Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 49.1

The medicinal pills Shen Lezhi took every day were no different from those she had taken at Youfang Academy.

The Immortal Doctor couldn’t save her; this was a fact Shen Lezhi had long known.

She had also read many ancient records and understood that once cultivation was completely lost and meridians were damaged, healing was almost impossible.

Shen Lezhi had also thought about the Wood Spirit Root in her body, but that thing seemed to only lift its restrictions when she was on the verge of death.

Shen Lezhi didn’t know if the spiritual power she had recovered now was real or fake, but everything before her felt too real.

The small water droplet on her fingertip, the spiritual power emanating from within her body, made her heart flutter.

If it was real, her spiritual power and meridians could not have recovered out of thin air.

She wasn’t stupid; she couldn’t help but realize something.

Wang Xi had suddenly insisted on dual cultivation with her at Youfang Academy. It happened every single night, without explanation, after her cultivation was gone.

At that time, she was consumed by hatred. She hated Wang Xi for mistaking her for someone else, and she hated Wang Xi for invading her despite her resistance.

She thought Wang Xi felt a mixture of love and hate for her, treating her like the original protagonist, so she dual cultivated with her to humiliate her while claiming to hate her.

But now that she thought about it, the other party only invaded her meridians and never made excessive physical contact. If it were just for revenge, shouldn’t she have completely possessed her?

Moreover, Wang Xi had given her the small white sword and acknowledged that she was not the original protagonist.

Then, the reason for her forcefully dual cultivating with Shen Lezhi seemed to become clear.

Shen Lezhi clenched her fingertip. She even wondered if the Wang Xi in her dreams during this period, the one who obeyed her every whim, was also real?

Because judging from the current situation, her meridians had been improving steadily, but that wasn’t the case when she left Youfang Academy. The swelling and pain were intense then.

Shen Lezhi had always assumed the gradual subsiding of the swelling and pain along the way was due to the Immortal Doctor’s pills, but now it seemed there was another reason.

But the way that person succumbed beneath her, allowing her to do whatever she wanted, was too difficult for Shen Lezhi to imagine. If those times were also real…

Shen Lezhi closed her eyes, and her body actually grew warm because of the thought.

Wang Xi’s features seemed to be right before her eyes: those crimson eyes that looked as if they were about to cry.

That shattered expression beneath her.

How could that be Wang Xi?

The reason Shen Lezhi never doubted it in the dream was precisely because of this—how could the real Wang Xi show such an expression?

Even if she genuinely knew she wasn’t the original protagonist and wanted to heal her, why would she sacrifice herself to that extent?

Shen Lezhi suddenly froze.

An possibility she had never considered.

What if Wang Xi liked her?

Not the original protagonist, but the real Shen Lezhi.

Her heart pounded violently at this idea. Dual cultivation, healing, such an extremely intimate connection—could it really be done without any emotion?

When Wang Xi lowered her eyes beneath her in the dream, allowing Shen Lezhi to bite the back of her neck, could she truly have done so without a single trace of affection for her?

And why did Wang Xi let her go?

Why did she still go to great lengths to dual cultivate with her after letting her leave?

The more Shen Lezhi thought about it, the more bizarre it felt, and the more confused her heart became.

Did Wang Xi like her?

Shen Lezhi didn’t know, but she had decided: the next time she saw Wang Xi in her dream, she would definitely ask for clarification.

But there were other things to attend to now.

Shen Lezhi and Senior Sister Yunsha had received the token from the Grey-robed Elder and were preparing to board the boat to Canfeng City on the island.

Three small boats were moored at the ferry crossing of Fengdu Village. The Black Water surged, and even before the boats set off, the turbulent Black Water River tossed the small boats precariously.

Shen Lezhi and Senior Sister Yunsha stood by the shore. Senior Sister Yunsha held the token to Canfeng City, but the two were not in a hurry to board.

Hua Man had said she’d forgotten something and needed to go back, so they were waiting here.

The Grey-robed Elder and Yanyan were also here, claiming they were seeing them off.

Looking at the pitch-black, lightless Black Water River behind her, Shen Lezhi recalled the bizarre black rain that covered the sky and the skeletal Grey-robed Elder from before, and she couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

Shen Lezhi turned to look at Senior Sister Yunsha. Although the latter still looked gentle and composed,

Shen Lezhi could still see a hint of seriousness in her eyes.

Shen Lezhi had told Senior Sister Yunsha everything. When she woke up, she shook her head, picked up the ancient yellow oil-paper umbrella in her hand, and urgently held it up to Senior Sister Yunsha, recounting everything she had experienced.

She didn’t know what the original Grey-robed Elder of Fengdu Village looked like, but the one they were dealing with now was definitely problematic.

Yunsha listened to Shen Lezhi’s account, saw the oil-paper umbrella and the wound on her palm, and nodded, believing Shen Lezhi’s words.

Senior Sister Yunsha had to believe her, as Shen Lezhi wasn’t the only one who felt everything was strange.

She and Hua Man felt the same way.

