What could be so important?
At first listen, it almost sounded like the prelude to a confession.
Li Yin rubbed the messaging mirror, feeling its weight in her hand as if it held a heart.
She looked left and right, pondered for a moment, greeted her master, and headed straight back to the pavilion.
This time, the young man was waiting for her. His tall figure stood still, gray eyes gazing at the lake surface, lost in thought.
“Ji Little Dao Lord, shouldn’t you have gone ahead? Did something happen? What important matter required you to stay behind just to talk to me face-to-face?”
The girl approached with light steps, calling out from afar. When she entered the pavilion, Ji Lingyao turned to look at her and suddenly smiled.
“Little Junior Sister,” he said, parting his lips.
At the same time, a transmission voice suddenly rang out.
【Young Lord?】
His revelation came out of nowhere. The girl froze instinctively. In that instant of her daze, the young man forcefully pressed her against the railing.
“Little Junior Sister.” Ji Lingyao enunciated again, leaning down close to her. Their breaths mingled, carrying a hint of ambiguity, but the transmission was something else entirely.
【Should I call you Little Junior Sister, or Young Lord?】
The girl steadied herself, showing no panic. “Ji Little Dao Lord, what are you doing?”
She was still pretending. Ji Lingyao’s gaze turned completely cold. But then the girl raised her hand and grabbed his.
Her fingertips trailed lightly, her grip gentle. She seized his wrist, her finger pads like the belly of a winding snake, poised to coil around something.
The young man abruptly pulled his hand back as if scalded, retreating a step.
【Young Lord, impressive skills indeed.】
He nearly bit out each word, his gray eyes icy as he stared her down.
The hand she had touched, he now held in front of him. His knuckles clenched tighter, draining of color.
“As long as they meet you, they’ll willingly become cauldrons…”
Li Yin heard him murmur. Then the young man let out a light chuckle, seemingly mocking, but a faint redness tinged the corners of his narrow eyes.
He hated her fiercely, grinding out the words. “So that’s how it is… People from Jade Ecstasy Palace treat true affection as a means of supplementation, don’t they?”
He truly liked her.
From the first glance, he had taken a liking to her. Because he didn’t want to let a demonic cultivator trample his sincere heart, he had tested her repeatedly.
Seeing her again at Hidden Sword Mountain, he had fully let down his guard—and fully fallen for her. He had even fantasized about one day offering her his heart and forming a dao companion bond with her.
“Little Junior Sister…” In the end, fantasies were just that. He still called her Little Junior Sister, enunciating slowly. “It must have been fun deceiving me so thoroughly.”
The young man’s pain and hatred were plain to see. A faint smile appeared on the girl’s face as she gazed at his suffering.
A trace of pity showed in her eyes, as if sympathizing with this poor soul deceived by a demonic cultivator and captured by the player—reduced to a part of her game.
“Ji Little Dao Lord, so you truly like me?” she said softly, stepping forward.
In the young man’s eyes, after hearing his heartfelt confession, the girl revealed a smile that was slightly delighted yet somewhat sad.
Ji Lingyao said nothing, his gray eyes fixed on her as he retreated to keep distance. But she pressed forward, step by step, forcing him back until his lower back hit the railing.
Little Junior Sister tilted her face up. “You call me junior sister, so I’ll call you senior brother in return. Senior Brother Ji?”
In any other situation, he might have been delighted to hear her address him that way. But now, Ji Lingyao only pressed his lips tight and made no response.
Little Junior Sister continued: 【Since Senior Brother Ji knows I’m the Young Lord, why not expose me? Instead, you came for another private meeting. What are your intentions?】
【We were getting along so harmoniously. Weren’t we chatting happily just yesterday? Why did Senior Brother have to expose it himself?】
Her tone was puzzled, as if she truly didn’t understand. After backing him into a corner, she placed one hand on his chest while the other caressed the side of his face.
Ji Lingyao turned his face away and shook off her hand, rejecting her touch.
【Harmoniously?】 He curled his lip in a cold sneer. 【Trampling someone else’s sincere heart can be called harmony?】
Little Junior Sister showed a hurt expression: 【How can Senior Brother say that? If I truly meant to trample you, why meet you again? Why fulfill your wish to remove the slave mark?】
【Isn’t it because I threatened you?】 The young man spoke coldly. 【Isn’t it because you want to toy with me? All demonic cultivators are the same—upon seeing Dao Sect cultivators, they have to humiliate them. Am I right?】
Little Junior Sister froze. Her clear black pupils welled with moisture, like two clear springs. It was as if she were the one whose heart had been trampled at this moment.
【So that’s what Senior Brother thinks…】 Her voice was fragile. 【But I only went along with Senior Brother’s wish because you didn’t want to consort with a demonic cultivator…】
【A few days ago, Senior Brother suddenly asked to remove the slave mark. Only then did I realize you’d been testing me all along. I’m slow on the uptake, but I could sense Senior Brother’s disgust toward demonic cultivators.】
【Senior Brother dislikes Jade Ecstasy Palace’s young palace lord, but I don’t dislike Senior Brother. So I thought, fine, I’ll just be your ‘Little Junior Sister Li’…】
As she spoke, her hand reached out again, tentatively pressing against the young man’s chest.
