The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 27

The System’s “True Love Endures” fixed target values were determined by the original novel’s narrative weight, with tiers established from the start that the System couldn’t alter.

Bo Xuenong couldn’t change her name to gold like Shen Yanting’s. As she gazed at the panel where Cheng Huaizhou and Yu Cenwan’s names glowed gold alongside Shen Yanting’s, her displeasure grew. She could tolerate Yu Cenwan somewhat, but the original male lead, Cheng Huaizhou, she wanted to see him right now and personally slaughter him.

Feng Jin sensed Bo Xuenong’s thoughts and reached out to cover Yu Cenwan’s name.

Bo Xuenong raised an eyebrow. “You really care about your… mother.”

“No, she’s not… my mother,” Feng Jin said, her voice lacking conviction. She lowered her head and murmured, “I just think Yu Cenwan is pitiful. She died so tragically in the original story. They were supposed to be the Dual Immortals of Tribulation, but the male lead got all the good fortune while she suffered all the misfortune. She exhausted all ten lives of the Buddha Fruit… Honestly, since she only deprived the male lead of his five senses, repaying five lives should have been enough.”

That’s not right.

Bo Xuenong strongly disagreed with Feng Jin’s words. How could the five senses be compared to a life? Even if the Buddha Fruit had ten lives, giving one to Cheng Huaizhou was more than generous. If it were her, she wouldn’t give even half a life; she’d keep them all for Shen Yanting.

As she pondered this, Feng Jin, mistaking her silence for reluctance to spare the Female Lead, quickly added, “Senior Sister, Yu Cenwan is Martial Aunt Shen’s junior sister!”

Bo Xuenong gazed at Feng Jin’s anxious defense of the Female Lead, genuinely regretting that she wasn’t targeting her as a conquest.

Based on the original plot, the Female Lead was a responsible person. If she knew she had a daughter, she would likely acknowledge her. In that case, Feng Jin wouldn’t even need to do anything; Yu Cenwan would voluntarily give her Points.

Lost in thought, Bo Xuenong didn’t respond immediately, making Feng Jin even more anxious. “Senior Sister!”

When Bo Xuenong snapped back to reality, Feng Jin was jumping up and down, her forehead nearly colliding with her face.

Bo Xuenong’s eyelids twitched. She reached out and pressed down on the bouncing Feng Jin. “I wasn’t planning to kill her. If you truly pity her, you should find a way to alleviate her guilt toward the Male Lead. Otherwise, following the original plot, she’ll still die.”

“But that’s so difficult. Mo Tingshu’s disciples are all people of impeccable character.” Feng Jin paused, then deliberately added, “Martial Aunt Shen is the same—her character is absolutely first-rate!”

Hearing Feng Jin praise Shen Yanting’s character, Bo Xuenong’s face lit up, unable to conceal her delight. “Master truly is exceptional.”

Feng Jin felt she had finally found the key to interacting with Bo Xuenong, and she even dared to stand a little closer. “Senior Sister, about Martial Uncle Shen… If we just prevent Cheng Huaizhou from having a chance to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress, Martial Uncle won’t have any reason to feel guilty toward him. But what do we do now that the Female Lead already feels guilty?”

Bo Xuenong pointed incredulously at herself. “You’re asking me?”

After Feng Jin nodded emphatically, Bo Xuenong instinctively touched Feng Jin’s forehead. “Are you sick? I won’t kill her, but I certainly won’t save her either. She means nothing to me.”

Feng Jin froze.

She had almost forgotten the bloodthirsty madwoman lurking within Bo Xuenong’s bloodline.

Deflated, Feng Jin lowered her hand, revealing not only Yu Cenwan’s name but also another golden name beneath it.

Meng Lingchu.

The golden name indicated she must have played a significant role in the original plot. Yet Bo Xuenong found no memories of her in Guan Caimei’s mind. Perhaps she had seen mentions of her in the text, but without a specific name. Given her importance, she likely had interactions with Shen Yanting.

Bo Xuenong pointed at Meng Lingchu. “Feng Jin, did she ever harm Master in the original story?”

Feng Jin gently shook her head. “Although Meng Lingchu saw Martial Uncle as a romantic rival, she never actually harmed him. She was quite pitiful, actually. She…”

“That’s enough,” Bo Xuenong interrupted, gesturing for Feng Jin to stop talking.

