The kiss landed very lightly, parting as soon as it touched, like a test or an inquiry. Only after receiving a response did the force deepen slightly.
Her master was unusually enthusiastic. Li Yin didn’t think much of it—perhaps he had noticed some clues again and was feeling jealous, which was why he took the initiative to get intimate with her.
If he wanted to kiss her, then she would allow it and kiss him back.
The girl sat without much effort, her hands propped at her sides as she tilted her face up slightly. The Dao Sect elder in blue robes stood right in front of her, leaning down and bowing his head, a lock of black hair slipping to the side of his face.
In this intimate moment, Yao Guanheng lowered his gaze, his long lashes trembling lightly as they veiled his deep, jade-like pupils. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if he were pleased.
This scene had probably happened before.
The water mist outside the courtyard quietly dispersed, and a flash of apricot-colored robes passed by.
The Pill Assembly was nearing its end, but Fu Songjin couldn’t hold back and came to take another look.
He had originally wanted to find his little disciple and seek some answers from her mouth. Who would have thought he would stumble upon this intimate master-disciple scene again?
To be more precise, since he wanted to see it, someone had deliberately put on the show for him.
The figure in apricot robes fled and evaded once more. Though he was dazed and distracted, it was different from last time.
His hand unintentionally landed on a lush plant nearby. With a forceful grip, there came the crisp snap of a branch breaking, and along with it, the heart sound rang out.
【Cheap slut.】
The heart sound was sharp. Fu Songjin jolted awake in shock and tossed aside the broken branch in his hand—the one he had snapped in his daze.
It was the heart demon.
Not him.
Being harsh wasn’t good, and casually breaking roadside branches wasn’t good either.
If his little disciple saw him like this, she would probably be frightened.
With that thought, Fu Songjin’s face grew even paler. He immediately swallowed a calming pill, forcibly suppressing that out-of-control sensation.
But when he returned to his residence and looked at the empty, silent room—where only the flower his little disciple had given him sat quietly blooming on the desk—the indescribable pain immediately welled up again. The pill seemed to have lost its effect.
Or rather, his heart demon was growing more severe.
The heart sound stated bluntly.
【You clearly want to kiss her too, don’t you?】
“Shut up.”
He rebuked coldly, but the heart demon continued.
【Why deceive yourself? I am you, you are me. What I say is clearly your true thoughts.】
“You are my heart demon, not me…” He murmured softly, frowning in refusal.
Amid his pained expression, the voice from his heart actually condensed into a wisp of demonic qi, about to burrow out from in front of him.
Fu Songjin immediately raised his hand and pressed it to his chest, suppressing that wisp of demonic qi along with it.
No, he couldn’t.
If he turned demonic, would she be disappointed in her master?
But the heart demon sensed his thoughts.
【Look, if you become a demonic cultivator, she’s a little demonic cultivator too. Taking her as your disciple wouldn’t it be even more natural?】
Fu Songjin ignored it.
He had to remain the kind-hearted Dao Sect elder to qualify as her master.
As he clung to his Dao heart, he lowered his gaze and saw the flower on the desk. Unconsciously, he reached out and gently cradled it in his hands.
The flower his little disciple had given him. He leaned down to sniff it lightly, as if reliving that moment, recalling her scent. His lips brushed gently against the soft petals, as if trying to recapture the feeling of a kiss.
His gaze dropped, his lashes trembling incessantly. His expression was dazed, not entirely clear-headed. He was mired in a quagmire, desperately needing something to grasp, to soothe himself.
The petals were slightly cool, and the daze brought back a sliver of reason. But in his mind, he clearly recalled that moment—
Master, open your mouth. Let me kiss you…
In the empty, silent room, he obediently parted his lips once more.
Even alone, he could reenact that scene. His lips gently caught the petal, and he swallowed a muffled, obscure groan.
The heart demon kept goading him.
【Are you satisfied with just this? Stop deceiving yourself.】
【Look at you. If your poor, adorable little disciple knew that her revered master was thinking of her and doing such filthy things in private, would she still see you as her master?】
【There are thousands of types of pills. Pills that can erase her memories, pills that can awaken the memories of a reincarnated soul… Spirit pills and wondrous medicines are your specialty. Since you won’t kill that man, just take one or two, and you can turn her back into your little disciple. So simple—why struggle so bitterly?】
Nonsense.
Fu Songjin paid it no mind.
The filth he had just produced was quietly cleaned up by the now-sober man, his face pale and silent.
His heart demon was growing more substantial.
As for the root of his loss of control, he knew it all too well. Undoubtedly, it was his little disciple.
If one day the heart demon truly lost control and he accidentally hurt her…
Fu Songjin pressed his hand to his chest, unable to think further.
He was her master. He absolutely could not let that happen.
Perhaps, until he resolved the heart demon issue, he shouldn’t see her again.
–
The game panel flashed once more, but there was no judgment at all. Li Yin was genuinely puzzled.
It felt just like someone had retracted a judgment.
