The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 28

Bo Xuenong and her companions followed the sound of voices into the room.

The weather outside was perfect, the sunlight bright and clear.

Yet not a single ray of light penetrated the room, despite the open windows and door. The only illumination came from the half-burned candle Gui Nianqin held in her palm, casting a flickering, dim glow.

By the wavering candlelight, Bo Xuenong could make out the scene: Gui Nianqin sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes lacking the vitality they’d shown during their earlier meeting. Her face was etched with sorrow and numbness. Even as molten wax dripped onto the back of her hand, she remained motionless, her posture rigidly upright as she gazed at the figure lying on the bed.

The bare wooden plank of the bed was stripped of bedding.

A young girl lay bound to the plank by a dense network of crimson vines. Tiny barbs pierced her delicate skin, mingling bright red bl00d with black droplets that seeped into the wood. Upon closer inspection, the vines appeared fused to the plank, as if they had grown together.

The medicinal fragrance in the air had intensified.

Bo Xuenong felt lightheaded from the overwhelming scent, and Feng Jin, cradled in her arm, slowly closed her eyes against her will.

Bo Xuenong shook her arm, roughly jostling Feng Jin twice.

Feng Jin’s drowsy eyes instantly sharpened, though a hint of resentment lingered in their depths.

Shen Yanting, observing them with even greater scrutiny, hadn’t noticed their movements. Hearing the noise, she instinctively turned her head, her free hand landing on Bo Xuenong’s lips.

Assuming the sound had come from Bo Xuenong, Shen Yanting belatedly realized that such a sound couldn’t have originated from her lips. With a cold expression, she withdrew her hand, acting as if nothing had happened, leaving Bo Xuenong behind, her heart brimming with unanswered questions she dared not voice.

A faint fragrance lingered on Bo Xuenong’s lips, along with a lingering warmth.

Her eyelashes fluttered, her attention completely diverted.

No longer focused on the girl on the bed, Bo Xuenong’s gaze followed Shen Yanting’s fingers as they descended.

Shen Yanting truly lived up to her reputation as the most beautiful woman in the entire book. There seemed to be no flaw in her appearance. Her hands, delicate and boneless, glowed like jade-white tallow, their mere sight inspiring an overwhelming urge to protect and follow her. Even in the dim light, her innate allure remained irresistible.

Master is flawless and perfect.

As Master’s most devoted follower, Bo Xuenong vowed to protect everything that belonged to her with her life.

Bo Xuenong silently swore an oath when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder from Shen Yanting.

Snapping out of her reverie, Bo Xuenong followed Shen Yanting’s pointed finger to Gui Nianqin’s feet. There, she saw an exquisite portrait, marred by a fresh burn mark. Scattered black ash lay nearby, indicating it had been extinguished shortly after being set ablaze.

Despite the damage, the portrait clearly depicted a girl around ten years old, with delicate features and a stubborn glint in her eyes.

She looks familiar, Bo Xuenong thought.

She stepped closer, scrutinizing the portrait. The more she looked, the more familiar the face seemed. Suddenly, the image overlapped with someone from her memories.

Though the age difference was significant, the face resembled Fu Yunqing in her childhood.

Once she made the connection, the resemblance became undeniable, at least seventy percent.

Then she recalled the marks where portraits had once hung outside, the burned incense, and the neatly arranged fruit offerings… Could it be that Gui Nianqin and the others had been worshiping Fu Yunqing all along?

If so, why hadn’t they exposed their connection to the Imperial Tranquility Sect? Why pretend not to recognize Fu Yunqing?

The confusion deepened.

Bo Xuenong was completely baffled, her gaze fixed intently on Gui Nianqin.

Gui Nianqin sat stiffly at the edge of the bed, motionless. The candle in her hand burned lower and lower, the flame nearly reaching her skin. A thick layer of wax had accumulated on the back of her hand, the skin beneath already flushed red. Yet she didn’t utter a single cry of pain, remaining frozen in place. It was the young girl lying on the bed who finally spoke first: “Mother, you don’t need to stay with me. It must be painful for you to watch me like this.”

At the sound of her voice, Gui Nianqin turned slightly, the candle swaying with her movement. The flickering light illuminated the girl’s face with perfect clarity.

