The Junior Sister Is Only Pretending

At the peak of Kunlun, in the highest reaches of the Divine Realm, a breathtakingly beautiful mortal woman was raised like a delicate flower in the Lingxiao Divine Palace.

Though frail and unable to attain a divine rank, she was taken in as the Divine Venerable's youngest disciple. Her gentle senior brother, descended from the ancient gods, treated her like a younger sister, while her mysterious and dazzling second senior brother lived next door.

No one understood why this utterly useless mortal was so adored. Had she saved their lives or something? Only Li He knew the truth. She hadn't saved their lives before. She was going to save them.

Hidden inside her was the last wisp of the goddess's soul, the goddess everyone in the palace loved as dearly as their own lives. Her lifeline nourished that fragile hope. Until

Li He falls, and the goddess is reborn.

After catching a glimpse of this cruel and heartless secret, Li He decided that if she couldn't beat them, she would join them. She would join this great palace where everyone wore a mask, follow their script, and diligently play her role.

With her senior brothers, Li He did her best to make them feel cared for. She was considerate, gentle, sensible, and too frail to care for herself. She obediently played the caged songbird they wanted, while step by step finding a way to break free and survive.

With certain cultivators, Li He struck back hard and threw her weight around. She offended people one by one, then decided offending a whole crowd was more satisfying. She watched coldly as the Lingxiao Palace incurred grudges and made enemies on her behalf, forced to stand alone and proud, never receiving a shred of genuine affection.

As for the antagonists, Li He believed in making efficient use of resources. She entered into "reluctant" friendly cooperation, quietly supported them from behind the scenes, and helped them take on her own sect. She also wanted to see whether those lofty gods would suffer just as much when deceived and hurt.

But she was only pretending. Why were they taking their roles so seriously?

The usually impartial and high-ranking Divine Venerable issued a decree, proclaiming to heaven and earth: "Li He is my personal disciple. Across the nine realms of the Divine Realm, among all gods and living beings, whoever dares to hurt her even a little will have their divine path erased for all eternity."

Her senior brother, gentle on the outside but ruthless within, stood before her again and again, shielding her from deadly attacks and murderous intent. The affection and tenderness in his eyes grew ever more real and clear. "Little junior sister, from now on, we will protect you forever."

Even that man, the young master of Lingxiao, who always seemed detached from this charade and could see through all her lies and pretenses, began to act strangely.

Li He: "Didn't you always say you never believed a word I said?"

Shi Jin: "No. I believe you."

Li He rolled her eyes and waggled the hands bound together like a dumpling by eight layers of divine shackles.

The aloof and dazzling young Divine Lord bent down and gently caressed her face, his gaze obsessive and feverish. "I can believe anything you say, except that you don't love me."

Love?

So they were capable of love after all...

How ridiculous. When she regarded them as dirt, they wanted to hold her in the palms of their hands.

But if you get what you want, you must lose what you don't want to lose.

As the curtain fell, Li He leapt into the deep sea of parasol trees, obliterating her body and ending this farce. She escaped their control and found herself again.

In the end, it was still there, above that sea of parasol trees.

Li He watched calmly as Shi Jin slowly stripped away his own divine soul and poured it into her, repairing the body she had destroyed for the sake of all living beings and granting her an immortal soul.

"You already know it was all fake. I don't need anyone to save me."

As the young Divine Lord faded away, he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms. Of course he knew.

He knew how clearheaded she was beneath her false deference, how strong beneath her helplessness, and how cold and disdainful she was toward him beneath her brilliant smile.

He had thought she was just a pebble destined to be destroyed. Instead, she became an undying obsession, a pain that haunted his long path of cultivation. He couldn't have her, couldn't let her go, couldn't keep her, and couldn't forget her. All he could do was sacrifice himself and lay his heart before her.

Not long afterward, on a clear and sunny night in the mortal world,

Li He looked at a certain beautiful Divine Lord, badly injured and too weak to care for himself, who did nothing but cling to her.

She wondered: Had she been tricked into playing her part again?

P.S.

1. The heroine is strong inside, but she won't slaughter everyone in her path. She only wants to protect herself.

2. Love interest: the second senior brother

Theme: Dare to break free from your cage