Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 6 

The sprouting of the Azure Cloud Branch  delighted Shen Lezhi. The next day, when she went to the Artifact Forging Peak to collect her specialized hoe, she encountered Senior Sister Qi again. Shen Lezhi unusually took the initiative to share the unique characteristics of the Azure Cloud Branch with Senior Sister Qi.

“The Azure Cloud Branch had a delayed sprouting?” Senior Sister Qi found it unbelievable. “I have never encountered this situation before. Once the seeds of the Azure Cloud Branch are sown, they will immediately break their shell. The spiritual energy in the soil urges its growth; if it cannot break through the soil within a day, the young sprout will suffocate and die underground.”

As Shen Lezhi listened, she suddenly remembered that she had indeed sensed the Azure Cloud Branch’s strong desire to desperately break through the soil at the time.

However, she lowered her eyes, not planning to tell Senior Sister Qi about her ability to perceive the emotions of plants.

Senior Sister Qi made an appointment to visit her field to see the Azure Cloud Branch, and Shen Lezhi happily agreed. She was still a novice in planting spiritual herbs and was also very curious as to why the Azure Cloud Branch had a delayed sprout.

After collecting the Spiritual Spring Water and returning to the field behind the mountain to finish watering, Shen Lezhi saw that the hour was still early. She planned to rest for a while before going to learn spells from Wang Xi as they had agreed yesterday.

Unexpectedly, the Sect Leader of the Profound Jade Sect sent her a message, asking her to go to the main Sect Hall.

In the original novel, Fan Tianyin, the Sect Leader of the Profound Jade Sect, found Shen Lezhi in a swaddling cloth while traveling outside.

Shen Lezhi was born sickly. When Fan Tianyin encountered her, the child was already near death. Pitying her, Fan Tianyin brought her back to the sect. After barely saving her life, Fan Tianyin gave her to Wang Xi to take as a disciple.

Because her colleagues in the modern era rarely talked about this Profound Jade Sect Sect Leader, Shen Lezhi did not know much about her, only knowing that the original female protagonist was quite close to Sect Leader Fan.

The entire Profound Jade Sect was established around a cluster of mountains. The Main Peak was located in the center of the mountains, with other peaks encircling it. Thus, the sect was separated by mountains, with different peaks housing different factions and having different Peak Lords.

However, Wang Xi occupied a mountain exclusively named Linglong Peak (玲珑峰), after her characteristics. She represented the combat power of the Profound Jade Sect, and everyone respectfully referred to her as the Jiyue Immortal Venerable (霽月仙尊).

Shen Lezhi could not yet fly using a sword (Imperial Sword), so she followed the map all the way to reach the Main Peak.

Standing at the entrance of the Main Peak, she could see an arched entrance surrounded by clouds and mist. Two jade-carved Dark Phoenixes stood on either side of the entrance. Azure-blue gems dotted the eyes of the Dark Phoenixes, like two clusters of blue flames, with wisps of blue mist faintly curling and burning.

Shen Lezhi silently praised the magnificent scenery before walking into the Main Hall of the Main Peak, where Sect Leader Fan Tianyin was already waiting.

“Greetings, Sect Leader.” Shen Lezhi had assumed the person would be like those in cultivation novels—old-fashioned with white hair and a wizened appearance. To her surprise, the person looked only about forty years old. Long, dark hair was coiled up, a verdant green hairpin was tucked into the bun, and the hanging green beads resembled jadeite.

Her eyes were bright and piercing, her face handsome yet possessing a feminine grace. She wore a deep cerulean blue robe, sitting upright on the high chair. The hem of her robe fluttered slightly without wind, giving her an air of ethereal detachment and profound cultivation.

“Lezhi has arrived. Come and sit.” The Sect Leader’s voice was gentle. She revealed a kind smile the moment Shen Lezhi entered the door. “How is your health?”

The matter of Wang Xi cutting out her heart for her disciple was known by some of the principal administrators of the Profound Jade Sect. After all, Wang Xi’s drop in cultivation was a major event for the Profound Jade Sect.

However, according to the plot Shen Lezhi had heard from her colleagues, this Profound Jade Sect Sect Leader seemed to have always been very concerned about the original female protagonist.

“There are no major issues…” Shen Lezhi replied hesitantly. She wasn’t entirely sure about her body’s condition, but she couldn’t exert herself and got tired easily, fitting the physical quality of an invalid. However, compared to the near-death situation she was in before, her current state should be considered good.

