Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 37

Wang Xi did not know what a “face-to-face attack” was, but hearing Shen Lezhi tell her not to pretend to kiss her made her wonder if she really appeared this way in her disciple’s eyes.

Wang Xi couldn’t help but pause.

She then approached Shen Lezhi, who was unable to move due to her injuries and firmly believed that the current Wang Xi was a female ghost, thus exhibiting a look of utter despair.

However, this appearance was understandable, as Wang Xi’s form, though tangible, was still somewhat ethereal and ghostly, especially since Shen Lezhi had genuinely encountered a ghost earlier. Her assumption was not far-fetched.

Wang Xi squatted down in front of her and placed the talisman into Shen Lezhi’s body. She only needed to activate the talisman with spiritual power to take her out of the small secret realm.

But Shen Lezhi suddenly grabbed her.

The girl in front of her was completely drained of strength, her fingers weakly clinging to Wang Xi’s wrist, seemingly trying to stop her, yet also appearing to want to cling to her.

However, since the other party believed she was a female ghost, it probably wasn’t a gesture of closeness.

Since the other party thought she was a female ghost, Wang Xi’s unsheathed hand moved to Shen Lezhi’s neck, her five fingers clasping the fragile, slender area.

Wang Xi did not hold back; her fingers applied a great deal of force. Shen Lezhi gasped for air, suffocating, and tried weakly to push her away.

Wang Xi ignored Shen Lezhi’s resistance, choking her by the neck, confining her, and then leaning close to her ear.

With a noticeable difference in the trailing sound, Wang Xi’s cold voice fell upon Shen Lezhi’s ear: “Tell me, who are you?”

People might speak the truth when near death, and currently, in Shen Lezhi’s eyes, she was only a female ghost.

Shen Lezhi did not answer. The suffocating sensation was painful, and the ice-cold fingers felt strangely familiar.

Her consciousness began to scatter, while the white-robed female ghost in front of her continued to murmur softly near her ear.

“Tell me.”

Shen Lezhi trembled and closed her eyes, seduced by that voice. Finally, in her struggle with suffocation, she spoke with difficulty: “Lezhi, Shen Lezhi, I am Shen Lezhi.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the pressure on her neck suddenly loosened, and the female ghost released her.

Shen Lezhi watched as the female ghost’s fingertips landed on her face, then moved to her dantian, where a stream of spiritual power skillfully entered her meridians, repairing her body.

This spiritual power was so familiar that Shen Lezhi didn’t even raise the thought of resisting. By the time she realized what was happening, the power had already circulated through her meridians.

You female ghosts have this kind of ability now?

Shen Lezhi’s eyes widened.

And she’s healing me? Will I taste better when I’m fully recovered?

Shen Lezhi grew increasingly convinced that the female ghost in front of her was not simple.

The female ghost’s spiritual power was also incredibly familiar to Shen Lezhi. Even the method of intrusion into her meridians was exactly the same as what Shen Lezhi had experienced before.

As her body healed, Shen Lezhi’s consciousness became clearer. She gripped her small white sword and fiercely bit down on Wang Xi’s finger joint.

The clear sense of a real body made her belatedly realize that although this person’s figure was ethereal, she might truly not be a ghost.

“Master?” Shen Lezhi tentatively called out.

“It is I,” Wang Xi replied coldly, looking down.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lezhi immediately sat up, her heart filled with shock.

Not because she couldn’t understand how Wang Xi got here, but because she instantly remembered Wang Xi’s question just now.

Wang Xi had asked who she was while choking her…

Shen Lezhi was terrified at the thought and looked cautiously toward Wang Xi. But the latter’s cold eyes showed no emotion. Shen Lezhi blinked, then lowered her gaze again.

Why would Wang Xi suspect her?

And when did she start suspecting her? Shen Lezhi didn’t know, and a massive wave surged in her heart.

But Wang Xi didn’t seem inclined to press the matter further. Shen Lezhi didn’t dare to say anything more, not even daring to ask for the reason she had been choked just now.

“How much longer will you bite your Master?” Wang Xi said to her coldly.

Shen Lezhi quickly let go, her face slightly flushed as if stained with rouge. Knowing that the person in front of her was not a female ghost, Shen Lezhi’s attitude instinctively became subdued, daring not to offend.

Wang Xi smoothly inserted the talisman into her body, then said coldly, “Activate the spiritual power on the talisman in your body, and it will take you out.”

