Master, Please Help Me Break the Love Curse! - Chapter 50

At a house on the edge of the village, Shang Qianye pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was brightly lit, and Talisman Cultivator Disciples moved about, forming a large Formation. At its center stood Luo Jiu, the Formation Master.

Her white robes billowed as her hands formed seals, her gaze lowered. The spiritual energy of the disciples converged upon her, then flowed through the Formation beneath her feet, radiating outward in all directions.

Sensing Shang Qianye’s arrival, Luo Jiu slightly lifted her lowered brows, glanced at her, and resumed her incantation. This time, however, she didn’t maintain the spell for long. Leaving a Talisman as a temporary Formation Master, she stepped out of the Formation.

“Master,” Shang Qianye hurried forward. “Qin Wangyue has escaped.”

Luo Jiu nodded. “The Formation is activated. She won’t get far.”

Shang Qianye understood the principle. Luo Jiu’s Formation was specifically designed for Qin Wangyue; as long as Luo Jiu remained, Qin Wangyue couldn’t leave the village.

“Have the villagers been settled?” Luo Jiu asked.

“All arrangements are complete. The Medicinal Cultivator Disciples and government officials are also present.”

Fifteen minutes earlier, when Luo Jiu sensed Qin Wangyue preparing to act, she had already activated a pre-arranged Formation to evacuate all the patients and Medicinal Cultivators. Now, only Qin Wangyue and the Lingxiao Sect disciples pursuing her remained in the Plague Village.

Luo Jiu nodded, gazing into the dense darkness of the night. “Let’s hope this time we can capture her once and for all,” she murmured.

Shang Qianye kept her eyes fixed on the person before her. Watching Luo Jiu’s calm demeanor as she spoke, she couldn’t help but recall the previous night, when Luo Jiu had suddenly come to her room and proactively offered to cure the Gu.

Shang Qianye understood that Luo Jiu had done this as a precaution, to prevent the love gu from disrupting their plans during the operation. Yet, in the past, Luo Jiu had always been reluctant to cure the Gu.

Though she would eventually comply, her主动 approach this time was unprecedented.

The moonlight had been dim last night, but Shang Qianye still vividly remembered Luo Jiu’s slender, pale arm clinging stickily to her shoulder, her breath hot against her skin, the corners of her eyes tinged with a seductive apricot-red, and even her waist seemed more pliant than usual.

Lost in thought, Shang Qianye remained oblivious until Luo Jiu, her face dark with displeasure, called out to her. Startled, Shang Qianye blinked and asked, “What did you say, Master?”

Luo Jiu stared at her, her expression unreadable. She could tell Shang Qianye was lost in her own world.

Yesterday, after careful consideration, Luo Jiu had decided to seek out Shang Qianye. Although the Gu poison wouldn’t activate for several days, Qin Wangyue was a member of the Demonic Sect and highly valued by Yu Shiyan. If Qin Wangyue carelessly moved a finger, as she had done before, it could trigger the Gu poison prematurely. This would not only be dangerous but also create an awkward situation for both of them.

Seeing Shang Qianye’s dazed expression, Luo Jiu couldn’t resist a sarcastic remark.

“You’re not a Sword Cultivator,” she said. “Why are you running around with a sword all day? If you don’t want to learn Formations from me, you don’t have to. I can recommend you to Gu Jin for sword techniques.”

Shang Qianye fell silent, discreetly hiding the sword behind her back. She wondered what she had done to upset Luo Jiu this time.

“Master, I was wrong,” Shang Qianye apologized sincerely, taking a step closer and lowering her voice. “Please don’t be angry.”

Luo Jiu glanced at her sideways before turning away. “Enter the Formation and protect me while I work.”

A long waterway encircled half of Plague Village, forming a natural barrier.

Qin Wangyue pulled up her black hood, hiding behind Yu Shiyan as they cautiously moved through the night. She had left something in a dilapidated hut in the southeast corner—a gift from Xuan Ying, enough to help her escape.

Because Xuan Ying was a pure disciple of the Demonic Sect, her belongings carried Malevolent Qi. Qin Wangyue couldn’t carry them openly, so she had secretly hidden them away for emergencies.

The two figures twisted and turned through the dark alleys until they finally reached the dilapidated hut.

Qin Wangyue quickly lowered her hood, crouched in a corner, and used her hands to clear away the concealing straw and wood shavings. Buried in the dirt, she found a small finger bone.

“This is it,” she murmured, clutching the bone. A wave of relief washed over her. Though her escape had been humiliating, she vowed to one day reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Just as Qin Wangyue was about to leave with the finger bone, she sensed a surge of spiritual energy. In the next instant, a Formation descended from the sky, locking directly above her head. Had Yu Shiyan not cast a swift counter-spell, Qin Wangyue would have been pinned to the ground.

Qin Wangyue gazed at the blue-white Formation, its surface shimmering with ethereal light, and knew that her chances of survival this time were slim.

Luo Jiu had come in person.

A gust of wind swept through the dilapidated hut, followed by a deafening roar that pierced Qin Wangyue’s eardrums, as if trying to tear her mind apart.

“Qin Wangyue,” Luo Jiu’s voice echoed in her mind. The force of the voice made Qin Wangyue cough up a mouthful of bl00d, the crimson liquid splattering onto the ground and staining the hem of Yu Shiyan’s robe.

Clutching her chest in despair, Qin Wangyue felt the weight of her successive injuries.

No.

She had come this far. She had to survive.

At that moment, Yu Shiyan, still acting like a puppet, stood beside Qin Wangyue. He felt nothing, spoke nothing, acting solely on instinct to protect her.

