Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 42

Shen Lezhi  of course knew that forcibly dissipating one’s cultivation would damage the meridians, leaving indelible trauma and even posing a life-threatening risk.

Even if one was lucky enough to survive, the scars left on the meridians would make future cultivation extremely difficult.

But Shen Lezhi did not know that while self-inflicted meridian damage was perilous for an ordinary cultivator, they at least had a sliver of hope.

For Shen Lezhi, who possessed half of the Exquisite Heart, its powerful spiritual energy operated autonomously, and its characteristic of relentlessly drawing in surrounding spiritual power remained active.

Shen Lezhi’s forced dissipation of her cultivation resulted in damaged meridians. Yet, the Exquisite Heart would not cease its function. Her body would become like a cup with an extremely small capacity, forced to endure a majestic waterfall pouring down.

The cup would overflow once full, but the damaged meridians, sealed internally, would only swell more and more until the day Shen Lezhi’s body could no longer bear it and exploded.

This was the reason for Wang Xi’s  alarm upon learning that Shen Lezhi had forcibly damaged her meridians.

Wang Xi’s spiritual power coursed through Shen Lezhi’s meridians, but the more she investigated, the more distraught Wang Xi became.

Shen Lezhi had not been cultivating and learning spells for long. She was exceptionally intelligent and learned quickly, but Wang Xi had never taught her this technique for dissipating cultivation, nor was it possible for her to have seriously studied it before.

She had likely seen it somewhere, casually memorized it, and now used it haphazardly.

There were several signs of forcibly ripped meridians that were too damaged to function, yet the Exquisite Heart tirelessly drew spiritual power into Shen Lezhi’s body.

Wang Xi looked at Shen Lezhi, gripping her wrist, her voice so icy it sounded shattered. “Why did you do this?”

Shen Lezhi did not answer. She looked at the clear wine Wang Xi had placed on the table and tried to break free from Wang Xi’s hand to walk over.

Perhaps Wang Xi was too distraught at the moment, allowing Shen Lezhi to easily break free with a casual movement.

Shen Lezhi then ignored her, walked to the table, and picked up the white jade treasure flask.

The reason she knew what was inside the flask was that a large character for “wine” (酒) was inscribed on its body. Shen Lezhi pulled out the stopper, and a mellow aroma of wine drifted out.

In truth, just as Wang Xi suspected, Shen Lezhi’s forced dissipation of her cultivation last night had already begun to strain her damaged meridians and body, which was unable to sustain the Exquisite Heart’s operation.

Her face was pale, and the pain accumulating in her body grew heavier, but she refused to acknowledge it. She braced herself and poured a cup of clear wine for herself.

The wine tasted like peach, likely brewed from some immortal fruit. A rich, honeyed scent assailed her senses, followed by the dissipation of the sweetness and the infusion of a slight bitterness, like chrysanthemum.

Finally, the strong aroma of alcohol, like spurting flame, ignited Shen Lezhi’s entire being even before she drank it, thick and sweetly fragrant.

Shen Lezhi had never tasted the alcohol of the cultivation world before. Seeing it for the first time now, she wasn’t happy, but she was slightly surprised.

She ignored Wang Xi, who was sitting nearby, poured only one cup for herself, lifted it, and brought the fine wine to her lips.

Wang Xi also walked to the table and sat down, frowning as she watched Shen Lezhi. The other party downed cup after cup, drinking with increasing urgency. The rich immortal wine was already intoxicating, and now that Shen Lezhi had no cultivation, she was even less able to resist.

Shen Lezhi was already somewhat drunk but still refused to stop. People say drinking to drown sorrow—so this was what it felt like.

But the threads of sorrow didn’t seem to dissipate. The heavy pain clung to her thoughts, refusing to leave.

Shen Lezhi felt it wasn’t enough. Discarding the cup, she directly lifted the flask and poured the entire pot of wine into her mouth.

The transparent liquor flowed from the corners of her mouth, slipped down her neck, soaking her collar and her black hair draped over her shoulder.

Wang Xi did not stop her, but when the confused gaze looked over and Shen Lezhi uttered cruel words with a sneer, Wang Xi lowered her cold gaze.

“You all mean nothing to me. I was just unlucky to come here, unlucky to be connected to you, Master and disciple.”

“Now that I’ve returned everything you taught me, isn’t that enough?” Although her eyes were nearly closed, she stubbornly insisted on staring directly at Wang Xi.

