Luo Qingyao’s form was illusory as she moved back and forth through the thicket.
After all, the advantage of being a soul body was that there was absolutely no need to avoid obstacles.
In just a few seconds, she arrived beneath the tree.
“This, this is…”
Luo Qingyao first looked around.
Everything was neat and tidy, with no signs of a struggle.
When she looked up and saw that the Fangcun Grotto-heaven hanging from the treetop was still there, she did not hesitate for long and drifted straight inside.
“Qianqian! Are you okay?!”
Luo Qingyao’s expression was one of panic.
She was even a little afraid that Lin Xinyi might have harmed Bai Qianqian in a fit of rage after regaining consciousness.
However, when she rushed into the Fangcun Grotto-heaven, the messy scene she had imagined did not appear.
Instead, the entire room remained as tidy as before.
Only Lin Xinyi’s spiritual sword had been tossed into a corner, and Bai Qianqian sat on the floor, wiping away tears.
“Qianqian! Are you hurt?”
Luo Qingyao hurried forward to check her body.
No matter how she looked, she could not find any injuries.
Only after confirming there was no life-threatening danger did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Lady Luo… Master, she never loved me…”
Bai Qianqian sat on the floor, tears streaming down from the corners of her eyes.
Hearing her words, Luo Qingyao did not react for a moment, unsure of what she meant.
“Master was unwilling to let me erase her consciousness and keep her by my side forever…”
Bai Qianqian wiped her tears as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, Luo Qingyao’s eyes twitched.
She thought to herself that it was no wonder Lin Xinyi had used all her strength to escape.
After all that effort, Bai Qianqian had actually wanted to turn her completely into a puppet.
Who wouldn’t run in that situation?
Luo Qingyao sighed helplessly.
‘I’ve been far too lax with Qianqian’s psychological education. It won’t be good if she grows up warped.’
Patting the girl’s shoulder, she spoke words of comfort.
“It’s fine. Lin Xinyi couldn’t have liked you from the start anyway…”
“??”
Hearing Luo Qingyao’s “comfort,” Bai Qianqian cried even harder.
Luo Qingyao realized she had said the wrong thing and wanted to continue consoling her, but Bai Qianqian slowly stood up and picked up Lin Xinyi’s spiritual sword from the side.
“Qianqian! You can’t do anything rash just because of this!”
Luo Qingyao thought her words had provoked the girl, but Bai Qianqian simply held the sword in her arms and sat back in her original spot.
“Master didn’t want to stay by my side, so I erased the Intent Contract…”
“Hmm? You said you erased the Intent Contract? You let Lin Xinyi go on purpose?”
Confusion appeared on Luo Qingyao’s face upon hearing Bai Qianqian’s words.
She did not understand why the girl would do such a thing when she had already obtained what she wanted.
The final Intent Contract Bai Qianqian had issued at the time was not to directly dissipate the consciousness, but to make it blurred.
However, it also released the control of other Intent Contracts, giving Lin Xinyi the chance to control her own body.
“You could have just kept her by your side forever. Isn’t that what you always wanted? Why did you do that…”
Facing Luo Qingyao’s inquiry, Bai Qianqian only held the spiritual sword.
The image of the other woman holding a longsword against her neck still echoed in her mind.
“If I kept her by my side like that, I would have lost even more…”
“But things have already reached this point. Do you still expect her to like you…”
Although Luo Qingyao could not figure out Bai Qianqian’s train of thought, she knew the girl always had her own ideas.
Looking in the direction where the woman had left, a gentle smile appeared at the corner of Bai Qianqian’s mouth.
She then walked toward the entrance of the Grotto-heaven.
“Lady Luo, don’t I have you to help me? Besides, Sister, don’t you also know where Master would go…”
“Sigh, I really can’t do anything with you. Lin Xinyi is truly pitiful…”
Luo Qingyao clearly could not refuse Bai Qianqian’s request.
After all, even if the woman left, she would likely return to that Cave Abode in the sect.
Luo Qingyao just happened to remember the route back.
“I want to join Master’s sect. That should give Master a very big surprise…”
“She’ll probably be so surprised that she faints~”
Bai Qianqian looked at the brightly lit Bai Family port at the foot of the mountain, the loneliness in her eyes evident.
After all, there was nothing else left there for her to cherish.
The image of Lin Xinyi’s beautiful, alluring body and her soft, lingering voice filled Bai Qianqian’s mind.
Just imagining the other woman being moved by her deep feelings made her feel like she could no longer restrain herself.
“Wait for me, Master. The next time we meet, you won’t be able to leave me again…”
Lin Xinyi felt the tearing pain brought by shredding through the void as she stumbled out of the rift.
The damage caused by the spatial turbulence left wounds of various sizes across her body.
Nevertheless, Lin Xinyi escaped that void space with her tenacious will.
As soon as she emerged and saw the familiar Lotus Pavilion, she could no longer endure the exhaustion and collapsed onto the ground.
“I escaped. I escaped…”
Lin Xinyi supported herself against a nearby chair and sat in the center of the pavilion.
The chaos in her mind was still swirling.
Once she breathed a sigh of relief, the side effects of burning her essence blood began to surface.
At this moment, every inch of her body felt a tearing pain.
Even though she gritted her teeth, she was still drenched in cold sweat.
When had she ever been so wretched?
To think she had been pushed to this extent by a remnant soul and a rebellious disciple.
