After My Paranoid Act to Woo My Cold Master Failed - Chapter 26

“No one will be able to ascend anymore. The boundary gate connecting this realm to the Upper Realm has been sealed. Even those at the peak of the Body Integration stage cannot break it,” Ye Changzhen said.

“Unless one attains the power of a God,” she added.

But everyone knew that the highest cultivation in this continent was the Body Integration stage. That stage was only one step away from Godhood through ascension. If one could not ascend, they would eventually die once their lifespan reached its limit. After reincarnation, they would have to start all over again.

In other words, without ascending, it was impossible to attain the power of a God; after all, this was a restriction imposed by the Great Dao itself.

“Can sacrificing ordinary people truly grant the power of a God? Mortals can’t even draw Qi into their bodies; how could they make a cultivator become a God? It’s pure delusion and utterly malicious,” Shen Shuheng remarked.

“The Penglai Ancestor has lived so long, he should know this better than anyone. Yet, he actually believes in something so absurd.”

“Because his lifespan is nearing its end. If he doesn’t ascend now, he will only face death. Gambling on others’ lives for a chance at ascension feels more hopeful to him than pinning his hopes on his next life,” Yue Bai said with a tone of disdain, clearly loathing the practice.

Ascending to Godhood had become an obsession in the Penglai Ancestor’s heart. He had completely discarded the compassion a human should have; such a person was a true demon, entirely driven by desire.

Shen Shuheng found it terrifying that the Penglai Sect, considered a righteous sect, was actually helping him do such things, looking down on mortal lives with such lofty contempt.

“What is the connection between Penglai’s actions and the Evil Entity? And how did they even think of using this method to ascend?” Shen Shuheng asked, her mind filled with doubts. “Why don’t we perform a Soul Search on those Penglai disciples? We might get some information.”

“Master…” Shen Shuheng looked toward Fu Xueke and gave her a smile. Among their group, her Master’s cultivation was the highest. Having her Master knock them unconscious first would prevent alerting the rest.

Before Shen Shuheng could even finish her thought, Fu Xueke nodded slightly. “I know.”

Then, she vanished from Shen Shuheng’s sight.

In an instant, she appeared before the Penglai disciples. They scrambled to take out their communication jade disks to send word to their sect, but the disks turned into powder and scattered in the wind. The disciples collapsed to the ground.

Shen Shuheng ran to her Master’s side. They began to search the souls of the Penglai disciples.

Shen Shuheng extended her divine sense, searching the soul of a short disciple near her. “I see the boundary gate… and ascension…”

“They seem to hold some kind of ceremony during the full moon before performing the sacrifice. At that time, a blood-red, mist-like shadow appears.”

“The blood-red mist is the Evil Entity. I just don’t know where they found it. A thousand years ago, the Demon Lord sacrificed herself to perish along with it,” Ye Changzhen added.

“Search further; we might find the source of the Evil Entity.”

They searched for a long time but found nothing. A section of the disciples’ memories was clearly missing—a void that likely held the answers they sought.

“It seems we won’t find it,” Shen Shuheng said, puzzled by the connection. “Is there any link between opening the boundary gate and using an Evil Entity to ascend?”

Fu Xueke spoke slowly, “The Evil Entity represents ultimate evil. If it controls the entire world, Heaven and Earth will lose their balance. To restore this balance, the Great Dao of this realm will return to its primordial state—the beginning of all things. At that moment, the boundary gate will be at its weakest and easiest to break. They want to use that moment to ascend.”

“But at that stage, the Heavens will unleash their killing intent, and all things will collapse. If humanity is gone, it won’t matter how easy the gate is to break.”

Shen Shuheng understood. In other words, the world would return to chaos, and everything including people would die.

Good grief, she thought. This Penglai Ancestor had lived for thousands of years, yet he was even better at daydreaming than she was. When that time came, not even bones or ashes would remain, let alone a chance to ascend. The entire Penglai Sect was working so hard to lead everyone to their deaths, all while smugly believing their Ancestor was about to ascend.

The old man must have “painted a big pie” for them the kind where “when one person attains the Dao, even their pets fly to heaven.” They believed it, not knowing that even the one who painted the pie had been fooled by his own delusion.

Shen Shuheng turned to look at Fu Xueke, her eyes sparkling. “How does Master know everything?”

A faint smile touched Fu Xueke’s lips. “If you read more books, you would know too. And you wouldn’t misuse idioms anymore.”

“Little muddle-head,” Fu Xueke said, meeting her gaze.

Shen Shuheng scratched the back of her head. Why couldn’t Master get over that? She was always teasing her about it. One day, I’ll catch her making a mistake too, she thought. She huffed and said thick-skinnedly, “It’s because Master didn’t teach me well. It’s not my fault.”

“There are no unteachable students, only teachers who cannot teach,” Shen Shuheng argued fallaciously, staring right into Fu Xueke’s eyes with bold conviction.

“Oh?”

“In that case, I shall certainly teach you well from now on.”

“We shall start with the simplest. Starting today, you will recite ten poems and essays for me every day.”

Shen Shuheng’s spine stiffened. She froze for a moment before realizing what her Master had said. She never expected this outcome getting a “recitation gift pack” just for being a smooth talker.

“Reciting for Master… let’s skip that. I don’t want Master to work too hard.”

“It’s not hard. I know what you’re planning. It is indeed true that I have not taught you well.”

Fu Xueke had been forced into seclusion for ten years. To a cultivator, ten years was but a blink of an eye. But for Fu Xueke, it was different; in those ten years, her disciple had grown from a child to a young woman, and she had missed the entire process.

Shen Shuheng stared with her round apricot eyes and asked tentatively, “Ten is too many. How about just five?”