She had listened to Feng Jin’s story because of their close relationship. But Meng Lingchu? There were plenty of pitiful people in the world; she didn’t have the time to pity them all. She would wait… wait until Shen Yanting felt sorry for her, and then she would feel sorry for herself.

Just as Bo Xuenong was about to close the interface, she noticed a new notification under “True Love Endures”: a completed task.

 Host has received +5 Points for comforting head pat from Silver-Tier Target Bo Xuenong.

Bo Xuenong’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t realized that even as an assistant, she still counted as a Target, and that a simple head pat could earn Points.

The True Love Endures module was clearly much easier to earn Points from than the Punish Evil and Promote Good module.

Her beautiful eyes darted around, finally settling on Feng Jin’s head.

Feng Jin had a complete System. Unlike Bo Xuenong, who could only manually check her interface, Feng Jin could communicate directly with her System. The moment Bo Xuenong patted her head, a notification pinged in her mind. Noticing Bo Xuenong’s gaze lingering on her, Feng Jin instinctively shielded her head and cried out pitifully, “You’ll make me bald!”

“You’re a fruit,” Bo Xuenong retorted, brushing aside Feng Jin’s protective hands. “Just water you with spiritual energy and you’ll grow right back.”

She unceremoniously patted Feng Jin’s head, watching the interface pop up with “+1 Point.” Her smile froze. “Why only one point?”

Unsatisfied, Bo Xuenong rubbed Feng Jin’s head again. This time, no Points were awarded.

Feng Jin carefully wriggled her head free from Bo Xuenong’s palm, glancing timidly at her Senior Sister’s dark expression before whispering the System’s message: “The Dead System says you’re too focused on earning Points, Senior Sister. Without genuine emotion, you won’t get any more.”

Bo Xuenong’s gaze darkened. “It caused such a huge mess, and I haven’t even scolded it yet! How dare it criticize me!”

Feng Jin’s voice trembled. “Senior Sister, the System isn’t criticizing you. It’s just telling the truth.”

“Genuine emotion, huh?”

Bo Xuenong plastered a smile on her face and gently stroked Feng Jin’s cheek.

The Points panel flashed again: +1 Point.

If the System had a physical form, she would have killed it without hesitation.

So stingy!

Even when she was being so gentle, it only gave her one Point.

Abandoning this method of earning Points, Bo Xuenong closed the panel and asked Feng Jin, “Ask it what we should do about the Sect Leader.”

Feng Jin obediently relayed the question, her expression growing increasingly grave. “Senior Sister, we have to destroy her soul before she completely possesses the Sect Leader. Otherwise, the Sect Leader…”

Fu Yunqing’s remaining lifespan was already short, and now she couldn’t even walk her final path in peace.

Bo Xuenong herself was fine, but she knew Shen Yanting would be devastated.

The mere thought of Shen Yanting softened Bo Xuenong’s heart with sorrow, intensifying her resentment toward the System. “If you’re drawing in too many souls, could they one day possess me? Or even Master?”

“That won’t happen,” Feng Jin quickly reassured her, fearing Bo Xuenong’s anger. “They can only possess cultivators on the brink of death or ordinary people without spiritual roots—souls they deem unworthy. Cultivators with strong vitality have equally strong souls, making them resistant to possession. The reason she targeted the Sect Leader might be because her lifespan is nearing its end.”

Hearing that Fu Yunqing’s lifespan was dwindling, Bo Xuenong immediately recalled Shen Yanting’s lingering gaze upon her, mirroring Shen Yanting’s sorrow in her own heart.

Suddenly remembering the System’s ability to exchange for anything, Bo Xuenong couldn’t help but ask, “Can’t your System exchange for something to extend the Sect Leader’s lifespan?”

“No,” Feng Jin shook her head. “The System provides different exchangeable items depending on the world. Apart from universal System abilities like the Mind-Reading Technique, we can only exchange for things that exist in this world. The only thing that can extend the Sect Leader’s lifespan is the Longevity Pill, but taking it is excruciatingly painful. She probably wouldn’t agree to it.”

“Indeed.”

