Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 47

The scent on Shen Lezhi made Wang Xi lose control; it was completely different from her usual smell.

This scent carried an irresistible allure, overly sweet, yet also hiding the coolness of snow, giving Wang Xi a sense of possession, as if Shen Lezhi was thoroughly permeated by her.

Of course, Wang Xi possessed a desire for ownership over Shen Lezhi. The method of dual cultivation was not as superficial as simply invading the other party’s meridians and achieving fusion in the spiritual platform.

The merging of spiritual consciousness was the merging of souls.

Having engraved marks on each other’s souls, how could such an intimate relationship not involve a desire to possess the other?

But Wang Xi was restrained. She suppressed herself to the extreme. She wildly entangled with Shen Lezhi in the spiritual platform, experiencing overwhelming euphoria, yet still never truly losing herself.

She maintained a physical distance from Shen Lezhi. Besides the simple, restrained embrace, she never touched Shen Lezhi further.

She harbored infinite desire, but refused to unleash it upon Shen Lezhi.

Because Wang Xi had hurt Shen Lezhi before, because she had harmed her when Shen Lezhi admired her so purely.

Wang Xi understood too well the feeling of giving one’s heart only to be deeply hurt by the beloved. She was tormented by self-reproach.

But Shen Lezhi was so pure. She believed she was in a dream, so she openly spoke her most sincere feelings to Wang Xi.

She said she missed her.

She stopped at Wang Xi’s lips and asked why she wouldn’t kiss her.

At this moment, Wang Xi finally understood the deeper meaning of Shen Lezhi’s words.

Because a kiss is the most direct way to express love.

This was like an incantation, instantly stripping Wang Xi bare. Her emotions had nowhere left to hide. Faced with Shen Lezhi’s words, she could no longer run away.

The other party was demanding her kiss in such a direct and sincere way.

Wang Xi began to tremble all over, unable to control the sudden intensity of her emotions.

Shen Lezhi’s ear was right by her lips. She only needed to lean forward a little, and her lips could touch that soft earlobe.

And Wang Xi did move forward.

She slightly parted her lips and gently took that already crimson earlobe into her mouth.

She merely held it, without excessive movement, but it was enough to subject both her and Shen Lezhi to a peak of ecstasy in that instant.

Her breathing almost stopped, but her heartbeat was deafening.

Wang Xi had never felt this way. This moment felt like the ultimate physical and mental pleasure, making her tremble uncontrollably.

With her trembling movements, the string of red jade bracelets Shen Lezhi had put on her wrist clinked ceaselessly as the beads collided.

One sound after another, interwoven with Shen Lezhi’s involuntary moans, made Wang Xi feel that the moment was utterly depraved.

The ambiguous atmosphere was like the sticky air of summer, feverish and unsettling, impossible to calm down or escape.

They held each other tightly, so tightly, every part of their bodies pressed against the other. Even the fabric of their clothes seemed unable to prevent the heat radiating from their bodies from intermingling.

But just embracing like this didn’t seem to alleviate the dryness and heat in their bodies. The spiritual energies entwining in the spiritual platform were frantic and intense, yet for the first time, Wang Xi felt it wasn’t enough.

She couldn’t resist lightly biting Shen Lezhi’s earlobe, just as the other party had done to her.

She heard Shen Lezhi’s throat instantly let out a sharp, soft groan, carrying a hint of a seductive tone.

Wang Xi finally realized what they were truly lacking.

Despite countless dual cultivation sessions, they had never truly coupled.

The most primal fusion.

It was something she couldn’t manipulate, couldn’t imagine, couldn’t suppress.

It was the true melding into one another, leaving no gap whatsoever.

Wang Xi closed her eyes, her breathing becoming shallower in her nostrils.

She lightly bit Shen Lezhi’s earlobe, lingering there, but made no further excessive moves.

Wang Xi deeply understood that once Shen Lezhi’s meridians were completely healed, they would reach their end.

Moreover, Shen Lezhi believed she was currently in a dream. In the dream, she was so sincere, but would she look at Wang Xi with such infatuation and candor when truly facing her in reality?

Wang Xi had already seen this pure love. If Shen Lezhi were to look at her with hatred again, Wang Xi was genuinely afraid she would lose control and go mad.

It was better like this now.

Now, in what Shen Lezhi believed was a dream, Wang Xi cooperated to the best of her ability, indulging her selfish desires, but retaining the last bit of her sanity.

Just like this moment: Shen Lezhi trembled violently under her slight touch. Shen Lezhi arched her neck, letting out a heavy sigh.

