Lin Jiu steadied herself and saw Wei Liang calmly withdrawing his hand from her forehead. She grabbed his arm and anxiously urged, “Hurry, I need spiritual aura!”
Liu Qingyin also rushed over, her face flushed with excitement, her voice even more urgent than Lin Jiu’s. “Master! Please help me absorb the yang plant!”
Lin Jiu’s heart sank. She blinked and looked over at Liu Qingyin, whose cheeks were glowing with a rosy hue.
‘So I was right…’ Lin Jiu felt a slight shock. With such a perfect situation, the male and female leads had definitely taken this opportunity to deepen their relationship!
She couldn’t quite grasp how she felt, but her primary concern now was the Aura Conduit Stalk’s yang plant. The karma lotus was slowly closing, and if Wei Liang gave the herb to Liu Qingyin, where would she find enough spiritual aura to feed the lotus?
Liu Qingyin had grown impatient in the meantime and hastily reached for the Aura Conduit Stalk, her beautiful face rejuvenated with radiant joy. “Once I absorb this, I’ll finally be cured of my cold syndrome and rid myself of the charm miasma. Master, turns out you have known that the resentment of the dead was about to dissipate!”
It never even crossed her mind that Wei Liang might have another plan. Though he appeared cold and distant, he cared for her and had always been devoted to her well-being. She knew for sure now that he had been secretly keeping an eye over the Aura Conduit Stalk’s yang plant for years, all for her sake. Looking back, it seemed like his earlier remark about ‘keeping a pure heart devoid of desires’ was actually his way of teasing her!
“Master, you are so mischievous!” Liu Qingyin let out a shy giggle.
While listening to the female lead’s solo narrative, Lin Jiu couldn’t help but feel shocked as she grasped some crucial points—‘How much have I missed during my short absence?! Even aphrodisiac, this handy plot device, has made an appearance!’
Just as Liu Qingyin’s slender fingers were about to touch the yang plant, Wei Liang lightly flicked his sleeve, causing the herb to slip away from her fingertips and float into his hand.
Lin Jiu could no longer hold back. Tightening her grip on Wei Liang’s wrist, she locked her gaze onto his eyes and ignored everything else, “I need it.”
She pressed her lips together and repeated, “I need it.”
At that moment, a wave of helplessness washed over Lin Jiu. ‘Isn’t this exactly the routine of a villainess side character?’ She mused bitterly. The male lead’s heart clearly belonged to the female lead, and forcing the issue only served to make her appear even more absurd, and yet… she had no choice but to beg him!
The layer of hard, indifferent detachment she had built up was slowly melting away in the face of life and death. The situation was dire, leaving her with no choice—she might die here without an injection of aura. But to presumptuously go head-to-head with the female lead… how foolish, how absurd!
‘The karma lotus is about to close!’—Lin Jiu’s eyes flickered with urgency.
When Wei Liang met her gaze, he was momentarily stunned. He thought his wife was acting coy, but her situation was clearly off. There was a deep intensity in her gaze as she looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes, her expression a combination of pleading and overwhelming despair. Her delicate lips were tightly pursed, and her slender hands clung to his wrist with desperate force, digging into his bones.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ Wei Liang’s throat moved slightly as he gently patted Lin Jiu’s hand in reassurance.
Liu Qingyin’s voice suddenly rang again, sharp and biting amidst the stillness of the underground tomb. “Lin Qiu!” she angrily yelled, full of mockery. “Are you still not understanding your place? Do you truly believe that just because you shamelessly forced your way into this marriage, you are Master’s true wife? Do you even realize that cultivators are not bound by mortal etiquette?! The wedding you had, with all its mortal customs, was nothing more than a convenient ruse! For cultivators, when two hearts are united, they are bonded into dao companionship, sharing the same life and death! Do you think a mere sham marriage makes you our Mistress? Keep dreaming!”
