Hua Cishu’s gaze darkened as his sinister eyes fixed on her.
“The lie.”
Wen Li continued, “If you don’t agree, I’ll break your legs and make you lose your memory so you stay by my side. When you start listening to me, I’ll restore your free will.”
Hua Cishu’s pupils jolted. He had expected her to use honeyed words to deceive him, but if even the lie was this blatant, what about the truth?
“...And the truth?” he asked.
Sitting on the ground, Wen Li’s lips curled slightly. Her cold, dark eyes were filled with absolute control, and her gaze held an unabashedly dark and treacherous depth.
“From the moment you leave my side, I will arrange every single trial you face. I will leave you with no path and no help, adrift on a lonely boat until you desperately miss every moment of stability you had with me. In the end, you will come crawling back and beg me for a way to live.”
“And in your case, for at least the next ten years, I will pave the best road for you—one that leads straight to the clouds.”
She finished braiding his hair and casually placed the silver bell by his ear. With a playful, lazy flick of her finger, she rang it, producing a crisp, abrupt sound.
Ding-ling...
“...”
Hua Cishu’s heart skipped a beat, and he fell silent. The shock and bewilderment in his amber eyes overshadowed the fleeting dark glint within. Strangely, he felt no fear or panic; instead, his eyes shimmered as he stared at her.
He suddenly remembered something. “Back in the Central Province, was it you who arranged for someone to kick me from the Demon Race’s territory all the way to the Eastern Province?”
“It was me.”
At the time, he was in the Central Province while she couldn’t easily go there. She had still needed to deceive the system then, so she had simply driven him to the Eastern Province to meet up.
Wen Li’s unhesitating admission sent a chill down Hua Cishu’s spine. His breath hitched. It was a terrifying sensation, as if he were being watched at every moment. From the moment he appeared beside Wangquan Sheng in the Wuho Tomb and was 'encountered' by her, she might have already been setting a trap, leading him in step by step.
But this also proved her words: his destiny was tied to hers, and she had calculated his path long ago.
Wen Li knew this was a lot of information to take in at once. She slowly stood up. “Think about it. I’ll need your answer when I return. Of course, as I said, even if you don't agree, I have ways to make you agree and keep you peacefully by my side.”
She turned to leave the cave dwelling.
She had only taken three steps.
“Wait.”
A voice called out from behind her.
Wen Li’s expression remained cool as she turned her head. She didn't walk back, merely standing there and watching the boy who had stood up to stare at her.
“You said you would treat me the same as your other disciples—that I would have whatever they have. Was that the truth?”
“Naturally.”
“And the care you give them? I can be your pawn, but I want to be your disciple even more.”
“...”
Wen Li paused, catching the deeper meaning in his words. He wanted the genuine affection the others received, not a mere act of teasing. She nodded in promise. “You shall have everything I give them. From the moment you took me as your Master, my care for you has never been fake.”
Hua Cishu’s pupils trembled. He pursed his lips and walked forward, stopping right in front of her.
“Will you kill me?”
“No.”
Having received a definitive answer, Hua Cishu’s fingers clenched inside his sleeves before finally relaxing. He looked up at Wen Li and grinned like a little sweetheart, reaching out to affectionately hold her hand.
“Then there's no need to wait for Master to return. I’ve decided right now: I’ll follow Master for a lifetime.”
Of course, if one ignored the hint of dark, manic luster in his amber eyes, it truly would have been a heartwarming scene of mutual salvation between Master and disciple.
“Very well.”
Wen Li curled her lips into a smile and squeezed his cold hand. Together, they stepped out of the cave dwelling, bathed in the brilliant sunlight as they rode the wind on a sword toward the spring horizon.
The system was speechless. As expected, the host was indeed more seasoned. Dealing with a black lotus like Old Five, she knew that acting with pure sincerity wouldn't make him believe her. He had grown up amidst bullying, humiliation, and suspicion; only by revealing her own calculations could she truly get him to let go of some of his doubt.
This wasn't some story of mutual redemption. It was clearly a damp, dark, black-lotus villain disciple clinging to a Master who was full of schemes yet impossible to discard. Neither of them was a good person, and both knew the other wasn't good, yet they felt at ease being bound together because of it.
[Ding! +5. Salvation Progress for the villain Hua Cishu: 20%.]
...
After Zongzheng Huangyue led Yao Dai, Xie Tinglan, and Xin Jiuxian away from Wen Li’s cave dwelling, they headed toward the Tingyin Pavilion canteen.
All four were flying on swords.
Zongzheng Huangyue explained, “Master has deep ties with the three Elders and the Supreme Elder of Tingyin Pavilion. We are staying here temporarily, and our meals for the next few days will be provided by the sect. Master said we will wait here until Third Senior Brother joins us.”
Hearing the words 'Third Senior Brother,' the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted youth in black, Xie Tinglan, frowned slightly. He had just finished dealing with one white lotus; was another one coming? He turned to question Zongzheng Huangyue.
“Are you well-acquainted with Xiao San?”
Well, he wasn't even pretending anymore. He didn't even ask for a name or call him Junior Brother—just 'Xiao San.'
“Uh... I'm not well-acquainted, but I have met him.”
Zongzheng Huangyue paused for a moment to confirm that 'Xiao San' referred to Gu Linshu. She strongly suspected this Senior Brother was calling her 'Xiao Si' in his head.
Xie Tinglan’s first question was: “What is his cultivation?”
“He was at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment when we parted. He should be at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment by now,” Zongzheng Huangyue replied, looking down.
Hearing a satisfactory answer, Xie Tinglan, a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator, quirked an eyebrow. He stopped asking anything about Xiao San. Even if that person knew how to act spoiled like that little runt, so what? One slap from him would make the boy behave.
Beside them, Yao Dai didn't even need to look to know he was feeling proud of his superior cultivation. She couldn't help but huff and turn her head away. Out of respect for the fact that he had risked his life to save her, she refrained from bickering with him for now.
The four of them landed on a plaza at a remote mountain peak.
Xie Tinglan wore long black robes, Yao Dai wore a flamboyant red robe, Zongzheng Huangyue wore a luxurious gold-threaded purple robe, and Xin Jiuxian was, as always, in white as pure as snow.
There was no trace of the typical modesty or friendliness of fellow sect members in their expressions. Each of them stood with an air more arrogant and casual than the last. It was impossible to tell who the boss was, as if everyone were the boss.
This was Xin Jiuxian’s first time seeing the scenery outside the Tingyin Pavilion forbidden ground. Her curious gaze swept around as her silver hair fell softly. Her hands were folded inside her sleeves, and her white skirt trailed on the ground.
Rip!
A crisp sound of fabric tearing rang out. Xin Jiuxian looked back.
Xie Tinglan frowned and awkwardly retracted his foot.
“Sorry.”
Regarding Old Six, who was the youngest in rank but not in age, Xie Tinglan only felt she was weak and didn't like to talk. She just liked to watch the commotion with those eyes of hers. He didn't know her cultivation level, but he felt she wasn't as strong as him.
Xin Jiuxian’s elegant brows furrowed. She looked down at the blackened corner of her white skirt; the more she looked at it, the more annoyed she felt. She bent down, grabbed the stained section of her skirt, and ripped it off.
Rip!
She stood up and stared at Xie Tinglan, calmly uttering two words: “Pay up.”
Rate on N.U.