It was like the release after extreme euphoria, and yet also the suppression of an unfulfilled desire.

But whichever it was, Wang Xi clearly felt everything through their fused spiritual consciousness.

They had gone through this many times. This kind of release was like the calm before a storm.

Then, the torrential rain poured down, scattering everywhere, accompanied by the great roar echoing in the valley.

In this instant, Shen Lezhi’s whole body went numb. She tilted her head back, parting her lips, her breathing so ragged that she was gasping for air.

The violent heaving of her chest made breathing difficult.

She tightly grasped Wang Xi’s wrist, gripping so hard that her fingertips dug into Wang Xi’s skin.

The bracelet she had personally put on Wang Xi’s pale wrist clinked continuously due to their overly synchronous trembling.

The sound of the five beads colliding had not stopped since it began.

Now, with Shen Lezhi clutching Wang Xi’s wrist and trembling non-stop, the red jade beads clinked with an even more urgent, crisp sound.

It took a long time for Shen Lezhi to slowly calm her breath. She finally lifted her eyes to look at Wang Xi.

Although the corners of the latter’s eyes were crimson, she still looked neat and elegant, completely unlike Shen Lezhi’s appearance of ceaseless panting and unbearable, non-stop trembling.

Shen Lezhi suddenly felt resentful. Why was Wang Xi still able to maintain such composure?

Was Wang Xi too good at forbearance?

Was it because Shen Lezhi had never seen Wang Xi in a state of unbridled emotion, so she couldn’t imagine it in her dream?

This person should be just like her. Shen Lezhi was determined to see her look wild, frantic, and beyond self-control.

Shen Lezhi rose from Wang Xi’s embrace and scanned the room. Finally, her gaze fell back on Wang Xi, and she spoke slowly, “Master, your Demon Subduing Silk?”

She asked for it directly, confident that the Wang Xi in her dream would not refuse her.

As expected, Wang Xi only hesitated slightly, then retrieved the Demon Subduing Silk—which was entirely jade-white and emitted a faint silver-blue light—from her spatial ring and handed it to Shen Lezhi.

This item was a top-grade binding artifact, yet it had never been used for its true purpose.

It wasn’t the first time Shen Lezhi had such strange ideas. In this atmosphere, Wang Xi could hardly imagine the other party using the Demon Subduing Silk for anything proper.

Likely those…

Just as Wang Xi thought, Shen Lezhi tied the Demon Subduing Silk around her wrists, then looped it around her neck. This manner of tying forced Wang Xi to raise her hands to alleviate the awkward tension on her neck.

Wang Xi met Shen Lezhi’s look of pleasure, let out a soft breath, and then closed her eyes in compliance.

She could certainly break free, but she didn’t want to break free at this moment.

She could have left Shen Lezhi’s spiritual platform long ago. Today’s dual cultivation could have ended much earlier.

But she was reluctant to part, unwilling to separate from the person before her.

Since she was the one who extended this intimacy, she had to bear the consequences of that extension.

Shen Lezhi took the other end of the Demon Subduing Silk and led Wang Xi to the edge of the bed.

She tied the Demon Subduing Silk to the headboard of the red wooden bed, making Wang Xi sit on the edge of the bed. Because her hands and neck were bound, she had to raise her hands and try to tilt her head up.

Shen Lezhi stood in front of Wang Xi, looking down at her. Shen Lezhi’s gaze didn’t hold oppression, but it was wrapped in desire, making Wang Xi dare not look directly.

She watched for a long time before leaning in, hooking the fine string on Wang Xi’s wrist, and gently pulling upward, tightening the Demon Subduing Silk even more.

The thin cord around her neck pressed against Wang Xi’s skin, slowly sinking into her snowy flesh.

The Demon Subduing Silk could lengthen or shorten according to the user’s mind. Shen Lezhi was the one making the rope-like cord continuously constrict Wang Xi’s throat.

A sense of suffocation arrived, but this was not an uncomfortable experience for Wang Xi.

She could hold her breath for a long time without any problems. It was only a small Demon Subduing Silk, which had virtually no effect on her.

What made Wang Xi even more unable to control herself was that Shen Lezhi reached out and rested her hand against Wang Xi’s palm, interlocking their fingers. Shen Lezhi lowered her head to press her forehead against Wang Xi’s, then slowly moved down, and opened her mouth to bite the Demon Subduing Silk that was cutting into her skin.

She bit and moved gently, as if testing the tightness of the object.

But her lips brushed against Wang Xi’s throat several times, making Wang Xi almost stop breathing as waves of suffocation washed over her.

