Chapter 162: There's No Sister Like You

The same trick has been used many times before, but now it doesn't work; instead, it backfires.

"Brother Jue!"

"Enough! Don't call me brother anymore, I'm not your brother!" Pei Shangjue's words were unusually sharp, his tone raised.

It shows how angry he is.

If it weren't for her, he and Azhi wouldn't have ended up as estranged as they are today.

Pei Yunxi burst into tears instantly; it was the first time she had been so loudly scolded by her brother.

She is his sister, after all! A sister bonded by blood! Shouldn't he favor her?

"I'm not your sister, then is she?!" Pei Yunxi hysterical, she pointed at Mu Yuanzhi: "It's all her fault; if she hadn't taken my place for seventeen years, I wouldn't need to be like this!"

Pei Shangyan: "Your wandering among the common folk isn't the little sister's fault; on the contrary, these years the little sister has brought me, us, and Father Emperor so much joy—she is irreplaceable!"

His words completely shattered her self-esteem.

Mu Yuanzhi is irreplaceable? Then what about her?!

Mu Yuanzhi listened to Pei Shangyan's words, feeling no turbulence; these things she had longed for in her past life but could not obtain, she hadn't cared for them in a long time. Summoning these two was merely to expose Pei Yunxi's true colors.

"Pei Yunxi!" Pei Shangling was the last to emerge from the shadows, his grim face terrifying: "Azhi is our sister, forever, while you are merely a venomous person with only a blood relation!"

Before tonight, he clung to a last hope, giving Pei Yunxi one final chance: if she didn't follow the black‑clothed people here, nor intend harm to Azhi, he could still turn a blind eye and continue to treat her as a sister.

But reality dealt him a harsh blow.

A person with a wicked heart will never turn from evil to good, no matter what!

Pei Yunxi staggered back, tears blurring her vision; her three brothers had now completely turned against her, siding with Mu Yuanzhi.

It's all Mu Yuanzhi's fault!

Pei Yunxi made up her mind, gripping the short sword hidden in her sleeve, she lunged at Mu Yuanzhi: "Die, Mu Yuanzhi!"

The sudden turn of events made it hard for Mu Yuanzhi to dodge even if she reacted quickly; she just watched helplessly as Pei Yunxi's short sword thrust toward her.

"Little sister!"

"Azhi!"

Several voices sounded at once, but Pei Yunxi paid no heed, her sole thought to kill Mu Yuanzhi.

A flying kick came; she couldn't dodge in time and was kicked hard, flying into the side pillar, instantly coughing up blood. When she covered her chest and looked up, she saw it was Pei Shangling who had kicked her.

"Pei Shangling! I'm your full sister! Your dearest sister!" Pei Yunxi burst into tears, pounding the floor in frustration, acting mad.

Pei Shangling gave the blood‑vomiting Pei Yunxi a cold glance, then hurried to check whether Mu Yuanzhi was injured.

Mu Yuanzhi slipped away without a trace, not letting Pei Shangling touch her.

Pei Shangyan and Pei Shangjue also gathered around, standing before Mu Yuanzhi, fearing that the madwoman Pei Yunxi might go berserk again.

"Princess, my mission is already complete; give me the antidote." The black‑clothed person couldn't help urging again.

"Here!" The Qilin that came in threw a medicine pill to the black‑clothed person.

The black‑clothed person, unsuspecting, swallowed it in one gulp.

Actually it was just an ordinary appetite pill, of course meant to fool the black‑clothed person.

After taking the antidote, the black‑clothed person felt instantly refreshed all over, then slipped away without saying much.

The others in the ruined temple also had no time to attend to him.

"What should we do with this guy?" the Qilin said, looking at the three princes, obviously waiting for their stance.

As Crown Prince, Pei Shangyan's words carried the most weight; he said solemnly: "Hand her over to Father Emperor for judgment; I will lay out her crimes in full detail."

Hearing this, Pei Yunxi's heart rekindled hope; those bastard brothers no longer mattered, she still had Father Emperor—she was the daughter he had longed for for many years, and she couldn't believe Father Emperor would treat her badly.

Mu Yuanzhi had no objection; Pei Yunxi, being a princess, should indeed be handed over to the Son of Heaven for judgment—whether the Son of Heaven would cover it up or not was beyond her control.

This time, letting those brain‑deficient princes know what Pei Yunxi is like would also be a deadly blow to her; even if the Son of Heaven protected her, she couldn't hope to live as comfortably as before.

But in the end, it's still hard to eradicate Pei Yunxi completely.

"Let's go." Mu Yuanzhi said to the Qilin.

"Little sister!" Pei Shangyan caught up, saying, "I will escort Pei Yunxi back to the palace to report to Father Emperor."

Mu Yuanzhi glanced at Pei Shangyan and said, "Don't call me little sister, it's disgusting."

Pei Shangyan pressed his lips, then changed his address: "How about calling you Zhi sister?"

Mu Yuanzhi's brow furrowed slightly; although still unpleasant, it was better than sounding like calling Pei Yunxi.

She didn't answer Pei Shangyan and walked straight away.

Pei Shangyan didn't chase after her either; he knew saying anything now was useless, he could only take it slow, waiting for her to reaccept them as brothers.

"Azhi!"

Pei Shangjue caught up: "May I accompany you to the Black Sea?"

"No." Mu Yuanzhi flatly refused.

Pei Shangjue, unlike Pei Shangyan, didn't keep chasing after several rejections before giving up; he simply accepted the refusal, for he was not the type to pester relentlessly.

He watched Mu Yuanzhi's retreating back, sighing inwardly.

Azhi…

Pei Shangyan patted his brother's shoulder: "Don't lose hope; someday Azhi will understand our resolve to reform."

"If only I had noticed Pei Yunxi's impropriety earlier." At the Ministry of Works incident, he clearly should have discovered it, yet he stubbornly thought it a coincidence.

Pei Shangyan also felt guilty; he had countless chances to notice, yet it was as if his senses were sealed—he wouldn't look, listen, or think.

"Saying this now is useless; let's first escort Pei Yunxi back!" Pei Shangling said as he approached.

"Mm."

After leaving the ruined temple, Mu Yuanzhi hurried back to the carriage, where the National Teacher waited; he didn't ask where they had gone, sitting calmly as usual.

"Master, you've waited long!" the Qilin exclaimed as soon as he got into the carriage, livening the atmosphere.

National Teacher smiled: "Did you take care of your business?"

"Finished, right, senior sister?" Qilin glanced guiltily at Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi nodded; she always felt the National Teacher knew, but just didn't say.

"Actually we've been capturing Pei Yunxi these past two days." Mu Yuanzhi thought it over, then decided to speak up.

Anyway, the National Teacher and Gu Rongjin are so close, they've been covering for him; speaking up wouldn't matter.

Since they're traveling together, they shouldn't have secrets, right?

Qilin inexplicably felt a sense of relief!