Sorry, I'm a cultivator.

From infancy to the end of the college entrance exam... uh.

Li Xingzhou hadn't thought much of it before, but now, looking at it again, he had a strange feeling.

A photo of me and my sister that I've taken every single day since I was a child...

Li Xingzhou flipped through the pages, his expression gradually becoming strange.

Why does Jiang Wanzhao's gaze seem a little off?

He knew Jiang Wanzhao was very controlling, but he used to think it was just a mutual reliance among people who had no relatives to rely on. But now...

Li Xingzhou couldn't help but recall the name he changed when he registered his household after leaving the orphanage: Jiang Wanzhao, Li Xingzhou.

She said, "You're just an adopted son, so you should take the surname Li."

Li Xingzhou believed it at the time and lived in fear for many years because of it—fearing that Jiang Wanzhao would abandon him.

But later I pretended to believe it, after all, their appearances are what they are, it can't be because they look alike after living together for a long time, right?

Li Xingzhou paused as he flipped through the photo album, a picture from his junior high school days stirring up long-forgotten memories.

I remember that time a classmate told him about a mysterious website, www.___.com. When he got home, he clicked on it out of curiosity, and then…

That was the first time Jiang Wanzhao had ever lost her temper, and she immediately arranged for him to transfer schools.

He was so frightened that he trembled with fear.

However, Jiang Wanzhao wasn't angry the next day; she just gave him a new laptop, albeit with dark circles under her eyes.

My laptop is full of visual novels, many of them R18, and they're all older sister-themed.

Li Xingzhou's favorite game is the Gray Fruit Trilogy.

However, Jiang Wanzhao preferred to have him play "Kisaragi Maaya no Yuubutsu" (The Temptation of Kisaragi Maaya)...

The photo shows Jiang Wanzhao standing behind him, supervising him as he plays this game...

As he watched, Li Xingzhou was somewhat speechless. No wonder...

No wonder Jiang Wanzhao, with her beautiful appearance and excellent grades, ignores numerous suitors; no wonder she never comes home late; no wonder she manages her own life single-handedly…

Having gained more experience, Li Xingzhou came to a realization.

But why?

Because her father, who was little when she was in the orphanage, stood up for her and fought for her?

Or is it because of something else?

I don't even have such thoughts myself, how could she have them?

Li Xingzhou closed the photo album, lost in thought.

Could it be that Jiang Wanzhao's reason for making me come here to see this photo album as soon as I returned from Longxing Island?

While I was thinking, there was a knock on the door.

Liu Ying's voice rang out: "The Chief of Staff wants to see you."

After putting away the photo album, Li Xingzhou walked out of the mansion, asking as he went, "What's wrong with my sister's health?"

Li Xingzhou was knowledgeable in pharmacology and alchemy; after all, he had specifically learned them after arriving in the other world for Jiang Wanzhao's illness.

But I never expected that after she came back, even though my sister was so powerful that she could control time, her body was still so weak.

Strange.

"I do not know."

"Is it that you don't know, or that you don't want to say?"

"I really don't know," Liu Ying quickly said. "I just followed the prescription given by the Chief to get the medicine and brew it. Since the required medicinal materials are different each time, I really can't tell what illness the Chief has."

Although she still harbored some doubts about Li Xingzhou's sudden return, at least the Chief was happy now, so she certainly wouldn't be arrogant enough to question Li Xingzhou first.

That is not the behavior of a wise person.

"Collect the prescription and give it to me in a bit."

After Li Xingzhou finished speaking, he pushed open the door and walked into the Song-style house.

He paused in his steps.

She was still as beautiful as ever, wearing a short-sleeved nightgown. Her eyebrows were delicate and graceful, her eyes were like stars, and her fair cheeks were smooth and pointed. The lines of her features and face were exquisite and delicate. She was a beautiful woman.

He knew Jiang Wanzhao was beautiful, but after many years, her former cold and aloof demeanor was almost gone, replaced by a haughty and domineering air that came with long-standing power.

I feel more pressured than before.

After changing into slippers, Li Xingzhou started walking again. What reassured him was that Jiang Wanzhao's nightgown wasn't sexy.

Only her fair, jade-like calves and delicate, snow-white feet were visible beneath her skirt.

Li Xingzhou reassured himself that he was overthinking things. If Jiang Wanzhao really had any ulterior motives, she might have dressed even more daringly right now.

And thinking about it carefully, Jiang Wanzhao hadn't done anything outrageous before.

