Master, Please Help Me Break the Love Curse! - Chapter 6

After the soul search concluded, Luo Jiu turned to look at the person sitting within the array, her face pale and drawn.

Forced soul searches were inherently painful, especially since Luo Jiu had not only repeatedly reviewed Shang Qianye’s encounter with the Snake Lady but had also witnessed how Shang Qianye later awoke from her unconsciousness, her body burning with fever, and desperately plunged into the mountain stream.

The subsequent events—Luo Jiu’s arrival to find her—were already known to Luo Jiu, so she didn’t continue watching. Still, nearly two hours had passed since the soul search began.

Shang Qianye felt the pressure on her body release, signaling the end of the process. She lifted her sweat-drenched forehead and looked at Luo Jiu, managing a weary smile. “Master.”

Luo Jiu’s heart ached for her disciple, whom she had raised since childhood. But the situation was delicate. Luo Jiu pressed her lips together before saying, “It’s over. Come out now.”

Shang Qianye braced herself against her knees as she stood up. The soul search had left her vision swimming in darkness, and she nearly stumbled. It took her several shaky moments to regain her balance.

Luo Jiu sighed and stepped into the array. She formed a hand seal, and a faint wisp of white spiritual energy flowed into Shang Qianye’s body.

“Thank you, Master,” Shang Qianye said gratefully.

Luo Jiu regarded her expressionlessly. “After being infected with the Gu, have you noticed anything unusual about your body?”

Shang Qianye pondered for a moment, then blinked self-consciously. “Normally, nothing seems different. But on the seventh day… I always seem to hear my own voice.”

“Your own voice?”

“Yes, starting on the seventh day, my consciousness seems to split into two. The other part keeps saying strange things to me.”

Shang Qianye glanced up at Luo Jiu, shyly scratching her cheek. “It’s like it’s urging me… not to suppress myself, to do whatever I want.”

Luo Jiu’s brow furrowed slightly. She took two steps forward and grasped Shang Qianye’s left hand.

“Master?”

Shang Qianye watched as Luo Jiu rolled up her sleeve, her palm brushing against the inside of Shang Qianye’s wrist. A cyan mark surfaced on the fair skin.

The mark resembled a thorny vine, coiling around Shang Qianye’s wrist.

It looked like a tattoo, yet also like an array.

Shang Qianye remembered this mark from her childhood. Later, when she grew older, Luo Jiu had deemed it unsightly and cast a spell to conceal it. Its reappearance after so many years puzzled Shang Qianye, who couldn’t understand what Luo Jiu was examining.

Luo Jiu’s expression turned serious as she examined the thorn-like mark on Shang Qianye’s wrist. Her warm fingertips gently traced the mark, and only after confirming there were no abnormalities did her face relax slightly.

Watching Luo Jiu cast another spell to conceal the mark, Shang Qianye tilted her head in confusion. “Master, what are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Luo Jiu replied, avoiding the question. She looked up at Shang Qianye and said, “I’ll investigate the matter you mentioned earlier thoroughly. If there’s nothing else, you should return.”

With that, Luo Jiu released Shang Qianye’s hand and turned to leave.

“Master,” Shang Qianye quickly asked, “Can’t I stay here? This Gu is so strange… I’m afraid I might…”

“The love gu only activates once every seven days,” Luo Jiu said, her back still turned. “Come find me again on the seventh day.”

Leaving those words hanging in the air, Luo Jiu stepped into the room, ignoring the person behind her. Shang Qianye stood frozen for a moment, then lowered her gaze to her left wrist. The mark was concealed again, but she could still feel the lingering warmth of Luo Jiu’s fingertips.

Seven days later, come find Master again.

Shang Qianye couldn’t help but smile, but fearing Luo Jiu would see and be displeased, she quickly pressed her lips into a tight line.

She looked up at the tightly closed door, feeling a mix of shyness and anticipation.

That night, Shang Qianye had a dream.

Calling it a dream wasn’t quite accurate. It was more like a vivid replay of the first time she and Luo Jiu had been intimate in the mountain stream. In the dream, Shang Qianye’s mind remained clear, remembering Luo Jiu’s surprised gaze and the lingering warmth she had left on her body.

Upon waking, Shang Qianye lingered over the memory for a while before letting out a long sigh.

This love gu was truly something she both loved and hated.

Without it, she and Luo Jiu would never have grown close.

Yet without it, their relationship wouldn’t have deteriorated so drastically.

The previous night, she had bought Luo Jiu’s favorite fruits and tried to deliver them, but Luo Jiu had completely ignored her. The door remained tightly shut, sealed with a spell. Shang Qianye’s magical power still fell short, and unwilling to provoke Luo Jiu further, she had no choice but to leave the offering and retreat in shame.

Today, by all rights, was a day for teaching classes.

Shang Qianye’s teaching duties differed from those of other disciples, as she was the one giving the lessons.

The Lingxiao Sect had thousands of disciples but only one Sect Leader and five Elders. It was impossible for the Elders to personally teach all the disciples, so the responsibility fell to each Elder’s Personal Disciples, who were assigned specific groups of disciples to instruct.

Shang Qianye had missed classes due to the Bl00d Serpent Palace siege and her subsequent punishment of kneeling at the Immortal Ancestor Shrine. Today, she had no choice but to attend, lest she fall too far behind and incur Luo Jiu’s wrath.

