Qin Huaiyin gazed at her reflection in the lake, and the sound of her zither abruptly ceased.
She did not know how long she had been trapped in this grotto-heaven, which felt more like a golden birdcage.
She knew exactly what her fate would be, yet she could not bring herself to even think about escaping.
‘Living is so tiring…’
Qin Huaiyin’s eyes were hollow.
The memories of living with her parents felt like nothing more than a fantasy she had conjured.
She could see no hope in continuing, yet she was terrified of pain.
‘If I jump from here, will I die? But dying probably hurts a lot…’
Tears silently rolled down the corners of her eyes.
As she stared at her reflection in the water, she suddenly noticed another figure slowly appearing behind her.
Before Qin Huaiyin could react, the figure approached from behind and gently lifted a lock of her hair.
Qin Huaiyin froze for a moment before snapping back to reality.
She turned around in a panic, her eyes immediately meeting the visitor’s gaze.
“Mas! Master!”
Qin Huaiyin’s voice trembled, and she instinctively took two steps back.
She looked utterly terrified, yet she still bowed respectfully.
“My good disciple, it seems you haven’t neglected your cultivation.”
Lin Xinyi scrutinized the beautiful canary before her with great satisfaction.
The spiritual energy was pure to the extreme, and the soul was resilient—every part of her seemed to radiate a delicious flavor.
Seeing that the girl had no intention of running, Lin Xinyi simply stepped forward and gently tucked a strand of hair behind the girl’s ear.
The tenderness in her eyes felt unsettlingly foreign.
Qin Huaiyin’s body shook slightly.
She felt an instinctive dread toward Lin Xinyi.
Lin Xinyi, however, acted as if she didn’t care at all, reaching out to pluck a string on the zither in the girl’s arms.
“Disciple, I am deeply gratified to see you cultivating so diligently, but you must also remember to balance work and rest. Do not harm your body.”
“I shall follow Master’s instructions…”
Lin Xinyi gently stroked the girl’s cheek, her eyes filled with a warmth that made her look like a truly caring master.
However, the silky touch of the skin and the pure spiritual energy that was almost overflowing left Lin Xinyi feeling intoxicated.
She narrowed her eyes slightly; it was clear this delicious feast was nearing its time of maturity.
“If there is anything you do not understand in the future, you may send a voice transmission to me. I will guide you.”
Lin Xinyi was extremely pleased with the girl’s obedience.
To further test her level of submission, she leaned in and whispered softly into her ear with a seductive voice.
“My good disciple, you must focus on your cultivation. If you break through early, why shouldn’t I agree to that matter you mentioned before?”
Qin Huaiyin’s eyes widened at the alluring words, her heart stirred by what sounded like sweet nectar.
Even though every part of her being told her that Lin Xinyi was lying, a part of her still desperately wanted to believe.
“You’ve always wanted to go home, haven’t you?”
“Is… Is that true…”
Qin Huaiyin wanted to confirm if the offer was real, but she couldn’t force out the final word.
She bit her lip hard, not even noticing when her fingernails dug into her palms until they bled.
Finally, Qin Huaiyin’s hollow eyes became numb.
The question remained unasked.
Like a marionette, she spoke the answer that had been carefully prepared for her.
“There is no need. Being by Master’s side is enough for this disciple…”
“As expected of my good disciple. You truly are a delight.”
Lin Xinyi patted her shoulder with satisfaction and walked past her.
Qin Huaiyin’s eyes dimmed.
She realized the question had been nothing more than a test.
Her heart was now like the once-clear pond, stained red by the blood of a flood dragon—desperate and chaotic.
Lin Xinyi walked past her and entered her own Cave Abode.
She pushed open the door and saw that the room was arranged exactly as it had been.
It was obvious that Qin Huaiyin had been meticulously cleaning it during the two days she was gone.
“The furnishings in this room are much more ordinary than I imagined.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Compared to the places where you used to live, Immortal Venerable, my place is truly just a humble shack.”
“Still, that disciple of yours seems to be terrified of you to the extreme…”
“Is it not normal for her to fear me? After all, that’s what makes it interesting. She fears me, yet she has no choice but to rely on me.”
Lin Xinyi did not shy away from the question.
Instead, a hint of enjoyment appeared in her eyes.
She relished the feeling of standing above others and the sensation of being feared.
After all, she had occupied such a position from the very beginning.
“Then why did you go out of your way to harm Bai Qianqian?”
After a moment of hesitation, Luo Qingyao finally voiced the doubt in her heart.
She had stayed by Bai Qianqian’s side for several years.
