The girl landed quietly, one hand behind her back. She gently closed the door with it. Though the motion was subtle, it rang out like a bell or drum when it fell—though whose heart it thudded against, she couldn’t tell.
“Master.” She called out softly again. While the man was still stunned, she took a few steps to stand before him.
The hand behind her back emerged. Her wrist was bare and clean, unadorned by any accessory. It held a freshly picked yellow peony, which she offered to him.
It was as if she had briefly stepped out without going far. On her way back, she had casually plucked a flower that her master liked.
Fu Songjin’s expression was dazed. His gaze fell on the petals, and for a moment, he couldn’t distinguish reality from dream.
“Yinyin…” he murmured softly.
The hand holding the flower moved then. His little disciple crouched down slightly and tucked the flower stem beside his ear in response.
A black lock of hair now held a yellow peony, which complemented his features perfectly. It was impossible to tell whether the flower was more beautiful or the man himself.
Fu Songjin raised his eyes slightly and looked at her face.
Her eyes curved faintly, as if visiting her master was a joyful occasion. A subtle smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Noticing something, she tilted her head slightly in confusion. “Master?”
A few glimmers of moisture clung to her master’s eyelashes. Amid the slender crow-black feathers, they sparkled like stars.
He had just shed tears, dampening his lashes. A faint red tint had spread through the whites of his eyes.
At this moment, he seemed immersed in a dream, vaguely losing some of his senses. Fu Songjin’s expression was sluggish as he stared at the little disciple before him.
The little disciple suddenly let out a soft laugh. Amid her master’s flustered look, she raised her hand and gently cupped his tear-streaked face.
Her lips and teeth moved. “Master, you’re so beautiful.”
A faint air of frivolity spread, the epitome of a disciple overstepping her bounds.
Fu Songjin’s eyelashes trembled incessantly. He suddenly gripped her wrist but couldn’t bring himself to pull it away.
The peony was naturally stunning. His little disciple’s pupils shifted as she repeatedly scanned every minute expression on her master’s face, a smile playing on her lips. “Master…”
She laughed softly again. “Your pained look is so beautiful.”
As if drawn by the peony’s color, she leaned in. Her lips brushed the tear at the corner of his eye, like nipping dew from a petal.
Though it was only once, her beautiful master’s expression grew even more agonized. “No… impossible…”
He murmured, the strength in his grip on her wrist suddenly intensifying. His hand trembled uncontrollably, yet he still couldn’t pull away the overstepping little disciple.
It was a beautiful dream and a nightmare, both quagmires that trapped him in agony and struggle…
Along with some obscure greed.
Heart Sound had quieted after taking the medicine, but now it surged forth again, pooling heavily in his heart.
【Not enough… far from enough… Need more…】
He needed more.
“No… impossible…” Fu Songjin murmured again, this time as if speaking to himself.
How could a master and disciple cross such lines…
That was what he had always thought… It was all he could think.
Otherwise, he couldn’t face what he had done.
He had made too many mistakes, in the past and now. Whether advancing or retreating, it was all wrong.
His eyelashes fluttered, and a tear rolled down.
His agony was impossible to hide. Poor Master breathed raggedly now, his chest heaving in succession.
But his little disciple’s interest seemed even higher. She leaned in again, deliberately reaching for her beautiful master.
Fu Songjin turned his face away slightly, evading her intent. Yet his fingers still clutched her wrist tightly, without pushing her away.
Master wouldn’t let her act recklessly.
The little disciple didn’t force it. She halted her movements and suddenly said, “Master, do you want to know what happened to me after I left the sect?”
She took the initiative to change the topic. Fu Songjin turned his gaze to her, watching her lips open and close.
“Master, I died.” She said softly.
Li Yin immediately noticed the change. The grip on her wrist suddenly loosened, and all color drained from “Master’s” face.
Feeling it wasn’t enough, she continued, “Because Master rejected me and drove me away…”
Li Yin paused, brewing some tears in her eyes, looking utterly pitiable. “I was so scared. Master chased me out, so I didn’t dare return. Master doesn’t want me anymore. With nowhere to go, I could only end my own life…”
Nowhere to go, end her own life.
Each word hammered at Fu Songjin’s heart, bit by bit shattering it.
The heart demon he had suppressed for centuries was fully unleashed.
【She died. You drove her to death.】
【It’s all your fault. How could you bear to chase her away? Aside from her master, aside from you, who else could she rely on…】
As Heart Sound swelled, centuries of self-deception burst like bubbles.
Over those long years, he had failed to find her trace and once prayed she lived somewhere in the world.
Now, the truth lay before him, inescapable.
Li Yin clearly saw moisture gather in her master’s ink-black eyes. His eyelashes fluttered several times, and another tear fell.
“It’s Master’s fault…” Fu Songjin said slowly.
All that earlier pain had now transformed into profound guilt, dragging him into another quagmire.
The only difference was that he no longer struggled.
Sensing the shift in his attitude, Li Yin leaned in once more.
This time, she was no longer content with just taking the tear from his eye corner. Poor Master had fallen into a swamp of guilt, letting her cross the master-disciple boundary effortlessly.
