Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: The Bet – Wow, So Many Spirit Stones

Being only a soul made her easily tired, but Shen Yirong maintained her guard against Song Yin, so she was constantly forcing herself to stay awake on the journey.

When drowsiness crawled over her mind again, Shen Yirong finally couldn’t stand herself. How did she end up following a stranger? She should at least find a way to contact Sect Master Liu.

But regret was too late now. She forced herself to stay awake.

She stifled a small yawn. Shen Yirong keenly noticed that Song Yin’s flying speed had slowed down. The view from the sleeve opening was no longer white clouds but the increasingly nearby scenery of the mortal world.

She instantly became anxious, clinging to the cuff to demand an explanation from Song Yin. “What are you doing?”

Despite the cold demeanor, Song Yin wasn’t angry. The tea stall nearby was bustling with business, and the banner with the character for “tea” fluttered in the wind.

A tea server had seen Song Yin long ago. He stepped forward and said enthusiastically, “Honored guest, would you like a bowl of hot tea?”

“Two bowls,” Song Yin casually tossed out some silver. “Keep the change.”

“Coming right up!”

These were all mortals. Shen Yirong, now in a puppet body, dared not make too many movements, only transmitting her dissatisfaction to Song Yin.

“What exactly do you want to do?”

Yue State had returned to its former hustle and bustle. Song Yin listened to the noise of the mortal world and said with a light smile, “Master, do you still remember this place?”

Shen Yirong didn’t want to play this boring game with her, but she unconsciously deployed her spiritual sense. She scanned the entire Yue State, and it indeed gave her a familiar feeling.

Before this tea stall, she seemed to have taught someone swordsmanship. That person had exceptional talent in the Way of the Sword, so good that she had considered taking her as a disciple.

But this was only a vague feeling. She couldn’t recall the specific scene. Driven by a desire for talent, she tried hard to remember, and finally, the shadow of that memory became clearer.

She nodded: It’s very familiar. I think I taught someone swordsmanship here. That person’s talent was excellent.

“Honored guest, your tea.”

The aroma of tea wafted, and steam rose.

But the tea wasn’t the point. Song Yin was just looking for an excuse to sit here, wanting Shen Yirong to recall things.

Seeing that her Master still remembered these things, Song Yin was naturally happy.

Shen Yirong couldn’t see her foolish joy. Knowing that there was a problem with her memory, she continued to recall, then added: Hmm? That person had dimples on both cheeks and looked quite unique. I’ll take her as a disciple once I fully remember.

Song Yin’s smile froze at the corner of her mouth. She hadn’t thought much of it when she borrowed Li Xiu’s identity back then, never expecting the consequences to await her here.

She immediately felt that the tea wasn’t fragrant anymore, and her expression changed: “You can’t take her as a disciple!”

Shen Yirong was startled by her agitated voice. This person is truly inexplicable.

Although Song Yin might be her disciple, the cultivation world didn’t mandate that a Master could only take one disciple, did it? She’s not a Dao Companion! She’s being too controlling!

The more Shen Yirong thought about it, the more she felt this was right. She retorted: “Even if this Venerable is your Master, don’t be too possessive of your Master!”

Song Yin felt stifled. She had originally intended to tease her, but now she couldn’t.

Her voice lost its previous calmness. “You are not just my Master.”

Shen Yirong immediately interrupted: “Heh! Then what are we? You’re not going to say Dao Companions, are you?”

After saying that, Shen Yirong fell silent first. Song Yin’s scent still lingered in her soul.

No. Is she the type of person who would engage in a master-disciple romance?

Shen Yirong felt that she wouldn’t make a move on people close to her. Otherwise, surrounded by so many people with varied personalities, she would have ended her single status long ago.

She should be destined to be alone.

In short, she began to doubt her own character, so she asked with some uncertainty: “Are we really Dao Companions?”

Song Yin, who was initially panicking, was amused by her reaction. Looking at the head poking out of the sleeve, she couldn’t help but ask: “Can’t a disciple also be a Dao Companion? Master doesn’t seem like the type to care about such things.”

Shen Yirong’s mind was still in turmoil. She rubbed her wooden head and retreated back into the sleeve.

“Don’t act like you know me so well.”

Shen Yirong’s voice transmission was muffled. After a while, she asked again: “How old were you when you became my disciple?”

Song Yin raised an eyebrow: “Twelve.”

Shen Yirong’s heart instantly shattered. She buried her face in her hands inside the sleeve.

