Chapter 35: Darkening the Rebellious Disciple

Gu Qinghuan hurriedly caught her, a look of “concern” appearing on her face.

“Master, are you alright?”

Lu Ning shook her head.

Right now, she didn’t want to say a single word.

“It seems Master is utterly exhausted.”

A triumphant smile curled at the corner of Gu Qinghuan’s lips.

“But Master, you looked truly beautiful just now, all tied up like that.”

“I almost didn’t want to untie you.”

“Consider this a great gift you’ve given your disciple.”

“I’ve decided—from now on, we can play this sort of game more often.”

Lu Ning: “?????”

She knew this wicked disciple never had good intentions!

“Alright, Master, we should get going.”

As she spoke, Gu Qinghuan swept Lu Ning up in her arms.

But after just two steps, she paused again.

Lowering her head, she glanced at the master in her arms, dressed in black nightwear that couldn’t conceal her stunning beauty and only made her appear all the more ascetic and alluring.

Gu Qinghuan’s eyes flickered.

Suddenly, she made a move that Lu Ning never expected.

She tossed Lu Ning lightly upward, and in the instant she started to fall, slung her directly over her shoulder.

Just like a mountain bandit carrying off his bride.

“You… what are you doing!”

Caught off guard by the sudden sensation of weightlessness and the utter humiliation of her posture, Lu Ning cried out in alarm.

Her head dangled down, her view upside down, all she could see were Gu Qinghuan’s shapely, long legs.

“Master, don’t move around.”

Gu Qinghuan patted her springy rear.

“This way is faster.”

“And…”

She paused, her tone ambiguous: “I like the feeling of carrying Master like this.”

“It’s as if I’ve got the whole world on my shoulders.”

Lu Ning was so infuriated by her words that she almost passed out on the spot.

This wicked disciple!

Utterly shameless!

But right now she had no strength to resist and could only let Gu Qinghuan carry her as she pleased.

With Lu Ning slung over her shoulder, Gu Qinghuan’s figure flickered and she silently slipped away from the Hall of Purple Radiance.

She didn’t attempt to force her way out of the palace.

Before coming, she’d already gotten a detailed map of the palace and several extremely secret escape routes from Su Yuexi.

Very quickly, she brought Lu Ning to a remote spot beneath the palace wall.

This was one of the weakest points in the imperial defenses.

Gu Qinghuan glanced back at the brightly lit palace behind her, then at the “Master” on her shoulder, who had given up struggling and was sulking.

Her lips curved in a gentle smile.

“Master, let’s go.”

With those words, she leapt nimbly, carrying Lu Ning over the towering palace wall and vanishing completely into the night.

…

No one knew how long had passed before Gu Qinghuan finally stopped before an unremarkable inn.

The sign above the inn bore four crooked characters: “Youjian Inn,” swaying gently in the night breeze and looking rather old.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t use the front entrance; instead, still carrying Lu Ning, she vaulted over the inn’s back wall and went straight to the window of a second-floor guest room.

She pushed open the window and leapt inside, light as a feather.

“Bang.”

The window closed again, shutting out everything from the outside world.

Only then did Gu Qinghuan put Lu Ning down from her shoulder.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Lu Ning felt the world spinning and her legs nearly gave out beneath her.

Gu Qinghuan moved quickly, catching her and carrying her directly over to the not-so-wide wooden bed in the room.

“Master, are you alright?”

Gu Qinghuan’s face showed “concern,” but in the depths of her bright eyes, a glint of triumph flashed.

Lu Ning leaned against the head of the bed, breathing heavily.

Right now, she didn’t want to say a single word—she only wanted to get as far from this wicked disciple as possible.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t seem to mind.

She lit the oil lamp on the table.

The dim yellow light illuminated the small guest room.

The furnishings were simple: a wooden bed and table, two chairs.

But for Lu Ning, who had just escaped the lavish cage of the palace, there was a rare sense of peace here.

“Master, please rest here for a while.”

Gu Qinghuan spoke softly, “I’ll go out and check on things.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Lu Ning, watching her retreating back, was suddenly moved and called out without thinking, “Qinghuan!”

Gu Qinghuan’s steps halted.

She turned back, a hint of puzzlement in her eyes.

“You… be careful.”

Lu Ning hesitated, but still spoke.

This wicked disciple had done so many outrageous things to her, but she couldn’t deny—right now, she was her only support.

At Lu Ning’s words of “concern,” Gu Qinghuan’s body clearly stiffened.

Then, a dazzling smile bloomed on her face.

“Mm!”

She nodded vigorously, her voice brimming with joy.

“Your disciple understands!”

With that, she didn’t linger—her figure flickered, and she slipped out the window.

Watching Gu Qinghuan’s disappearing figure, Lu Ning let out a long breath.

Her whole body collapsed onto the bed.

From being caught by Ji Linglong, to being brought back to the palace, imprisoned by Ji Liuyun, and finally rescued by Gu Qinghuan…

What she’d experienced in these past days was more thrilling than everything she’d lived through in her last twenty-some years combined.

She closed her eyes, sorting out her thoughts.

Though she’d escaped the palace, she knew the crisis wasn’t over.

This was Tiandu, heart of the Grand Wilderness Dynasty.

Ji Linglong and Ji Liuyun would never let this go.

The entire city was probably on lockdown by now; trying to escape from their territory would be nigh impossible.

And with her cultivation at Foundation Establishment, she was nothing but a burden.

Unless that fifty-fifty Experience Card came in handy, she could only rely on Gu Qinghuan.

Thinking of Gu Qinghuan, Lu Ning’s feelings grew more complicated.

Her disciple’s sickly possessiveness made her both anxious and fearful.

The things she’d said and done on the way here had left Lu Ning deeply unsettled.

She had a feeling that what awaited her next might be even more dreadful than anything she’d faced in Phoenix Palace.

As Lu Ning’s thoughts ran wild, the door to the guest room opened.

Startled, she sat up sharply, eyes wary on the door.

Gu Qinghuan entered, carrying a wooden basin filled with steaming hot water.

“Qinghuan? Weren’t you going to scout things out? Why are you back so soon?”

Lu Ning asked, confused.

“Your disciple already checked.”

Gu Qinghuan set the basin on the floor and walked over to the bed, gazing down at Lu Ning.

“Master.”

Gu Qinghuan spoke slowly.

“You’ve suffered in the palace.”

She reached out and gently stroked Lu Ning’s cheek.

“I detected another woman’s scent on you just now.”

As the words fell, Gu Qinghuan’s gaze turned icy.

“Those wicked women touched you, didn’t they?”

The sudden burst of pressure from her made Lu Ning tremble uncontrollably.

Instinctively, she wanted to deny it.

But Gu Qinghuan didn’t give her the chance.

“Master, don’t be afraid…”

A gentle smile reappeared on Gu Qinghuan’s face, but under the dim lamp, it seemed both eerie and unhinged.

“Your disciple will help you wash away all that filthy scent.”

“From inside and out. Completely.”

As she spoke, her hands moved to undo Lu Ning’s black nightwear.

“Your disciple will cover every inch of your skin with my own scent instead.”

“So that only I will ever be left on you…”

In Lu Ning’s terrified gaze, Gu Qinghuan suddenly lowered her head, drawing close to the softness she had coveted for so long.