Watching Mo Li act as if she desired nothing more than to see the world in chaos, Su Bei snorted coldly, took a step forward, and before her astonished eyes, scooped her up into his arms and strode towards the house.
For this disciple who knows neither heaven's height nor earth's depth, I should display some of my supreme techniques as a master!
"Master, could it be that you wish to do something to your disciple that shouldn't be spoken of to outsiders?"
"..."
Mo Li's cheeks were flushed red, but her eyes had regained their previous composure. Her body showed not the slightest struggle as she glanced sideways with a teasing half-smile at Xiao Ruoching, who was standing by, dazed. Her delicate fingers rested just outside her parted lips, a tipsy blush tinting her gaze beneath her eyelashes.
Su Bei's expression was dark; he had long grown accustomed to this fearless disciple.
Mo Li's body was light and required little effort to carry. Yet, as Su Bei held her slender waist, a peculiar sensation coursed through him.
"Could it be that Master enjoys such games?"
"Should your disciple cooperate with Master and cry out for help?"
"Help~"
Su Bei quickly covered her crimson lips to prevent her from shouting further.
Her voice wasn't loud, but in a place filled with cultivators, it could be heard with perfect clarity. If someone were to think I enjoyed playing such games... He sighed deeply at his second disciple's wicked sense of humor.
He placed her on a chair. Mo Li gazed up at Su Bei, lightly licking her crimson lips, "Does Master wish to punish his disciple?"
"Right here?"
In her heart, she sneered, wondering what method he would use to punish her.
As she spoke, a delicate hand tugged at her collar. SCHRRRIP! A large tear appeared in her moon-colored dress, revealing her jade-like shoulders and a lake-moon blue undergarment.
"Enough! What is this madness?"
Su Bei hurriedly pulled her garments closed, glancing guiltily at Xiao Ruoching, who was puffing her cheeks and staring in their direction. Her eyes were bright with anger, as if she were about to devour someone.
"Ah, Ruoching, could you do your Master a favor? Go to the farthest point from here in Wu City and grab a handful of soil. I need it to steep in water to drink!"
"Yes, right now!"
"..."
Su Bei tried his best to appear nonchalant, his eyes looking at Xiao Ruoching with utmost sincerity as he spoke.
Listening to Su Bei's clumsy excuse to send her away, Xiao Ruoching scoffed coldly. She realized the Master probably wanted to discuss something with Mo Li. However, a man and a woman alone, social morals in decline, and in broad daylight—especially considering Su Bei's current actions and Mo Li's seductive gaze... It was almost like a wolf, starved for days, suddenly spotting a lamb, one with its fleece already removed.
"Master, your disciple never thought you were this kind of person!" Her tone was indignant, her eyes flashing with anger.
"What are you thinking? I simply want to drink water steeped with soil from the farthest place from here! It's very innocent."
"Please believe your Master!"
Su Bei felt a headache coming on; he genuinely was innocent! He simply felt that when he was having a deep conversation with Mo Li, they shouldn't be disturbed; or rather, it was a very private matter.
Xiao Ruoching was filled with indignation and stamped her foot. In her heart, though, she knew her Master was definitely not as she imagined. It was just a touch of unwillingness on her part. Despite her reluctance, she turned and walked a good distance away, leaving the two of them a private space.
Su Bei let out a long sigh, then turned to look at his second disciple sitting on the chair before him. His large hand was still clutching her tattered clothes.
Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting dappled, shifting shadows on the floor.
Su Bei tightened the clothes around her, a faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose.
For some reason, being near this disciple, the scent emanating from her carries an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It's not the familiarity born from long association, becoming sensitive to a scent over time. Rather, it's a deeper connection, like blood recognizing blood—or to put it another way, as if I understand everything about her.
Mo Li herself didn't know why she was acting so boldly today, though had she not been like this before? Or perhaps Lin Jinyu's appearance was simply unbearable, and her current weakness meant she could do nothing but inflict harm upon herself. It was a kind of hatred, a deeper loathing hidden beneath her flamboyant facade. Hating him, yet feeling powerless; hating them, also powerless.
"Speaking of which, after taking you as my disciple, I never really had a heart-to-heart talk with you, did I?"
"I have a question in my heart: why do you intentionally pretend to be like this?"
"..."
Every extreme personality is shaped by the environment one is raised in, isn't it? At Unrepentant Cliff, that's what I told Xiao Ruoching. Now, without the burden of hatred she carried then, she seems much more genuine!
Looking at Mo Li before him, Su Bei felt an inexplicable twinge of melancholy. Who or what caused her to become like this? A person, an event, or something else?
Gazing at his puzzled expression, her eyes brimming, she looked at him as his gentle words echoed in her ears. Mo Li bit her thin lip.
Yet, in her heart, she sneered. This man is a liar, or rather, an extreme expert in manipulating people's hearts. Though, I don't know if this life's version of him is different from the last.
She blinked gently and chuckled, "What is Master talking about? Your disciple doesn't understand."
Su Bei hadn't expected to make this disciple more 'normal' in a short time. He gently tapped her head, stroking her soft silver hair.
She still hasn't let her guard down around me.
"What's the reason? Clan matters? Or a certain person?"