The destroyed white-robed figurine at the village entrance—Hua Man and Shen Lezhi might not know the significance of the white-robed figurine, but Senior Sister Yunsha knew perfectly well.

The white-robed figurine was Fengdu Village’s warning against enemies. The three-tailed, four-eyed sable demon clearly didn’t have the strength to destroy the figurine like that.

And the Grey-robed Elder’s early return was also suspicious. Although Yanyan completely believed her explanation, Senior Sister Yunsha was less convinced.

As far as she knew, the Grey-robed Elder had never returned early. The explanation that she returned because she learned the white-robed figurine was damaged made sense, but the white-robed figurine had been damaged before.

They waited by the riverside for a long time. Hua Man hadn’t shown up for some reason. The Grey-robed Elder grew impatient and urged Senior Sister Yunsha and the others to board the boat and wait, saying she would go see if something had happened to Hua Man.

Senior Sister Yunsha shook her head and smiled softly. “No need to trouble yourself. She sent a message saying she’ll be here soon.”

Only then did the Grey-robed Elder reluctantly close her mouth and continue waiting.

But Shen Lezhi saw her eyes, which were cold and ominous deep inside, exactly like the hunched monster she encountered in the black rain night.

Shen Lezhi felt an uncomfortable sensation, but she couldn’t vent it and could only lower her gaze and remain silent.

After waiting for nearly another half hour, Hua Man still hadn’t arrived. This time, the Grey-robed Elder insisted on going to look for her.

“Then let’s go together. Although she messaged that she’s fine, since she hasn’t appeared, I’m also very worried,” Senior Sister Yunsha gathered the token she had been fiddling with and smiled as she parried the Grey-robed Elder.

The Grey-robed Elder’s gaze had already turned cold in the shadows, visible only to Shen Lezhi.

She seemed to be unconcerned about Shen Lezhi. Seeing Shen Lezhi’s gaze fixed on her, she neither avoided it nor flinched. Instead, she suddenly looked up, and her chilling eyes met Shen Lezhi’s directly.

Shen Lezhi’s heart skipped a beat, and her breathing paused for half a second.

She immediately averted her gaze, suppressing the fear in her heart, and remained silent.

They walked toward Hua Man’s residence. Shen Lezhi hung the small white sword at her waist; the scabbard was ice cold.

The scabbard of the small white sword was crafted from Glacier Profound Iron. This iron was extremely precious, imbued with powerful spiritual energy, and even possessed the effect of repairing spirit swords.

This was told to Shen Lezhi by Lady Chiyu of the Black Crow Workshop, because the Glacier Profound Iron for Shen Lezhi’s scabbard was obtained by Wang Xi through a trade with the Black Crow Workshop.

She had traded a Heaven-grade artifact for this scabbard.

What left Lady Chiyu with such a deep impression was not only Wang Xi’s extreme wastefulness in using such precious Profound Iron to forge a mere scabbard.

It was also because Glacier Profound Iron was inherently an extremely cold material, and the scabbard crafted from it was naturally chilling.

For cultivators, resisting this slight cold was simple, requiring no effort. Yet, when Wang Xi placed her fingertip on the scabbard, she frowned with dissatisfaction due to the icy temperature of the Glacier Profound Iron.

She insisted on removing the coldness from the Profound Iron. Lady Chiyu, who had seen countless precious artifact materials and worldly treasures, had never before witnessed someone dismiss a rare piece of Profound Iron simply because of the cold temperature of its scabbard.

Lady Chiyu couldn’t help but be curious as to who the Moonlit Immortal Venerable spent so much effort crafting this thing for. A powerless mortal?

It was simply incomprehensible.

That’s why Lady Chiyu instantly recognized Shen Lezhi and the others as Jadefrost Sect cultivators and asked about her relationship with Wang Xi.

However, Shen Lezhi already knew that the small white sword was Wang Xi’s life’s work. The latter was not a sword smith, yet she knew every inch of the small white sword like the back of her hand, more precisely than any master smith.

Lady Chiyu of the Black Crow Workshop said that Wang Xi had finished this sword decades ago. Yet, Shen Lezhi recalled that when Lady Hundred Herbs asked Wang Xi to prepare a life-bound artifact for her, the latter did not immediately produce the small white sword.

Wang Xi, carrying the memories of her previous life, naturally knew that the precious sword she had painstakingly crafted and gifted to the original protagonist was eventually used by the original protagonist to kill her.

Shen Lezhi realized now that Wang Xi did not want to give her the sword back then.

So why did she give it to her later?

Was it because Shen Lezhi risked her life to climb Linglong Peak and tell her the truth?

Or was it because she had already softened toward Shen Lezhi at that time?

Either way, it brought joy to Shen Lezhi.

Because she was the one who made Wang Xi change her mind.

The real her.

She gripped the small white sword tightly. The coldness of the scabbard was not freezing; it was a pleasant coolness.

Wang Xi had used every means to control the temperature of the Glacier Profound Iron like this.

