Chapter 72 The Sin of Blasphemy

"What are you looking at? Your face is so red."

Ling Shu closed the document, feeling guilty, and asked, "Nothing, Master, why are you here?"

Zhuang Jinfu placed the item he was holding on her desk—a small sandalwood box with an embossed design—and said, "Snacks." Ling Shu smiled, her attention drawn to the box. As she opened it, she asked, "What delicious treats are these?"

Taking advantage of her attention being drawn to the snacks, Zhuang Jinfu very naturally took the closed document.

"No... Master, don't look."

Is this something that the person in question can see?

It was too late to speak; Zhuang Jinfu had already opened it and started reading. After flipping through a few pages, she asked, "Where did this come from? I don't remember the Li family head sending out stories like this."

The master's tone seemed rather displeased...

These four or five thin pages detail how "Ling Shu" "offended" his master in what situations, and how the master, while angry at his disciple's insubordination, willingly indulged in this pleasure.

It's no wonder she couldn't be happy to see such obscene writing about a celestial being who is always revered by the world.

"They came here by mistake..."

Zhuang Jinfu nodded, looking at the cover. This was not a title that Ling Shu could have written; it was definitely something that his subordinates had mistakenly submitted.

"The person who wrote this is utterly morally corrupt! How could they write about our noble immortals like this!"

"Um."

Ling Shu dared not speak, hanging her head and waiting for her master to scold her. She had not only watched it but also found it fascinating, even immersing herself in it... Stop! She didn't know when Zhuang Jinfu had arrived, but she must have seen everything she was doing!

Heavens above! Can Zhuang Jinfu, a decent person, possibly tolerate such a risqué story? She'd be thrown out of the room!

"You like this kind of thing?"

"I like it," she blurted out without thinking. She quickly slapped herself back, "No! I...I don't like it. This kind of thing is misleading and doesn't belong to a good girl."

"You can give it a try."

"I was wrong, Master, I'll never look at it again..."

"What?"

Wait a minute, what will Zhuang Jinfu say?

"You didn't want to bully Master?"

Ling Shu was stunned for a moment before realizing where she was and what time it was. She quickly stood up, covered her mouth, and looked towards the door like a thief. Shen Tong was not there; she had gone to the archives to organize the documents on the Danmai (elixir veins) and had not returned yet.

The Elder Hall is divided into twelve rooms: one for each of the nine elders, one for the sect leader, one for the council, and one for reception. Today, Ling Shu is being welcomed in the council room of the main hall. She is currently alone in the meditation room of the Danmai Elder, with the door wide open.

Two cultivators passed by outside the door. One was carrying a stack of documents, and the other followed behind her and asked, "Senior Sister, has the elder seen my application? I'm in a hurry to reply to the inner disciples."

"I saw it."

The two walked away, and Ling Shu breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze returned to Zhuang Jinfu's face, only to find her looking at her calmly, as if they had just chatted about whether they had eaten or not.

"I'm so busy..." Ling Shu awkwardly put her hand down and pointed to the mountain of papers piled up on her desk. "These all need to be dealt with as soon as possible. The inner disciples are all waiting for me."

“Alright.” Zhuang Jinfu casually walked around the desk, stood beside Ling Shu with one hand behind his back, and naturally stroked Ling Shu’s fox ears with the other hand, saying softly, “Elder Ling, don’t forget me when you’re busy.”

Ling Shu was completely stunned. She had never received such intimacy from Zhuang Jin Fu before, nor had she ever experienced any so-called ambiguity. She was dumbfounded, staring at the beautiful face of the person opposite her, his thin lips moving as he spoke softly.

"Master needs you too."

Ling Shu was even more confused.

After finishing speaking, Zhuang Jinfu patted her head and left, quite satisfied.

She had just left when Shen Tong returned. Seeing the new elder's flushed cheeks, she assumed the underfloor heating's magical output was too high, so she quietly lowered it a bit. She brought over the new documents and said expressionlessly, "These are the new documents that have just been compiled. Please take a look."

The new documents were half an arm's length tall. Ling Shu was on the verge of tears: "How can there be so many?!" Gritting her teeth, she resolved to study and work hard so that one day she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Zhuang Jin Fu!

For half a month, Ling Shu worked day and night and finally finished the work that had piled up for half a month. After finishing this task, she had to study the knowledge of alchemy and studied intensively for another half month.

