Regarding Gu Qinghuan’s question, Lu Ning knew that if her experiences in Baihuagu were truly exposed, what awaited her would be an “interrogation” far more terrifying than before.
“Qinghuan, you’ve misunderstood.”
A look of “fatigue” appeared on Lu Ning’s face.
She gently broke free from Gu Qinghuan’s hand, her voice carrying a hint of weakness.
“There is nothing between Sect Leader Su and me. We are perfectly innocent. The only reason I stayed in Baihuagu was to recover from my injuries.”
‘To heal?’
Gu Qinghuan repeated those words, the curve of her lips growing increasingly cold.
She took a step forward, and the terrifying pressure belonging to an expert of the Great Completion Stage enveloped Lu Ning.
In the next instant, she appeared inside the Sect Master’s Hall with Lu Ning.
She sent a telepathic message to the high-ranking members of the Tianmo Sect, informing them that a sect meeting would be held in a few days after Lu Ning had rested.
After handling those matters, Gu Qinghuan’s voice was filled with disappointment and grievance.
“Master, your aura is very chaotic. Furthermore, not long ago in Baihuagu, your cultivation had clearly only recovered to the Golden Core Stage. Now, you are at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. How much time has passed since then? As far as I know, even the Demon Heart Pool of the Tianmo Sect could not allow you to recover to such an extent in such a short period. Unless…”
Gu Qinghuan paused, a dangerous light flickering in her cold eyes.
“Unless you used a special method of dual union.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning’s heart sank.
She knew the thing she feared most had happened.
This rebellious disciple’s mind was simply too meticulous; she was not easy to fool at all.
“Qinghuan, what… what nonsense are you talking about?”
An “angry” expression appeared on Lu Ning’s face, and she scolded with feigned indignation, “How can you use such filthy words to speculate about your Master?”
“Disciple does not dare.”
Gu Qinghuan bowed slightly in a humble posture, but her tone remained icy.
“Disciple only wants to know exactly who touched Master during the days I was away.”
Her voice was calm, but her words, saturated with possessiveness, made Lu Ning feel a chill throughout her entire body.
“No… no one touched me.”
Lu Ning’s voice trembled slightly.
A thin layer of mist appropriately surfaced in her cold eyes, making her look pitiable.
“Qinghuan, you must believe me.”
However, Gu Qinghuan remained completely unmoved.
Looking at Lu Ning’s “weak and innocent” appearance, the nameless fire in her heart burned even more intensely.
‘It is like this again. Master is once again using this method to disguise herself and deceive me. What does she take me for? A fool who can be fooled at will?’
“Master, you don’t need to act anymore.”
Gu Qinghuan’s voice was incredibly calm, but beneath that calm lay a madness capable of devouring everything.
“Do you think that as long as you don’t speak, I won’t be able to find out? Do you think that as long as you put on a pitiful act, I will go soft-hearted? You are wrong.”
Gu Qinghuan slowly raised her head.
Her cold eyes were now filled with nothing but pure aggression.
“I have plenty of ways to make you tell the truth yourself.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she no longer hesitated.
With a flick of her wrist, an invisible force instantly enveloped the entire Sect Master’s Hall.
“Qinghuan, what… what do you want to do?”
Seeing this display, the ominous premonition in Lu Ning’s heart grew stronger.
“What am I doing?”
The corners of Gu Qinghuan’s mouth hooked into a morbid arc.
“Naturally, I am going to properly check whether my Master has been dirtied by someone.”
As she spoke, she slowly approached Lu Ning.
Lu Ning was forced back by her imposing aura until her back eventually hit the jade bed carved from 1,000-year-old Profound Jade.
She had nowhere left to retreat.
“Qinghuan! You are being presumptuous!”
Lu Ning barked sharply, attempting to use her authority as a Master to intimidate her.
However, this time, Gu Qinghuan acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
She came before Lu Ning and reached out with a cold hand, gently stroking her cheek.
“Master, did you know?”
Gu Qinghuan’s voice rang in her ear, carrying a trace of obsession.
“I think of you every single day. I think of your scent, and the feeling of having you in my arms. I was so afraid… so afraid that you would be stolen away by another woman. Therefore, I must confirm it.”
As she spoke, she began to unfasten the black robes that symbolized Lu Ning’s status as the Sect Master.
Lu Ning cried out, subconsciously trying to resist.
But her meager Nascent Soul cultivation was not even worth mentioning in the face of Gu Qinghuan’s current Great Completion Stage power.
The majestic and luxurious Sect Master’s robes were easily torn away by her.
“Master, you are so beautiful.”
Gu Qinghuan leaned down, burying her face against Lu Ning’s chest and taking a deep breath.
That familiar scent that haunted her dreams instantly made her feel refreshed.
“Fortunately…” Gu Qinghuan murmured to herself.
“Fortunately, Master’s body still carries the scent I am familiar with. It seems that woman, Su Yuexi, was sensible enough not to do anything excessive to you.”
However, as she continued to explore further, her brows suddenly furrowed.
She detected an extremely faint, yet undeniably clear, foreign scent on Lu Ning’s body.