"Sister," Li Xingzhou observed her regained rosy complexion, "what's wrong with your health? Is it still a lingering effect of that unheard-of disease from before?"

Jiang Wanzhao was also observing Li Xingzhou's expression; she deliberately let Li Xingzhou go to the old villa first.

The purpose, of course, was to give him a new concept of 'older sister'.

With the groundwork laid, the subsequent progress will be much smoother.

"Sit down first, let me give you a haircut." Jiang Wanzhao walked towards the balcony: "Let's chat while I cut your hair."

Li Xingzhou opened his mouth, but before he could finish speaking, he smiled and asked, "Sister, do you still have this skill?"

"No." Jiang Wanzhao picked up the hair clippers and smiled slightly. "If I accidentally cut you, don't blame your older sister~"

How could that be?

Li Xingzhou sat down in the chair, thinking to himself, "My sister may be strong, but how could a mere pair of scissors hurt her?"

These scissors couldn't possibly be some kind of ultimate imperial weapon...

hiss……

Li Xingzhou subconsciously tilted his head and felt a cold sensation behind his ear, followed by a heat.

You don't even need to look to know there's bleeding.

?

Li Xingzhou turned to look at the hair clippers in Jiang Wanzhao's hand: "This..."

"Even the rising sun can shatter the darkness, so it's reasonable for these hair clippers to be a bit stronger," Jiang Wanzhao comforted softly. "On the way back, I noticed you were incredibly stiff; ordinary hair clippers definitely wouldn't work on you, so I specially had someone prepare a new one. I even used a little force, but I didn't control it well..."

I'm sorry, I hurt you.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt," Li Xingzhou quickly said, straightening his head again.

It's normal for siblings to get hurt in their playful fights.

Jiang Wanzhao calmly collected some of Li Xingzhou's hair and blood, and then used the power of time to heal his wounds.

To avoid giving anything away, she cut the hair crookedly more than once, and then quickly apologized, comforted the person, and tried to heal her wounds...

"See, this little injury will heal in no time. With your big sister here, I won't let you be in any danger. Just be a good girl and don't move~"

Jiang Wanzhao stared at the back of Li Xingzhou's head, her gaze meaningful.

Li Xingzhou hummed in agreement and then closed his eyes.

That's right, my sister will always save me from dire straits. As for where those dire straits come from...

Li Xingzhou didn't want to get involved.

······

Author's Note: During this double monthly pass period, please vote for me and continue reading!

Chapter 13 Jiang Wanzhao's 'Water and Fire' Tactics

After getting his hair cut, Li Xingzhou went to the bathroom immediately.

Jiang Wanzhao urged him to do it, but more importantly, he wanted to take care of it himself again.

Jiang Wanzhao's haircut looked like it had been chewed by a dog; it was hard to look at.

After watching Li Xingzhou enter the restroom, Jiang Wanzhao quietly came to the door and handed Li Xingzhou, along with her own blood and hair, to Liu Ying, who was waiting there.

"Send it for testing, and don't let anyone else know!"

Hearing the chief's slightly hurried tone, Liu Ying was taken aback.

What did the Chief of Staff discover?

Li Xingzhou... could it not be the real Li Xingzhou?

Yes, that might be true.

In this day and age, some summoners do indeed summon the deceased, and Li Xingzhou might be one of them.

Otherwise, how can we explain the sudden appearance of a 'dead person' who has been missing for a long time, and who has become so strong?

If the Dragon Suppression Lock, a blood sacrifice array, is combined with the Chief's deep-seated obsession, it might actually summon some strange and unusual things.

Is the Chief of Staff feeling uneasy because he thinks this 'Li Xingzhou' looks too much like Li Xingzhou?

Yes, it's just like when an emperor encounters a woman in the common people who looks exactly like his deceased beloved empress: a three-tenths resemblance can guarantee a lifetime of glory, a five-tenths resemblance can guarantee three generations of wealth, but a nine-tenths resemblance plus complete familiarity with everything means nothing more than a nine-generation family wipeout.

This is probably how the current chief of staff feels.

Liu Ying understood.

If it was indeed a deliberate scheme, then it must be related to the betrayal of Jin Yunting and others!

If everything goes as the Chief of Staff predicted, then this is a 'fake brother case' with ulterior motives!

"Yes!"

Liu Ying turned to leave, but Jiang Wanzhao said again, "Have Tang Yao come and stand guard."

Liu Ying was taken aback for a moment: "Yes, ma'am."