“Once I recover… Once I recover, I will definitely make Luo Qingyao’s soul dissipate first, and then slowly torture Bai Qianqian…”
Although Lin Xinyi said this, she still felt a bit apprehensive when she thought of Bai Qianqian’s crazed behavior.
She could only utter harsh words for now, while in her heart, she never wanted to see Bai Qianqian again.
“It hurts so much…”
Lin Xinyi felt that since she had become involved with Bai Qianqian, things had never been easy.
Her original plan was completely ruined.
Now, all she could think about was avoiding the girl.
She was extremely irritable.
She wanted to return to her Cave Abode to rest, but after taking only a few steps, her vision was suddenly covered.
Then, two soft objects pressed tightly against her back.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She did not dare move a muscle.
This sudden turn of events made her think Bai Qianqian had caught up.
‘She really hasn’t planned on letting me go, even now.’
“No… No…”
Lin Xinyi’s heart began to collapse.
She did not even dare imagine how dark her life would be if she became a mindless puppet.
However, after waiting for a long time, she did not hear Bai Qianqian’s voice.
Instead, she felt another hand gently wrap around her waist.
“Master… Have you come back to see your disciple…?”
“!!!”
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Lin Xinyi immediately recalled Qin Huaiyin, whom she had locked in the Cave Abode.
She had been in a daze for a year, to the point where she had forgotten the girl’s existence.
“Qin… Qin Huaiyin…”
After confirming the identity of the person behind her, Lin Xinyi first breathed a sigh of relief, then resumed her former posture.
“Who… Who gave you permission to get so close to me!”
There was a hint of reproach in Lin Xinyi’s words, but moving even slightly pulled at her wounds.
She could only turn sideways and gently push the other woman away, intending to scold her.
However, as her arm exerted a little pressure, she realized the other woman had no intention of leaving.
In fact, the hand holding her grew tighter, and a seductive voice spoke into her ear.
“Is Master so tired of her disciple…?”
Lin Xinyi was caught off guard by this strange reaction.
Usually, if she scolded her, she would shrink back like a timid hamster and not dare to respond.
Now, instead of letting go, she was sticking even closer.
“I only noticed that the wounds on Master’s body have increased and wanted to show my concern…”
“Did… Did you not hear what I said? Get away from me…”
Lin Xinyi also noticed something was wrong.
The current Qin Huaiyin gave her a sense of strangeness.
Whether it was her words or her posture, even the pressure from behind had an unspeakable sense of abnormality.
Lin Xinyi tried to struggle and push her away, but her left hand was firmly grabbed by the wrist.
Although her vision returned, she wanted to turn her head to look at Qin Huaiyin behind her, only to be pressed against a pillar with her back turned.
“What are you doing? Did you not hear what I said, you rebellious disciple?!”
“Master, you are so seriously injured. It won’t do if you aren’t treated properly. Besides, Master… Why can’t you break free from my embrace?”
As Qin Huaiyin said this, her voice gradually returned to its normal tone, but her words made Lin Xinyi break out in a cold sweat.
Her consciousness was currently in chaos, and her spiritual energy felt like it had turned solid, unable to circulate.
Having just burned her essence blood and traveled through the void, where would she find the strength to struggle?
Right now, she was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Even if Qin Huaiyin had no aggressive intent, she could control her here with sheer physical strength.
“I… I just didn’t want to hurt you. Let go of me quickly!”
Lin Xinyi found a forced reason.
Despite being exhausted, she still did not dare show a hint of weakness.
‘The little lamb behind me is now like a predatory wolf. If I show even the slightest vulnerability, I’ll be devoured completely.’
“Is that so…”
A hint of regret appeared in Qin Huaiyin’s words, but then Lin Xinyi felt the grip on her wrist tighten.
She could even feel that her body was no longer under her own control.
“But Master, right now, it seems you can’t even beat me…”
“REBELLIOUS! REBELLIOUS DISCIPLE!!”
Lin Xinyi suddenly turned around and pushed hard, finally creating some distance.
But when she looked back, she was completely stunned.
Where was the gentle and kind little lamb?
Where was the soft and timid girl from before?
Qin Huaiyin stood there with a clear smirk.
Her beautiful eyes had even turned into the vertical pupils of a Flood Dragon, and light blue dragon scales were beginning to emerge on both sides of her face.
“Qin… Qin Huaiyin! You! You are…!”
“I look quite scary like this, don’t I, Master? That Flood Dragon blood was truly hot — it burned so much that my whole body was in pain…”
Lin Xinyi could not believe that the Qin Huaiyin before her was the same furnace she had easily handled a year ago.
But when those crystal-like dragon horns appeared on top of Qin Huaiyin’s head, she had to accept the truth.
No matter how much she disbelieved it, someone had actually achieved it.
This girl didn’t look like a Flood Dragon at all; after absorbing the Flood Dragon blood, she had actually transformed into a True Dragon.
“Transforming into a True Dragon with Flood Dragon blood… How… how did you do it?!”
“Master, do you know how desperate I felt when you left? I wanted so much for you not to leave me here all alone…”
Facing the inquiry, Qin Huaiyin only talked to herself.
Lin Xinyi had already secretly gripped a life-saving treasure behind her back.
This girl, Qin Huaiyin, was already out of her control.
“It hurt so much. I was in so much pain that I almost went crazy. But when time stopped, it didn’t seem to hurt as much.”
“Did you know, Master? During this past year, I thought about you returning every single moment.”
“Finally, you’re finally willing to come back and see me, Master…”