“Shen Yanting should already have Longevity Pills; they don’t even need to be exchanged for.”

“If Fu Yunqing were willing to take them, Shen Yanting would have given them to her long ago.”

Bo Xuenong stored the jade token in her Storage Jade Bracelet, then suddenly asked Feng Jin, “Can everything in this world be exchanged? Does that mean even Divine Artifacts are available?”

“Mm-hmm,” Feng Jin nodded firmly. “But they’re very expensive.”

Feng Jin might as well have written “I’m really poor” on her face.

Bo Xuenong’s lips twitched, but she didn’t take Feng Jin’s words too seriously. With Feng Jin’s miserly approach to accumulating Points, it would be a miracle if she weren’t poor.

Bo Xuenong was confident she could earn far more Points—at least she wasn’t afraid to kill.

“I want to exchange for a Divine Artifact for Master.”

Shen Yanting had once been listed on the Heavenly Talent Register’s ranking of Divine Artifacts. However, the artifact she wielded belonged to the Cloudmist Sect, and she had only been listed as one of its Masters. When she left the sect, she returned the artifact. Ironically, it was Bo Xuenong who had damaged a top-tier Divine Artifact. Now that there was a way to replenish Shen Yanting’s arsenal, Bo Xuenong wouldn’t let the opportunity pass.

Her Master was an Immortal Elder, and Immortal Elders should wield Divine Artifacts.

Bo Xuenong could already imagine the awe-inspiring presence Shen Yanting would command with a Divine Artifact in hand.

Bo Xuenong wanted to earn a lot of Points, but there was a problem: for every mission she completed, she only received half the Points Feng Jin earned. Moreover, among the True Love Endures Target options—which offered the most generous Point rewards—she was only willing to interact with Shen Yanting. Yet she couldn’t simply farm Points off Shen Yanting.

It seemed… she would have to consider Punishing Evil and Promoting Good.

The Divine Artifact wasn’t her immediate concern; Fu Yunqing was. After a moment of contemplation, Bo Xuenong asked, “Besides the Soul-Searching Technique, do you know any other methods for destroying souls individually?”

Few cultivator techniques specifically targeted souls. Powerful techniques typically annihilated both the body and soul’s foundation, without isolating the soul.

Fu Yunqing’s situation differed from Guan Caimei’s. Her body contained multiple souls, making the Soul-Searching Technique unsuitable for eliminating the extra soul without risking harm to Fu Yunqing’s original soul. Unless Bo Xuenong could enter Fu Yunqing’s body in soul form to pinpoint the exact location of her soul.

They needed a method that specifically targeted souls and allowed for selective targeting.

“I don’t,” Feng Jin said, rubbing her fingertips together sheepishly. “The System has one, but it’s expensive—500 Points.”

Bo Xuenong’s lips twitched. She began calculating how to earn enough Points to deal with the extra soul within Fu Yunqing.

Killing a golden Guan Caimei earned her a hundred points, a silver one fifty points, and a black one a paltry ten points.

Feng Jin’s kills would yield double points, making it far more efficient to let her handle the tasks. However… Bo Xuenong had promised to protect Feng Jin. As long as Feng Jin kept her word and remained her soulmate, she would honor her commitment.

Shen Yanting had always taught her to keep her word.

Bo Xuenong abandoned the idea of making Feng Jin do the tasks and instead recalled Cui Huaizhou, whose name was silver.

According to the System’s rules, as explained by Feng Jin, individuals on the “Punish Evil and Promote Good” board only appeared when Feng Jin was nearby, and their name color reflected the severity of their misdeeds. Anyone who had harmed an innocent life would appear with a black name. Those who had killed innocent, good people would have silver names, while those who had slaughtered many innocents, like Guan Caimei, would have golden names.

Since Guan Caimei wasn’t innocent, her name hadn’t appeared on the board when Bo Xuenong killed her.

Cui Huaizhou’s silver name meant he had killed innocents.

To her knowledge, Cui Huaizhou had never left the Imperial Tranquility Sect. The innocent lives he had taken must have been fellow sect members.

Killing a fellow sect member was a grave taboo.

Shen Yanting’s taboo.

He could be killed.

