Yin Luoling trembled all over.
A thousand years of endurance and plotting vanished the moment Ling Huan touched her foot.
That tingling comfort, mixed with an overwhelming sense of shame, hammered at Yin Luoling’s heart like a heavy mallet.
Her breathing grew heavy and rapid, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white, and even as blood seeped from between her fingers, she remained oblivious.
She gritted her teeth, wishing she could bite through her gums.
Just then, Yin Luoling caught sight of the Memory Stone that should have been well hidden—now softly glowing with a faint purple light.
He—he must have used some sort of sorcery!
Without thinking, Yin Luoling picked up the Memory Stone, preparing to check its contents.
A moment ago, she had been “forced” to immerse herself in that feeling of comfort, completely unable to focus her mind.
Maybe she missed some crucial detail!
Gripping the Memory Stone tightly, the soft purple glow projected its recorded images into the air.
“Ah~”
A delicate gasp instantly sounded, making Yin Luoling’s heart tremble.
But what shocked her even more was… herself… how could she show that kind of… that kind of… expression just like a **?
Yin Luoling wanted to shut it off at once!
But if she did, how could she discover the key to Ling Huan’s sorcery, or figure out how to counter it?
Yin Luoling grit her teeth and kept watching.
She watched herself sink into Ling Huan’s massage of her feet, watched the unbearable expression on her own face…
Watched as she was played and humiliated at will by this beast Ling Huan!
Once the playback ended, Yin Luoling’s anger soared to the peak!
But it wasn’t because she had been reduced to Ling Huan’s plaything—rather, it was because she couldn’t see what kind of sorcery Ling Huan used!
Just what secret technique had left her in such a sorry state?
With all her experience over a thousand years, she couldn’t see through Ling Huan’s trick at all?
Could she really be just a pervert who enjoyed having her feet played with?
No!
Absolutely impossible!
Yin Luoling grabbed the Memory Stone, wanting to crush it in her hand, but after thinking it over, she put it down.
One day, sooner or later… she would understand!
Sooner or later!
Since this scheme to frame him had fallen apart, then… poison it would be!
A life of wandering had long since given Yin Luoling a strong grasp of medicine.
No wonder—she was a wanted fugitive and could only treat herself.
Although she had no way to get medicine for cultivators now, but as for mortal poisons, weren’t they child’s play?
Ling Huan, this time, I’ll make sure you wish you were dead!
At the same time—
[Humiliation mission complete, system grading—]
[Villain level: Perfect!]
[Comment: You have severely humiliated Yin Luoling, filling her with hatred and restlessness! She thinks of you every day, wishing she could flay your skin and tear your bones apart!]
Damn… this serious?
To—tomorrow… is it too late to apologize?
Or should I kneel?
Men and women shouldn’t touch… What I did just now, for her… might not be much different from taking advantage of her…
In this kind of feudal society, it could’ve caused a huge impact on her mind…
She’s just a kid!
Only eight years old!
System!
How could you be so heartless as to torment such a little girl?
[Issuing extra reward: Venom-Devouring Primal Spirit Body]
…
Where’s the explanation?
Huh?
Damn system, giving stuff without even telling me what it’s for.
Sigh, really!
Still, looks like this physique has to do with poison?
Maybe it’s immune to toxins or something?
Ling Huan didn’t dare try it yet.
He’d leave it for later.
The most important thing tonight was still that he’d gotten a Chengji Gongfa and two hundred spirit stones!
That was a whole year’s income for his family!
The spiritual energy in lower-grade spirit stones was even purer.
Even non-cultivators could ** the energy inside, using it to cleanse their bodies, purge impurities, and prolong their lives.
Yeah, he’d leave a hundred spirit stones for his parents, fifty as compensation to Yin Luoling, and keep the rest for himself.
Lately, his parents’ business had been poor.
It was said they might lose money this year.
But before that, he had to think carefully about how to explain where these spirit stones came from.
Right, didn’t he also have a Chengji Gongfa?
