She had expected Meng Li to make excuses as usual, but Meng Li instead questioned her identity with an inquiring tone. In that instant, Situ Xue felt as if she had become a stranger in the other’s mouth once more. The moment the words left Meng Li’s mouth, she realized something was wrong.
“I-I didn’t mean that! I just… I was just scared into paranoia by Eldest Senior Sister’s Illusion Technique, that’s all!”
Meng Li was terrified that Eldest Senior Sister was using illusions to make her unable to distinguish reality again, so she had carelessly asked. But this one question—it didn’t matter what her reason was—the expression on Situ Xue’s face visibly darkened.
“Junior Sister treats me as such an outsider. So, could it be that I’m being meddlesome…”
Situ Xue normally wouldn’t overthink things, but thinking back to the scene of her with that female disciple, intimately together, and remembering Ye Qinglian’s words before she left about “taking care of her in my stead”… the irritation Situ Xue had been suppressing inside now became unbearably restless.
“No! It’s not! I… I was…!”
“Has Junior Sister been in the Outer Sect too long? Could it be Junior Sister no longer wants to return to the peak? Do you need me to bring those two back as well…”
“If you bring them back, Shizun wouldn’t agree, right?”
“You truly want to bring them back…”
The displeasure on Situ Xue’s face grew even more obvious. Meng Li suddenly realized her mistake and was just about to wave her hands in denial when a token smacked her in the face. Meng Li felt a sharp sting on her cheek. She caught the token in her hand and took a look—wasn’t this her Personal Disciple Token?
“Your Cave Abode has already been opened up for you. Remembering your youth, I gave it a bit more worldly atmosphere, so you and your beautiful companions will have a good place to stay…”
Situ Xue spoke these words, but stressed the last few syllables heavily. Meng Li caught the abnormality in her tone. She wanted to explain further, but Situ Xue had already flicked her sleeves and flown off in the direction of Jade Candle Peak.
Leaving Meng Li alone, clutching the token in her hand, amidst the ruined mess of her Outer Sect dormitory. Meng Li turned around and looked back at Xi Miaoyi. Xi Miaoyi, holding Xi Miaomiao in her arms, also looked back at her with a completely baffled expression.
“Um… perhaps there were some misunderstandings before. Anyway, you have nowhere else to go now. How about… coming to my place for a visit…?”
“You swore an oath to take me away and then give us resources!”
“About that, actually… it was a lie…”
“???”
Facing Xi Miaoyi’s demand, Meng Li scratched her head sheepishly. After all, when she had become the True Self, the thoughts in her heart were very clear to her now. The mindset had simply been pure: just shamelessly breaking a promise. Swearing an oath didn’t matter—she had been just an avatar. It wouldn’t trigger anything.
“You!! You!!”
Xi Miaoyi stood up, looking at the other in anger. She wanted to say more, but could only sigh and sit back on the bed. After all, she was so weak. In this unfamiliar sect, her own identity was nothing more than a spy.
“Rather than being humiliated after my identity is discovered, it’s better to…”
As Xi Miaoyi spoke, the light in her eyes dimmed. Choosing death was often the simplest method. But looking at the sleeping Xi Miaomiao in her arms, the simplest method became the hardest choice.
“Don’t say that. Come be a guest at my home. Room and board included~”
Meng Li, who had previously had no particular thoughts, suddenly recalled the game’s home system the moment she saw the token Situ Xue had handed her. Not only could she plant spiritual herbs and train Spirit Beasts, there was also storage, furniture, and the like that she could decorate herself.
But in the game, there was an even more interesting feature: she could invite characters whose routes she had cleared to be guests at home. And with the multi-room design! Back then, Ling Qingyue, as her Shizun, had been confined in her room, indulging in nightly pleasures.
“Although Xi Miaoyi hasn’t been ‘cleared,’ there are no affection bars in this world either~”
Meng Li thought to herself while using a gentle smile to soothe the other. Relying on her cute appearance and delicate figure, it was indeed possible to make people drop their guard. But Xi Miaoyi still shrank to the side.