Bo Xuenong licked the corner of her mouth, her eyes burning with a desire for Points and a thirst for bl00d. “Feng Jin, should I just sneak back to the Imperial Tranquility Sect tonight and kill Cui Huaizhou?”

Feng Jin gasped, “Senior Sister!”

“Never mind.”

Bo Xuenong abandoned the idea of returning to kill Cui Huaizhou. Fifty Points wasn’t worth the trip.

After a moment’s thought, Bo Xuenong suddenly grabbed Feng Jin’s hand. “Come on, let’s go earn some Points.”

“Senior Sister, where are we going to earn Points?”

“We’ll find the source of the crying. Maybe we’ll stumble upon some bullies preying on the weak.”

Feng Jin blinked in confusion. “Crying?”

“Didn’t you hear it?”

Bo Xuenong belatedly remembered Feng Jin’s cultivation was a sham. She cleared her throat. “Master and I heard many people crying before we even entered the village. I suspect Village Chief Gui is lying. Let’s investigate… If we’re lucky, we might run into some villains, and then we’ll have our Points.”

Feng Jin realized that encountering villains could actually be considered good luck.

Afraid to contradict Bo Xuenong, she could only follow her out of the courtyard.

Before they could leave the courtyard, a familiar, slender figure appeared at the gate—Shen Yanting, who should have left with Fu Yunqing and the others.

Shen Yanting stood outside the gate, watching them, her cold eyes gradually revealing confusion.

Bo Xuenong hurried forward, her eyes sparkling with surprise. “Master! Master, you’re not with the Sect Leader and the others anymore?”

She quickly rushed out of the courtyard and stood before Shen Yanting.

Strangely, she saw Shen Yanting’s lips moving, yet no sound reached her ears.

Bo Xuenong instinctively glanced at Feng Jin, the only other living person in the courtyard. The moment their eyes met, Feng Jin’s thoughts flooded her mind again.

Ah! I forgot Martial Aunt Shen was monitoring Eldest Senior Sister! The conversation space blocks all sound—nothing can enter or leave. Martial Aunt Shen must have rushed back because she couldn’t hear Eldest Senior Sister. I should have spent more Points to create some noise to mislead her. Eldest Senior Sister probably doesn’t mind Martial Aunt Shen watching her so closely, right?

Of course not!

Bo Xuenong had long known Shen Yanting was monitoring her. She had even felt a pang of regret when she realized Shen Yanting wasn’t watching her every hour of the day. Now, seeing Shen Yanting, who should have been accompanying Fu Yunqing, rushing back because she couldn’t hear her voice, Bo Xuenong felt nothing but joy.

Casting a technique to hear everything happening in the village was effortless for Shen Yanting. She might have impulsively enhanced her hearing to check on Bo Xuenong, but… Shen Yanting had abandoned Fu Yunqing to come to her side, proving that Bo Xuenong was more important to her. Shen Yanting cared about her.

So what if she was being monitored?

It was an honor to have her Master’s attention on her every move.

Bo Xuenong grinned so wide her cheeks hurt, her eyes fixed on Shen Yanting with a hint of smugness.

Shen Yanting’s lips moved again, but Bo Xuenong still couldn’t hear her.

She inwardly cursed Feng Jin for not dismissing the conversation space yet.

With a mental command, a spiritual light flickered beside Bo Xuenong, and suddenly she could hear voices other than Feng Jin’s again.

Shen Yanting was calling her: “Nong’er.”

Only now did Bo Xuenong truly grasp her share in the System. She hadn’t realized dismissing the conversation space was as simple as a thought.

Though surprised, Bo Xuenong quickly shifted her attention back to Shen Yanting.

She deliberately stood closer to Shen Yanting. “Master, I’m here.”

Hearing Bo Xuenong’s voice again, Shen Yanting instinctively touched her ear. She wanted to ask why their voices had disappeared earlier, but her heightened hearing had already unsettled her mind. She didn’t ask Bo Xuenong about it.

Just as Bo Xuenong had said, they both had secrets.

Bo Xuenong had hers, and Shen Yanting had hers.

If she couldn’t bring herself to treat Bo Xuenong as a feral beast to be constantly monitored, then she should grant her the right to freedom. This time… Shen Yanting hadn’t intentionally eavesdropped on Bo Xuenong and Feng Jin’s conversation. She had been curious about the weeping sounds coming from the village and wanted to investigate. Her habit of turning back to look for Bo Xuenong whenever she couldn’t hear her voice had become ingrained.