With this manual, he could just say he’d been accepted as a disciple by a reclusive master.
But the master didn’t want to show his face.
Perfect!
Ling Huan glanced one last time at Yin Luoling’s room, leaving with deep regret.
Sorry, Luoling-meimei.
But when your big brother gets stronger, he’ll never let anyone bully you again!
Ling Huan hurried back to his own room, ready to take a look at the Chengji Gongfa.
Back in his room, Ling Huan began studying his system.
It was a very common interface.
[Name: Ling Huan]
[Age: 10]
[Cultivation: None]
[Manual: None]
[Constitution: Venom-Devouring Primal Spirit Body]
Basic panel information, but there was no system shop option. However, he did spot a “Storage Space” option.
Ling Huan tapped it, and the system instantly switched interfaces—just like opening a character backpack in a game, Ling Huan’s Chengji Gongfa and spirit stones lay quietly inside.
He was thinking about how to take them out, but as soon as he willed it, a brand-new yellow book appeared in his hand.
[Would you like to learn instantly?]
Instant learning?
That convenient?
“Is there any price to pay?” Ling Huan asked.
[No price.]
Hiss…
No price… then it’s free?
Instant learning, how much time would that save?
How much effort?
But Ling Huan wasn’t tempted, because he deeply understood one thing: “The most expensive things are often the ones that are free.”
The manual and spirit stones made him violate his conscience and trample his morals.
For Ling Huan, that was a kind of pain.
So Ling Huan accepted that calmly.
But this…
Ling Huan ignored it.
If the system could shove something into his mind, it could probably yank it back out, too.
It might be nonsense, but to be safe, Ling Huan decided to study it himself.
What you read and learn yourself is truly learned.
The system was convenient, but it was no good system.
Although the words sounded nice, when he opened it full of hope, Ling Huan was immediately overwhelmed…
Wha—what is this?
Good grief, he recognized all the characters, but together, he understood nothing at all!
Rows and rows of esoteric cultivation terms, complicated circulation diagrams, and those descriptions of meridians, qi seas, and cycles all made Ling Huan’s head ache.
What did “circulate one cycle” mean?
What’s “major cycle,” “minor cycle”?
He blinked hard, determined to give it a proper look, but it was all written in ancient language, impossible to grasp…
Every concept felt like a dense fog pressing in.
After reading the whole thing, his head was buzzing.
[Would you like to learn instantly?]
The system prompt popped up again, but Ling Huan still ignored it.
Come to think of it, there was a guest scholar in the Ling household, a woman—highly learned, elegant and dignified, her voice as sweet as a nightingale, her figure graceful.
But her face was covered with swelling, half hidden, making her look quite ugly.
She usually stayed in the Ling residence’s side courtyard, never going out.
He didn’t know where his parents had picked her up from, but she’d been around a long time, helping the Ling family manage their Shanghui for decades.
Hiss… do my parents have a habit of picking up strays?
Did they also awaken some “appraise people system”?
Could they see others’ panels?
Forget it, don’t think about that now.
Better go ask her and let the guest scholar explain this manual to him.
He’d do it right away!
Immediately, he set off for the guest scholar’s side courtyard.
The Ling estate covered an enormous area—no exaggeration, it occupied almost a third of Qingmu City.
The guest scholar’s side courtyard was at the easternmost edge of the estate, embraced by gardens, facing a pool of spring water.
Originally, there hadn’t been any gardens here, but after years of her careful tending, flowers now bloomed everywhere.
Even the Yingchunhua that Yin Luoling loved was planted by Ling Huan under her guidance.
At ten years old, full of energy, Ling Huan quickly reached the guest scholar’s garden.
“Teacher Jiang!”
Ling Huan didn’t approach her residence directly, but stopped at a distance and called out loudly, “I’ve come to see you!”
Even from afar, Jiang, the guest scholar, would hear him.
As she was tending the garden, Jiang heard his call, instantly realized Ling Huan had arrived, hurriedly turned back into the house, and put on her bamboo hat.
