An Xiaoxiao looked at the empty bowl and slightly furrowed her brow.
She always felt something was off.
The “Twin Hearts Gu” she had used should have produced strong spiritual energy fluctuations, so why did Senior Brother show no reaction after drinking it?
But when she saw Lin Yue’s bold and hearty demeanor, her doubts faded a little.
“I’m glad Senior Brother liked it.”
An Xiaoxiao took the empty bowl and smiled sweetly.
“Since Senior Brother drank Little Xiaoxiao’s soup, from now on, Senior Brother’s person and Senior Brother’s heart all belong to Little Xiaoxiao, okay?”
She stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to Lin Yue’s ear, and whispered in an extremely soft and delicate voice:
“If Senior Brother dares to lie to me, I’ll cut Senior Brother’s flesh off piece by piece and stew it into a soup just like this, okay?”
After saying that, she playfully blinked her eyes, as if she had just told a joke.
Then, she took off her pink apron and folded it neatly.
“It’s getting late, Little Xiaoxiao won’t disturb Senior Brother’s rest anymore. There’s still morning class tomorrow. Goodnight, Senior Brother~”
An Xiaoxiao pushed open the door, humming that unknown cheerful little tune, and disappeared into the night, skipping away.
“Whew—”
Only after confirming that An Xiaoxiao was truly gone did Lin Yue collapse onto the bed like a pile of mud.
The cold sweat on his back had already soaked through the clean underclothes he had just changed into.
“That was terrifying. This was even more exhausting than taking that Foundation Establishment stage slash head-on at Dragon’s Mouth Gorge.”
Lin Yue gasped for air in big gulps.
He glanced at the quiet black iron heavy sword leaning by the door.
Just moments ago, after that sword absorbed the gu poison from the soup, a faint layer of red patterns had actually appeared on its surface.
In his mind’s sea, the ledger popped up with a settlement page:
“Congratulations, Host, for successfully surviving the ‘Pink on the Outside, Black on the Inside’ death interrogation.”
“Mission Evaluation: Your acting skills are now masterful. Using utterly shameless sophistry and the heavy sword’s cheat function, you successfully delayed An Xiaoxiao’s progression toward darkness.”
“Rewards Obtained: Poison Resistance +10. Mental Fortitude +20.”
“Hidden Warning: An Xiaoxiao’s possessiveness has been thoroughly ignited. Although she temporarily believes you, this seed of doubt has been planted. Next time, it probably won’t be as simple as a bowl of soup.”
Lin Yue let out a bitter laugh.
What kind of mess was this?
He had originally planned to lie low in this Outer Sect, cultivate slowly, and be a happy “steady development” type.
And the result?
One trip down the mountain, and he was covered in debts.
That unclear “sour and sweet” connection with Chu Wanning.
That “pure-hearted widow” indenture contract with Chen Yao.
And that assassin, Mu Qingzhu, hiding in the shadows.
Now, to top it all off, he comes home and almost gets stewed by a little loli who’s pink on the outside but completely black on the inside.
Lin Yue reached into his robe.
“Right, I still need to hide Chu Wanning’s green token properly. If that little girl finds it again, I really won’t be able to explain my way out of it.”
He had just slipped his hand inside.
His movements suddenly froze.
The pocket inside his clothes was completely empty.
The Chen family property deed and that green Inner Sect jade token that had been inside.
Were gone!
Lin Yue’s scalp instantly prickled, and all the hairs on his body stood on end.
He whipped his head around to look at the dirty outer robe that An Xiaoxiao had folded neatly and placed on the table for him.
He rushed over and shook the robe open with one hand.
A pink note drifted lightly out from within the clothes.
On it, written in extremely delicate and adorable handwriting, were two lines:
“Little Xiaoxiao will keep the property deed safe for Senior Brother, since Senior Brother spends money so recklessly.”
Looking at these words, Lin Yue felt a chill shoot straight from his tailbone to the top of his head.
The Chen family property deed—that was the private property he had worked so hard to “acquire through alms” during this trip down the mountain.