Wang Xi reached out to take the empty flask from her hand, but the dazed person suddenly reacted violently, standing up abruptly and fiercely slapping Wang Xi’s outstretched palm away.

Shen Lezhi trembled, shaking all over. It wasn’t anger; it was the Exquisite Heart constantly colliding with her damaged meridians inside her body.

She began to tremble from her fingertips. The pain emanating from within the meridians felt like it was attached to her soul, making Shen Lezhi nearly lose control of her body.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Wang Xi grabbed her again, lifting her entire body, her expression cold and solemn.

Shen Lezhi was too weak to struggle.

“How can you not be my disciple?” Wang Xi’s lowered eyes were so dim, as if shrouded by a black mist.

Shen Lezhi’s eyes were blurred; she couldn’t clearly see Wang Xi’s expression.

But she heard Wang Xi’s words and let out a sarcastic laugh through her nose.

Unfortunately, her voice was trembling at this point, causing the mocking laugh to be intermittent.

Wang Xi carried her to the Medical Immortal’s  hut. Shen Lezhi’s consciousness was now failing.

She was too tired.

From yesterday until now, she was truly exhausted.

She could only groan softly from the pain, as she was too weak to even cry out loudly.

“What? Is someone dying again? Immortal Venerable, your method of teaching disciples is truly unique.”

Shen Lezhi heard the Medical Immortal’s sarcasm. Wang Xi didn’t seem to refute it. The hands embracing her were trembling along with her.

The cold aura surrounding her was also turbulent and restless, seemingly anxious for Shen Lezhi.

But what did Wang Xi have to worry about?

The other party wanted her original disciple so badly. If Shen Lezhi died, the original heroine might be able to return.

Shen Lezhi thought confusedly, but she truly couldn’t hold on any longer. After Wang Xi forcefully pried open her mouth and fed her a pill, she completely fell into a deep sleep.

She wondered, when she woke up again, would she be able to leave this place and return home?

But Shen Lezhi knew that was probably impossible. She was already dead in the modern world. Perhaps by now, even her remains had been cremated.

She was already a rootless wandering soul, with nowhere to go.

Youfang Academy  was very close to the mortal world. The black river leading to the mortal world could be seen just by standing at the highest point of Youfang Academy.

The murky gray mist in the river felt like dark clouds pressing down on the surface, bringing with it a dull and gloomy feeling.

But the scenery of Youfang Academy was always beautiful and elegant. The horizon was shrouded in white mist, and white cranes chirped softly. When everything awoke in the early morning, countless creatures slowly opened their eyes in the mountains and forests of Youfang Academy.

Life itself awakened.

Shen Lezhi also woke up at this time.

The discomfort in her body had eased somewhat but had not disappeared. Still, she had not died.

“Master, woo…” The Weeping Soul Tassel immediately made a sound when she woke up. It initially couldn’t help but cry, but remembering Shen Lezhi’s injuries, it immediately stopped.

“Master, the Medical Immortal said you won’t live for more than a year. She can only alleviate your pain,” the Weeping Soul Tassel said sadly.

If even the Medical Immortal said this, who else in this world could save Shen Lezhi?

Shen Lezhi stroked it, smiling helplessly.

Shen Lezhi understood. The Laws of Heaven and Earth always had their rules. The Grand Dao itself went against the natural order, and cultivators who possessed spiritual roots were already the lucky ones on this path.

Humans were consistently considered to have an easier time cultivating than demons or other non-human races, and they were more likely to find the path to immortality.

And those who received the favor of the Heavenly Dao yet did not cherish it—forcibly dissipating their cultivation and self-damaging their meridians—would naturally face the punishment of the Heavenly Dao.

Even the Medical Immortal, a medical cultivator whose skills were unmatched, could not repair these self-inflicted meridian damages.

However, Shen Lezhi didn’t care; it didn’t matter if she couldn’t be cured.

She silently comforted the Weeping Soul Tassel, got out of bed, and walked out the door.

She suddenly wanted to sunbathe.

The room was so cold, and her body was so cold.

Had it already entered winter?

Shen Lezhi was amused by her own thought. She knew very well why it was cold here.

She pushed the door open and saw a pale figure standing under the ancient peach tree in the courtyard. The person was looking up at the sky, which was partially obscured by the tree. Her figure was tall, her demeanor elegant and aloof, and her eyes were indifferent, like frost and snow.

Shen Lezhi lowered her head, her eyelids drooping, suddenly no longer wanting to sunbathe.

The courtyard held someone she didn’t want to encounter, and even the courtyard no longer looked beautiful.

