[Hanya's lips moved slightly before she shook her head.]
["I'm tired... not eating."]
[Exhaustion weighed on her, and a strange taste lingered in her mouth—no amount of rinsing could get rid of it. She truly had no appetite.]
[Staggering into the bedroom, she collapsed onto the bed face-first.]
[Xueyi hurried after her, clicking her tongue at her sister's utterly spent state. "At least take off your outer clothes before flopping onto the bed!"]
[But Hanya showed no reaction—as if she had already fallen asleep in that brief moment.]
[Xueyi sighed and began peeling off her sister's clothes herself.]
[Then her body froze. There, on Hanya's shoulder, was a vivid love bite. Worse still, her back bore countless marks—some from rope bindings, others clearly left by slapping hands.]
[Just what had her little sister been doing?!]
[Horror surged through Xueyi. She nearly shook her sister awake for answers, but Hanya slept so soundly that she couldn't bring herself to disturb her. For now, she swallowed her questions.]
[The next morning, after a sleepless night, Xueyi casually asked, "Those injuries on your back... what happened?"]
[Hanya stiffened slightly before playing dumb. "My back? What about it? There's nothing wrong with it!"]
[Xueyi's lips parted, then closed. Seeing her sister's reluctance, she dropped the subject.]
["Little sister, if you're in trouble, just tell me. I'm your elder sister, after all..." A moment later, she added worriedly.]
["Don't worry, sis! I'm really fine!" Hanya forced a bright smile, flexing her biceps in exaggerated cheer.]
[This only deepened Xueyi's concern. Her sister was usually lazy and dead-eyed—this sudden change meant something was very wrong.]
[Since direct questioning wouldn't work, Xueyi quietly resolved to investigate.]
[Her suspicions now awakened, she began observing Hanya's every move—and soon noticed several red flags.]
[Sometimes, Hanya would rush straight to the shower upon returning, as though desperate to wash something off her body.]
[Though the door shut quickly, Xueyi caught a faint, peculiar scent—something like flowering hawthorn.]
[Other times, Hanya returned flushed as if with fever, her legs trembling weakly beneath her.]
[At times, Xueyi even detected layered fragrances clinging to her sister's skin.]
[The marks on Hanya's body also kept reappearing—fortunately, they were usually faint enough to vanish after a night's sleep.]
[Could her sister have a boyfriend? Xueyi quickly dismissed the thought. Even for lovers, this was... excessive.]
[Then she remembered—when rescuing her, Hanya had sought help from the Kongse Master of the Yaoshi Sect. The answer struck her like lightning.]
[The thought of her precious little sister being pinned beneath some man, used and marked at his whim, set Xueyi's vision burning red. She wanted nothing more than to tear the bastard limb from limb!]
[His status? Power? Irrelevant. Right now, she was simply an enraged elder sister hellbent on protecting her sibling.]
[Days later, when Hanya received another call from Solon and hurriedly announced, "Sis, I've got something to handle—heading out!"]
[Xueyi—who had been watching closely—merely replied, "Mm. Be careful."]
[The moment Hanya left, her expression twisted. Crimson eyes blazing with murderous intent, she changed into stealth gear, armed herself with chain spikes, and gave chase.]
[Xueyi hailed from the Ten-Lords Commission's "Capture" Division—a master of covert pursuit. Hanya, belonging to the "Inquisition" Division, was more of a clerical worker.]
[Using her skills, Xueyi tailed her sister unseen, avoiding all cameras and bystanders.]
[Soon, they arrived at a pocket realm—where a golden palace stood adorned with sheaves of golden grain. Xueyi's fists clenched until her knuckles cracked, her face darkening.]
[This was a Yaoshi Sect branch temple aboard the Xianzhou Cangcheng.]
[For his own pleasure, Solon had erected lavish palaces on every Xianzhou ship under the guise of "sect branches."]
[In truth, only the outer areas functioned as temples. The inner Sanctum of Yaoshi was accessible solely to him and his chosen "Celestial Maidens."]
["Every Yaoshi Sanctum is the Divine Emissary's harem—where he lives like an ancient emperor." This was practically an open secret within the Alliance.]
[While some Reignbow Arbiter devotees sneered at this, followers of Yaoshi considered it an honor to have their women selected as Celestial Maidens.]
[After all, what wasn't enviable about gaining three to four thousand extra years of life just by lying down and spreading your legs?]
[To Solon, this was purely transactional—their bodies in exchange for extended lifespans. A fair, honest trade.]
[But to hypocrites, it was simply proof of his debauchery. The Ten-Lords Commission—having brainwashed Xueyi since childhood—naturally viewed him in the worst light.]
[Watching her sister enter his "harem" ignited her fury to its peak.]
[Her most cherished little sister had indeed been defiled by that lecherous monk!]
[Xueyi had always been reckless—hence her near-death encounter with the bomber. Now, consumed by rage, she failed to notice glaring inconsistencies:]
[How could the headquarters of the Xianzhou's largest religious sect have weaker security than Six Charioteer facilities? Why had she encountered no one since entering?]
[Was it possible that she'd been detected the moment she approached—that guards had been deliberately cleared from her path?]
[Solon watched the oblivious Xueyi creeping through his halls on the surveillance feed, his lips curling in amusement.]
[To lure prey into his trap, he'd issued a series of inexplicable "bald man's micromanagement"—delaying patrols here, shifting guards fifty meters left there... Oh wait, he was bald too. Never mind.]
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