In her moment of distraction, Yao Guanheng immediately lowered his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
His tone was gentle, but his dark eyes calmly scrutinized her expression, confirming she hadn’t noticed his efforts to exclude others.
He was willing to help her with supplementation from other men, but he didn’t want to see anyone encroaching on his position.
She couldn’t tell him about the game panel anomaly. Li Yin said, “It seems like someone’s looking for me.”
She temporarily set aside the panel issue. To avoid letting her master notice, she took out the messaging mirror.
Someone was indeed looking for her. Li Yin kept her composure as she received a spirit message, hearing the young man’s clear and smooth voice.
【Little Junior Sister, how have you been lately? Have you heard about the Pill Sect’s grand event? Are you at the Pill Assembly to join in the fun?】
With her master watching beside her, Li Yin said, “It’s Ji Little Dao Lord.”
Yao Guanheng nodded slightly and explained the discussion results to her. “The Pill Assembly is ending early in the next few days. Today, Hidden Sword Mountain and Azure Profound will set off first to scout the way. The central city pools serve as teleportation hubs and are must-pass points on the return journey. We must guard against demonic cultivators lying in ambush for an interception—otherwise, getting back to the sect would take ten days or half a month. If all is calm, our sect will depart afterward.”
“He’s looking for you, but it’s probably not anything important… Likely just wants to chat with you one more time before leaving.”
That was what Li Yin thought too. She replied, and a new spirit message followed immediately.
【So Little Junior Sister is here too. I didn’t see you. Do you still remember? I was raising a cat for my master.】
【I remember.】
The young man chuckled lightly. 【We’re heading back to the sect today, but I just realized I bought too many pills and treats for that cat by mistake. Would Little Junior Sister be willing to help me share some?】
【If you don’t mind, tell me your location, and I’ll send them over.】
The young man’s voice was soft and gentle, refreshing like a gentle breeze.
It was completely different from the tone and demeanor she had overheard behind the screen. In other words, he was genuinely treating “Little Junior Sister” with sincerity.
The girl listened attentively, replying softly, 【Sure.】
It was just a pity—he was sincere, but she was not.
Yao Guanheng remained silent. He watched as the girl lifted her head again and said, “Master, I want to meet with Ji Little Dao Lord. If we meet here, he’ll probably get suspicious again.”
“But Valley Master Ci Yuan is still looking for me. I’m afraid if I go out, what if that person spots me?”
She put on a worried expression, but deep down, the player knew that according to the game mechanics, the lifebound gu’s success rate in tracking her had already been judged as zero.
Unless that person had other methods or spotted her in person.
A lifebound gu and a Mahayana cultivator were one and the same. Few heavenly treasures or rare artifacts could match the acuity of a Mahayana cultivator’s lifebound gu.
Valley Master Ci Yuan was still searching for her, but it was mostly futile. However, this man was completely different from Elder Fu.
The latter had a gentle temperament and a soft heart. He was originally a caring and tender master who cherished her. After years of guilt eating away at him, even if she went to him for supplementation and left some clues, he could hardly do anything to her.
But Valley Master Ci Yuan was different. Thinking back carefully, his capture route was unique.
The so-called “player barging in on the strength of a life-saving grace” and directly proposing “marriage” referred to when his favorability was only around 70, not yet maxed out.
At that time, half of his disfigured face had healed, revealing an indistinctly beautiful appearance that stunned the player. With a casual click, he actually agreed—probably due to the life-saving grace.
But after becoming dao companions, his favorability inexplicably locked at 70, unmoving.
He had always refused dual cultivation with the player, possibly because the favorability wasn’t enough—not entirely due to issues with the test medicines.
Later, the player couldn’t find the reason for the favorability lock at 70 and couldn’t dual cultivate with him.
Even though his face fully healed and was stunning, a face you could only look at but not touch grew tiresome over time.
So, she proposed divorce, but despite the mere 70 favorability, he refused to let go.
Thinking that dropping to 0 might make him relent—plus some of his behaviors—the player seized the chance to argue and make a fuss several times. Favorability dropped again and again until it hit zero.
From suspected lover to enemy, yet he still confined her, unwilling to release her…
Li Yin snapped back to reality. No matter what, she could show herself to Elder Fu, but not to Ci Yuan.
She couldn’t fathom Ci Yuan’s thoughts or predict what he might do. Just thinking about it felt troublesome.
Fortunately, she had her master’s protection this round. Yao Guanheng quickly selected a nearby pavilion by the water for her.
The water surface was open and wide. If Valley Master Ci Yuan’s purple butterfly flew over, it would spot them at a glance. With her wind spirit root master acting as guarantor, mists would swirl over the lake.
Moreover, cultivators meeting privately often set up barriers to block outsiders’ views—perfectly normal.
Li Yin shared the location with Ji Little Dao Lord: 【The lake there isn’t large, the spot is secluded, and the scenery is nice. How about we meet there?】
【I’ll head over first and wait for you.】
Her tone was light and cheerful, as if she were looking forward to meeting him.