Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 122

“I… I’ll be fine if I just endure it for a bit…”

Hot…

An inexplicable, surging heat—like subterranean magma rushing through its channels—exploded without warning from deep within her lower abdomen, instantly sweeping through Si Xiaoxiao’s entire body.

She felt as if she had been abruptly thrown into a hermetically sealed furnace. Every inch of her skin was burning, and every pore was screaming with a desperate craving. The heat didn’t come from the outside; it burned from her very core, carrying a heart-fluttering sense of emptiness and itching that rapidly consumed her sanity.

What is going on?!

Alarm bells rang in Si Xiaoxiao’s head!

This kind of development, combined with the current setting… could it be… the most traditional, most clichéd “aphrodisiac” plot twist?!

No, that doesn’t make sense!

She forced herself to remain calm, rapidly retracing her recent experiences.

Her memory froze on Su Linglong’s hands—adorned with exquisite finger guards—as she elegantly tilted a white jade flagon to fill a cup with that clear, crisp liquid…

Just now! She drank a strange liquid!!

But… would Su Linglong really dare to drug her? Does she have the nerve?

No…

Si Xiaoxiao shook her head violently, trying to dispel the chaos in her mind caused by the rising heat. Su Linglong truly didn’t seem to have that kind of courage. Then this drug…

Just as her thoughts were in disarray and her body was so uncomfortable she almost curled into a ball, a clear, cold voice filled with concern and confusion rang in her ear, like a mountain spring dripping onto scorching rock:

“What happened to you? Are you alright?”

It was Li Ting.

She had moved closer at some unknown point, her eyes—usually as indifferent as snow—now clearly reflected Si Xiaoxiao’s flushed cheeks and blurred, misty gaze.

Li Ting frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled by this sudden abnormality, and perhaps… even harboring a trace of imperceptible worry.

In normal times, if she were approached so “kindly” and questioned by this frost-cold Little Saintess, Si Xiaoxiao would likely be so smug her tail would wag to the sky, and she wouldn’t miss the chance to act a bit spoiled or arrogant.

However, right now…

That intense heat, powerful enough to incinerate a person, was crashing against her senses in wave after suffocating wave.

Si Xiaoxiao felt her mouth go dry, and an involuntary, faint whimper escaped her throat.

Seeing Si Xiaoxiao’s expression, Li Ting had a suspicion. After all, she was a top-tier physician herself—medicine and healing being two sides of the same coin. She reached out, placing her fingers on Si Xiaoxiao’s wrist. Her expression turned strange as she delivered the final verdict: “You’ve been drugged.”

It really is this kind of plot! System! Is this your secret manipulation!!

Si Xiaoxiao swallowed hard, trying to suppress the thirst in her throat.

Li Ting pondered for a moment, likely guessing the cause: “It is said that many brothels, to ensure their guests are fully ‘entertained,’ use special, colorless, and odorless aphrodisiac incense that permeates the air, not just the wine and snacks…”

“What about you? Are you okay?” Hearing how she might have been hit, Si Xiaoxiao’s watery eyes fixed on Li Ting.

Li Ting checked her own internal state and immediately circulated her power. After a moment, she said, “I am fine. The dosage of these drugs is very small. We people of the martial world can recover easily by circulating our internal energy for a bit. Why don’t you try the same?”

However, she found it a bit strange. With Si Xiaoxiao’s supposedly profound internal strength, she shouldn’t have been affected by such a low dose. Could there have been something truly wrong with the drink Su Linglong poured?

Si Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected internal energy to have such an effect. Faced with Li Ting’s slightly suspicious gaze, Si Xiaoxiao immediately pretended to circulate her Qi.

The Li Ting before her wasn’t her Li Ting yet. If this girl realized she had no martial ability at all, she would probably be met with a merciless sword strike.

She absolutely could not let the secret slip.

Unexpectedly, this time she felt it clearly!

A faint but real, bone-chilling cold internal energy was attempting to flow through her agitated meridians on its own, seemingly trying to combat the surging drug!

What did this mean? It meant that a certain Little Saintess—who had always been strictly guarded against her and whose favorability seemed stuck in the negatives—was finally starting to show signs of being “tamed” in the depths of her heart!

The surprise of this discovery almost washed away the physical discomfort.

However, fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.

Si Xiaoxiao was inherently clumsy at circulating internal energy, and she was currently in a semi-conscious, hypersensitive state.

Subconsciously, she tried to guide that sliver of icy energy to force out the chaotic drug. But this attempt, instead of dispelling the heat, was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a vat of boiling oil!

BOOM—!

The power of the drug clashed violently with her clumsy guidance of internal energy. Instead of being suppressed, it seemed to be thoroughly provoked—or perhaps it found a strange resonance—instantly exploding with several times its previous intensity!

The previously “mild” heat transformed in an instant into a prairie fire, madly scorching her internal organs and every limb!

“Ngh…” Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but let out a stifled, tearful moan. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, sticking a few strands of hair to her flushed cheeks, adding a layer of fragile, seductive charm.

Li Ting, who had been watching her closely, saw her expression turn incredibly solemn: “You’re experiencing Qi deviation!”

She didn’t suspect that Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t use internal energy; she only saw the signs of someone on the brink of a cultivation breakthrough gone wrong.

There had been rumors in the Jianghu before that the reason Si Xiaoxiao possessed such formidable power was precisely because she lived on the edge of Qi deviation.

“Uh…” Si Xiaoxiao was so tortured by the intensified drug that her consciousness blurred. Hearing Li Ting’s voice, she forced her heavy eyelids open. What entered her vision was Li Ting’s close-up, elegant face, now written with deep concern.