Fu Songjin’s eyelashes trembled. He found no reason to refuse, nor the strength.
With Master closing his eyes, there was more she could do freely. Her movements rustled softly, impossible to hide from him entirely.
Fu Songjin gripped her wrist—pulling her away or indulging her? In his silent struggle, his hand finally loosened and fell away.
The little disciple grew even bolder, far from proper.
Her intentions were so blatant, unmasked, quite different from the obedient and pitiable little disciple of before. Yet Fu Songjin could no longer bear to refuse her even once.
Master trembled lightly, his eyes still closed—an unequivocal tacit permission.
Li Yin’s actions grew even bolder. Soon, she faced an old dilemma: where to place the supplementation mark.
She gazed at her master’s evasive expression. Once the supplementation seal appeared, would Master notice? Though his little disciple had returned, she had become a demonic cultivator.
But Master was soft-hearted. As long as she acted pitiful, made him feel guilty and pained, she could force him to indulge her.
With her mind made up, the mark began forming silently, in a spot Master couldn’t see—on the small of his back.
Demonic cultivation techniques were unkind. A muffled grunt escaped Fu Songjin’s lips as his brows furrowed tightly.
Seeming to sense something wrong, the beautiful master stiffened instantly. Just as he struggled to open his eyes and face reality, a faint fragrance brushed his nose.
A simple kiss was enough to seal Master’s mouth and seize all his attention, leaving him unable to discern yet desperate to escape—whether it was dream or reality.
【Just let it happen. You owe her anyway.】
【If she wants it, give it to her. Even if it’s master and disciple, even if it breaks the rules—do you dare say… you don’t want it?】
【Besides, whatever that man could do, you can do too. You’re her true master. Kissing or dual cultivation—your body is the most suitable for her.】
The heart demon clung to him, urging him to abandon all morals and confront his filthy desires. Just then, the little disciple made another move, and Master’s body stiffened completely.
He could no longer evade. His filthy desires were now plainly under the little disciple’s easy control.
Impossible.
He was her master. The beauty in apricot robes furrowed his brow, his expression pained and struggling, intent on resisting and refusing. But Heart Sound intervened.
【Are you refusing her again?】
【Making her sad and heartbroken again? In the end, for her to fall for her master—isn’t that your fault? You’re her master, and now you’ll disappoint her again?】
Heart Sound’s questions came one after another. His breathing grew erratic, disordered.
The supplementation seal continued forming. The heart demon and his morals as a master pulled at him repeatedly, threatening to tear him apart.
Amid the ceaseless torment, color flushed the beautiful master’s cheeks, beads of sweat forming—like a dewy peony, drenched and alluringly vibrant.
Li Yin’s thoughts were simple: Master’s pained look was so beautiful.
She was a rather kind disciple, after all. She gently touched the unspeakable struggles in Master’s heart, helping to ease his pain.
“Master, Master, how am I doing?” she asked during a pause in her technique, not expecting an answer.
Master’s eyes were tightly shut, evading her gaze.
Filthy oversteps were always unsightly, no wonder Master kept his eyes closed.
Before long, under the jade ecstasy seal’s enhancement, the austere medicinal scent and faint floral aroma on his body grew chaotic, mingling indistinguishably.
Master wasn’t just beautiful—he smelled good too. The little disciple chuckled softly. “Master… it’s been so long. I didn’t know you were this passionate.”
Knowing he wouldn’t open his eyes, she deliberately said, “Master, you seemed so uncomfortable before. Are you feeling much better now?”
Master said nothing. She had influenced him too much; he couldn’t speak at all.
On the small of his back, out of sight, the flower seal symbolizing supplementation slowly took shape—a testament to their master-disciple overstep today, and his failure as a master over the years past.
【Obtained new cauldron: Fu Songjin】
【Achievement Reward: Directed Random (1)】
Both exes’ favorability had hit zero at their bad ends, but fairly speaking, the gentle and kind Elder Fu was far easier to handle than the poison cultivator ex.
Li Yin glanced at another reminder on the game panel.
【Cultivation Progress: 99%】
Though she had supplemented, she couldn’t take more spiritual energy for now.
Advancing too quickly drew attention, especially here on someone else’s turf. If she broke through by supplementing Elder Fu, a thunder tribulation would follow—hard to hide and bound to invite trouble.
Her poison husband ex had only just settled down, after all.
She had come in person with Elder Yaoguang’s help. At that moment, Elder Yaoguang sent her a message: someone else was coming.
Bad timing; she couldn’t do more.
“Master, next time…” While Master was still lost in the aftershocks, slow to react, his little disciple touched his eyes and murmured some vague words.
Next time…?
With the heart demon possessing his body and the stimulation of the supplementation mark, Fu Songjin’s mind was clouded.
One hand clutched his collar tightly. Once he finally calmed the strangeness from the supplementation, he opened his eyes. The little disciple was gone from before him, and the quiet room’s door was properly shut.
It was like a dream.
If there was anything unusual, with his cultivation, he could sense a vague mark had appeared on his body.
Fu Songjin was utterly distraught.