She was too tormenting.

How did Shen Lezhi become so skilled at tormenting people?

Where did she learn all this?

Wang Xi, in her emotional haze, inadvertently asked the question out loud, and immediately received Shen Lezhi’s answer.

“Master taught me,” she whispered, leaning into Wang Xi’s ear, as gentle as a kitten purring.

Wang Xi breathed deeply. It was true that she had once used this very Demon Subduing Silk to hang the person from the ceiling. It was true that she had once choked Shen Lezhi, filling her with suffocation and despair.

It was indeed all taught by her.

Shen Lezhi learned very well; she had always learned very well.

Under Shen Lezhi’s torment, Wang Xi finally lost her former cold composure.

Her eyes were stained with desire, and her body trembled incessantly before Shen Lezhi.

She desperately suppressed the groans that wanted to escape her throat, but the more she suppressed, the tighter the Demon Subduing Silk wrapped around her neck.

But that was not all.

Shen Lezhi was not only enticing her physically; she was also seducing her in the spiritual consciousness with the utmost temptation.

Shen Lezhi no longer had cultivation power, so she couldn’t hook the other party’s meridians like Wang Xi, but in the spiritual platform, she called out to Wang Xi continuously and frantically.

Look at me.

Control me.

Cherish me.

Shen Lezhi shouted these words repeatedly in the spiritual platform, forcing Wang Xi.

She sat on Wang Xi’s lap, leaned against Wang Xi, and then made no other move.

Until the person in front of her trembled slightly because of Shen Lezhi’s words in the spiritual platform. Until the red jade beads on her wrist clinked rapidly due to her trembling.

Until Wang Xi’s breathing became completely ragged, and her spiritual consciousness could no longer control itself.

Her hands were bound, the Demon Subduing Silk wrapped around her neck. She tilted her head back, her eyes reflecting a fragmented longing.

Her spiritual power finally surged like a giant wave in a deep sea, no longer caring about Shen Lezhi’s capacity to withstand it, no longer able to maintain the sanity she had desperately tried to preserve.

It surged wildly, relentlessly crushing Shen Lezhi’s senses, releasing itself wantonly in Shen Lezhi’s spiritual platform again and again.

A shattered moan finally escaped her throat. Her vision, like Shen Lezhi’s, finally spun, no longer able to see anything else clearly.

It was almost dawn before Wang Xi had to proactively end this frenzy.

She broke free from the restraints and cast a spell to make Shen Lezhi lose consciousness. Then, she habitually cast the cleaning spell, but hesitated for a moment when clearing the marks left by the Demon Subduing Silk on her neck.

Wang Xi did not remove the marks. She lowered her gaze, put the bracelet from her wrist back onto Shen Lezhi’s hand, and then slipped back into the small white sword, vanishing without a trace.

Three days later, Shen Lezhi and the others finally set off for Fengdu Village.

At a cultivator’s speed using a sword, it actually didn’t take much time to reach Fengdu Village.

But Yanyan was extremely eager, especially since Senior Sister Yunsha hadn’t returned to Canfeng City for a hundred years.

Fengdu Village was located on the left side of Canfeng City’s only entrance. Because Canfeng City was surrounded by water on all four sides, this was Black Water. Massive, swirling vortices continuously spanned the water until it calmed down near the shores of Canfeng City.

It was said that even cultivators could absolutely not fly over this area of Black Water with their swords.

The Black Water could absorb spiritual power. The gigantic vortices were like bottomless abysses. Countless cultivators who insisted on flying over this area ultimately fell into the Black Water, and not even their corpses could be retrieved.

The reason for the formation of such a bizarre terrain was unknown to anyone, but the small island at the center of the Black Water remained unaffected. Such a unique situation made it difficult to believe that the surrounding Black Water was not intentionally created by someone.

But who was responsible, and how they managed to achieve such a feat, could no longer be investigated.

However, Canfeng City, located on the small island, was able to securely maintain its reclusive state because of this.

The only way to reach the island was via a bridge built in Fengdu Village, and only when the tides receded every three months was there a single waterway that allowed passage to the island.

But Canfeng City had set up multiple layers of formations and mechanisms on this path. Only those with a Canfeng City token could enter unharmed.

“We’re almost there. The Grey-robed Elder has entered the Five Declines of Heaven and Man these past few years. It’s estimated that she’ll have to choose the next Grey-robed Elder in the village soon. Why don’t you preside over the selection, Second Miss?” As they approached Fengdu Village on their swords, Yanyan looked down at the scenery below and casually chatted with Senior Sister Yunsha.

