Master, Please Help Me Break the Love Curse! - Chapter 35

Luo Jiu’s words sent a jolt of alarm through Shang Qianye’s heart.

“How could there possibly be a Demonic Sect spy within the Lingxiao Sect?” Shang Qianye asked frantically. “Does Master suspect anyone?”

Luo Jiu looked at Shang Qianye, her expression hesitant. She didn’t reveal whom she suspected, but instead said, “I’m going to the Heavenly Dao Brake tomorrow. You’ll come with me.”

Shang Qianye’s heart pounded. “Master, are you worried someone might harm me while you’re away?”

Luo Jiu nodded. “If you die, I’ll be severely injured, and the Heavenly Dao Brake’s barrier will be in grave danger. So you’ll enter with me first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll have Yu Shiyan prepare enough medicine for you to take inside tonight. During this time, you must not allow anyone to examine you or consume anything except what Yu Shiyan and I give you.”

Shang Qianye, thoroughly frightened, nodded repeatedly. “I understand, Master.”

That afternoon, many people came to visit Shang Qianye, including Qin Wangyue and her disciples. Shang Qianye strictly followed Luo Jiu’s instructions, refusing to eat anything offered by others, even the Medicinal Pill Qin Wangyue brought.

As night fell, Luo Jiu was still busy preparing for their seclusion the next day. She sent Shang Qianye only a sound transmission talisman.

Shang Qianye gazed at the few words on the talisman and sighed helplessly. She folded the talisman and tucked it into her inner pocket.

At least Luo Jiu, who wouldn’t even return to sleep, had sent her a sound transmission talisman.

That was progress, of sorts.

The next morning, Shang Qianye woke up early. She hadn’t told anyone about her seclusion with Luo Jiu, except for Gu Jin and Yu Shiyan. Even Gu Yunqing only learned of it that morning.

“Senior Sister just woke up! How can she go into seclusion?” Gu Yunqing paced anxiously before the Heavenly Dao Brake Barrier. “No, I have to go in too! Who will take care of Senior Sister Shang otherwise?”

Luo Jiu pushed Shang Qianye’s wheelchair and said, “I can take care of her.”

Gu Yunqing looked at Luo Jiu, about to protest, but Gu Jin stopped her. “Enough. Qianye is young and will recover quickly. Besides, you can’t enter the Heavenly Dao Brake anyway. Don’t make things more complicated.”

“But…”

“Besides, all the medicine is prepared. All that’s left is for her to rest quietly,” Gu Jin said, turning to Luo Jiu and Shang Qianye. “You two focus on recovering inside. If you need anything, send a sound transmission talisman, and I’ll have someone deliver it to the entrance.”

Luo Jiu nodded, her gaze sweeping over the assembled group. For now, these were the people she trusted.

“This seclusion might take longer than the last one,” Luo Jiu told Gu Jin. “We’ve captured the Snake Lady, so the Demonic Sect will undoubtedly try to rescue her. Please ensure you block anyone who tries to approach.”

Gu Jin nodded firmly. “I’ll keep a close watch on the Snake Lady and prevent anyone from getting near her.”

Luo Jiu suddenly remembered something and leaned in to whisper instructions to Gu Jin. Gu Jin’s eyes widened slightly before she nodded in understanding.

Pushing Shang Qianye into the Barrier, this time Shang Qianye felt as though she had grown accustomed to the sensation. When she opened her eyes, she was already inside the Barrier.

“Master, what did you say to the Sect Leader just now?” Shang Qianye asked, tilting her head curiously toward Luo Jiu behind her.

“Nothing important,” Luo Jiu replied, sticking a Talisman onto Shang Qianye’s wheelchair. This allowed the chair to move on its own, freeing Luo Jiu to walk ahead and say, “Let’s go back to the Cave to rest. You need to focus on healing your injuries.”

The wheelchair automatically propelled Shang Qianye forward. She leaned back against the seat, sighing helplessly.

The Cave remained unchanged from their last visit. Luo Jiu, never one for domestic tasks, made even the simplest chore of making the bed look like a magical duel. Pillows and blankets flew through the air, leaving Shang Qianye trembling in fear.

After finally managing to make the bed, Luo Jiu helped Shang Qianye lie down. Shang Qianye gazed up at her expectantly. “Master, do I have to stay lying down all the time? Can’t I sit up and read for a while?”

“What book are you reading?” Luo Jiu, her mind agitated by the bed-making, glared impatiently at Shang Qianye. “Just lie down and sleep. If you can’t sleep, close your eyes and rest.”

Shang Qianye fell silent, temporarily pretending to be mute.

That evening, Luo Jiu brewed another medicinal concoction for Shang Qianye. The flames outside the door blazed fiercely, causing Shang Qianye’s vision to darken repeatedly. She genuinely feared that Luo Jiu’s excessive use of Spiritual Energy would prevent her from fully repairing the Heavenly Dao Brake’s Barrier, dooming them both.

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Luo Jiu painstakingly prepared a bowl of dark, viscous medicine. Shang Qianye eyed the concoction, suspecting her Master might be plotting to murder her own disciple.

“This medicine…” Shang Qianye began cautiously.

“Drink it,” Luo Jiu ordered.

Shang Qianye: “……”

Might as well drink it.

It won’t kill me… right?

Forcing herself to swallow the medicine, Shang Qianye found it not only bitter but also burnt-tasting. The black residue she spat out at the end was unidentifiable.

She didn’t dare ask what it was.