Read what you can understand, and memorize what you can't. Memorizing is always a good idea. First, try to understand it thoroughly, write down the questions, and then go to your master to learn it completely. Ask questions later. Asking questions when you don't understand anything is a waste of time. It's better to figure things out yourself before going to her. Zhuang Jinfu isn't a very idle person.

Since others were patient in teaching her, she figured that as the one being taught, she couldn't just take it for granted; she had to put in the same effort, keep up with Zhuang Jinfu's pace, and learn properly.

Twelve days passed in the blink of an eye.

That night.

Ling Shu asked questions in the study and studied for two hours, and he had learned almost everything.

Zhuang Jinfu: "That's enough for today. You've already mastered the basics, so there's no need to rush anymore."

Ling Shu marked the open books, closed them, and put them together. After tidying up, instead of leaving immediately as before, she slumped into a chair and said with satisfaction, "I've finally finished learning! I've already mastered the basics in less than a month. I'm simply a genius, haha!"

It usually takes at least half a year for a disciple of Daoist alchemy to enter the path.

Zhuang Jinfu got up and poured a cup of tea, handing it to her: "Yes, my disciple is very intelligent and understands things very quickly."

Ling Shu accepted the gift with both hands, still concerned about her affairs: "By the way, Master, I heard the other day that the earth dragon in Green Star Town was overturned. What's the situation there?"

Zhuang Jinfu said, "It's not serious. There were no casualties. The situation is the same as in Shanqi Town and Jinli Township."

Ling Shu touched the teacup with his fingers, pondering, "On the 17th of March, the earth dragon in Shanqi Town turned over, and on the 28th of the same month, the earth dragon in Jinli Township also turned over. On the 18th of April, the same thing happened in Lvchen Town. Could there be a connection between these places?"

Zhuang Jinfu tapped her finger on the table, and a three-dimensional topographic map appeared, marking four locations: Shanqi Town, Jinli Township, Luchen Town, and Nanxi City. She pointed along the mountain range and said, "Shanqi and Luchen belong to the same seismic zone. This is the Yaping seismic zone. Nanxi City is also on this seismic zone."

"However, the earthquake in Jinli Township was sixty miles away."

Ling Shu asked, "Is there a relationship between them?"

Zhuang Jinfu said, "It's hard to say. Earthquakes are unpredictable and unpredictable. The earthquake in Jinli Township was of magnitude four, and the houses shook slightly. It may just be an ordinary earthquake."

“However, we still can’t let our guard down. I will continue to monitor,” Zhuang Jinfu said with a chuckle, gently rubbing Ling Shu’s fox ears. “You don’t need to worry.”

Ling Shu sat up and wrapped her arms around Zhuang Jinfu's waist, saying, "I'm still worried that Master is too tired. The Shangqing Realm is so big, and when natural disasters come, you're the only one protecting it."

Zhuang Jinfu stroked her fox ears, feeling the warmth of her vibrant life, and chuckled, "Master will do everything in his power to protect the Shangqing Realm, even if it means exhausting all his strength."

It seemed that Zhuang Jinfu really enjoyed touching her fox ears, so let her touch them as much as she wanted. Ling Shu complained, "Why doesn't the Heavenly Court send down more gods to protect her? If they fail to protect her properly, won't it all be your fault? The Heavenly Court is wicked."

Zhuang Jinfu said softly, "In the past three hundred years, only Gu Wan and I have ascended to immortality in the entire Shangqing Realm. Although Gu Wan has realized the path to ascension, she has not atoned for the sins she committed in the past and cannot yet be ranked among the immortals as an earth immortal. Therefore, only I am left. If I do not take on this responsibility, then who will? Shu'er?"

Ling Shu boasted shamelessly, "If I could bestow titles upon gods, I would bestow titles upon all those good people who died in the line of duty, those who died while helping disaster victims, those who died while protecting animals, and so on. I would dedicate a territory to each of them and have them all come to help you guard the Shangqing Realm. That way, you wouldn't have to bear such a great risk, and you wouldn't be so tired."

"Alright, Master knows you want to be good to me." Zhuang Jinfu gently stroked her hair and asked sincerely, "Since you are so devoted to me, have you thought about what I asked you at Shuiyue Hot Spring?"

Ling Shu did not answer this question. He released his arms from her waist and stood up: "Won't it be long before Master sets off for Nanxi City?"

Zhuang Jinfu: "Yes, we'll set off in two days." Ling Shu hadn't given her a reply yet, perhaps because she didn't want to go. That's understandable; natural disasters are dangerous, and it's only natural to seek self-preservation in the face of danger. "You stay at Qingxi Mountain and wait for me to come back."