Feng Jin murmured in a barely audible whisper, “So beautiful!”

The faint sound didn’t reach Gui Nianqin’s ears, but Shen Yanting and Bo Xuenong both heard it clearly.

The girl was indeed strikingly beautiful, her features as delicate as a painting, her skin as pale as snow.

Yet there was something unsettling about her. The skin on her face trembled slightly, as if the delicate mask of beauty were about to peel away.

Bo Xuenong was mildly startled. She instinctively channeled spiritual power into her eyes, covering them with a thin veil of luminous mist. The scene before her sharpened into focus, revealing wisps of bloody mist seeping into the girl’s body through the bl00d vine tendrils.

“What’s that?”

The strangest thing was that as the bl00d mist surged, the girl’s skin grew increasingly fair and delicate, her features becoming more refined and beautiful.

How peculiar.

Bo Xuenong wanted to move closer for a better look, but Shen Yanting grabbed her arm before she could take two steps. Shen Yanting shook her head, and Bo Xuenong froze.

Bo Xuenong wasn’t particularly curious by nature. When Shen Yanting didn’t want her to investigate, she could completely suppress her curiosity.

Feng Jin, however, was different. She reached out her small hand to pat Bo Xuenong’s wrist, then stretched forward, her eyes wide with shock. It was clear she desperately wanted to understand the girl’s strange transformation.

Bo Xuenong glared at her, and Feng Jin immediately stopped moving, her inner thoughts resurfacing:

Feng Jin: Ah! I just patted Eldest Senior Sister! That glare was terrifying! Dead System… why aren’t Eldest Senior Sister and Martial Aunt Shen even curious? The girl’s skin is moving! And she’s getting more beautiful by the second! This is so unnatural!

System: According to the novel’s character settings, Shen Yanting, though a sword cultivator, is also proficient in formations, talismans, and Beast Taming. She likely already understands the cause of the girl’s transformation.

Feng Jin: What about Eldest Senior Sister?

System: She listens to Shen Yanting. If Shen Yanting doesn’t want her to ask, she won’t delve further, no matter how curious she is.

Bo Xuenong had always believed that obeying her Master was her greatest virtue. Yet when the System coldly stated it, she felt as though it wasn’t a compliment at all.

How annoying.

If the System had a physical form, she would have beaten it to a pulp.

And not just for this offense—she would also settle the score for it summoning wandering souls to this world.

A more pressing matter suddenly occurred to Bo Xuenong.

By her calculations, Feng Jin had been in this world for two centuries.

If wandering souls from other worlds had been awakening since Feng Jin’s arrival, how many dying cultivators must have been replaced in these two hundred years? Among them wouldn’t just be mediocre disciples like Guan Caimei; there might also be Heavenly Prodigies who met untimely ends, Sect Elders whose lifespans had expired, perhaps even… chaos.

With a single misstep, the System had pierced a hole through the heavens.

Bo Xuenong wasn’t concerned about how many people might die if the Cultivation World descended into chaos, but she was deeply worried about Shen Yanting.

Among the System’s designated Targets, Shen Yanting possessed the most exceptional appearance. Could Guan Caimei truly be the only wandering soul who had set her sights on Shen Yanting?

Bo Xuenong found that unlikely.

The most probable explanation was that the other wandering souls were smarter than Guan Caimei, biding their time until they possessed absolute power before approaching Shen Yanting.

Her mood instantly soured. “Damn it.”

A faint whisper reached Shen Yanting’s ears. She quickly turned her gaze toward Bo Xuenong, who, sensing her probing stare, lowered her head guiltily. Bo Xuenong swiftly suppressed her murderous intent, lifted her head, and forced a smile at Shen Yanting. Shen Yanting’s gaze darkened slightly as she recognized the familiar, insincere smile on Bo Xuenong’s face.

Without a word, Shen Yanting shifted her attention back to Gui Nianqin and the young girl.

The room’s peculiar fragrance was affecting their consciousness, gradually blurring their clarity and dulling their minds.

Gui Nianqin and the girl showed no signs of falling asleep, but their reactions were sluggish and their movements slow.