Next time… she would change.

“Master,” Bo Xuenong called out, unconsciously using the title after Shen Yanting had been silent for so long.

Shen Yanting’s expression remained calm as she turned sideways, gazing toward the village. “Nong’er, you’ve called me by the wrong name again.”

“My wife, what are you looking at?”

Bo Xuenong didn’t argue. She herself used the nickname “Nong’er” but insisted on correcting Shen Yanting’s address. She obediently changed her address.

As she asked Shen Yanting, Bo Xuenong couldn’t resist leaning closer, observing the direction of Shen Yanting’s gaze and looking in the same direction.

“I…” Bo Xuenong, trying to see what Shen Yanting was looking at, had stood so close that her lips nearly brushed Shen Yanting’s cheek as she turned. The words she was about to speak caught in her throat.

Shen Yanting’s breath, carrying a faint chill, brushed against Bo Xuenong’s skin, yet it felt strangely warm.

Bo Xuenong touched her lips with a peculiar expression. She brought the back of her hand to her mouth and gently blew upward. The warm breath enveloped her skin, but the warmth on her hand faded quickly. The spot on her cheek where Shen Yanting’s breath had touched remained noticeably warm.

This unfamiliar and peculiar sensation drew Bo Xuenong closer to Shen Yanting’s lips. Her gaze followed Shen Yanting’s lips, as if trying to discern what secrets they held.

Shen Yanting frowned slightly and instinctively leaned back, avoiding Bo Xuenong’s increasingly close proximity.

Seeing Shen Yanting’s frown, Bo Xuenong immediately grew concerned. “Mother, what’s wrong?”

Shen Yanting stared at Bo Xuenong, her gaze freezing for a moment.

Realizing Bo Xuenong hadn’t grasped the situation, Shen Yanting took half a step back, extended her index finger, and gently pushed Bo Xuenong’s forehead.

She straightened Bo Xuenong up, her expression returning to its usual calm. “Nothing.”

Her fingertip pressed against Bo Xuenong’s forehead, her snow-white wrist resting just before her lips. A faint, cool fragrance drifted into Bo Xuenong’s nostrils once more.

The familiar scent instinctively drew Bo Xuenong’s nose forward.

Like a young, unawakened spirit, she instinctively sought the comforting fragrance.

Noticing Bo Xuenong’s subtle movement, Shen Yanting’s finger slid down from her forehead to the tip of her nose, the soft pad gently nudging it.

Though Shen Yanting applied minimal force, Bo Xuenong instinctively leaned back, her obedience absolute.

“Mother,” Bo Xuenong murmured, drawing closer again, eager to ask her many questions.

Shen Yanting glanced at Bo Xuenong. “Stay still.”

“Okay.”

Bo Xuenong immediately straightened her back, stiffening in place, terrified that even the slightest movement would be perceived as disobedience in Shen Yanting’s eyes.

She refrained from moving closer. Only then did Shen Yanting withdraw her hand, lightly brushing her fingers across her lips, which had grown slightly warm under Bo Xuenong’s intense gaze. Unexpectedly, Bo Xuenong’s eyes suddenly lit up, her gaze fixed intently on Shen Yanting.

Shen Yanting lowered her fingertip, now tinged with a faint blush. “You have something to ask?”

“Mm-hmm.” Bo Xuenong nodded vigorously, her voice rising slightly. “Mother, your breath is so cold, but when you breathe on my face, it feels warm. Why is that?”

“……”

Sometimes Shen Yanting thought Bo Xuenong was incredibly clever, while at other times she seemed utterly foolish.

Unsure how to answer Bo Xuenong, Shen Yanting slowly curled her fingertips into her palm, pretending not to hear the question. Her gaze shifted back to the village she had been observing earlier. “There’s some unusual activity over there. Let’s go investigate.”

Shen Yanting always found it easy to steer Bo Xuenong’s thoughts in the direction she wanted to go. Bo Xuenong responded without hesitation, “Alright.”