She never understood why her colleague was so obsessed with Wang Xi and kept calling the original protagonist an ingrate. Now that she thought about it, Wang Xi’s devotion to the original protagonist, which was met with no genuine affection, was indeed something that even bystanders couldn’t accept.

But this was not the time for Shen Lezhi to let her thoughts wander. The group was getting closer to Hua Man’s residence. Just as they were about to step into the courtyard,

Senior Sister Yunsha suddenly called out loudly to Hua Man: “Junior Sister Hua, haven’t you found what you dropped yet? We were too worried about you, so we came over together.”

Her shout was sudden, yet her words were perfectly normal.

Shen Lezhi was startled by the voice but immediately understood upon hearing the words.

She instantly retreated three steps, abruptly widening the distance between herself and the Grey-robed Elder. And at the same time as her movement, within a three-zhang radius centered on the Grey-robed Elder, the light of an artifact suddenly flared up.

That was Senior Sister Yunsha’s life-bound artifact, the Withered Wood Staff.

This staff was the root of Canfeng City’s divine tree, imbued with spiritual energy and difficult to destroy. It was an excellent artifact to serve as the eye of a formation.

Senior Sister Yunsha and Hua Man had set up a formation together, intending to trap the Grey-robed Elder.

She had been suspicious for a long time, and felt the danger when they went hunting the three-tailed, four-eyed sable demon last night. Hearing Shen Lezhi’s words today, she realized the enemy would be difficult to deal with, and perhaps all three of them together might not be able to defeat her.

Thus, they could only set up a formation and gamble on this one chance.

As the formation descended, Hua Man finally emerged from the inner room. Her face was pale, looking like she had exhausted too much spiritual power.

The Grey-robed Elder and Yanyan were both trapped. Senior Sister Yunsha didn’t want to risk whether Yanyan was good or bad. Since she felt that everyone in the entire Fengdu Village seemed abnormal, she simply trapped both of them in the formation.

The Grey-robed Elder trapped in the confinement formation struggled violently, her eyes venomous to the extreme, finally revealing her true nature.

Yanyan, however, showed no change. At first, she simply couldn’t understand why Senior Sister Yunsha would suddenly attack them. Then, seeing the Grey-robed Elder’s appearance, she shivered in fright.

“Second Miss, I’m not with her! I’ve been with you all the way from the Black Crow Workshop! Let me out, and we can deal with her together,” Yanyan raised her hands helplessly, indicating her innocence.

But Senior Sister Yunsha glared at her, with no intention of letting her out.

In a situation like this, there was no need to trust someone she didn’t know well.

The Grey-robed Elder trapped in the magic circle let out a sinister, cold laugh, exactly like the Grey-robed Elder Shen Lezhi encountered during the night of black rain.

The small white sword was drawn. The three of them attacked the Grey-robed Elder together. The small white sword emitted flashes of water light, with Water Spirit energy swirling around it.

Shen Lezhi knew her sword couldn’t kill anyone. She only controlled the Water Spirit energy to wrap around her and then threw out the seeds of the Qi Yi Hua (Strange Flower), forcing their growth to strengthen the confinement on the Grey-robed Elder.

Meanwhile, Senior Sister Yunsha’s and Hua Man’s killing moves had already descended. The Grey-robed Elder, trapped in the formation, had no chance to dodge.

As the talismans exploded, Senior Sister Yunsha’s Wind Blade Spell flashed past, instantly severing the Grey-robed Elder’s neck.

Her gray head fell to the dirt, and blood spurted out. Shen Lezhi’s vision was instantly stained by the bloody mist.

She uncomfortably turned her head away, not just because the sight of the spurting blood was too gory, but also because the Grey-robed Elder’s blood emitted the exact same foul, rotten smell as the three-tailed, four-eyed sable demon’s blood.

It was truly unbearable.

“Ah ah ah ah, it stinks so much! It splashed on me! Second Miss, please let me out first! That sable demon is dead! I’m going to faint from the smell,” Yanyan, being close, was covered in the foul-smelling blood and was nearly suffocated. She pleaded tearfully with Senior Sister Yunsha to release her.

Hua Man hesitated, looking at Senior Sister Yunsha, only to see that her senior sister’s expression showed no wavering.

Her eyes, usually gentle, were now sharply fixed on Yanyan, unmoved by the other party’s words.

She kept the spiritual talisman firmly in her fingers and did not relax the confinement formation beneath Yanyan for a moment.

This confinement formation was created by Feng Nianzhen specifically for Senior Sister Yunsha and Hua Man. In Feng Nianzhen’s words, the age gap between the two senior sisters was too large, so she created a two-person spell formation for them to practice together and foster their relationship.

Although Senior Sister Yunsha was initially helpless, stating that she could foster her relationship with Junior Sister Hua without learning a two-person formation, and that as the Senior Sister of Talisman Peak, she cared for everyone on the peak.

In the end, Feng Nianzhen forced her to learn it, citing: “You still call her Junior Sister Hua; that’s not intimate at all.”