Lin Xinyi slowly sat up in bed, her body marked with the traces from the previous day.
The superficial injuries had already mostly healed, not even leaving behind the faintest scar.
“So yesterday wasn’t a dream…”
Lin Xinyi gripped the bedsheet tightly.
The pain in her lower body had not yet subsided, and there were even shameful bite marks on her skin.
To Lin Xinyi, this was a mark of utter humiliation.
But just then, the door to the cave abode was pushed open, and Qin Huaiyin walked in from outside.
“Master, did you sleep well last night…?”
“At this point, does anything I say even matter…?”
Lin Xinyi pulled at the bedsheet beside her, barely managing to cover her body, which was covered in humiliating marks.
Traces of last night’s tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, each detail exuding a desolate kind of beauty.
“Master, you’re weak right now. As your disciple, it’s only right that I take care of you. I went to the Alchemy Pavilion to get these pills for you…”
Qin Huaiyin slowly took out a palm-sized jade box from her spatial storage and placed it by the bedside.
Although the events of last night were still fresh in her mind, Qin Huaiyin showed no sign of impropriety now.
She simply set the jade box down and stepped back.
“Since I’ve already opened the restrictions on this Grotto-heaven, why haven’t you left? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted…?”
Lin Xinyi looked at the pills by the bed but didn’t reach for them.
Instead, she stared intently at Qin Huaiyin.
Last night, she had thought everything was over after she lost consciousness, but then her body had been lifted and tormented again in the pavilion outside.
In the end, she had been forced to release the Grotto-heaven’s seals, expecting her to flee.
Instead, Qin Huaiyin had simply left briefly, taken a turn around the sect, gathered some healing supplies, and then returned.
“Master, since you said those were my thoughts from before, what reason do I have to leave now…?”
Qin Huaiyin deftly retrieved the tea leaves stored in the cabinet, brewed a pot of hot tea, and set it on the table.
Though it was Lin Xinyi’s room, she moved through it as if it were her own, knowing exactly where everything was.
Lin Xinyi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but even her own golden-threaded cloud duvet carried a faint, elusive scent of Qin Huaiyin.
It was likely that during the year she had been away, this had already become Qin Huaiyin’s room.
In the past, she had been the one in control.
Now, not only had her room been taken over, but she herself had become someone else’s possession.
Lin Xinyi gritted her teeth.
No matter how much resentment she felt, there was nothing she could do.
Despite her cultivation level, she couldn’t mobilize her spiritual energy.
“Master, instead of being on guard against me, you should take the pill. It will make you feel better…”
Qin Huaiyin looked at her master, who had intended to raise her as a cauldron.
Although she had known her master’s purpose from the start, there was no sense of betrayal or hatred in her heart.
The law of the jungle was simply the rule of the Cultivation World.
Everyone followed it.
If she hadn’t ended up with Lin Xinyi after awakening her special constitution, falling into the hands of another demonic cultivator would likely have led to the same fate.
“I don’t need your false kindness! You’ve already done what you wanted. How long are you going to humiliate me?!”
Lin Xinyi kicked the pills Qin Huaiyin had placed by the bed onto the floor.
The shameful experiences of the previous night were still vivid in her mind, even now that she was awake.
She had begged her to stop multiple times during the night, pleaded with her, only to be met with even more forceful actions.
Her limp body had been bitten and swollen.
She, a Nascent Soul cultivator, had been treated like a servant, pinned down and humiliated by Qin Huaiyin.
“I asked for these pills at the Alchemy Pavilion. It would be a waste if you don’t take them, Master…”
“‘Asked’?
You just used my name to get a pill there.
Don’t expect me to be grateful!”
Qin Huaiyin calmly picked up the jade box that had fallen to the floor and opened it.
The crystalline pill markings revealed the exceptional quality of the medicine within.
Lin Xinyi was now filled with resentment toward Qin Huaiyin.
She would rather endure her injuries than take any pill given by her.
“Sigh, I’m trying to be kind. Why won’t you understand, Master…?”
“Who knows if what you brought is some poison pill to destroy my cultivation? You want me to be dependent on you forever, isn’t that what you’re thinking?!”
Hearing Lin Xinyi’s words, Qin Huaiyin let out a helpless sigh and walked directly toward the bed.
Though Lin Xinyi had been speaking aggressively a moment ago, her voice immediately faltered when Qin Huaiyin suddenly approached.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
“Open your mouth…”
Seeing that being gentle wasn’t working, Qin Huaiyin resorted to force.
She grabbed Lin Xinyi’s wrist, pulled her into her arms with a sharp tug.
Lin Xinyi had no strength to resist and remained frozen, held tightly against her.
“You’re just angry because I caught you, aren’t you?! I… I…!”
Lin Xinyi was beginning to stammer, but Qin Huaiyin paid no attention to her protests.
Her golden eyes held a natural authority that made Lin Xinyi fall silent immediately.
“Is this what it takes for you to listen, Master? You only respond to force…”
Though Lin Xinyi outwardly resisted, under the pressure of Qin Huaiyin’s presence, she reluctantly opened her mouth.
Qin Huaiyin didn’t hesitate, pressing the pill firmly between her lips.
“Cough! Cough!!”
Lin Xinyi choked on the rough action, pushing Qin Huaiyin away and coughing uncontrollably.
Fortunately, the pill dissolved quickly on her tongue, its effects spreading through her limbs.