In fact, she wasn’t completely opposed to master-disciple romance, but most cultivators chose children with good aptitude, then watched them grow up step by step into formidable cultivators.

Shen Yirong couldn’t resist pulling out a handful of the doll’s hair. She couldn’t help but scold herself, “Beast!”

The words were spoken softly, hidden by the joyous chatter of the tea drinkers, but Song Yin heard them.

She thought for a moment, then asked, “Is Master concerned about ethical norms?”

Shen Yirong was quite dejected. She didn’t even dare to answer Song Yin’s question, so she posed a new one: “When did this Venerable fall for you?”

Song Yin recalled her previous life, her eyes dimming significantly: “Probably recently. It was me relentlessly pursuing you.”

Shen Yirong felt that she wasn’t that perverted anymore. She poked out of the sleeve again, looking closely at Song Yin.

Since something had happened between them, Shen Yirong didn’t want to be an evasive scumbag. She took a few deep breaths: “Tell me about it, our story.”

Seeing that she was willing to talk, Song Yin smiled. “Master, aren’t you afraid I have ulterior motives and am deliberately lying to you?”

Shen Yirong shrank back again: “Then I won’t listen.”

So willful.

Song Yin realized that this iteration of her Master was a bit difficult to handle. She reluctantly compromised and began to tell the story from the beginning.

Song Yin spoke as she traveled. Ten-odd years was insignificant to a cultivator, but Song Yin had an excellent memory, so good that she clearly remembered every moment she spent with her Master.

So, Song Yin told a very long story.

Shen Yirong listened intently, also noticing that while Song Yin was telling their story, the scenery outside hadn’t moved.

They seemed to be in a closed space. She had taught this technique to people in the Tai’an Sect, but because the technique was dangerous, she had modified it. However, the version Song Yin was using seemed to be the complete one.

A crackling sound of electricity rang near her ear. Something seemed to be trying to break through the technique’s blockade and contact her.

Shen Yirong touched her ear. Her expression became quite serious. “Are you saying that someone took advantage of this Venerable’s severe injury and amnesia to pretend to be a system and deceive me?”

Song Yin nodded. “Mm. Even now, deleting your memories, trying to turn you against me. Master, with your current memory, can you recall anything?”

Shen Yirong couldn’t recall, but the inability to recall was the biggest problem.

She remained silent. She was extremely confused now. Waking up to such a complicated situation, she didn’t know whom to trust.

Everything before her might be a lie. Everything in her mind might also be a lie. Perhaps even the Will of Heaven might be deceiving her.

Shen Yirong was incredibly angry. She seemed to have become a suitable chess piece, becoming whatever the person behind the scenes wanted.

Too hateful.

But what was even more frightening was that she didn’t know if the Song Yin before her was trustworthy. Could this also be a deception?

Yet, she couldn’t deny that even though Song Yin was a demon cultivator, she didn’t really dislike her. And based on the story Song Yin told, Song Yin’s path to becoming a demon was also because of her.

Fate had pushed her into the fog. She didn’t know which way to go. Right now, she just wanted to return to the Tai’an Sect, to the place that brought her peace of mind.

She slumped down wearily, asking, not sure if she was speaking to herself or Song Yin, “Can I trust you?”

Hatred stained Song Yin’s heart. She could also modify her Master’s memory, just like the person behind the scenes, but she didn’t want to do that.

There was anger, but there was also satisfaction.

Because she found that even without memory, her Master still held special feelings for her.

She used to feel embarrassed, but after saying some things often enough, she got used to it. “Master, you can trust me. No one in this world loves you more than I do.”

Song Yin spoke these mushy words very solemnly, so solemnly that a person like Shen Yirong didn’t dare to ridicule her.

And her heart lake uncontrollably rippled.

She seemed to be bewitched, desperately wanting to trust a highly cultivated demon cultivator.

A demon cultivator, heh…

Incredible.

Shen Yirong sighed. “What kind of demonic spell did you use on me? Why do I trust you so much?”

This was practically the best confession.

Song Yin answered for her. “It’s love.”

Shen Yirong let out a light laugh. “Sweet talk. Take me back to Tai’an. I’ll ask my Senior Sister, and I’ll know. She’s an honest person.”

Song Yin hadn’t expected Mei Xin to be involved here. She was slightly displeased, but also somewhat relieved.

In the past, she found Mei Xin’s wooden personality dull, but now, it was excellent! Absolutely excellent!