The charm miasma clouded Liu Qingyin’s judgment—once she began, she couldn’t stop herself, causing her to unleash her pent-up frustration and resentment without restraint. “Do you even realize what a joke you are? What qualities do you possess that make you worthy of him? Lin Qiu, a person must have self-awareness!”
Lin Jiu knew the female lead was speaking the truth; after all, that’s exactly how it was written in the novel. She didn’t even try to argue and just quietly looked at Wei Liang—the shrill voice faded into background noise for her, entering one ear and exiting the other.
“You promised me,” Lin Jiu heard her own voice, weak and fragile. But it was the only reason she had left.
Wei Liang looked intently at her. Perhaps it was her imagination, but Lin Jiu thought she saw a trace of pampering in his eyes. His lips slightly parted, but before he could utter a word, Liu Qingyin’s shrill voice interrupted again.
With a mocking tone, the female lead sneered, “Master has been searching for this herb for me for years! Do you really think that a few coquettish words will make him indulge your every whim? Even shamelessness has its limits! Master is too aloof to say anything, but do you truly believe he isn’t annoyed with you? My bond with Master spans over a century—what right do you have to interfere?!”
A dark murderous intent flashed in Wei Liang’s cold, black eyes.
Lin Jiu was startled, her eyes widening slightly.
To her surprise, Wei Liang’s thin lips curled into a faint smile, “It was indeed my mistake. Once you form your golden core, we shall become Dao companions.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Liu Qingyin: “…Master!”
Wei Liang’s sleeve swept without mercy, sending Liu Qingyin stumbling backward until she collapsed against the stone wall. His icy voice echoed, “If your heart is unsettled, then don’t bother getting up.”
A mixture of shock and pain washed over Liu Qingyin, causing a surge of blood to her head. “Master! I’ve been poisoned! You could help me, why won’t you?!” she cried out in disbelief.
Wei Liang’s lips curved slightly, revealing a surprisingly tender smile, “You could’ve dodged it, why didn’t you?”
Liu Qingyin let out a sharp gasp, unable to respond. Right, she could’ve avoided the miasma, but… but…
‘So, he has seen through her all along. His heart really is as cold as iron!’
Waves of cold currents spread through her, quickly snuffing out the heat caused by the charm miasma.
To have one’s heart die—there was no greater coldness than this…
Wei Liang no longer paid her any attention and turned his head at Lin Jiu, his gaze twinkled with amusement, “Can you release me?”
Lin Jiu was startled and quickly released his wrist.
Wei Liang pretended to gasp in pain. As he rubbed his wrist, he lowered his voice to a very low whisper and said, “If you want it, how can I not give it to you?”
“Then hurry up,” Lin Jiu urged.
Wei Liang sensed something was wrong. Normally, if he teased her like this, her ears would turn pink, but now her face remained pale and her eyes were filled with lingering despair, as if she still couldn’t believe he would give her the Aura Conduit Stalk until the very last moment.
Wei Liang’s eyes turned slightly cold and he no longer delayed it. He retrieved the Aura Conduit Stalk’s yin plant he had plundered from the Wang family’s main house and put it together with the yang plant. The cool white light intertwined with the fiery orange glow, blending in perfect harmony. He then formed two simple seals with his fingers, and the two plants twisted together like snakes, their light rapidly merging.
Once the light fully fused into a soft milky glow, he flipped his hand, carefully separating it from the plants. In an instant, the two Aura Conduit Stalks withered, turning into dry straws, which he casually tossed aside.
Anxiousness consumed Lin Jiu as she waited.
The karma lotus was about to close. Five…four…three…two…
Wei Liang’s large, beautifully shaped hands cradled the warm glow, gently pressing it to her dantian.
One一!
A surge of aura flooded Lin Jiu, filling her dantian instantly!
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Tsk tsk, who truly is more shameless?
Damn though. I thought the OG female lead would last at least a few arcs before her mask gets ripped off.
Thank you for the chapter!