Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 9 

Shen Lezhi’s face, flushed red, bloomed vividly before Wang Xi’s eyes, fully and openly. Wang Xi listened to her words and observed her shyness, a flicker of surprise flashing across her eyes.

Shen Lezhi had never shown such an expression before. She had always maintained a facade of obedience. If Wang Xi reached out to touch her, she would lean even more docilely into Wang Xi’s palm, displaying an expression of dependence.

It was not like this moment, where she looked as if Wang Xi had bullied her, her lips bitten a rosy color, softly begging Wang Xi to “stop touching her.”

The words were spoken with such ambiguity that even though Wang Xi had never held such an intention, she could not mistake Shen Lezhi’s current tone.

How could the other party utter such words?

A ripple spread through Wang Xi’s placid gaze. She locked eyes with Shen Lezhi. Those eyes were filled with both shame and anger, ashamed of Wang Xi’s actions, yet also reproaching Wang Xi’s behavior.

Wang Xi abruptly withdrew her fingertip that had been resting on Shen Lezhi’s chest, closing her eyes in disbelief.

Her hand dropped rigidly. The fingertip felt as if it had been set on fire, scalding Wang Xi and causing her heart to palpitate.

Could Shen Lezhi harbor that kind of emotion toward her?

No.

Wang Xi suddenly snapped her eyes open again, the coldness within them deepening.

How could Shen Lezhi love her?

She had nurtured Shen Lezhi for so many years, experienced her betrayal, and endured the sword thrust through her heart by the other party. Shen Lezhi was a person utterly devoid of affection, with a heart colder than frost.

Where could she find love? Where could she find such feelings?

Thinking of this, Wang Xi closed the distance again, her fingers gripping Shen Lezhi’s jaw, forcing her to look up at her.

She was losing control. Staring at Shen Lezhi’s delicate appearance, the hatred and mockery in her heart churned ceaselessly.

Was it because her behavior had been strange lately, prompting Shen Lezhi to use a different method of disguise?

Disguising herself as having affection for her?

For a disciple to harbor love for her Master was indeed a bold move.

If Wang Xi had not already been through everything, upon learning that Shen Lezhi had developed affection for her, she would likely have been filled with both self-reproach and panic.

She surely would have been reluctant to sever her connection with Shen Lezhi. She would have earnestly guided Shen Lezhi, yet could not resist indulging her.

Wang Xi treated Shen Lezhi as her own flesh and blood, but not biologically. In Wang Xi’s eyes, perhaps there were not so many restrictions imposed by blood relations.

In the end, Wang Xi might not have fallen in love with Shen Lezhi, but she would have been pushed, step by step, by the other party to violate the boundaries of intimacy.

Shen Lezhi would have toyed with her, and then killed her.

Thinking of this, Wang Xi lost control even further. Her rapidly deteriorating nerves had reached a breaking point. The force she was exerting on Shen Lezhi’s jaw slowly increased.

Perhaps she should just crush the person before her now.

She narrowed her eyes, the idea already rising in her mind.

“It hurts… Master,” the pain made Shen Lezhi struggle. She saw the fiery intensity in Wang Xi’s eyes, but she could not shake off Wang Xi’s hand. Her fingers weakly climbed onto Wang Xi’s arm, attempting to calm Wang Xi and make her let go.

Her struggling movement and voice did indeed pull back Wang Xi’s reason. After a moment of hesitation, she let go and released Shen Lezhi.

Once released, Shen Lezhi bent down to cough, retreating clumsily, consciously increasing the distance between herself and Wang Xi.

Rubbing her numb chin, the slightest touch brought pain. It looked like a bruise would form.

Shen Lezhi knew that this Master and Disciple pair were lovers. It was perhaps inevitable that Wang Xi would be a little carried away when they were alone, maybe even indulging in “pain literature.”

Previously, she was only curious about this, wondering how a person like Wang Xi expressed love.

But at this moment, Shen Lezhi truly felt a sense of disgust.

It wasn’t disgust toward Wang Xi, nor was it disgust toward their intimate relationship.

It was simply that she did not harbor any romantic feelings toward Wang Xi. The other party’s intimacy made her flustered and feel violated.

And being forcibly constrained, unable to even resist, was what Shen Lezhi found most unacceptable.

The filter she had placed on Wang Xi—of being ethereal, pure, and respected—shattered.

