The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 31

Now that Shen Yanting had decided to take Liu Huairou’s place in the marriage, Bo Xuenong would naturally follow her plan to the letter. However, when Bo Xuenong offered to replace Liu Huairou, Gui Nianqin refused. Instead, she instructed Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting to swap places with two other villagers, while Liu Huairou would accompany them to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect.

There were three reasons for this arrangement: first, having someone from Lanshou Village present would make it easier to handle any unexpected situations; second, Bo Xuenong and the others needed someone familiar with the village to identify the cultivators who had committed atrocities; and third, they needed someone to recognize the children held captive by the Heavenly Cuisine Sect and lead their rescue.

Liu Huairou was Gui Nianqin’s daughter-in-law and heir apparent. Had the Heavenly Cuisine Sect not intervened, Liu Huairou would have already changed her surname to Gui and succeeded Gui Nianqin as the next Village Chief of Lanshou Village. Apart from Gui Nianqin, Liu Huairou was the only one in the village who still clearly remembered the faces of every child taken from Lanshou Village, making her the most suitable candidate for this mission.

Because Gui Nianqin had previously retaliated against the Heavenly Cuisine Sect by ambushing and dragging disciples into her traps, the sect’s wedding procession would only consist of four wooden puppets. No other members would enter the village. Instead, they would wait in a pavilion some distance away from Lanshou Village for the wooden puppets to bring the bride to them.

This made it convenient for Bo Xuenong and her companions to take action.

Shen Yanting secretly cast a spell on the wooden figures, altering the scent of the newcomers they had memorized. She replaced the scents of the two figures other than Liu Huairou with her own, then equipped them with Spirit Tools brimming with Spiritual Qi and capable of suppressing cultivation. As a result, their scent became nearly identical to that of Liu Huairou, a carefully nurtured Medicinal Human.

With these preparations complete, all that remained was for them to change into their bridal gowns and wait for the four wooden figures to come and take them away at dawn the next day.

For this trip to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect, Shen Yanting had initially planned to bring only Bo Xuenong. However, fearing that the sect might send disciples to inspect Lanshou Village for anomalies, she brought all her companions and their horses into the Gui Family compound, fully integrating them into the Spring Seal Prolonged Light Formation and Spirit Gathering Formation. Once inside the formation, Bo Xuenong realized the Heavenly Cuisine Sect’s formation was ingeniously designed. Instead of trapping the entire village within the formation, they had encircled individual houses, confining the formation’s effects to the interiors. From outside the village, there was little to betray the formation’s presence; Lanshou Village appeared no different from any ordinary village, save for its sparse population.

This explained why Bo Xuenong and her companions could smell Spiritual Qi and medicinal herbs inside the house, but nothing outside. It also explained why, when they eavesdropped that afternoon, the sun shone brightly outside, yet not a single ray penetrated the interior. The house and the outside world were essentially two separate realms.

This grand formation, composed of countless smaller formations stacked upon one another, was a hundred times more complex to construct than an ordinary formation.

Bo Xuenong was puzzled. “Master, why would they go to such trouble?”

Shen Yanting replied, “They’re afraid of the Divine Pavilion.”

Shen Yanting’s reminder clarified things for Bo Xuenong. The Divine Pavilion existed to maintain order in the Cultivation World, acting as its enforcers. Human Talisman Refinement was strictly forbidden.

The Heavenly Cuisine Sect wasn’t a Demon Sect; they presented themselves as righteous cultivators, valuing both reputation and appearances.

Dragging the houses into the formation was merely a facade to deceive outsiders. However, skilled cultivators like Shen Yanting could easily see through the deception.

Bo Xuenong couldn’t help but ask Gui Nianqin, “Granny Gui, have you ever tried seeking help from other cultivators?”

“Yes, but their cultivation levels are very low,” Gui Nianqin replied truthfully. “We used to see powerful cultivators passing through often, but since the formation appeared, none have come. Only minor cultivators and ordinary travelers pass by now.”

This wasn’t hard to figure out. The Heavenly Cuisine Sect had undoubtedly stationed other observers near the village. Powerful cultivators were diverted elsewhere, while ordinary people and low-level cultivators were allowed to pass through Lanshou Village. The sect only needed someone to know that Lanshou Village still existed within their territory.

