After Gu Qinghuan showed weakness to Lu Ning, the farce outside the Tianmo Sect’s mountain gate finally came to an end.
At this moment, Lu Ning said to Murong Xi, “Now that you’ve joined our demon sect, first focus on restoring your cultivation within the sect. Once you’ve recovered to the Mahayana stage, I’ll guide you in your training.”
As she finished speaking, Lu Ning casually pointed a finger, and the imprint of a demonic cultivation technique was planted into Murong Xi’s mind.
Murong Xi quickly bowed and thanked Lu Ning for granting her the technique.
After handling this, Lu Ning called A-Lin to return with her to the Sovereign Hall, while Gu Qinghuan, as her personal maid, stayed glued to Lu Ning’s side, clinging to her arm and refusing to let go.
Inside the Sovereign Hall.
Gu Qinghuan spoke urgently, “Master, that little Junior Aunt A-Lin only listens to you. How about you send her out to stand guard? I want to do what a personal maid should do with you, Master—something you promised earlier.”
Lu Ning: “…”
Of course, Lu Ning could see exactly what this rebellious disciple was plotting.
Now, she was trying to figure out how to keep her steady.
After all, the other was at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
If a fight broke out and it went badly, she’d have no choice but to bluff her way through.
But before Lu Ning could respond, A-Lin, who had been barely holding back ever since failing to stop Gu Qinghuan outside the mountain gate—swallowing her frustration all this time—had finally reached her limit.
A-Lin rushed forward and hugged Lu Ning’s thigh, her voice tinged with tears and grievance.
“Sister Lu Ning, she bullied me right in front of you! You have to stand up for A-Lin!”
“Sister Lu Ning, you know that A-Lin has always done everything you said. Even in the Forbidden Land, when it came to things that made Sister Lu Ning feel good and happy, A-Lin worked hard to learn how to—”
Before A-Lin could finish, Lu Ning covered her mouth.
After cutting her off, Lu Ning frowned slightly and replied with a solemn, righteous expression, “Don’t worry, A-Lin. This is my fault for not disciplining this rebellious disciple properly, which nearly got you hurt.”
“Not just some rebellious disciple—even if my own master came in person, I wouldn’t allow her to harm you, A-Lin…”
Hearing this, A-Lin was deeply moved.
After Lu Ning released her, her eyes reddened.
“See? Sister Lu Ning cares about me more. You wicked woman, do you understand now?”
Gu Qinghuan was slightly dumbfounded.
She hadn’t expected her own master to comfort that little Junior Aunt right in front of her.
And that little Junior Aunt was clearly throwing her weight around.
Just as Gu Qinghuan was about to lose her temper, Lu Ning shifted the conversation.
“A-Lin, I’ve just taken on a registered disciple. As her Junior Aunt, go check on her cultivation progress for me. As for what you just mentioned—when you come back later, you’ll see how I’ve handled it.”
“Don’t worry. Even though this rebellious disciple has been demoted to a little maid, if she dares to bully her Senior Aunt again, I will discipline her properly. I’ll make her fully understand the duties of a maid.”
Reassured by Lu Ning’s promise, A-Lin quickly nodded and stood up.
“Alright. I’ll listen to Sister Lu Ning. Please don’t go easy on her, Sister Lu Ning—she… she really tried to hurt me, her Senior Aunt.”
Lu Ning nodded.
“Go on, A-Lin. Leave the rest to me.”
As A-Lin left the Sovereign Hall, Gu Qinghuan pressed herself close to Lu Ning’s ear and whispered, “Master, you deliberately sent Little Junior Aunt away. How exactly do you plan to punish me?”
“And before you punish me, Master, shouldn’t you do a close inspection to make sure your disciple isn’t carrying anything that might harm you?”
As she spoke, Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help herself—she gently kissed Lu Ning’s earlobe.
The action made Lu Ning’s cheeks flush slightly.
“Stop for a moment. I have something important to tell you, Qinghuan…”
But even as Lu Ning said this, Gu Qinghuan’s hands didn’t behave.
Instead, they grew bolder, moving over Lu Ning’s Sect Master robes.
“In your disciple’s eyes, nothing is more important than Master punishing me.”
“After all, it’s been over two months since I’ve touched everything of yours, Master. Do you know how I’ve endured all this time?”
Lu Ning: “?????”
At this moment, in an effort to calm her rebellious disciple’s emotions, Lu Ning praised her.
“Not bad. During the time I was away, your cultivation progress hasn’t fallen behind at all. That makes me very proud.”
“Oh? But Master, the things I’ve improved aren’t limited to cultivation. Would you like to try them out? The things your disciple has accumulated—ah, no—cultivated during this time…”
Lu Ning’s face darkened as she replied, “We’ll talk about that later. Qinghuan, there’s something that’s been on my mind. Before I went back to the Forbidden Land, that powerful expert from the Central Region had her cultivation sealed. Where is she now?”
Hearing Lu Ning’s question, Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and slowly answered, “Master, she was taken away by that Eldest Princess of the Great Wilderness Dynasty.”
“The Eldest Princess said that since the Central Region is such a mysterious place, we must prepare in advance. She said she would extract all the information about the Central Region from that person, and once Master returned, she would personally inform you.”
“At the time, I was busy dealing with the aftermath in the Tianmo Sect, so I didn’t fight her for the prisoner. Also, that Eldest Princess said… Master’s maid is her maid. Of course, this personal maid is only your maid, Master.”
Lu Ning: “?????”
At this point, having learned what had happened, Lu Ning inwardly grumbled: [Is this right? When my master sealed that Central Region expert’s cultivation, it was clearly to make her my maid. But while I was away, Ji Linglong actually snatched her away?]
[That’s quite a move! Could it be that Ji Linglong plans to use that Central Region expert’s knowledge to break through above Mahayana?]
[Just to be safe, I’ll have to properly interrogate that maid later and get more information about the Central Region.]
Outwardly, Lu Ning nodded.
“Since that person is now with Ji Linglong, let it be for now. I’ll deal with it when Ji Linglong comes to the Tianmo Sect later.”
“By the way, Master wants to know how you managed to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage without having to undergo a lightning tribulation?”
“From what Master knows, in the North Region, the path from Mahayana peak to Tribulation Transcendence has long been closed.”
“The only way to achieve that is with the aid of a special cultivation technique.”
Gu Qinghuan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this.
“Is Master asking how your disciple increased her strength?”
“Since Master has asked so sincerely, as your disciple—no, as your personal maid—I will naturally tell you everything I know.”
“However… Master taught me long ago, when I first joined the demon sect, that there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
“Just as Master said, if you want to learn the truth, you must pay a price. So first, you must teach me personally, step by step, how to properly fulfill a maid’s duties.”
“Once you’ve fully taught me, I will naturally reveal the secret. To be honest, this is the secret left behind by that Central Region expert before the Eldest Princess took her away.”
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