"Didn't you say you needed me?"

"But I can't force you."

When did I say I was unwilling?

“You haven’t given me a clear answer yet, I thought…” Ling Shu’s fingertips stopped her from speaking, “You care about the people of the world, but I am different. In my heart, you are the most important. If you need me, how could I not respond to your needs?”

Ling Shu looked at her, her eyes filled with the same deep affection as always: "Tonight, is it alright?"

"It's too late tonight."

"Then tomorrow?"

"Okay." Zhuang Jinfu's long-cherished wish was fulfilled, and she finally looked relaxed. She looked at Ling Shu with deep affection in her eyes, but she returned a different kind of complicated emotion.

Zhuang Jinfu knew that when natural disasters struck, all secret emotions that could not reach the heavens would be exposed to the judgment of the Heavenly Court.

How to expose it?

She can save lives, but she cannot guarantee that people will not get hurt. Any treatable external injury, even if it is just a minor one, such as a scratch, will be blamed on her.

The Heavenly Court is too strict. She is a person within this order, and there are many more constraints above her.

As Gu Wan said, perhaps the Heavenly Court's system for selecting immortals is wrong. If it only selects those who cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness, then is the cultivation of those who cultivate other paths not cultivation at all?

Sometimes, the Heavenly Court is inferior to the mortal realm. The powerful clans dominate, and the channels for selecting cultivators are closed. Wang Lifu can at least compete in the Immortal Sect's Grand Examination, which is open to all regardless of their family background. However, the Heavenly Court's selection of immortals to protect the realm is limited to those who ascend through the path of ruthlessness, which is rather narrow.

These rigid requirements caused her the most intense pain and struggle.

Torn between her lover and the lives of countless people, she never had a choice.

She once boasted that she had achieved great spiritual cultivation and would never again be tempted by worldly desires. However, reality has shown her that human emotions are just as unpredictable as natural disasters, and it is impossible to estimate the extent of their impact on people.

No one in this world is without feelings; even gods are not immune.

Was her cultivation of this ruthless path right or wrong? She couldn't find the answer, but perhaps one day she would.

Ling Shu met Zhuang Jinfu's gaze as he looked back at her.

Here we go again, this incomprehensible feeling. What does it mean? This time is different from the last. She reads the meaning of cherishing, as if it were the last time they would see each other in this life.

Why should going through a natural disaster mean you have to live or die?

"Master, the way you're looking at me makes me uneasy."

"It's nothing," Zhuang Jinfu said with a gentle smile as the deep, intense emotions in her eyes subsided. "It's just that I suddenly feel that Shu'er has grown up a lot."

Ling Shu was clever; she could immediately sense the unease hidden in those words. "Is Master afraid that I won't need you anymore in the future?"

Before Zhuang Jinfu could answer, Ling Shu gave him a dose of heart medicine and replied with a smile, "I will always love you. I will always need you to kiss me, hug me, and respond to me. It doesn't matter if you never love me in your whole life, as long as you don't hate me."

Having been judged and labeled a sinful immortal, will Ling Shu still love her?

Zhuang Jinfu smiled bitterly to himself.

She wanted Ling Shu to witness her fall to the mortal realm and see her utter depravity, so that Ling Shu would never love her again and would completely sever this fruitless love. As for what happened to her, she would consider it all the karmic retribution for her attachment to the mortal world.

Tomorrow night will be my final act of despair before the trial.

Zhuang Jinfu's gaze lingered on her face as he leaned closer to her breath: "You keep calling me Master, shouldn't I punish you for blasphemy?"

Ling Shu thought to herself, since she's come so readily, she might as well seize the opportunity to grab her. She grabbed Zhuang Jinfu's collar, her index finger and thumb twisting together, her middle finger hooking into the seam of the collar, and drawled out her voice as if bewitching, "That's called... Immortal Venerable?"

"The sin of blasphemy."

Ling Shu said smugly, "That was also because you, Immortal Venerable, agreed."

Zhuang Jinfu conceded defeat, his expression calm and playful: "Is this all the tricks this vixen has?"

Ling Shu used the strength of her arms to pull the person forward, displaying the alluring beauty of her fox demon appearance. Her sweet and seductive voice spoke each word as if it were a delicate and intimate kiss: "Would the beauty allow me to take advantage of her lips and tongue?"