The light inside the cave dwelling was soft.
Looking at the mysterious smile on Su Yuexi’s face, the sense of foreboding in Lu Ning’s heart grew stronger.
“Mas… Master, what do you want your disciple to do?”
Lu Ning’s voice carried a hint of wariness.
She was now completely on guard against any smile or word from Su Yuexi.
This woman was simply a demon wearing the skin of a gentle lady.
Heaven only knew what new, torturous tricks were being plotted inside that head of hers.
“Don’t be nervous, my good disciple.”
Su Yuexi reached out and doted on Lu Ning by pinching her cheek.
“I am not some kind of demon. Why would I make things difficult for you?”
Hearing those words, Lu Ning only felt a chill run through her body.
“I have recently been practicing an ancient cultivation technique that has hit a bottleneck. This technique requires two people to be of one mind, their auras blending together to exert its greatest power. I have thought it over, and I am afraid that in this world, only you, with your Heavenly Demon Physique, are most suitable to cultivate alongside me.”
As Su Yuexi spoke, she gazed at Lu Ning with eyes as gentle as water, filled with affection.
‘Two people cultivating together?’
Hearing this, Lu Ning’s mind momentarily went blank.
She knew this woman was up to no good! ‘Isn’t this just some kind of succubus-style demonic technique?!’
“Master…”
“Your disciple… my cultivation is low, and my foundation is severely damaged. I fear… I fear I cannot take on such a great responsibility. Moreover, this technique emphasizes mutual affection, and between us… between us…”
“What about between us?”
Su Yuexi interrupted her.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous light flickering within them.
“Could it be, my good disciple, that you don’t have even a shred of affection for me?”
Lu Ning: “…”
How was she supposed to answer that?
If she said yes, wouldn’t she be falling right into the trap?
If she said no, the consequences would likely be even more severe.
“It seems my disciple is still quite disobedient.”
Su Yuexi looked at Lu Ning’s conflicted expression and sighed helplessly.
Immediately, she pulled out that recording stone that haunted Lu Ning’s dreams from her storage ring and waved it in front of her.
“My good disciple, you had better think carefully before you answer. My patience is limited.”
Lu Ning looked at the recording stone, then at Su Yuexi’s smiling face.
In the end, she surrendered.
“There is… there is…” Lu Ning’s voice was faint, and her cheeks flushed deep red.
“Your disciple… has long since… had feelings for Master…”
When those words were painfully squeezed out of Lu Ning’s mouth, a brilliant smile instantly blossomed on Su Yuexi’s face.
“That’s more like it.”
Su Yuexi nodded with satisfaction.
She put the recording stone away and presented an ancient beast-hide scroll emitting an archaic aura to Lu Ning.
“My good disciple, this is the technique I mentioned, called The Tome of Joined Joy. Comprehend it well first. Once we are both ready, we can begin our first session of cultivation.”
Looking at the ancient scroll, which featured two intertwined figures on the cover, Lu Ning felt her vision go dark.
She nearly fainted on the spot.
The Tome of Joined Joy?
Lu Ning tremblingly took the ancient scroll and flipped to the first page.
She saw various blushing cultivation poses depicted in a very fluid style.
Detailed text explanations accompanied them, describing the circulation path of true essence for each pose and the effects they could achieve.
With just one glance, Lu Ning felt her cheeks burning and her heart racing.
“How is it, my good disciple?”
Su Yuexi’s voice rang in her ear, tinged with a hint of teasing.
“Do you find this technique profound and full of mystery?”
Lu Ning: “…”
She just wanted to shred this wretched book right now.
“Mas… Master… this… isn’t this technique a bit… a bit too…”
“Too what?”
Su Yuexi cocked an eyebrow.
“Could it be that my disciple finds these cultivation movements too difficult to learn?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
A “kind” smile appeared on Su Yuexi’s face.
“I can teach you personally, step-by-step. I guarantee you will master the essence of this technique in the shortest time possible.”
Lu Ning’s body shuddered violently at those words.
‘Step-by-step teaching?’
Just imagining that scene made her feel like she couldn’t take it.
“No… there is no need, Master…”
Lu Ning shook her head hurriedly.
“Your disciple… your disciple can learn on her own.”
