Chapter 46 Elder Sister

“Xinci, it’s been a while. Did you miss me?”

A familiar voice reached her ears.

Standing at the courtyard entrance was a young man with bright eyes and handsome features. Tall and straight-backed, his gaze was as sharp as drawn blades, so piercing that few dared meet it directly. Yet now, that sharpness had given way to a warm smile, gentle as a spring breeze.

Zhang Xinci immediately put aside her needlework and instinctively ran toward Lin Feng, intending to throw herself into his arms. Halfway there, however, she suddenly remembered that she was no longer a little girl and came to an awkward stop.

“Welcome back, Brother Lin Feng! How did your caravan journey go?”

Lin Feng couldn’t help but chuckle. He took out a stack of bamboo sheets and handed them over.

“Trading is always full of dangers and unexpected twists. But who do you think your Brother Lin Feng is? Those were all minor inconveniences. By the way, these contain the information and trade demands of the various villages along the caravan route. They’re for you.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Xinci accepted the bamboo sheets with a delighted smile. Ever since she was young, she had been fascinated by commerce and often sought Lin Feng’s advice about doing business. Through him, she had come to understand that information about customers and markets was one of a merchant’s greatest assets.

Although the other members of the Zhang clan regarded commerce as a trivial pursuit, unworthy of a Gu Master, Zhang Xinci had never been swayed by their opinions.

Zhang Zhu chuckled. “Brother Lin Feng, you have no idea how worried the Third Miss was about you. Ever since you left, knowing how dangerous the caravan route can be, she’s been praying before the clay statue of the Three-Headed God every day, hoping you’d return safely.”

Zhang Xinci’s face immediately flushed red after Zhang Zhu exposed her. Lin Feng knew her well, so he didn’t tease her. He simply smiled and let the matter pass.

Suddenly, Lin Feng slapped his forehead.

“That’s right, Brother Zhang Zhu. Where’s my sister?”

The moment the words left his mouth, something rapped him sharply on the head. Lin Feng turned around and found his elder sister standing behind him.

“Hmph, you brat. So you still remember you have an elder sister? You came back to the village and didn’t even come to see me first. All you could think about was your childhood sweetheart. What an ungrateful little brother.”

The one who spoke was a young woman of about twenty. Dressed in a sea-blue gown, she had delicate features and an elegant bearing. She hardly looked like someone who had grown up in a mountain village.

However, as Lin Feng’s elder sister, Lin Zhiyao had always been able to keep him in line. In front of her, all his usual confidence seemed to vanish.

Lin Feng scratched his head awkwardly. “Sister, Xinci is still young. Stop teasing her like this, or I’ll really get angry.”

Zhang Xinci knew this was simply how Lin Zhiyao and her brother interacted, yet her cheeks still flushed crimson.

“You’ve really forgotten your sister now that you’ve found your childhood sweetheart! Waaah… You’re not even married yet, and you’re already taking her side over mine. My heart is broken.” Lin Zhiyao clutched her chest dramatically. As the saying goes, those who spend enough time together begin to resemble one another. Growing up alongside Lin Feng, she had become quite the drama queen herself.

“Sister, I’m not even thinking about getting married. You’re taking this way too far.”

“What? So you already find your sister annoying? I knew it. You’re not that little brat who used to follow me around with a runny nose anymore. You’ve changed. You don’t like your sister anymore. Hmph… Men really are heartless.”

“If you keep talking like this, you’ll never get married!”

Lin Feng couldn’t help but laugh. Although he and his elder sister bickered constantly, he cherished her deeply. In a world as cruel and unforgiving as this one, family was among the few things truly worth protecting.

Among the younger generation of the Zhang clan, Lin Feng’s talent was already widely recognized. Given his current cultivation level, the Zhang clan leader regarded him as the young talent with the greatest chance of reaching Rank Four before the age of thirty-five. Although advancing to Rank Five would be extraordinarily difficult, breaking through to Rank Four was well within his potential. Because of this, many influential Zhang clan elders had tried to recruit him.

However, Lin Feng refused every offer, insisting that he had yet to repay Miss Zhang for saving his life.

In truth, he couldn’t afford it. He might appear glorious on the surface, but everything he possessed today had been paid for with the lives of countless mortals and Gu Masters. If his secret were ever exposed, he would surely die a horrible death.