Sworn Sisterhood and the Shocking Secret

As Ethan Chu’s wine cup slipped from his hand and hit the floor, everyone’s breathing grew tense. Hearing about such a past, no one could bear it. In their eyes, they were already one family—squabbling was harmless, and besides, what family doesn’t bicker sometimes? But one thing was certain: they would never allow outsiders to hurt any member of their family.

But the culprit, his elder brother, was already dead. All they could do now was comfort Ethan—there was nothing else left to do.

“Sixth Brother...” Butterfly Rogue instinctively walked over to Ethan, eyes full of deep sympathy. If he’d gone through something like that himself, he doubted he could have survived.

“He wouldn’t have let him off so easily, right?” Ivy Shen clenched her fists tightly. Even though that brother was already dead, her hatred hadn’t faded—in fact, it had only grown stronger.

“Yeah. When his brother saw the chains only went through his shoulders, he got furious and ordered them to sever Ethan’s hand and foot tendons, saying shoulder wounds could heal. Right then, Mistress Yvonne showed up and scolded him—if his limbs were crippled, how could such a handsome man serve her in bed? She said a useless cripple would be no fun and praised the Fiend Duo’s skills. Besides, the Black-and-White Fiend Duo are seriously formidable.”

“In the end, his brother looked at all the male concubines in the manor, saw how greedy the mistress was, and agreed. He must have thought the city mistress would really ‘use’ Ethan. Actually, you probably know—the Chu prince later became emperor, right? I’ve always worried Chu Kingdom would attack Lark City for ‘stealing’ their pawn. But the truth is, the emperor never knew Mistress Yvonne actually saved Ethan’s life and never touched him. She even gave him away as a prize in a singing contest, which was her way of giving him a chance to escape. The Crown Prince got so mad when he found out, he swore to attack Lark City after ascending the throne. From start to finish, Mistress Yvonne never laid a finger on Ethan—the real villain was his own brother!”

“Are you serious?” Ivy Shen asked in shock.

“Of course! Dongdong saw everything with his own eyes. Back then, I was one of Mistress Yvonne’s male concubines—the Chu prince was brought here, got chained through the bone, and was later taken away by the woman who won the singing contest. Dongdong remembers it all, I swear!”

“Mm.” Ethan listened to the cruel story, and his body almost collapsed against a pillar. Luckily, Adrian Night quickly caught him.

“Sit down, quick!” Eli Crane, who was standing next to Adrian, hurriedly pulled Ethan into a seat.

“Sixth Brother, are you okay? Venom, come check on him!” Butterfly Rogue was closest to Ethan, so when he saw Ethan feeling unwell, he panicked.

“I’m fine!” Ethan waved his hand. He knew he wasn’t sick—his heart just hurt so much he could barely take it. Knowing the truth was one thing, but having it laid out so nakedly made him feel weak, too weak to bear it.

“Take this.” Lucian Vane stepped up and handed Ethan a pill, telling him to swallow it.

“What did you just give him?” Butterfly Rogue demanded. He hadn’t even seen Lucian check Ethan’s pulse!

“Poison!” Lucian rolled his eyes at Butterfly. Could this idiot stop asking such dumb questions?

At that moment, Colin Kerr, who’d been quiet, couldn’t help asking, “Is your mistress sick or practicing some weird cultivation? Otherwise, how could one woman handle so many men...?”

“I... I’m not sure either. They say if she doesn’t live this way, Mistress suffers pain like her bones are being eaten alive—she can’t bear it. All those men truly love her and can’t stand seeing her suffer. Nobody really knows the answer, and nobody dares ask. They just know if she doesn’t live like this, she’s in agony, so they help her, whether it’s an illness or cultivation art. They’ll never just stand by and watch her hurt.” Dongdong had always wanted to know the truth, but no one would ever say.

“So that’s why your mistress never lets any relatives stay overnight?” Colin pressed.

“Yeah. Mistress doesn’t want her family to see her like this. Today, she genuinely likes Miss Shen and truly wants to be her friend. Listening to songs is her only hobby—Lanny once said that beautiful music always lifts her mood.” Dongdong explained what he knew.