She had become a lie detector.

Shen Yirong had also recovered some of her strength. She decided to proceed one step at a time. Now, she began to study the spatial technique Song Yin was using.

She clicked her tongue in praise. “You’ve completely mastered this. What else did I teach you?”

“Everything.”

A nonchalant two words, but Shen Yirong still didn’t believe it. She knew many things, and some techniques were very complex. She had invested 100% passion into these esoteric things. It was impossible to learn everything in four hundred years.

Shen Yirong simply said, “You must be joking.”

The smile on Song Yin’s face never ceased. “Master, would you like to bet with me?”

The Shen Yirong who hadn’t been worn down by a wrong fate was very fond of games. She immediately became interested. “Bet what?”

Song Yin said, “If I’ve truly learned all your techniques, I win. Otherwise, you win. The stake will be spirit stones, how about that?”

Shen Yirong felt awkward. She didn’t even have a body, so she naturally had no spirit stones.

She hesitated, preparing to find a high-sounding excuse to back out.

“You can pay on credit.”

Shen Yirong immediately became energetic. “Done!”

She flew out of Song Yin’s sleeve and landed on Song Yin’s shoulder. “Starting now?”

This space moved on its own. Song Yin picked up her sword again, and performed the swordsmanship once more. This time, she included the move Shen Yirong had never used before.

Seeing the confident smile on Song Yin’s face, Shen Yirong’s heart thumped. She suddenly felt that she had jumped into a trap.

She kept reassuring herself.

Learning these sword stances in four hundred years was nothing. It only proved that the other person was indeed her disciple.

But these sword moves were executed too beautifully. An ordinary sword in Song Yin’s hand seemed to become an peerless divine weapon.

Shen Yirong was undoubtedly impressed. She straightened her back, then saw the other person smile at her.

Her heart was pounding like a drum.

Shen Yirong forced herself to resist the urge to turn away. She remembered that she hadn’t learned any kind of seduction technique.

A fox demon had once offered to teach her, but she disdained it. Not because she thought it was low-grade, but because her past self was arrogant, believing her own charm was sufficient.

“Master, how was my sword dance?”

Shen Yirong was embarrassed about her past, and when she snapped back to reality, Song Yin was somehow in front of her.

The distance was too close. Shen Yirong even smelled the orchid scent on the other person.

Honestly, she had seen this situation before, but she had never felt so flustered. So, she floated back slightly, coughed, and said, “Very good. Your talent in the Way of the Sword is the best I’ve ever seen.”

Receiving the praise, Song Yin’s smile deepened, like a withered flower revitalized by dew.

“Master rarely praises me. I’m very happy.”

Shen Yirong felt a twinge of guilt. Her reason told her the cultivation world was extremely dangerous, and she couldn’t trust this person too much, but she couldn’t control herself at all.

Turning her head away from Song Yin’s face, Shen Yirong seemed to find the courage to praise her. “Heh, if you do well, I will tell you such words as many times as you want.”

“Master, aren’t you too indulgent towards me? Don’t you dislike demon cultivators?”

Shen Yirong paused for a moment. “I don’t dislike you.”

It’s not that she doesn’t dislike demon cultivators, but that she doesn’t dislike you.

Song Yin stood still, and the Inner Demon popped out to comment: “Eh? This old fellow is quite good at this.”

Song Yin admonished in dissatisfaction: Shut up.

The Inner Demon snorted and obediently shut up.

Although she didn’t want to admit it, facing Song Yin, Shen Yirong’s heart was always filled with various emotions. They mixed together, making it impossible for Shen Yirong to understand herself.

However, she had indeed imagined what she would be like after taking a disciple.

When she saw Elder Yun granting Senior Sister Mei every request, she would mock them, vowing that she would be a strict Master when she took a disciple.

But she knew, with her personality, she couldn’t actually do that. She would probably become an even more responsive Master.

Shen Yirong hesitated, then added, “If you truly are my disciple, I will give you the best of everything. This praise is nothing.”

Song Yin knew, but hearing it from her Master’s own mouth felt different.

But the more this happened, the more she hated.

She hated the unpredictability of fate, and she hated the person who was playing games with them.

Song Yin calmed down. “Mm. Then, please watch me, Master.”

Shen Yirong was still a little awkward, but she slowly turned her head to look at the other person.

Song Yin, in her red clothes, had the sword silently disappear. Then, she made a shushing gesture.

