what really happened.
Either way, she was already feeling much better than when Xianmeng first confessed. Back then, her heart had nearly shattered.
Xianmeng gave a sheepish smile.
"I haven't forgotten."
The three continued chatting, trading stories. Zhou Sichen didn't keep any secrets—he told them everything the same way he had told Elder Mu and the others. The two girls could only marvel at his encounters and rapid growth.
When they saw the soul rings around his body—three black and one red—they nearly dropped their jaws.
A hundred-thousand-year fourth soul ring?! If Zhou Sichen hadn't explained it in detail, they would've thought he was the reincarnation of a god.
After all the shock had settled, Zhou looked at Xianmeng and said,
"I might have found a way to cure your poison. Let's talk in detail when we get some time."
That single sentence froze Xianmeng in place.
She remembered how Zhou had once promised her—if he ever had the chance, he'd help her remove the poison from her body. Back then, she'd been deeply moved, but never truly hoped for anything.
If the problem could be solved, it would've been long ago. For thousands of years, members of the Dugu clan had suffered from this curse.
But now he was saying there was a way?
She had just seen Zhou's hundred-thousand-year soul ring… heard about the miraculous opportunities he'd encountered…
Then suddenly, a thought struck her. Her eyes lit up.
"You… the place you went to… was it called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"
The heart of Sunset Forest… a field of Green Phosphor Poison arrays… a land overflowing with immortal herbs…
There couldn't be another place like it. Her family had passed down that secret for generations.
Zhou didn't intend to hide it from her. He nodded.
"Yeah."
Hearing the confirmation, Xianmeng's mind went blank—like her brain had crashed.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It was real. If anyone else had said they could cure her, she might've felt touched but wouldn't have believed them.
But Zhou Sichen had not only been there—he had come back alive.
Her family records described it in vivid detail. That place had once belonged to their ancestor Dugu Bo. The current Green Phosphor Poison Array surrounding it was his creation...
Tears fell from Xianmeng's eyes. She couldn't even say whether they were tears of joy, relief, or disbelief.
"Sichen," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Can I really be saved?"
She had shared her family's secret with Zhou Sichen long ago because she completely trusted him. After all, she didn't have many people left she could trust.
Zhou gently nodded and reached out to pat her head, his voice soft and steady.
"You can be saved. So don't worry anymore."
****
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