Although Fu Yunqing’s suggestion had led Gui Nianqin to misunderstand their intentions, it had likely been the right approach. Had they not disguised themselves as ordinary travelers, they would likely have been diverted elsewhere. Even if they had eventually circled back, they would have alerted the Heavenly Cuisine Sect long ago.

Bo Xuenong and her companions didn’t stay in the house for long that afternoon. Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting’s cultivation levels weren’t particularly low, so the effects weren’t immediately noticeable. However, as they lingered in the house, the increasingly potent fragrance gradually dulled their senses. Yet, within Bo Xuenong’s body, her Golden Core began to automatically absorb Spiritual Qi.

A surge of dense Spiritual Qi flooded into her body, startling Bo Xuenong. “This…”

They were now within the dual formations. Besides sensing the presence of the Spring Seal Prolonged Light Formation, they also felt the amplified Spiritual Qi provided by the Spirit Gathering Formation.

Unlike the residents of Lanshou Village, who were mere vessels incapable of absorbing Spiritual Qi, this abundance of energy ignited a fervent gleam in Bo Xuenong and her companions’ eyes. Gui Nianqin’s abilities, honed over seven centuries of refinement, had transformed the Seventh-Grade Spirit Gathering Talisman into a rare treasure. Not only could she single-handedly sustain the Spirit Gathering Formation, but she also distributed ample spiritual power to each member within the formation.

Bo Xuenong, a peak Golden Core cultivator, experienced a threefold increase in her usual rate of Spiritual Qi absorption. The effect was even more pronounced for Xiang Yu and Fu Yunqing, whose lower cultivation levels, limited internal reserves, and slower absorption rates forced them to immediately circulate their cultivation techniques.

Though their minds weren’t focused on cultivation, failing to circulate their techniques would risk their bodies bursting from the overwhelming influx of Spiritual Qi.

The rapid surge of Spiritual Qi made Bo Xuenong acutely aware of the Human Talisman’s true value. The rate of energy accumulation here surpassed even that of high-grade Spirit Gathering Formations. A high-grade formation required thousands of low-grade spirit stones, hundreds of mid-grade stones, and dozens of high-grade stones, plus several top-grade stones as the formation’s core. Yet here, Gui Nianqin alone sustained the entire formation.

Having only matured for seven centuries, Gui Nianqin’s Spirit Gathering speed was still growing. Perhaps one day, she could single-handedly sustain a top-tier Spirit Gathering Formation—the kind only the Three Great Sects possessed.

This was the true reason why Talisman Cultivators risked the Divine Pavilion’s wrath to repeatedly refine Human Talismans: the allure of continuously increasing power was simply too irresistible.

Unfortunately, the refinement process was brutally cruel, something Shen Yanting would never condone.

What Shen Yanting disliked, Bo Xuenong disliked as well.

Even Feng Yingbo, a Nascent Soul cultivator, could sense the doubling rate of spiritual power. Though she didn’t need to circulate her Cultivation Technique to suppress this surge of Spiritual Qi, she couldn’t help but ask Shen Yanting, “Senior Sister, why doesn’t the Heavenly Cuisine Sect just send their cultivators directly into the Spirit Gathering Formation?”

“Aunt Feng, you’re truly naive,” Bo Xuenong retorted, rolling her eyes at Feng Yingbo, recalling her earlier remark. “Human Talismans possess independent consciousness. Once that consciousness is erased, they become no different from ordinary talisman paper. The Heavenly Cuisine Sect would never sacrifice them like that. While Talisman Cultivators can harness the power of Human Talismans, they can’t fully control a talisman paper with its own will. Once those cultivators enter the formation, Granny Gui calls the shots. She can instantly channel all the Spiritual Qi in the formation toward anyone she chooses—a level of spiritual power that could even burst a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.”

Now that they had merged into the formation, Gui Nianqin would certainly not provide Spiritual Qi to anyone other than her own people at the formation’s normal flow rate.

Feng Yingbo clearly hadn’t been paying attention to Shen Yanting. She had probably been too busy getting angry at the beasts from the Heavenly Cuisine Sect to remember that Gui Nianqin had once dragged their disciples into the formation, scaring the sect’s cultivators into never daring to approach Lanshou Village directly again, forcing them to send wooden puppets to retrieve their people.

Those disciples had long since vanished, likely having been burst apart by Gui Nianqin’s overwhelming Spiritual Qi.