The fallen petals of the ancient peach tree, their sweetness laced with that cold snow-fragrance. Shen Lezhi picked up a pink petal that inadvertently drifted onto her head and coldly tossed it away carelessly.

She turned to leave, but Wang Xi had already sensed her. In a flash, she moved to stand in front of her and, without a word, grabbed her wrist.

Shen Lezhi looked on indifferently, not struggling. After all, the other party was utterly domineering, and the current Shen Lezhi was too lazy to argue.

Wang Xi led her into the room and took out a pill from her spatial ring to feed her.

Shen Lezhi swallowed it passively, feeling a warm current surge up from her Dantian and then spread throughout her body.

The pain of her swollen meridians was actually alleviated somewhat.

The Medical Immortal truly lived up to her reputation.

But the five fingers gripping her wrist did not loosen. Wang Xi pulled Shen Lezhi to the wooden table to sit down and, as was her custom, used spiritual power to invade her meridians for an examination.

Shen Lezhi did not look at her, slouching casually on the chair, her head leaning against the backrest, staring listlessly up at the roof beam.

Wang Xi’s spiritual invasion always gave her a strange feeling. At this moment, when she was completely unable to resist, that feeling was even clearer.

From head to toe, waves of numbness washed over her. Wherever Wang Xi’s spiritual power drilled into or passed through, a wave of itching would surface on Shen Lezhi’s body.

In the past, Shen Lezhi would suppress that itching, and it was never as sensitive as it was now.

Shen Lezhi tilted her head back, passively allowing Wang Xi to do as she pleased. Even though her body instinctively felt discomfort from the other party’s spiritual power, she did not resist.

However, the tingling sensation grew increasingly intense, slightly different from what she had experienced before.

Where was the difference?

Shen Lezhi couldn’t answer.

She only felt that the invading spiritual power of Wang Xi was like a pair of hands, hooking onto the weak points of her body, gently and slowly kneading them.

Shen Lezhi didn’t want to acknowledge it. She wanted to stand up and avoid contact with Wang Xi, but the moment she stood up abruptly, she suddenly fell back into the chair.

Her entire body felt so weak, and every part of her body was numb.

Shen Lezhi didn’t know what was happening to her, but Wang Xi was certainly the culprit.

She was too lazy to argue with the other party. She braced herself, using all her strength to support herself, and finally stood up.

But after standing, she swayed unsteadily. Furthermore, the sudden act of standing upright, relying only on her own body for support, instantly made her more sensitive and even more numb.

Her legs were impossibly weak. She took only one step before her entire leg gave out, and she abruptly fell forward.

Shen Lezhi naturally fell into an aura of ice and snow. The moment she touched the other party, her breath seemed to be stained with a marvelous fragrance, making all her senses strangely abnormal.

Every place Wang Xi touched became extremely sensitive, causing her an indescribable feeling, even with just a light brush.

What made Shen Lezhi even more flustered was that the spiritual power circulating through her body suddenly became stronger.

No.

It wasn’t that Wang Xi’s spiritual power had become stronger; it was that Shen Lezhi’s body felt strange even internally.

She felt Wang Xi’s hand cup her waist, a place so soft and sensitive that she nearly lost control.

She moaned softly, weakly clinging to Wang Xi. It wasn’t what she wanted, but only the coldness offered her a momentary peace.

But only for a fleeting second.

Wang Xi’s spiritual power began to circulate through all her meridians. She should have long been familiar with this, but now, every place the other party passed seemed to inexplicably touch all of Shen Lezhi’s sensitive spots.

She couldn’t help but let out soft moans.

Her entire jaw was shaking, not from pain, but from a kind of excitement that her body was experiencing, one she couldn’t comprehend.

As Wang Xi held her and sat down on the chair, the ice-snow-like spiritual power’s intrusion became deeper and deeper. Shen Lezhi was trembling all over, completely out of control.

She felt so strange, so incredibly strange. Psychologically, she resisted being touched by Wang Xi, but suddenly, she craved for that frost-like coldness to press against her.

Closer.

Closer still, to pass through the thin layer of her clothing and touch her bare skin. To use that icy aura to glide over her body and envelop her.

Shen Lezhi’s mind and body were completely unable to find peace amid this craving and trembling.

When Wang Xi’s spiritual energy invaded her Spiritual Platform (靈臺), that feeling of being completely dominated by the other party became unbearable for Shen Lezhi.

She felt like she was soaring high into the sky one moment and plunging into a deep valley the next.

