Chapter 47: Unfamiliar Sisters
An Unexpected Encounter
“Hey…”
Faced with the red-haired woman suddenly blocking her path, Yu Li let out a soft sigh. However, a moment later, she smiled with an air of acceptance.
Yu Li delicately pinched the edge of an imaginary long skirt, curtsying slightly before greeting the red-haired woman softly: “It’s been a while, dear sister.”
Mid-sentence, Yu Li abruptly raised her hand, hurling two black fireballs in a surprise attack, hoping to catch her opponent off guard.
Yet, the red-haired woman merely sneered with disdain, casually conjuring a long whip that effortlessly sliced Yu Li’s flames in half.
“A sneaky rat from the sewers, only capable of cheap tricks.”
The red-haired woman tugged her whip, looking down at Yu Li, as if curious to see what else she might try.
“Hm… as expected of my dear sister, breaking my flames so easily.”
Yu Li maintained her light smile, showing no trace of frustration over the failed sneak attack, as if the outcome was entirely expected.
A Strange Claim
Hearing the peculiar title again, the red-haired woman frowned slightly. She had no recollection of having such a sister.
Nevertheless, now that Yu Li was in her grasp, there was no escape. Explanations for the title or her stalking could wait.
“Poor little rat, randomly claiming kinship won’t earn you a free pass.”
“Randomly claiming kinship?”
Yu Li burst into laughter, as if she’d heard a hilarious joke.
“To not even recognize your own sister… how pathetic.”
With that, Yu Li stepped closer to the red-haired woman, stopping only when they were a mere foot apart.
The red-haired woman looked down at the black-haired girl staring up at her. Indeed, she felt a faint sense of familiarity, but nothing strong enough to confirm.
“What do you mean…”
Before she could finish, Yu Li raised a finger to her lips, her face adorned with an enigmatic smile.
“Shh…”
“My dear sister, I hope you’ll stay out of my sight from now on, because… seeing you makes me utterly sick.”
Yu Li spoke softly, a flicker of disgust passing through her eyes.
A Surge of Fear
“What… cough… ugh…”
The red-haired woman, about to retort, was suddenly gripped by intense fear. Instinctively clutching her chest, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees, sweat beading on her forehead as she gasped for air.
“Especially… now that I know your fear so well.”
Struggling through the pain, the red-haired woman looked up to see Yu Li’s silver eyes now transformed into one gold and one silver, gazing down at her coldly.
She remembered why this black-haired girl seemed familiar. That day—the day she felt that overwhelming fear—she had seen this heterochromatic-eyed girl.
“Cough… you… who are you…”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m your sister.”
Yu Li shook her head helplessly, looking at the kneeling woman as if she were an idiot.
“Remember my words… and, oh, send my regards to Father, dear sister.”
Yu Li spoke airily, ignoring the red-haired woman’s trembling form, consumed by fear.
Seeing no further rebuttal, Yu Li turned and walked away.
A Fading Fear
As Yu Li departed, the fear gripping the red-haired woman gradually lessened. Gasping heavily, she stared in terror at the direction Yu Li had gone.
Twice now, she’d encountered this black-haired girl. Each time, it felt like reliving the day she was targeted by a calamity beast.
Her fear surged uncontrollably. Judging by the strength of the girl’s flames, she was at best a mid-tier ability user—yet she could reduce a high-tier user like herself to such a state.
“I… I need to talk to Father…”
Since the girl claimed to be her sister, she had to confirm it with her father.
Regardless of the truth, the red-haired woman had no intention of letting this girl, who humiliated her so thoroughly, get away.
A Game of Protagonists
“The protagonist… such an interesting existence, isn’t it?”
Yu Li’s lips curved into a mocking smile as she recalled the red-haired woman kneeling before her. That was her sister, Yu Zifei, a protagonist of the Yu family.
In just two days, Yu Zifei had undergone a dramatic change—not in appearance or even in herself, but in her halo. Unlike Fu Qingyue’s halo, where Ye Sheng’s colors were fading, Yu Zifei’s protagonist halo had lost nearly all of Ling Hao’s fiery red patterns, now dominated by black.
It was as if Ling Hao’s heroine was being claimed by Ye Sheng.
“Almost… like a toy being fought over,” Yu Li murmured with a chuckle.
But the next moment, she stumbled, nearly collapsing by the roadside.
(Yu Li?! Are you okay?) Seeing her falter, Liuli leapt out, her tone laced with worry.
A Price Paid
Yu Li wasn’t in good shape. Manipulating a high-tier ability user’s emotions across such a vast gap had nearly drained her spiritual energy.
If any unexpected situation arose now, she’d be powerless to respond.
Fortunately, she had collected Yu Zifei’s fear that day in the university classroom. That psychological shadow was like a perfect weapon against her, making resistance nearly impossible.
But now, Yu Zifei’s fear had been completely burned out. Next time, it wouldn’t be so easy to deal with her.
Yu Li shook her head helplessly, too drained to speak, the exhaustion of depleted spiritual energy weighing on her.
(Ugh… here, eat this?)
Liuli extended her paw, offering the unfinished emotions. She had noticed Yu Li’s state of spiritual exhaustion.
Yu Li looked at Liuli in surprise. Normally, Liuli was fiercely protective of her food, yet now she was willingly offering it.
Not refusing the gesture, Yu Li consumed the emotions. She couldn’t bear the thought of Xiao Ai thinking she’d gotten hurt just by being away.
After absorbing Fu Qingyue’s emotions, Yu Li felt her spiritual energy slowly recovering, enough to prevent another sudden collapse.
“Thanks, Little Liuli.”
(Cough, if you’re grateful, you’d better repay me tenfold!) Seeing Yu Li recover, Liuli relaxed and teased playfully.
“Don’t worry… I’ll repay you soon… more than tenfold.”
Though Liuli was joking, Yu Li’s response was utterly serious, devoid of humor.
A System’s Reward
Meanwhile, completely unaware of these events, Ye Sheng sat smugly at home.
“System, settle today’s rewards.”
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Settling… Detected that Yu Zifei’s favorability has reached a certain threshold. Rewards will be issued.]
[Reward: Ability Manifestation]
“Ability Manifestation? Not bad… wait, there’s more?”
[Settling… Detected that Fu Qingyue’s favorability has dropped below friendly. All rewards related to Fu Qingyue will be revoked.]
“What?!”