If Feng Yingbo were Gui Nianqin, she wouldn’t hand anyone over. She would stubbornly resist the cultivators’ attempts to seize them, using the opportunity to kill a few more. However, Gui Nianqin’s recent confrontation with Feng Yingbo revealed that her strength relied solely on accumulated Spiritual Qi, lacking any real combat skill. Against even a moderately skilled opponent, she couldn’t forcibly drag anyone into the formation.

The Heavenly Cuisine Sect still held Lanshou Village’s children hostage. Most of the villagers had endured this ordeal for the sake of their children, unwilling to gamble their lives.

Even if Gui Nianqin refused to hand anyone over, the villagers themselves would likely object.

Moreover, Gui Nianqin was a village chief who valued the lives of her people above her own. She wouldn’t dare gamble with their lives. Her impulsive attack on the Heavenly Cuisine Sect disciples was likely a momentary lapse. Had Gui Nianqin been cold-blooded and indifferent, caring less for the villagers, she would never have endured the extreme pain of being refined into a Human Talisman.

Shen Yanting had never seen a Human Talisman before, suggesting that this might be the only one in the entire Cultivation World.

Bo Xuenong lacked such selfless dedication and couldn’t comprehend why Gui Nianqin would endure such suffering for others. Yet, when she thought of Shen Yanting, she found herself not entirely unsympathetic. If someone threatened Shen Yanting’s life, she would undoubtedly be willing to be refined into a Human Talisman… or, more likely, she would slaughter them all.

Whoever sought Shen Yanting’s life would pay with their own.

That was the only logical solution.

Bo Xuenong found it far more acceptable for Shen Yanting to refine her into a Human Talisman. This way, she wouldn’t just sacrifice her life for Shen Yanting, but would also remain by her side forever.

That would be the perfect sacrifice.

Bo Xuenong’s mind raced with wild fantasies, her thoughts spiraling into increasingly twisted directions.

Sensing something amiss, Shen Yanting frowned and called out, “Nong’er.”

Bo Xuenong snapped back to reality, meeting Shen Yanting’s beautiful gaze. A thin, icy light crept into her eyes, instantly sobering her.

Master had said she didn’t want her to die, yet here she was, imagining the scene of a sacrificial offering.

“Master,” Bo Xuenong said, covering her mouth and lowering her head in guilt, quickly trying to divert Shen Yanting’s attention. “Master, why can’t we inform the Divine Pavilion and let them handle this?”

Shen Yanting never hesitated to answer such questions, carefully considering her words. “Too many eyes are watching the Divine Pavilion. Any move they make will alert all factions. By then, the Heavenly Cuisine Sect will have erased all traces. Without evidence, they’ll accuse us of slander. We need to secure some leverage first, especially those cultivators involved in setting up the formation and refining the talismans. We must sever their control over the people of Lanshou Village.”

She turned to give Gui Nianqin a deep look. “Human Talismans are precious. Even those who lack the courage to refine them still desire them. If word gets out… Unless absolutely necessary, it’s best not to escalate this.”

This was Shen Yanting’s true intention: to help Gui Nianqin and the others escape the Heavenly Cuisine Sect quietly and restore peace to Lanshou Village.

Gui Nianqin was deeply grateful, but she didn’t want Shen Yanting to hesitate on her account. “Miss Shen, don’t worry about me,” she said. “As long as the villagers are saved, I’ll self-destruct before those villains come to seize the Human Talisman. I won’t burden your group or endanger the villagers again.”

“It’s not that simple,” Shen Yanting said, her expression grave. She sighed softly. “Lanshou Village isn’t just about the Human Talismans. Each of them has been nourished by your spiritual power for centuries, their flesh and bl00d now comparable to top-grade Spirit Medicine. If the existence of the Human Talismans here is exposed, Lanshou Village will become a target, and their secrets will be impossible to conceal. The Cultivation World reveres the strong above all else, and there’s no shortage of those who would stop at nothing for power.”

Gui Nianqin froze in place. Before becoming a Human Talisman, she had been an ordinary person, sharing the common reverence and admiration for Cultivators who sought immortality. When she was refined into a Human Talisman, she had only thought of the Heavenly Cuisine Sect as beasts, never considering that such monsters might exist elsewhere.

