Lin Xinyi had only taken two when an intense wave of fatigue washed over her, growing stronger.
This strange feeling was exactly like the one she had experienced last night.
“Luo Qingyao! Are you behind this?!”
“……”
Lin Xinyi’s steps became increasingly unsteady.
She snatched the ring from her finger and angrily tossed it aside, but the dizzy sensation still wouldn’t disappear.
It was then that Luo Qingyao appeared before her.
“What, finally willing to show yourself? What trick are you playing? Why do I still feel…”
“Uh… how should I put this…”
Luo Qingyao’s expression was somewhat hesitant; even she found it hard to keep up the act.
But after glancing at Bai Qianqian, who had collapsed unconscious on the floor, she gritted her teeth, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and put on a look of ‘just as expected.’
“What? You didn’t think I’d have my own countermeasures while you were scheming against me…”
“You’re trying to stop me from teaching the techniques to Bai Qianqian by keeping me in a constant state of exhaustion, aren’t you…”
“Uh… something like that…”
“Too bad you didn’t anticipate just how terrifying her talent is. She has a photographic memory and mastered both techniques in an instant!”
Lin Xinyi, convinced she had uncovered the other’s plot, grew bolder in her speech, completely failing to notice that Bai Qianqian at her feet had subtly shifted.
Seeing the other’s smug expression, Luo Qingyao was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
She could only stand there, letting Lin Xinyi continue her assumptions.
“Making me fall into this state must have cost you dearly too. Let’s see how many times you can exhaust me~!”
After saying this, Lin Xinyi could no longer hold on.
Her body swayed as she stumbled toward the nearest bed.
The last thing she wanted was to collapse on the floor.
Luo Qingyao watched Lin Xinyi fall onto the bed and completely lose consciousness, then could only shake her head helplessly.
After all, her own cost had been practically nothing.
“She lasted a little longer than last time…”
No sooner had Lin Xinyi tumbled onto the bed than another hand gently picked up the ring from the floor.
Bai Qianqian, watching Lin Xinyi unconscious on the bed, approached with a faint blush on her face.
“Listen to me, run away now. There’s no reason to stay any longer…”
The moment Luo Qingyao appeared, she expressed concern for Bai Qianqian, who stood rooted in place.
But Bai Qianqian only offered a slight bow in response to Luo Qingyao’s concern, then fixed all her attention on the beautiful figure lying on the bed.
“You’ve already mastered both techniques, but you can’t afford to be swayed by emotion now?!”
“Cultivating the Heartless Sword Formula, I am naturally heartless. Practicing the Jade Maiden Dual Cultivation Art, I am naturally consumed by desire…”
“What… what are you saying, Qianqian…”
Luo Qingyao stared at Bai Qianqian, stunned to discover that the two incompatible spiritual energies within her had formed a vortex, even complementing and enhancing each other.
The Heartless Sword Formula, meant to suppress emotion, restrained the desires of the Jade Maiden Dual Cultivation Art, while the desires of the Jade Maiden Art prevented the Heartless Formula from using those same emotions to backlash against her body.
“How… how is this possible…”
Luo Qingyao couldn’t comprehend this miraculous phenomenon.
Even as an Immortal Venerable, she had never witnessed such a thing.
Even in the Immortal Realm, cultivating incompatible techniques would inevitably lead to severed meridians.
But Bai Qianqian showed no ill effects; instead, both techniques continuously nourished her body.
Luo Qingyao hadn’t expected that the techniques Lin Xinyi used to trap Bai Qianqian would eventually evolve into an entirely new path.
“You! You created your own technique?!”
After much thought, Luo Qingyao could only arrive at this conclusion.
But Bai Qianqian tilted her head slightly, her gaze holding none of a child’s innocence.
She raised a finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.
“Sister Luo, no need to worry. There’s no danger here…”
Bai Qianqian slowly approached the bed, gently caressing that silk-soft cheek.
Lin Xinyi, deep in dreams, remained completely unaware that her body was once again being taken advantage of.
Seeing that Bai Qianqian’s cultivation of the techniques produced no harmful effects, Luo Qingyao had no reason to stop her.
Besides, Lin Xinyi showed no intention of killing Bai Qianqian.
“Then… then restrain yourself. At least don’t let her notice before she wakes up…”
Luo Qingyao’s eyes held boundless helplessness, ultimately surrendering to compromise.
After all, what could a remnant soul like her do?
Before Luo Qingyao could finish her warning, Bai Qianqian’s next actions nearly made her heart leap out of her chest—even though she no longer had a heart.
“Wait! You, this! You’ve gone too far!!”
Bai Qianqian climbed directly onto Lin Xinyi’s waist, her girlish body resting there without any weight.
From this elevated position, she leaned down and kissed the unconscious woman forcefully.
“She’s my master now too. For some reason, every time I call her ‘Master,’ my heart races with excitement…”
Bai Qianqian now seemed as if her earlier suffering had all been an act.