A bit of his spiritual energy had been drawn out, scattered casually around him.
The one who had done this to him didn’t have very high cultivation; she had only taken a little from his vast reserves.
So, who had done this to him?
He vaguely knew the answer but hesitated, undecided, even suspecting it was a dream.
The little disciple had returned. Had the little disciple returned? Compared to before, she seemed… changed.
A moment later, his thoughts still chaotic and unsettled, someone requested an audience outside the cave abode. Fu Songjin saw the sect master, and behind the sect master was actually the Medical Poison Valley Lord.
This man was truly someone he couldn’t chat with, but a guest was a guest. He cast a spell to tidy himself, ignoring the disarray in the room, and first invited the sect master and his companion inside. They sat in the receiving hall.
Unfortunately, the visitors were all seasoned veterans. They spotted the anomalies at a glance.
Elder Fu’s expression was off, and on closer look, his robes seemed slightly disheveled—who knew what he had just been doing.
Most importantly, Elder Fu’s aura was unstable.
Ciyuan suddenly sneered. “Why do I feel like a demonic cultivator has been here?”
A small insect crawled from his fingertip. The gu worm circled in the air and actually captured a strand of tangible, pitch-black demonic qi.
Sect Leader Chen of Pill Cauldron Sect had originally come to inquire about Elder Fu’s condition. Halfway there, he ran into Ci Yuan and had no choice but to come along with him.
Sect Leader Chen was shocked, sweat pouring down nonstop as he wiped his forehead. “It really is demonic qi. How could there be demonic qi here?”
The Pill Assembly had only reached the halfway point. Could a demonic cultivator have taken advantage to sneak in?
Demonic cultivators never did anything good. Upon closer thought, Sect Leader Chen even suspected that something had gone wrong with Elder Fu’s cultivation, and it might have been the work of a demonic cultivator as well.
Fu Songjin stared at that strand of demonic qi and pursed his lips.
“To tell the truth…” He forced a weak smile, having already made up his mind. “Something went wrong with my cultivation, and I’m afraid a heart demon has formed. I hope the Valley Master won’t reveal this to outsiders.”
He was the master. Even if his disciple had secretly come to supplement from him—even if that disciple might be a little demon cultivator…
It was only natural for a master to cover for his disciple.
“If that’s truly the case, then I will naturally help Elder Fu keep it under wraps.” Ci Yuan’s expression turned icy cold as he abruptly changed the subject. “But this is no small matter. In my opinion, why not invite those law cultivators from Azure Profound to come inspect? That way, everyone can rest easy.”
Ci Yuan was sharp-tongued and capricious by nature. He had stirred up a huge fuss earlier but found nothing, leaving him in a foul mood. Now, he seemed determined to sour everyone else’s mood too, as if chaos wasn’t entertaining enough already.
The polite smile on Fu Songjin’s face cooled.
He really couldn’t get along with this man.
Sect Leader Chen of Pill Cauldron Sect was torn, but the demonic cultivator issue took precedence. “Valley Master Ci Yuan makes a good point, Elder Fu. What do you think? Confirming no demonic cultivator has sneaked in would put our minds at ease.”
“What if there isn’t one?” Fu Songjin stared at the Medical Poison Valley Lord and asked.
Ci Yuan let out a cold sneer. “If there isn’t, then of course everyone rejoices.”
He curled his lips. “I suspect a demonic cultivator has indeed sneaked in. Sect Leader Chen, why not seal the mountain gates, ban all entry and exit, and conduct a thorough search?”
This would give him the justification he needed. Once the gates were sealed, whether it was a demonic cultivator or that ghostly meddler, they’d all be trapped inside.
Pill Cauldron Sect could investigate their own people, and he could pursue his targets.
Finally, after much hesitation, Sect Leader Chen adopted the Valley Master’s suggestion.
However, there was no need to trouble the Azure Profound disciples. Pill Cauldron Sect had its own methods for rooting out intruders.
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. News of a demonic cultivator sneaking in spread like wildfire. The mountain gates were temporarily sealed, with all entry and exit subject to checks. Even the disciples from various sects still inside had to verify their identities one by one.
When the news reached the Azure Profound Sect disciples, the Azure Profound Chief Disciple grinned. “What terrible timing. My master is busy catching demonic cultivators in Northern Delusion City. Otherwise, he could have come here to lend a hand.”
Somehow, public opinion and the rumors shifted yet again in short order. Someone even claimed that Elder Fu had been supplemented from, his purity forever lost.
Amid the swirling gossip, Elder Xiao—the Joyous Union Sect leader who had brought his disciples this time—made a rare appearance. He simply vouched for his sect’s disciples. “This has nothing to do with my sect’s disciples. Among practitioners of the Joyous Union Dao, there’s not just Joyous Union Sect—there’s also Jade Ecstasy Palace.”
Hearing Joyous Union Sect’s disclaimer, Ji Lingyao suddenly curled his lips into a smile.
That rumored demonic cultivator who practiced supplementation… could it be the Young Lord of Jade Ecstasy Palace?
He wouldn’t mind at all…
helping Pill Cauldron Sect out.