Chapter 22: You’re in Big Trouble

After the group dispersed, Zhu Lan felt more and more uneasy the more she thought about it in her assigned cave.

The plot had collapsed beyond recognition.

The male lead had even changed something as major as his sect.

‘Is it the butterfly effect forcing the male lead’s hand, or did he choose this himself?’

She remembered the day of the recruitment, how the male lead had shown great power on the stage.

His cultivation had clearly improved significantly, becoming even more unfathomable.

‘I bet he could crush me like a tiny mob with just one finger.’

Speaking of which, the male lead’s motive for choosing the Tianyan Sect over the Wanjian Sect was questionable.

One reasonable and reliable guess surfaced in Zhu Lan’s mind.

‘Could it be that the male lead wants a taboo teacher-student romance?’

After all, he could have easily accepted the Sect Leader’s offer and joined the much more powerful Sect Leader’s faction.

The more Zhu Lan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and the more certain she became of this theory.

In truth, she hadn’t dismissed the idea that the male lead was here to capture her.

After all, most people wouldn’t be able to stomach their Pure Yin Body running away just when it was within reach.

However, she knew very well that her Pure Yin Body was only the icing on the cake for the male lead.

Even without her, he would still be incredibly powerful.

‘Damn it.’

‘Is the male lead still unable to control his lower half? Is he still choosing to be a relentless stallion, a heartless stud?’

‘I’m envious.’

‘I’m jealous.’

‘As expected, the male lead gets all the perks.’

Just as the male lead’s image plummeted in Zhu Lan’s heart, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived at her cultivation cave —

Bang!

A loud explosion startled Zhu Lan.

“Who! What the hell are you doing!?”

Many years later, Zhu Lan would still find this scene unforgettable.

For some reason, the male lead, Ye Feng, had arrived outside Zhu Lan’s cave, and he had no intention of knocking.

He simply demolished her door.

“Zhu Lan,” Ye Feng said as he tossed the door aside, revealing a sunny smile.

“I believe I told you not to run. And you promised me.”

Zhu Lan was stunned.

‘DANGER!!!’

‘The settlement for running away after repeatedly deceiving him is coming!!’

“Ha, hahaha.”

Zhu Lan squeezed out a dry smile.

“That… well, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I… I…”

However, Zhu Lan stuttered on the word “I” for a long time without being able to say another word. Even though she was exceptionally clever, she had lost her cool at this moment.

Who could stay calm!?

Her door had been demolished by the male lead! Where was her Master!?

Where was the Sect Leader!?

Where was the law!!

Is there any law left in this world!

Looking at Zhu Lan’s cowardly appearance as she huddled on the bed, too scared to move, Ye Feng felt a slight urge to laugh.

For some reason, seeing that bright and vivid face made his terrible mood over the past few days improve slightly.

“You’re in big trouble.”

After saying that, Ye Feng didn’t follow up.

He didn’t leave either, standing straight by Zhu Lan’s bed to exert pressure on her.

“Wh-what big trouble?” Zhu Lan asked, confused.

Ye Feng acted mysteriously.

“I can tell you clearly that if you don’t do as I say, you won’t live past seven days.”

Zhu Lan wondered, ‘What the hell is this?’

“Haha, Ye Feng, you’re really funny. You sure know how to tell a joke.”

Zhu Lan’s laugh was forced.

She really didn’t know what he was plotting.

Cultivators weren’t supposed to crave comfort, so her cultivation cave originally only had a hard stone slab.

It was too hard.

She wasn’t used to it.

Only after begging her senior sister for a long time did the sister buy her a soft, cozy bed.

And now, this bed was likely going to be her undoing.

Zhu Lan wanted to cry but had no tears.

Ye Feng smiled slightly.

“I’m not lying to you.”

Then he fell silent again.

He was waiting for Zhu Lan to ask him of her own accord.

Zhu Lan did indeed ask; she still cherished her hard-won little life quite a bit.

“Fellow countryman, why did you say I would die within a week?”

Ye Feng was satisfied, but he deliberately kept a stern face.

“I see no reason to go out of my way to provide answers to someone who deceived and betrayed me.”

Zhu Lan was speechless.

‘Fine, so the male lead is angry?’

“Fellow countryman, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. You know, I’m so weak. The shockwaves from a battle between two powerhouses like you might have vibrated me to death. I only left because I had no choice but to save my own life.”

“So you also picked up the storage bag I dropped?”

Zhu Lan’s face turned red.

She had been caught.

The male lead clearly knew everything.

“I’m sorry, fellow countryman. I… I thought I was lucky at the time, that a cannon fodder like me could have a fortuitous encounter. Since it’s yours, I’m sorry. I’ll give it back to you right now.”

Zhu Lan reluctantly took off the storage ring from her finger.

“Fellow countryman, I’ve also finished copying the Seven Kill Technique. I’ll return it all to you — ahem, could you please be merciful and give up on my Pure Yin Body?”

Fearing that Ye Feng would disagree, Zhu Lan quickly added, “We haven’t seen each other for a while, and your cultivation has increased significantly again. For darlings of heaven like you, there’s no need for a Pure Yin Body at all. It’s just icing on the cake, so why force it? Forced melons aren’t sweet.”

Ye Feng stood with his hands behind his back.

“One, I can’t. Two, forced melons aren’t sweet, but they quench thirst. I don’t want the storage ring; there’s nothing important in it.”

Since they couldn’t reach an agreement, Zhu Lan hugged her blanket tighter, as if it gave her a bit more security.

She said with a bitter face, “Then why would I die within seven days?”

“Act cute for me.”

Ye Feng said those incredibly ridiculous words with a calm face.

“Wh-what!?”

Zhu Lan was frozen on the spot.

She would rather doubt her own hearing than believe the male lead would say such a thing.

“Fellow countryman, to tell you the truth, I haven’t tried acting cute in two lifetimes. It’s too hard. Can we change it to something else?”

A trace of a smile appeared at the corners of Ye Feng’s mouth.

For some reason, after surviving several brushes with death, he always found himself thinking of the face that had appeared in his dreams many times.

He always wanted to tease her.

Her vivid and lovely appearance was like a cute and energetic little animal.

“The storage ring you picked up earlier contained a Bone-Eating Insect. Bone-Eating Insects usually appear in pairs, divided into a sub-insect and a mother-insect. I previously killed an enchantress who wanted to harm me and unexpectedly obtained the sub-insect from her storage ring. I searched three feet into the ground but couldn’t find the mother-insect. It wasn’t until much later that I realized I had been blindsided; the mother-insect had already infested my body.”

Zhu Lan’s face grew paler.

“So, that sub-insect was inside this storage ring?”

Ye Feng nodded.

“Yes. These Bone-Eating Insects are tiny and difficult to discern with the naked eye. If you have ever opened the storage ring, it has likely already invaded your body.”

“Then is there a way to expel the Bone-Eating Insect from the body?”

“None have been discovered yet.”

“What happens if it’s not expelled?”

“The Bone-Eating Insect will first erode the bones, then consume the flesh, living as a parasite until it eventually devours the cultivator to complete itself.”

Zhu Lan wanted to cry.

How could she be so unlucky?

She just wanted to pluck a feather from the male lead’s wing, yet she ended up in this mess.

Cannon fodder really shouldn’t have contact with the male lead; even ten lives wouldn’t be enough to squander.

But deep down, she still couldn’t quite believe it.

Could it really be such a coincidence?