Her fluctuations were no longer under her own control. For every inch Wang Xi moved, she would tremble a fraction more. Her entire being was swept up in it.

Why?

Shen Lezhi didn’t understand. Why was she having this feeling?

What exactly did Wang Xi do to her?

It wasn’t until Wang Xi lingered reluctantly in her Spiritual Platform; it wasn’t until she looked up and saw Wang Xi’s eyes, almost as red as her own.

The other party was also trembling, and the hands supporting her were shaking at the same frequency as hers. Wang Xi’s breath was just as fiery as her own.

Like melting ice and snow, streams of water began to permeate everything.

Shen Lezhi finally understood what Wang Xi was doing.

This ambiguous and alluring atmosphere, the waves of heat emanating from her body, Wang Xi intertwining and merging with her in her Spiritual Platform.

Shen Lezhi let out an irrepressible moan. It was the constant deepening of the spiritual kneading that Wang Xi was releasing within the Spiritual Platform.

Her spiritual consciousness was hooked, merging with Wang Xi’s. Although their physical contact was minimal, her body had already reached extreme pleasure.

Her rationality did not want this.

But she had little rationality left at this point. She did not know this was the Dual Cultivation  technique, but her heart intensely craved the other party.

Shen Lezhi couldn’t help but hug Wang Xi, burying her face in the latter’s hair, desperately inhaling the tempting snow-fragrance.

That intense fragrance invaded and plundered her, merging with her aura and transforming her into the same pure elegance of white snow.

But there was a slight difference: the ice and snow were laced with a clear bitterness. Shen Lezhi found it very familiar. With the rise and fall of Wang Xi’s breathing, Shen Lezhi suddenly realized it was her own scent.

She had merged with Wang Xi. Her body and mind seemed to feel the other party’s pleasure as well.

She heard Wang Xi’s uncontrolled sigh of satisfaction. In that instant, Shen Lezhi’s body seemed to experience the wonder of the moment.

Shen Lezhi suddenly raised her head. Everything before her spun wildly, making her dizzy. She had to close her eyes, suppressing the extremely excited scream that threatened to spill from her throat.

She whimpered, softly and intermittently, unsure if it was crying or something else.

She could no longer think. She opened her mouth, almost convulsing, and bit down on Wang Xi’s neck.

She used a lot of force.

But she had very little strength to begin with.

She did not know that Wang Xi was also not much better off than her at this moment. When her lips pressed close, the ice and snow that had been permeated by Shen Lezhi’s aura produced an even stronger ripple.

Wang Xi could not completely sink into it like Shen Lezhi. She invaded Shen Lezhi’s Spiritual Platform, enticing the other party to dual cultivate with her, naturally not out of love.

Shen Lezhi’s forcibly damaged meridians were irreparable. For an ordinary person, it would mean being a mortal for life.

But Shen Lezhi, who possessed half of the Exquisite Heart, had to expel the spiritual power constantly threatening to explode within her meridians, otherwise, as the Medical Immortal said, she would not live for more than a year.

No medicine in this world could save her. Only the Exquisite Heart, and thus only Wang Xi, who also possessed half of the Exquisite Heart, could help.

The Dual Cultivation technique could connect their spiritual consciousnesses, allowing their bodies and minds to become infinitely similar. Only Wang Xi could enter Shen Lezhi’s Spiritual Platform without suffering backlash.

However, the unique physical and mental fusion of the Dual Cultivation technique nearly made Wang Xi lose herself, despite being prepared.

She was tense all over, afraid to touch Shen Lezhi even slightly more.

But the ambiguous aura filling the room, and the bitter herbal scent unique to Shen Lezhi that drilled into her body, seemed to instantly shatter all her reason.

In this dual cultivation, Wang Xi was the dominant party. She was much clearer-headed than Shen Lezhi. She had to actively entice the excess spiritual power in Shen Lezhi’s body to flow into her own, constantly alleviating the swelling of Shen Lezhi’s meridians.

But with the merging of spiritual consciousnesses, the two people’s infinitely close senses became endlessly entangled within their Spiritual Platforms.

She desperately suppressed herself. Wang Xi had always been a person who cultivated moral character and had an unblemished reputation. Even if she developed desire due to the hatred of her past life, she never imagined she would be tainted by lust.

One moment, it was like a lingering drizzle soaking her; the next, it was like a surging wave making her dizzy.

This kind of soul-deep sensation was unbearable for Wang Xi.

She suppressed everything in her body and spiritual consciousness, but it was still not enough.

