After a Fake Death, the Emotionless Dao Senior Sister Became Obsessed - Chapter 37

“What did you feed me? It’s so hot…”

Chu Zhao tilted her head in confusion.

She stood on her toes, snatched the now dull Fish Jade away, and tucked it into her robes. “Then, then A-Chu has Fish Jade Syndrome now too!”

She tried to curve her lips into a smile, but she could still smile and speak perfectly fine, not at all turning into Shen Susu’s appearance.

Knowing she had been tricked by the green-robed drunkard in front of her, she was filled with shame and annoyance.

Just as she was about to gather her demonic power on her fingertips and use an illusion to turn Suxue, who was laughing non-stop behind her hand, into a fish head, her mind had just stirred when she saw the other party wave a sleeve and shake it.

Her demonic power immediately dissipated into the night fog.

“Why resort to violence when you can’t win an argument, little silly fish?” The woman used her fingertip to hook Chu Zhao’s chin, feigning grievance.

Chu Zhao felt the person’s voice sounded somewhat familiar.

She was racking her brain to think when she suddenly heard the other party’s voice, tinged with a sneer, “Or should I call you… Lord A-Chu?”

She bit her lip, disbelievingly, and looked up.

Only the Tree Granny Mountain God of the desolate mountain, who loved to tinker with copper coins and divination, liked to call her that.

The woman in front of her was beautiful and posed lazily. Although she wasn’t as wrinkled as the old Tree Granny, the expressions occasionally revealed in her willow-shaped eyes were very similar.

Suxue smiled, pulled out a talisman, and wiped it in front of Chu Zhao.

The green figure disappeared, and an old, withered tree immediately appeared in the mist. Its branches trembled, and its voice was hoarse and aged, “Cough, cough… Lord A-Chu… do you recognize this old one now?”

Chu Zhao was so angry that she opened her mouth and bit down, snapping the crisp branch that had reached out with a crunch. “It was you!”

This bad woman had tricked her from the desolate mountain into repaying a favor, and even lied that if the favor wasn’t repaid, her cultivation would stagnate. Yet, after leaving the mountain, she had suffered countless grievances.

Suxue gasped in pain, and upon closer look, deep crimson teeth marks were imprinted on her finger bones.

“Little fish, don’t rush, don’t rush.” She hid her hand behind her back, enduring the pain, her tone tinged with mystery, “Wasn’t my divination quite accurate? You should have formed your demon core by now.”

Chu Zhao turned her head and snorted, “So what? That’s because of my innate talent!”

Having learned that the matter of repaying the favor was a deception, she was eager to escape from the Xuanmen Sect where she was currently located.

She’d best kidnap Si Jing tonight, return to the desolate mountain, hide the beauty deep inside her cave dwelling, and never set foot in the human world again.

Suxue rummaged through her sleeve and pulled out a few copper coins that Chu Zhao found quite familiar. She smiled at her and tossed them into the air.

The copper coins, enveloped in moonlight, converged into the woman’s palm.

Chu Zhao was drawn in. But Suxue was being secretive and wouldn’t speak, making her so anxious that she used her hand to pull, trying to see the divination through the gaps. “What is it? A-Chu wants to see!”

Suxue flattened her palm.

There were no copper coins at all, only a damp, sodden thing that looked very much like her demon core.

Chu Zhao cautiously examined it, poking it with her fingertip, and found that it was a mass of refined, extremely pure cultivation, which had an immense attraction for demons.

She swallowed lightly. Before she could do anything nefarious and claim it for herself, the crimson, wet thing flew towards her on its own.

With a gulp, it went into her mouth.

It dissolved instantly, melting into the depths of her meridians like a gentle stream.

Chu Zhao felt hot all over. Panicked, she grabbed the green-robed woman’s collar. “Bad drunkard! What did you feed me? It’s so hot…”

“This is good,” Suxue dusted off her hands, nodding with satisfaction.

She knew that the decree of heaven was irresistible, so she could only perform some slight manipulations right under the nose of the Heavenly Dao. If Yingzhi wanted to gouge out a core, let her gouge out the fake demon core she had condensed.