Feng Yingbo, whose mind worked differently, finally realized the situation was more complicated than she had imagined. “Senior Sister, the Heavenly Cuisine Sect is a first-rate immortal sect. For you and Nong’er to rescue everyone and escape unscathed will be extremely difficult. Perhaps I should accompany you while Jin’er stays here to protect the Sect Leader and Xiang Yu.”

Feng Jin, the only one unable to absorb Spiritual Qi, suddenly found herself singled out. She lowered her head guiltily.

Shen Yanting glanced sideways at Feng Jin. “Jin’er is too young.”

Two hundred years old was hardly young.

Bo Xuenong secretly scoffed, but Feng Yingbo was easily convinced. “Jin’er is indeed too young… But Senior Sister, what are our chances of success?”

Shen Yanting replied, “Fifty percent.”

Hearing this, Gui Nianqin’s eyes dimmed further. “Miss Shen, you should leave. There are countless suffering people in this world. With your kind heart, you could save others instead of wasting your compassion on us. As you said yourself, even if we’re rescued, we’ll only become targets for more covetous eyes.”

“There are indeed many suffering people in this world, but we can’t encounter them all,” Shen Yanting said calmly. “If a cultivator can turn a blind eye to such misery and abandon those in need, what difference is there between them and a demonic cultivator? I’m not saving you—I’m preventing an inner demon from taking root in my heart.”

Her tone remained detached, her gaze unwavering.

Outwardly, she hardly seemed like a warm-hearted person. Yet this aloof woman was willing to risk everything for Lanshou Village’s survival, even with only a fifty percent chance of success.

Gui Nianqin couldn’t help but kneel before Shen Yanting. “If we truly gain our freedom this time, the people of Lanshou Village will pledge their loyalty to you from now on.”

“There’s no need,” Shen Yanting said, releasing a wisp of Spiritual Qi that gently lifted Gui Nianqin to her feet. “Village Chief Gui, you should spend more time with your daughter-in-law. She has no cultivation, and tomorrow’s journey to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect will be especially dangerous for her.”

Gui Nianqin forced a bitter smile, bid farewell to Shen Yanting and the others, and headed to Liu Huairou’s room.

After Gui Nianqin left, Feng Yingbo couldn’t help but press the matter. “Senior Sister, why don’t I come with you? I’m at least a Nascent Soul cultivator and have some skills. The Sect Leader and the others will be safe within the formation.”

“No,” Shen Yanting replied, shaking her head. “Junior Sister Feng, you don’t need to worry so much about Nong’er and me. I said the chances of success are only fifty percent, but that doesn’t mean we’re gambling with our lives. Neither Nong’er nor I will die at the Heavenly Cuisine Sect.”

Still uneasy, Feng Yingbo tried to persuade Bo Xuenong instead. “Xuenong, why don’t you convince Senior Sister to let me come along?”

“Why should I?” Bo Xuenong retorted immediately, without even thinking. She stood up, blocking Feng Yingbo’s gaze toward Shen Yanting. “Master said she’s only taking me!”

Bo Xuenong acted like a protective puppy guarding its food, but the Heavenly Cuisine Sect was hardly a delicacy.

Feng Yingbo looked at Bo Xuenong in disbelief. “Going to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect is extremely dangerous. I’m…”

“Aunt Feng!” Bo Xuenong interrupted. “I know the Heavenly Cuisine Sect is dangerous! I’ll protect Master! Just follow Master’s instructions.”

Bo Xuenong disliked anyone contradicting Shen Yanting, even out of concern. Moreover, she was confident in her ability to protect Shen Yanting.

She didn’t underestimate the Heavenly Cuisine Sect, nor did she deny Feng Yingbo’s superior strength. However, she firmly believed she was the person in the world most willing to sacrifice everything for Shen Yanting. She knew Shen Yanting wanted her to live well, but if necessary, she would still offer herself to protect her Master. It was her dream, the ending she most desired.

She doubted Feng Yingbo would go that far for Shen Yanting.

The Heavenly Cuisine Sect was teeming with powerful cultivators. Feng Yingbo, at the Nascent Soul Stage, wouldn’t be particularly formidable there. If she insisted on going, Shen Yanting might end up protecting her instead.

The more Bo Xuenong thought about it, the more convinced she became that her plan was sound. She shielded Shen Yanting even more protectively. “Aunt Feng, rest assured, I absolutely won’t let Master die!”