“That is good, then.”
Su Yuexi nodded with satisfaction.
“I will give you three days. After three days, I will personally inspect the results of your learning. If you haven’t learned well…”
The corners of Su Yuexi’s mouth curled into a wicked arc.
“Then I will have to use some special methods to punish you.”
Having said that, she ignored Lu Ning and walked to the other side of the dwelling.
She sat cross-legged and began to meditate, regulating her breath.
She left Lu Ning alone, holding the scalding Tome of Joined Joy, sitting dazed on the jade bed, wanting to cry but having no tears.
The next three days were a nightmare for Lu Ning.
Every day, she was forced to hold The Tome of Joined Joy and study those poses.
Although Su Yuexi did not touch her again, she acted like a strict overseer, monitoring her “learning progress” at all times.
Whenever Lu Ning tried to slack off or showed even the slightest reluctance, Su Yuexi would produce the recording stone and wave it in front of her.
This left Lu Ning with no room for resistance.
She could only endure the shame and memorize the poses one by one.
Meanwhile, beneath the bed, Hua Lingyue — who had been bundled like a sack and blindfolded — had undergone a mental “baptism” over these three days.
Although she couldn’t see, she could clearly hear everything happening in the cave.
She heard every conversation between her Master and that great demon.
She could even imagine the high-and-mighty Lu Ning studying those poses with a face full of shame.
This realization made her feel incredibly excited and stimulated.
She felt as though she were also a participant in this “teaching” session.
Three days passed quickly.
On this day, Su Yuexi finally opened her eyes from her meditation.
She looked at Lu Ning, who was holding The Tome of Joined Joy with a “serious” expression, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
“My good disciple, time is up.”
Her voice was soft, but it made Lu Ning’s body jerk.
“It is time for me to inspect the results of your learning.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning’s heart tightened, and she quickly closed the ancient scroll.
“Master…”
“Mmhmm.” Su Yuexi nodded.
She walked up to Lu Ning and circled her once, her gentle eyes flickering with a scrutinizing light.
“Looking at you, you should have learned most of it. However, I need you to demonstrate it personally so I can see exactly how much you have mastered.”
‘Demonstrate it personally?’
“Mas… Master, how do you want your disciple to demonstrate?”
Lu Ning asked, bracing herself.
“It’s very simple.”
The corners of Su Yuexi’s mouth curved.
With a wave of her hand, a set of pink dance clothes, thin as a cicada’s wing, appeared in her grasp.
“My good disciple, put these clothes on first. Then, perform the cultivation movements you have mastered for me, one by one.”
Su Yuexi’s voice was full of anticipation and playfulness.
At the sight of the dance dress, Lu Ning’s vision went dark, and she almost fainted.
“What? My good disciple, are you unwilling? Or would you prefer for me to help you change in a more ‘direct’ manner?”
Looking at those smiling eyes, Lu Ning’s heart went cold.
She knew she had no choice.
Resistance would only lead to more humiliation.
“Your disciple… obeys,” Lu Ning replied with difficulty.
She reached out her trembling hands and took the flimsy dance dress from Su Yuexi.
Lu Ning took a deep breath, as if she had made a final decision.
When Lu Ning finished changing and slowly shuffled out from the corner, even Su Yuexi, who was already prepared, felt her breath hitch for a moment.
The scene before her was far too impactful.
The pink dance dress was as thin as a cicada’s wing, outlining her beautiful figure even more vividly and adding infinite charm.
Her fair skin glowed with a moist luster against the backdrop of the pink gauze.
Her long, straight, jade-like legs were visible through the hem of the skirt, inviting endless imagination.
At this moment, Lu Ning looked like a saintess about to be sacrificed to a god — pure, weak, yet carrying a fatal temptation.
“Beautiful…” Su Yuexi looked on, somewhat dazed.
She murmured to herself, her gentle eyes shining with brilliance and obsession.
She stepped quickly to Lu Ning’s side and gently stroked her slightly flushed cheek.
“My good disciple, you truly are the best gift the heavens have given me.”
Lu Ning felt extremely uncomfortable under that scorching gaze and could only lower her eyes, not daring to meet her look.
“Alright, don’t just stand there.”
