After a Fake Death, the Emotionless Dao Senior Sister Became Obsessed - Chapter 35

Si Jing turned her head away, her eyelashes lowered. She maintained her proper and composed sitting posture, not responding.

Yet, she didn’t object either.

Chu Zhao was annoyed by her evasiveness and refusal to answer, so she leaned forward and lightly nipped the woman’s cool, pink lips.

It was like holding a sweet, fresh lotus petal—the touch was warm and moist, compelling her to linger and lick with her tongue.

Unconsciously, the kiss deepened, and she grew increasingly breathless.

Suddenly, her chin was grasped.

Si Jing’s breathing was slightly ragged. She pulled back a little distance and rebuked her, “…Stop.”

Chu Zhao’s cheeks were flushed, and she stared at her with a wronged, pitiful look.

She brought the icy bracelet on her wrist close to Si Jing’s ear and shook it hard, as if doing so would help her hear more clearly.

—But my lady has clearly been repeating the word ‘want,’ hasn’t she?

Receiving no permission, she let out a soft whine, growing more brazen. She took the opportunity to boldly push open the woman’s collar and bury her head inside.

The location was secluded, the forest was silent. Doing such a thing in broad daylight for the first time didn’t make her feel particularly shy, as demons in the wilderness were all so unrestrained.

In her vision was a soft expanse of rising and falling snow-white skin. Chu Zhao opened her eyes wide, nudging and rubbing with her lips, the clear, cold scent making her head swim.

Through the undergarments she had rumpled, she spotted a faint red mark within the pristine snow. She instantly darted forward to peck at it, excited as if she had found a pearl in an oyster underwater.

Si Jing let out a muffled groan.

Chu Zhao, confused, looked up. She caught a glimpse of a rare, fragile watery sheen in the beauty’s peach blossom eyes, as if she had suffered a serious injury.

The icy blue silk threads coiled around her body, weak and powerless, gradually softened. The frost-like spiritual energy dissolved between her body into a slow-moving tide of warmth.

Chu Zhao rushed forward anxiously, cupping Si Jing’s face, “My lady, my lady, what’s wrong with you?”

She never would have imagined that a simple kiss could render the usually cold immortal cultivator so vulnerable.

Could it be that her demonic power was too strong and had invaded Zhi Zhi’s body?

In the hurried flurry, not knowing how to push away, she unexpectedly ended up pressing the beauty beneath her.

Looking down, Si Jing lay nestled among the thin, scattered snow, her black hair spread out, her face cold and clean. Her pure Daoist robe was stained with a bit of moisture. She offered no resistance, looking completely as if she had been defiled by her.

Chu Zhao’s face suspiciously heated up for a moment. She climbed onto the other’s body and mumbled softly, “Zhi Zhi, I… I will be good to you.”

The beauty suddenly spoke, “Not here.”

How could Chu Zhao allow her lady to suffer any grievance?

She laboriously put her arms around the woman’s slender waist, glancing left and right, wanting to find a soft, warm place.

But looking around, the immediate vicinity was messy and chaotic. Only a small, shallow pond lay nearby.

She was just peering into it when she suddenly felt her waist tighten, and she was firmly pulled into the woman’s embrace.

Her mermaid tail abruptly lifted into the air. She helplessly thrashed her lower body, but the next moment, she was submerged in the chilling water of the pond.

Chu Zhao shivered intensely from the shock. From the corner of her eye, she saw Si Jing’s sleeves, embroidered with lotus leaves, floating on the water’s surface, like a trace of fresh snow falling in a mountain stream.

She liked warm water, and even more so after turning human. Feeling wronged, she cried out, “It’s so cold! A-Chu doesn’t want to be here!”

The little fish won’t be able to bear little fish babies.

She tried to turn and burrow into Si Jing’s arms, but her waist was restrained, and she was held bent over the edge of the pond.

The icy silk threads, which had appeared from nowhere, tightly bound her entire body again, making her completely unable to move.

Only then did Chu Zhao realize how ridiculous her previous thought was—that the beauty had been seriously injured. Angrily, she struggled, “Do you… do you really like tying up demons like this?”

