After My Paranoid Act to Woo My Cold Master Failed - Chapter 23

“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?” Yue Bai looked at Ye Changzhen with heartache; traces of fresh blood still lingered on her pale lips.

“Take these pills,” Shen Shuheng said, producing a bottle and handing it to Yue Bai, signaling her to give them to Ye Changzhen.

Yue Bai accepted them with both hands. “Many thanks.” She turned to her sister, “Senior Sister, stop using this technique so recklessly. Your body cannot sustain it; it will damage the very foundation of your cultivation.” As she spoke, she poured several pills into her palm and held them to Ye Changzhen’s lips.

Ye Changzhen lowered her eyes, her long lashes veiling her pupils so her expression remained unreadable. As the pills drew closer to her mouth, she stepped back slightly and took them with her own hand instead.

Seeing her Senior Sister retreat a step, moisture welled in Yue Bai’s eyes, though she quickly blinked it away. The salty tears seemed to flow backward into her heart, drenching it in bitterness.

“It is nothing, do not worry,” Ye Changzhen said, not looking at her sister’s face but focusing on the ground below.

Shen Shuheng watched as Yue Bai stared dejectedly at Ye Changzhen’s silhouette. When they first met Yue Bai, she was smiling almost constantly with an irreverent air, but now she had become melancholic and fragile.

Shen Shuheng didn’t know how to comfort her. The Daoist Sect was different; its future leaders were required to practice the “Path of Heartlessness.” As the successor, Ye Changzhen naturally walked this path. Those on the Path of Heartlessness must not be moved by private affection or indulge in romance; their hearts must only hold room for the living beings of the world.

“Senior Sister, can you look at me?” Yue Bai asked.

Ye Changzhen kept her back to them. What they didn’t see was that upon hearing her sister’s words, a flash of panic crossed her usually indifferent eyes. She eventually turned around, looking at Yue Bai expressionlessly. Her eyes were stagnant, like the deep, ancient well of the Daoist Sect—impossible to see to the bottom.

Yue Bai didn’t want to invite further humiliation. She shouldn’t harbor expectations. Senior Sister had been kind to her since childhood, but so what? She was kind to everyone in the same way; Senior Sister was merely practicing her Dao. She was not a special existence to her.

Shen Shuheng felt as though a scent of sorrow permeated the air, masking the fragrance of distant flowers. Her own heart was colored by this atmosphere, feeling a strange sense of emptiness. She drew closer to her Master, wrapping her arms around Fu Xueke’s and pulling it into her embrace, trying to fill the hollow feeling in her chest.

Fu Xueke said nothing, only rubbing her disciple’s soft head with her free hand. Her gaze remained fixed on Shen Shuheng; she saw every subtle change in the girl.

“Follow me. We will find a clearing to descend,” Ye Changzhen told the group.

Yue Bai followed behind. Her Senior Sister’s green Daoist robe fluttered in the wind like a blooming green lotus, untouched by the filth of the mortal world. A surge of defiance rose in Yue Bai’s heart: What if I personally made this untainted lotus covered in the grime of the world?

No. She suppressed the sudden thought. How could she bear to let her Senior Sister lose everything?

Shen Shuheng and her Master landed steadily in a forest. The wind moved through the trees, filling the woods with rustling leaves and birdsong.

“It will be easier to act if we disguise ourselves as mortals,” Yue Bai suggested.

“Perfect. I refined some new pills recently that can suppress a cultivator’s aura, making us seem like ordinary people,” Shen Shuheng said. She had made them out of boredom within the book space and hadn’t expected to use them today.

Shen Shuheng distributed the pills to the other two. When she offered one to her Master, Fu Xueke did not reach out for it.

“Master, do you not want one?”

“Of course I do,” Fu Xueke replied, leaning her face in until she was nearly touching Shen Shuheng’s cheek.

The breath Master exhaled brushed against Shen Shuheng’s face, softer than any spring breeze, making her heart race. “Master, why don’t you take it?” Her face was flushed bright red, her apricot eyes looking at her Master with a watery sheen.

A faint smile rippled across Fu Xueke’s lips. She said nothing, only staring at her. Shen Shuheng felt helpless; under such a gaze, she couldn’t hold out. As if possessed, she raised the pill to her Master’s lips.

Master took the pill into her mouth, her tongue brushing against Shen Shuheng’s fingertip. Shen Shuheng retracted her hand as if she had received an electric shock. A cool sensation remained on her finger, and a shiver ran through the very tip of her heart.

“Master, I…” Shen Shuheng stammered. Her Master was fastidious about cleanliness; it felt inappropriate for her finger to have touched her tongue. The strange sensation lingered, and she lowered her hand, instinctively wiping it against her clothes.

Fu Xueke caught that hand and teased, “You what?”

Shen Shuheng looked elsewhere. “I see many trees,” she blurted out in a panic a nonsensical excuse.

Fu Xueke followed her gaze. “There aren’t many trees over there. Look toward me there are more on this side.”

Shen Shuheng turned back and gave her Master a silly smile. The moment her gaze landed on that smiling face, she didn’t want to look away. Master’s features were cold; when she didn’t smile, she was the silent snow of the mountains. When she did smile, she was a white pear blossom wrapped in a thin morning mist. Shen Shuheng was so captivated by the smile that she didn’t realize she had been staring for a long time.