The demonic power surged abundantly within Chu Zhao’s body, her cheeks were flushed with heat, and she only felt that it was another sign of a potential breakthrough.

She gasped lightly, still wanting to grab the woman’s sleeve and demand an explanation, but then heard the other party look behind her and speak with surprise.

“Oh, Susu is awake.”

A flash of dark-green spiritual energy darted behind her, prompting Chu Zhao to turn her head curiously to look.

Shen Susu’s body, from which the soul had been drawn, suddenly trembled, her eyes gradually clearing, looking bewildered as if she had been pulled out after drowning.

Chu Zhao couldn’t care less about anyone else, she turned around and pounced, grabbing the young girl’s cheek and pulling it. “Silly Susu, your Fish Jade Syndrome is finally gone!”

Shen Susu was staggered by the impact of the crimson-robed figure who had jumped into her arms. Her voice was still somewhat weak, but contained emotional fluctuations, “Fish Jade Syndrome? Wait, you, you… Immortal Cultivator Sister?”

Her gaze then looked towards a distant faint trace of a blue sword streak, and she stammered even more, “And, and, and Master?”

Could it be that she was reported after secretly making a wish to the sect’s forbidden item, the Fish Jade Talisman, in the middle of the night?

Chu Zhao turned her head back, but the deceitful drunkard woman was already gone.

So that was the Wet Trout that Zhi-Zhi spoke of with such reverence!

Shen Susu touched her waist, didn’t feel the Fish Jade, and her heart sank halfway.

She had always had a tendency to sleepwalk, so she must have run into Master after going out and had her treasure confiscated.

But why was the Immortal Cultivator Sister at Emerald Peak?

Could the recent rumors among her fellow disciples be true—that the Senior Disciple Sister had entered into a bond with a red fish demon and they were intimately close day and night?

Just as she was about to ask, she saw the crimson-robed girl stomp her foot in annoyance, having already plucked clean all the surrounding branches and trampling the leaves underfoot. “Bad Wet Trout, why cheat a demon… Damn it, damn it!”

Why was Master involved too? Could it be a story involving three people?

Shen Susu didn’t dare to think too much, nor did she dare to open her mouth to ask. The cultivation realms of these three were far beyond her reach; it was better not to get caught in the crossfire.

She fumbled in her sleeve, took out a small piece of privately kept preserved jujube cake, placed it on the ground, and secretly slipped away herself.

With a secret on her mind, Shen Susu hadn’t slept well the entire night.

As a result, during the morning lesson the next day, she was so drowsy that she couldn’t even grip her sword hilt. When she swung her sword, her treasured sword nearly slipped out of her hand and plunged into the accumulated snow.

She looked at the elegant woman standing sideways not far in front of her, pristine and untouched by dust.

She felt that her Senior Disciple Sister was not as aloof as usual, but looked more and more like she had emotional attachments.

Her eyes were cold and clear. First, she took out several porcelain bowls from her storage bag, carefully comparing their sizes and shapes.

Then she quietly sat cross-legged, her movements gentle, wiping her sword with a soft cloth as usual.

Normally, the sound of snowbirds landing on the tips of pine branches would go unnoticed, but today, the woman unexpectedly looked up and observed for a good while.

She then silently turned her head, her gaze accurately falling on Shen Susu. “Susu, what is it?”

Startled, Shen Susu immediately turned around and desperately shook her head.

Senior Disciple Sister was still Senior Disciple Sister; even when distracted, she was so vigilant.

Si Jing quietly withdrew her gaze.

Her fingers picked up the faded sword tassel tied to the hilt of her treasured sword.

The sword tassel was intricately wrapped; the crimson color from before was still faintly discernible, and its shape… resembled the little red fish that had nestled in her palm last night.

But after Chu Zhao angrily left last night, she never returned to her chamber.

When she opened her eyes this morning after the spiritual bell rang, her embrace was cold and silent. She looked at the small porcelain jar on the table, and it was empty.

Did the little fish find the water jar too cramped?

She searched her storage bag for some other exquisite objects that could hold water for the little fish to inhabit. She could replace it when she returned tonight.

After the daily lesson ended, Si Jing went to the forest stream to meditate and regulate her breathing.