The icy silk was sharp and quickly cut her skin until it was red. Si Jing’s eyes narrowed, and her grip on the threads loosened slightly.

“…Didn’t you say we should dual-cultivate?” she opened her mouth softly.

The little fish was too energetic; tying her up would make things much easier.

“But it’s so cold, and it hurts!” Chu Zhao loudly protested.

Seeing the icy silk loosen, she flexibly broke free from the restraints. Blinking her eyes, she sensed a hint of bewilderment and disappointment in the woman before her. After pondering hard for a moment, she finally came up with a way to make amends.

Casting an illusion spell, an infinitely long, soft red ribbon instantly appeared on her wrist.

Chu Zhao lowered her head, carefully holding one end with her teeth, and worked hard to pull and tie her own wrists together.

“This way is fine,” she chirped, signaling for the woman to hold the other end of the ribbon.

Si Jing’s gaze deepened. She raised her hand, took the red ribbon marked with teeth marks, and slowly and silently let the soft material sink between her knuckles.

She lowered her head and looked at the crimson fish tail shimmering like jade in the shallow water. The little fish seemed pleased with herself, happily thrashing her tail, and waves of ripples washed over her.

“So, can we… can we dual-cultivate now?” Chu Zhao asked shyly.

She was about to press the beauty beneath her and dote on her properly, just as she had on the shore, but found that her wrists were bound, making it impossible to move freely.

Instantly annoyed, she regretted her actions and tried to go back on her word, wanting to dispel the red ribbon illusion, “No! Let go! A-Chu can’t be tied up!”

How could she properly dote on her lady without hands!

Si Jing, instead, tightened her grip on the red ribbon.

Their cool lips touched lightly. Spiritual energy silently vibrated in the air. The subtle demonic power of resistance instantly vanished into nothingness.

Chu Zhao was again pressed against the cold edge of the pond, her back against the snow-white Daoist robe that was soaked by the water.

It wasn’t just her wrists; she suddenly felt her tail tighten. Looking into the water, she saw that at some point, the endless red ribbon had also firmly bound her tail.

The other end was tied to Si Jing’s wrist. Unable to break free, she angrily reached out to bite, but suddenly felt her waist go slack, and she whimpered with the ribbon still in her mouth.

Her lower abdomen felt both itchy and numb. The sensitive scales on her belly were being teased by the hands of the person behind her, who was submerged in the water. But with her tail bound, she couldn’t even thrash it for relief.

The cold water surrounding her gradually grew warm, but the body temperature of the woman behind her remained icy.

Fingertips with thin calluses traced and rubbed the areas on Chu Zhao’s skin marked by the red ribbon, like stroking a sword, gently and tirelessly.

Chu Zhao’s vision blurred with mist. The scene in the forest became extremely indistinct, and the red ribbon between her lips was soaking wet.

She didn’t know if she couldn’t bear the process, but she cried out in humiliation, only wanting to escape the torment.

Dual cultivation shouldn’t be like this; the one who should have ended up in this state today… ought to have been her lady.

Her body suddenly tensed up. Chu Zhao’s tail tip lightly trembled, and she went limp and powerless in Si Jing’s arms.

She realized that many more sticky little fish eggs had flowed out.

Si Jing’s face grew warm. She closed her eyes, calming the shiver that the shared sensation transmitted.

Her mind was clear from beginning to end. Unfortunately, she still didn’t know why, during dual cultivation, she would experience this strange feeling.

The forest stream was quiet, and no one came to disturb them during this time. After the tide of passion subsided, a sense of self-loathing, like fine silk, invaded her bones.

Si Jing curled her knuckles until they were white.

She had actually performed such a wanton act with a fish demon in the open.

She was about to withdraw and leave this cold pond, which had already warmed up, when she suddenly heard stumbling footsteps approaching from not far away.

She instantly became alert, covering the still-dazed Chu Zhao in her robe, and stood guard in silence.

The newcomer emerged from the shadows of the trees. It was a woman, dressed in a deep-green Daoist robe, her steps unsteady, her clothes messy and dishevelled.