“Do I look good?” She suddenly heard her Master’s voice, like a cold spring flowing through a silent valley.

She nodded vigorously. “You look good!”

“The Evil Entity has already begun to take form. If we are a step later, this city will become a living hell, and the catastrophe of a thousand years ago will repeat,” Ye Changzhen told them. They had all taken the pills, and the spiritual fluctuations unique to cultivators could no longer be sensed around them.

“We must find it and seal it. Where there is an Evil Entity, there must be a place filled with desire.” According to Ye Changzhen, the entity would be located in a place with poor moral character. Evil Entities are born of wicked desires; they feed on malice and thrive wherever it is strongest.

“Which way should we go?” Shen Shuheng asked.

Ye Changzhen suddenly cast a Cleansing Spell on herself. “Senior Sister is about to perform divination. To ask the Heavens for the path, one must remain clean and sincere,” Yue Bai explained.

Ye Changzhen produced several copper coins that emitted a pale golden light. Shen Shuheng sensed an incredibly upright and righteous aura from them. The coins were tossed into the air, flipping several times before landing back in Ye Changzhen’s hand. She pointed south. “This way.”

The group headed south, and the blurred outline of a small town appeared. As they drew closer, the sunlight seemed to grow colder. By the time they entered the town, the bluestone paths glinted with an icy light. Where the spring breeze had been warm a moment ago, there was now not a trace of warmth to be felt.

A chill ran through Shen Shuheng. She looked up; thick, somber clouds had gathered in the sky, blocking the sun. She heard the wine flags wailing like low sobs in the wind, making her skin crawl. She looked at her Master, whose expression remained calm.

“Master, this place is eerie. Why is there no one out during the day?”

“Are you afraid?” Fu Xueke asked, gripping her disciple’s hand tightly.

“Of course not!” Shen Shuheng looked up pridefully.

Fu Xueke pulled her along. “I see.”

“This looks like a ghost town. Broad daylight, yet every door is barred,” Yue Bai muttered.

Ye Changzhen also noticed the lack of any human sound. Every household was locked tight. If one were to say the place was abandoned, that wasn’t quite right; the belongings visible made it clear people lived here.

“Do the people here rest at sunrise and work at sunset? I’ve never heard of such a custom,” Shen Shuheng remarked.

A low barking drifted from the distance, growing clearer. A white curly-haired puppy appeared in Shen Shuheng’s field of vision. The puppy’s eyes were shrouded in a layer of black mist, and it bared its teeth at them, wagging its tail frantically as if preparing to bite.

Ye Changzhen stepped forward, her fingers forming a seal. A golden light flowed from her fingertips into the dog. The light enveloped the puppy, and it gradually calmed as the black mist vanished from its eyes.

“Even the animals are affected by the Evil Entity  the humans must be suffering even more,” Ye Changzhen sighed.

They wandered aimlessly through the streets. Instead of the chatter of people, they only heard the wind wailing in the distance. Then came the sound of patter-patter footsteps accompanied by heavy breathing. Shen Shuheng turned; the white puppy was still following them.

Fu Xueke also turned. The puppy looked at her with round, watery eyes. She glanced at her disciple and, thinking of something, a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes. The curly puppy trotted to Shen Shuheng’s feet and let out a few whimpers, biting the corner of her robe and tugging her toward the right.

Shen Shuheng was forced to take a few steps before the dog let go. She stopped again. “It has something to show us,” Fu Xueke said. The puppy wagged its tail frantically at Fu Xueke and ran over to nuzzle her.

Unacceptable! Only I can nuzzle Master’s head. No one—human or animal—can share what is mine, Shen Shuheng thought. She watched as her Master smiled at the dog, and she walked over with a huff.

“It’s very cute. It seems Master likes it a lot,” Shen Shuheng said, her face puffed out and her tone dripping with jealousy.

Fu Xueke poked her cheek. “Of course it’s cute. It looks a lot like you, so of course it’s cute,” she added.

Shen Shuheng gave a satisfied smile, which quickly turned into a frown. “Wait, I’m not a dog! How do I look like it? Master, how could you say that!” she felt the comparison was a bit off.

“You bit my hand last time,” Fu Xueke said, showing her the hand Shen Shuheng had bitten. “You bit this exact spot.”

Shen Shuheng’s face turned bright red, and her eyes grew misty. “That… that was because Master was like that last time, and I was just frustrated,” she stammered.

“Are you still angry with me?”

“I’m not. But Master isn’t allowed to get close to anyone but me from now on—not even a dog!” Shen Shuheng clenched her fists to look more imposing.

Fu Xueke took her hand and took a step back. “Alright.”

Having finished its nuzzling, the white puppy got back to business. It looked at them, turned its head, and began to run. “It wants us to follow,” Fu Xueke said. The puppy barked happily and set off.

They followed it for a long time until they reached a mountain filled with withered branches and dead leaves. A fragment of white bone poked out from the foliage. With a CRUNCH, Shen Shuheng stepped on a bone. A wail drifted from the distance, each cry more eerie and tragic than the last.

Suddenly, a blood-red light flared up. When they opened their eyes again, countless vengeful spirits were lunging toward them.