The vast Eastern Divine Region, Star God Realm.
Jasmine silently observed her own reflection in the mirror.
After inheriting the power of the Heavenly Slaughter Star God, her appearance seemed to have been permanently frozen in time. Even after so many years, she still looked like a girl of only thirteen or fourteen years old.
However, there was nothing childish about her.
Her ink-black eyes exuded an almost demonic coldness and indifference. Anyone who met that gaze would feel a chill run through their body, as though a bloodstained blade had been pressed directly against their throat. Combined with her long crimson hair that seemed dyed with fresh blood, she truly looked like an evil demon!
The face reflected in the mirror was so exquisitely perfect that it almost seemed like a dream. Yet that thirteen- or fourteen-year-old face emitted no sense of immaturity, only a charm capable of stealing someone's soul.
She silently faced herself in the mirror for a long time.
It had already been two years since she had gained a husband.
During that time, she realized something she had never imagined possible in her cold and lonely life: she thought about Ren Zu every single day. She constantly wondered whether he was doing well, where he was at that moment, and whether he still thought about her the same way. Sometimes, she would catch herself staring blankly into space for long minutes, imagining when he would finally appear before her once again.
It was almost strange to realize it, but a great part of her thoughts now naturally revolved around Ren Zu. Her anger, her goals, her loneliness, and even her patience all seemed to have begun existing because of that man. He had silently become the emotional center of a life that had once been filled with nothing but hatred and blood...
But she would not trade that for anything. By his side, she had always possessed the strange certainty that no matter what happened, Ren Zu would do everything within his power to make her smile and protect her. That feeling was something she had never experienced before.
The hatred she carried within herself had not disappeared completely. She still deeply hated her father and continued wishing to kill him with her own hands, but ever since meeting Ren Zu, that darkness seemed to have lost its absolute control over her life. It was like shadows slowly being dispersed by sunlight.
The most unbelievable thing to her was that, because of the promise she had made to him, she had truly managed to restrain her impulses during these past two years.
Before, Jasmine had sincerely believed she would never be capable of such a thing.
Knock Knock!
Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed through the silent Star God Hall. The knock sounded only twice and was very gentle. It was obvious that the person knocking was being cautious. Soon after, the voice of an elegant man could be heard.
"Royal Sister, may I ent—"
"Get lost!"
A freezing word devoid of any emotion or any other kind of restraint.
"…Royal Sister. I am still, after all, your elder brother. I have some important matters—"
"This princess only has one elder brother, and he is already dead." Her voice became gravely cold and filled with killing intent. "Do you want to die?"
With a "bang," the person outside the hall seemed to stagger in shock. When his voice sounded again, it was trembling slightly.
"Royal Sister… you truly… like to joke around…"
Before he even finished speaking, the man had already fled in fear.
Peace returned to the Star God Hall, but it was soon interrupted by the anxious voice of a young girl.
"Big Sister… Big Sister!"
The doors of the hall were pushed open directly, and a young girl who looked as though she had only just entered adolescence rushed inside. She appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old. If anyone saw her, they would never believe their eyes. She looked like an immaculate sculpture carved from jade. Her brows were crescent-shaped, her eyes shone like stars, her lips were luscious, and every inch of her resembled a breathtaking jade statue. Her build was petite, and she wore a colorful skirt. The seven colors of her skirt clashed vividly against the gray and dark scenery of this realm. As the mountain winds blew, her skirt revealed a pair of jade-white thighs. Her snow-white feet were fitted into a pair of seven-colored glass shoes.
She hurriedly ran until she stopped in front of Jasmine.
Within the entire Star God Realm, there was only one person who dared to act so casually within the Star God Realm...
Princess Caizhi!
Aside from her, not even the Star God Emperor would dare behave in such a manner.
Jasmine slightly frowned, something that rarely happened.
"Caizhi, what happened?"
Upon seeing her younger sister's anxious expression, her heart immediately became uneasy.
During the years she had spent away from the Star God Realm, Caizhi had officially accepted the inheritance of the Heavenly Wolf Star God. To countless people in the God Realm, inheriting the power of a Star God was a supreme honor, something they would never even dare dream of attaining. But to Jasmine, it had never been a blessing—it was a catastrophe. For that reason, whenever she saw Caizhi displaying intense emotions or unusual behavior, she could not help but feel anxious and worried.
But fortunately, such concern proved unnecessary. Caizhi blinked a few times, tilted her head innocently, and then revealed a mischievous, almost malicious smile.
"Eh? Nothing happened, Big Sister! Why are you so nervous?"
Jasmine let out a long sigh of relief. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to calm the heart that had nearly leapt out of her chest.
"…Then why did you rush in like that? It looked like something serious had happened."
Caizhi's smile widened even further after seeing her sister's reaction. Her eyes curved into mischievous little crescents as she lightly swayed her body, clearly excited.
"Because I was really anxious to learn more about my brother-in-law!" she said while quickly moving closer. "Big Sister, you always say he's very strong and handsome, but you hardly ever tell me anything! I've been trying to get more information out of you for two whole years!"
She puffed out her cheeks slightly in fake dissatisfaction before continuing:
"I thought that after all this time, you would finally talk more about him. That's why I got so excited."
Caizhi's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"So? What is he really like? Is he truly as powerful as you said? And… does he treat Big Sister well?"
Her voice lowered slightly at the end, though the mischievous smile still remained on her face.
"Have you two already… done husband-and-wife things?"
Jasmine violently choked.
"—Cough!"
Her entire face instantly turned red, an explosive mixture of embarrassment and anger appearing in her black eyes. She pointed a finger at her younger sister, her voice coming out louder than intended:
"Caizhi! What are you talking about?! Who taught you to say such indecent things?! You… you are a princess of the Star God Realm! How dare you ask something like that?!"