Even as the candle flame burned against her skin, Gui Nianqin only belatedly remembered what she wanted to say. “Rou’er, Mother will stay here and watch over you. A family came to the village today, and their young madam is even more beautiful than the legendary goddess. If we could take her face, they might spare your life. And her… her husband, though a man, is prettier than any young lady. Her younger sister is also stunning. My daughter too…”

Bo Xuenong’s eyes turned cold.

The young madam Gui Nianqin mentioned was undoubtedly Shen Yanting.

The beautiful husband was her, and the younger sister was Feng Yingbo.

It was one thing to covet her and Feng Yingbo, but to plot to steal Shen Yanting’s face?

She deserves to die!

Bo Xuenong took half a step forward, but Shen Yanting tugged her back by the hand, pulling her slightly protruding body back into place.

Master said not to kill good people, she thought. I won’t get angry.

But these people are clearly not good.

And Shen Yanting is still stopping me.

Bo Xuenong looked at Shen Yanting with a hint of grievance. Shen Yanting raised her free hand, placing a finger against Bo Xuenong’s lips to silence her.

Bo Xuenong obediently swallowed her resentment, her lips instinctively pressing a little closer to Shen Yanting’s finger, as if to show she was being good. To Feng Jin, this looked no different from Bo Xuenong kissing Shen Yanting’s finger. Terrified of having her face stolen, Feng Jin slowly moved her hands upward, transforming her face-covering gesture into one that covered her eyes instead.

“Mother,” the girl interrupted Gui Nianqin, reacting faster than her mother. “Don’t lie to me. Those people aren’t just passersby, are they? They’re cultivators from the Imperial Tranquility Sect—people we can’t kill. Mother, you should let them leave now.”

Gui Nianqin stared at the girl, hesitating before finally asking, “How do you know?”

The girl forced a smile, her trembling face shaking even more violently. “I overheard you talking to Third Aunt and the others… Aunty Qing has returned.”

They knew Fu Yunqing.

How was that possible?

Fu Yunqing had left Lanshou Village over seven hundred years ago. Everyone who knew her should have died long ago. Yet the girl’s tone clearly indicated familiarity, perhaps even close acquaintance. The curiosity that had briefly subsided surged back, this time Bo Xuenong remained still, straining her ears to catch every word.

Gui Nianqin fell silent, stepping onto the portrait of Fu Yunqing and grinding her heel down with vicious force, as if trying to crush the image.

The girl noticed Gui Nianqin’s actions and let out a bitter laugh. “Mother, don’t blame Aunty Qing. The Imperial Tranquility Sect is too small to save us.”

“Unwilling, or unable?” Gui Nianqin sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “She returned to the village disguised as an ordinary mortal… refusing to even reveal her true identity. What does our centuries of worship mean to her? They must die! They will die! Even if I can’t kill them, I’ll trap them here forever!”

Who kills whom remains to be seen!

Bo Xuenong’s killing intent had just flared when Shen Yanting forcibly dragged her out of the room.

As they left the room, the strange fragrance vanished.

The lingering dizziness faded away. Bo Xuenong shook her head lightly, Feng Jin mirroring the motion.

Before they could fully recover, Shen Yanting had already led them away from Gui Nianqin’s courtyard. They returned to the courtyard Gui Nianqin had assigned them with remarkable speed. Bo Xuenong hadn’t yet been granted permission to speak, but Feng Jin had already blurted out, “Martial Uncle, did you figure out what it is?”

Shen Yanting frowned, her index finger curling slightly as she gently tapped Feng Jin’s forehead. “You called me the wrong title too.”

Feng Jin rubbed her forehead, muttering, “We’ve already blown our cover…”

Before she could finish, she noticed Bo Xuenong’s gaze fixed on her and immediately corrected herself. “Mother, what did you figure out?”

“The Spring Seal Prolonged Light Formation.”

Bo Xuenong had studied some formations under Shen Yanting, but her Bloodline’s bloodthirsty nature made her prone to agitation, preventing her from calmly studying the intricacies of formations. Her mastery of formations was shallow at best. Fortunately, she had memorized Shen Yanting’s teachings well. Though she knew few formations she could actually use, she recognized many by name.

Formations in the Cultivation World were divided into three categories: offensive, defensive, and entrapment.

The Spring Seal Prolonged Light Formation was an entrapment formation. Those trapped within it would never perceive the passage of time, remaining eternally young but forever unable to escape.