This gesture seemed simple, but Shen Yirong suddenly tensed up.

Oblivion Technique.

Shen Yirong was a bit flustered. She had thought the other person would start with minor techniques like the Wind Guiding Technique or the Body Fixing Technique, but it was the main event right from the start.

She had taught this technique to Elder Yun, and the other person had found it quite difficult to learn at the time.

Shen Yirong had seized the opportunity to call her a dummy many times.

Shen Yirong didn’t know what to say. “How long did it take you to learn this technique?”

Song Yin calculated the time. “Half an hour.”

Monster!

Shen Yirong truly couldn’t stay calm now. Her voice of praise was even cheerful. “Excellent.”

But after the excitement, she remembered a problem. Was she going to lose this bet?

Shen Yirong was already mentally selecting a gullible friend from her list, finally deciding to borrow some spirit stones from Bai Yuzan, and then guide some juniors at the Nine Heavens Gate a few times to earn the spirit stones back.

No, she couldn’t assume failure yet. The other person hadn’t used many techniques.

The difficulty of the Oblivion Technique was only medium. She still had techniques concerning Time Travel.

“Rumble!”

This was originally a closed space, but the lightning, laden with the aura of catastrophe, found them and struck down tirelessly.

Shen Yirong couldn’t intervene. She looked at the fractured space, confused. “What?! How did the Tribulation Lightning arrive!”

Shen Yirong’s voice abruptly stopped. She looked at the constantly spinning black sphere in Song Yin’s hand. The sphere shattered the time and space around it.

Song Yin released her hand. The black sphere slowly disappeared, and the localized chaos of rules automatically repaired itself.

Song Yin smiled amidst the chaos. She looked at Shen Yirong with expectant eyes, as if learning this technique wasn’t very important.

As the technique dissipated, the Tribulation Lightning in the sky also disappeared after two powerless rumbles.

Song Yin ignored all this. She just looked at Shen Yirong. “Master, is this technique correct?”

Shen Yirong didn’t ask her how long it took to learn. Just being able to learn it was remarkable.

However, Shen Yirong was not a person of this world, which was why she could travel back in time.

But Song Yin was different. She belonged to this world, which was why she attracted the lightning tribulation.

This bet was definitely lost.

A smile appeared on Shen Yirong’s face. “Very well. But you are not allowed to use this technique again in the future. You will be corrected by the world.”

After saying this, Shen Yirong frowned. She was unconsciously showing concern for the other person.

She shook her head, decisively skipping this topic.

Unlike the unscrupulous people in Tai’an, Shen Yirong was a good sport. She said grandly, “I lost. How many spirit stones do you want? Of course, within reason.”

Her straightforward manner made it easy for people to misunderstand, to think she had a lot of spirit stones.

Song Yin looked at her and thought of the recording stone, but the recording stone would be noticed. Under the current circumstances, it was better to let Shen Shuci end her sleep mode.

The extremely decisive Demon Venerable proceeded immediately. She quietly woke Shen Shuci.

Shen Yirong was actually quite nervous. She suddenly remembered that times had changed. If the Nine Heavens Gate Master wasn’t Chang Yuandan, she would have to find a new way to earn spirit stones.

Song Yin’s silence made her heart uneasy, so she spoke loudly, “Hey! Don’t ignore this Venerable.”

Song Yin transmitted her situation to Shen Shuci. Shen Shuci poked her head out of the sleeve. Seeing that the two hadn’t started fighting, she wiped away the non-existent sweat from her forehead.

Song Yin shook her head seriously. “Master has many other techniques. Only two have been used. The bet is not over yet.”

“What’s the point of those other techniques? Don’t waste time. Just tell me how much you want.”

Shen Yirong spoke boldly, but she was actually out of tricks. She felt both frustrated and joyful.

Frustrated because she had no spirit stones. Joyful because a genius like Song Yin was her disciple.

Hiss! How superb was her foresight!

Song Yin was not convinced by Shen Yirong’s words. She said righteously, “No. The terms of the bet are not like that. We must showcase all of Master’s techniques to determine the winner and loser.”

Shen Yirong found this person a bit stubborn. She frowned. “Be flexible. Don’t learn from your Martial Aunt Mei.”

Song Yin flinched. She wanted to continue being stubborn, but she didn’t want to be associated with Mei Xin because of that stubbornness.

Truly worthy of being my Master, always bringing new challenges.