Feng Yingbo was about to argue when Shen Yanting stopped her. “Junior Sister Feng, if something happens at the Heavenly Cuisine Sect, it’s likely someone will target Lanshou Village. You must stay here to protect them.”

Lanshou Village was entirely sustained by Spirit Medicine nourished by Spiritual Qi. The villagers were too weak to defend themselves. If Shen Yanting and Bo Xuenong weren’t inseparable, she would have insisted Bo Xuenong stay as well.

Shen Yanting hoped Feng Yingbo would understand her reasoning, but Feng Yingbo still wanted to go. “Jin’er can protect them.”

Shen Yanting glanced at Feng Jin. “Jin’er can’t.”

She was practically stating outright that Feng Jin was incapable of protecting Fu Yunqing and the others. This caused both Feng Jin and Bo Xuenong to stare at her, their suspicion growing. Did Shen Yanting know about Feng Jin’s cultivation issues? When had she found out? Could it have been this afternoon, when Feng Jin couldn’t keep up with their pace and Bo Xuenong had to carry her?

“Senior Sister…” Feng Yingbo tried to plead her case, but Feng Jin tugged at her sleeve. “Master, we need you too.”

Hearing Feng Jin’s slightly pleading tone, Feng Yingbo finally stopped pressing the matter of accompanying them to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect.

The Gui Family had three rooms, previously occupied by Gui Nianqin, Liu Huairou, and Gui Nian’an—the “Big Flower Cake” Fu Yunqing had mentioned. Since Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting needed to change into their wedding robes later, they agreed to leave this room for Feng Yingbo and the others. Shen Yanting and Bo Xuenong took the last empty room, where the wedding robes Gui Nianqin had retrieved lay on the bed.

Bo Xuenong wasted no time upon entering the room, immediately seizing the opportunity to cultivate while the Spiritual Qi absorption was at its peak.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, with Shen Yanting sitting beside her.

Shen Yanting wasn’t cultivating. She laid the two wedding robes across her lap, gently stroking the embroidered patterns with her fingertips, her mind elsewhere.

The room was dimly lit, the only light emanating from the swirling emerald spiritual power enveloping Bo Xuenong.

Perhaps because she couldn’t clearly see the embroidery on the robes, Shen Yanting unconsciously moved closer to Bo Xuenong.

Sensing the movement, Bo Xuenong immediately stopped cultivating and opened her eyes. “Master, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes held concern and confusion, but no fear.

Shen Yanting suddenly recalled that Bo Xuenong had only shown slight displeasure when she first proposed the substitute marriage, objecting to wearing the bridal robes. She had never asked about their chances of success or whether Shen Yanting had any backup plans, her mind fixed solely on one unwavering conviction: to accompany her Master to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect. “Nong’er, aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid? Not at all!” Bo Xuenong thought of the imminent opportunity to kill with righteous justification, and of sacrificing herself to protect Shen Yanting. Her bl00d surged with excitement. “Master, trust me! I’ll protect you!”

She laughed gleefully, closed her eyes, and resumed her cultivation.

Bo Xuenong’s joy didn’t last long. She soon snapped her eyes open again, gripping Shen Yanting’s wrist tightly. “Master, if I die, you must stay far away from Cheng Huaizhou!”

“Cheng Huaizhou?” Shen Yanting frowned, completely failing to recognize the name. “I don’t know him. Besides… you won’t die.”

“Not just Cheng Huaizhou, but also…” Bo Xuenong’s head throbbed at the thought of those vengeful spirits. Now didn’t seem like the right time for her sacrifice; she still hadn’t figured out whether those entities would harm Shen Yanting. “No, I can’t die yet. I need to ensure they won’t hurt Master, and guarantee my own safe return.”

As Bo Xuenong spoke, her voice grew softer, the final words barely a murmur. Had Shen Yanting not been subtly focusing her hearing, she wouldn’t have caught them at all.

Guarantee she won’t be harmed, and I won’t die?

Does that mean Bo Xuenong would allow herself to be severely injured?

Guilt washed over Shen Yanting.

She knew Bo Xuenong had little genuine compassion for the situation in Lanshou Village. Bo Xuenong’s willingness to go to the Heavenly Cuisine Sect stemmed solely from her desire to help Shen Yanting.