At first, things were manageable. But as people remained in the formation longer, they would begin to fall ill, suffering from various ailments until death. Even if they miraculously survived the illnesses, the formation wouldn’t disappear. Instead, their bones would gradually break apart until they were completely bedridden, their skin cracking inch by inch until they finally perished.

This was a slow and agonizing death formation.

Shen Yanting and Feng Jin both felt a pang of sorrow for the suffering endured by the people of Lanshou Village. Their expressions darkened, and Feng Jin’s beautiful eyes even reddened slightly. Bo Xuenong’s attention, however, had already drifted elsewhere. She was contemplating whether to struggle to learn some more brutal formations, sensing that Formation Cultivators’ methods of killing seemed particularly torturous.

Though she couldn’t yet confirm the identities of the vengeful spirits, the thought that they would inevitably appear and target Shen Yanting made Bo Xuenong determined not to let them die easily.

But her innate talent for formations was woefully lacking. Hmm… could she exchange Points with the System to compensate?

Bo Xuenong’s longing for Points surged anew.

Shen Yanting remained completely oblivious to Bo Xuenong’s sudden shifts from frowning gloom to radiant excitement.

Unsure whether to ask, she first cautioned Shen Yanting about something more urgent: “Don’t tell Mother about this yet. Let’s wait.”

The “Mother” Shen Yanting referred to was, of course, Fu Yunqing.

In essence, the Spring Seal Prolonged Light Formation was a formation-based equivalent of the Longevity Pill and Longevity Pill. Like the pills, it would eventually cause the skin to crack and lead to death, yet it could extend life beyond its natural limit. The difference lay in choice: taking the pills was voluntary, while those trapped in the formation were doomed to die within it.

Fu Yunqing, who dreaded pain, had refused to take the Longevity Pill. Learning that her entire village was suffering such torment would devastate her.

Though she would likely find out eventually, delaying the revelation seemed best—at least until Fu Yunqing had finished her leisurely stroll through the village and returned.

Since her life force began to wane, Fu Yunqing had rarely shown such joy.

It was only after Shen Yanting’s reminder that Bo Xuenong realized that if their deaths were no longer determined by lifespan after entering the formation, then… Gui Nianqin was likely the Granny Gui who had sent Fu Yunqing to the Imperial Tranquility Sect, and the young woman in bed was likely Gui Nianqin’s childhood playmate.

Wait… When Fu Yunqing left, Gui Nianqin was already old enough to be called “Granny” by ten-year-olds. She couldn’t possibly have such a young daughter.

Eager to share her discovery with Shen Yanting, Bo Xuenong began, “Madam…”

Bo Xuenong immediately realized her mistake after calling out. It was as if Shen Yanting had stripped her of her voice. She hurriedly pointed to her lips.

When Shen Yanting didn’t immediately understand, Bo Xuenong pointed to her throat.

“Nong’er,” Shen Yanting said, her gaze lowered and lips pressed into a thin line. “I didn’t tell you to remain silent forever.”

“Master, I don’t think that girl is Village Chief Gui’s daughter. There’s something wrong with her skin.”

“I hadn’t noticed that,” Shen Yanting murmured, pausing before adding, “We’ll need to observe her more closely.”

This was actually the first time Shen Yanting had encountered such a formation. Formation Cultivators rarely possessed overwhelming strength. Without spirit stones or demonic bones and cores to power their formations, a Nascent Soul Stage Formation Cultivator might be weaker in combat than a Core Formation Stage sword cultivator. They lived in constant fear of someone escaping their formations and seeking revenge, so if they decided to kill someone, they would deploy the most extreme Killing Formations, leaving no loose ends.

Moreover, without deep-seated hatred, why resort to such torment?

She couldn’t fathom who would set up such a formation in an ordinary village, or how the village could still function normally, appearing no different from any other. She also wondered why Gui Nianqin and the four others were unaffected by the formation, moving freely in and out of the village.

Bo Xuenong’s thoughts were more direct: “Why don’t I just go ask her?”

If Shen Yanting nodded, Bo Xuenong would grab her sword and confront Gui Nianqin immediately.

