CHAPTER 149
Envy
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Now it was two against two, which was no longer troublesome for the pair.
It must be said that thanks to Ye Qinghan willingly shouldering the responsibilities of the First Disciple, the two had managed to enter the tower safely.
Seeing her senior sister injured once more, Li Shiyu's guilt surged again.
"Senior Sister, am I useless?"
"Yes, I am."
Purring like a kitten, the radiant smile vanished instantly from her wife-like face.
"Just teasing~"
Ye Qinghan grinned, playfully teasing Li Shiyu back. She cupped the girl's small face in her hands, gently kneading it before using her thumb to lift the corners of the little airhead's mouth into a forced smile.
"Shiyao wants to help Senior Sister too, but…"
"Truthfully, without Shiyu, Senior Sister couldn't manage alone either."
Even hearing her senior sister say this, Shiyu felt it was merely consolation and couldn't muster any real joy.
"Then next time, Shiyu will take on two!"
Li Shiyu didn't want Senior Sister to always be the one facing danger. Master had given her such a powerful defensive artifact, yet she could only hide behind Senior Sister.
It was manageable when they first entered the secret realm, but the deeper they went, the more powerless she felt.
This was the Demon-Slaying Sword, renowned for its demon-cutting prowess—her own specialty. Yet she couldn't help her senior sister.
At first, she could still shield her senior sister with the Chaos Bell. But now, she couldn't even manage to protect her properly…
Ever since she first met her senior sister, Mingming had vowed to protect her. Yet all this time, it had been her senior sister who had always looked after her.
She refused to remain a useless fool forever, a burden dragging down the very person who had been so kind to her.
"No! How dare you compete with Senior Sister for kills?"
Ye Qinghan saw the resolute glint in Li Shiyao's eyes and knew that if this continued, Li Shiyao might do something foolish.
"Huh?"
Li Shiyao was a bit bewildered too. Senior Sister…
So that's how she felt?
But it did fit her senior sister's character perfectly. Anything that could please their master, she'd be the first to charge into.
All this time as her disciple, she hadn't even washed a single piece of her master's clothing!
Senior Sister locked all the clothes Master changed out of in a cabinet, treating them like precious treasures!
This wasn't an exaggeration—Senior Sister had actually locked the cabinet…
"Well… fine. But Senior Sister should give Shiyu a chance to prove herself too. Shiyu wants to help Senior Sister as well."
Ye Qinghan smiled and patted Daiyao's head.
"Don't worry, how could Senior Sister forget about you? Didn't I just save one for you?"
Li Shiyu nodded, finally feeling reassured.
The magical elixirs were nearly all used up, even the quick-acting fox-saving pills had been consumed.
Over these days, Li Shiyu had also eaten all the dry rations she carried with her.
Even the wealthy little fox, Ye Yanwang, had no choice but to personally channel divine magic to treat her injuries. Fortunately, Shiyu was there to lend a hand.
As she removed her top to begin healing her senior sister, Li Shiyu suddenly noticed…
"Senior Sister, when did you get that tattoo? I clearly slept next to you just a few days ago…"
Hearing this, Ye Qinghan felt a surge of happiness. To her, it felt like an engagement ring—a symbol of her master's love for her~
Without a second thought, she adopted a slightly sarcastic, show-offy tone.
"Hehe, this isn't just any tattoo—it's Master's engraving~"
"What's an engraving? It sounds like some kind of spell!"
Shiyao's jade-like fingers traced the incantation-like engraving. While it was quite beautiful, it still felt odd.
"It's not a spell. It's my master's name… or rather, his true name? I'm not entirely sure myself."
Li Shiyu nodded thoughtfully, though she hadn't truly grasped the meaning.
"Shiyao wants one too. Could Master engrave one for Shiyao as well?"
Though she didn't understand why, Li Shiyu wanted one too.
She wasn't particularly interested in tattoos or such things, but hearing that it was a gift from the Master to her senior sister made her feel a little envious.
"Well then, Shiyu is so adorable. Master surely wouldn't refuse her, right?"
Ye Qinghan thought to herself, Master would be more than happy to!
Master had been thinking about this for ages, but was afraid of dealing with you, you little dumpling, and worried the second disciple might have some strange ideas.
Now that Shiyu was taking the initiative, the Master would probably smile in his sleep!
"Really?"
"Absolutely! Absolutely!"
But Li Shiyu suddenly remembered something, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"Senior Sister, does getting a tattoo hurt? I'm a bit afraid of pain."
"Master's engraving won't hurt, but…"
Ye Qinghan recalled the sensation in the Spirit Pool Hall—a feeling she still couldn't forget.
"It doesn't hurt, but it feels incredibly strange—ticklish, warm, and very comfortable."
Li Shiyu blinked her big eyes, her face full of anticipation!
"Wow! That sounds amazing!"
The two chatted and laughed, resting briefly before heading toward the final tower.
The penultimate tower yielded no trace of the treasure their master sought, leaving them to pin their hopes solely on the final tower.
Unexpectedly, not a single ferocious beast appeared before the final tower.
"Senior Sister, it's so quiet! Not a single monster in sight!"
Li Shiyao held her long sword in a reverse grip before her, cradling the Chaos Bell in her other arm. She shifted her body sideways, alert and cautious, moving forward with quiet, deliberate steps.
"I don't think this is a good sign."
Ye Qinghan adopted the same posture, her jade pendant-sized sword case clutched tightly in her hand, equally cautious.
"Shiyao, stay alert. Keep scanning your surroundings."
"Got it!"
Thus, the two crept all the way to the base of the tower. Only after entering the tower did they finally relax.
"What?! There really aren't any monsters!"
Ye Qinghan made a shushing gesture before whispering.
"Shiyao, did you notice?"
"What?"
"This tower's layout seems different from the others?"
Compared to the pitch-black exterior, the interior of the tower was exceptionally bright—a feature shared by every tower.
Yet Ye Qinghan couldn't shake the feeling that something was off…
Soon, Ye Qinghan realized that the ceiling of this tower was noticeably lower than those of the other towers!
This meant the tower likely had a second floor!
The two searched along the walls and, as expected, soon found a staircase leading to the upper level.
Ye Qinghan knew perfectly well that none of the previous towers had such stairs!
Unless it was one of the few towers Shi Yao was responsible for, she had personally inspected all the rest, and she was absolutely certain about this!
Ye Qinghan glanced at Li Shiyu, motioning for her to follow, then led her upstairs.
Upstairs, the setting resembled a theater stage, yet there were no audience seats.
Resembling an auction house, a glass display case stood on the stage. Inside lay an object resembling a jewel box, radiating a dazzling, jewel-like brilliance.
"Shiyao, something feels off. I have this gut feeling something big is waiting for us."
The two continued moving quietly and cautiously, slowly approaching the display case. As expected, the final boss arrived~
A black humanoid monster plummeted from above, crashing heavily before the display case. It was an enhanced version of Sword and Shield.
Its form was even more towering, the massive shield appeared utterly impenetrable, and the blade was sharper than ever!
Even from a distance, its bloodthirsty aura was palpable, like standing before a divine being!
"Looks like bypassing it is impossible." Ye Qinghan glanced at the staircase leading downstairs, now sealed off by a barrier.
Li Shiyao nodded, advancing shoulder-to-shoulder with her senior sister. She showed no sign of panic despite the constant danger—every second of their journey had been perilous.
Even if Shiyu was timid, she had grown accustomed to it. She merely flicked her yellow hair and struck a commanding pose beside her senior sister!
"Senior Sister, let's take it down!"
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