Shen Lezhi nodded slightly upon hearing this, knowing that Wang Xi had come to save her. She found the talisman that had appeared out of nowhere in her Spiritual Hall and was about to activate her spiritual power when a lazy, slow, and ethereal voice suddenly drifted through the air.

“You’ve finally arrived, Exquisite Heart.”

Shen Lezhi and Wang Xi both paused, looking toward the source of the voice.

They saw a figure slowly emerge from the distant darkness. It was not a human figure; the figure was low to the ground on four paws, with sleek, black and white fur all over its body. Its two fluffy cat ears twitched slightly, making it look incredibly adorable.

But as the figure stepped out of the darkness, its large, untamed posture was also majestic.

“A cat?” Shen Lezhi asked doubtfully.

But it was definitely not an ordinary cat. It was nearly two meters tall, and two black wings grew on its back. The distinct bird wings made the cat-like creature look extremely strange.

And it could talk.

It had just said the three words “Exquisite Heart.”

Shen Lezhi subconsciously looked at Wang Xi, who stood tall and straight, her eyes filled with cold light, staring dangerously at the sudden appearance of the cat-like exotic beast.

“Why is the Exquisite Heart not complete?” The cat-like exotic beast flicked its long tail, its cat eyes half-closed, sweeping over Shen Lezhi and Wang Xi.

It seemed somewhat surprised that the Exquisite Heart had been split in two.

Shen Lezhi thought it must truly be a cat, given the movement of licking its paws and the manner in which it squinted while looking at people.

Even with wings on its back, it couldn’t change its feline habits.

It was just a bit large. If it were smaller, how adorable would it be to hold in her arms?

Shen Lezhi was still in the mood for such thoughts. It wasn’t until Wang Xi picked her up and carried her to follow the large black and white cat that she came back to her senses.

The black and white cat had just said it would take them to see its master, stating that only those with the Exquisite Heart could enter.

Because her injuries had not fully healed, although Wang Xi’s spiritual power and the Exquisite Heart’s healing had pulled her out of danger, she couldn’t move too much.

Shen Lezhi was held in Wang Xi’s arms. Wang Xi’s ethereal form, yet with a clear sense of substance upon contact, felt magical to Shen Lezhi. She even wrapped her arms around Wang Xi’s neck, bringing her nose close to the latter’s creamy skin, and could smell the clear, snowy fragrance.

Shen Lezhi leaned in a little closer, subconsciously nuzzling the skin of Wang Xi’s neck with her nose, and was surprised to find that a thin layer of ice had actually condensed on the surface of her skin.

It was very, very thin. Shen Lezhi only barely noticed it by getting this close.

With Wang Xi’s breathing, that thin layer of ice would slightly fluctuate and shimmer.

No wonder Wang Xi was always cold. In the summer, this would be incredibly useful.

Shen Lezhi felt a slight itch in her teeth, wondering what it would taste like if she bit into it?

But why weren’t her fingers covered?

Shen Lezhi had bitten them just now, and the pale knuckles did not have this frost.

Shen Lezhi moved closer. Her senses were intoxicated by the clear, cold scent. She didn’t really like being intimate with Wang Xi in the identity of the original female lead, but at this moment, she couldn’t resist getting closer.

Just a taste, just one taste.

She just wanted to know what the texture of this thin ice on Master’s skin was like.

She only wanted to taste the ice, not bite her neck.

Shen Lezhi mentally brainwashed herself.

She lightly closed her eyes, her nose almost touching the skin of Wang Xi’s neck. She slightly lifted her jaw, her pale lips trembling as they parted.

Her breathing quickened slightly. She was about to touch the ice in front of her.

But… Shen Lezhi ultimately failed to taste it.

She tightly clenched her fingers, unable to overcome her psychological barrier.

Wang Xi loved the original female lead.

Even now, being so worried that she entered the small secret realm in this form, holding her tightly in her arms—everything was for the original female lead.

Shen Lezhi suddenly wanted Wang Xi to ask again, to ask who she really was.

Shen Lezhi backed away slightly, looking up at Wang Xi’s cold, stern profile, thinking: If Wang Xi knew she wasn’t her real disciple, would she still treat her this way?

Shen Lezhi already knew the answer.

She definitely would not. In the book, Wang Xi’s tenderness before becoming a devil and her hatred after were all emotions given only to the original female lead until her death.

No one else had entered her world.

Shen Lezhi lowered her eyes, feeling a chill in her heart.