Wang Xi was truly too fierce.

Shen Lezhi retreated to one side, staying far away from Wang Xi. She no longer maintained formal courtesy, keeping her head bowed and remaining silent, her entire body expressing resistance.

Seeing her like this, Wang Xi’s eyes were profound and cold, filled with self-mockery.

“That is all for today. Come to my cave residence tomorrow for cultivation.” Wang Xi left these words, ignored Shen Lezhi’s disposition, turned, and left by sword flight.

The surrounding coldness peeled away with Wang Xi’s departure. Shen Lezhi finally caught her breath, slouching into the room and sitting down at the wooden table.

“That was awful,” Shen Lezhi slumped completely, her fingers fiddling with the sprouts of the Weeping Soul Strand on the table, a heavy weight in her heart.

This world was awful.

It was not the first time she had faced such a situation, unable to resist and left to her fate.

Shen Lezhi had previously felt sorry for Wang Xi, but perhaps she was the one who was more pitiful.

However, Shen Lezhi was not a person who liked to wallow in self-pity. The morning time was originally dedicated to physical exercise. Now that Wang Xi had finished teaching, it was time to fetch Spiritual Spring Water from the Medicinal Herb Peak and work in the field.

After the unpleasant incident this morning, Shen Lezhi, who was only mildly interested in cultivation, decided she must learn seriously. She truly despised the feeling of having her life force choked, unable to even put up a struggle.

Although cultivation methods here were mostly passed down from Master to disciple, there were basic manuals and regular instructional classes led by Elders within the sect.

This was partly to facilitate learning for outer disciples, and partly because most disciples within the sect rarely interacted. Such classes primarily served to allow people from different peaks and factions to become somewhat familiar with each other.

This was to avoid the embarrassment of encountering a fellow sect member while traveling outside and not recognizing them.

Shen Lezhi copied a set of mental cultivation formulas from the library. Since traveling was quite boring anyway, she read and recited as she walked. There weren’t many formulas, and she had almost memorized them by the time she reached the field behind the mountain.

This reminded her of her postgraduate entrance exams. She was not unintelligent; she had a clever aptitude for learning and was genuinely diligent enough.

Shen Lezhi believed that if she put in her best effort, she would surely succeed.

Lost in these random thoughts, the unpleasantness caused by Wang Xi was now completely cleared away. She began watering the spiritual plants in the field. This time, the Azure Cloud Branches had sprouted normally, with slender, vibrant green shoots standing upright.

Meanwhile, the Laughing Flowers under the leaf shed required a week to sprout. They didn’t need much water, but the Spiritual Plant Cultivation Handbook did not record the precise amount. Shen Lezhi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and decided to try sensing it herself.

She didn’t hold much hope for this method. Aside from the almost barrier-free communication with the Weeping Soul Strand, she had attempted this with many plants, but she wasn’t always successful in sensing them.

Shen Lezhi squatted in front of the leaf shed, her breathing becoming shallow. She sniffed the fragrance emanating from the soil.

She had noticed this point earlier. The Laughing Flower truly lived up to its reputation as the spiritual plant equivalent of perfume. Even after the seeds were sown, the surrounding soil carried its fragrance.

The scent lingered in Shen Lezhi’s nose. Shen Lezhi completely settled down. Once calm, she suddenly noticed a difference.

She felt a warmth in her Dantian. There seemed to be fine threads running through her body, and her consciousness seemed able to travel within them.

Even more remarkably, Shen Lezhi seemed to see the mist emanating from her own body, the dancing qi in the air.

Was this spiritual energy?

Every breath she took stirred the aura surrounding her. With a slight thought, she wished to capture the spiritual energy in the air, and that qi naturally surged into her body.

It slowly merged, layer upon layer, before circling around her again.

Was this the breath regulation Wang Xi wanted to teach her?

Shen Lezhi realized the truth belatedly.

In this state, she tried again to sense the Laughing Flowers in the ground. This time, she truly made a breakthrough.

She consciously controlled the qi to penetrate the soil, enveloping the seeds. The moment of contact, the Laughing Flower seeds actively communicated with her.

It couldn’t entirely be called seeds. Shen Lezhi sensed the shape, and a tiny sprout tip had already emerged.

But unlike the Azure Cloud Branch and the Weeping Soul Strand, the Laughing Flower’s emotions were much colder and calmer.