Her gaze could no longer accommodate anyone else; even Luo Qingyao, speaking beside her, was completely ignored.
“You… a few kisses are enough, but you can’t do anything more excessive. An Elder’s body is precious…”
No sooner had Luo Qingyao spoken than Bai Qianqian’s hand slipped beneath the fabric at the waist, caressing that willow-slim waist.
Not satisfied, she leaned down further, gently biting the exposed collarbone.
“You… touching beneath the clothes is one thing, but you absolutely must not…”
Hearing the admonishment, Bai Qianqian merely set the ring gently on the corner of the table.
Luo Qingyao’s voice vanished instantly.
With her source of communication muted, Luo Qingyao could only close her eyes and shake her head helplessly.
“Lust is a poison, lust is a poison indeed!”
Luo Qingyao recalled her own days as an Immortal Venerable, how stunning she had been, how many female immortals had made advances.
Though she had rejected them all, it hadn’t stopped her closest friend from drugging her.
“Lin Xinyi… I actually feel a bit sorry for you now…”
After saying this, Luo Qingyao stopped watching.
She silently left the grotto-heaven, seeking solitude.
Meanwhile, Bai Qianqian gently undid the buttons at the chest, revealing the graceful figure beneath.
“The first time I saw Master, I thought she was so beautiful…”
Bai Qianqian carefully studied that beautiful face, unable to look enough.
Even just gazing at the lovely sleeping visage, she couldn’t resist leaning down, wanting to leave her mark.
Reason told her she couldn’t do this, couldn’t go too far.
But Bai Qianqian, for reasons unknown, was simply captivated by the fragrance emanating from the other.
“Such long fingers… It’s okay, right, Master? You’ve accepted me as your disciple; you wouldn’t refuse this little request, would you…”
Bai Qianqian murmured to herself, but no one answered.
Lin Xinyi only felt as if she were trapped in a nightmare, unable to move, a slippery venomous snake coiling tightly around her.
Bai Qianqian gently took Lin Xinyi’s right hand in both of hers, slowly bringing it before her.
She used her teeth to lightly bite the long fingers.
With each gentle touch, a hint of excitement appeared at the corner of her mouth, the redness at the corners of her eyes betraying a morbid pleasure.
“Soft skin, beautiful face, slender body…”
Bai Qianqian, with a certain morbid obsession, marked every inch of this body while its owner remained unaware.
Only when a drop of liquid fell did Bai Qianqian suddenly snap back to reality.
Looking closely, she saw a distinct bite mark already on Lin Xinyi’s shoulder.
“Went too far… can’t leave marks…”
Bai Qianqian’s gaze returned to its usual calm.
She leaned down, extending her tongue to gently lick the the traces left behind, like a puppy tending to a wound, licking again and again.
“So itchy…”
An unintentional murmur from Lin Xinyi instantly plunged the space into terrifying silence.
Bai Qianqian’s body stiffened, then, after confirming no danger, began to tremble slightly—but not from fear.
Bai Qianqian tightly covered her mouth with both hands, trying not to make a sound.
But her eyes betrayed the excitement born from that sudden thrill.
“Master’s voice is so beautiful too… I want… I want to hear… different sounds from Master…”
Bai Qianqian’s fingers trembled; she wanted to part those lips again.
But after taking deep breaths, she finally suppressed the impulse.
“The dosage was small this time. She’ll return to her previous state soon…”
Bai Qianqian recalled that Lin Xinyi had only taken a sip of the tea, understanding she would wake soon.
After continuous deep breathing, she finally calmed down.
Lin Xinyi, meanwhile, felt as if her dream had lasted an eternity.
When she groggily opened her eyes and saw the unfamiliar ceiling, her entire being tensed instantly.
She sat up abruptly.
“How long was I unconscious this time?!”
Lin Xinyi looked around warily, scanning the room.
Spotting Bai Qianqian still unconscious on the floor, she finally relaxed slightly.
“So this is all Luo Qingyao’s scheme—just buying time…”
Lin Xinyi rubbed her slightly aching forehead.
For some reason, her shoulder was unusually sore.
After rolling it a few times, she walked over to Bai Qianqian and nudged her with her foot, but there was still no response.
“One soul-summoning pill will keep her unconscious until midnight. I really should reduce the dosage next time…”
Lin Xinyi went to the corner, looking at the ring she had thrown on the floor.
She slowly crouched, picked it up, hesitated, and finally put it back on her finger.
Though the sudden drowsiness was annoying, the array formations on the ring required her spiritual energy to maintain.
Leaving it off for too long wasn’t an option.
Seeing Bai Qianqian still unconscious on the floor, Luo Qingyao reached out, lifted her, and casually tossed her onto the bed.
After all, she had to maintain her gentle persona.
“Perhaps treating her as a tamed pet wouldn’t be so bad…”