This time, he didn’t push her hand away.
She deliberately adopted a pitiful posture, leaning into him. She caught the fresh, crisp scent of water from his robes.
The young man’s emotions were in turmoil. His usual sharpness failed him now, unable to discern the truth in her expressions or words.
Ji Lingyao simply closed his eyes, refusing to look at her. He changed the subject with certainty: 【Yao Guanheng knew your identity all along.】
It hit like a thunderbolt. He recalled the man’s various actions and strange behaviors, which now seemed like flaunting to him.
Having figured out the key point, Ji Lingyao didn’t even wait for Li Yin to admit it before suddenly grabbing her hand. “You and him… you’ve supplemented him, haven’t you?”
There was nothing to hide, so Li Yin affirmed it. Ji Lingyao laughed in extreme anger.
He pried her hand away again, refusing to let her touch him.
“Get off me. I’ll expose you both right now.”
At his words, the girl pretended to be frightened, looking helpless and dejected. “Ji Little Dao Lord, do you really hate me this much? Do you have to take my life…?”
She said this with a panicked and pitiful expression, but in truth, she had already pulled up the game panel.
From the perspective of anyone in the Cultivation World, the go-to solution in a situation like this would be to kill to silence.
In the game, the player had taken action before. But in reality, she had never killed anyone…
The gift from Ji Lingyao was still safely stored in her Mustard Seed Pouch.
She was waiting for the little cat and little mouse to wake up. They still needed to try it out and have a taste. They had agreed on it beforehand—at that time, she would share the two small animals’ preferences with him.
Tears flickered in Little Junior Sister’s eyes, and she looked utterly sincere.
Ji Lingyao gazed at her reddened eye corners. He kept his grip on her hand without loosening it and sneered. “Since you’re a demonic cultivator, why pretend to be pitiful? You’re the esteemed Jade Ecstasy Palace Young Lord. Do you think I’ll believe you?”
His tone remained as rude as ever. Li Yin thought he would fling her hand away harshly in the next second. To her surprise, however, he lightened his grip instead.
Her hand remained clutched in his. He didn’t shake it off. Instead, he caught it and pressed it to his chest.
Expose her, or let it slide.
Part ways forever, or collude together—bow down and ally with a demonic cultivator…
He already had his answer. If he truly meant to expose her, why had he come here alone?
She was a demonic cultivator, yet also the girl on his mind. He hated only that during their trip to Hidden Sword Mountain, he hadn’t seen through her at all. On the contrary, he had been completely fooled by her vibrant demeanor, and even his last sliver of suspicion had been dispelled.
Ji Lingyao’s chest heaved unevenly. He drew a deep breath, then closed his eyes. He turned his face away and said through gritted teeth, “The Slave Mark…”
“Apply it to me again.”
With those words and that expression, the player immediately felt complete confidence. She temporarily set aside her items.
She looked up at him. His lips were pressed tight, his eyelashes trembling nonstop. He was probably locked in an intense internal struggle.
“Senior Brother Ji…” She was somewhat surprised and told him the truth.
“I only know how to apply the Jade Ecstasy Seal and Supplementation Seal. I don’t know the Slave Mark.”
With an innocent and naive expression, the girl continued, “Does Senior Brother Ji really want it? You have to confirm it and say it out loud. Only then can I go ask the Jade Ecstasy Palace Lord for the method to apply a Slave Mark.”
The force gripping her wrist suddenly tightened. Ji Lingyao’s eyes snapped open. Of course, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything flirtatious like “I want a demonic cultivator to mark me with a Slave Mark.”
Little Junior Sister gazed at him eagerly, waiting for him to say he wanted it.
She had finally revealed a hint of her demonic cultivator nature.
And she claimed she wasn’t toying with him.
Ji Lingyao said coldly, “If you don’t know how, then forget it. Once I leak your whereabouts, it’ll be too late even if you want to mark me then.”
“Has Senior Brother forgotten?” Little Junior Sister—or rather, the Jade Ecstasy Palace Young Lord—reminded him innocently and kindly. “You’ve sworn a Heart Demon Oath. You can’t reveal my whereabouts. Does Senior Brother no longer wish to achieve the Dao?”
She was still clinging to him, leaning against his chest. She noticed the shift in his attitude, and the tears from before were gone. Now her eyes sparkled brightly.
Were her earlier tearful words sincere, or just an act? Perhaps they were both.
After all, her cultivation wasn’t high, her bone age wasn’t advanced, and she was just a little cultivator. No matter how wayward she was, how bad could it really be?
If she truly were his little junior sister, he would definitely guide her properly.
He hated only that she was a demonic cultivator—a fact set in stone, beyond his control.
With hatred coiling in his heart and endless reluctance, Ji Lingyao snorted coldly. “That’s right. I did swear a Heart Demon Oath. But mutual destruction—perishing together—isn’t impossible.”
“Or rather, you could kill me. Kill to silence—that would be the safest option.” He pointed out a clear path for her, direct and unambiguous with every word.
“Come on. Either kill me, or apply the Slave Mark on me.”
As he spoke, Ji Lingyao slapped his palm down and suddenly gripped her waist, thrusting the choice into her hands.
Either mutual destruction, or kill him to silence, or… take him as her slave.