Was that just money?
That was the foundation for his future path of cultivation!
And it was just silently swiped away like that?
But immediately after, Lin Yue’s heart violently clenched.
Losing the property deed was a minor matter.
What about that green token?!
Chu Wanning’s life-bound jade token!
Instantly, fine beads of cold sweat covered Lin Yue’s forehead.
Forgetting his heartache over the property deed, his hands trembled as if electrocuted, frantically searching through his tattered outer robe.
Left pocket, nothing.
Right inner lining, empty.
“It’s over.”
Lin Yue sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, his entire body feeling as if it had plunged into an icy abyss.
If An Xiaoxiao had really thrown that jade token into the Bone-Dissolving Pool or casually destroyed it…
Then what he would face would be the thunderous wrath of Chu Wanning, the number one genius of the Inner Sect.
That was a truly ruthless character who could split half a mountain with a single sword strike!
Just as Lin Yue was preparing to pack his things and flee overnight…
His finger, in an extremely well-hidden secret pocket within the waistband’s lining, touched something cold and hard.
That texture, warm and smooth yet carrying a bone-piercing chill.
Lin Yue froze.
Holding his breath, he carefully pinched the object with two fingers and slowly pulled it out.
It was the green jade token.
Completely jade-green, with flowing cloud patterns.
The token was intact, without even a single chipped corner.
Lin Yue let out a long, heavy sigh and slumped against the table corner, utterly drained.
“Scared me to death. I really thought the little ancestor had tossed it.”
But the look of relief on his face lasted for less than half a breath.
Because, by the flickering candlelight, he could clearly see the token’s current state.
Originally pristine and elegant, the Inner Sect jade token was now wrapped with an extremely fine pink thread.
That thread was woven from some unknown material, incredibly flexible.
It coiled around the token’s cloud patterns like a slender yet deadly venomous snake.
Finally, right in the center of the token, it was tied into an exquisitely crafted, perfectly symmetrical dead knot that made one’s scalp tingle.
A pink bow.
Lin Yue swallowed hard.
He turned over the pink note.
Sure enough, there was another line of text on the back.
The handwriting was still sweet, but the ink was so dark it was almost piercing:
“As for this chilly token, it has some very fierce sword energy on it. Little Xiaoxiao was afraid it might hurt Senior Brother, so she put a ‘little outfit’ on it. When Senior Brother carries it close to his body, he should think of Little Xiaoxiao more often~”
Lin Yue stared at the pink bow, speechless for a long time.
This girl was making a show of force.
She hadn’t thrown the token away at all.
Or rather, she didn’t dare, and couldn’t throw it away.
Deep within his mind’s sea, the Karmic Ledger slowly materialized.
The ancient pages turned without wind, flipping to a blank page. Dark red ink spread across the paper like blood, forming line after line of vigorous ancient seal script:
“Karmic Entanglement: An Xiaoxiao’s Prying.”
“Item Analysis: This jade token was formed from Chu Wanning’s life-bound sword intent and is indestructible. If forcibly damaged by external force, the ‘Great Avalanche’ sword intent sealed within would instantly erupt.”
“Conclusion: She not only saw through the token’s origin but even accurately assessed its backlash power. Using a ‘Thousand Threads Gu Line’ infused with her own blood and qi to bind it is a declaration of sovereignty to the token’s owner.”
Looking at the Karmic Ledger’s annotation, cold sweat once again soaked through the underclothes on Lin Yue’s back.
An Xiaoxiao, an Outer Sect menial disciple who seemed weak and easy to bully.
She could actually see through the life-bound sword intent of the Inner Sect’s number one genius at a single glance?
And even suppress it with a gu line?
What kind of “pink on the outside, black on the inside” was this?
This was practically a peerless great demon lord hidden in the newbie village!
Lin Yue extended a finger, tentatively reaching out to touch the pink bow on the jade token.
“Tss—”
The moment his fingertip touched the pink thread, an extremely hidden, sharp stinging sensation instantly shot through it.