She should have chosen a quieter place, away from this shallow pool, to avoid the turmoil of thoughts about the rash scenes from the day before, which could easily lead to mental disturbance and a backlash in her cultivation.

Yet, passing this spot, she still lingered for a long time. She lifted her robes and sat cross-legged where she was.

Her pale lips lightly touched as she silently recited the meditation mantra from that day: Calm the mind, settle the breath, empty the spirit, and guard the stillness.

But her chest remained agitated and restless.

Si Jing assumed the little fish was near, and the emotions in her heart were being transmitted along her meridian lines. She silently opened her eyes.

However, the pond in front of her was completely still. There was no crimson, tiny, joyfully swimming fish shadow.

Nor did she hear the soft, crisp voice of the little fish, her small mouth slightly agape, leaping into her arms and calling her “Zhi-Zhi.”

Everything was a figment of her imagination, arising after distracting thoughts surfaced.

The Empty Room

The day finally ended.

Si Jing pushed open the door to her chamber and lit the lamp.

Looking at the water jar, it was still empty, and the food she had placed next to it was completely untouched.

However, a single ice bracelet lay lonely in the center of the table.

Si Jing’s hands in her sleeves curled up, and a cold look flashed in her eyes when she touched the ice ring on her little finger.

No wonder she hadn’t been able to sense Chu Zhao’s whereabouts all day long.

She replaced the small porcelain jar on the table with a larger one, poured in clean, clear living water, and added a small light-red crape myrtle flower she had picked near the spiritual spring behind the mountain today.

If the little fish came back hungry and didn’t find the prepared food on the table, it could still fill its belly by nibbling on this flower.

Si Jing sat down by the table, dipping her brush in ink.

The talismans in her storage bag were nearly used up, and she needed to draw some spares.

Several Fire-Inciting Talismans, and several… Lightning-Descent Talismans.

The crimson tip of the brush hovered over the clear yellow paper. When it landed, there seemed to be a hesitation, causing the strokes to be unclear and smudging an unsightly mark.

She recalled the day she had channeled lightning into her body. She was disoriented and uncomfortable all over, lying on the couch to regulate her breathing for a long time.

After closing her eyes, she was tormented by nightmares as usual. The dreamscape instantly transformed into a dense sea of blood, churning ceaselessly, with demons wailing in her ears.

Yet, a damp lip lightly pecked her, rumpling her robes, and urgently called out, “Wife, Wife, wake up quickly!”

Forcing her eyes open, she saw the little fish, all soft and white, whose apricot eyes were actually red. It was passing her its intermittent demonic power.

Seeing her awake, it was momentarily stunned, its ears growing even pinker. Then it urgently leaned in, licking and kissing her lips, seemingly insatiable.

Coming back to her senses, a large patch of cinnabar had smeared the talisman paper on the desk.

It was ruined and no longer looked like a Lightning-Descent Talisman.

Si Jing pursed her lips and singed the talisman with the candlelight.

A myriad of thoughts tangled endlessly in her sea of consciousness. The spiritual energy in her body surged and clashed, and the pain of the backlash caused her to clench her fingers tightly.

Barely maintaining her outward composure, her chest heaved. She waved her sleeve, extinguishing the candle that flickered without a wind.

In the complete darkness, she walked toward the Profound Iron Sword Casket in the corner of the room.

Sleeping inside the sword casket would banish all distracting thoughts.

This isolated place, cold, dead, and unaware of the passage of time, had surprisingly become her sanctuary for escape.

The edges of the sword casket were rough and sharp against her hands. Lying inside, she ran her fingertips across it. A thread of coldness seeped through, as if she were falling into the vast mirror-lake that appeared when she closed her eyes.

But before, a little fish had clearly burst into it, melting her frozen sea of consciousness into a warm, soft ripple, letting her taste the thrill of a racing heart.

She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

Following the failure of the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, the Soul-Soothing Sword Casket she relied on had also lost its effect.

The Unexpected Call

Inside her storage bag, the Communication Jade Slip suddenly glowed brightly.

It wouldn’t be a fellow disciple, and her Master never used jade slips to communicate. She wondered who would be looking for her so late.

Si Jing lightly pinched the jade slip. Spiritual energy surged, and a blurry image slowly emerged.

