Bai Qianqian sat in the carriage.
There was still some time before they reached the city.
Meanwhile, one day had already passed for Lin Xinyi.
Qin Huaiyin poured the prepared porridge into a bowl and approached the entrance of Lin Xinyi’s Cave Abode, gently pushing the door open.
Lin Xinyi leaned against the headboard in a weakened state, her eyes filled with numbness.
However, when the door opened, she still subconsciously raised her head to see who had entered.
“Is Master still feeling unwell? If there is any discomfort, feel free to tell your disciple…”
“Stop with your hypocritical concern. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
A cold sneer played at the corners of Lin Xinyi’s mouth.
After seeing clearly who the visitor was, she regained her usual haughty demeanor, even though the memory of the suffocating feeling after falling into the water that night still left her with a lingering fear.
Even so, Lin Xinyi had no intention of yielding.
Seeing that Lin Xinyi still had the energy to be sharp-tongued, Qin Huaiyin did not say much.
She simply sat by the bed and gently scooped up a spoonful of white porridge.
“Even though Master has entered the fasting state, eating something to warm the body will make you feel more comfortable…”
Seeing the spoon held to her lips, Lin Xinyi grew increasingly irritable.
To be humiliated like that at night and then cared for in such a manner during the day—it was as if she were being kept as a pet.
‘Is she mocking my lack of threat by being so gentle now, after the way she disgraced me that night?’
Lin Xinyi slapped the porridge away.
The bowl hit the floor, a piece chipping off instantly, and the freshly cooked porridge splashed everywhere.
Qin Huaiyin did not get angry; she only shook her head helplessly.
“Why must Master be like this? After all, you know your strength has not recovered. Provoking me does you no good…”
“Heh, so what? The process of the Dragon Transformation was not easy, was it? I do not know how you succeeded, but there is only one thing a person like you wants to do now~”
Lin Xinyi suddenly grabbed the hand Qin Huaiyin had used to hold the bowl and shoved it directly into her own clothes.
Her expression was full of disdain as those cold, slender fingers were pressed against her skin.
She even allowed her slightly firm pearls to brush against the back of the other’s hand.
At this moment, Lin Xinyi wore only a layer of thin gauze without any undergarments, making it effortless to feel her soft body.
The moment Qin Huaiyin touched her, it felt as if an electric current had surged through her entire body.
Seeing this reaction, the disdain in Lin Xinyi’s eyes deepened.
“See? This is what you really want to do. I do not need your hypocritical pity!”
Although Qin Huaiyin’s heart was momentarily stirred, her desires were not that strong at the moment.
She calmly withdrew her hand, the faint fragrance of Lin Xinyi’s body lingering on her fingertips.
“Master should not do this. You will not be able to handle the consequences…”
Qin Huaiyin exhaled a breath of turbid air to calm herself.
She understood that Lin Xinyi was merely acting tough with her words.
If she really made a move, Lin Xinyi would surely break in an instant.
Seeing that Qin Huaiyin did not cross the line, Lin Xinyi felt the sting of humiliation even more sharply.
“You… are you pitying me?!”
Lin Xinyi sneered, but in the next instant, a longsword condensed from spiritual energy appeared in her hand.
In a flash, she thrust it toward the space between Qin Huaiyin’s eyebrows.
Qin Huaiyin did not dodge.
She simply flicked her finger against the blade.
The spiritual sword shattered like glass, and because Lin Xinyi had lost her support, she tumbled directly off the bed.
“Master should stop these boring sneak attacks. After all, not even one-tenth of your power remains…”
Falling from the bed, Lin Xinyi tried to stand up to strike at the other’s head again, but despite her efforts, her legs refused to obey.
‘Curse it!’
Lin Xinyi frustratedly hammered her powerless legs.
Now, even standing had become a luxury.
Qin Huaiyin reached out to carry her back to the bed, only to be pushed away.
“Don’t you just want to humiliate me? You turned me into this useless person just so you could mock me. Go ahead then…!”
Lin Xinyi now regretted choosing the most humiliating path.
Even her own body had become a plaything for the other’s whims.
“Master, do you have any idea how wretched you look right now?”
Qin Huaiyin spoke the words calmly after being pushed away.
Lin Xinyi’s heart tightened instantly.
Qin Huaiyin had once been an ant she could crush at will.
Now, the woman stood before her, looking down from above.
Lin Xinyi, sprawling on the floor like a stray dog, felt a massive surge of disparity that nearly shattered her cultivation heart.
Nevertheless, she forced a cold smile through the shame.
“You… you can only enjoy your pride for now…!”
“Is that so? But I feel like I have been enjoying myself quite a bit.”
“It was your biggest mistake not to kill me. You will surely pay the price for what you have done today!”
Her slowly recovering cultivation was Lin Xinyi’s only hope.
As she ground out those words through clenched teeth, Qin Huaiyin merely offered a meaningful smile and slowly knelt down.
“Master, what is the point of saying such things? Right now, you even need me to carry you just to stand up~”
“You!!”
Hearing the other’s indifferent tone, Lin Xinyi could only clench her fists.
Even if she bit her lip until it bled, there was nothing she could do.
Qin Huaiyin said nothing more.
She used her finger to gently tilt up Lin Xinyi’s face, which was written with indignation, and used her thumb to lightly trace those soft lips.
“Master, do you know how beautiful you look with this expression? This look of hating me while being completely powerless to do anything~”
“…”
Lin Xinyi was shaking with rage, but she was helpless.
Just as she was cursing Qin Huaiyin in her mind, a jade transmission slip was tossed in front of her.
“What… what is this for…”
Lin Xinyi recognized it as the jade slip that used to hang at her waist.
Ever since she had been confined to this bed by Qin Huaiyin, her belongings had been confiscated.
Now, it was being returned to her.
“What for? Master, shouldn’t you understand better than I do?”
Lin Xinyi looked at the jade slip and reached out to touch it.
Once her unique spiritual energy was infused, messages began to appear.
[Sect Master]: [The Great Sect Selection is imminent. Every Elder who receives this message must gather at the Sect Hall at noon today to discuss the recruitment of disciples…]
……
Lin Xinyi realized the Sect Master was convening a meeting.
She could not be absent.
It was clear this rebellious disciple intended for her to attend.
“You are letting me attend the Sect Master’s meeting? Aren’t you afraid I will seek help…?”
Realizing that the other woman needed something from her, Lin Xinyi’s smug expression returned.
Qin Huaiyin knelt down further, wearing a similar smile.
“If Master wishes to seek help, there is nothing I can do~”
“In that case, what exactly are you planning…?”
Lin Xinyi didn’t understand why she was being allowed out, but Qin Huaiyin’s next words made her eyes widen as she felt completely trapped.
“If Master does not go, it will certainly cause the Sect Master to become suspicious. However, if Master goes, there will indeed be a chance to call for help…”
“Since you know that…”
“But, Master, you wouldn’t want the news of you being imprisoned in a Grotto-heaven and played with by the disciple you raised to spread throughout the entire sect, would you?~”
“!!!”
Lin Xinyi reacted instantly to those words.
Even if she sought help, if the truth came out, her actions could no longer be hidden.
If she tried to explain, her attempt to raise Qin Huaiyin as a human cauldron would lead to her being condemned by thousands.
Even if she didn’t explain, how could she have the face to stay after being treated so indecently by her own disciple?
“You!!! You!”
“Therefore, Master, let your disciple serve you while you dress~”