Chapter 5

In Shen Luocheng's memories, her disciple had always been obedient and well-behaved, never daring to make such an inappropriate move. Thus, even someone as perceptive as Shen Luocheng was momentarily frozen. [Host, you're quite brave... Congratulations! You've earned a huge amount of Rebellion Points this time, granting you another year of survival!] Xie Dengqiu was completely stunned by the system's response. She hadn't expected that simply teasing her master would have such a tremendous effect. Looks like this world is rather conservative. Hearing that she could survive for another year, Xie Dengqiu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she could finally relax. At the very least, she could lie low for several months without worrying about anything. She was the kind of lazy person who wouldn't lift a finger unless the situation was literally burning at her doorstep. "You've learned to be presumptuous?" Just as Xie Dengqiu was about to pull back, Shen Luocheng grabbed her wrist. There was an emotion in those violet eyes that no one else could decipher. "You actually know how to overstep your boundaries and disrespect your master now." Shen Luocheng had been a prodigy since childhood. No—she could even be called a genius among geniuses. The Shen family was a powerful cultivation clan, one of the dominant forces across the entire Cangyue Continent. Shen Luocheng had been born as the clan leader's eldest daughter, practically starting life with every possible advantage. Although her mother was the principal wife, Shen Luocheng's father had chosen her only because of her beauty and talent, intending to use her as a wife to bear his descendants. Her mother's family was weak and insignificant, leaving her with little influence or standing within the clan. Later, her father took several highly talented concubines, who constantly bullied her mother. By the age of thirteen, Shen Luocheng had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Yet with her extraordinary swordsmanship, she could defeat several of her father's concubines. To outsiders, such a feat sounded utterly absurd, but Shen Luocheng accomplished it with ease. The reason was that she had inherited the Shen family's most powerful bloodline, granting her the ability to wield the power of the Black Dragon God. When Shen Luocheng was young, she protected her mother and forbade her father from taking more concubines. Eventually, she even started beating up her father as well. From her youth into adulthood, Shen Luocheng lived by one simple principle: One slap for the concubines. Two slaps for her father. It wasn't until she joined a sect that Shen Luocheng finally calmed down somewhat. By then, her father no longer dared to take any concubines. He had since passed away, while Shen Luocheng's mother had also died after Shen Luocheng forcibly extended her life by another ten thousand years. Now, the person she truly cared about was the little disciple she had recently taken in. Although she spoke sternly, Shen Luocheng had no intention of actually bullying Xie Dengqiu. It was like a master deliberately putting on a stern expression just to frighten her pet a little. Xie Dengqiu looked up at Shen Luocheng. She had only recently transmigrated and didn't know this villainous master's personality particularly well. She wasn't sure whether she had accidentally stepped on some forbidden boundary. After all, the relationship between master and disciple... Doing something like this really was inappropriate. "Master, are you angry?" Xie Dengqiu didn't immediately pull away. She simply maintained the distance between them and stared into Shen Luocheng's beautiful violet eyes. "I'm not angry. But if you really dare to go meet that bastard, next time..." Shen Luocheng's voice became extremely soft and slow. Her cool fingers rested on her disciple's wrist before lifting it. Xie Dengqiu's white sleeve slid down her slender arm, revealing faint marks left by the thorns. Those thorns had been created from Shen Luocheng's own power, so she could sense every bit of pain her disciple experienced. "Then I won't merely lock you in the dungeon with black thorns." "Dengqiu, I'll kill you with my own hands." Shen Luocheng narrowed her eyes, looking almost divine. The Goddess Nuwa had once doted on her spirit pet, the Teng Snake. But when the Teng Snake showed admiration toward another deity, Nuwa showed no mercy. She tore the Teng Snake into pieces. Shen Luocheng leaned very close. The elegant fragrance lingering on her body curled around Xie Dengqiu's nose, making it itch enough to almost make her sneeze. She lowered her head and stared at her disciple, every word and movement carrying a warning. "I... I understand." Xie Dengqiu was somewhat frightened, but she still obediently nodded. "Master." After leaving her disciple, Shen Luocheng stood alone in the courtyard. Her residence was extraordinarily luxurious, containing all kinds of rare and exotic flowers and trees from across the entire continent. At this moment, countless flowers were blooming throughout the garden, competing with one another in beauty. Shen Luocheng couldn't help raising her hand and touching her cheek. That was where Xie Dengqiu's lips had touched moments ago. Had she really just had such thoughts? It seemed she truly had been neglecting her disciple these past few days and had given her less affection than before. The corners of her lips curved upward. Before Shen Luocheng even realized it, she was already smiling. She had actually enjoyed it. She wished her disciple had come even closer. But she still cared about her dignity, so she wouldn't say anything about it in front of Xie Dengqiu. Her fingertip brushed over the corner of her lips. The skin beneath her finger seemed to retain the warmth and faint moisture left behind by Dengqiu. Dengqiu... You've really learned some bad habits. ... Xie Dengqiu spent several more days resting in bed before she finally recovered completely. She cautiously put on her disciple's outer robe and snapped her fingers. A water mirror appeared before her. She had to admit, the little skills provided by the system were pretty useful. Once she learned them, she only needed to think about what she wanted, and she could easily summon a mirror. The surface of the mirror rippled gently like water. Xie Dengqiu gazed at her reflection. Her eyes seemed to hold autumn waters within them, and she had neatly arranged her long hair. Although she didn't know how to style an ancient woman's hair, she knew magic, so that wasn't difficult. Her master had also returned her storage ring. Xie Dengqiu stared at the green bamboo ring on her slender fingers and was momentarily dazed. She seemed to have transformed into a somewhat unfamiliar female cultivator. A jade crown rested on Xie Dengqiu's head, carved in the shape of a budding magnolia. It gave her a quiet and elegant appearance. She patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and decided to explore the sect first. When playing a game, you always had to familiarize yourself with the map. The same applied here. [Dear Host, you can unlock the map navigation function. However, we still encourage you to explore on your own. Otherwise, when you're running around, you might not have time to check the navigation and end up getting stabbed in the back. Hehe~] The system's teasing voice rang out. Xie Dengqiu was slightly speechless. She pursed her lips, pushed open the wooden door, and walked outside. The first thing she saw was a tree covered in blossoms. Blue-violet petals layered over one another, clustered together in full bloom. She didn't recognize what species it was. Perhaps it was exclusive to the cultivation world. The flowers bloomed vigorously, filling the air with an intoxicating fragrance. Xie Dengqiu thought they looked a lot like jacaranda trees. Of course, jacarandas weren't actually fragrant. She had once taken pictures of them while traveling, and without a filter, they weren't nearly as beautiful. But this was the cultivation world, after all. Trees infused with spiritual energy really did grow magnificently. This one already looked as though it had come straight from the immortal realm. Beneath the blue-violet flowering tree was a stone table. Shen Luocheng sat there in a white robe, leisurely sipping tea. When she heard footsteps, she looked toward her disciple. "Come here." Xie Dengqiu's eyes darted around. Clearly, she didn't want to face this villainous boss of a master. But there was nowhere for her to run, so she could only walk over. "Have your injuries healed?" Shen Luocheng's voice was cool and distant, but her violet eyes held a trace of concern. She was still wary of her disciple. If this disciple was like those pets that recklessly ran outside and mated with some ugly beast, Shen Luocheng couldn't be blamed for showing no mercy.