Si Qing glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then nodded imperceptibly, letting out a soft "hmm" in a cold tone.
Ling Ruo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly leaned closer, deliberately saying, "You and your sister always bicker like this. I thought you were just joking around again, like before."
"Before? Always?" Si Qing repeated with perfect diction. "Jing Xiu, why do I feel like you know me very well?"
"No, I don't know you. I've just seen you two bicker a few times during my stay here." Ling Ruo, speaking from within Jing Xiu's body, almost bit her tongue. Fortunately, she managed to salvage the situation.
Si Qing hummed in response, appearing uninterested. She withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and began crushing the pebbles under her feet.
Ling Ruo watched silently beside her, occasionally interjecting, "Si Qing, I actually think your sister is quite nice. Even if you two have disagreements, don't let your hearts grow apart. I wish I had a sister as good as yours."
What Ling Ruo was saying now was somewhat reasonable.
Si Qing's eyes widened, and she felt an increasing sense of familiarity with Jing Xiu.
Seeing Si Qing continue to stare, Ling Ruo pressed on, "However, the only drawback is that your sister is a bit too strong-willed. She always has to be the best at everything. If I were your sister, I wouldn't do that."
Si Qing opened one eye to sneak a peek, then quickly closed it again before the other person looked back, feigning an aloof, world-weary expression. "As I said before, my sister and I are twin souls. Even if I'm annoyed, what can be done? This can't be changed. What's the point of you saying these things if they can't come true?"
"They can't come true, indeed, but I can comfort you." Ling Ruo looked at Si Qing. "I've always, always wanted a younger brother like you."
"...Really? Do you truly think so? I'm so touched. I thought many people in this world disliked me." Si Qing spoke these words expressionlessly, as if reciting a script. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Ling Ruo, surprisingly, didn't notice and became somewhat excited.
It wasn't her fault.
From the last time until now, she had approached Si Qing countless times, but at most, she only received two eye-rolls from him. And that was when he was in a good mood.
If he was annoyed, Si Qing would even curse at her, give her a cold shoulder, and chase her away.
Qi Yu would never know how cold and terrible her younger brother could be.
Yet now, Si Qing, who had never shown her a good face, was speaking so much to her.
Even if his tone felt a bit strange, what did it matter? Ling Ruo, hidden within Jing Xiu's body, was overjoyed.
"Si Qing, I don't dislike you." Ling Ruo took his hand.
Si Qing looked into Ling Ruo's eyes and asked, his voice neither loud nor soft, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes, it's true." Ling Ruo nodded, then added, "It's just that I can't openly be your sister yet. If you're willing, you can have your parents take me in."
Si Qing remained silent.
So, Jing Xiu's objective was this.
Although she couldn't figure out Jing Xiu's true purpose for approaching Nan Hai, it didn't stop Si Qing from playing along.
"If it's possible, I'll mention it, but not now." Si Qing half-agreed with a serious expression.
Ling Ruo felt that making progress was good enough and didn't push further, quickly nodding her thanks.
Si Qing glanced at Jing Xiu out of the corner of his eye, said he needed to go back and rest, and then turned to leave. After entering the sleeping quarters, he gently closed the door. Qi Yu flipped over and sat up on the bed, then ran over to ask, "How was it? Did she take the bait? Did Jing Xiu deliberately come to talk to you?"
"She did. Everything happened as you predicted." Si Qing nodded to Qi Yu. "Jing Xiu's objective is likely to approach Nan Hai. Although I don't understand the reason for this, it's definitely someone behind the scenes pulling the strings. That someone is likely Xue Mo Sha."
Qi Yu pondered, "If that's the case, then the soul inside Jing Xiu's body is definitely not her own anymore; it must have been replaced. There's no need to look for evidence; we can just find an opportunity to pull this soul out."
"Ah, it's that simple? I think that's feasible, but..." Si Qing leaned closer. "Sister, do you have a spell to pull a soul out of a body?"
"Yes, it's very simple!" Qi Yu said calmly. "This isn't a particularly difficult matter."
"But we can't." Si Qing reminded her. "It sounds simple, but don't forget, we are no longer the God of War and a mere spiritual artifact from our past lives. A damaged spiritual artifact can be repaired after being struck by lightning, but you are a dragon now."
Qi Yu suddenly realized, "Dragons doing this kind of thing is a violation of clan rules and will incur heavenly punishment."
Si Qing nodded vigorously.
Qi Yu sighed, "My memories from two lifetimes have become muddled. I almost forgot this important detail. We can't directly extract Jing Xiu's soul, so we still need to find evidence."
"Hey, this is what I was thinking." Si Qing proposed a rather questionable plan. "Dragons indeed cannot attack their own kind, but I think we can use various methods to force Jing Xiu to make the first move, and then we counterattack, seizing the opportunity to expel her soul from her body, or we could just buy someone from the demon or devil race to act on our behalf."
Qi Yu thought for a moment, then slapped her thigh. "That's not a bad idea. I remember I opened an assassination camp. Let me see where I opened it, and then we'll head over there."
Si Qing: "...So you really do have other aliases."
"That's not the point," Qi Yu quickly retorted. "This isn't an alias; it's an inheritance from my past life that no one claimed."
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Another chapter coming later.