Despite knowing the Heavenly Cuisine Sect was no ordinary, low-ranking Sect—a place teeming with formidable experts and fraught with danger—Bo Xuenong hadn’t even tried to dissuade her. She hadn’t considered her own safety for a moment, focusing only on protecting her Master from harm. It seemed that no matter how thorny the path ahead, Bo Xuenong would accompany her, unwavering.

Bo Xuenong was a devoted disciple, while Shen Yanting was far from a good Master.

“Nong’er,” Shen Yanting called out, reaching for Bo Xuenong’s hand.

Before Shen Yanting could grasp it, Bo Xuenong, still lost in her thoughts, instinctively raised her wrist, tugged at Shen Yanting’s sleeve, and guided her palm to her neck.

The skin beneath Shen Yanting’s palm was delicate and smooth, pale and fragile, easily marked with red if pressed too firmly.

Shen Yanting’s fingers froze on Bo Xuenong’s slender neck, afraid to move. Bo Xuenong, however, spoke naturally, “Master, hold me here.”

Shen Yanting’s gaze paused momentarily before she slowly withdrew her hand, her fingertips stroking the Storage Ring. “Nong’er, Master has no intention of taking you into mortal danger. You needn’t worry. You won’t die, and neither will I. But we may not be able to save everyone in Lanshou Village.”

Shen Yanting wasn’t reckless. If she dared to go, she was confident she could return alive. She wanted to save the villagers, but not at the cost of Bo Xuenong’s life.

She hoped Bo Xuenong would understand this and stop thinking about how to desperately protect her. Instead, Bo Xuenong, who had finally relaxed slightly, focused entirely on Shen Yanting’s hand.

Noticing Shen Yanting quickly release her neck, Bo Xuenong couldn’t resist gesturing at her own throat. “Master, was it awkward to hold me like this?”

Without waiting for a reply, Bo Xuenong grew increasingly convinced she was right.

Bo Xuenong’s dark eyes darted around as she reached out to touch the fabric of her robe. Just as she was about to tear off a strip, she noticed the wedding gown draped across Shen Yanting’s lap. She reached out to stroke the gown’s material, realizing then that the Heavenly Cuisine Sect valued Lanshou Village’s Spirit Medicine even more than she had imagined. The gown was woven from silkworm demon silk, not only smooth and soft but also imbued with a faint, lingering Spiritual Qi that gave it a unique, cool touch.

It must feel wonderful to hold!

Without hesitation, Bo Xuenong tore a long strip from one of the wedding gowns. Under Shen Yanting’s bewildered gaze, she tied the silkworm demon silk around her neck, tucking the loose end into Shen Yanting’s hand. She smiled contentedly. “Master, isn’t this easier to hold?”

Bo Xuenong’s neck was fair and slender, the red silk of the gown accentuating her delicate pallor.

Shen Yanting, fearing the red silk might chafe her skin, immediately moved to untie it. But Bo Xuenong, oblivious to any discomfort, pressed the silk further into Shen Yanting’s palm, her voice tinged with hurt. “Master, do you not want to hold my hand anymore?”

When Shen Yanting remained silent, Bo Xuenong’s eyes grew even more pitiful. “Master?”

Her wet eyes were full of pleading, the faint redness around them making her look particularly vulnerable.

Though she had neither tail nor ears, she resembled a newborn cub—a creature yet to develop sentience, unable to distinguish good from bad, and desperately clingy.

Thinking it over, if Bo Xuenong were truly a demon beast, any Beast Tamer who found her would be overjoyed. After all, she would willingly place her leash in their hand. Unfortunately, Shen Yanting found it difficult to feel any joy.

She remembered raising a person, not a mere animal.

Shen Yanting gazed at the red cloth pressed into her palm, twisting it around her hand twice. This brought Bo Xuenong’s slender, delicate neck closer to her grasp, and her body drew nearer to Shen Yanting’s embrace. Just as Bo Xuenong’s head was about to bump against her chest, Shen Yanting lifted her hand, tilting Bo Xuenong’s head back. In a cold voice, she demanded, “Bo Xuenong, are you a demon beast?”

Half-lying on the bed, Bo Xuenong tilted her head back to look at Shen Yanting, her brows alight with joy at Shen Yanting’s cooperation. “Does Master wish I were?”

Suddenly, the red cloth wrapped around Shen Yanting’s hand felt scalding hot. She instinctively loosened her grip, and the bright sparkle in Bo Xuenong’s eyes dimmed noticeably…