It was a fresh, woody fragrance accompanied by a strange floral scent.
She was very familiar with this aura.
It belonged to that woman, Su Yuexi!
Furthermore, this scent was not a simple surface contamination; it had already seeped deep into Lu Ning’s skin, even merging with her own aura.
What did this imply?
It meant that something extremely intimate had definitely occurred between those two women!
Boom—!
An indescribable rage and jealousy exploded within Gu Qinghuan’s heart!
She snapped her head up, her previously cold eyes now turned completely blood-red.
Within them burned a madness and killing intent sufficient to incinerate everything.
“Su — Yue — Xi!”
She enunciated each syllable of the name, her voice as cold as if it came from the depths of the nine netherworlds.
“You seek death!”
Gu Qinghuan’s aura became incredibly violent at that moment.
“Master…”
Gu Qinghuan’s crimson eyes stared fixedly at Lu Ning.
“You lied to me. You actually lied to me for the sake of that woman.”
Watching her disciple about to fall into a state of total darkness, Lu Ning screamed internally that things were going south.
She knew she was truly in trouble this time.
“Qinghuan, listen… listen to my explanation…”
“Explanation?” Gu Qinghuan let out a shrill, cold laugh.
“At this point, how else do you want to explain? Do you want to tell me that you and that woman were just chatting under the blankets? Or do you want to tell me that the scent on your body was just accidentally picked up?”
With every sentence Gu Qinghuan spoke, her aura became a degree more violent.
Seeing Lu Ning’s pitiable appearance due to terror, her desire for possession and destruction reached its peak at this moment.
Gu Qinghuan slowly leaned down and, under the gaze of those tearful eyes, lightly pursed her red lips.
“I like this look of yours the most. Your heart has clearly surrendered, yet your mouth still says no. This hypocritical look of yours truly makes me… unable to stop myself.”
As she spoke, her hands wandered wantonly.
“Master, do not worry.”
Gu Qinghuan’s voice sounded like a demon’s whisper in Lu Ning’s ear.
“I will be very gentle. I will use my own aura to cover you again, from the inside out.”
Having said that, she no longer hesitated.
Under this storm-like invasion, all of Lu Ning’s resistance appeared pale and powerless.
An unknown amount of time passed.
When this long and frenzied “cleansing” finally came to an end, Gu Qinghuan looked at her hard-won “trophy” with satisfaction, her eyes flashing with the ecstasy and obsession of someone who had achieved their heart’s desire.
At this moment, Lu Ning looked up at Gu Qinghuan, no longer wanting to say a word.
She only wanted to lie completely flat.
Just then, as if thinking of something, Gu Qinghuan slowly spoke.
“To prevent Master from secretly running away again and having unclear relationships with other women, I must leave a mark on your body that belongs only to me.”
‘A mark?’
Lu Ning’s heart tightened upon hearing this.
Looking at Gu Qinghuan’s mischievous smile, she knew this so-called “mark” was definitely nothing good.
“Qinghuan, you…”
“Master, do not worry. I won’t hurt you. It is just a small restriction. It won’t affect your movements, nor will it cause any damage to your body. Its only function is to allow me to sense your location and the condition of your body at any time. This way, even if you run to the ends of the earth, I can find you immediately. And…”
Gu Qinghuan paused, her eyes flashing with an excited light.
“This mark will also ensure your body forever carries my scent. That way, no more blind pests will dare to covet my Master.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning felt her scalp go numb.
What was the difference between this and installing a GPS tracker and a surveillance camera on her?
“No!”
Lu Ning refused without hesitation.
“I don’t agree!”
“Oh? Master doesn’t agree?”
Gu Qinghuan arched an eyebrow, a trace of “distress” appearing on her cold, beautiful face.
“Then that will be difficult. If Master is unwilling to let me leave a ‘mark,’ then I will have no choice but to stay by your side at all times, never leaving for even a single step!”
Learning of Gu Qinghuan’s next plan, Lu Ning trembled with rage.
After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Ning eventually chose to compromise.
“Fine…” She nodded with great difficulty. “I promise you.”
“That’s right, my good Master.”
Upon receiving a satisfactory answer, a brilliant smile instantly blossomed on Gu Qinghuan’s face.
“Master, don’t worry, it will be over very soon.”
“Qinghuan, you…”
Gu Qinghuan leaned down again.
Simultaneously, a formation appeared around the two of them.
Soon, a strange mark shaped like an ice crystal snowflake, composed of countless blood-colored runes, appeared on Lu Ning’s ankle.
The mark flickered in and out of existence, forming a sharp contrast with her fair skin, appearing both demonic and enchanting.
And at that moment, a cold system notification rang out in Lu Ning’s mind.
[Ding! Detecting that the host has been branded with a special restriction: Lunar Soul Seal.]
[Lunar Soul Seal: A special soul seal condensed from the origin blood and Lunar power of Gu Qinghuan, the Saintess of the Tianmo Sect. It possesses various functions such as tracking, positioning, sensing, and warning.]
[This soul seal is connected to the caster’s soul. Once the host makes any unusual movements, or if another powerful expert attempts to approach the host, the caster will be able to sense it immediately.]