Shen Qingchen had absolutely no idea what had just transpired. In truth, she had anticipated the various ways the other party might react after she laid her cards on the table, including the possibility of being pinned down right then and there. However, the current situation was far too fantastical, it felt as though it had been ripped straight out of a storybook.
How could this be? How is this even possible?
She cried out in her heart. Watching the rope draw closer and closer, she suddenly recalled the plotlines described in those storybooks. The only things a rope could be used for in such scenarios were binding, forced restraint…
Why must she resort to this right from the very beginning?
Shen Qingchen thought, quite inappropriately for the situation, but she quickly shook the idea from her head. That wasn’t the point. The point was, where did Jiang Qianxun get the audacity to commit such a flagrant offense against her master? The girl couldn’t even use her spiritual power right now. And even if she could, what made her think she could actually bind her?
Did she take it for granted that her master wouldn’t fight back?
But that rope looked like ordinary hemp. It wouldn’t take any effort at all to shatter it into pieces. Moreover, she would never allow it to get close to her body in the first place.
Shen Qingchen made up her mind. If the girl really dared to bind her, then there would be no further need for talk. She would apprehend her on the spot. As for how to handle it afterward, the sect laws would take their course.
It was just that the girl’s future would be completely ruined. Forget the Lingxiu Sect, looking across the entire immortal realm, there wouldn’t be a single place willing to accommodate someone who had committed such a heinous offense against their own master.
She didn’t want to see things end this way. Thus, she refrained from striking immediately, wishing to give her disciple a chance to repent and reform. Yet, Jiang Qianxun seemed entirely set in her ways, showing not the slightest hint of backing down.
It’s over.
Shen Qingchen felt a profound ache in her heart. She had never expected such a brilliant disciple to ruin her own bright future by sinking so deeply into wicked desires.
To her surprise, the scene she had anticipated did not occur.
Jiang Qianxun did indeed bring the rope to her, but instead of using it on her master, she handed it over, asking Shen Qingchen to bind her hands and feet.
Shen Qingchen: “…What?”
“Please… Master…” Jiang Qianxun urged, her voice barely able to conceal the thick, husky desire in her throat. This particular call of “Master” was different from her usual tone, it was inexplicably tinged with a magnetic, sensual quality.
Shen Qingchen’s mind was in a complete whirlwind. Subconsciously, she took the rope and began winding it around the girl’s wrists. Jiang Qianxun had very beautiful hands, fair-skinned, slender, and with well-defined knuckles. In a moment like this, they inexplicably made one’s throat go dry.
Once her hands and feet were completely tied, Jiang Qianxun lay down submissively beside her and said, “Alright, Master, you can leave now.”
After all that, she was still trying to drive her away?
Shen Qingchen grew a bit flustered and angry. “What exactly do you mean by this?”
“I don’t mean anything by it… Master.” Jiang Qianxun turned her head away, refusing to look at her, her voice laced with the shameful flush of desire: “Now I can’t do anything anymore. Say whatever you wish to say.”
“What do you mean, you can’t do anything? What did you…” Shen Qingchen pressed further, “What were you originally planning to do?”
Jiang Qianxun didn’t answer. In the darkness, Shen Qingchen couldn’t read her expression either. But she hadn’t come here to listen to silence, so she forcefully turned the girl over, forcing her to face her questions directly.
“…Do I really have to spell it out?” Jiang Qianxun averted her gaze, her voice low. “…I wanted to make love.”
Shen Qingchen felt a thunderous boom echo in her mind. A term so direct it made the heart tremble had actually come out of her disciple’s mouth, proving that every single one of her worst assumptions had come true.
She didn’t bother asking who the girl wanted to do it with, because the answer was blindingly obvious. There were only the two of them on this mountain. If not her, who else could it be?
So the outcome was still the same. The hope she had managed to summon had fallen through yet again. After fluctuating like this several times, she felt utterly exhausted. She didn’t move, only asking, “Why?”
Why must you walk this path?
Why can’t you cherish your own future?
Why indulge yourself in carnal desires? Do you really crave it that much?
Shen Qingchen’s heart surged with the furious, aching impulse to scold her for failing to live up to expectations. She had been through that age herself, and she knew that during a certain period, a person’s desires could be incredibly intense. But it shouldn’t be so intense that it reached this point, at least, not to the extent of needing a rope to hold oneself back.
Could it be that Jiang Qianxun was uniquely gifted with a libido several times stronger than that of ordinary people, which was why she was so restless that she couldn’t sleep at night and thought about it constantly?
“I don’t know, Master.” As the rope chafed against her skin, the pain actually cleared Jiang Qianxun’s mind quite a bit. “Before taking a bath tonight, I felt completely normal. But then I poured that pouch of seeds into the water, and so many flowers bloomed in the hot spring. There was one particularly bright, large red flower. The moment I saw it… I felt like I couldn’t control myself anymore…”
The girl was answering beside the point, yet Shen Qingchen understood perfectly.
