Master, Please Help Me Break the Love Curse! - Chapter 24

The mushroom chicken soup was simmered to perfection. A single sip in the icy mountain cave warmed her for hours.

Though Luo Jiu practiced Bigu (abstaining from grains), she still loved to eat. She devoured nearly the entire pot of soup herself, while Shang Qianye only drank one bowl before waiting for Luo Jiu to finish so she could clear the dishes.

Night fell quickly. Shang Qianye lit a candle in the cave, illuminating the already dimly lit space.

“Master,” Shang Qianye said, producing a wooden tub from seemingly nowhere. She placed it before Luo Jiu and said, “Soak your feet.”

Luo Jiu tilted her head, looking at her in bewilderment. “Just how much did you bring with you?”

Shang Qianye smiled faintly, tilting her head back, but remained silent.

While Luo Jiu soaked her feet, Shang Qianye washed the dishes and neatly stacked them in the carved niches in the cave wall. Luo Jiu watched her from the stone bed, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The cave was quiet, save for the clatter of Shang Qianye tidying up and the crackling of the candle flame.

Luo Jiu, feeling drowsy from the foot soak, yawned lazily.

Having repaired over a dozen damaged barriers today, Luo Jiu was already exhausted. Now, after soaking her feet, she was so sleepy her eyes could barely stay open.

“Master, are you tired?”

Shang Qianye had quietly approached, holding a foot-drying cloth. “If you’re tired, Master, you should rest early.”

Luo Jiu nodded, took the cloth to dry her feet, and prepared to sit cross-legged in meditation to enter a meditative state.

After Shang Qianye finished tidying up the foot-soaking tub, she saw Luo Jiu sitting on the stone platform with her eyes closed, surrounded by wisps of spiritual energy, clearly ready to rest.

“Master, wait a moment before sleeping.” Shang Qianye retrieved a small medicine box from her Cosmic Pouch. “Senior Sister Qin gave me these Mind-Clearing and Qi-Calming Medicinal Pills. Take one before bed for a better rest.”

Luo Jiu opened one eye to glance at her. “You’re usually so quiet. Why are you suddenly so attentive?”

Shang Qianye smiled and handed over the medicine box.

After taking the pill, Luo Jiu truly began to drift off. With her eyes still closed, she said to Shang Qianye, “The stone bed is mine. Find somewhere else to rest.”

This was a clear dismissal, forbidding Shang Qianye from sharing the bed.

Shang Qianye hummed in acknowledgment, obediently finding a corner to clean and settling down in a meditative posture, mimicking Luo Jiu’s seated position. She closed her eyes and began to rest.

Unaccustomed to meditating to sleep, Shang Qianye remained awake until the candle flickered out. Only then did drowsiness begin to creep in, her consciousness gradually blurring as she drifted into a deep slumber.

She felt herself transported back to Ginkgo Courtyard.

The courtyard was eerily silent in the daytime. Shang Qianye sat blankly at her bedroom vanity, her eyes snapping open to meet her own reflection in the mirror.

Shang Qianye glanced around in confusion, finding her room unchanged from when she had left it. Nothing seemed out of place.

Suddenly, she sensed something was amiss.

She turned to look at her reflection.

While Shang Qianye had been scanning the room, her reflection hadn’t moved. Instead, it continued to stare directly at her, a faint smile playing on its lips.

Shang Qianye, we meet again.

The woman in the mirror spoke abruptly, yet Shang Qianye showed no surprise. It was as if she had anticipated this moment, her heart remaining calm.

The woman in the mirror had the same face as Shang Qianye, except for her crimson eyes.

She smiled softly, her lips curving upward, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

You didn’t think that by prematurely dispelling the Gu, you’d never see me again, did you?

The woman chuckled. You know deep down I’m not some Heart Demon that spontaneously arose. I’ve always been a part of you, a longing buried in your heart.

In countless dark nights, whenever you felt wronged or bullied, I would appear.

Though I never replaced you, every thought I had was yours.

Shang Qianye, don’t reject me. We are, after all, the same person.

Shang Qianye watched the woman in the mirror speak to herself, her expression blank. Only at the end did she furrow her brow slightly in impatience. After a long pause, she finally spoke: “I’m living a good life now. Don’t appear again.”

The woman laughed softly.

Are you truly living a good life?

Does Luo Jiu love you?

Now that the Gu is gone, will she still want to be close to you?

The woman shook her head, looking at Shang Qianye with disappointment. “If you had let me take your place, Luo Jiu would be sleeping in my arms tonight, instead of not even letting you onto the bed.”

Shang Qianye retorted, “I’m not you. I wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to Master. I love her, so I won’t force her.”

“You’re so foolish,” the woman sighed, pressing closer to the mirror. “If you don’t fight for her, Luo Jiu will abandon you the moment the Gu is removed. If I were you, I’d have a thousand ways to keep her by my side.”

“I told you, I won’t force her,” Shang Qianye said impatiently. “You’re not me. You don’t understand what I truly want.”

At this, the woman slapped her hand against the mirror with a sharp crack.

Staring at Shang Qianye with crimson eyes, she hissed, “Your indecisiveness will only lead to regret. You’ll regret not claiming Luo Jiu as your own sooner.”

You’ll definitely regret not letting me replace you sooner.