“I am a member of the Jadefrost Sect now. How can I preside over Canfeng City’s selection of the Grey-robed Elder?” Senior Sister Yunsha shook her head helplessly.

Not only was the identity of the Flower-Nurturing Girl in Fengdu Village passed down, but the Grey-robed Elder was also.

She managed the tokens for entering Canfeng City and possessed profound strength. Every Grey-robed Elder was selected by the City Lord or members of the Yun family.

If Senior Sister Yunsha had not left Canfeng City to apprentice with Feng Nianzhen, she would indeed have had the right to select the next Grey-robed Elder. Now, however, it was uncertain whether her older sister would even welcome her back.

Yanyan looked a little disappointed by Senior Sister Yunsha’s words, but she couldn’t offer a rebuttal, so she remained silent.

Fengdu Village was now in sight. The group immediately descended from their swords.

A straw-woven figurine in a white robe hung year-round at the entrance of Fengdu Village. This was no ordinary straw; it was a special spirit plant called the Scent-Seeking Grass.

Only people from Fengdu Village and Canfeng City would not be attacked by this grass when approaching. Outsiders who wished to approach had to carry the Flocculent Vine, a spirit plant that only grew in Canfeng City.

The Scent-Seeking Grass and the Flocculent Vine grew in the same place. The Scent-Seeking Grass, as its name implied, sought the sweet scent of the Flocculent Vine.

People from Canfeng City and Fengdu Village had grown up in areas covered in Flocculent Vine, and their bodies had long been permeated with this scent.

Therefore, Fengdu Village used the Scent-Seeking Grass for their village entrance warning.

But today, the village entrance looked strange.

The white-robed figurine had been slashed open with a sharp weapon, exposing the Scent-Seeking Grass inside, scattered all over the ground.

Yanyan’s expression became solemn. In Fengdu Village, not even a three-year-old child would play pranks on the white-robed figurine at the village entrance; no one would damage it.

The group pulled out their artifacts and cautiously followed Yanyan into the village. There were more pieces of Scent-Seeking Grass scattered along the path into the village. When they reached the low wall surrounding the village, they finally saw a figure.

It was a gray-robed elder, hunched over, leaning on a copper staff in her right hand.

“Grey-robed Elder!” Yanyan exclaimed in surprise.

The person heard the sound and turned around. Her face was aged but kind, and she smiled with narrowed eyes when she saw Yanyan.

“Look who I brought!” Yanyan quickly walked over, letting the Grey-robed Elder see Senior Sister Yunsha behind her. “Second Miss is finally back!”

But unlike Yanyan’s excitement, the Grey-robed Elder merely nodded when she saw Senior Sister Yunsha, her old, low voice slowly calling out, “Second Miss.”

Her expression was unchanged. She looked at Senior Sister Yunsha steadily, as if suppressing emotion, yet also as if feeling nothing at all.

Senior Sister Yunsha also nodded in response. Looking at the Grey-robed Elder’s appearance, she couldn’t help but sigh. This was what a cultivator looked like when going through the Five Declines of Heaven and Man.

In Senior Sister Yunsha’s memory, the Grey-robed Elder had lived in Fengdu Village for a very long time, guarding the entrance to Canfeng City.

The Flower-Nurturing Girl changed frequently, as some, upon reaching a certain cultivation level, no longer wished to travel outside, often entering secluded cultivation. Thus, a new Flower-Nurturing Girl would be selected after the Golden Core stage at the latest.

But the Grey-robed Elder had always been the person before them. Although it was said that the title of Grey-robed Elder had been passed down, at least in Senior Sister Yunsha’s cognition, this current Grey-robed Elder had lived for a very long time, until the current Five Declines of Heaven and Man, with her life now drawing to an end.

“What happened in the village? Why was the white-robed figurine at the entrance damaged?” Although Yanyan was still somewhat wary, seeing the Grey-robed Elder so relaxed, without any sense of crisis, eased some of her worries. Still, she asked about the situation.

The Grey-robed Elder learned that they were going to Canfeng City, so she led everyone into the village first, answering Yanyan’s question as they walked. “A small demon beast came into the village. It was too small, so I didn’t pay it much mind. Who knew that little demon would run to the village entrance, get attacked by the white-robed figurine, and fight it?”

“When I arrived, the white-robed figurine was already in that state. I didn’t expect that little demon could actually win.”

“What kind of small demon? The white-robed figurine has the strength of a Golden Core cultivator,” Yanyan found it unbelievable.