However, Wang Xi did not detect these thoughts. Although she was holding Shen Lezhi tightly, her mind was completely elsewhere. She followed the black and white cat in front of her, her deep eyes betraying no emotion.

They walked for a long time. They saw that the pale blue, ghostly lights that were in the corners earlier had slowly climbed onto the back of the black and white cat. Only then did they realize that those were not ghostly flames, but a type of bioluminescent creature.

Shen Lezhi had no interest in demon or exotic beasts and naturally hadn’t researched them, but Wang Xi knew a little.

These were Shadow Tide Insects, which only appeared in places with extremely heavy negative energy and mass corpses. Furthermore, they only approached deceased creatures.

So, was the black and white cat, covered in Shadow Tide Insects, alive or dead?

Wang Xi slightly lowered her head, her cold eyes fixed on Shen Lezhi. Just when Shen Lezhi thought she was about to say something, Wang Xi’s voice echoed in her mind.

“If anything seems wrong, immediately activate the talisman and leave.”

Shen Lezhi paused for a moment. Because the voice was transmitted directly into her brain, she realized that Wang Xi had not spoken aloud but had used a voice transmission spell.

Shen Lezhi glanced at the massive, blue-glowing body of the black and white cat ahead and understood Wang Xi’s intention in doing so. She obediently nodded.

After following for a while longer, even Shen Lezhi began to wonder if the black and white cat was deliberately leading them in circles, when the massive body finally stopped.

“We’ve arrived,” its voice was lazy. Although it spoke human words, the feeling was still slightly different from that of a human.

Shen Lezhi thought for a moment, then remembered the Weeping Soul Tassel. The way this large cat spoke was very much like someone who didn’t frequently use human language, unlike the Weeping Soul Tassel, which spoke human language fluently.

It even used metaphors and spoke in a manipulative, “tea-like” manner.

Shen Lezhi realized that she hadn’t heard the Weeping Soul Tassel’s voice since she woke up. In the past, it would have been crying and comforting her already.

This time, it was because she had seen the figure of her Grandma when she woke up, and she had forgotten everything else.

Sorry, little crybaby!

Shen Lezhi immediately called out “Little Crybaby” in her mind, but received no response, and her heart sank.

However, the scene before her made her unable to think of anything else.

Before them was a massive tomb. Countless Shadow Tide Insects covered the entire space, emitting a pale blue light. The luminous insects were not as uncomfortable as their name suggested. In the darkness, they possessed a strange beauty.

They were most densely gathered on a small tree. The branches were covered in these Shadow Tide Insects, many of them sleeping on the tree. Their icy blue light deepened and lightened with their breathing.

It was like the shimmering light of a glazed lamp.

The arrival of Shen Lezhi and Wang Xi woke them up, and many Shadow Tide Insects fluttered their wings. Only then did Shen Lezhi realize that they had wings. The transparent wings looked even more beautiful under the pale blue light.

But the sheer number was overwhelming, causing Shen Lezhi a slight case of trypophobia.

Shen Lezhi clung tightly to Wang Xi, burying half of her face in the latter’s neck.

She squinted and looked toward the base of the tree, where she discovered a thin figure sitting. But strangely, the figure was completely connected to the tree trunk, as if a person had grown out of the tree…

Could this be the master the black and white cat spoke of?

What was this person’s connection to the Exquisite Heart?

Wang Xi carried Shen Lezhi and walked to the front of the person. Tattered clothes hung loosely on a female skeleton. The roots and stems of the dwarf tree tightly wrapped around the skeleton. Some roots even pierced through the bones, and root fibers fixed the female skeleton in a net-like fashion.

Shen Lezhi was startled by the skeleton, not only because of the bizarre sight of it growing entirely within the tree, but also because the bones in the heart area were completely fractured and missing, looking as if someone had shattered her sternum and dug out her heart.

Shen Lezhi remembered that the black and white cat could sense the Exquisite Heart within them without needing to probe. Then looking at the strange skeleton in front of her, with bones missing right where the heart should be.

A rush of doubts gathered in her heart, making her panic.

Wang Xi hugged her tightly and took a few steps closer to the skeleton. Suddenly, the Shadow Tide Insects all around them and on the dwarf tree began to flutter their wings, emitting a low-frequency sound that was not sharp but made one’s scalp crawl.

Shen Lezhi felt a wave of nausea. She hadn’t moved or touched anything, but merely hearing the sudden sound caused an instinctive wave of nausea in her mind.