Fu Xueke curled her finger and tapped her disciple on the head, not softening despite the girl’s pitiful look. “There will be no reduction. Ten it is.”

Shen Shuheng wanted to bargain more. She tugged at Fu Xueke’s sleeve and said coquettishly, “Master…”

The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, brushing gently against Fu Xueke’s heart. Something felt missing; Fu Xueke looked at Shen Shuheng seriously. She should have cried until her eyes were red, and then stared at me with those red eyes, she thought. A ripple appeared in her calm eyes, but it soon settled back into stillness.

“Why has Master stopped speaking?” Shen Shuheng stood on her tiptoes, leaning her face close to Fu Xueke.

“Do you want ten more?”

Master, it’s better if you stay quiet, Shen Shuheng thought. She forced a flattering smile. “No, I don’t.”

Master has become just like a strict tutor from a storybook, she grumbled internally. Since it seemed impossible to reduce the workload, she let out a sigh. But wait, if Master tells me to recite, do I have to do it? Won’t I lose face? If I don’t do it, Master can’t do much to me anyway—at most she’ll hit my palm with a ruler. She dotes on me; it won’t hurt much.

She remembered the time she fell asleep in class; the ruler hadn’t hurt at all. Having finished her mental preparation, the smile returned to Shen Shuheng’s face. Fu Xueke took in every one of her disciple’s expressions.

“What is that?” Shen Shuheng pointed to the people on the ground.

Small black insects were resting on the wrists of the Penglai disciples, drinking their blood. As they drank, the insects grew larger.

“Gu (venomous insects) that I raised,” Yue Bai said. She intentionally glanced at Ye Changzhen, wanting to see what expression her stiff Senior Sister would have upon seeing her raise Gu. But there was no change Ye Changzhen remained as stoic as ever. Yue Bai felt a surge of disappointment.

Once the insects were full, dark red lines appeared on their bodies. They slowly crawled into the meridians of the wrists, and the men on the ground suddenly stood up, staring forward with hollow eyes.

“Can they only follow your orders now?” Shen Shuheng asked curiously.

“Yes, these Gu can control them. We’ll pretend to be captured and led into the cave to investigate, then wait for the reinforcements from Penglai inside,” Yue Bai explained.

Everyone agreed; it was the best plan to avoid alerting the enemy. Using Gu to control others was hard to detect unless one was an expert in the field. Yue Bai began to chant an ancient incantation. The hollow eyes of the Penglai disciples regained their focus, making them look normal.

“Senior Sister, seeing me use these ‘crooked paths,’ do you have anything to say?” Yue Bai couldn’t help but ask, still watching Ye Changzhen.

“I do not. Sometimes, a path is called ‘crooked’ only because the person using it has an impure heart,” Ye Changzhen said calmly.

Ever since Yue Bai joined the Daoist Sect, she had been with Ye Changzhen. Her Senior Sister followed the sect’s dogmas to the point of obsession, making her seem like an incredibly stiff person. As a child, Yue Bai once said, “What do the people of the world have to do with us? Cultivation is for oneself. Why care for them?” Her sister hadn’t scolded her, only replied: “The Immortal Path values life; the Infinite saves people.”

Yue Bai hadn’t wanted to take this mission, but she knew her sister would come, so she followed. Though she was a Daoist disciple, she believed in neither gods nor the Dao. Her sister was the opposite—a devout believer and seeker. And Yue Bai? She was only a devout believer of Ye Changzhen herself.

Ye Changzhen looked toward the cave entrance. “Let us enter.”

“Wait!” Shen Shuheng shouted. She realized that if someone from Penglai had visited the Daoist Sect, they might recognize them.

“Here, use these Disguise Pills,” she said, opening her palm to reveal several glowing green pills. Ye Changzhen took one and gave another to Yue Bai.

Shen Shuheng smiled and, without asking for permission, stuffed a pill directly into Fu Xueke’s mouth. Her fingertip pressed slightly into her Master’s mouth, and she felt a tiny sting. She hissed and instinctively pulled her hand back.

“Why did Master bite me? Are you a three-year-old?” Shen Shuheng asked crossly, trying to gain the upper hand. She had already prepared a whole lecture, waiting for her Master to respond so she could scold her and see her look embarrassed.

Shen Shuheng stood on her tiptoes, leaning her face close to her Master to act fierce. Fu Xueke remained perfectly calm, not showing a hint of embarrassment.

“Insolent child.”

“You were the one who forced your finger and the pill inside. It is inevitable that I would nip your finger while trying to bite the pill.”

Shen Shuheng was stunned. She didn’t expect her Master to be even better at fallacious arguments than she was. She didn’t believe her Master wasn’t embarrassed. The eyes are the window to the soul, she thought. If I want to see her true feelings, I have to look into her eyes.

She moved her face even closer, staring intently into Fu Xueke’s eyes. She remembered the first time she saw her Master and thought her eyes were exceptionally beautiful. As she stared, she felt her soul being drawn into those deep, dark pupils. She forgot her original purpose; her mind was filled only with her Master’s beauty.

She noticed a tiny crimson mole at the corner of her Master’s eye—a vivid mark on a cold face that added a touch of charm. She felt a surge of secret joy, a private secret only she knew. She traced Fu Xueke’s features with her eyes, trying to carve every detail into her mind. She lost track of time, unaware that her gaze was becoming far too bold for a disciple.

“Is it beautiful?”

“Have you not looked enough?” Fu Xueke asked. The girl’s face was so close they were almost touching.

The sudden voice made Shen Shuheng jump. She lost her balance and lurched forward. In the panic, her lips brushed against something cool and soft, something that carried a faint, clear fragrance.

She slowly opened her eyes, her mind a total blank. Only one thought remained: It’s over. I’ve truly committed the crime of ‘betraying my Master’ now.