Facing Lu Li’s gentle massage, Gu Qingying lay prone on the couch, enduring the soothing sensation without daring to make a sound.
However, in Lu Li’s eyes, her restraint became a symbol of her steadfast determination to pursue the Dao.
“Oh? Not bad~ such a resolute Dao heart, truly a promising disciple! This poor Daoist has really found a treasure!”
With this thought, Lu Li immediately increased the flow of spiritual power he was transmitting to his disciple and encouraged her aloud.
“Hmm! Good disciple! Your will is indeed tough! Just grit your teeth and endure a little longer. Once the medicinal power dissolves, it will drive out all the impurities from your body!”
What he didn’t know was that his disciple beneath him was undergoing a dual torment of sweetness and agony.
Even his gentle words of encouragement became a continuous assault on her mental defenses, slowly twisting her filial piety into temptation.
Yet Lu Li remained completely oblivious, only thinking that his disciple’s arms and legs were too slender and soft, without a single muscle on her body.
Clearly, he would need to strengthen his star disciple’s physical training going forward.
Thus, the remaining medicinal power inside Gu Qingying was quickly digested under Lu Li’s guidance, while many impurities surfaced on her body’s surface.
Seeing this, Lu Li, who was sweating profusely from focusing so intently on clearing her meridians, nodded in satisfaction, then released his disciple and stood aside.
Feeling her master rise from her body, Gu Qingying was both relieved and left wanting more.
She was secretly grateful that her true identity had not been exposed.
And she felt wistful because the beautiful moments of intimate contact with her master had come to an end…
Regardless, not being exposed was definitely a good thing.
Just as Gu Qingying was quietly relieved, a voice from behind made her tense up again.
“All done, turn over! Another round from the front!”
Ah?
Master… he actually wants to continue?
And from the front, no less?
No way!
My chest is still bound!
If he massages the front, won’t my gender be revealed…
Even though I have the cognition modification system, which can blur some of Master Lu Li’s common sense to make him see me as male, the real sensation of touching my chest would still make him suspicious…
As Gu Qingying anxiously pondered this, Lu Li beside her showed a look of disgust upon noticing the stains seeping from her body.
“Forget it, you’re already so dirty, and the medicinal power in your body has dissipated. Let’s call it a day! When you get back, make sure to take a good bath!”
With that, Lu Li casually picked up a fragrant white cloth from the bed and began wiping the fine sweat beads forming on his forehead.
At first, upon hearing Lu Li’s words, Gu Qingying breathed a sigh of relief.
But when she looked up and saw the cloth in Lu Li’s hand—the very chest binder she had hastily hidden between the bedding—her pupils contracted sharply, and her pink cheeks instantly drained of color, quickly flushed to an alarming crimson…
“Ahhh… Master! Th-that thing can’t be used to wipe sweat!”
Gu Qingying almost screamed as she lunged forward, fumbling to snatch the white cloth from Lu Li’s hand, clutching it tightly to her chest, her heart pounding as if about to leap from her throat.
“Hu, hu… Ma-master… next time when you enter my room, could you please knock first and not randomly touch my things…”
Recalling how she had nearly been seen changing clothes earlier, she half-scolded her master with a hint of reproach.
“When you came in just now… I was actually changing clothes in there!”
Lu Li was stunned by his disciple’s extreme reaction, blinking blankly.
“Uh… Qingkong, why the fuss? It’s just a piece of cloth.”
“Besides, we’re all grown men here. What’s there to be shy about if you get seen changing?”
Trying to show the magnanimity expected of a master, Lu Li’s gaze then landed on the cloth his disciple was clutching protectively against her chest.
He recalled the faint, elegant fragrance lingering on the cloth—unlike soap pods or powder—which still wafted near his nose after wiping his sweat.
Considering his disciple’s unusual protectiveness over the item, a flash of insight struck Lu Li’s mind.
A knowing, slightly teasing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Oh~ I see…”
He drew out his tone, leaned close to Gu Qingying, and lowered his voice to ask.
“Heh heh heh… Disciple, you’re so nervous. Could this be a love token from some young lady? Is that why you’re jealous that I touched something from your sweetheart just now?”
Gu Qingying, panicked and not knowing how to explain, was first taken aback by her master’s totally off-base guess.
Then, like clutching a lifeline, she hurriedly gave a vague reply in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.
“Y-yes. Please… please Master, don’t randomly touch things in my room anymore.”
Her face burned fiercely.
This half-true, roundabout admission was somehow more embarrassing than simply hiding her gender.
Hearing this, Lu Li thought to himself,
“So that’s it!”
A subtle relief blossomed in his heart, like a farmer secretly glad his piglet has finally begun to root for cabbage, but it was mixed with an apology for disturbing his disciple’s “little secret.”
“Sorry, sorry! I was out of line!”
Lu Li immediately clasped his hands in apology, his tone sincere.
“I’m truly sorry—Master didn’t know this handkerchief was so important to you. Next time I enter your room, I’ll knock first and won’t touch a single stitch without your permission!”
He patted his chest in assurance.
Yet, seeing his young disciple still furrow her brows slightly and press her lips in a way that suggested lingering resentment, Lu Li suddenly recalled the tragic endings in his previous life’s game, where his carelessness and disregard for his disciple’s feelings led to their falling out.
He sighed softly and came to stand beside his disciple, firmly patting her shoulder.
After all, he didn’t want to repeat those mistakes and drive away the genius disciple he had so painstakingly gained by causing psychological wounds.
“Sigh… Qingkong, truly sorry. It was my fault just now. Remember this: no matter what happens, or if you have any opinions about me, just say it openly!”
“As cultivators, we value clear minds. Don’t bottle up your feelings or keep grudges inside, okay?”
Lu Li reached out to gently pat his disciple’s head as a gesture of comfort.
But then he remembered her earlier boundary about knocking before entering and respecting her sensitive adolescent heart.
So he sheepishly withdrew his hand halfway and instead earnestly said,
“We’re master and disciple, and we’ll be together for a long time.”
“So… only if we both speak openly can we avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, understand? Don’t keep things bottled up inside until you get sick, or worse, develop inner demons. That would be a huge problem…”
Gu Qingying listened quietly to these heartfelt words, feeling a thousand waves rise deep within her heart.
Her past tragedies were the best proof of what her master had just said.
So it turned out that her master had taught them these truths so early on—she had just forgotten them back then…
Thinking of this, a bittersweet warmth surged in Gu Qingying’s chest.
Master Lu Li was still so gentle, always thinking of his disciples…
But the gentler he was, the less courage she had to reveal the truth.