“That’s good. Your Master has suffered for you. You must take good care of your body from now on, and don’t let her worry again,” the Sect Leader added.

Adhering to the principle of “less said, less mistake,” Shen Lezhi only planned to offer a simple agreement. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard a light, soft footsteps outside.

And that cold, familiar aura.

Shen Lezhi thought for a moment. She seemed never to have seen Wang Xi in the presence of others. Seeing her now made her feel a little unfamiliar.

Shen Lezhi had seen Wang Xi several times. Although the latter’s expression was indifferent—even cold—most of the time, she felt that Wang Xi possessed emotion. Whether it was the profound, bottomless look in her eyes when she looked at her, or the icy coldness mixed with a hint of red at the corner of her eye when she bit her.

None of that resembled her current appearance: Wang Xi wore a white-and-blue long robe, with a dark gold pendant hanging from a silver-threaded sash at her waist. Layers of cloudy mist were embroidered on the hem of her skirt—ethereal and exquisite, yet appearing distant and unattainable.

Her expression was calm and indifferent, even more aloof than when she faced Shen Lezhi. The gaze she cast over carried not a trace of emotion.

If the Wang Xi Shen Lezhi had previously seen was an ice floe on the winter sea, with flowing water still surging beneath the ice, then the current Wang Xi was a thousand-year-old solid ice in the deep cold, where the outside wind and snow were irrelevant to her.

“Jiyue Immortal Venerable.” Even the Sect Leader addressed Wang Xi by her title, not calling her by her given name.

Wang Xi approached slowly. Shen Lezhi found the coldness unbearable—it was colder than usual. After only a moment of feeling it, she could not help but hug her arms tightly.

“Master…” her voice trembled. She suddenly realized how much Wang Xi usually restrained herself when facing her.

The deliberately released cold spiritual energy, keeping people thousands of miles away, might be Wang Xi’s normal state.

“Lezhi, please leave first. Your Master and I have matters to discuss,” the Sect Leader said, glancing at Shen Lezhi, who was shrinking from the cold, and asked her to leave first.

“This disciple takes her leave.” Shen Lezhi quickly nodded. As she departed, she could not help but glance at Wang Xi again. The latter also looked towards her, her ink-black eyes filled with total detachment.

Shen Lezhi’s heart skipped a beat. She did not dare to look anymore and silently walked out of the Main Hall.

Shen Lezhi did not leave after exiting the Main Hall. Wang Xi had agreed yesterday to teach her spells, and she wanted to wait here for the other woman to emerge.

She did not wait long. In less than an hour, Shen Lezhi was still squatting by the roadside studying a half-meter-tall purple plant when she heard Wang Xi’s clear, cold voice from behind her.

“Shen Lezhi.”

Shen Lezhi turned her head, first seeing the swirling cloud pattern on the hem of Wang Xi’s robe—clear and ethereal, like mist rising from the mountains. White mist drifted with her movements.

“Master,” Shen Lezhi slightly lowered her head, observing basic courtesy.

She sensed a subtle difference again. The bone-chilling coldness emanating from Wang Xi had intensified somewhat. She could not help but look up again, where Wang Xi’s penetrating, icy gaze startled her soul.

For some reason, Shen Lezhi keenly sensed a suppressed emotion beneath Wang Xi’s indifferent face, like anger, like hatred.

Shen Lezhi was alarmed.

She secretly wondered if something had happened between Wang Xi and the Sect Leader.

Shen Lezhi was not an emotionally sensitive person; in fact, she could be described as very dull in social interactions. Having grown up in a simple environment, she was taught kindness and focus by her elders. After studying and working, she entered a laboratory and never encountered any bad colleagues.

The institute where Shen Lezhi worked was not involved in any major projects. Everyone focused on their research, free from the office politics and power struggles.

Her nature was not sensitive; because she was wholly devoted to research, she was even more oblivious to other matters than the people around her.

Her colleagues even joked that she was like a little old cadre, unable to keep up with the thinking of young people.

Yet, since coming here, Shen Lezhi was always able to easily and keenly sense Wang Xi.

This was an exceptionally peculiar experience for her.

In the modern era, Shen Lezhi had not established close relationships with others for a long time. This constant ability to perceive the other person’s emotions made her apprehensive and uneasy.

Especially since that person was Wang Xi, like the Jiyue, like a heavenly being.

“I won’t teach you today.” Wang Xi seemed to know why Shen Lezhi was waiting here and immediately rejected her even before Shen Lezhi could ask.