Shen Yanting wasn’t fooled by Bo Xuenong’s sincere and gentle facade. She could guess what Bo Xuenong was thinking: “It’s useless. At first, we could hear faint weeping from the other rooms, but now even those sounds have vanished. The people trapped inside must have passed out. The only ones who can tell us what’s happening are Village Chief Gui and… Village Chief Gui seems to harbor deep resentment. Forcing her to talk might backfire, and she might do something drastic. Besides… I haven’t sensed the auras of the four people who were with her earlier. This could mean trouble.”

I’m not afraid, Bo Xuenong thought.

I’ll protect Shen Yanting at any cost.

Anyone who tries to harm Shen Yanting will die!

Bo Xuenong dared not voice these thoughts, so she obediently kept her mouth shut. But she soon realized something was off. Shen Yanting had said “force her to talk”!

Bo Xuenong pushed at the soft flesh of her cheeks as she slowly approached Shen Yanting. “Master, I didn’t mean to force her to talk. I just wanted to coax the truth out of her gently.”

Bo Xuenong instinctively glanced at Feng Jin, who knew her secret. Feng Jin quickly interjected, “Mother, Village Chief Gui tried to kill us. We… we wouldn’t be wrong to interrogate her, would we?”

Feng Jin would have been better off keeping quiet.

Bo Xuenong had hoped Feng Jin would argue that she had no intention of interrogating Gui Nianqin, not outright admit that she had considered it.

My inner self is screaming! Bo Xuenong thought, forcing a gentle smile. “Madam, I…”

She tried to maintain her image of gentle kindness, but Shen Yanting gave her no chance. Pacing the courtyard, Shen Yanting’s gaze slowly swept around. “If she truly wanted to kill us, she wouldn’t have placed us here.”

“Mother, what do you mean?” Feng Jin asked.

Shen Yanting’s gaze shifted to Bo Xuenong. “Listen carefully.”

Bo Xuenong obediently complied, activating a technique to sharpen her hearing. She soon realized that the dozen or so households closest to their courtyard were eerily silent—no weeping, no breathing, no signs of life whatsoever.

The houses near theirs were completely empty, clearly separated from the occupied dwellings by some kind of barrier.

Gui Nianqin appeared to be an ordinary person with no cultivation. If she truly wanted to kill them, it would have been far easier to trap them with a formation.

Bo Xuenong couldn’t understand Gui Nianqin’s intentions. She simply covered her ears and smiled ingratiatingly at Shen Yanting. “Madam, whatever you wish to do, I will follow your lead.”

Shen Yanting’s plan was to avoid alerting the enemy. She wanted to first assess the situation in the village before acting.

While she could easily break the formation, she didn’t know what awaited her beyond it, nor what the villagers’ true desires were. She had a habit of protecting the innocent and a deep-seated desire to help the weak.

Shen Yanting could have stated her intentions directly, but recalling the changes she had sensed in Bo Xuenong during their journey, she preferred to act as a guide. “Nong’er, what do you think we should do?”

She hoped to hear Bo Xuenong voice her indignation on behalf of the people of Lanshou Village, but that was unlikely.

When Bo Xuenong met Shen Yanting’s gaze, her mind was flooded with thoughts of accumulating Points, exchanging them for Divine Artifacts and formations, and protecting her Master. She couldn’t quite grasp what Shen Yanting wanted to hear from her. Afraid of saying the wrong thing and displeasing Shen Yanting, she shifted her gaze to Feng Jin.

She hoped Feng Jin would answer for her, but this was an impossible task.

Feng Jin lacked even basic Cultivation. She had heard nothing and understood nothing of their conversation. She could only offer Bo Xuenong an apologetic smile.

Bo Xuenong felt a wave of frustration, her desire for Points reaching a fever pitch once more.

If Feng Jin weren’t so poor, she wouldn’t have only been able to exchange for half of the Mind-Reading Technique. With the complete technique, she could have known exactly what Shen Yanting wanted to hear.

No.

Eavesdropping on her Master’s thoughts would be far too disrespectful.

The fleeting thought vanished as quickly as it had arisen. Bo Xuenong rubbed her cheek and, adopting a sweet, pinched voice, asked Shen Yanting, “Madam, what kind of person do you want Nong’er to be?”