She subconsciously looked toward Wang Xi, only to see the latter also frowning slightly, seeming uncomfortable.

Shen Lezhi felt that the scene before her was already very wrong. She didn’t know what would happen next, but since it concerned the Exquisite Heart, she still wanted to ask Wang Xi if she should activate the talisman to leave.

But she opened her mouth, and before she could utter a word, all the Shadow Tide Insects in front of her extinguished instantly.

The pale blue light vanished in a flash, and darkness abruptly descended.

Shen Lezhi was so frightened that she nearly screamed. If she hadn’t felt Wang Xi’s tight embrace, she probably would have cried out.

“Exquisite Heart, go find the truth.” In the darkness, the black and white cat spoke again.

Due to everything that had just happened, this voice became strange. Shen Lezhi gripped her small white sword, sensing the flow of spiritual power in her meridians and the state of her injuries.

She couldn’t rely solely on Wang Xi’s protection. If there was any danger, she needed to be able to protect herself in this situation.

But everything was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

She felt Wang Xi holding her and suddenly walking forward. She frantically looked toward Wang Xi, but could see nothing in the pitch blackness.

Shen Lezhi wasn’t sure what Wang Xi had sensed that made her walk so decisively in one direction, until a wave of despair washed over her. Only then did she feel a slight sense of familiarity.

This despairing spiritual energy was the aura she had been the only one to feel when the small secret realm opened.

Pale and despairing.

She had felt it was somewhat familiar then, and now she was startled to realize that this spiritual energy was truly extremely similar to Wang Xi’s spiritual energy!

It was that special, immense, and wondrous feeling unique to the Exquisite Heart.

Even other top-tier powerful figures had never made Shen Lezhi feel the same strength and dominance as the Exquisite Heart.

She had once asked Hundred Herbs True Man, and she was told that this was unique to the Exquisite Heart, or rather, it was uniquely possessed by Wang Xi due to her perfect compatibility with the Exquisite Heart.

Because even with half the Exquisite Heart, Shen Lezhi’s spiritual power could not become that special.

Shen Lezhi’s heart pounded faster with this realization. She tugged at Wang Xi’s clothes and involuntarily called out, “Master…”

Wang Xi did not reply, but Shen Lezhi could already feel the coldness of the icy spiritual power constantly spreading outward.

Wang Xi’s emotions were also unstable.

Wang Xi carried her for a long time, so long that Shen Lezhi realized they might have entered another special dimension.

The cave of the tomb was not actually large; it was clear at a glance, with no other exits besides the entrance, and walking through the entire area would take no more than a hundred steps.

But Wang Xi had carried her for too long, and finally, a light appeared before their eyes.

It was not the cold, pale blue of the Shadow Tide Insects; it was the light of the sun. Shen Lezhi even felt warmth.

“Master, there is someone ahead,” Shen Lezhi whispered.

Wang Xi naturally saw it without Shen Lezhi saying anything.

There were two figures ahead. One was the familiar large black and white cat they had just seen, and the other was a woman dressed in white.

She was currently facing away from them, so Shen Lezhi couldn’t see her face.

But the spiritual power and aura she emitted were extremely familiar to Shen Lezhi.

A strange emotion clogged Shen Lezhi’s chest. Connecting everything that had just happened, she was somewhat afraid to see the white-robed woman’s face.

But the choice was not hers. The woman still turned around, and her cold face was imprinted in Shen Lezhi’s eyes.

Shen Lezhi’s breathing became ragged in that instant, because the fingers Wang Xi used to embrace her dug deeply into her skin.

The grip was so strong. Shen Lezhi saw her knuckles tense from the force. Her expression was completely unchanged, but it only made Shen Lezhi’s heart grow colder.

The white-robed woman looked exactly like Wang Xi, and there was a large hole dug out in her chest where her heart should be. It was empty inside.

Blood constantly flowed from the area where the white-robed woman’s heart was. Ice and snow-like spiritual power flooded the area. The woman’s frost-white face was completely devoid of color, looking lifeless even under the warm sunlight.

How could she have life force when her heart had been removed?

The woman seemed unable to see Shen Lezhi and Wang Xi. Even though Wang Xi had walked very close, the woman was completely unaware.

The woman was covered in blood and finally collapsed powerlessly onto the ground. Shen Lezhi watched the black and white cat whimper in pain, rubbing its head against the woman’s body, seemingly aware of her life ending.