After she finished speaking, she left without giving Shen Lezhi time to react. In the blink of an eye, she flew away on her sword.

Shen Lezhi: “…”

Speechless.

A venerable Immortal Venerable stood people up too?!

And with absolutely no reason.

Shen Lezhi almost rolled her eyes.

She did not care what Jiyue Heavenly Being she was.

Immortal Venerable, do you know that in the modern era, people like you would not get a wife?!

Shen Lezhi returned to her residence alone, feeling a little depressed, but she was not a person who would be continuously affected by her emotions. She was still thinking about the work she had not finished today.

The hoe crafted at the Artifact Forging Peak was not an ordinary iron tool; a jade stone was inlaid at the top of the hoe. When Shen Lezhi swung it down, it felt as if the wind was assisting, making it much easier than she had imagined.

In addition to watering the Azure Cloud Branch today, she planned to cultivate another plot of land. The Azure Cloud Branch flowers and bears fruit in three days. Because she was not a disciple of the Medicinal Herb Peak, she could only receive Azure Cloud Branch seeds once a month free of charge. She needed to exchange the harvested fruit or seeds for other seeds.

After one Azure Cloud Branch flowers and bears fruit, it will grow three or four white fruits, which are the main ingredient for refining low-level trauma medicine and can be exchanged for several kinds of spiritual plant seeds at the Medicinal Herb Peak.

Shen Lezhi cultivated two more plots of land. Azure Cloud Branch is easy to grow, so she planned to plant Azure Cloud Branch in two plots to ensure she could exchange for seeds, and use the third plot for experimenting with new spiritual plant cultivation.

Thinking about these things allowed her to temporarily forget the powerlessness of being in another world. Shen Lezhi kept busy until the sun set before slowly carrying the hoe back to her residence.

She boiled hot water and prepared for a medicinal bath.

The medicinal bath was mentioned by the Sect Leader today, who said that because of her poor health, she always had the habit of taking medicinal baths. The prescription was specially written by someone from the Medicine Valley (醫谷), and she had taken it continuously since childhood.

Shen Lezhi did not think much of it. She took off her clothes and immersed herself in the medicinal bath. All the fatigue was washed away by the hot water. It felt so comfortable that she could not help but sigh contentedly.

She closed her eyes to enjoy the moment of comfort, but gradually, her body became hot and restless, her limbs grew weak, followed by waves of pain, and her brain felt like it had been struck by a heavy blow, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

The sensation did not come quickly; it layered, slowly creeping up on her. Shen Lezhi was too relaxed, and when the initial discomfort arose, she ignored it. By the time the pain became unbearable, her mind was unable to think, and all the strength had drained from her limbs.

The water of the initially comfortable medicinal bath now felt like sharp needles, densely seeping into her skin. She was so hurt that her teeth chattered, desperately trying to sit up, but even a slight movement brought intense pain.

She could not make a sound. The bone-deep pain prevented her from even fainting, forcing her to endure everything.

Shen Lezhi did not know the torment of death by a thousand cuts (Lingchi), but at this moment, she felt as if she were being slowly cut to pieces.

Her vision went completely black. She desperately tried to rise from the water. A thousand sharp thorns seemed to be piercing her body.

No blood could be seen on her pale skin, but her insides might have already rotted.

Shen Lezhi used her remaining consciousness to force herself to stand up. She was somewhat unable to control her body, but sometimes a person’s willpower can achieve the unexpected.

Numb with pain, with only agony constantly in her mind, she still propped up her hands and desperately dragged her body over the edge of the tub.

She stepped her bare foot onto the floor, instantly losing all strength, and fell heavily onto the ground.

Cold water splashed from the icy floor, scattering onto a pair of boots in front of her.

Shen Lezhi gasped in pain, following the pair of boots upwards with her eyes. However, she was utterly miserable. After falling to the ground, she had no strength left to get up.

Her struggling gaze could only see the hem of the person’s robe, patterned with swirling white mist, ethereal and smoky.

Shen Lezhi reached out and grasped the corner of the person’s robe, clutching the pattern of clouds and mist.

“Master…” She could speak now, but her voice was hoarse and weak.

Wang Xi knelt down and picked Shen Lezhi up from the ground.

Shen Lezhi’s exposed skin came into contact with Wang Xi’s icy temperature, offering solace to her pain-riddled body.

She uncontrollably leaned closer to Wang Xi’s embrace, longing to be completely enveloped by the cold aura.