She was carrying a wine flask, her eyes dazed, and she stumbled into the clearing, leaning against a tree.

“Hiccup.” Su Xue let out a wine-induced burp.

Floating in a daze, she looked ahead and slowly realized that the shallow stream she usually used to fetch water for brewing wine was now immersed with two figures, half-covered and entangled in a suggestive manner.

Was this… not Emerald Peak?

“Ah, pardon the interruption, pardon me.” She bowed her hands apologetically, thinking she had stumbled into a neighboring peak’s Palace of Sentient Love and walked in on a steamy scene involving fellow practitioners of the Joyful Path.

“I, hiccup… I’m drunk. Both of you, continue, continue,” she slurred.

Carelessly tossing the empty wine flask aside, Su Xue turned around and left, leaning on a tree for support.

She walked a long way but caught sight of an extremely familiar gate stone on the mountainside path.

A Qing stood on one claw, the other tucked obediently into its downy feathers. Its bird eyes were tightly shut, sleeping soundly.

Green moss grew horizontally on the stone, where the bold, unrestrained characters “Cloud Water Space” were written in cinnabar ink.

This is insane.

Su Xue sobered up considerably. Not daring to look back, she grabbed the green bird-ball from the gate stone, tucked it inside her robe, and fled on her sword in a panic.

If she hadn’t misremembered, Ying Zhi should be cultivating the Path of Emotionlessness now.

Being too hands-off, she realized that she had unknowingly led the most upstanding and virtuous disciple within the gate astray.

After returning to her quarters, Su Xue locked A Qing back in Tao Miao’s cage. She propped her chin on her hand, watching the two bird-balls chirp and squabble, her brow constantly furrowed in worry.

Her spirits were low, and she couldn’t even bring herself to drink any wine.

She had intended to seek out Huai Ning to discuss how to handle the situation, but suddenly remembered that her junior sister had fallen into a deep sleep again. Even if she climbed the branches and chattered all night, she wouldn’t get a response.

She could only open the doors and windows for some fresh air.

The moment she opened the door, a slender figure, as pure as snow, was standing outside. Her wrist was raised, and by the look of it, she was about to knock.

Upon seeing Su Xue, Si Jing’s eyes instantly dropped, her knuckles curled up and concealed within her sleeve.

Behind her, a bundle of thorns was tied.

“Master,” her voice was quiet.

“Ying Zhi… has come to beg for punishment.”

Su Xue’s scalp prickled. Meeting the mirror-like eyes of the person before her, she hastily ushered her in. “You… sigh.”

After entering, Si Jing didn’t sit in her usual place of honor to Su Xue’s left. Instead, she stood to the side respectfully.

Once Su Xue settled onto the cushioned chaise lounge and picked up her small hand warmer, Si Jing knelt down straight onto the floor.

“Please punish me, Master.”

Su Xue’s hand trembled. She tossed the hand warmer away and immediately bolted upright, pulling the person on the floor up. “Hey, what are you doing? I never taught you to kneel everywhere.”

Si Jing always listened to her words. At this moment, she reluctantly stood up, her gaze lowered, concealing a host of emotions, but still speaking in a whisper-light tone.

“…Please punish me, Master.”

She had committed a filthy, indecent act. According to the rules, she should be expelled from the sect.

“Punishment, huh.” Su Xue narrowed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought. She then pointed to the birdcage in the corner of the room.

“Then help me feed the birds?”

Si Jing immediately went to get the small bag of corn kernels, spread the grains in her palm, and stood before the cage, meticulously feeding the two birds until they were full.

Tao Miao thought the thorns tied behind the woman’s back were newly grown feathers. Her eyes lit up, and she cheeped in praise, “A-Jing, A-Jing is so beautiful!”

Si Jing’s expression was desolate. Her thumb rubbed the top of the little yellow bird’s head, but she did not speak.

She turned back to Su Xue, bowing her head, presenting herself as ready to accept any sentence. “Master, they have been fed.”

Su Xue beckoned for her to come closer.