“A three-tailed, four-eyed little sable demon,” the Grey-robed Elder slowly replied.

They had now entered the village. The villagers were all busy refining pills. Pill furnaces were placed in the courtyards of every house, with wisps of blue smoke rising from them, lingering over the entire Fengdu Village.

Most people in Fengdu Village were alchemists, living entirely by refining pills.

Shen Lezhi couldn’t help but widen her eyes. The alchemists she had seen in the Jadefrost Sect were very meticulous. The environment for alchemy had to be good, or the quality of the pills would be affected by the surroundings. Their spirit also had to be sufficient, or they wouldn’t be able to concentrate during the refining process.

It was nothing like the crude refining methods of every household in Fengdu Village. They were all so… crude.

She wondered about the environment and energy; it felt less like refining pills and more like cooking.

It was the first time Shen Lezhi had seen anyone whose alchemy methods were more casual than her own.

“Oh, those little demons are indeed troublesome. I saw one when I was a child. It stole pills from many houses and troubled the aunties in the village so much, but we never caught it in the end,” Yanyan complained about the little demon mentioned by the Grey-robed Elder while greeting the passing aunties in the village.

“Is it the original one?” she asked casually.

“It is the original one,” the Grey-robed Elder answered her.

Yanyan paused for a moment to think. “Then it must have grown quite large. It’s been over a hundred years. No wonder it could tear apart the white-robed figurine.”

“Does it still count as a small demon?” Yanyan suddenly looked up, staring directly at the Grey-robed Elder with cold sharpness in her eyes.

As her words fell, the Grey-robed Elder in front of them also stopped, turned around, still smiling kindly, but with a hint of helplessness in her eyes. “In my eyes, isn’t it still a little demon? You’re the same; you’re still a child.”

Hearing the familiar address, Yanyan paused and finally relaxed. She put away the weapon she was holding, patting her chest in relief.

“You scared me! I thought something terrible had happened in the village! Grandma, why are you back early? Don’t you only come back every three months? You can’t blame me for being suspicious,” Yanyan said jokingly to the Grey-robed Elder.

The Grey-robed Elder didn’t mind her at all and only replied helplessly, “It’s because that little demon damaged the white-robed figurine. I also thought something big happened, so I rushed back. We’re going to catch that little demon tonight. You should come along too.”

“Of course!” Yanyan’s suspicions completely vanished after hearing the explanation, and she immediately agreed to the Grey-robed Elder.

Shen Lezhi, Senior Sister Yunsha, and the others followed behind, not participating in their conversation.

Only Senior Sister Yunsha observed the hem of the Grey-robed Elder’s clothing, wondering where she had picked up the Scent-Seeking Grass.

Scent-Seeking Grass did not grow as freely as the Flocculent Vine. The entire Fengdu Village should only have it on that specially made white-robed figurine.

Senior Sister Yunsha quietly lowered her eyes, choosing not to ask further.

The group then followed Yanyan into a wooden house with four rooms to settle down. Since the Grey-robed Elder had returned early, they could get the token and enter Canfeng City tomorrow after catching the little demon tonight.

At night, because Fengdu Village was close to the Black Water, with nothing obstructing it on all sides, the fierce wind howled and roared over the dark river surface, sounding like a ferocious beast. Although the Black Water did not encroach here, the sound was unnerving.

Shen Lezhi, Senior Sister Yunsha, and Hua Man did not rest. The three of them went to help the Grey-robed Elder catch the little demon.

Shen Lezhi, having no cultivation, shouldn’t have gone, but the Grey-robed Elder assured her there would be no problem catching the little demon, only asking her to join in the excitement.

Although Shen Lezhi didn’t understand what the excitement was, Senior Sister Yunsha held her close and urged her to go along, so Shen Lezhi stopped refusing.

The Grey-robed Elder had already set a trap for the little demon, waiting only for it to take the bait and be captured.

The group hid in a large, lush tree in front of the village entrance. Senior Sister Yunsha held her tightly, admonishing her not to leave her side for a single step.

Shen Lezhi clutched the small white sword tightly because she saw an extremely dangerous signal in Senior Sister Yunsha’s eyes.

Shen Lezhi had actually sensed something herself. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what the problem was, but since entering the village, a dense, chilling atmosphere had pressed down on her heart, refusing to dissipate.

The small white sword in her hand now emitted a faint gleam of water light. She lowered her head to look and saw a wisp of light white smoke seemingly clinging to the small white sword.

Shen Lezhi felt a little strange for a moment, looking at it twice. Since when did the small white sword give off white smoke?