The next morning, Shang Qianye woke up feeling completely off. A dull ache throbbed in her head and around her eyes, and her wound burned with feverish heat. She couldn’t tell if it was a reaction to the medicine she’d taken the night before, or if… the day the love gu would activate had arrived.

Deep within the dungeon, several Blue Guards stood watch.

“Senior Sister Qin,” the disciples who recognized Qin Wangyue greeted her with respectful bows. One of them, however, cautiously blocked her path. “Senior Sister Qin, where are you headed? Do you have the Elder’s authorization?”

A nearby guard tugged at his sleeve, signaling him with a pointed look: What authorization? Don’t you know Qin Wangyue, the Medicinal Cultivator?

But the stubborn guard insisted, “The Sect Leader ordered that only disciples with the Elder’s authorization may enter the dungeon’s depths. I’m just following protocol.”

“You…”

Qin Wangyue, ever patient, smiled and retrieved the authorization from her sleeve. “No need to argue, we’re all fellow disciples. Protocol is protocol. Here, check it.”

The stubborn guard accepted the authorization and verified its authenticity with Spiritual Energy before returning it. “Senior Sister Qin, what brings you here? We need to record your purpose.”

Qin Wangyue said, “The Snake Lady who was captured is injured, isn’t she? The Junior Sister who was treating her earlier couldn’t get away, so I came instead. Here are the medicinal herbs I brought. Would you like to inspect them?”

Seeing Qin Wangyue’s cooperation, the disciples politely examined her belongings, registered them, and then allowed her to enter.

Though Qin Wangyue had gained entry, a disciple was assigned to escort her. The two walked single file to the Snake Lady’s cell. The Snake Lady lay stiffly on a pile of straw, not even opening her eyes at their approach, as if conserving her strength.

The iron chains of the cell clanked open. Qin Wangyue said to the disciple, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Only then did the Snake Lady open her eyes at the sound of Qin Wangyue’s voice.

Pretending not to notice the Snake Lady’s gaze, Qin Wangyue walked up to her with her medicine chest and said, “I’m the physician here to change your dressing today. Is your wound feeling any better? Any discomfort?”

The Snake Lady chuckled, her eyes like silk as she gazed at Qin Wangyue. “Why send such a beautiful junior sister today? I thought I was seeing a celestial maiden.”

Qin Wangyue was long accustomed to the Snake Lady’s glib tongue. She glanced discreetly at the Lingxiao Sect disciple guarding the door, and seeing no sign of him entering, she knelt beside the Snake Lady and began unwrapping the bandages around her wound.

“I’m going to change your dressing now,” Qin Wangyue said. “It will sting a bit. Please bear with it.”

Her movements were practiced and efficient. As she lifted the Snake Lady’s robes, the disciple outside turned away awkwardly to avoid any impropriety, refusing to look at the Snake Lady’s exposed body.

The Snake Lady gazed at Qin Wangyue, seeing only her lowered eyes focused intently on changing the dressing, as if she had no intention of saying anything further.

“Fairy, you’re hurting me,” the Snake Lady murmured softly. “Be gentler.”

“Alright,” Qin Wangyue replied quietly.

And so they continued: one changing the dressing, the other whimpering dramatically, occasionally trying to strike up a conversation with Qin Wangyue. But it was mostly the Snake Lady who spoke, Qin Wangyue offering no response.

After changing the medicine, Qin Wangyue didn’t linger. She rose and left the prison cell without even a backward glance, departing directly.

As evening approached, Gu Jin finished her tasks and came to check on the dungeon.

She flipped through the day’s visitor log, scanning the familiar and unfamiliar names. Casually, she asked, “Who came to visit the Snake Lady today?”

“Sect Leader, only Qin Wangyue, the Medicinal Cultivator, came.”

“Oh? Qin Wangyue?” Gu Jin murmured, savoring the name. She closed the log and asked with a smile, “What did she say to the Snake Lady?”

“Nothing much, Sect Leader. She just came to change the wound medicine. The Snake Lady kept trying to chat with her, but Qin Wangyue ignored her and left after changing the medicine.”

Gu Jin pondered for a moment before setting down the log. She instructed the dungeon guards, “Continue to monitor the situation closely. If you notice anyone behaving suspiciously or becoming too familiar with the Snake Lady, report it to me immediately.”

“Understood!”

Luo Jiu had depleted some of her Spiritual Energy while transferring it to Shang Qianye, leaving her physically weakened. Despite several days of recuperation, her Spiritual Energy hadn’t fully recovered, forcing her to work late into the night on the first day of repairing the Barrier.

Before leaving, Luo Jiu had given Shang Qianye her medicine. The woman was currently bedridden, resting with her eyes closed. Though Luo Jiu wasn’t worried about her getting out of bed, she hurried back nonetheless.

From a distance, she spotted the Cave, now pitch-black, giving her the eerie illusion that she was the only person left in the Heavenly Dao Brake.

If not for the faint moans drifting from within the Cave.

“Qianye?”

Luo Jiu rushed inside and saw a tall, dark figure huddled on the stone bed. Assuming Shang Qianye’s wounds were acting up again, she hurried over. But as she lifted the covers, two hands shot out from the darkness and yanked her down.

“Master, you’re finally back.”

The person on the bed breathed hotly against Luo Jiu’s neck, their hands boldly exploring her waist and hips. Their voice was chilling, like that of a ravenous female ghost as they whispered into Luo Jiu’s ear, “Half a day apart, Master, did you miss me?”

Sensing danger, Luo Jiu immediately looked into Shang Qianye’s eyes. When she saw that crimson glint in the darkness, her heart sank.

Damn it, I forgot to remove the Gu beforehand.