Under the candlelight, Li Ting’s skin was so fair it was almost translucent. Those usually cold eyes were exceptionally bright due to her agitation, like cold stars. Her slightly furrowed brows and tightly pressed lips radiated an aura of serious, undeniable care.

So beautiful…

Her brain, dominated by the drug, couldn’t help but produce this thought. Si Xiaoxiao felt that the faint, cold scent radiating from Li Ting—like pine trees after a snowfall—smelled incredibly cool and enticing, like a desert traveler’s long-sought spring.

Almost instinctively, she leaned toward that source of coolness.

“It’s fine, you go out first…” Si Xiaoxiao’s voice was soft and enchanting, her hot breath lightly brushing against Li Ting’s neck. “I… I’ll be fine if I just endure it for a bit…”

Even as she spoke, she involuntarily reached out and grabbed Li Ting’s arm. Her actions completely contradicted her words; like a kitten seeking comfort, she lightly rubbed her cheek against Li Ting’s shoulder.

“Mmm… Li Ting…” she murmured the other’s name unconsciously, her voice syrupy and sweet, filled with deep reliance and… a trace of imperceptible temptation. “You feel… so cool and refreshing…”

Li Ting’s entire body went stiff. This Little Saintess, who spent all her time diligently practicing martial arts, had never encountered such a situation before.

Si Xiaoxiao’s current posture was a world apart from her usual arrogant, domineering, or slyly clever self. She was like a delicate vine that had completely lost its trellis—boneless, soft, and leaning into the other with total abandon.

That scorching body heat transferred through the thin layers of their clothing; that burning breath, laced with the scent of wine and a faint sweetness, puffed against the sensitive skin of the neck; those soft, hooked murmurs…

All of it acted like an invisible key, instantly unlocking a hidden, secret switch within Li Ting that even she hadn’t realized existed.

Her heart skipped a beat uncontrollably, then began to thud violently like a war drum. A strange, hot current started to snake through her own body, faintly echoing the heat radiating from Si Xiaoxiao.

Looking at Si Xiaoxiao’s misty, blurred, and helpless eyes—watching her brows knit slightly in discomfort, and feeling the burning fragility where she gripped her arm—Li Ting found that she actually couldn’t lift her hand to push her away.

Not only could she not lift her hand, but deep within her, an impulse was faintly stirring… a desire to pull her closer, to use her own body temperature to soothe her and dispel her pain.

This alien impulse left Li Ting feeling panicked and lost.

“You… let go of me, okay?” Li Ting’s voice carried a rasp and a tremble she didn’t notice. She tried to dodge backward, seeking to escape Si Xiaoxiao’s overly intimate proximity and scorching breath.

But as she moved, Si Xiaoxiao acted as if she had lost her only support, her entire body collapsing even more softly into Li Ting’s arms.

“Ugh… it hurts…” Si Xiaoxiao buried her burning cheek completely into the cool hollow of Li Ting’s neck. Like a young animal seeking sanctuary, she let out a pathetic whimper. Her arms involuntarily circled Li Ting’s waist, as if she wanted to embed herself into the other’s embrace to soak up the coolness that could quench her internal fire.

A lapful of warm, fragrant beauty.

Li Ting froze completely, her mind going blank.

The person in her arms was unbelievably soft. This intimate contact allowed her to clearly feel Si Xiaoxiao’s graceful curves and that terrifyingly high body temperature. Si Xiaoxiao’s seductive scent—a mix of wine, light sweat, and a unique body fragrance—acted like the most potent drug, invading her senses and eroding her logic.

She could even feel Si Xiaoxiao’s restless fingers moving unconsciously and lightly across her back, bringing both heat and a soul-stirring itch.

“Li Ting… help me…” Si Xiaoxiao looked up, the corners of her eyes flushed with a seductive crimson. Her misty eyes were shimmering with water, filled with helpless pleading and a desperate craving for release. Governed by the drug, she was left with only primal instinct, seeking help from the “cool source” that made her feel safe. Her voice was soft and enchanting, like the most alluring spell.

Li Ting’s breathing suddenly became rapid.

She looked at Si Xiaoxiao’s lips—so close they were nearly touching her own—red and tempting like they had been stained with rouge. Through the slightly parted gap, a small tip of a tongue was visible, silently issuing an invitation alongside that hot breath.

In this moment, Si Xiaoxiao became a concrete woman to her—a woman who made her entire body burn.

She began to vaguely understand this impulse, and even wished to drown in it.

The string of her reason was stretched to the absolute limit, let out a groan as it neared the breaking point.

Help her? How?

Could it be… that I really have to…

A bold and taboo thought, like a vine growing in the dark, instantly wrapped around Li Ting’s heart. Her cheeks uncontrollably flushed with two clouds of red, and her heart beat so fast it nearly burst from her chest.

“I…” Li Ting opened her mouth, but found her voice was incredibly dry. Looking at Si Xiaoxiao’s completely dependent and defenseless state, a battle raged within her soul.

Si Xiaoxiao was in too much pain; she had no idea of Li Ting’s inner conflict. She only thought she wasn’t being “good” enough, which was why she wasn’t getting help.

The teenage Little Saintess merged with the image of the protective older sister she had met on the film set.

In her subconscious, she knew exactly how to make the person in front of her heart flutter even more. And so, she cried out:

“Sister… Sister Aman…”

Li Ting’s body went rigid. Her burning heart began to cool rapidly, and only one question remained in her mind.

Who… is Aman?

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