The fragrance seeds she had given her didn’t include any vulgar, bright red flowers. Speaking of bright red, however, she suddenly recalled a species called the Passion Flower, which happened to grow large and crimson. When it bloomed, it emitted a scent that would bewitch whoever was closest to it, leaving them utterly unable to control their desires.
“…I originally thought about locking myself in the room and just enduring it until it passed. Who knew you’d be here, refusing to leave no matter what I said? I was driven to my wit’s end, which is why I resorted to this desperate measure. Master, please rest assured, I would never offend you. In my heart, I respect you, admire you, and view you as my role model and goal. I… I feel so deeply ashamed… So, Master, please leave quickly. Don’t look at me anymore.”
While she was rambling, Shen Qingchen’s divine soul flew out to investigate the situation and confirmed it was true. The girl wasn’t lying. For some unknown reason, a single Passion Flower seed had somehow gotten mixed into that pouch of fragrance seeds.
At this point, everything could be perfectly explained.
Shen Qingchen let out a soft sigh: “Since that’s the case, why didn’t you just explain it right from the start?”
The desire within Jiang Qianxun had already been suppressed, and she was now able to converse normally, so she replied, “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back.”
When she said this, her eyes had fully regained their clarity, without the slightest hint of ambiguity or avoidance. She looked exactly like a little puppy that had just passed its heat cycle, so compliant and adorable that one couldn’t help but want to pat her head.
Shen Qingchen reached out, and the girl immediately nudged her head closer.
“…How did you know I wanted to pat your head?”
“Master looked like you wanted to do it. I can tell.”
After patting her twice, Shen Qingchen suddenly froze. She abruptly realized, no, wait, that wasn’t right. The matter wasn’t resolved yet! She had been completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events and had actually forgotten the true purpose of her visit!
Sensing the shift in the aura around her, Jiang Qianxun tilted her head and called out, “Master?”
Shen Qingchen withdrew her hand, her voice turning cold: “Let me ask you, did Elder Fu Xin confiscate a book from you during class? Is there such a matter?”
“A book?” Jiang Qianxun thought for a moment, then it clicked. “Ah, you mean that storybook called The Domineering Disciple? What, did she actually come all the way to complain to you about it?”
Seeing her admit it so brazenly, the anger in Shen Qingchen’s heart flared up even more. She concluded that the girl had knowingly violated the rules, making her offense doubly severe. “If she hadn’t told me, I would still be completely in the dark about this. Does what is written in that storybook truly reflect your own thoughts and desires?”
“Why would it be mine…” Jiang Qianxun pondered for a long while, unable to comprehend how a book she had merely glanced at had suddenly become a reflection of her own thoughts and desires.
“Are you still trying to quibble?” Shen Qingchen simply laid out the facts plainly. “The Hall of Discipline has already investigated. That storybook was circulated directly from your dormitory. If it wasn’t you, if you didn’t harbor such intentions, how could you have written something so… so wanton…”
She originally wanted to use a more direct word, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Only after listening to her explanation did Jiang Qianxun realize what she meant. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “What are you talking about, Master? I didn’t write that novel.”
Shen Qingchen remained skeptical. “If it wasn’t you, who else could it be? Could someone native to this world come up with those book transmigration themes?”
“They couldn’t. Only a transmigrator could.”
“Then what else do you have to say for yourself?”
“But Master, I’m not the only transmigrator here.”
Shen Qingchen fell silent for a moment before speaking, “What did you say?”
Seeing that she could no longer keep it a secret, Jiang Qianxun had no choice but to reveal the truth: “I never said I was the only one who transmigrated from the very beginning. The two Heavenly Spiritual Root disciples who entered the sect in the same batch as me, You Caiwei and Ling Xuan, are both transmigrators. You Caiwei shares a dormitory with me, and she used to be a web novel author. Those storybooks were almost certainly written by her.”
“Then the one you were reading in class…”
“I borrowed it from someone else. Before I could even get into it, the elder confiscated it.” Jiang Qianxun said somewhat helplessly, “Elder Fu holds a grudge against me. She complained to you just to sow discord between us.”
Shen Qingchen never expected the truth of the matter to turn out like this. After so many twists and turns, they had actually returned to square one. Looking at Jiang Qianxun’s adorable expression as she pouted and complained, she suddenly couldn’t resist wrapping her arms around the girl in a tight hug.
Thank goodness, her disciple hasn’t gone bad.
Thank goodness, all the misunderstandings have been cleared up.
Thank goodness, she can still continue living together with her disciple.