Caizhi giggled softly, covering her mouth with one hand, clearly enjoying her sister's explosive reaction.
"But Big Sister… you yourself said he's your husband! It's normal to want to know these things, isn't it? Besides, you turn red every single time we talk about him… That can only mean you've already done it, right? And you don't want to tell me! How unfair! I'm your younger sister, I should know these important things!"
Jasmine deeply sighed, massaging her temples with her delicate fingers. Her face still carried a faint blush, but she regained part of her usual composure, although her black eyes revealed a complex mixture of irritation, embarrassment, and an almost imperceptible softness whenever Ren Zu was mentioned.
She remained silent for several seconds, pondering.
During the past two years, Jasmine had avoided speaking deeply about Ren Zu with Caizhi precisely because of the countless eyes and ears spread throughout the Star God Realm. Any remotely important information could easily reach the wrong ears.
But now the situation was different.
The Profound God Convention was rapidly approaching, and within a few months, the existence of her husband would inevitably become known throughout the entire God Realm anyway.
In that case…
Perhaps it was already time to tell her a little more.
Jasmine looked at her younger sister, who stared back at her with those bright eyes full of childish curiosity and mischief. A resigned sigh escaped her lips.
"…Alright. I'll tell you a little about him..."
Caizhi's eyes immediately shone with excitement.
Jasmine hesitated for a moment, as though carefully choosing her words. Her voice came out lower, almost reluctant:
"His name is Ren Zu. He is… different from anyone I have ever met. Strong. Extremely strong. So strong that sometimes even I wonder whether he is truly human. He not only helped me reconstruct my body, but also gave me resources and knowledge that allowed me to advance this much in only two years."
"He is calm, almost irritatingly calm most of the time. But when he wants to, he can be… gentle. And extremely stubborn. He makes promises to me and actually fulfills every single one of them, even when I do not ask him to. And…"
Jasmine paused for a second, her face growing slightly redder.
"…He treats me well. Very well. Sometimes even too well....."
Caizhi tilted her head, her mischievous smile widening.
"And is he handsome?"
Jasmine snorted and turned her face to the side.
"…Ridiculously handsome. The kind that feels unfair to the rest of the world. If he appeared here, he would probably cause an uproar among the girls of the realm...."
Caizhi let out a muffled laugh, clearly delighted by the answer.
"So my brother-in-law is strong, handsome, gentle, and stubborn… Wow, Big Sister really found someone incredible! When is he coming here? I want to meet my brother-in-law already!"
Jasmine narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at her younger sister in warning.
"Don't get so excited. And don't think about doing anything foolish when he appears. He… he is important to me. Understood?"
Caizhi nodded vigorously, but the mischievous gleam in her eyes showed that she was already planning something.
Jasmine released another low sigh. She had watched that girl grow up since childhood; how could she not notice what was truly going through her head? Besides, Caizhi suddenly barging into her chambers just to ask about Ren Zu clearly was not the real reason.
"Caizhi."
Jasmine's gaze suddenly sharpened, and her expression became serious.
"I watched you grow up. Don't try to lie to me." Her black eyes locked directly onto her younger sister. "What exactly are you trying to do? I don't believe wanting to know about Ren Zu is the reason you entered my chambers so anxiously. Stop trying to divert my attention...."
"I…"
Caizhi discreetly bit her lips while looking away. Her voice, previously full of energy, became much lower and hesitant.
"...Actually, I wanted to go out for a bit, Sister…"
Jasmine narrowed her eyes, her expression growing even more serious upon noticing her younger sister's unusual hesitation. She knew Caizhi better than anyone; that girl rarely became nervous or evasive without a concrete reason....
"Caizhi," she called out in a low voice filled with authority. "Look at me."
Caizhi bit her lower lip, her fingers nervously playing with the colorful hem of her skirt. After several seconds of silence, she finally raised her gaze, her bright eyes now carrying a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
"I… can't stand being locked up here anymore. Big Sister, why don't you just come with me? Please, please! We can go out together, and you won't need to worry about me..." Her gaze became watery, as though she were a pitiful little kitten begging for food.
Jasmine narrowed her eyes for a long moment, analyzing the almost pleading expression of her younger sister. Caizhi rarely displayed such anxiety over something as simple as "going out for a while." After silently considering it, she let out a resigned sigh.
"…Alright. I'll go with you," Jasmine said, her voice still filled with authority but carrying a faint trace of surrender. "There is no reason for you to come in here so anxiously and try to improve my mood by talking about Ren Zu like that. If you want to go out, then we will go together. But don't think you'll be able to do whatever you want on your own."
Caizhi's face immediately lit up, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"Really?! Big Sister is the best!"
She stuck out her tongue playfully before continuing with a mischievous smile:
"Ever since you met brother-in-law, Big Sister has become much nicer~ Before, you would never consider going out with me this easily!"
Jasmine felt her face heat up once again. She pointed a finger at her younger sister with a stern expression.
"Caizhi! Don't push your luck. Do you want me to change my mind?"
Caizhi quickly covered her mouth with both hands, pretending to regret her words, though her eyes were still dancing with happiness.
"Sorry, Big Sister! I didn't mean anything bad… I promise I'll behave!"
Jasmine snorted, but she could not completely hide the faint smile that appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Then let's go already. Didn't you want to go out?"
Caizhi nodded vigorously, jumping in excitement before affectionately grabbing Jasmine's arm.
The two sisters left Jasmine's private chambers together, walking through the silent corridors of the Star God Hall....
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