Chapter 6

Bang!

The overbearing palm wind burst out with a huge sound, as if striking a hard stone wall.

A crane's cry!

A clear, noble phoenix call rang out, accompanied by the appearance of an immaculate white phoenix silhouette.

The ice phoenix snow feathers were like an ice wall, cold! But they blocked all of Zhao Yue's attacks.

Shen Qingli stood frozen in place, stiffly watching Shen Kuo block with a misstep.

She had never been protected...

Never had.

Shen Kuo's mouth corner trickled a bit of blood, his gaze at Zhao Yue shifting from cold and sharp to sharp: "You actually struck with full force!"

For some inexplicable reason, Shen Kuo owed Zhao Yue, so he had just instinctively blocked, without activating his inner profound power, even suppressing his bloodline to avoid hurting Zhao Yue.

What then?

Zhao Yue actually activated full power, striking their daughter!

Shen Kuo wore a cold expression: "I thought you were just sharp-tongued, but your heart is even colder than a blade."

"I..." Zhao Yue opened her mouth to argue!

Shen Kuo didn't even glance at her again, turning to look at the still-stunned Shen Qingli, his eyes revealing a barely perceptible tenderness and pity.

Birth mother striking down!

Maybe she was frightened badly.

Shen Kuo, suppressing the dense pain in his heart, grabbed his daughter's hand: "Dad will take you away."

"You dare!" Zhao Yue snapped, "What I do is none of your business! She's my daughter, I'll hit her however I want! You have no say..."

Shen Qingli hardly heard the following words.

She only saw the icy light flare up, a chilling breath instantly enveloping her.

A pair of scorching hands covered her ears—it was Shen Jin.

"Peak Master Shen, what are you doing?" Bai Ren Shan's voice boomed down, seemingly trying to stop Shen Kuo from taking his two children.

Shen Qingli felt it, immediately looking through the ice light at the one who struck, but the light and shadow were illusory; everything in the Holy Maiden Hall had become blurry.

Even so, she faintly heard Bai Ren Shan's angry rebuke: "Shen Kuo!"

"Shen Kuo! Return my daughter!" Zhao Yue's voice grew sharper, yet sounded especially distant.

…… - none.

Inside the Holy Maiden Hall, the various peak masters and elders were shouting, "This Peak Master Shen is too arrogant!"

"He completely disregards the sect master and us! He skips every sect assembly, and now without a word he just takes away Shen Qingli, this evil spawn! What does he intend?" a peak master demanded angrily!

Zhao Yue's face turned ashen as she said, "How dare he!"

Bai Ren Shan's expression wasn't great either, but he quickly composed himself, sighed, and said, "After all, she's his daughter; it's normal for him to protect her, but the rules are rules—he can't be allowed to run wild!"

"Not bad!"

"The sect master is absolutely right!"

The peak masters and elders all echoed in agreement.

Bai Ren Shan looked at Zhao Yue, "Rest assured, the sect will give you justice; I'll go invite the grand elder to come down the mountain."

"Thank you, sect master." Zhao Yue's expression eased slightly; she knew the grand elder Bai Ren Shan mentioned would surely make Shen Kuo obey.

But thinking of her usually obedient daughter, who had recently been defiant, and today's outrageous words denying her as mother, Zhao Yue flared up again.

"A Li, this wicked spawn must be cast into the endless abyss! She must not be allowed to nurture demonic rebellious bones!" Zhao Yue declared righteously.

"Not bad." Bai Ren Shan nodded.

The other peak masters and elders wholeheartedly agreed.

Completely forgetting what they themselves had done to Shen Qingli that made her "rebellious."

In their view, even if they wanted Shen Qingli to die, she shouldn't resist; she must obey their orders—those who should die, die; otherwise, she'd fall into demonry.

"They're just sick!"

The moment she fell into the Ice Snow Peak, Shen Jin couldn't help but angrily curse aloud!

He cursed not only those people, but also Shen Qingli: "You're sick too! Those damned things—are they worth you being so good to them?"

"Shen Jin!" Shen Kuo sternly rebuked, "How dare you speak to your sister like that?"

"Hmph!" Shen Jin retorted, "I'm stating the facts!"

Having said that, he turned to leave, but Shen Kuo grabbed him, "Apologize."

The youthful Shen Jin, his face grim, neck tensed with veins bulging, "I won't apologize—I didn't say anything wrong!"

Shen Qingli watched his childish demeanor, then recalled how she once thought he resembled a godlike statue, and felt like laughing.

However, Shen Jin's stubborn, arrogant demeanor made her instinctively grab his ear, "You didn't say anything wrong, but I'm your older sister—I won't let you talk about me like that."

This action, and the words that slipped out, left Shen Qingli herself dazed, yet she didn't let go, not knowing why she just wanted to pull little Shen Jin's ear!

Previously she always suppressed her thoughts, her desires.

Now, she couldn't.

As for whether Shen Jin would like it, irrelevant!

If it works, continue as siblings; if not, part ways.

She hadn't originally planned to live with her father and brother.

Shen Jin's ear tips turned red, his stubbornness shifting to embarrassment: "Let go! Don't you dare pull my ear!"

As he spoke, he subconsciously tried to shake off Shen Qingli's hand!

But his raised hand stopped just as it was about to pat Shen Qingli's arm, he was afraid of hurting Shen Qingli, he knew she had just had her phoenix bone pulled out.

His eye sockets instantly reddened for a moment, yet he awkwardly muttered, "Hmph! You're injured, I won't argue with you—let go quickly!"

Shen Qingli clearly saw his small gesture and the emotion in his eyes; she also loosened her grip, her gaze somewhat complex.

The senior martial brother, mother, and junior martial brothers and sisters she had treated with her whole heart—when she was injured and in trouble, they either threw stones into her well, punched and kicked her, or faced her with palms and swords! They all wished she were dead, making her situation even worse.

This younger brother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, couldn't bear to swat away her hand that was pulling his ear. It wasn't that he was a masochist, but he feared hurting her, who in his eyes should have become very fragile.

"Thank you." Shen Qingli said softly.

Shen Jin rubbed his hot ear tip, looking at Shen Qingli before him, her clothes torn and bloodstains covering her, yet he tightly pressed his lips, as if wanting to speak but stopping himself.

But Shen Qingli had already turned away, asking casually, "Where do I live?"

Before him stood the main hall of Bing Xue Feng, yet all around was empty, making it seem even more desolate and vast.

And her father, Shen Kuo, was actually also the Peak Master of the Azure Jade Sect, but his temperament was aloof; he never involved himself in the sect's daily affairs, and he would not even attend any grand gatherings.

It is said that, with his extraordinary strength, he only acts when someone invades the sect, but Shen Qingli has never witnessed such a situation.

And her talent clearly inherited from Shen Kuo.

However, that pair of snow feathers just now…

Shen Qingli's eyes flashed; she seemed not to be seeing them for the first time.

Moreover, it wasn't during her childhood; it seemed to be right before she was about to die!