Ye Chaomu could sense Xiang Shaoyun's current condition, but she was not nervous at all. Rather, she enjoyed it and felt somewhat bashful. She had known they were not biologically related since young. They called each other brother and sister, but as they grew, she slowly started looking at him as her other half instead.

She enjoyed being pampered by him, liked how he yielded to her in everything, and loved his carefree bearing. Slowly, Xiang Shaoyun's face neared her face, to the point they were now breathing on each other.

Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to completely lose control over himself, the liquor he had drunk earlier started acting up on him. He quickly pushed Ye Chaomu away and threw up everything he had eaten.

Ye Chaomu was practically fuming as she stamped her foot and berated, "Bastard! Why did you drink so much?"

She might be scolding him, but she still held him up and patted his back, helping him feel better.

"Phew, I feel much better after throwing up. I'm all fine now," said Xiang Shaoyun after a while. "Get someone here to clean this mess up. I'm taking a short rest. We can catch up again later."

Acting like he had not remembered what he had almost done, he walked to the bed and directly collapsed on it before falling into deep sleep.

Ye Chaomu was left fuming as she pressed both hands on her waist and grumbled, "You're a pig! Just drink to your death!"

...

The night passed quickly, and it was morning again. Xiang Shaoyun woke up and was stretching comfortably when he suddenly sensed his nakedness.

Then, he saw Ye Chaomu lying by his side on the bed. His face shifted as he cried out in alarm, "AHH!"

His shout awakened Ye Chaomu. She looked at him blankly and said, "Big brother, what are you shouting for? Let me sleep a bit more."

"You! Why are you still sleeping? What happened last night?" asked Xiang Shaoyun as he covered himself with the blanket.

Ye Chaomu's head finally cleared up a little, and when she saw Xiang Shaoyun behaving like he had just been molested, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "Haha, big brother, you wouldn't have thought that I had molested you, right?"

"Stop joking around! I'm your big brother! I'm...I'm afraid that...when drunk...drunk..." Xiang Shaoyun couldn't finish his sentence. Ye Chaomu was his little sister. If he did something he shouldn't have, he would not be able to forgive himself.

"You're afraid you did something you shouldn't have when you were drunk?" asked Ye Chaomu as she slowly leaned forward with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Ye Chaomu, be serious! We can't joke about this! Tell me, did we...do that?" asked Xiang Shaoyun, shrinking even more into the blanket.

"Hehe, I am solemnly telling you that...yes, we did it. From now on, I am no longer your little sister. I'm your woman. You need to take responsibility for what you did," said Ye Chaomu with a smug smile.

"It's over! It's over! Why did that happen? Damn it!" Xiang Shaoyun pulled his own hair and grumbled in guilt.

Looking at Xiang Shaoyun, Ye Chaomu said gently, "Foolish big brother, I am not that kind of woman."

"What does that mean?" Xiang Shaoyun raised his head and looked at her.

"What I'm saying is, you were drunk last night and threw up everywhere. You got your vomit all over yourself, too. So I had to take your clothes off and get the servants to clean them. Nothing happened between us," explained Ye Chaomu.

"Is that so? That's good to hear!" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in joy.

"Don't you want anything to happen between us?" asked Ye Chaomu with a pout.

"Haha, I'm your big brother! It would be a mess if something did happen between us!" said Xiang Shaoyun with a hearty laugh. "Alright, can you go out first? I need to put something on."

"But we are not related at all! Do you remember father saying that he would marry me to you if you couldn't find a wife in the future?" Ye Chaomu pushed on stubbornly.

"You trust father's words? What a foolish girl." Xiang Shaoyun rolled his eyes.

"I don't care. I want to be with big brother forever. I won't allow any other woman to like you. Let's get it done right this instant!" said Ye Chaomu resolutely.

She then pulled Xiang Shaoyun's blanket away, revealing his firm, muscular chest.

"HEY! HEY! Have you gone mad?" Xiang Shaoyun screeched.

"Hehe, Big Brother Shaoyun, just take me. I will treat you well in the future," said Ye Chaomu with a devilish smile on her face.

"Ye Chaomu...you can get my body, but you won't be able to get my heart!" yelled Xiang Shaoyun with a resolute tone.

Crack!

...

After a long while, Ye Chaomu finally left the room with a satisfied look on her face. With the wide smile she had, it was clear she was in an excellent mood. Behind her was Xiang Shaoyun who had on a gloomy expression. "Ye Chaomu, are you a dog or a human? Why did you bite me that hard?"

"Hmph! If I don't bite hard, you won't learn your lesson!" said Ye Chaomu smugly.

"You are a little devil," declared Xiang Shaoyun.

"Yes, I am a little devil. You will never be able to escape me," said Ye Chaomu as she brandished her fist at Xiang Shaoyun.

Xiang Shaoyun couldn't be bothered to continue bickering with her, and he headed to Elder Zhen Peng's room. Elder Zhen Peng was already awake. He was staring at the ceiling with a pair of empty eyes. No emotion could be seen in his eyes, as if there was no longer any meaning in life for him. Even when Xiang Shaoyun approached him, he did not react.

Looking at Elder Zhen Peng's condition filled Xiang Shaoyun with guilt. He spoke gently, "Elder Zhen Peng, I'm here to see you."

Finally, there were some movements in Elder Zhen Peng's eyes. Sorrow filled them as he said with a hoarse voice, "M-Martial Hall Palace is no more."

Xiang Shaoyun gripped his hand and said, "I am sorry, Elder Zhen Peng. It was my fault. Without me, this calamity would not have happened to the Martial Hall Palace, and you wouldn't have suffered this much either."

"Sigh," Elder Zhen Peng took a long sigh before shutting his eyes again, seemingly not having anything more to say.

"Elder Zhen Peng, this is a clearmoon vine. It will help restore your meridians. Here, eat it. I'll help you up," said Xiang Shaoyun as he took the clearmoon vine out.

Elder Zhen Peng opened his eyes and asked in agitation, "Will I recover?"

"Yes, you will be able to stand on your own feet again soon," Xiang Shaoyun solemnly promised.

"Ok! I want to get back up! I want to rebuild the Martial Hall Palace! I will not let the Martial Hall Palace end here!" said Elder Zhen Peng with a look of resolute longing.

For some reason, a sense of veneration rose in Xiang Shaoyun when he heard those words. He said solemnly, "Ok. When you get well again, I will do everything I can to help you rebuild the Martial Hall Palace. In the future, it will be even more powerful than the Cloud Margin Pavilion, becoming an organization that will last forever!"

He then fed Elder Zhen Peng the clearmoon vine.