Chapter 10: Rolling into an Embrace

“I’m serious. I will teach you everything I know, guarantee my professional integrity as a teacher, and absolutely won’t be like Qin Ceyi.” Huo Zhi said, seeing Linlang’s hesitant expression.

“Swear a Blood Oath,” Linlang paused, then stated.

Empty words hold no weight. Linlang trusted no verbal agreement.

If a Blood Oath was established, it might be worth a try. She truly did want to learn the talisman-drawing skills Huo Zhi possessed.

Swearing a Blood Oath didn’t mean immediate death if broken. It would only plant a Heart Devil, making future cultivation progress nearly impossible.

Cultivators were generally very wary of this.

“Fine,” Huo Zhi nodded.

“In the Blood Oath, the condition about teaching me talisman drawing without any selfishness must be included. I also want to add one more condition: during this time, we cannot have any physical relationship. After we leave this place, the master-disciple relationship can be dissolved at any time. Otherwise, I can break the oath.” Linlang looked at Huo Zhi and said, still somewhat wary of the Love Poison Talisman that hadn’t been completely destroyed. Although it seemed Huo Zhi currently didn’t know about the Love Poison Talisman and had no such intentions, that didn’t mean things wouldn’t change later. If they simply maintained a basic master-disciple relationship, she could learn Huo Zhi’s talisman skills and wouldn’t mind being taken advantage of slightly in terms of address.

“No problem,” Huo Zhi paused, then responded.

The conditions Linlang stated weren’t harsh. But what was with that “no physical relationship” clause? Did she seem that lecherous?

Could it be that her previous improper attire and not giving Linlang clothes to wear had led to this unfavorable impression?

“You go first! I don’t know the Blood Oath rune pattern,” Linlang said, looking at Huo Zhi.

“I do.” Huo Zhi didn’t refuse.

A Blood Oath required the oath-maker’s blood to draw the Blood Oath rune.

Huo Zhi had designed the Blood Oath rune pattern herself, and it was quite simple: an oath gesture of the index, middle, and ring fingers pointing toward the sky.

Standard low-grade talisman paper would suffice.

Huo Zhi bit her finger, desperately suppressing the fluctuations of her Dao of Ruthlessness technique as it stirred, before pushing it back down.

Once her finger was bleeding, she used a clean brush tip dipped in the blood to draw on the talisman paper.

The blood-smeared color was uneven, and the first attempt ended in failure.

Huo Zhi had to squeeze out a bit more blood to draw a second one, which finally succeeded.

“I, Fairy Yuheng of Sky Mist Sect, hereby swear… I will certainly uphold the morals of a teacher, be a role model of virtue, and embody pure and noble teacherly love. If I break this oath, may I be devoured by the Heart Devil, my cultivation never advancing again.” After activating the Blood Oath rune, Huo Zhi spoke the oath terms they had just agreed upon.

Linlang watched Huo Zhi efficiently swear the Blood Oath, even an enhanced version, dragging out teacherly morals and love. It seemed she truly intended to properly be her Shizun, teach her talisman drawing, and escape this place together.

Linlang didn’t hesitate. She silently extended her own finger. Without visibly biting it, a single drop of blood flew out and hovered in the air.

Seeing Linlang’s floating blood drop, Huo Zhi suddenly remembered: this was the Cultivation World, not the Human World!

To draw one’s own finger blood, one could force out a few drops using cultivation.

Even with her seven emotions heavily suppressed right now, Huo Zhi still felt as if she had lost face entirely.

“Draw it,” Linlang said.

Huo Zhi composed herself, expressionless, and helped Linlang draw the Blood Oath rune.

After Huo Zhi finished drawing the rune for Linlang, Linlang recited her oath in the same format as Huo Zhi’s.

The Blood Oath was formed, subtly binding both of their Origin Souls.

“From this moment on, I am your Shizun. Rest assured, I will be a qualified Shizun. I will teach you everything I know.” Huo Zhi spoke with righteous conviction, finding her sense of being a teacher.

“Shizun.” Linlang glanced at Huo Zhi and uttered the two characters, though it lacked any particular respect or devotion—it sounded quite indifferent.

“Mm. You rest for now. I will begin teaching you soon.” Huo Zhi spoke with equal aloofness to Linlang, then turned and left the room.

The moment she exited the room, out of Linlang’s sight, Huo Zhi’s tail immediately popped out. The finger she had just bitten was instantly shoved into her mouth as she bounced twice on her feet.

“It hurts so much, it really hurts!” Huo Zhi muttered quietly.

She had endured until now just to avoid losing face in front of Linlang.

She was never biting her finger again to draw blood.

Releasing her Dao of Ruthlessness technique now, Huo Zhi recalled her just-calm performance and admired herself immensely.

She had bluffed Qin Ceyi into leaving, then “bluffed” Linlang into a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship a normal person would have. Not only that, she established a bond surpassing ordinary relationships!

A master-disciple relationship, perfection!

In ancient times, especially in the Cultivation World, this kind of bond was incredibly stable.

Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Master—the Master was extremely important.

This gave her a reason to be good to Linlang, continue healing her injuries, teach Linlang what she knew, and later help her even more, granting Linlang all the love of a mother!

“Uh, Host, this… calm down a bit!” 006 chimed in, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.

“Yes, yes, must stay calm, calm. It’s not time to get excited yet.” Huo Zhi pinched herself. Suppressed by the Dao of Ruthlessness technique, once she relaxed, she couldn’t help but feel even more excited than usual.