It wasn’t a poison pill but a genuine healing medicine.
“I opened my mouth! Why did you have to be so rough?!”
“I thought you preferred it that way…”
Qin Huaiyin said coldly, stepping back from the bed.
As Lin Xinyi continued coughing, a cup of tea was placed in front of her.
She looked up at Qin Huaiyin, this time accepting the cup without protest and drinking it down.
“Master, you weren’t afraid I poisoned it?”
“If I refused, you’d just force me again, and I’d end up drinking it anyway…”
Lin Xinyi now understood that her life was in the other woman’s hands.
Until her body recovered, any resistance would be futile.
She watched Qin Huaiyin turn and walk away.
Internally, she was already cursing her, thinking that as soon as her cultivation returned, the first thing she would do was show this rebellious disciple what her master’s authority truly meant.
Especially when she felt the pill beginning to work, her previously blocked spiritual energy slowly starting to flow again.
Lin Xinyi was overjoyed but kept it hidden.
She began to plan her next move.
Qin Huaiyin might have been lucky to obtain her current Dragon Transformation Body, but healing an enemy was a foolish mistake.
“Let her have her fun for a while. In just two days, I’ll recover fifty percent of my strength. Then… hehe…”
Lin Xinyi was lost in her fantasy when her wrist was gently grasped again.
Qin Huaiyin, who had supposedly left, had returned without her noticing.
Startled, Lin Xinyi’s heart skipped a beat.
She feared her thoughts had been exposed and instinctively shrank back in fear.
“What are you doing back here?!”
“Doing what? The usual thing I do…”
Qin Huaiyin straightened her clothes and began dressing Lin Xinyi.
In the past, Lin Xinyi had enjoyed making her serve her, finding it amusing.
Having a convenient cauldron to order around, Lin Xinyi hadn’t hesitated to make her sweep the courtyard, tidy the room, and even help her dress.
But now, the situation had reversed—she was the one being dressed.
“Master, you need to put on your robe…”
“Fine… Fine, put it on.”
Qin Huaiyin knelt slowly by the bed, gently lifting Lin Xinyi’s feet, which were still clad in black stockings.
She carefully put her boots back on before going to the wardrobe to retrieve a robe that had been left in the cave abode.
Though it was a grade lower than the one she usually wore, the robe was quite beautiful, which was why she had kept it in her wardrobe.
Lin Xinyi had initially been worried that Qin Huaiyin was up to something strange again, but the woman simply helped her dress and then carried her to a chair.
“If Master has no further needs, this disciple will take her leave…”
After speaking, Qin Huaiyin walked out of the cave abode.
Lin Xinyi watched her leave, noting that she had even tidied up the previously messy room.
It felt as if Qin Huaiyin had returned to her former quiet, subdued demeanor.
“Hmph, this rebellious disciple knows I’ll recover my strength soon. She’s just trying to curry favor with me now~”
Lin Xinyi picked up the freshly brewed tea from the table and drank it in one go.
Though she said that aloud, she had initially worried it was another form of torment.
But to her surprise, nothing unusual happened for the rest of the day.
It was just like her usual days in the cave abode.
The only things that broke the stillness were the sound of a qin playing outside and Qin Huaiyin carrying her to rest in the pavilion.
Everything felt so normal that Lin Xinyi began to wonder if the retaliation the day before had finally satisfied Qin Huaiyin’s hatred, which explained her kindness today.
“After a day of rest, I do feel better. But my legs are still terribly weak…”
Lin Xinyi tried to stand, using the table for support, but her legs gave way, and she sank back to the floor.
She frowned slightly, frustrated with her own weak body.
The side effects of burning her essence blood were too severe.
If she wanted to go anywhere, she’d have to rely on Qin Huaiyin to carry her.
It was humiliating enough, but now she felt like nothing more than a doll.
“But… she did take such good care of me today. Maybe I can let last night slide~”
Lin Xinyi pulled herself up using the table, managing to stand with effort.
The day had passed peacefully, with Qin Huaiyin doing nothing improper.
“Once I recover, if she agrees to go back to being my cauldron, I might even forgive her. I’m so kind~”
She was musing to herself when her legs gave out again, sending her back to the floor.
She couldn’t even muster the strength to stand up.
At that moment, the door opened, and Qin Huaiyin walked in.
“Rebellious disciple! I’ve fallen twice already. What took you so long? Carry me back to bed!”
Lin Xinyi scolded without restraint.
After a full day of Qin Huaiyin staying obediently outside, she had gotten the mistaken impression that her disciple was afraid of her impending recovery.
Her words, previously careful, grew more forceful.
Qin Huaiyin looked at her sitting on the floor, then at the darkening sky outside.
“Master, it’s evening…”
Lin Xinyi still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation.
The peaceful day had led her to believe Qin Huaiyin was still the same timid, fearful woman.
But when her powerless body was lifted back onto the bed, she finally sensed something was wrong.
Just as she had dressed her that morning, Qin Huaiyin now began undressing her, unfastening one button after another, removing her boots.
“What… what are you doing?! I let you dress me, but I never said you could undress me!”
Lin Xinyi grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her, but it had no effect.
Her unease grew when Qin Huaiyin didn’t stop even after removing her outer robe.
“What are you doing?! How dare you?! What are you doing getting on the bed?!”
“Shh… Master, open your mouth…”