Si Jing stood beside her. Suddenly hearing the sound of the thorns tied behind her being pulled out, she quietly closed her eyes, awaiting the punishment.

The expected pain did not arrive. She only heard the faint sound of fire licking within her sleeping chamber.

She looked over in confusion. Su Xue was dusting her hands, staring at the thorns that had been tossed into the bronze stove and were now scorching. She muttered to herself, “Oh dear, Emerald Peak is still too cold. I need to add some heat.”

Si Jing pursed her lips.

She didn’t know what her Master’s intention was. Just as she was about to speak again, she was silenced by a single, smiling look from the other woman.

Su Xue pressed her down onto her customary seat, but then flicked her sleeve and retreated a distance, standing by the window.

The white mist of the peak condensed into a hazy veil on her face. Her features were striking, but at this moment, she appeared somewhat serene. She lightly exhaled, looking towards a pair of snow-white birds entangled and soaring within the clouds.

“Ying Zhi, you’ve been at Cloud Water Space for a very long time. Have you ever considered what the Dao Heart is in the path of cultivation?”

Si Jing pondered for a long time before softly replying, “The Dao Heart, I believe, should be… when advancing, to wield the sword to aid all beings; when retreating, to guard the sect and protect fellow disciples.”

Not to disgrace the duty her Master had assigned her: to restore the Cloud Water Space on Emerald Peak to a renowned Xuanmen sect in the Nine Provinces.

“That’s correct,” Su Xue nodded to her, but then curled her lips.

“But then again, it’s completely wrong.”

“The Dao Heart, to put it plainly, isn’t it simply the thing everyone desires most?” She gulped down a few mouthfuls of wine, wiping the moisture from her lips.

“For example, I’m quite fond of this.”

The Heavenly Dao is ethereal and intangible, impossible to fathom. She had lived too long and had already passed the stage of tempering the mind’s realm.

Drinking wine and seeking pleasure, living for the moment, is also where her Dao Heart lies.

“But Ying Zhi, everything you mentioned excludes your own personal desires,” Su Xue’s voice held no hint of intoxication, yet she looked hazily at Si Jing. “In doing so, you’ve also bypassed the Dao Heart.”

“As a result, you’ve been stagnating, trapped in a cage.”

Si Jing’s back was straight. She lowered her eyes, lost in thought, and did not speak for a long time.

The matter that had troubled her for so long was easily seen through by her Master in just a few sentences.

What she desires…

Her mind was silent for a moment, like the mirror lake within her Sea of Consciousness.

Yet, blurred, fragmented images began to piece together.

She remembered personally inscribing the names of past fellow disciples onto red silk and hanging them on the peach tree branches, reminding herself never to forget.

But when she awoke from the nightmare, the sect had turned into a sea of blood. Young men and women looked frightened, unable to rest in peace.

Her junior sister, who had been greedily eating in class during the day, was now barely breathing, clutching at her sleeve, “Senior sister, it hurts so much…”

“No.” Su Xue seemed to read her thoughts and sighed softly.

“That’s merely karma, not the deepest desire of your own heart.”

Si Jing’s expression was desolate. She bit her lip until it was white, forcing herself to calm her mind.

Red silk, red ribbon.

Almost without needing to think, she recalled the crimson-clad woman who had appeared countless times in her nightmares—smiling sweetly, yet mercilessly gouging out her heart.

Her focused cultivation was nothing more than a quest to find her within these Nine Provinces.

And then… eliminate her.

But before her eyes, another strikingly similar crimson figure appeared.

The girl, snow-white and wet all over, hooked her neck, placing her soft lips against hers without reservation, murmuring the words “my lady.”

The red ribbon flickered, obscuring the other’s dazed eyes.

For some reason, those pink jade eyes overlapped with the scene from her nightmares.

A thin layer of sweat beaded on Si Jing’s forehead. Her mind was unstable.

Her so-called Dao Heart, what she most desired… had long ago ceased to be dedicated cultivation and protecting her fellow disciples.

It had instead become the delusion of entanglement with a fish demon.

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