The opposite side was filled with a soft, melodious voice, fluttering skirts, and dazzlingly pale skin. The view was one of depravity and chaos. It was the Palace of Inquiry from the neighboring peak.

Sure enough, a woman’s face peered out from the jade slip, raising an eyebrow with a smile. “Yingzhi, how are you lately? Still practicing your boring Path of Emotionlessness?”

Si Jing dropped her eyes listlessly, not wanting to answer. “…”

She had only met this Senior Disciple Sister Bo Kunyao from the Palace of Inquiry at the previous Northern State Sword Trials. She did not wish to get involved with her further.

“Why so cold? I have an important matter to inform you about.” The other side chuckled softly, inherently seductive.

“The Kunlun Void in Northern State is holding the Sword Trials again. You should carefully select some people to go, or else be utterly defeated by a deviant cultivator like me, who only knows seductive arts and cultivation harvesting… You wouldn’t want your junior disciples to see your sorry loss, would you?”

Si Jing nodded, indicating she understood.

Her mind was already unstable at the moment, not to mention the unrestrained atmosphere of the Palace of Inquiry.

It overlapped with the intimate scene with the little fish that had flashed before her eyes, making her extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to instantly pinch the jade slip and cut off the communication.

But her subtle expression was caught by Bo Kunyao.

“Hmm—?” She elongated her tone, scrutinizing her for a long while, then suddenly giggled.

“You’re not right.”

The person in the jade slip had her dark hair loose, her brows and eyes aloof, like the purest, clearest snow on the peak. Yet, her eyes now held a rare trace of flickering uncertainty.

Her pale lips were bitten into marks from restraint, like a splash of red plum in the snow.

Bo Kunyao had seen many outwardly righteous immortal cultivators break their vows. She had also successfully lured practitioners of the Path of Emotionlessness into feeling desire, only to kill them in disgust after their foundations were ruined.

But Si Jing was different from the others.

Aside from the woman’s cold, inviolable demeanor, her current struggling look—teetering and on the verge of losing control—was like the bright moon on the verge of being plucked, unconsciously tempting the human heart.

“In love? Cultivation backlash must be why you look so pathetic.” Bo Kunyao was unhurried.

“Senior Disciple Sister… do you need me to come to Emerald Peak to help you?”

A feeling of intense aversion rose in Si Jing. She tightened her fingers, intending to immediately cut the jade slip’s connection.

“Zhi-Zhi is My Wife!”

But she heard a sudden rustling in her chamber, which she had mistakenly believed to be quiet and empty with only herself in it.

A sound of scales rubbing came from the simple couch. The little red fish poked its head out from the bedding.

It called out in an annoyed like voice: “No helping! Zhi-Zhi is MY wife!”

It wildly shook its cloud-like tail, leapt down from the couch, wiggled its body, and coiled itself into Si Jing’s embrace.

It glared at the seductive woman in the jade slip’s image and angrily slapped its fish tail at her. “Vixen, Zhi-Zhi will never like you!”

Chu Zhao was extremely aggrieved.

She had hidden in the bedding all day, just waiting for Si Jing to return to show her affection. Not only did the woman not notice her, but she also went alone into the sword casket and was having a late-night rendezvous with a woman she didn’t know.

She was about to get a good look at what kind of beauty could attract Si Jing’s heart, but the scene suddenly went dark.

The communication was abruptly and hastily cut off.

Chu Zhao was trapped by a delicate, slender hand and could not move anymore.

She was in a fit of pique and was unwilling to be restrained. She instantly transformed into her human form, leaned in close to Si Jing’s cheek, pecked her on the lips with a chu, and loudly whined, “Zhi-Zhi isn’t allowed to like anyone else!”

The thumb with a thin callus wrapped around her waist, lightly squeezing with a restrained force.

Chu Zhao let out a low moan, her body instantly softened and fell into the clear, cold embrace.

Her lips were captured by the snow-robed woman beneath her. A wet tongue probed in, and she was instantly rendered speechless.

Amidst her hazy struggles, she heard a voice, pressed with desire, a near-whisper of “Zhao-Zhao,” brushing past her ear.

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