Although she was asleep most of the time, she was not ignorant of the outside world.
Luo Qingyao knew clearly that Bai Qianqian had never had any intersection with Lin Xinyi in her previous life.
The woman’s name had never even appeared in her world.
“Do you think I would answer that question?”
Lin Xinyi gently rubbed the ring on her finger.
Even she found the fact of her rebirth to be absurd.
If she spoke of it, who would believe her?
No one else knew, and no one else should ever know.
“I suppose you wouldn’t. I was just curious. After all, you never intended to kill Bai Qianqian from the start…”
“Hmph, stop trying to play at intuition. I simply cannot kill her.”
Lin Xinyi gave a cold laugh and opened the tea cabinet.
After taking out her favorite tea set, she slowly brewed a pot of fine tea.
Her personal supply was almost gone, so she needed to take some fresh leaves.
As she placed the brewed tea on both sides of the table, Luo Qingyao looked at the cup prepared for her in stunned silence.
Lin Xinyi merely sat in a chair, took a light sip, and wore an expression of enjoyment.
Tasting tea within her own grotto-heaven was truly the most comfortable experience.
For some reason, as Luo Qingyao watched Lin Xinyi drink tea, she couldn’t help but remember when Bai Qianqian had drugged the woman’s tea.
Luo Qingyao narrowed her eyes, wondering what kind of magic this woman possessed to attract Bai Qianqian so strongly.
“Is there something else you wish to say, Immortal Venerable, staring at me so intently?”
“What could I say? I am currently in a soul state and cannot taste tea. I am simply envious.”
Luo Qingyao sat in the chair beside her.
Although maintaining a physical form was more exhausting than remaining ethereal, everyone deserved a moment of enjoyment.
“You are so leisurely, Immortal Venerable. I can’t see a trace of the person who was just at my throat.”
“Say whatever you like. After all, I don’t see any danger in you right now.”
Luo Qingyao reached out and slowly picked up the other cup of tea.
She took a light sip, and after confirming it was as tasteless as expected, she placed it back on the table.
Lin Xinyi heard her words and let out a light chuckle.
In the other woman’s eyes, despite everything she had done, she was still considered “not dangerous.”
‘How did I fall to such a laughable state?’
She possessed all the memories of her rebirth and experiences more profound than any other life, yet when facing Bai Qianqian—the woman who had destroyed everything—she couldn’t even kill her and was even mistaken for a good person.
“What I am going to do is make your precious Bai Qianqian’s meridians shatter on their own. She will be unable to cultivate and will eventually grow old and die in loneliness like a mortal.”
“If that is all your plan amounts to, then I have nothing to worry about.”
“…”
Looking at Luo Qingyao’s indifferent expression, Lin Xinyi felt a surge of inexplicable anger.
The woman didn’t show her even a shred of basic respect.
Her reaction was even less significant than when Lin Xinyi had produced those trash-tier cultivation techniques.
“Immortal Venerable, if you continue to underestimate me, you will suffer a great loss.”
Lin Xinyi’s fingers tightened, and the teacup in her hand instantly shattered into powder.
Luo Qingyao gave her a bored glance, a hint of a smile touching her lips as she propped her cheek on her hand and looked at her provocatively.
“And?”
Lin Xinyi’s eyelid twitched at the perfunctory response.
How could this woman remain so calm?
The name Bai Qianqian had once been her absolute nightmare.
‘Calm down, be calm. This woman is just putting up a front. She must be more anxious than I am under that calm face…’
Her plan was flawless.
She would walk the path of immortality and reach heights she had never achieved before, while the other woman would remain a mortal—a common low-level cultivator who would exhaust her lifespan and die.
“You really are frustrating. I’ll see how long you can maintain that calm facade!”
Lin Xinyi slammed the table in annoyance and stood up.
She angrily kicked open the door of the Cave Abode and walked toward Qin Huaiyin, who was still sweeping the pavilion outside.
“Ah, Master… is something else wrong?”
Qin Huaiyin had been cleaning the dust and bloodstains from the long pavilion.
Lin Xinyi’s sudden approach startled her into taking a step back, but she forced herself to stand her ground.
If she ran, Lin Xinyi would likely be even angrier.
“Who told you to sweep this place? Go back and cultivate properly! The next time I return, I want to see you break through to the Nascent Soul realm!”
“But Master, if no one looks after the place…”
“Are you going to disobey me as well?”
A flash of displeasure crossed Lin Xinyi’s face, and her voice carried a clear threat.
“This… this disciple would not dare…”
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