In fact, Shen Yirong had just said it casually. She hadn’t expected Song Yin to think so much.

However, it was somewhat unfulfilling. Waking up to find she had a Senior Disciple who was so excellent that she had nothing left to teach her. She hadn’t fully enjoyed the role of Master.

She sighed inwardly. Her Senior Disciple became stubborn again.

“No. If I said all, then it must be all.”

Shen Yirong wanted to persuade her a little more, but the other person had already started fiddling with the minor techniques.

Thinking about it, Shen Yirong felt this was a small matter. If the other person was willing to show her, she would watch.

But watching it, she felt something was wrong. What Song Yin held in her hand seemed to be a Wind Guiding Technique. This was originally a very minor technique, but unlike her previous effortless skill.

Song Yin’s expression was difficult now, as if facing the greatest challenge in the world.

She struggled immensely to summon a wisp of breeze as thin as a strand of hair.

This pitiful wisp of breeze dissipated a second after touching the ground.

The scene descended into awkwardness. Song Yin’s expression was calm, but a slight embarrassment showed in her eyes.

Shen Yirong, however, stared intently at the spot where the wisp of breeze had vanished.

Shen Yirong absolutely didn’t believe it. She felt she was being mocked.

Demon cultivators are accustomed to lying. The other person was deliberately feigning weakness, perhaps with some unspeakable motive.

Shen Yirong couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.

While she was deep in thought, Song Yin tried a few more times, but all ended in failure.

She looked utterly dejected. “Master, I apologize. I still can’t learn this technique.”

Shen Yirong couldn’t believe it. “That’s impossible!”

Song Yin’s expression remained unchanged, but the light in her eyes dimmed considerably. “It’s true. I always fail to learn these minor techniques. Trust me, Master.”

Trust you, my foot!

Shen Yirong didn’t want to believe it. She wasn’t an idiot.

She took a deep breath, about to expose the other person’s dishonesty, when she looked closely.

A cold face was set with a pair of wronged eyes.

A little adorable.

Shen Yirong hadn’t seen this before, but she had now.

She hesitated for a while, then finally adopted a stern demeanor. “Hold out your hand. I’ll teach you.”

Song Yin’s eyes slightly curved. She obediently held out her hand, letting the other person take it.

However, the puppet’s hand was small, only able to hold Song Yin’s little finger.

Shen Yirong was very serious when teaching. She was a very good Master.

But Song Yin was a wicked disciple. She looked at the other person’s earnest eyes, allowing herself to be immersed in everything about her.

Then, Shen Yirong became furious. She realized this person wasn’t paying attention in class.

She said helplessly, “Is there knowledge on my face?”

Song Yin’s answer was very sincere. “No, but it’s pretty.”

Before Shen Yirong could erupt in anger, Song Yin said worriedly, “I lost this bet.”

She quickly pulled out two spatial rings and hung them on the puppet’s arms.

“A bet is a bet. This is the stake.”

Shen Yirong looked at the pair of spatial rings. By her understanding, spirit stones should be stored in spatial bags. Spatial rings were quite valuable, and there were two of them at once.

One of them seemed to have an owner, but she could open it.

After opening it, she quickly closed it again.

So many spirit stones. Both spatial rings were full of them. If she wasn’t mistaken, her Stream-Tracing Rain Sword was also lying in one of the spatial rings.

Dazzled by the spirit stones, she completely forgot what she was trying to do just now.

Rich overnight?

“Master, what’s wrong? Do you think it’s too little?”

Shen Yirong was jolted. Too little? She clearly felt it was too much.

What a powerful Senior Disciple.

Sure enough, her judgment was never wrong.

Shen Yirong couldn’t stop herself from smiling, but she also felt she was too money-minded.

She managed to control her expressive features. “I didn’t mean that.”

Song Yin was also happy to see her happy. “Master, please rest. Perhaps you’ll reach Tai’an after a nap.”

Shen Yirong “Mm’d” softly. She flew back into Song Yin’s sleeve.

Perhaps happiness was a sleeping pill, or perhaps she was simply too exhausted from forcing herself to stay awake the whole way. Her eyes slowly closed.

After Shen Yirong fell asleep, Shen Shuci came out. She looked tenderly at her sleeping Host.

Song Yin knew what she was thinking. “Don’t worry. Everything will get better. She won’t be anyone’s tool.”

Shen Shuci didn’t speak.

After a while, her voice was heard. “What about you?”