It was like an unenthusiastic older sister. Although it actively suggested a connection with Shen Lezhi, it did not cling to her.

Shen Lezhi didn’t mind this. Being able to sense the spiritual plant’s emotions was already a huge joy for her.

She took the Spiritual Spring Water and poured it into the Laughing Flower’s soil, drop by drop, stopping immediately when the Laughing Flower expressed discomfort.

After watering the Laughing Flowers, Shen Lezhi began a new round of clearing the land. The Azure Cloud Branches would bear fruit again in three days. She planned to use one portion to exchange for new seeds and another portion for the alchemy cultivation that Senior Sister Qi had mentioned.

However, Shen Lezhi didn’t clear much land this time, only preparing two plots. The remaining time was primarily spent clearing a vacant lot near the path. She had previously planned to build a rest hut here so she could rest well during noon and not affect her afternoon labor.

Currently, she could only sit on the ground leaning against the leaf shed. While the sun wasn’t too harsh, it wasn’t comfortable either.

After clearing the weeds from the vacant lot, Shen Lezhi saw that the sun hadn’t set yet and simply decided to explore the area in front of the desolate land.

She hadn’t finished exploring this area before. There was a small path blocked by thick vines ahead. Since she had some time today, Shen Lezhi carried her hoe and cut away the vines.

Shen Lezhi didn’t expect to find a pond here. The pond was covered by heavy vines, the water was filthy, and it emitted a foul odor.

Shen Lezhi covered her nose, but didn’t leave immediately, because there was a cave-like area on the right side of the pond.

It was about two meters high. Since it wasn’t covered by vines, Shen Lezhi could see it very clearly.

She cautiously walked over and looked inside the cave. It was pitch black inside. The sound of her footsteps entering the cave was audible, but there was no echo.

Shen Lezhi hesitated to explore further. Such a cave might be inhabited by some large wild beast.

In this world of cultivation, there were likely all sorts of strange creatures and demons.

Since it was dark inside and she hadn’t brought a torch, Shen Lezhi decided to retreat first.

But as she turned to take one step, her ankle tripped on a vine, causing her to fall straight into the cave entrance.

She immediately instinctually protected her head with her hands, assuming she would fall directly onto the ground. She didn’t expect that there was no path ahead in the cave, but a sheer, suspended stone wall slide.

The terror of weightlessness and the unknown instantly overwhelmed Shen Lezhi. She could see nothing in the darkness, only the fear of rapidly sliding downwards and the pain of her skin being scraped raw.

She finally reached the bottom, her elbow hitting a hard rock heavily. Fortunately, the rock had no sharp edges; otherwise, it could have easily sliced her skin.

If she had been seriously injured and lost blood in a place like this, Shen Lezhi didn’t know if she would survive. Fortunately, she hadn’t. But the impact still made Shen Lezhi feel dizzying pain.

She couldn’t help but cry out, her gasps wrapped in immense suffering. But she dared not stop completely. The darkness before her eyes, where she couldn’t see her fingers, represented danger.

Shen Lezhi bit her teeth tightly in pain, wishing she could bite herself to pieces, yet she still chose to stand up, slowly assessing her body’s condition. Her limbs and chest must have suffered various degrees of injury.

With her modern physical quality, she should have already fainted from the pain. However, since coming here, Shen Lezhi had experienced numerous aches and pains, making her more pain-tolerant. At this moment, she could still endure, forcing herself to think calmly.

Because she couldn’t see, her ears suddenly became sensitive. A faint sound reached her ears. After carefully distinguishing it, Shen Lezhi confirmed that it was the cadence of human speech.

This made her ecstatic. She cautiously located the direction of the sound, moving very slowly and carefully because she couldn’t see.

Shen Lezhi was afraid the sound would stop. Fortunately, it continued until she could fully hear it and vaguely see a sliver of light.

“That heart is becoming more and more disobedient. Even though her cultivation has dropped, we cannot threaten her.”

“I told you long ago, her cultivation speed is too fast; she should have been killed five hundred years ago!”

Shen Lezhi froze.

Not only because the content she heard sounded too much like a description of Wang Xi.

But also because of that familiar cold scent that was now circling her closely.

Her heart tightened suddenly. In the unseen darkness, an ice-cold hand landed on her neck, choking her breath.