Master, Please Help Me Break the Love Curse! - Chapter 47

“This epidemic may be a natural disaster, or it could be a man-made calamity.”

Luo Jiu gazed at Shang Qianye, her brow furrowed. She had already suspected as much when A Yu described the changes in her village. This epidemic wasn’t natural; someone must have poisoned the water.

As for who was responsible and who had the means to carry out such an act, Luo Jiu had no leads yet.

“The enemy operates in the shadows while we’re in plain sight, making things more complicated,” Luo Jiu observed, scrutinizing the person standing before her. She decided to assign her a task: “The Lingxiao Sect’s mole must be watching us closely right now. Fortunately, my reclusive nature means they won’t be able to enter the courtyard for a while, giving us a few days to deceive them. During this time, go down the mountain and investigate the situation in the village.”

Shang Qianye blinked at her, offering a gentle reminder: “Master, have you forgotten I’m still a patient?”

She still needed to take her medicine daily, and Yu Shiyan had instructed her to rest more. How could Luo Jiu suddenly start assigning her tasks?

Luo Jiu winked at her, seemingly having completely forgotten about the matter.

“It’s not a problem,” Luo Jiu reassured her. “Resting after we finish will be fine.”

“Master…”

Shang Qianye sighed, walked up to Luo Jiu, and took her hand. Her long, delicate eyelashes fluttered slightly as she whispered, “I don’t mind doing work, but shouldn’t Master offer some reward first?”

Luo Jiu feigned ignorance. “What kind of reward do you want?”

Shang Qianye chuckled softly, leaning in close. “Master should kiss me first.”

Luo Jiu’s dark eyes met hers. After a moment’s hesitation, she agreed, leaning in to press a kiss to Shang Qianye’s cheek. But Shang Qianye tilted her head, shifting the angle so their lips met instead.

Their lips pressed tightly together. Luo Jiu frowned, trying to push her away, but Shang Qianye gripped her wrist firmly with one hand while the other wrapped around Luo Jiu’s waist. She even used her tongue to part Luo Jiu’s lips, deepening the kiss.

Luo Jiu was breathless from the kiss. She had thought Shang Qianye would only steal a few pecks, but the woman had taken advantage, even daring to move her hand down and squeeze Luo Jiu’s butt suggestively.

“Hiss—”

Shang Qianye yelped as Luo Jiu bit her hard, drawing bl00d from her lip. Forced to release her embrace, Shang Qianye glared at her resentfully. “Master, why did you bite me?”

Luo Jiu shoved her chest, pushing her away. “You were being too bold. You deserved a lesson.”

As she spoke, Luo Jiu instinctively glanced at the bedroom. The door, which had been tightly shut moments ago, now stood ajar, a clear sign that A Yu had witnessed everything from inside.

This only fueled Luo Jiu’s anger.

Shang Qianye followed her gaze and turned to see the crack in the door. She rubbed her nose awkwardly.

“Master…”

“Don’t call me Master,” Luo Jiu snapped, her voice cold. “Handle this yourself. Otherwise, I’ll throw that girl back into the Corpse Pit.”

Shang Qianye knew Luo Jiu was just making an empty threat, but she sighed helplessly as Luo Jiu swept her sleeves and turned to leave the Small Courtyard. Only after Luo Jiu had departed did Shang Qianye approach the door and knock twice.

A shadow flickered through the crack in the door. A Yu timidly opened it and looked up at Shang Qianye standing outside.

“What’s wrong?” Shang Qianye asked gently. “You should be resting in bed. Why did you get up? Are you feeling worse?”

A Yu blinked at her and whispered, “Are you… going to throw me back into the Corpse Pit?”

Shang Qianye paused, speechless.

This child actually took Luo Jiu’s words seriously.

“Of course not,” Shang Qianye said, her eyes crinkling with amusement as she bent down to A Yu’s level. “My Master is just like that—her words might sound harsh, but she has a good heart. Since she saved you, she would never throw you back.”

Harsh words?

A Yu stared at the woman before her, confused. If the Fairy’s words are so harsh, why did you kiss her?

A Yu didn’t understand, but she didn’t dare ask.

Shang Qianye noticed A Yu’s continued confusion and, knowing children might not grasp such things, patted her head and said, “Let’s talk about it later, okay?”

“Can you… can you promise not to tell anyone about what happened between me and my Master just now?” Shang Qianye offered an excuse. “My Master is very shy. If others knew about our relationship, she’d be so embarrassed, she might even cry. So, could you please help me keep it a secret?”

“That auntie would cry too?” A Yu stared at Shang Qianye in disbelief.

“Of course! She’s a real crybaby,” Shang Qianye said. “She cries at the slightest thing. I have to spend ages comforting her.”

A Yu felt a pang of sympathy for this older sister. She seemed so kind, yet she was fond of someone so… temperamental.

But it wasn’t really her business. In their village, some men married difficult wives. Her parents always said, “To each their own,” and only the couple knew whether they were truly happy.

“Okay, I won’t tell anyone,” A Yu promised. “And… I need to go to the outhouse, Sister.”

“Come on, I’ll take you,” Shang Qianye said.

After showing A Yu around the Small Courtyard, Shang Qianye noticed the girl’s initial excitement fading as the night wind picked up, causing her to cough more violently. Fearing her condition might worsen, Shang Qianye took her back inside, leaving some snacks to tide her over and promising to visit again the next day.

The following day, A Yu’s sister finally met the ‘crybaby’ aunt.

Luo Jiu had never cared for children before, but she had managed to look after Shang Qianye, who was even younger, quite well.

