The fragrance of medicinal herbs lingered within the cave dwelling.
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Lu Ning felt Hua Lingyue’s eyes wandering unscrupulously over her body.
She thought, ‘This is bad.’
“Sect Master Lu, your current state truly puts me in a bind,” Hua Lingyue said.
Her voice was as crisp as a silver bell, but to Lu Ning’s ears, it was chilling.
“Tell me, what should I do with you?”
Hua Lingyue’s fingertips lightly brushed across Lu Ning’s cheek.
The gesture was flippant and aggressive.
“Should I reveal the secret of your lost cultivation and your male disguise to the world? I’m sure your enemies from the Righteous Path would love to ‘entertain’ you.”
“Or perhaps…”
Hua Lingyue’s gaze drifted downward, settling on Lu Ning’s breathtaking curves, which were accentuated by the constricting vines.
A strange light flickered in her eyes.
“Should I keep you by my side? I’d love to study this legendary Heavenly Demon Body and see what makes it so extraordinary.”
Lu Ning’s heart sank.
She knew she could not afford to fall into this woman’s hands.
Given Hua Lingyue’s erratic personality and her unusual interest in beautiful women, falling into her grasp would lead to a terrifying fate.
‘I must find a way to save myself!’
Her mind raced.
A direct confrontation was impossible; she currently had no cultivation to fight back with.
Should she beg for mercy?
Given the situation, that would likely be useless against Hua Lingyue—it might even embolden her.
‘In that case… I have to take a gamble!’
A wild plan formed in Lu Ning’s mind.
She looked at Hua Lingyue, who was playfully enjoying her distress, and took a deep breath.
The panic on her face vanished instantly.
Lu Ning’s voice returned to its original cold, melodious tone.
“I intended to keep this hidden, but I suppose I must come clean now…”
Hua Lingyue was momentarily stunned by the sudden change, but her smile only widened.
“Oh? Is Sect Master Lu finally dropping the act?”
“Do you have some other trick up your sleeve?”
“Indeed.”
Lu Ning met her gaze, her cold eyes shimmering slightly.
“Take some advice from a senior. You had better release me right now.”
“Otherwise, face the consequences…”
Hua Lingyue burst into laughter.
“Hahaha… face the consequences?”
Her laughter echoed through the empty cave dwelling.
“Sect Master Lu, have you failed to realize your situation?”
“You’re a cripple who has lost her cultivation. What right do you have to speak to me like that?”
“Is it because of this face?”
Hua Lingyue lightly pinched Lu Ning’s cheek in a provocative manner.
“I admit, you are beautiful—so beautiful that even I feel a bit of a flutter. But do you think a mere face is enough to frighten me? You’ve underestimated me.”
Lu Ning sneered inwardly at Hua Lingyue’s arrogance.
A look of resolve flashed in her eyes.
She knew her next words would be a massive gamble.
If she won, she would temporarily escape this predicament, and her captor might even have to treat her with the utmost respect.
If she lost… she would be finished here today.
“Hua Lingyue.”
Lu Ning’s voice was perfectly calm as she stared at her with clear eyes.
“Aren’t you even a little curious as to why I appeared in the forbidden grounds of your Hundred Flowers Valley?”
Hua Lingyue’s smile faltered.
That was indeed the one thing she had not been able to figure out.
Tiandu City was over 10,000 miles away.
How could Lu Ning have appeared so precisely in their forbidden area in such a short time?
Was it a coincidence?
No, the world did not have that many coincidences.
“What are you trying to say?”
Hua Lingyue’s brow furrowed, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
A meaningful curve formed at the corners of Lu Ning’s lips.
“Because your Master brought me here.”
“What?”
Hua Lingyue’s pupils constricted, shock finally breaking through her composure.
“Impossible! My Master… how could she…”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
Lu Ning interrupted, her tone laced with mockery.
“Don’t be naive, little girl.”
Seeing Hua Lingyue’s shifting expression, Lu Ning increased the stakes.
“Why do you think your Master has always rejected you? It is because her goal was me from the very beginning.”
“She already knew my secrets—that my cultivation had plummeted after the ambush by the three leaders of the Righteous Path, and that I was a woman disguised as a man.”
“Her reason for attending Ji Linglong’s birthday banquet in Tiandu City was for one purpose only.”
“To have me.”
Lu Ning’s words were like a thunderclap in Hua Lingyue’s mind.
She stared blankly at Lu Ning, her pretty face filled with disbelief and internal struggle.
“No… that’s impossible… Master isn’t that kind of person…”
“Not that kind of person?”
Lu Ning let out a light laugh filled with pity.
“Then tell me, why was it such a coincidence that she appeared in Tiandu City? And why did she teleport me alone to the forbidden grounds of the Hundred Flowers Valley?”
It was true… everything was too perfect.
It was as if it had all been arranged in advance.
Hua Lingyue was not a fool; she had only ignored these doubts because of her blind devotion to her Master.
Now, under Lu Ning’s manipulation, her resolve wavered.
“So…”
Hua Lingyue’s voice trembled slightly.
“Master… did she really…”
“That’s right.”
Seeing her distraught state, Lu Ning knew her plan was halfway to success.
She leaned in close to Hua Lingyue’s ear and whispered, “Everything your Master did was to get her hands on me.”
“In fact, she already got what she wanted back in Tiandu City.”
“I belong completely to your Master now.”
“Tell me, if she finds out that her favorite disciple was pawing at the ‘treasure’ she worked so hard to obtain…”
“What do you think she’ll do to you?”
Lu Ning’s voice was like a devil’s whisper, echoing softly.
“Will she expel you from the sect, or… will she cripple your cultivation and ensure you never recover?”
“Now, have you carefully considered the consequences of touching me?”
As Lu Ning’s voice trailed off, the cave dwelling fell into a deathly silence.
Hua Lingyue stood rooted to the spot, her eyes vacant.
Only one thought swirled frantically in her mind.
‘Has Master really been… defiled by this great devil? And it was Master who took the initiative?’