The joy of surviving a disaster filled her with immense excitement. On the other hand, Jiang Qianxun, who was being embraced, was caught off guard. Being held like this stirred up threads of throbbing sensation within her again, and she said awkwardly, “Master, this won’t do. I think… I’m starting to feel it again…”
Startled, Shen Qingchen quickly let go. Seeing Jiang Qianxun clenching her teeth and desperately trying to suppress her desires, a wave of pity rose in her heart. She said, “How about I help you clear it out?”
“Huh?” Jiang Qianxun was taken aback. “No, no, no, Master, please don’t joke around. How could I let you do such a… such a filthy thing…”
“Don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean helping you with that…” Knowing that she had misconstrued her words, Shen Qingchen explained with a slightly flushed face, “I meant using spiritual energy to help disperse the effects of the aphrodisiac for you. That way, you won’t have to keep enduring it.”
Jiang Qianxun was indeed suffering from the restraint and couldn’t utilize her own spiritual power, so she agreed. Shen Qingchen untied her ropes. In the quiet room, Jiang Qianxun softly whispered, “Thank you, Master.”
“Don’t lose focus,” Shen Qingchen said. “We are about to begin.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sect, You Caiwei had been staying up late to write. Having finally finished her latest chapter, she was just about to crawl into bed and sleep when she suddenly heard a flurry of hurried footsteps echoing down the hallway. Curious, she fought off her drowsiness and pulled open the door, coming face to face with the leader of the group, Nangong Lianyu.
Before Nangong Lianyu could speak, You Caiwei instantly went into battle mode. She crossed her arms defiantly and taunted, “Oh, if it isn’t Miss Nangong. To what do I owe the honor of your presence at my humble abode in the middle of the night?”
The other party didn’t answer. She merely tilted her head slightly, and several people immediately rushed forward to restrain her. Before You Caiwei could figure out what was happening, Nangong Lianyu marched straight inside, ignoring her protests until she reached the desk.
Sitting on the desk was her latest manuscript.
You Caiwei panicked. “Holy shit, that’s my privacy! Nangong Lianyu, are you a fucking psycho? Do you know you’re violating my privacy?! Don’t look at it, do you hear me?!”
But no matter how much she screamed, it was useless. The lackeys behind her held her shoulders in a vice grip, leaving her unable to move a muscle, let alone rush forward to stop it. All she could do was unleash a torrent of verbal abuse. Yet Nangong Lianyu remained as unbothered as a meditating monk, completely tuning out her tirade.
After what felt like an eternity, Nangong Lianyu finally finished reading the new chapter. She set the manuscript down with a slightly downcast expression. By this point, You Caiwei felt like a maiden who had lost her virtue, she had no desire left but to die.
“Just kill me,” she said, utterly devoid of hope. “Since you’ve discovered this, I might as well be dead.”
“Take her back,” Nangong Lianyu commanded coldly, completely ignoring her despairing words.
Not knowing what she intended to do, You Caiwei began to struggle violently. “I’m not going! Nangong Lianyu, what the hell do you want?! I haven’t done anything wrong, you can’t use illegal punishment on me!”
“You’ll find out what I want to do once we get there.”
The incident failed to attract anyone’s attention. Before coming, Nangong Lianyu had made thorough preparations, spending a fortune to set up soundproofing arrays everywhere. Even if You Caiwei screamed until her throat went hoarse, no one would hear a thing.
Within half an hour, she was brought to Qianyu Peak. It wasn’t Nangong Lianyu’s usual residence, but a lavishly furnished secret chamber with a hidden entrance located in the back mountain. The lackeys shoved her inside and departed, followed by Nangong Lianyu, who stepped in and locked the solitary door behind her.
Seeing that they were now alone, You Caiwei grew a bit bolder: “Nangong Lianyu, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have a powerful mother! I am also an official inner court disciple registered at the Records Hall. If you dare commit murder, even your mother won’t be able to protect you!”
Nangong Lianyu walked over to the luxurious divan behind her, sitting down composedly as she smiled. “Why would I kill you? What good would that do me?”
“Then what exactly do you want?” You Caiwei turned around, stepping backward until her hand brushed against the doorknob. She didn’t forget to keep talking to distract her opponent. “Don’t tell me you want to sleep with me. I’m definitely not letting you sleep with me.”
Nangong Lianyu rolled her eyes at her in exasperation. “Stop trying. I’ve placed a boundary array on the door, it won’t open. Can you just sit down so we can have a proper chat?”
“What is there to chat about?” You Caiwei cursed, “Are you a dog or something? Kidnapping me in the dead of night, not killing me, not sleeping with me, but insisting on a heart to heart talk? You’ve got the wrong fucking person!”
She and Nangong Lianyu had a long standing feud. Now that the other party had caught her red-handed, she was surely going to use this leverage to blackmail her into making some unspeakable compromise!
Determined to resist to the death, You Caiwei drew her sword and threatened, “Are you going to let me go or not? If you don’t, I’ll paint these walls with my blood right now! Once this breaks out, your entire Nangong family will be dragged down and ruined by your actions!”