After all, the True Self’s prior actions had been far too excessive. Meng Li’s credibility here was already in the negatives. Since the other made no move at all, Meng Li could only sigh helplessly.
“Anyway, you have nowhere else to go, right? And your clan is gone. That Four Sacred Beast cub in your arms is also a hot potato…”
“What Four Sacred Beast cub? She’s just an ordinary cat demon…!”
“If you really think that, then so be it. But anything bearing the title ‘Sacred’… once it’s discovered by others, you should know what will happen~”
“……”
Xi Miaoyi instantly fell silent. No matter how much she didn’t want to admit it, the immense power Xi Miaomiao had just displayed was impossible to ignore. If it were a cat demon, how could it possess such strength? Xi Miaoyi bit her lower lip, tears of unwillingness filling her eyes.
“Well? Have you considered it and reached a conclusion?”
“I… I understand… If only I were a bit stronger…”
“Ah, since you understand, that’s good. Saves me the trouble of explaining~”
Meng Li turned around, ready to lead the other toward Jade Candle Peak. But just as she turned her body, the sound of clothing being unfastened came from behind her. Meng Li’s body stiffened, and she immediately spun back around—only to see Xi Miaoyi, having already undone her clothes, her curvaceous figure exposed right before her.
“Y-You! What are you doing?!”
“Without a clan, I’m ultimately just a helpless Rogue Cultivator. Continuing to cultivate is nothing more than a brief flash in the pan…”
“Y-You! I understand all that! It’s just having no one to shelter you and not getting any resources, right? I’ll give them to you then! Y-You! What is this?!”
Meng Li saw that mouthwateringly tempting skin, that alluring demeanor, and involuntarily took a step back. This was clearly the scene she had always been anticipating! Yet right now, Meng Li was blushing furiously!
“You… put your clothes on quickly…! I’m an upright person…! If Senior Sister suddenly comes back… I’ll be completely unable to explain… at least pick a time, and then…”
“Receiving someone’s protection ultimately requires offering something in return. The Soul Gathering Banner wasn’t enough as a price. If my Lord doesn’t mind this lowly woman’s body…”
Xi Miaoyi spoke while lightly covering herself and slowly walking closer. Meng Li was utterly mesmerized, tilting her head up to look at that vast world. In the game, she’d never felt this strongly about it. But now, seeing the other’s face full of shame yet forced to offer her body to her…
Meng Li understood that the awful side of her heart had definitely started stirring. Xi Miaoyi crouched down so the other wouldn’t have to look up at her, but the tears at the corners of her eyes still flowed. She waited for the other to push her down onto the bed.
“If my Lord desires it, please be quick about it. Miaomiao is still sleeping. I don’t want her to see this sort of thing…”
Xi Miaoyi’s soft body made Meng Li swallow hard. Although it wasn’t the main course, she also liked desserts like this. Inside Meng Li’s heart, it was as if two little figures were fighting. However, after waiting for a long time, Xi Miaoyi finally received a piece of clothing draped over her shoulders.
“We are both fellow disciples. For Senior Sister to do this kind of thing, it ultimately requires mutual consent, doesn’t it?”
“Could it be that my body still doesn’t meet my Lord’s eyes? I may have no experience, but if my Lord is willing to teach me, I will…!”
Seeing the other completely unmoved by her, Xi Miaoyi panicked. Terrified that the other might turn her attention to the still-sleeping Xi Miaomiao next to her, she hurriedly stood up, wanting to fight for that one chance. But Meng Li had already resolutely turned her body away.
“Senior Sister, please don’t be like this. I read the Spring and Autumn Annals…”
“Spring and Autumn Annals?”
……………
[Spring and Autumn Annals: A Chinese internet meme referencing Guan Yu, meaning ‘I am an upright person who doesn’t engage in lewd acts.’]