But Ivy Shen didn’t buy it. She doubted Yvonne Li’s love of music was really for that reason—so what was the truth, then?!

“Little Shen!” Suddenly, Yvonne Li’s voice rang out from afar. She strode in quickly, with Lanny still at her side—clearly, she doted on him.

Seeing this, Ivy Shen stood up with a gentle smile. “Finished your business?”

“Haha, sorry about that—let you all see a bit of a joke.” Yvonne Li laughed heartily, without a trace of pretense.

Watching Yvonne Li, Ivy suddenly realized you can’t judge people by rumors or appearances. Sure, she wasn’t much to look at, but she was bold and straightforward, saying whatever was on her mind—way better than someone like Yeqingqing, who wore a pretty face but was a monster inside.

“Do you like the food and wine?” Yvonne Li asked, glancing at the dishes on the table.

“Very much! How did you know I liked peach-blossom wine?”

“Really? What a coincidence, I love it too! I just thought I’d share something I like with my little sister—didn’t think too much about it.” Yvonne answered honestly, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Lanny: “Is everything ready?”

“All ready,” Lanny replied quickly, but his brows furrowed—clearly, this event made him uneasy.

[Irrelevant webnovel system message—skip translation.]

“Come on, Little Shen!” Yvonne didn’t hesitate—she grabbed Ivy’s hand and led her forward, with everyone else following along.

They passed through the courtyard and over a small bridge, soon arriving at a cozy little peach-blossom grove—just twenty or so trees, not large, but warm and inviting.

Ivy Shen noticed a wooden table set up on a clearing among the peach trees, covered with offerings—peaches, a whole chicken, some rice. No need to guess—she knew these were for a sworn-sister ceremony.

“Little Shen, I’ve got everything ready—how about we swear sisterhood?” Yvonne Li blurted out, barely able to contain her excitement.

Ivy didn’t answer right away. She studied this woman—about thirty or forty, actually quite pretty, just a bit chubby. The extra weight squeezed her big eyes small, but if she cared more about her looks, she’d be a real beauty.

“Mistress, are you really going to swear sisterhood with her? You don’t even know where she came from!” Lanny couldn’t help but speak up.

“Shut up!” Yvonne Li shot him an annoyed look, and he instantly fell silent, not daring to say another word.

“Little Shen, I’ve never liked any woman as much as you. You’re the first. I sincerely want to be sworn sisters—will you accept?” Yvonne asked again, earnest as ever.

Ivy nodded. “He’s not wrong—you don’t even know my real identity, yet you dare to swear sisterhood? Aren’t you afraid I might be here to hurt you?” she asked, looking at Yvonne.

Yvonne laughed. “Who hasn’t died since ancient times? But a true soulmate is hard to find. If I want you as my sister, I’m not afraid of being hurt. I know my reputation’s terrible, so maybe you’re wary, but I really mean it—whatever I have, you’ll have too. If you ever need me, I’ll help you, no matter what.” Yvonne was refreshingly direct.

“Why?” Ivy still voiced her inner doubt—why did Yvonne want so badly to be sisters with her?

“If you ask me why, I honestly don’t know—maybe it’s because you’re talented. I just feel like we have a lot in common. Look, I’m not some scholar who can dress it up fancy. I just want to be sisters with you, plain and simple!” Yvonne said boldly, not a trace of pretension.

Lanny hurried to protest: “Mistress, why bother? You don’t even know their backgrounds. Now they all know your secret—what if they want to hurt you?”

“Mistress...” Dongdong couldn’t help but call out softly. He looked worriedly at Ivy Shen, then back at his mistress.

“Since I’m letting them stay the night, I don’t see them as outsiders. Today, I truly want to swear sisterhood with Little Shen. If she really means to harm me, then so be it. But one thing’s for sure—no matter what, I, Yvonne Li, will never hurt you or anyone you care about, not even a little!” Yvonne promised firmly.

Hearing this, Ivy Shen grinned, showing extended teeth. What a bold, straightforward woman—she really liked her!