“It’s over,” the woman struggled to raise her hand and stroked the black and white cat’s head. Her clear voice was also exactly like Wang Xi’s.

But Shen Lezhi was acutely aware that even though the person in front of her looked and possessed spiritual power exactly like Wang Xi, Shen Lezhi clearly knew that this person was not Wang Xi; she was another person who was almost completely identical to Wang Xi.

The woman’s spiritual power expanded from her body. She swallowed a seed into her abdomen, and her five fingers formed a magical gesture. The seed instantly grew inside her, penetrating her entire body.

Shen Lezhi watched as a dwarf tree grew before her eyes in a few breaths, finally growing to be exactly like the one in the dark tomb.

The roots and stems of the dwarf tree spread out, centered on the white-robed woman, expanding wildly outwards. Grass and trees grew everywhere the roots reached, and high mountains and cliffs arose.

Then everything became hidden, finally turning into an ethereal entrance.

Shen Lezhi was familiar with it, it was the entrance to the small secret realm.

“If there are people in later generations, only the Exquisite Heart may enter.” Only these words echoed in their ears.

When they came back to their senses, Shen Lezhi found that they were back in the dark tomb. Wang Xi was holding her, stopped in front of the woman’s skeleton, and the pervasive Shadow Tide Insects lit up with their pale blue light again.

“Exquisite Heart, go find the truth,” the black and white cat suddenly spoke again. It stared directly at Wang Xi. This time its voice was more ethereal.

Not only was the voice ethereal, but its massive body also began to appear transparent, looking more like a ghost than Wang Xi’s current form.

Wang Xi did not respond, but Shen Lezhi clenched her fingers and opened her mouth coldly to refute: “My Master is not called Exquisite Heart.”

Her tone was extremely indifferent, and her pale face, due to her injuries, conveyed an extremely firm disapproval.

Wang Xi was surprised when she heard these words, wondering why Shen Lezhi was arguing about such a meaningless issue, yet she also strangely felt that it was exactly what she would do, given her nature.

Shen Lezhi didn’t care what Wang Xi was thinking. She was just deeply indignant.

Did these people and the Sect Master of Xuan Yu Sect not understand what respecting people meant? Calling her “Exquisite Heart” repeatedly, as if Wang Xi’s meaning for existence was only that heart!

She looked up at Wang Xi’s face. The latter’s cold and proud expression had not wavered at all, even after experiencing this series of unbelievable events.

Sadness gathered in Shen Lezhi’s heart. She had thought this was a novel about a horrible female lead, but she realized that all the events revolved around the ethereal person in front of her.

The Sect Master wanted to kill her, the original female lead wanted to kill her, and now there was a woman who looked exactly like her, with almost identical spiritual power, whose heart had been removed, telling her to find the truth.

Shen Lezhi didn’t know what state of mind Wang Xi was in right now. She rarely saw any major emotional changes from this person.

She was like the cold moon reflected in water, seeming within reach yet actually hanging high in the sky, making her impossible to grasp.

“Master.” Shen Lezhi felt a little sad.

She instinctively hugged Wang Xi tightly, wrapping her arms around the other’s neck, burying her head in her collarbone.

She didn’t know what to do; she just wanted to give Wang Xi a hug.

She didn’t even know if Wang Xi needed this embrace. Her Master was so powerful that nothing in the world seemed to trouble her.

But Shen Lezhi acted impulsively anyway. She sensed Wang Xi’s reaction, ready to let go if the other party refused.

But contrary to Shen Lezhi’s expectations, Wang Xi did not resist her action.

The hands that were embracing her held her up, and then tightened, embedding Shen Lezhi completely into her embrace.

Shen Lezhi only felt that the other’s embrace was incredibly tight, as if seeking some kind of comfort.

She heard a sigh from Wang Xi, almost imperceptible, yet extremely suppressed and restrained.

That sigh was hidden in Shen Lezhi’s hair. Wang Xi had lowered her head, burying her face in Shen Lezhi’s dark hair.

In that moment, Shen Lezhi felt as if a block of solid ice had shattered. Her fingers trembled non-stop, and an intense sadness uncontrollably surged in her heart.

A stinging pain rose in her nose. She involuntarily tilted her face slightly, trembling as her lips touched Wang Xi’s exposed neck.

She finally got her wish to taste the thin layer of frost covering Wang Xi’s skin.

But why was it not as sweet as she had imagined?

It was the taste of shattered ice, the bitter flavor gathered from deep sorrow.