The sigh that escaped her lips was Wang Xi’s intense internal tremor when Shen Lezhi uncontrollably tilted her neck back in pleasure.

She naturally knew about Shen Lezhi’s extreme pleasure.

She could feel all of it.

Every thread and trace tugged at her body and mind.

When Shen Lezhi was happy, she became happy, too. When Shen Lezhi was immersed, she could feel that intense, suffocating joy, as if sinking into a deep pool.

Wang Xi maintained the last shred of rationality in this ecstasy. She was awake, in pain, yet her body was tightly coiled in extreme pleasure.

She didn’t want to cross the line at a time like this; she didn’t want to sink into oblivion with Shen Lezhi at this moment.

Her cold eyes were stained with a deeper crimson than Shen Lezhi’s, a sign of unfulfilled desire and suppressed restraint.

But Shen Lezhi suddenly bit her.

Those fiery lips, trembling, abruptly bit into the skin of her neck.

In that instant, all of Wang Xi’s suppressed senses were activated by this kiss, surging like the tide of the sea.

It was overwhelming, leaving Wang Xi no place to hide.

She could no longer restrain herself. Her arms tightly embraced Shen Lezhi’s soft body. She gasped and slightly tilted her head back, involuntarily exposing her neck’s skin, allowing Shen Lezhi to bite and lick that spot even more deeply.

She exhaled a heavy breath through her nose. The Dual Cultivation technique was far more difficult to endure than she had imagined.

She trembled with pleasure and was tormented by suppression.

Her normally cold face was stained with a faint blush. Even the thin layer of frost and snow on her skin couldn’t resist this soul-deep passion.

Wang Xi was also close to losing consciousness. Shen Lezhi, at this moment, seemed to be tasting some sweet candy on her body.

She continuously licked and nipped at Wang Xi’s exposed neck.

Wang Xi lightly bit her tongue, her teeth chattering, even trying to use that small pain to maintain her rationality.

She was also about to be unable to withstand this.

“Stop,” Wang Xi called out hoarsely, suppressing her voice.

But at the same time as she spoke, the spiritual power within her body continued to intertwine with Shen Lezhi’s.

She spoke the words, yet suddenly guided the spiritual power to surge wildly within Shen Lezhi, causing the latter to unbearably bite her hard again.

The pain felt like teeth were about to rip through her skin, but in their current state of heightened sensitivity, that pain was far less overwhelming than the tremor emanating from their Spiritual Platforms at that moment.

Wang Xi again let out an irrepressible sigh. And Shen Lezhi, sitting in her arms, acted recklessly and wantonly, licking and biting all over her neck.

It made Wang Xi momentarily think that there must be something Shen Lezhi deeply cherished on her neck, otherwise, why would she be so lost in the moment, lingering there.

Sometimes Shen Lezhi bit hard, as if wanting to tear off Wang Xi’s flesh and blood, and sometimes she licked subtly, as gentle as a kitten.

This back-and-forth, this capriciousness, made Wang Xi’s breathing equally messy and frantic.

She gripped Shen Lezhi’s waist, her fingertips pressing so hard they almost dug into Shen Lezhi’s soft flesh. But the other party’s body was already so soft it seemed boneless. Clinging to her, Shen Lezhi felt so weak that she seemed ready to slip away at any moment.

Wang Xi didn’t dare use any more force. She forced herself not to sink into it. She tilted her head back. Even though Shen Lezhi continued to act wildly on her neck, Wang Xi suppressed her gasps, allowing the other party to continue.

The excess spiritual power in Shen Lezhi’s body was drawn away by Wang Xi. Moreover, due to the special nature of the Dual Cultivation technique, the two merging spiritual powers circulated throughout Shen Lezhi’s meridians, temporarily alleviating her pain.

But at this moment, Shen Lezhi’s eyes held only pleasure. She tasted every part of Wang Xi’s neck. The sweetness was all licked away. She was no longer satisfied, wanting more.

Her nostrils were already intoxicated by the combined scent of the two of them. She finally abandoned Wang Xi’s already marked neck, lifted her head, and bit Wang Xi’s uplifted jaw.

She felt the other party tremble just like her, and the tremor emanating almost simultaneously from their Spiritual Platforms.

Her mind was already in chaos, and her body had already reached extreme excitement.

All she wanted now was to sink into this abyss.

Shen Lezhi slightly raised her eyes. Her moist gaze fell upon Wang Xi’s trembling lips.

She stared obsessively at that spot, red and delicate like a blooming Joy Flower.

She moved closer, too close.