“Elder Luo, don’t make any rash moves,” Qin Wangyue said, steadying herself against the wall. “I have her under control. She’ll do whatever I say now. Let me go, and I’ll release her!”

Luo Jiu remained silent for a long moment.

Seeing this, Qin Wangyue grabbed Yu Shiyan and dragged her outside. She refused to believe that the Lingxiao Sect would stand idly by if Yu Shiyan detonated her Golden Core.

No matter what, she had to escape.

Perhaps out of caution, Qin Wangyue encountered no resistance as she emerged from the dilapidated hut. However, she dared not make any rash moves. Standing in the courtyard, she clutched the severed finger bone in one hand and the Soul-Devouring Pearl in the other.

“Luo Jiu, I may not be able to defeat you, but I won’t cower before you!” Qin Wangyue shouted, her voice ringing across the courtyard as she gazed at the Formation array materializing in all directions above. “If I die, Yu Shiyan won’t survive either! I’ll just make her detonate her Golden Core—we’ll all perish together!”

The detonation of a Golden Core by a powerful Elder could obliterate not just this village, but even level the entire Lingxiao Sect to the ground.

After a long silence, Luo Jiu finally responded.

“Release Yu Shiyan, and I’ll let you go.”

Qin Wangyue scoffed. “Do you think I’m a fool? If I release Yu Shiyan, do you really think you’d let me escape?” Her voice sharpened. “We die together, or we leave together!”

Luo Jiu sighed softly. One by one, the formations above Qin Wangyue’s head flickered out, signaling her agreement.

Qin Wangyue’s heart leaped with joy, but she remained wary, suspecting Luo Jiu might be plotting some trickery. After all, she wasn’t as naive as that fool Shang Qianye, who fell for such schemes so easily.

“Master,” Qin Wangyue said, turning to look at the woman pressed tightly against her side. “Hold me close. Let’s leave together.”

Yu Shiyan moved silently to stand before her, bending slightly to embrace her.

Qin Wangyue, suspecting nothing, immediately cast a spell on the severed finger bone. A gust of black wind swept past, converging at their feet. The solid ground beneath them dissolved into a pool of dark water, gradually swallowing the two women until they vanished completely.

Within the formation, Shang Qianye opened her eyes, her gaze heavy as she stared at Luo Jiu, who stood with her back turned. Frowning, she murmured, “Master…”

Luo Jiu also opened her eyes. She lowered her hands, and the massive formation beneath her feet gradually dimmed as her spiritual energy receded, until the ground returned to ordinary mud.

Luo Jiu glanced back at Shang Qianye and instructed, “Qin Wangyue has already fled, likely heading east. Go inform Gu Yunqing and tell her to pursue.”

Shang Qianye asked no further questions and immediately set about her task.

After notifying Gu Yunqing via sound transmission talisman, Shang Qianye turned back to Luo Jiu. She saw her Master had dismissed the Talisman Cultivator disciples and was standing alone, her expression unreadable.

Perhaps… Master is also troubled by Qin Wangyue’s escape.

They had been so close to capturing her.

“Master,” Shang Qianye approached, studying Luo Jiu’s face. “You mustn’t blame yourself too much. You did nothing wrong. Besides, the villagers and disciples are all unharmed. Headmaster Gu shouldn’t hold you accountable.”

Luo Jiu lifted her gaze to meet Shang Qianye’s, finding the girl utterly naive. She actually thinks I’m upset about this?

How absurd.

How could I possibly feel remorse?

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Luo Jiu retorted. “I let her escape on purpose.”

“Huh?”

“If she hadn’t left, how would we have discovered the Demonic Sect’s stronghold? How could we have wiped them out completely?”

Luo Jiu flicked her sleeves, her tone indifferent. “Do you really think my formations light up just for show? I had everything under control.”

Shang Qianye rubbed her nose, feeling somewhat bewildered.

However, that battle had left Qin Wangyue severely wounded while costing the Lingxiao Sect a Medicine Cultivation Elder, causing quite a stir.

Upon returning to the mountain, many people questioned them about the day’s events. Shang Qianye, left with no choice, invoked the mission’s confidentiality to keep the details secret. Three days later, Gu Yunqing returned, travel-worn but bearing vital intelligence.

Immediately upon her return, Yun Qing sought out Gu Jin. The two remained closeted in the study for an entire day. The following morning, without even a word to Shang Qianye, Gu Yunqing led five hundred disciples down the mountain again.

Watching her fiery determination, Shang Qianye couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

If she had chosen to become a Sword Cultivator, would she be able to fly on a sword right now, descending the mountain to capture Qin Wangyue?

Shang Qianye shook her head, banishing the thought. She picked up the clear wine and roast duck, preparing to head to Jade Court Forest.

In the courtyard of Jade Court Forest, Shang Qianye saw Luo Jiu sitting leisurely in a pavilion, reading a book, while A Yu sat on a small stool, massaging her legs.

Little A Yu’s eyes lit up when she saw Shang Qianye arrive. Her hands continued their leg massage, but her gaze remained fixed on Shang Qianye, and she called out joyfully, “Sister Qianye, you’re here!”

Shang Qianye’s smile curved her brows into crescents as she handed the items to A Yu. “I need to talk to Master for a bit,” she said with a smile. “Go put these on a plate, and we’ll eat together later.”

Little A Yu was overjoyed. Sniffing the fragrant roast duck, she dashed off. Shang Qianye watched her enter the kitchen before turning back to Luo Jiu, only to find the woman staring intently at her.

The intensity of Luo Jiu’s gaze made Shang Qianye feel uneasy.

“That girl A Yu seems quite fond of you,” Luo Jiu said slowly. “Why don’t you take her as your disciple?”