After My Paranoid Act to Woo My Cold Master Failed - Chapter 35

The disciple’s bare feet swung back and forth in Fu Xueke’s line of sight. Her gaze shifted slightly upward, catching the slender ankles where faint blue veins appeared beneath the porcelain skin, like verdant branches buried under fresh snow.

She looked up and met the girl’s shimmering, watery eyes. Shen Shuheng blinked at her, and Fu Xueke’s heart instantly softened. The rejection she had prepared died in her throat. She had thought her disciple was too old to be so reliant on her, but now she felt that staying like this forever wouldn’t be so bad. After all, they would always be together.

The dim yellow lamplight cast a halo around the girl’s profile as she broke into a radiant smile, her white teeth gleaming. Her expression was like the early spring sun—bright and warm. It was a smile Fu Xueke had never been able to resist, from the time Shuheng was a child until now.

“Please, Master! Pretty please?” The soft, elongated tail of her voice seemed to brush against Fu Xueke’s heart.

Shen Shuheng watched expectantly. The warm light in her Master’s eyes seemed to be melting the ice within, though that ice was being replaced by something unidentifiable—a mist that blocked Shuheng’s path to peering into her Master’s soul.

Outside, the wind howled, driving the snow into a frenzy and piling it high against the doors.

Fu Xueke took a step forward. “Move inside a bit. Wrap yourself tightly in the quilt; the snow is getting heavy.”

“Master, you agreed!” Shen Shuheng exclaimed excitedly.

Fu Xueke didn’t answer directly. Instead, she leaned down, ushering her disciple toward the inner side of the bed and pressing the heavy cotton quilt over her. “Don’t catch a cold. Sitting there like a fool in such thin clothes. Silly.”

For some reason, Shen Shuheng felt that the word “silly” carried a hint of affectionate reproach, making her heart itch as if a soft spring breeze had fluttered through it. She lay down obediently, tucking in the corners of the quilt to keep out the draft.

“Master, why aren’t you coming up?” she asked, playing the spoiled child. “Are you tired of your disciple already?”

Fu Xueke walked toward the bookshelf.

“Master! Are you going to read?” Shen Shuheng felt slighted. Was she not as interesting as a book?

“I’m not reading,” Fu Xueke replied, her voice like spring water hitting stone. “But someone else is.”

Wait, Shen Shuheng thought. Is that someone… me?

The Black-Hearted Trap

“Do you remember what you promised me, and the task I set outside the cave?” Fu Xueke let out a light laugh.

Shen Shuheng felt her Master was gloating. In her mind, the image of her Master had shifted from a “misty mountain peak” to a “black-hearted lotus”—pure white petals on the outside, but a core darker than ink. She was always digging pits, and Shuheng, like a fool, kept jumping into them.

“Still haven’t remembered? Your Master is truly heartbroken that you always forget her words,” Fu Xueke sighed dramatically, though laughter danced in her eyes.

“I… I remember! I remember everything!” Shen Shuheng stammered.

She recalled the “Memorization Gift Pack” her Master had threatened her with after she had accidentally kissed her and talked back.

“Good,” Fu Xueke said. “And do you remember saying you were willing to accept punishment?”

Shen Shuheng wiped away imaginary sweat. “I am… naturally willing.”

“Come here then. I’ve warmed the spot for you,” she said, patting the empty space on the bed.

Fu Xueke approached with a blue-covered book. “Here. Based on the ten chapters previously assigned, add another ten.”

Shen Shuheng’s hand shook as she took the book. Twenty chapters? She wanted to cry. “Can we… decrease it a little?” she asked, immediately breaking her promise of “no regrets.”

Fu Xueke smiled at her. “What do you think?”

The “Bribe”

Suddenly, Shen Shuheng lunged forward. Before Fu Xueke could react, a moist, cool kiss landed on her eye.

“If I kiss you, can we reduce it by ten chapters?” Shen Shuheng asked cautiously. Then, she puffed out her cheeks. “No backing out! No bargaining!”

Fu Xueke remained expressionless and flicked Shuheng’s forehead.

“Ow! It hurts! I’m going to get even stupider because Master keeps hitting my head! My memory is definitely going to fail now, and it’s all Master’s fault!”

Fu Xueke laughed helplessly. “Who taught you to talk like this? You spend all day spinning tales. You’re quite skilled at being ‘self-taught’.”

Shen Shuheng tugged at her Master’s sleeve. “Thank you for the compliment, Master.”

“I wasn’t complimenting you. Since you say I’ve made you ‘stupid,’ all the more reason to train your memory with more reading.”

“Master!” Shen Shuheng’s big eyes filled with tears. “I already kissed you, can’t you reduce it a bit?”

“Fine,” Fu Xueke said, her heart twitching at the sight of the tearful girl. A dark thought flashed through her mind: It might be even better if she actually cried. She was shocked by her own impulse. “As you said, we’ll reduce it by ten.”

The tears vanished instantly. Shen Shuheng grew bold and pressed another warm kiss on the other side of Fu Xueke’s brow.

“A reward for Master.”

The girl’s warm breath fanned across Fu Xueke’s face, sending a tremor through her heart. Something was sprouting in the depths of her soul—something so small she could hear its existence but could not yet see what it was.

The Night Study

Fu Xueke climbed onto the bed. Shen Shuheng immediately pressed against her, radiating heat. Fu Xueke’s body stiffened for a moment, but seeing the girl’s sincere eyes, she relaxed and allowed the closeness.

She noticed Shuheng’s collar was open, revealing a patch of snowy skin. She reached out and pulled the fabric closed. “Be more careful next time.”

“What’s there to be careful about at night?” Shuheng grumbled. “Master isn’t an outsider. Besides, nothing was showing.”

“You are grown,” Fu Xueke said calmly.

“I’m not that big,” Shuheng whispered, looking down at her chest.

“You are seventeen, nearly eighteen,” Fu Xueke explained patiently. “Even among cultivators, you are reaching adulthood. You must pay attention to certain things.”

Shuheng’s face flushed. She had definitely misinterpreted her Master’s meaning.

“Now, begin your memorization.”

Shen Shuheng opened the book titled Nanhuazhenjing (The Classic of Nanhua). Her face fell. It was huge. Each word she read, she vocalized with extra weight, as if trying to bite the words with her teeth to see if they bled.

“Master, you are so cruel!” Shuheng accidentally let her thoughts slip.

“That line is not in the book,” Fu Xueke’s cold voice came from behind her.

Finally, Shen Shuheng gave up. she turned around and decided to “lay flat” (quit).

“Master, A-Heng wants to sleep,” she said, her nose turning slightly red as she acted spoiled. “I’ll never do it again! I promise!”

Fu Xueke laughed and took the book away. Then, she said something almost to herself: “Cry for me and let me see.”

“What?” Shen Shuheng hadn’t heard her clearly over the joy of the book being removed.

“Nothing. Sleep. I truly can’t do anything with you.” Fu Xueke tucked her in.