Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 25.1

The Crying Soul Strand’s weak whimpers were intermittent, the sound unable to form a complete sentence, yet in Shen Lezhi’s ears, it was incredibly clear.

She could feel the Crying Soul Strand’s urgent desire to awaken. She called it “little crybaby,” and her pale face, drained from spiritual power exhaustion, was filled with a joyful smile.

The small courtyard offered no cover. A cool breeze swept through, tousling Shen Lezhi’s hair.

Shen Lezhi didn’t much like the cold but didn’t dislike the slightly cool, refreshing breeze at this moment.

“Master.”

“Master.”

The constant sound of the Crying Soul Strand was by her ear—struggling, yet as joyful as she was.

Shen Lezhi’s limbs slowly regained some strength. She struggled to sit up, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and began to enter meditation to regulate her energy and circulate it through her meridians.

The feeling of dizziness gradually subsided. Shen Lezhi meditated in place for a long time before she finally escaped the pain of spiritual power exhaustion.

She slowly exhaled a breath, opened her eyes, and was surprised to find a tender shoot had grown on the broken stem of the Crying Soul Strand.

Shen Lezhi picked up the porcelain pot, rested her forehead against the stalk of the Crying Soul Strand, concentrated her consciousness, and tried to communicate with it again.

“Little crybaby,” she called softly, her voice gentle.

“Master,” the Crying Soul Strand indeed responded, but it was still just these two words, intermittent, followed again by weak whimpers.

Shen Lezhi was not disappointed. Being able to hear the Crying Soul Strand’s voice again was a great joy for her. She dared not ask for too much, nor be too eager for success.

She got up, carried the Crying Soul Strand back into the room, and returned the porcelain pot to its original spot. Although the Crying Soul Strand could not respond much now, Shen Lezhi leaned on the table and talked enthusiastically to it about her recent experiences.

She spoke for a long time, mentioning Wang Xi’s punishment, her own path of the sword, and her successful Foundation Establishment.

The Crying Soul Strand’s response was only short, weak whimpers, yet Shen Lezhi felt happy.

It had been quite some time since she had felt such joy, and a long time since she had talked so much idle chatter.

The time stretched until the sky darkened and then brightened again. Shen Lezhi looked up at the window, where the first light of dawn was already shining through.

“It’s dawn,” Shen Lezhi murmured to herself.

She supported herself up. Her body, which had been empty and weak from spiritual power exhaustion yesterday, was full of energy again after a night.

“Cultivators are truly convenient.” Even though she had been awake all night, Shen Lezhi felt no trace of fatigue in her body.

Shen Lezhi touched the tender shoot of the Crying Soul Strand and received a whimpering response, which brought a smile to her face. “Your voice sounds so milky now.”

“Wuwu,” the Crying Soul Strand could not say much, only weakly protesting in this manner.

Shen Lezhi chuckled softly, got up, and walked out of the house to begin her daily regimen of exercise and sword practice.

Since comprehending her own path of the sword, Shen Lezhi had practiced with even greater diligence. For her, it was a pleasure, similar to the feeling of cultivating new plant species in the research institute—overcoming a difficulty would bring a small sense of accomplishment.

Although she still had to go to Wang Xi for practice, as the saying goes, “The whole day’s plan rests with the morning.” Practicing the sword in the early morning would make her thinking more agile.

After practice, she began the day’s necessary chores: retrieving spirit spring water from Herb Peak, checking on the Fierce Red Leaf in the rock cave along the way, and then heading to the fields behind the mountain to water the spiritual plants.

The Laughing Flower had shown signs of blooming and blossoming yesterday and should be fully mature today.

Shen Lezhi quickly arrived at the back mountain. Because the Laughing Flower prefers a cool and shady environment, she had specially erected a shed where it was planted. Since the sun had been strong recently, Shen Lezhi had also covered it with a layer of thin film to block the sunlight.

A mature, blooming Laughing Flower emits an even richer fragrance. Shen Lezhi only needed to approach the edge of the field to smell the refreshing floral scent.

She walked over and carefully lifted the film. Blossoming flowers came into her view.

The petals of the Laughing Flower ranged from pink to crimson, resembling a rose. The stalk was slender but stood straight. Looking closely, one could see extremely fine fuzz on the petals, which was an important material for making Laughing Flower Scent Pills and sachets.

Shen Lezhi carefully picked them, thinking she could try making a sachet.

The Laughing Flower itself has a persistent fragrance, making it particularly easy to create scents. The fuzz on the petals only needs to be scraped off with a tool. This fuzz, when mixed with water, can be used as an aphrodisiac drug, and it also possesses a strong inducing scent, requiring special treatment before being refined into a Scent Pill, and cannot be mixed with the material for the sachet.

The remaining petals needed to be wiped clean with a handkerchief. The Laughing Flower dislikes water, so it cannot be rinsed directly with water.