Shang Qianye, you will.

Shang Qianye’s eyes snapped open, her ragged breathing echoing sharply in the mountain cave.

Clutching her pounding chest, she realized her breath was ragged, still shaken by the woman in her dream.

Shang Qianye, you will succeed.

The woman’s final words hung in the air like a curse, leaving Shang Qianye feeling suffocated, as if she couldn’t catch her breath.

“What’s wrong?”

A familiar voice cut through the darkness.

By the moonlight filtering into the cave, Luo Jiu opened her eyes and saw Shang Qianye sitting on the ground, panting heavily. “Nightmare?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Shang Qianye turned to look at her, silent for a long moment before nodding.

Luo Jiu sighed softly, scooted closer to the stone bed, and patted the empty space beside her. “At your age, still getting scared by dreams,” she said. “Come sit. I’ll make an exception and let you rest on my stone bed tonight.”

Shang Qianye hesitated, and Luo Jiu glared at her.

“What are you waiting for?” Luo Jiu demanded. “Get up here or get out. Your choice.”

Of course, she couldn’t leave.

Shang Qianye immediately rose and walked to the stone bed, bowing her head to gaze at the person before her.

In her dream, the woman’s words still echoed in her ears: If I had taken your place, Luo Jiu would have already…

Yes.

Shang Qianye’s desires were like this. No matter how kind she pretended to be, deep down she was selfish.

She wanted Luo Jiu to fall in love with her.

She wanted Luo Jiu to be obsessed with her.

She wanted Luo Jiu to submit to her…

“Master…”

Shang Qianye lowered her gaze slightly, clutching her fingertips as she whispered, “Does Master like me?”

Luo Jiu froze, staring at her with confusion.

Shang Qianye knew she had asked a foolish question. She felt like she was still half-asleep, rambling nonsense.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that,” Shang Qianye stammered, her face flushing red. “I was just asking randomly. Master, please don’t take it to heart. I’ll go rest now.”

Shang Qianye swiftly removed her shoes and socks, climbed onto the bed, and settled down beside Luo Jiu, each taking up half the stone bed. She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

Luo Jiu blinked slightly, stealing glances at Shang Qianye before finally whispering, “You’re my disciple. Of course I like you.”

Beneath Shang Qianye’s closed eyelids, her eyes shifted slightly.

A long silence followed.

It wasn’t until the sky began to lighten that Shang Qianye finally drifted off to sleep…

When Shang Qianye opened her eyes again, her perspective had shifted.

She remembered falling asleep sitting up, but now she found herself resting against something. Squinting to focus, she realized she was leaning against Luo Jiu’s shoulder.

Shang Qianye immediately sat up straight, turning to look at Luo Jiu, who still had her eyes closed. She held her breath, afraid to make a sound.

Was Luo Jiu asleep or awake?

“Since you’re awake, stop daydreaming,” Luo Jiu said, her eyes still closed. “I have a lot to do today and no time for your nonsense.”

Shang Qianye scrambled off the bed. “Master, wait a moment,” she said. “I’ll fetch water for you to wash up.”

Luo Jiu opened her eyes just in time to see Shang Qianye leaving with a copper basin and towel, presumably to heat water outside the door.

After a quick wash, Luo Jiu returned to find Shang Qianye had already prepared breakfast: leftover pastries from the previous day and a bright red apple.

The two sat at the stone table, neither mentioning the morning’s events. Shang Qianye poured tea for Luo Jiu, who chewed on the sweet, juicy apple without even glancing at her.

After finishing breakfast, Luo Jiu said, “I’ll be busy today and won’t be back until evening. Stay here and don’t wander around. If you’re bored, take a nap.”

“Yes, Master,” Shang Qianye replied. “Actually, I brought some books with me. Since we still have no leads on the love gu, I thought I’d use this time to do some research.”

Luo Jiu nodded. “That’s fine.”

Shang Qianye emptied her Cosmic Pouch, pulling out a stack of colorful books, along with writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. At first glance, it looked quite impressive.

Luo Jiu glanced at the vibrant books and casually picked one up to examine it.

The Demon Lord’s Gentle Affection

Luo Jiu: ?

She set it down and picked up another.

The Aloof Master and Our Nights of Passion

Luo Jiu: ……!

What kind of books are these?!

Luo Jiu stared in astonishment at the romance novel in her hand, tossing it back like a hot potato. She glared angrily at Shang Qianye, stood up, and snapped, “Fine! So this is what you spend your days reading, huh?”

Shang Qianye looked up, bewildered, and stared back at her, utterly confused.

“Get rid of all this trash immediately!” Luo Jiu said angrily, turning and storming out of the room.

Shang Qianye scratched her head, picked up the novel Luo Jiu had just thrown down, and glanced at the title. She immediately felt awkward herself. She’d been too busy the previous day and had asked the library staff to pack the books for her, never expecting such romance novels to be mixed in.

Aside from these two, most of the books were proper academic texts. But Luo Jiu’s luck had been terrible—she’d picked the two inappropriate ones right away.

Shang Qianye clutched her head, feeling a headache coming on. Chasing after Luo Jiu to explain now might only make things worse. She decided to wait until Luo Jiu returned that evening and try to coax her then.

After all, Luo Jiu had been angry before, and she usually cooled down quickly… right?