As soon as Luo Jiu arrived, she placed the steamed buns she’d brought from the dining hall on the table, gesturing for Little A Yu to come and eat. The girl, too shy to speak to this aunt, could only bury her face in the buns, choking without anyone to help her swallow.

After watching her finish all three large meat buns, Luo Jiu praised her good appetite.

Yu Shiyan stopped by again to check on A Yu. Her condition had improved significantly—as long as she could eat, she would survive. However, the illness had weakened her constitution, leaving her much frailer than before. She would no longer be able to perform strenuous physical labor.

Regarding the cough, Yu Shiyan said, “It tends to recur when the weather is cold or when your health isn’t at its best. You must be extra careful, as excessive coughing can lead to bleeding.”

A Yu nodded blankly, seeming to understand only vaguely.

After finishing her examination, Yu Shiyan left some Medicinal Pills and gestured for Luo Jiu to follow her outside.

“I might need to go down the mountain for a few days,” Yu Shiyan told Luo Jiu. “Qianye has improved significantly, but Little A Yu’s condition remains concerning. Continue giving her the previous medication; it’s been quite effective, and she should recover soon.”

Luo Jiu picked up on the key point in her words and asked, “What’s taking you down the mountain?”

Yu Shiyan replied, “The situation in the epidemic area seems to be worsening. I need to assess it personally.”

Luo Jiu gave her a calm look before asking, “Besides you, who else is going?”

“A Yue and several other disciples will accompany me.”

“I see…”

Luo Jiu’s thoughtful expression puzzled Yu Shiyan. Their relationship had never been particularly close. Luo Jiu, bound by her duty to guard the Heavenly Dao Brake, rarely left the Lingxiao Sect. Yu Shiyan knew Luo Jiu’s temperament was somewhat eccentric; she remained aloof and distant toward everyone except her closest companions, so Yu Shiyan had never sought to befriend her.

At most, they were nodding acquaintances.

If not for Shang Qianye’s injury, their paths might never have crossed at all.

Suddenly, Luo Jiu extended her hand and summoned a talisman. Unlike the common yellow talisman paper, this one was transparent, like ethereal smoke, its surface shimmering with intricate patterns that shifted with the angle of light. It was clearly no ordinary talisman.

“Keep this close,” Luo Jiu said, handing the talisman to Yu Shiyan with a meaningful look. “It could save your life in a critical moment.”

Yu Shiyan accepted the talisman. As if sensing its purpose, the talisman floated lightly from her fingertips to Yu Shiyan’s forehead, then vanished without a trace.

“Why are you giving me this?” Yu Shiyan asked Luo Jiu, touching her forehead in confusion.

“I don’t know,” Luo Jiu replied. “I just have a feeling your trip down the mountain won’t go smoothly. This life-saving talisman will offer some extra protection.”

This talisman was different from the one she had given Shang Qianye earlier. Shang Qianye’s talisman paper was designed to withstand a fatal blow from an enemy, like the explosives the Snake Lady had hidden in her zither. It could protect her meridians in close-range danger, preventing immediate death.

This talisman, however, safeguarded the Golden Core. For cultivators at Yu Shiyan’s level, the physical body was no longer paramount. As long as the Golden Core remained intact and consciousness persisted, there would always be a way to survive.

“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony,” Yu Shiyan said, gratefully accepting the life-saving talisman from Luo Jiu.

After Yu Shiyan departed, Luo Jiu went to check on A Yu. The little girl was noticeably better than the day before, her eyes wide and alert as she watched Luo Jiu stand awkwardly in the corner of the room, regarding her warily.

Under A Yu’s gaze, Luo Jiu settled into a chair, casually crossing her legs.

“I’ll be leaving soon. The food is in the kitchen; help yourself when you’re hungry,” Luo Jiu said. “If you get bored, you can walk around the courtyard, but don’t cross the fence or leave the courtyard. Otherwise, if someone captures you, I won’t come to rescue you.”

Little A Yu nodded solemnly. “I understand, Auntie.”

Luo Jiu raised an eyebrow, giving the child a scrutinizing look. “Why do you call me ‘Auntie’ but Shang Qianye ‘Sister’? Do I look that old?”

Little A Yu shrank back, her neck tensing. In truth, Luo Jiu didn’t look old at all. Cultivators could maintain their youthful appearance as their cultivation advanced, so whether Luo Jiu was a hundred or two hundred years old, she would always appear young.

However, A Yu still vividly remembered Luo Jiu’s “fierce” threat to throw her back into the Corpse Pit. She had always been afraid of Luo Jiu, and calling her “Auntie” felt both respectful and familiar.

“Because Mother said… said calling you ‘Auntie’ sounds more respectful…” A Yu explained softly.

“Alright, call me whatever you want,” Luo Jiu said, not taking it to heart. Seeing the child was in good spirits and unlikely to cause trouble alone, she cast another layer of barrier around the small courtyard before leaving. A mortal without any cultivation would be unable to escape the courtyard.

Returning to the Medicine Lodge, Luo Jiu noticed that many of the Medicinal Cultivator disciples were gone. The remaining few hurried about, looking extremely busy.

As she stepped into her temporary courtyard residence, a shadow darted toward her, throwing itself into her arms and hugging her tightly.

“Master,” the figure said, blinking up at her with a wide smile. “Why did you take so long to come back? I missed you so much.”

Luo Jiu studied the ‘Shang Qianye’ before her, then sighed and flicked her finger against the figure’s forehead. With a poof, the ‘person’ transformed into a yellow talisman paper, fluttering gently into her palm.

“It’s already this late. Why haven’t you returned yet?” Luo Jiu murmured, gazing at the talisman paper with its crudely drawn stick figure. “This little figure is so ugly. It’s only good enough to fool those gullible Medicinal Cultivators outside.”