The brim of the hat hung thick black veils, dark as night, hiding her face.
“Young master! What is it?” Jiang, the guest scholar, called back loudly.
“I have something to ask, teacher! Are you free!?”
“I’m free! Come on over!”
Ling Huan then ran up to her.
“Young master, what’s wrong? Did something happen to the Yingchunhua?”
“No, teacher.The other day, I read a book, but there were some sentences I didn’t understand, so I wanted to show it to you.”
With that, he handed her the book directly.
“Young master, why so studious? Normally, when you run into something hard, you just toss it aside. Could it be…” Jiang looked up at the sky, teasing, “Did the sun rise in the west today?”
“Teacher, don’t tease me.Hehe, it’s just that the other day when I was out playing, I met an interesting old man. He made a bet with me, said there was a book I definitely wouldn’t understand.”
I wasn’t convinced, so I took the bet.
“But as soon as I opened it… I couldn’t understand a word… Teacher, can you tell me what it means?”
“So, you need to be goaded to study, huh? My usual nagging is no use at all.” Jiang shook her head with a bitter smile. “Give it to me.”
Ling Huan handed her the book.
Unexpectedly, Jiang’s outstretched hand froze in midair for a long moment.
Then, instead of taking the book, her hand seized Ling Huan’s wrist, pulling him forcefully into the house.
“Te—teacher…? Wh—what’s wrong?”
Ling Huan was bewildered.
As soon as they entered, Jiang closed the doors and windows, even glancing all around outside to make sure no one was nearby, before turning to question Ling Huan: “Young master, have you shown this book to anyone else? Or taken it out on the road?”
Ling Huan was a little stunned—this was the first time he’d heard Jiang use such a stern tone with him.
Even when he used to be mischievous and refused to study, she always spoke gently.
“No…” Ling Huan shook his head.
“I put it in my clothes and went home. I totally forgot about it until today, then took it out for a look, but couldn’t understand anything.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, sure.”
Hearing this, Jiang finally breathed a little easier.
She crouched down, staring at Ling Huan through the black veil and said, “Young master, this book must not be shown to others lightly, or else… the Ling family will… invite deadly disaster!”
!?
“Young master, the world is full of dangers. You mustn’t show it even to outsiders like me! People’s hearts—”
“But teacher, you’re not an outsider!” Ling Huan cut her off, completely stumping Jiang.
“…Young master,” after a long time, Jiang finally spoke slowly, “I’m just an ugly woman, an outsider to your family…”
“Teacher, you are ugly—ugly enough to scare people,” Ling Huan said bluntly, “but that’s got nothing to do with it. Haven’t you lived with us for ten years? Aren’t we family already? We’ve had ten New Year’s Eve dinners together.”
Jiang was stunned, her mouth opening for a long while, not knowing what to say.
Learned as she was, she still couldn’t out-argue this restless little brat who couldn’t sit still for a book.
“…Young master, do you know my name?”
Hiss…
When she asked that, Ling Huan was stumped.
He’d only ever heard his parents call her “Jiang, the guest scholar.”
He called her “Teacher Jiang.”
For ten years, he’d always called her that… He didn’t actually know her name…
“Jiang Yue.” A gentle laugh came from behind the veil.
“Young master, you didn’t even know my name, but you call me family?”
Ling Huan scratched his head awkwardly.
Well… that’s true…
“All right, young master.”
Jiang Yue sat at her desk.
“Bring a stool and sit across from me. If there’s something you don’t understand, I’ll explain it. You know the rules—no touching me midway. If I come close, you must remember to keep your distance.”
Ling Huan didn’t understand.
Hadn’t these rules been made clear years ago?
Why mention them again now?
Teacher had poison in her body; if anyone touched her, they would be poisoned as well.
Seeing his confusion, Jiang Yue smiled softly.
“Teacher is still a young lady. After being called ugly for so many years, if someone suddenly says something like that, I might be moved. So I might not be able to resist touching you, young master!”