25 Jealousy

◎Oh dear, the wound has reopened. ◎

"Qingge, it's so late, this—"

At this moment, Chu Qing really wanted to slap the other party. No matter what, her things and her people should never be bullied by outsiders.

But now, for the sake of the mission, they have no choice but to swallow their anger.

"Elder Wen, Ye Lang's actions today were far too impulsive. If I don't take some measures, Yin Li will likely suspect that I instigated him."

"Qingge is right, but I've already—"

"According to the rules of Qingshan Peak, disciples are not allowed to fight and injure each other. I am just going through the motions, but Ye Lang, I should still put on a show."

Wen Ruyu paused, his expression changing for a moment, but he pretended to understand: "Qingge is right. I'll go back first. You can handle him."

Chu Qing nodded, clenching her teeth to suppress the impulse within her. She turned and slowly approached Ye Lang, looking down at him with the air of a superior, her cold voice ringing out: "Ye Lang, whatever your purpose may be, you should not have done this today."

A powerful spiritual force pressed down, and suddenly he smelled a faint fragrance. Then, the spiritual force within his body surged like a raging torrent, crashing against every part of his body.

"What...is this...?"

"Ah, ah! Ah!"

It was mixed with Sunflower Grass, yet it had no scent. I had spent a long time researching it, intending to give it to Yin Li. Although its use is different now, it was still a way of giving him some satisfaction.

Without the barrier, anyone in the front yard would hear such a horrific sound, but how could Chu Qing allow that old geezer Wen Ruyu to hear what she was doing?

"Ye Lang, take care of yourself and don't worry your master."

After using Wen Ruyu as a shield and engaging in further manipulation, she finally felt relieved enough to return to her small courtyard.

Lying in bed, she really felt that the male lead was having a hard time. In such a short time, he had suffered so many injuries, big and small. No wonder he was the male lead; he could remain calm even after such humiliation. He was only seventeen years old.

But today's gaze—

The boy's eyes were wet, seemingly without any resentment at being bullied, but only wanting—comfort and protection.

The moment this thought crossed Chu Qing's mind, she was startled. What was all this about? Although her favorability rating was already quite high, she didn't believe that someone as twisted as the male lead could be so pure.

Oh, right, affection points!

[System, please tell me about all the new clues I've obtained.]

[Based on system calculations, there are currently five clues:]

1. The Fire Dance Spirit Orb is still in the secret realm, but its location has been moved.

2. To find the Fire Dance Spirit Orb, you must stay with the male protagonist.

3. Wen Ruyu might make a move during the trial.

4. Wen Ruyu and Ye Lang had been planning to kill Yin Li.

5. Wen Ruyu has a weapon to detect the Xuanbing Spirit Pearl that Yin Li possesses.

...Because the male lead's favorability rating is too high and the host has completed the task efficiently, you are now being rewarded with two more questions.

【award? 】

Yes, host. As long as it doesn't exceed your permissions, I will answer any questions you may have regarding this world.

Chu Qing's heart skipped a beat, but after thinking about it again, she realized that apart from completing the mission, she didn't seem to have any other curiosity or attachment. This was a world in a book, but once she developed real feelings, she would probably hesitate when she left.

After pondering for a long time, he slowly asked, "If I fail the mission, don't obtain the artifact, and don't reach the required affinity points, will I definitely die?"

No, we won't erase your existence. You simply can't return to the real world. If you can still survive on your own in the world of the book, that's fine too.

So that's how it is. She suspected that there must be some kind of connection between this place and her world, allowing them to travel between each other.

There's another question she wants to ask.

For some reason, she thought of Yin Li's dependent eyes again and couldn't help but ask: "If the affection level is maxed out, is it possible for it to decrease?"

No, unless one harbors excessive resentment towards the host, or—

Or what?

[Buzz—Buzz—Priority too low to answer, buzz—This is the third question, cannot answer! Cannot answer! Cannot answer!]

never mind

Chu Qing rolled her eyes. She didn't care what happened next, as long as she could complete the mission and maintain Yin Li's favorability, that was enough.

He can't just blame himself for falling off the cliff; being angry and being overly resentful are two different things.

After all, he is the male lead. With such a broad perspective and the ability to assess situations, how could he harbor resentment because of himself? Impossible.

After analyzing the situation repeatedly and confirming that the probability of this happening was 0.01%, Chu Qing finally lay down on the bed and fell into a good sleep.

Now, all that's left is for Yin Li to recover from her injuries and obediently go to the secret realm so that I can go with her to complete the mission. Seeing that she has already made more than halfway through her progress, my mood immediately improved.

The next day, Chu Qing had just woken up and was stretching her body when there was a knock on the door.

"master"

Unexpectedly, Yin Li came to her place this morning?

Having an affection level of 80 makes all the difference. Before, she was always the one who went to find him, and he would only come over when she completed a task. She didn't know why he did it today.

Come in.

Chu Qing lay on the self-made soft recliner, swaying back and forth, feeling quite comfortable.

Yin Li slowly pushed open the door, her face pale and she looked very weak, with her eyes still a little red.

"you--"

Seeing this, she hesitated, then said, "Let's find a place to sit."

