32. Born with Severed Meridians

Dongmen Xianyun played with her long hair, twisting it into circles over her chest, her demeanor shy and demure. “Brother, Brother Xie is not an outsider…” she murmured softly.

Watching his sister’s girlish manner, Dongmen Jianhao almost thought his eyes deceived him. If others didn’t know his sister, surely he did? Usually, Dongmen Xianyun was nothing if not domineering—this time, she’d landed in danger precisely because she’d wanted to train alone, secretly slipping away from her two assigned guards.

In fact, those two disciples had encountered no danger, but afterward, they dared not return.

And now his little sister, before a strange man, was so bashful—could it be that they had already…?

Dongmen Jianhao clutched his head and wailed, “Heavens above! My sister, such a delicate flower, why must she plant herself in a pile of rotten dog dung? And not just any dog dung—runny dog dung at that! Oh, heavens!”

“Brother, what are you saying? I mean, Brother Xie has saved me more than once!” Dongmen Xianyun hurried to explain, though her cheeks were as rosy as ripe apples.

Dongmen Jianhao’s body stiffened, as if realizing his loss of composure. He coughed and said, “Ahem… What exactly happened?”

Knowing her brother’s temperament all too well, Dongmen Xianyun recounted everything from start to finish, so thoroughly that Dongmen Jianhao was nearly drawing his sword to rush out.

Hongliu quickly blocked his path. “Senior brother, calm down, calm down!”

“How do you expect me to calm down? Some mere mountain bandit dared insult my sister! My sister, pure and flawless, as beautiful as a rainbow snow lotus atop the peaks—I’ll kill his entire family, wipe out his clan, then chop their bodies into mince and feed them to the beasts of Mangdang Mountain!” Dongmen Jianhao shouted furiously.

But Hongliu held fast to his leg. “Eldest brother, didn’t Xie Wuji just say he destroyed the Ma family stronghold? It’s gone—gone, you hear me!”

Only then did Dongmen Jianhao regain his composure. He turned to scrutinize Xie Wuji with new eyes. “Xie Wuji, you saved my little sister. I’m grateful. But now you know her identity—did you do anything improper on the road?”

Xie Wuji thought to himself, this is a madman obsessed with his sister. He quickly replied, “No, no, not at all, rest assured! We were as polite as guests, and even slept in separate inn rooms!”

“But you were in the same carriage. Brother Xie, you look so cute when you sleep!” Dongmen Xianyun covered her face, gazing at Xie Wuji with infatuation.

Xie Wuji was instantly petrified. He slowly looked at Dongmen Jianhao, who by now was so furious that his spiritual energy had flared into visible flames. With a dark expression and a lowered voice, he demanded, “You beast, tell me—which hand touched my sister?”

“Ha?” Xie Wuji broke out in a cold sweat.

Dongmen Jianhao was not joking. “Whichever hand touched my sister—that hand comes off. If you saw anything you shouldn’t, I’ll dig your eyes out and string them into prayer beads, polishing them until they shine!”

“And if your sister saw me?” Xie Wuji ventured.

Dongmen Jianhao narrowed his eyes. “Whatever she saw, I’ll cut off!”

As he spoke, Dongmen Jianhao swept his gaze up and down Xie Wuji, making him shudder with cold dread.

Fortunately, Hongliu vouched for Xie Wuji’s identity, explaining that he was a relative of Elder Qin Shou. Only then did Dongmen Jianhao step aside and allow Xie Wuji to enter the sect.

On the training grounds of Danxia Sect, many wooden pillars stood. The disciples here belonged to three branches: one for alchemy and medicine, one for cultivating qi, and the third for outer disciples.

Dongmen Xianyun led Xie Wuji through the grounds. As they walked, she suddenly asked, “Brother Xie, you must have overheard them talking about the Severed Veins, right?”

“You heard as well? If you’d rather not discuss it, that’s fine,” Xie Wuji replied.

“Being born with Severed Veins means your meridians are blocked from birth, making cultivation impossible. And I’m a concubine’s daughter; my brother is legitimate. He’s a good brother—if not for him, I’d have been bullied since childhood. Though no one says it openly, I’ve heard plenty of gossip behind closed doors.” As she spoke, Dongmen Xianyun’s spirits visibly fell.

Xie Wuji sighed. “Some things are innate—we can’t change them. Rather than looking back, why not look ahead? Who says Severed Veins make you useless? Your medical skills are impressive—last time, whatever method you used, my wounds nearly healed completely.”

“Brother Xie, you really know how to comfort people,” Dongmen Xianyun giggled, her laughter bright and beautiful.

Xie Wuji smiled. “Look on the bright side—you still have your father, your mother, and a good brother.”

“My mother passed away, a year ago. My Severed Veins were caused because, when she gave birth to me, she was injured by someone from the Myriad Demon Hall, which caused her spiritual energy to leak and left my meridians blocked at birth,” she replied softly.

“I… I’m sorry…” Xie Wuji said.

Dongmen Xianyun shook her head. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Brother Xie. This is where Elder Qin lives. From now on, you can stay here. Since you’re a relative of his, why not remain in Danxia Sect? It’s a prestigious sect, with ample cultivation resources. I’ll come find you later!”

“Alright, thank you, Sister Xianyun,” Xie Wuji replied.

Dongmen Xianyun’s smile was enchanting beyond words. Suddenly, catching Xie Wuji off guard, she brushed a quick kiss against his cheek. Her face flushed scarlet, the color spreading down her neck, and she fled his quarters like a startled deer.

Xie Wuji stood frozen in place, speechless for a long while. Slowly, he raised a hand to the spot on his face where she’d kissed him.

Outside, Dongmen Xianyun pressed her hands to her cheeks, her heart racing as if it might leap from her chest. It was the first time she’d ever felt such a thing.

She murmured, “How could I do such a thing, I… I…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

On her way back, Dongmen Xianyun was in high spirits, humming a cheerful tune, until a richly dressed woman approached from ahead. This middle-aged woman, adorned with gold and jewels, had refined features—once, she must have been a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.

“Foolish and flighty, never proper! You, a young lady, bringing some stray man home—if you have no shame, our Dongmen family still does!” the woman scolded.

Dongmen Xianyun lowered her head, biting her lip. “Mother…”

“Who’s your mother? Just like your own, a shameless flirt. That stray man must have some unspeakable relationship with you!” the woman sneered. She was Dongmen Jianhao’s birth mother—and thus, Dongmen Xianyun’s father’s wife.

She had always resented Dongmen Xianyun’s mother. At first, she hadn’t known the sect leader had a concubine outside; it wasn’t until Dongmen Xianyun’s arrival that she became hostile. In this era, men having multiple wives was common, but to the lady of the Dongmen household, the sect leader belonged to her alone. Even when Dongmen Xianyun’s mother died, as the main wife, she didn’t spare a glance.

“He’s not an outsider—he’s Elder Qin’s grandnephew,” Dongmen Xianyun explained.

“Hmph! Old Qin Shou is nothing but a gatekeeper for the Treasure Pavilion in our Danxia Sect—what ‘Elder’? If not for our sect’s charity, he’d have been killed by the Myriad Demon Hall long ago. Now the old man’s dead, and this youngster is here to take his place as gatekeeper, is he? A person of unknown origins! How can we entrust the precious Treasure Pavilion to outsiders?” the lady declared.

At the mention of “outsider,” Dongmen Xianyun protested, “If Elder Qin hadn’t stopped that thief from Myriad Demon Hall, he wouldn’t have been injured. Mother, he’s not a bad person…”

“Who’s your mother? Just seeing you makes me angry. Go!” the woman huffed and left, her maids trailing close behind.