After wiping, they can be naturally sun-dried or smoked dry with fire spirit. Once the petals are slightly dehydrated, they can be placed into a sachet, awaiting the natural release of their fragrance.

However, the scent of the Laughing Flower is not a fresh aroma; it is intoxicating, giving a dreamy, illusionary feeling.

After all, the Laughing Flower is actually an aphrodisiac flower.

Since Shen Lezhi did not plant much, it didn’t take much time to process them. By the time she put the processed Laughing Flower petals out to dry in the courtyard, only two hours had passed.

Shen Lezhi had just tasted the stalk of the Laughing Flower. The juice inside the stalk was very sweet. Shen Lezhi had not found the use of the stalk in the Spiritual Plant Cultivation Manual, but she did not throw away such sweet juice and instead mixed it with water and drank it.

Unlike the floral scent of the Laughing Flower, the juice of the stalk was clean and sweet, like eating a chilled watermelon in the summer—refreshing and sweet. Shen Lezhi liked it very much.

It was almost time to go to Exquisite Peak. Shen Lezhi changed her clothes and headed towards Exquisite Peak.

When she reached the mountainside of Exquisite Peak, she checked on the White Ice Grass as was her custom. Perhaps Wang Xi was in a good mood today, as Shen Lezhi actually felt that Exquisite Peak was not as cold as usual.

She felt a little hot when she ran to the mountainside, a stuffy heat that even the cold wind on Exquisite Peak could not dispel.

Shen Lezhi felt puzzled. She walked to the entrance of Wang Xi’s cave dwelling. Wang Xi was still waiting for her at the entrance. After Shen Lezhi softly called “Master,” she began to demonstrate her sword moves to Wang Xi.

She had wanted to demonstrate the flowing water curtain she had created yesterday using the Jade Profound Sword Technique when trying to deplete her spiritual power.

However, her head was currently feeling a little hazy, and her body was getting hotter and hotter. There was a fire burning in her chest.

Shen Lezhi belatedly realized that the climate of Exquisite Peak had not changed; her own body had a problem.

She initially thought it was due to staying awake all night, lamenting that cultivators, too, could not handle all-nighters.

But the faster she channeled her spiritual power, the fiercer the fire in her heart burned.

Shen Lezhi tightly gripped her sword. Every part of her body felt numb and tingly. Although there was clearly nothing obstructing her vision, her mind seemed to automatically apply a filter to everything her eyes saw.

Even her view of Wang Xi became blurry.

Shen Lezhi finally stopped.

She did not know what was wrong with her. She could only look up, intending to ask Wang Xi.

“Master…” she called out. Only after speaking did she realize that her voice had become so soft and sweet.

Shen Lezhi was startled and retreated a step, leaning weakly against the trunk of a large tree.

Wang Xi also noticed her abnormality. Her cold eyes focused, and she took a few steps closer, her shallow gaze observing the girl’s appearance.

Wang Xi scrutinized her for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer to Shen Lezhi, her breath falling near Shen Lezhi’s ear, before she asked: “What did you touch? Laughing Flower?”

Wang Xi asked this, but she already knew the answer in her heart.

A faint scent of the Laughing Flower emanated from Shen Lezhi’s hair.

As expected, Shen Lezhi nodded. However, such a faint scent indicated that Shen Lezhi hadn’t touched much, which was insufficient to cause her to be like this.

Shen Lezhi also knew this. She had been extremely careful when handling the fuzz on the petals, making sure she hadn’t come into contact with the Laughing Flower’s fuzz.

But Shen Lezhi suddenly remembered the Laughing Flower juice she had drunk. The sweetness had flowed all the way to her heart.

She had thought it tasted so good at the time that she mixed it with water and drank more than usual. The clean sweetness that flowed into her heart still lingered on her taste buds.

Only now did Shen Lezhi realize: the Laughing Flower, from its petals to its scent, had some intoxicating effect. How could the stalk not have any?

She weakly raised her hand to grasp the Wang Xi in front of her because her legs had also turned soft. Although she wouldn’t fall, supporting her body had become very difficult.

“Master,” Shen Lezhi called again. She wanted to explain why this was happening, while her mind continued to analyze the effect of the Laughing Flower stalk.

Due to Wang Xi’s bent posture, Shen Lezhi’s raised arm naturally fell onto Wang Xi’s shoulder, but Shen Lezhi truly had no strength left. Her two arms merely hung limply.

Wang Xi’s gaze froze. As she was about to straighten up, Shen Lezhi quickly tightened her arms and completely hung onto Wang Xi’s neck.

“The juice of the Laughing Flower stalk is clean and sweet, but it should be the most aphrodisiac part of the entire flower.” Shen Lezhi’s head was dizzy, but she was still analyzing subconsciously.

After saying this, she involuntarily looked up and gazed intently at Wang Xi. She usually didn’t dare to look at Wang Xi from such a close distance, but now she not only stared straight at the Master but suddenly broke into a smile.

