Lin Qing knew now was not the time to be fastidious. He closed his eyes and assumed an air of martyrdom. “Master, do what you must.”
The Demon King chuckled. “Do not be so tense. We need to make some noise first to draw him out.”
Lin Qing nodded seriously. “What do I need to do? Ah! Master, do not touch there!”
The Demon King released the soft flesh at Lin Qing’s waist. “Apologies. This puppet’s touch is not linked to my own. Was the pressure too much?”
Lin Qing suspected the wicked Demon King was doing it on purpose, but in this situation, the alternative was far more permanent if they did not act. He looked away. “No. Continue. Pay me no mind.”
“Then I shall continue.”
The Demon King tore the fragile fabric at the shoulder. Even though he could not feel the warmth of the body, watching that cool and delicate skin tremble under his touch and feeling the rise and fall of the breath pressed against his chest still brought him pleasure. He wondered what would happen in the future since the disciple became so sensitive with just a touch.
The Demon King puppet circled the youth’s waist. The other two puppets held his arms and legs. The three surrounded the young man so closely that one could only catch glimpses of that cold and stunning face and the occasional flash of a shoulder or back during his struggles.
Lin Qing’s face turned bright red because this was far too strange.
The Demon King suddenly told him to cry out. Lin Qing thought he had misheard.
“We must be realistic,” the Demon King replied. “If you do not make a sound, it makes the three of us look quite useless.”
“I” Lin Qing gathered his strength to prepare, but eventually he went limp against the puppet in despair. “I do not know how.”
The Demon King leaned into his ear and bit the lobe which was red enough to bleed. “Your Master will teach you.”
Soon, intermittent sounds began to echo in the cave. Upon closer listening, the voice sounded remarkably like Lin Qing’s own. Lin Qing was stunned and his face burned. He wondered how a man like his Master could sound so scandalous.
[Ding! Detected: Ghost King’s Passion Level increased by 200.]
[Ding! Detected: Ghost King’s Passion Level increased by 300.]
[Ding! Detected: Ghost King’s Passion Level increased by 500.]
Lin Qing could not take it anymore and squirmed uneasily in the Demon King’s arms. He wondered why the Ghost King had not left yet. If Lin Qing were truly occupied, he might not have heard the Ghost King’s movements. But that deviant was clearly satisfying himself to the sounds over there and his heavy breathing was audible even from this distance.
The Demon King patted his soft rear and told him to stop moving. Lin Qing snapped in embarrassment and asked why he was being hit. The Demon King hit him again and it was harder this time. “Quiet. Do not disturb your Master’s performance.”
Lin Qing shut his mouth in shame and realized the Master was enjoying the performance. Another hour passed. Lin Qing was flushed from his cheeks to his neck and he really could not go on. “System, why is the mission not complete?”
The System was dissatisfied that the host was faking it again. [Dear User, the main plot requires the Ghost King to actually finish with you.]
Lin Qing gripped the puppet’s arm tightly. “Master, shape the puppet into my likeness and leave it here. We are leaving.” To avoid detection by world inhabitants, items from the System Mall could be reclaimed with one click after use. The Demon King was displeased at the thought of that fellow doing things to a puppet with his disciple’s face, but seeing the real person in his arms improved his mood.
“Fine. Let him have it.”
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing Main Task 2. Reward: 20 Little Yellow Flowers.]
“Master, put me down. I can walk myself.” Once they reached a deserted area, Lin Qing began to squirm again. The Demon King’s hand on his back felt like a block of ice.
“Fine, stop moving. I am putting you down.” The puppet’s fingers moved away from that beautiful back, but a finger accidentally caught the silver threads of the dress. The thin silver lines snapped like broken harp strings. As Lin Qing stood up, the dress fell to his feet.
The puppets’ gazes simultaneously locked onto the pale and exposed body. Lin Qing quickly turned around only to face another puppet behind him. The Demon King’s voice was deep and seemingly surprised as he noted the clothing was very fragile.
Lin Qing had not expected it either. As it turned out, nothing from the System Mall was good. The entire back of the dress was supported by just a few threads and the whole thing collapsed once one broke.
Lin Qing hurriedly threw on his own clothes. They were both men, so seeing each other should not have mattered, and he was wearing undergarments. However, the eerie way those two puppets stared at him made his skin crawl. It felt as if their gaze was penetrating him from the inside out and it made him want to flee.
“Master, go back. I am reclaiming the puppets.”
“Very well. Call me if you need me.” The Demon King suppressed his surging emotions and returned to the jade space.
Lin Qing quickly took back the puppets and left the secret realm after tidying himself up. He had turned off his transmission jade during the mission to avoid interruptions. Now that he was out, it began to ring frantically.
The Third Elder’s anxious voice came through. “Sword Venerable Green Lotus, thank goodness you finally answered. Come back quickly because something has happened.”
According to the Third Elder, an hour ago, the murderous vines had been destroyed by the combined efforts of the cultivators. The Demon King and Demon Lord had trespassed into the realm and violated the peace treaty. However, the cultivation world could not do much to them besides demanding compensation to maintain the thousand year peace.
The problem was that the half-demon identity of the two disciples had been exposed. The Demon King had maliciously claimed that the Sword Venerable knew their identity all along and had intentionally collaborated with the Demon Realm to bring them into the secret realm. He claimed that as long as they helped Lin Qing win the competition, Lin Qing would stay out of the Demon Realm’s business.
The other cultivators actually believed this crude attempt at sowing discord and were now demanding an explanation. Because Lin Qing had been unreachable, they assumed he was hiding out of guilt.
“I understand. I will handle it as soon as possible.” Lin Qing hung up and cursed the idiocy of the other cultivators. He called the Sect Leader to explain. “Senior Brother, they believe I am conspiring with the Demon Race. I need you to help me clarify this.” Those two disciples were hand picked by the Sect Leader himself, so he was the best witness.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then the Sect Leader spoke. “Junior Brother, you know I am the Sect Leader. A Sect Leader is not allowed to make mistakes.”
Lin Qing’s face went cold and he asked what his brother meant. He wondered if this jerk was going to make him take the fall for a mistake.
The Sect Leader said, “This is a misunderstanding. Go and meet with the Third Elder first. I will explain to the Ethereal Sect that you were simply deceived by your lack of judgment and it was not intentional to take half-demons as disciples.”
“Fine. I will leave the explaining to you then, Senior Brother.” Lin Qing hung up immediately. That shameless old man was making his junior take the blame when things went wrong. No wonder he was capable of doing those things to the original owner in the original plot.
The Third Elder’s signal rang again, but Lin Qing blocked it permanently. He was expected to go back and prove his innocence for something he did not do. Furthermore, if he showed up, the Demon King, Demon Lord, and those two disciples would surely pile on more false accusations. Yun Fan would likely take the chance to kick him while he was down.
These days, proving innocence is harder than climbing to heaven while creating a rumor only takes a mouth. Lin Qing turned his sword around and flew toward the East.
“Master, we are not going back. We are going to the Eastern Peaks to gather herbs and practice demonic arts.” There was nothing in that godforsaken Heavenly Sect worth staying for. Before the next main plot point began, he would not show his face again.