The teahouse, while not packed to the brim, was still very lively. Ju Xian and her two companions chose a spot by the window on the second floor. As the dim sum arrived, Ju Xian removed her veil to eat more comfortably. A gasp suddenly came from the next table, and a figure blocked Ju Xian's light.
"Sister, you're not dead?"
The man in black, his voice filled with emotion, gazed intently at the face that so closely resembled his missing sister. It was too similar; even the location of the tear mole by her eye was identical. No one knew that he had risked his life completing missions for his clan, all to find a cure for his sister, who had been intellectually disabled since birth. He wanted to earn enough spirit stones to ask Elder Qi of the Chao Tian Immortal Sect, known as a medical immortal, to treat his sister. But by the time he had gathered sufficient spirit stones, his sister had disappeared. His clan told him she had gone to play by the sea and was swept away, lost forever.
He refused to believe it. Although his sister was intellectually disabled, she was obedient. Because of her exceptional beauty, he never allowed her to go out alone. Furthermore, even the wet nurse who cared for her had vanished, making the entire affair suspicious. He didn't make a scene, but searched for his sister in secret. He couldn't believe his sister was dead, yet he also didn't fully trust the clan's words.
"You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your sister?" Ju Xian regretted taking off her veil, having attracted trouble. But this dim sum was delicious!
Upon hearing Ju Xian speak, the man in black felt a pang of loss. Yes, his sister was intellectually disabled and couldn't speak. No matter what he said, she would only stare blankly in one direction.
This immortal fairy, however, was articulate and her eyes sparkled with intelligence. She was even more beautiful than his sister, and there was no way she could be intellectually disabled.
Xiao Bai and Wang You immediately positioned themselves protectively on either side of Ju Xian. They too were startled, thinking someone had come to snatch their sister.
"Haha, Ji Wu Ye, don't mistake everyone you see for your foolish sister! Your sister is long dead. By now, even her bones have likely been digested by sea beasts!" A group of people ascended the stairs, led by a woman in red who spoke first. An old woman among them flinched slightly upon seeing Ji Wu Ye. Her heart pounded with anxiety, and cold sweat broke out on her back! She concealed herself behind the crowd.
Hearing this, the man in black moved to express his anger but was restrained by a man in blue who had accompanied him.
"Fourth Miss, mind your words. How can you be so sure that *Sister Ji is dead? Did you witness it?" The man in blue bowed slightly, his tone indifferent.
"Ji Chen Mu, don't think you're so great just because your sect produced a cultivator at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage. Daring to contend with my direct lineage is asking for trouble. Be careful not to be implicated by Ji Wu Ye, this unlucky star who brings misfortune to his parents!" Ji Qian Qian sat down gracefully, her words venomous.
"Fourth Miss Ji, there's no need for your concern. Ji is doing very well. You should worry about the fate of those who have done evil. What goes around, comes around!"
"Hmph, you're sharp-tongued. Ji Chen Mu, how dare you mock me? Disrespecting your superiors! I'll tell the clan leader!"
Ji Qian Qian, her hidden secret exposed, became enraged. That foolish Ji had been taken out of the house by her wet nurse that day. Her cousin had taken a fancy to her and told her to bribe the wet nurse to take her out to sea for fun while Ji Wu Ye was away. She never expected that the intellectually disabled girl, who had been foolish for over a decade, would resist and jump into the sea at a critical moment!
When Ji Wu Ye returned, she felt guilty for a while. But seeing Ji Wu Ye searching aimlessly like a headless fly, she felt relieved. She had wanted to kill the wet nurse, but the wet nurse had leverage, so she had to keep her around to serve. Not to mention, the wet nurse was quite capable, arranging all the minor and major matters for her flawlessly.
Ju Xian and her companions watched the spectacle with great interest, as long as it didn't involve them. This was what they called in Hua Xia modern times the struggles within a large estate, far more captivating than what was shown on television.
Ji Chen Mu had noticed Ju Xian earlier than Ji Wu Ye, at the registration office of the Chao Tian Immortal Sect. When he saw the group of female immortals, he found them familiar, but he dared not guess they were related to Sister Ji. One was foolish, the other a celestial being – one in heaven, the other on earth. How could they be related?
But the moment she entered the teahouse today, both he and Ji Wu Ye noticed her. Her figure was extremely similar to Sister Ji's. After she removed her veil, both of them had to suppress their gasps; she was just too alike. Those beautiful and unique phoenix eyes were unparalleled in this world.
Ji Wu Ye remained silent, his gaze fixed on Ju Xian. He had a strong feeling that she was his sister! His intuition told him he was not mistaken! After all, it was this intuition and keenness that had helped him overcome crisis after crisis.
But he couldn't explain it. A profound sadness spread through him. He couldn't be sure if his sister remembered him as her brother. From childhood, his sister would only sit there blankly, her clear, flawless eyes reflecting nothing.
Ju Xian felt as if needles were pricking her under Ji Wu Ye's gaze. She looked up and met Ji Wu Ye's pained eyes, and suddenly, fragments flashed in her mind:
A man with a hearty laugh often affectionately stroked a girl's head, and fed her food, carefully wiping her face. Even when he returned injured, he would go to see the little girl first. Yet, the little girl still responded as usual. Even so, the man cherished her like a pearl or jade.
Until one day, the little girl grew up, and the man withdrew his hand that was about to stroke her hair. The girl still reached out her head for him to pat it, and the man's eyes welled up with tears...
Ju Xian shook her head, feeling uncomfortable from the unfamiliar emotions. She remembered the naked woman from modern Hua Xia who had possessed her body. Were these the memories of each soul? She felt that she might truly be his sister…
Xiao Bai was the first to notice Ju Xian's abnormality and quickly asked:
"Sister, what's wrong? Do you have a headache?"
Ji Wu Ye had been watching Ju Xian all along. Seeing her clutch her head, his eyes filled with concern:
"Immortal fairy, do you have a headache? Let me help you rub it!" As he spoke, he reached out.
"What are you doing?" Chao Yang Zi grabbed Ji Wu Ye's hand, his tone laced with killing intent.
Ji Wu Ye's hand was suddenly grasped by the handsome, exotic man with the ink-black belt adorned with a golden sash. He was about to channel spiritual energy to resist…
"Qing Yang, it's alright. I might be this Daoist friend's sister!"
Ju Xian's words instantly caused the air to fall silent for three seconds. Even Ji Chen Mu turned his head abruptly. Ji Qian Qian, in her haste, stood up so quickly that she knocked over a chair!
The wet nurse also rushed out from the crowd, looking at Ju Xian and murmuring, "Miss, you're alive! That's wonderful!"
Ji Wu Ye's heart was instantly filled with immense joy. Had his sister remembered?
"Sister, you remember now? Are you not foolish anymore? That's wonderful!"
"How is that possible?"
Ji Qian Qian finally got a clear look at Ju Xian's face. Earlier, Ji Wu Ye and Ji Chen Mu had been standing in front of Ju Xian. She had only known there was a woman behind them and thought they had mistaken someone, mocking them. Sister Ji, who had died at sea, how could she possibly come back to life!
No one paid her any mind. Ji Wu Ye and Ji Chen Mu were in a state of great happiness. They did not doubt for a moment that Sister Ji was so clear-headed now. After all, a long time ago, a Xuan Master had told Ji Wu Ye that his sister would be cured and that she would experience a life-or-death tribulation. After passing it, her soul would return, and she would no longer be foolish… That was why he never let his sister go out, only thinking of earning spirit stones to find the most powerful medical immortal in the world to cure his sister!