Su Yuexi withdrew her hand and took a few steps back, sitting down on the jade bed.
“Begin. Let me properly appreciate your insights from these past few days.”
Lu Ning’s body trembled.
She closed her eyes, and the shameful poses recorded in The Tome of Joined Joy surfaced in her mind.
However, Lu Ning had only performed the very first cultivation movement when Su Yuexi’s breathing became ragged.
She moved forward, scooped Lu Ning up, and walked quickly back to the jade bed.
Then, she gently laid Lu Ning on the bed and pressed down over her.
“Mas… Master, you…” Lu Ning was somewhat flustered by this sudden action.
“Don’t speak.”
Su Yuexi reached out a finger and pressed it against her lips.
“Next, it is my turn to ‘perform.'”
As soon as she finished speaking, she no longer hesitated.
She lowered her head and began to teach Lu Ning the secrets of the tome step-by-step.
Meanwhile, the recording stone at the head of the bed had been activated by Su Yuexi at some unknown point.
It faithfully recorded yet another scene of “filial devotion” between Master and disciple.
Meanwhile, in a hidden valley thousands of miles away from the Tianmo Sect.
The Tianmo Sect Saintess, Gu Qinghuan, was sitting cross-legged atop a massive green rock.
Visible threads of icy blue cold air swirled around her, shrouding the entire valley in a world of ice and snow.
Above her head, a massive Lunar Manifestation flickered, emitting a terrifying pressure.
Ever since leaving the Heavenly Capital, she had begun her secluded cultivation.
She needed to break through to the Great Transformation stage as soon as possible!
Only then would she have the right to truly stand by her Master’s side, rather than always being protected like a child.
She recalled her Master’s supreme presence outside the Heavenly Capital, suppressing everything like a god.
She also remembered the “rebellious” things she had done to her Master back in the Tianmo Sect and the Dahuang Dynasty.
Her heart was filled with contradiction and struggle.
On one hand, she was obsessed and fanatical about her Master’s strength.
On the other hand, she felt ashamed and unwilling because of her own weakness.
“Master…” Gu Qinghuan murmured, her cold eyes sparkling with complex light.
“Wait for me. One day, I will become stronger than anyone else. When that time comes, I will make you admit with your own mouth that I am the one most suitable for you. I will make you belong entirely to me alone.”
As her voice fell, the lunar power around her surged instantly!
The temperature of the entire valley plummeted again, freezing even the air itself.
At that moment, the bottleneck of the Peak Integration Stage that had stalled Gu Qinghuan for so long finally showed a sign of loosening.
Tens of thousands of miles away in the Dahuang Dynasty, inside the Phoenix Palace.
At this moment, Jing Linglong sat dazed in front of her vanity, looking at the stranger in the mirror.
She had regained her senses.
The effects of the Thread-Pulling Soul-Stealing Pill had passed early thanks to the intervention of the imperial physicians.
However, Jing Linglong’s memory had become somewhat muddled.
She only remembered that there seemed to be someone she desperately wanted to protect, yet… she seemed to have lost a segment of her memory.
She looked at her pale face and confused eyes in the mirror, her heart full of bewilderment.
Just then, the door to the inner palace was pushed open.
Empress Ji Liuyun walked in slowly.
“Royal Sister, you are awake?”
Ji Liuyun’s voice carried a hint of concern.
“Liuyun…” Jing Linglong turned her head to look at her sister.
Her golden phoenix eyes were filled with confusion.
“I… what happened to me?”
“Sister, you previously suffered a cultivation deviation that damaged your soul.”
A “worried” expression appeared on Ji Liuyun’s face.
She walked to Jing Linglong’s side and gently took her hand.
“However, do not worry. I have already asked the best physicians in the palace to treat you. You will recover soon.”
Ji Liuyun’s words were gentle, but deep within her profound phoenix eyes, a faint, imperceptible cold light flickered.
She had learned from the physicians that Jing Linglong had lost a portion of her memory, but she chose not to tell Jing Linglong the truth.
She did not want her sister to know she had once been toyed with by that demon, or that she had even drawn her blade against her own family for his sake.
From this day forward, the demon named “Lu Ning” would become an eternal taboo between the sisters.