Shen Yanting tugged her along, performing a hand seal with one hand. As golden light flashed, a faint golden sheen quickly enveloped her snow-white skin. The moment the last patch of skin was covered, Shen Yanting vanished before their eyes.

Suddenly, an invisible hand grasped Bo Xuenong’s.

The moment her hand was held, Bo Xuenong saw Shen Yanting again, now radiating the same golden light.

Bo Xuenong recognized this as a concealment technique, Shen Yanting sharing the spell through physical contact.

Realizing that the scar on her palm might be too rough for Shen Yanting’s delicate hand, Bo Xuenong placed her other hand on Shen Yanting’s wrist. She knew that the moment Shen Yanting withdrew her hand, Shen Yanting would vanish from her sight once more. Bo Xuenong pressed Shen Yanting’s hand against her, tracing her fingers from the back of her hand to her forearm, then up her arm to her shoulder, finally settling on the smooth, vulnerable nape of her neck.

For once, Bo Xuenong refused to yield. No matter how Shen Yanting tried to pull her hand away, Bo Xuenong stubbornly kept it pressed upward.

When Shen Yanting’s palm finally rested against her neck, Bo Xuenong leaned into the touch, slowly tilting her head to ensure the delicate skin was fully pressed against Shen Yanting’s palm. “Mother, pull here,” she murmured.

Shen Yanting remained silent, her expression unreadable.

In this position, Shen Yanting could easily strangle Bo Xuenong at any moment, should she choose to.

Shen Yanting’s brow twitched slightly, a rare flicker of confusion crossing her eyes.

She had only ever seen Beast Tamers from the Beast Taming Sect grip beasts by the neck during training. Though Bo Xuenong possessed the bloodline of a feral beast, she was still considered human.

Could Bo Xuenong’s beast bloodline have awakened?

But she wasn’t a Beast Tamer.

Shen Yanting didn’t dare use force. She lifted her left wrist and pulled away Bo Xuenong’s hand, which was still pressing down on her right wrist. Her fingertips brushed against Bo Xuenong’s arm, transforming into a gentle embrace.

“Mother…”

Bo Xuenong didn’t get a chance to explain to Shen Yanting how she thought the skin on her neck felt much softer and smoother. Shen Yanting silenced her with a sharp, “Don’t speak.”

Those four words suppressed everything Bo Xuenong wanted to say.

She covered her mouth with one hand and nodded obediently.

Shen Yanting gave Bo Xuenong a deep look before turning to Feng Jin, who had been isolated outside the Technique’s barrier. Just as she reached out to take Feng Jin’s hand, Bo Xuenong’s hand shot out first. Shen Yanting didn’t stop her; the Technique could spread through Bo Xuenong’s body to reach Feng Jin.

Feng Jin had no idea what they had been discussing. She only knew they had said they were going to check on the village and then vanished.

She had almost convinced herself that Shen Yanting and Bo Xuenong had left without her, already heading to the village. Seeing them reappear so suddenly startled her, but she didn’t dare ask questions, only blinking and shifting her gaze between them.

Shen Yanting led them toward the village at a brisk pace. Bo Xuenong managed to keep up, but Feng Jin, whose cultivation was a complete sham, was immediately left behind.

Bo Xuenong glanced at Shen Yanting and, still holding Feng Jin’s hand, shifted her grip to carry Feng Jin under her arm.

Fortunately, Feng Jin’s physique, thanks to the Buddha Spirit Fruit, was exceptionally strong, preventing her from looking too disheveled.

Shen Yanting noticed Feng Jin struggling and slowed her pace slightly.

Lanshou Village wasn’t particularly large, and Shen Yanting soon led them to a dilapidated courtyard. The tightly shut doors and windows couldn’t deter cultivators with ulterior motives. Shen Yanting produced a spirit stone, pressed it against the door, and they smoothly passed through the barrier.

As soon as they entered the house, Bo Xuenong detected an odd fragrance—a strong, medicinal scent that was strangely pleasant, though it made her feel slightly dizzy.

The room contained a long table laden with fresh fruit and a small incense burner filled with spent incense sticks, suggesting it was used for offerings. The wall behind the table bore faint marks where a portrait had once hung.

Before Bo Xuenong could examine the scene more closely, a soft sobbing and Gui Nianqin’s hoarse voice suddenly drifted from the room on the left…