Back then, Shen Qing had gone through untold hardships to reach the Qingyun Sword Sect, thinking she would be reunited with Shen Chuyun.
However, when Shen Qing was taking on a master, Shen Chuyun looked at her with disgust and said,
"The cultivation world is a place of the law of the jungle. Now that you've taken on a master, you should sever all ties with the mortal world. From now on, in public and in private, we'll only be fellow disciples. If anything happens in the future, don't consider our family bond. Just treat each other as strangers."
In her past life, Shen Chuyun had carried out these words well. It was just that Shen Qing had been foolish.
She thought Shen Chuyun was just trying to avoid suspicion. After joining the sect, she still went out of her way to curry favor with him.
She always thought that as the elder sister, she should tolerate everything about her younger brother, including his endless malice and mockery.
But not anymore.
Enduring this momentary pain, from now on, they would be strangers.
A cold sneer curled up on Shen Qing's lips as she extended her finger.
"I, Shen Qing, have never harmed Lin Yibai before. If I lie, may my Dao foundation shatter instantly and my path to immortality be completely ruined!"
As she spoke, a white light appeared on her forehead.
Shen Chuyun's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Shen Qing. The surrounding disciples had the same expression.
"Is Shen Qing... making a Dao oath?"
"Yes... this proves that Shen Qing really didn't do it!"
"Wait, it seems she hasn't finished yet!"
With a firm gaze, Shen Qing looked at Shen Chuyun seriously and said word by word.
After hearing what she said, Shen Chuyun felt as if his head had been hit by a thunderbolt. His heart ached terribly, as if he had lost something important.
What Shen Qing said was, "From now on, I, Shen Qing, and my younger brother Shen Chuyun will draw a clear line and owe each other nothing!"
The white light on her forehead flashed brightly and then faded back between her eyebrows.
From this moment on, the Dao oath was complete.
Shen Chuyun's mind was in chaos. He couldn't control his spiritual energy and stumbled down from the sky.
Shen Qing's words caused an uproar among the disciples.
"What? Senior Brother Shen is actually Shen Qing's younger brother! Oh my god!"
"No one could tell they had this relationship. Just now, they seemed like sworn enemies. Who would have thought!"
Shen Chuyun's mind was in a complete mess. For a moment, he didn't know if he was angry, ashamed or... sad?
No!
How could he be sad? He should be angry.
He had clearly told Shen Qing not to expose their relationship, but she had told everyone in public that they were siblings!
And she even said they owed each other nothing!
When had he, Shen Chuyun, ever owed Shen Qing anything!
This was what Shen Chuyun thought, and he asked it out loud.
"Shen Qing, when have I ever owed you anything! Don't spout nonsense!"
The last few words were roared out by Shen Chuyun.
After Shen Qing finished speaking, she felt completely at ease. Her back was straight.
Previously, in the eyes of the disciples, Shen Qing was physically weak, looking like a delicate flower that made people feel pity.
But now, in the face of Shen Chuyun's失态, Shen Qing was even calmer.
Her expression was cold, and there was no ripple in her eyes. Standing against the wind, her proud and straight figure shattered the disciples' previous perception.
There seemed to be something different about Shen Qing.
Even though her clothes were in a mess and there was blood at the corner of her mouth, she still gave people the impression of being aloof from the world.
"Do you think you became a disciple of True Lord Hengling just because you were exceptionally talented?"
Shen Qing let out a cold snort, seemingly full of disdain. "Back then, True Lord Hengling owed me a favor. Our parents used this as an exchange to let us both become disciples. It's a pity that our parents were biased and only let you go."
When she said this, the looks in the eyes of the surrounding disciples towards Shen Chuyun changed.
In the cultivation world, everyone relied on their own abilities.
If someone had the support of their family and got some good resources, others wouldn't say much.
But someone like Shen Chuyun, who became a disciple of True Lord Hengling through connections but didn't make much progress and still bossed around his sister who had helped him, was really disgusting.
Since Shen Chuyun joined the sect, whenever he walked around the sect, the looks in the eyes of the disciples towards him were either of admiration or envy.
Even when he went out on training missions, he was favored and praised by others because of his Qingyun Sword Sect disciple's robe and the jade pendant of a direct disciple hanging from his waist.
He thought that he could become a direct disciple of True Lord Hengling because of his extraordinary talents.
But now, Shen Qing had shattered his illusion.
He could become a direct disciple because True Lord Hengling owed Shen Qing a favor.
How could he accept this?
"No! I don't believe it!"
Facing the mocking looks of the surrounding disciples, Shen Chuyun was on the verge of a breakdown.
He had come to have the disciples judge Shen Qing. Why was it that now he was the one receiving such looks!
A cold sneer curled up on Shen Qing's lips.
Couldn't he even take this?
"If you don't believe me, you can go and ask True Lord Hengling."
Shen Chuyun gritted his teeth and stared at Shen Qing. The hatred in his eyes was almost tangible.
Even though Shen Qing was mentally prepared, she was still caught off guard by the hatred in Shen Chuyun's eyes.
She comforted herself in her heart that this would never happen again.
Amidst the whispering of the disciples, Shen Chuyun almost fled in a hurry.
Looking at Shen Chuyun's wobbly figure as he flew on his sword, Shen Qing couldn't help but want to burst out laughing.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the surrounding disciples slowly dispersed.
But Shen Qing knew that it wouldn't be long before this incident spread throughout the entire sect.
But she didn't care. Why should she hide these truths? It wasn't her who had done something wrong.
The inquisitive and curious looks of the disciples kept falling on Shen Qing. Although Shen Qing had made a Dao oath in front of everyone, there were still some disciples who didn't trust her.
Shen Qing only said that she had never harmed Lin Yibai, but the fact that Lin Yibai was seriously injured and unconscious and that Shen Qing was the only one around when the incident happened couldn't be ignored.
It was possible that Shen Qing had used some other means to indirectly cause Lin Yibai's serious injury.
Shen Qing ignored these looks and gritted her teeth as she left the training ground.
She knew that in this novel, everything revolved around the female protagonist, Lin Yibai.
Whether it was her, the "vicious supporting female character", or other marginal characters, they were all accessories to the female protagonist.
It was almost impossible for Shen Qing to change everyone's minds with just a few words.
But Shen Qing never intended to do so. Having been reborn, all she wanted was to live a good life, cultivate hard, and leave the sect or even the entire sect once she was strong enough.
As Shen Qing left, she didn't notice that not far behind her, several people wearing the disciple robes of the Five - Element Dao Sect had been watching her back as she left.
"Senior Brother, this female disciple is quite interesting. She looks so delicate, but her words are as tough as Senior Sister's."
The person called Senior Brother gave a sidelong glance at the person who had spoken, and the latter immediately fell silent.
The leader was Li Xian, the direct disciple of the Five - Element Dao Sect's master, Yu Xuzi.
Li Xian had a cold expression on his face. As he watched Shen Qing's fading back, he frowned.