Mo Li looked at the man before her, the crack in her heart deepening at his words.
That's right, he doesn't know any of this. In his mind, only family matters could make me act this way.
"It's you!"
The words slipped from her crimson lips, half-joking, tinged with amusement, yet laden with a certain heaviness, mixed with the intent behind all her actions during this period.
Su Bei paused, assuming she still didn't want to talk, and sighed deeply. "Why bother with such fawning pretense?"
He just assumed her non-resistance to everything he had done to her was a silent act of enduring.
Mo Li's eyes finally regained their usual cold clarity. She looked at Su Bei indifferently, but her heart questioned itself again and again.
Was everything I did truly the kind of ingratiating behavior he described? No, it wasn't. Despite hating him intensely, the darkness in my heart could never completely extinguish that flicker of light—the light he seemed to have brought me.
"There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart; the death of the body is secondary."
Su Bei looked at her tenderly. This second disciple came from a good family and possessed great talent. He had initially thought she would be the proud and aloof type. However, as they spent more time together, he realized she seemed aloof and indifferent to everyone else, yet she had never shown such an attitude towards him.
Her heart must also bear some pain unknown to others. Since I am her Master, it is my duty to gently soothe this pain for her.
"Your Master knows it's difficult for you to let go of certain obsessions, but there's still plenty of time."
"In your Master's heart, Mo Li should be a woman with her hair in a high topknot, standing tall with a sword in hand, her eyes shining with a clear, rippling light."
"A woman who, by pointing her sword to the heavens, could with a single movement make the flood dragons of the Four Seas scatter without a trace."
"However, your Master will respect your thoughts."
"Do you believe your Master?"
"..."
Listening to Su Bei ramble on, Mo Li bit her thin lip, her jade-like hands as cold as water. Su Bei had already loosened his grip on her collar, which she instinctively clutched with one of her delicate hands.
Su Bei knew that, compared to Xiao Ruoching, her obsessions were heavier, more deeply rooted, and harder to let go of. But, as he had said, there was still a long time, a long future. He believed he could change her, bit by bit, starting at least with building trust between them.
For some unknown reason, being near her always makes me feel a little uneasy. Sometimes it even gives me the illusion that, compared to Dan Wulan, I feel an even stronger, almost unsettling familiarity with Mo Li? It's a primal, instinctual familiarity.
Mo Li, however, didn't answer Su Bei's question. Believe him? Or not?
She lifted her head, her eyes blinking, then leaned gently towards Su Bei. He could smell the faint fragrance emanating from her.
"Master, what about the punishment you mentioned earlier?"
"Your disciple is more concerned about Master's punishment."
"..."
As she spoke, her silvery eyelashes trembled slightly, and her tone wasn't as natural as before.
Su Bei clutched his head. I said so much to her, and she didn't hear a single word...
He raised his large hand, intending to give her a light tap somewhere, but seeing her instinctively close her eyes and tense her body, his hand ultimately didn't fall.
"Punishment?"
Mo Li kept her eyes closed, listening to Su Bei's words, like a lamb awaiting judgment.
Then, a soft, warm voice echoed gently in her ear, "Your punishment will be to come to your Master's room every night before you sleep and bid me good rest."
"..."
Mo Li's body trembled slightly. An emotion she herself couldn't identify flickered in her eyes as she stared blankly at Su Bei's smiling face. Her lips parted slightly as if to say something, but she swallowed the words back down.
She nodded and uttered a soft "Mm."
Hypocritical tenderness? Or...?
The wind blew gently into the room, carrying a few petals and blades of grass.
It seemed that this season, even the spring breeze carried a touch of gentleness.
「...」
After what felt like an eternity, Xiao Ruoching finally wiped the sweat from her forehead. Holding a small jar filled with loose soil, she ran panting into the courtyard.
"Master, for you." Her tone was clearly unfriendly, her gaze holding a hint of complaint as she looked at Su Bei.
Su Bei was taken aback. He had only intended to send her away for a while, never expecting her to actually bring back a handful of dirt.
"You really brought it? Your Master was just speaking casually." Su Bei took the jar of soil, looking at her with a wry smile.
"You!"
THWACK! A foot kicked swiftly towards Su Bei. Perhaps it was out of excessive anger, or perhaps she was hiding a trace of resentment in this kick aimed at Su Bei.
Su Bei blinked, then his hand shot out, catching her delicate foot. With a gentle pull, and amidst Xiao Ruoching's surprised cry, he grasped her waist.
Xiao Ruoching grabbed Su Bei's large hand and instinctively bit down on it, a movement that was becoming increasingly familiar. However, compared to the last time, this bite was significantly gentler, almost like a soft kiss.
SLAP!
A crisp sound echoed.
Then Su Bei, feigning 'great anger,' looked at her misty eyes, took hold of her slender foot, removed her embroidered shoe, and then forcefully kneaded it a few times!
"Master, let me go..." Her voice was soft and weak, utterly lacking the force to deter Su Bei! Her face burned even hotter. Her cheeks flushed crimson instantly, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
It's not that I don't struggle, that I don't resist, it's mainly that I can't beat him right now! The day I become stronger than him, I will definitely pay back all these humiliations!
And so Xiao Ruoching gave up struggling, abandoning herself to the moment!