The mere thought of Luo Jiu’s anger gave Shang Qianye a headache. Why does my Master get so easily upset?

“Senior Sister! Senior Sister Shang!”

Shang Qianye had just finished dressing and was about to leave when she heard someone calling her from outside. She opened the door and immediately saw Gu Yunqing standing in the courtyard.

The young girl had changed into a pink dress and styled her hair elaborately, adorning herself with jewelry from head to toe. She looked like a young lady from a wealthy family in the mortal world.

“Yunqing?” Shang Qianye stared at her in surprise. “What brings you here so early?”

Gu Yunqing rushed over, her hands clasped behind her back, and smiled brightly. “Senior Sister, I know you have class today, so I came to walk with you to the lecture hall!”

Gu Yunqing continued, “I originally planned to pick you up from the Immortal Ancestor Shrine yesterday, but unfortunately, my mother returned and insisted on talking all night. Later, I heard that Junior Aunt had taken you away.”

“Mm,” Shang Qianye replied, closing the door behind her. “It’s getting late. Let’s talk while we walk.”

As they walked, Gu Yunqing chattered like a little sparrow beside Shang Qianye. One moment she was asking if Shang Qianye’s injuries had healed, the next she was complaining about Headmaster Gu’s nagging. Before she finished gossiping about her mother, she suddenly switched to discussing the senior martial brothers and sisters who would be teaching class today, her thoughts leaping from topic to topic. Fortunately, Shang Qianye was used to this and responded with supportive interjections like “Oh,” “Really?” “Seriously?” and “That must have been tough.”

“Senior Sister, if you’re free after class, let’s go explore the town below the mountain?” Gu Yunqing said with a smile as they reached the academy entrance. “There’s a market in town today. I’ve been wanting to invite you out for ages, but I never found the time.”

Shang Qianye had initially intended to decline. Luo Jiu was currently ignoring her, and she wasn’t in the mood for a trip down the mountain. But as the words reached her lips, she suddenly changed her mind. Perhaps precisely because Luo Jiu was ignoring her, she should go to the town below and find some fun trinkets to cheer her up.

“Alright,” Shang Qianye agreed. “After your class, meet me at the pavilion in the center of the academy. We’ll go down the mountain together.”

Gu Yunqing let out a joyful shout and dashed into the academy. Shang Qianye watched her junior sister’s cheerful departure with a wry smile, then reluctantly headed to her own classroom to prepare for her lesson.

The morning passed quickly. Today, Shang Qianye was teaching the Outer Sect disciples the basics of array formations.

The disciples of the Lingxiao Sect were divided into three main categories: Outer Sect disciples, who were still in their initial learning phase; Inner Sect disciples, who had achieved some proficiency in their studies; and Personal Disciples, who were personally mentored by the Elders.

The students attending today’s class were all newcomers, the youngest barely tall enough to reach the desks, and the oldest no more than twelve or thirteen. Their eyes widened in astonishment as Shang Qianye casually cast an array on the ground, causing the plants and trees within the formation to cycle through the four seasons in an instant.

After class, a group of children lingered around Shang Qianye, peppering her with questions. Since she had nothing pressing to do, she patiently answered them.

Once everyone had left, Shang Qianye prepared to head to the pavilion at the center of the academy to meet Gu Yunqing.

Before she could reach the pavilion, she heard a commotion.

“Just because they call you ‘Senior Sister’ doesn’t mean you actually are one!”

Shang Qianye froze, glancing sideways.

The academy was laid out in a crescent shape around a central lake, with a pavilion in the middle. Since each class had different disciples attending, Shang Qianye noticed the emblems on the arguing group’s robes, identifying them as Medicinal Cultivators.

The Lingxiao Sect’s five elders each specialized in a different path: Sword Cultivation, Body Cultivation, Artifact Cultivation, Medicinal Cultivation, and Talisman Cultivation.

Luo Jiu, the Talisman Cultivation Elder, excelled in talismans and formations. Though Shang Qianye was her disciple, she also showed remarkable aptitude in Sword Cultivation. This led her to study under Headmaster Gu, forging a close bond with Gu Yunqing.

The group of Medicinal Cultivator disciples stood by the riverbank, one young woman among them glaring arrogantly at the figure struggling in the water. “Don’t think Master favors you just because she’s kind to you,” she sneered. “Look at your own abilities—what makes you think you deserve to be our Eldest Senior Sister?”

“Junior Sister is right,” another disciple chimed in. “Just because you’re close to Master doesn’t give you the right to boss us around.”

“Someone from some backwater village with weak spiritual energy dares to call herself our Senior Sister? It’s laughable!”

The disciples on the bank erupted in laughter, their mocking voices drawing the attention of other disciples who paused to stare.

The figure in the lake tried to climb out, but the group on the bank refused to let her. Every time she reached for the edge, someone would stomp on her hand or pelt her with stones.

Shang Qianye frowned at the scene. As the Instructing Teacher for the day, she felt obligated to intervene in this case of bullying.

At first, Shang Qianye was still some distance from the lake. But as she drew closer, she realized with a shock that the woman being pushed under the water was none other than Qin Wangyue—the one who had helped treat her injuries just days ago!