“You look so good.”

She suddenly said this.

She spoke extremely softly, but as she was close to Wang Xi, the Master could hear her clearly.

Wang Xi’s planned action of pushing her away paused. Shen Lezhi’s words and smile before her eyes blurred her vision.

“You are more beautiful than anyone else. You are the best-looking person I have ever seen,” Shen Lezhi continued to say. Her logic in speaking was clear, but her eyes were no longer lucid.

Wang Xi remained silent. After a moment, she still pushed the girl away. She easily broke free without using much force.

However, Shen Lezhi hadn’t used any force to hold her either.

But after being pushed away, Shen Lezhi suddenly panicked, abruptly grabbed Wang Xi’s wrist, frowned, and muttered incoherently: “Don’t you like me?”

After saying this, she immediately felt something was wrong and quickly added: “Oh, you like Shen Lezhi.”

Shen Lezhi weakly shook her head and hugged Wang Xi again. This time, her whole body was nestled in Wang Xi’s embrace. “Master, don’t like Shen Lezhi anymore. She’s not a good person. She bullies you.”

Wang Xi did not push Shen Lezhi away this time.

A massive surge rose in her heart, and her eyes were as cold as ice.

In the past, she had always wondered if Shen Lezhi felt any guilt toward her. The more she thought, the deeper her obsession became.

Wang Xi only believed that Shen Lezhi, who was currently lying in her arms, was influenced by the Laughing Flower and was speaking the most truthful thoughts in her heart.

Shen Lezhi said: She’s not a good person; she will bully you.

So, does Shen Lezhi feel remorse for a moment?

Wang Xi smoothed Shen Lezhi’s back and held her tightly in her arms.

The embrace was so tight that Shen Lezhi grunted uncomfortably, and so restrictive that she called out to Wang Xi, feeling weak and distressed.

Frost spread over Wang Xi’s eyes, and demon markings crept up her eye corners. The dark red demon markings constantly spread, tracing her eye sockets, inch by inch, seeping in.

“Too late,” Wang Xi said calmly.

From the moment Shen Lezhi betrayed her, Wang Xi had never considered forgiveness.

In the previous life, she wanted Shen Lezhi dead. In this life, she wanted Shen Lezhi to suffer endless agony.

Wang Xi was holding Shen Lezhi too tightly, but fortunately, Shen Lezhi was too hot right now and found Wang Xi’s body icy cold and very comfortable. Even though she was constrained, she was unwilling to break free from the embrace.

Shen Lezhi even felt that Wang Xi must like this.

Judging by the Master’s past displays of dominance and unwillingness to be disobeyed, Wang Xi had the controlling desire of a superior.

Especially in matters of love, she always liked to fully cup Shen Lezhi in her palms, always leaning in without allowing the slightest refusal. No matter how much Shen Lezhi struggled, it only resulted in the other party’s restraint.

Shen Lezhi deeply understood that Wang Xi enjoyed this feeling of controlling the other party.

She was analyzing the significance of Wang Xi’s actions in her confusion. Perhaps because her head was hazy, she even found an explanation for Wang Xi’s current tight embrace.

Perhaps the other party was enduring a great struggle. After all, since Shen Lezhi transmigrated, she had always resisted their intimacy. Given their “relationship” and Wang Xi’s strong controlling desire, how could she endure for so long?

Normally, Shen Lezhi would only feel that she couldn’t do such intimate things with anyone other than a lover. Although she occupied this body, she could only feel powerless about the situation.

But at this moment, she was under the influence of the Laughing Flower. The intoxicating aphrodisiac was not simply activating her desire; her body was burning, and her mind was burning as well.

She felt a heat in her abdomen and an unusual stickiness on her body.

Shen Lezhi knew what this feeling was. Although she had never experienced it, she understood some things from her knowledge in the modern era.

She loved the way Wang Xi held her so tightly, as if to crush her into her flesh, as if the two of them were about to merge into one.

Shen Lezhi instinctively rubbed against Wang Xi, instinctively humming comfortably, and her mind became even more chaotic. She couldn’t help but softly call out to Wang Xi.

“Master.”

“Master.”

She called softly, her voice like a kitten’s whimper. She didn’t know how she looked in Wang Xi’s eyes, but she felt it wasn’t enough. This bit of icy comfort was far from enough.

“Is this what you like?” Shen Lezhi boldly leaned closer to Wang Xi and whispered in her ear.

As she spoke, she raised her hands, joining them together, and held them up in front of Wang Xi. She stared at Wang Xi, her eyes filled with immense passion. “Do you want to tie me up as well?”

Wang Xi’s eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this. She pulled back a little from Shen Lezhi. The aphrodisiac from the Laughing Flower had completely hijacked Shen Lezhi’s thoughts. Wang Xi watched as she frowned at the Master’s retreat and let out a light humph of dissatisfaction.