She didn’t know when Qin Ceyi would come out of seclusion. The most urgent matter now was still figuring out how to take Linlang and leave this place.

While Huo Zhi was sucking her finger with slightly reddened eyes, pondering the next steps outside, Linlang, inside the room, had an odd expression as she glanced outside.

With Linlang’s spiritual sense, she could perceive Huo Zhi’s movements and hear her quiet muttering.

Why did this Fairy who seemed above worldly concerns in her previous life feel, in some aspects, somewhat clumsily adorable?

Linlang’s gaze softened for a fleeting moment before turning cold again. She closed her eyes and resumed her cultivation.

After thinking for a while outside, Huo Zhi felt the stabbing headache return.

“Ding, Linlang Happiness Value: -8400. It increased!” 006 reported.

“It increased, even though I did nothing? Maybe her injury got a little better again?” Huo Zhi mumbled, then continued thinking about their escape plan and teaching plan.

“Host, you need to sit and meditate for a bit. Your mental power is excessively depleted,” 006 warned her.

Huo Zhi had a rough plan in mind. Forcing herself to keep thinking further would only worsen the headache, so she had no choice but to give up.

Huo Zhi returned to the room where the Array Eye was located. Linlang was sitting cross-legged, cultivating. Judging the distance, Huo Zhi found a spot near the wall, took a cushion from her Storage Bag, set it down, and sat on it, also cultivating to recover her mental power and spiritual energy.

Huo Zhi had mastered how to circulate her cultivation technique, but she wasn’t used to resting through cultivation. After sitting in meditation for only a short while, she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, slumping to the side. Her tail and pointed ears appeared as she slept with little dignity.

Linlang, who was cultivating with her eyes closed, lifted her eyelids and saw the soundly sleeping Huo Zhi.

The person hugging her tail while asleep slept utterly defenseless and without a shred of grace.

“Good girl, Mommy’s here to hold you. It doesn’t hurt, don’t cry. Mommy’s here… Mommy will protect you…” A low, soft voice drifted over—it was Huo Zhi, hugging her own tail, gently patting it as she talked in her sleep.

“Daughter? Mother?” Linlang felt this wasn’t the first time she had heard such words. In her previous life, she had never heard that Huo Zhi had a daughter. What twist of fate had occurred in this life before her rebirth?

From Huo Zhi’s tone, it truly sounded like she had a daughter!

Whose child?

Linlang immediately dismissed this thought. She recalled something: Qin Ceyi still planned to use Huo Zhi as a Cauldron Vessel to break through his bottleneck. That meant Huo Zhi was still a virgin, her Primordial Yin intact. If that was the case, this daughter couldn’t be her biological child.

How could Huo Zhi have changed so drastically in this life?!

Could she have been possessed?

“Daughter, don’t you worry. Mommy will definitely rescue you from here. When the time comes, whatever you want to do, Mommy will be with you… You must become happy…” As Linlang was lost in thought, Huo Zhi’s voice came again.

Huo Zhi’s tone and voice made Linlang pause. Huo Zhi truly loved this daughter deeply.

Her daughter was fortunate to have such a mother.

Perhaps she shouldn’t view Huo Zhi based on her previous life’s impression.

Linlang pondered briefly and didn’t dwell on it further, just silently taking note. This might be a weakness of Huo Zhi’s one day.

Linlang continued her cultivation to recover. She hadn’t expected Huo Zhi to sleep for several shichen without waking. During this time, the Ice-Type Spiritual Qi in Linlang’s body was completely depleted, and her body once again descended into unbearable, restless heat.

As a fire-element cultivator, she was originally quite heat-resistant. But this kind of heat felt like magma erupting from the depths of her heart, as if she were about to melt.

Seeing Huo Zhi sleeping soundly on the cushion in the corner, she desperately wanted to draw near to her.

At this moment, Huo Zhi was fully dressed, her tail held in her arms without revealing her long legs. Only her face and hands were exposed.

Her tail must be so soft and comfortable, her fragrance sweet and mellow, she…

Huo Zhi wasn’t trying to seduce her, yet she still…

Linlang felt a hint of shame.

This broken Love Poison Talisman Seal was truly bizarre and a hindrance. She would eventually have to completely purge it.

But for now, dealing with Qin Ceyi and wanting to escape this place required healing her injuries first, conserving energy and building strength.

The last time she had merely damaged a few places in the seal, she had been unconscious for a long while.

For now, she could only endure it.

Closing her eyes, Linlang struggled to suppress it. She heard a dull thud and opened her eyes to look. Huo Zhi had rolled off the cushion she’d been sleeping on. She hadn’t woken up; she was just frowning, her entire body curled up. A visible layer of frost covered her face and hands.

“This is… activated her Ice-Type Spiritual Qi in her sleep, and even froze herself?” Linlang found it unbelievable.

An ice-element cultivator who could actually be frozen by her own spiritual energy was truly a rare wonder.

Over by the corner, Huo Zhi shivered violently from the cold in her dream. A primal instinct towards heat sources made her roll from her corner toward Linlang.

Linlang sat motionless as a white ball rolled right up to her feet. Perhaps having encountered warmth, the ball wound close like a small snake, hugging Linlang’s legs and pressing against her scorching temperature. Huo Zhi rubbed her face against it and hummed softly in comfort.

“My daughter is so warm, she’s Mommy’s little heater. Good girl, let Mommy hold you, so comfortable…” Huo Zhi murmured indistinctly.

Linlang instantly froze.