"Master, cough cough, disciple, disciple—"

As soon as Yin Li touched the edge of the table, wisps of demonic energy seeped out of his body again. He was extremely anxious, but seemed to have no idea what to do. His expression was flustered, and he could only stare at Chu Qing.

"What's the panic?" Chu Qing frowned, stood up and looked at him somewhat unconvincingly. "Follow my instructions. Now, concentrate all your attention on your dantian."

Upon hearing this, the boy quickly closed his eyes and, following her instructions, began to circulate his demonic energy.

"Imagine your dantian as the source of a river, your limbs and meridians as tributaries, and the demonic energy as the continuous flow of the river. Now, try to control their direction."

At first, Yin Li still couldn't grasp the key points, and the demonic energy surged more and more. Suddenly, an even more domineering spiritual energy rushed straight into his spiritual meridians, showing a tendency to move towards his spiritual palace.

No, this won't do; he'll only become more chaotic if things continue like this.

Chu Qing pondered that because the other party's injuries were too severe, and if the wounds from yesterday's unintentional revelation were not fully healed and he could not control himself, such situations could easily occur again in the future.

"Master, no, no." For the first time, Yin Li openly refused Chu Qing. He could listen to all her requests, but not the Spirit Mansion. The demonic energy in the Spirit Mansion was too strong, and he would hurt his master if he couldn't control it.

"Yin Li, relax, trust me."

The tone remained resolute, devoid of much emotion, yet every word possessed a comforting power.

"Master, Master—"

"Okay, don't be afraid."

She approached, went around behind the boy, raised her hand and pressed on his shoulder to make him sit down.

"Hmm!"

When the spiritual energy permeated into another world, Yin Li felt as if his whole body was on fire. Waves of itchiness came from his limbs and bones, his hands were trembling, and he was so hot that he could hardly breathe.

"Alright, now, follow my spiritual power."

Even though she was feeling unwell, Yin Li obediently followed Chu Qing's instructions and slowly controlled the out-of-control demonic energy.

Before long, he grasped the essence of the technique and was able to retract it quite easily.

As expected of the male lead, he understands everything immediately.

"Alright, that's it, repeat five small cycles."

"master!"

Just as Chu Qing was about to leave, Yin Li instinctively grabbed her sleeve, unwilling to let her go.

Chu Qing frowned. Entering someone else's spiritual abode was no small matter, and different people would feel it differently, but judging from Yin Li's behavior, something seemed off.

His face was flushed, his breathing was rapid, and he was... had some difficulty breathing.

He can't be, he can't be—

sin!

That's so sinful!

Chu Qing was incredibly embarrassed. Fortunately, the other person was still cultivating with their eyes closed and couldn't see her incredibly varied expressions.

"Cough, did you take the pills I gave you yesterday on time?"

"Yes, Master, but we're almost out of pills."

Yin Li withdrew her demonic energy and opened her eyes again. However, the moment their eyes met, they both instinctively looked away from each other.

"Yes, here's another bag, enough for your injuries to fully heal. Also, no matter what danger arises in the future, don't let it get out of control, understand?"

"Um"

"This is a communication talisman, which is faster than regular talismans. Keep it safe and remember to tell me if there is an emergency."

"good"

"Go back and rest. The secret realm will reopen in a few months, so remember to prepare well."

"My mentor personally recommended me for this spot!"

The boy's eyes lit up, and he seemed to realize that he had lost his composure, so he took two steps back.

Chu Qing turned to the side, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, "I promised you a year ago, what, do you not want it now?"

"No, Master, your disciple will definitely work hard!"

"Okay, let's go, I have something to do."

"Disciple takes his leave."

Yin Li closed the door, the excitement in her eyes vanishing instantly. She gently stroked the patterns on the door frame with her fingers, smiling with satisfaction.

Master, how can you be so trusting of others?

The mere demonic energy was easily suppressed with a flick of the finger, but the master's reaction was quite something.

Stepping out of the courtyard, Yin Li caught a glimpse of Mo Yu tending to the flowers and plants not far away, and his face instantly darkened.

Oh, I almost forgot, he's not the master's only disciple. Does she treat others like this too?

Would she treat Mo Yu like that? Would she also casually enter other people's spiritual realms?

A surge of inexplicable anger rose in his heart. Suddenly, he felt that the person tending to the flowers and plants in front of him was extremely annoying. If only he weren't there, at least a third of his master's attention would be on him.

And Ling Xueluo

Junior sister, you're good, but you're too weak and still need Master's care.

trouble

They're all troublesome.

Yin Li returned expressionlessly, looking at the torn wounds on her body. As if thinking of something, a smile appeared on her lips: "What should I do? Being too strong isn't a good thing either."

Blood dripped from his fingertips, soon forming a small puddle on the ground.

Oh dear, the wound has reopened.

[Author's Note]

OMG! Another late update! I'm so sorry everyone, but thankfully this week is almost over! Next week won't be so busy! I guess I might update a chapter on Tuesday? [crying emoji] Although I'm not busy, I do have some mid-week exams to study for, but I'll try to find time to update! Enjoy reading, everyone! [shy emoji][bunny emoji]