“What kind of person does Nong’er want to be?” Shen Yanting knew she might be asking too much of Bo Xuenong, so she narrowed the scope: “A good person? A bad person? Someone who follows their heart? Or…”

With each question, the confusion in Bo Xuenong’s eyes deepened. Shen Yanting trailed off, unable to continue.

As Shen Yanting fell silent, Bo Xuenong naturally took over the conversation: “Madam, what kind of person do you want Nong’er to be?”

Bo Xuenong eagerly awaited Shen Yanting’s answer. For the past five hundred years, she had been guessing at what kind of disciple Shen Yanting might prefer. If Shen Yanting would finally reveal the correct answer, it would be beyond perfect.

Shen Yanting stepped back half a pace. “Nong’er shouldn’t ask me that.”

“Why not?!”

Bo Xuenong had never questioned Shen Yanting before. Now, not only was she questioning her, but she was also pressing forward, her movements almost beyond her control.

She desperately craved an answer.

Shen Yanting’s brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with melancholy. “Your life should belong to you alone. You should decide who you want to become. You deserve to be free.”

She had murdered Bo Xuenong’s bl00d relatives.

Her mission was to monitor Bo Xuenong, to deny her freedom.

These two truths had become the demons haunting Shen Yanting since she resolved to be a proper master. She felt deeply guilty. Mo Tingshu, her own master, had never restrained her disciples, though she had been strict with them. But Shen Yanting…

“I don’t want it!” Bo Xuenong’s impassioned words shattered Shen Yanting’s guilt. She looked up in confusion, her eyes already completely red, scalding tears streaming down her face. She tugged pitifully at Shen Yanting’s sleeve. “Madam, don’t abandon me. I’m still young… and very bad. Without you to guide me, I’ll surely go astray. Madam, you mustn’t give me freedom! You must watch over me constantly, discipline me often!”

If Shen Yanting hadn’t seen the absence of hatred in Bo Xuenong’s eyes, she would have suspected that Bo Xuenong knew she was being monitored.

Bo Xuenong was still crying, her voice growing softer and filled with pleading. “Madam, please don’t abandon me, okay?”

This was the first time in centuries that Shen Yanting had seen Bo Xuenong cry like this. The sound of her sobs disrupted Shen Yanting’s resolve, and she instinctively tried to comfort her. “I’m not abandoning you, Nong’er. I just… I just want to know what kind of person you want to become.”

Hearing that Shen Yanting didn’t intend to abandon her, Bo Xuenong’s mood finally began to improve. “Then I want to become the kind of person Madam likes.”

“Hmm?”

She clutched Shen Yanting’s sleeve tightly, her voice rising slightly. “Whatever kind of person Madam likes, that’s exactly who I’ll become!”

Her tone was unwavering, her expression fiercely determined.

Everything before Shen Yanting told her that this was Bo Xuenong’s most genuine desire.

“Nong’er…”

Shen Yanting called Bo Xuenong’s name but found herself at a loss for words. In contrast, Bo Xuenong suddenly had much to say. “From now on, Madam only needs to tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Whatever Madam likes, I’ll do it! Whatever Madam dislikes, I’ll never do it!”

She spoke with the solemnity of a vow, making Shen Yanting fear she might next swear a celestial oath upon her Golden Core.

Shen Yanting’s gaze paused briefly before she tugged Bo Xuenong’s hand into the crook of her arm, gently pinning her arm with her own. Only when she was certain Bo Xuenong couldn’t swear an oath did she finally relax.

Bo Xuenong’s reaction was entirely unexpected.

Shen Yanting completely lost control of the conversation’s direction.

Her gaze drifted involuntarily behind Bo Xuenong, trying to discern if there was a hidden tail.

No Human Cultivator disciple in the world completely obeyed their Master’s commands—only Beast Tamers exhibited such absolute obedience. Could it be that Bo Xuenong’s Bloodline hadn’t been sufficiently diluted by Human Cultivator bl00d?

Finding no trace of a tail, Shen Yanting reached out with a strange expression and gently touched the area below Bo Xuenong’s waist where a tail might grow.

She didn’t find a tail, but she suddenly heard Feng Yingbo’s teasing voice: “Sister, you and your young man are so close! Touching… mmph…”