Chapter 2
After dealing with the heroine, Yu Tai went into the bedchamber.
A single hard stone bed sat there in all its cold austerity, making her frown.
Nearly all cultivators meditated in place of sleep, so compared with the meditation cushion, the stone bed’s only purpose was decoration.
If she went down the mountain now, she would run into far too many people. That would be extremely inconvenient for her plans.
Yu Tai sighed as if conceding defeat.
With a spell, she conjured a proper bed, quilts, and curtains.
Only after everything had been arranged to her satisfaction did she nod and release the blood-soaked male lead.
He lay on the bed with his eyes closed. His face, lustrous as fine jade, betrayed not the slightest trace of suffering, as though he couldn’t feel pain at all.
That was a problem. If he didn’t wake up, was Yu Tai supposed to make the first move?
She gave his wounds a cursory inspection. Once she was certain they wouldn’t kill him, she pressed down viciously on the worst one.
A pained groan escaped his lips.
The moment Yu Tai saw him begin to stir, she opened the little bottle she had set aside, pinched his jaw, and poured its contents down his throat.
“Good boy. Take this, and the pain will go away,” she coaxed gently.
Perhaps her voice bewitched him, for the barely conscious man obediently swallowed.
Delight flashed through Yu Tai’s eyes. She kicked off her shoes and lowered herself over him.
A sly gleam entered her gaze.
Of course, the bottle had contained no medicine for his wounds. It was a special concoction the original Yu Tai had once made for the demon beasts in the beast menagerie.
It could drive even livestock out of their minds. Shu Li, now an ordinary man with a ruined Dao foundation, stood no chance against it.
Sure enough, before long, Shu Li’s usually cool body began to burn. The scorching heat furrowed his brow.
Ever considerate, Yu Tai stripped off every last piece of his clothing.
Then a pair of eyes beautiful enough to eclipse all creation opened without a sound.
Desire had flushed the corners of his eyes scarlet, and a haze veiled his gaze. The sight made Yu Tai’s heart itch.
She slowly caressed his cheek and murmured, “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. I’ll help you.”
What happened next was hidden by Yu Tai’s formation. Since even the author couldn’t see it, the audience would simply have to use their imagination.
—
The soft bedding beneath Shu Li carried a faint, strangely sweet fragrance. He frowned.
This was not his thatched hut.
Shu Li struggled to open his eyes.
A glaring expanse of white filled his vision.
“You’re awake.”
The woman’s voice was slightly hoarse. Against his will, Shu Li remembered the kittenish cries with which she had tugged at his heartstrings the night before.
He lowered his gaze, not daring to look again.
His voice, however, remained as gentle and courteous as ever.
“Junior Sister Yu.”
Yu Tai arched a brow. According to the usual plot of these novels, when the male lead was tricked into bed by a vicious female supporting character, shouldn’t his face turn black with rage? Shouldn’t he be furious-or at least look as disgusted as if someone had forced him to eat dog shit?
Yet the man before her showed no anger or humiliation. He retained all the bearing of a perfect gentleman, as if he had not been the ravenous wolf from last night.
Shu Li pushed himself upright. His wounds had vanished at some point, but he appeared not to notice. With long, jade-white fingers, he calmly put his clothing in order and rose from the bed with effortless grace.
“You’re leaving just like that, Senior Brother? Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?” Yu Tai sat up and casually pulled a robe around herself.
Shu Li did not answer. With his back still toward her, he continued arranging his clothes.
Yu Tai could only complain in a mournful voice, “How heartless of you, Senior Brother. Last night, you called me ‘sweetheart’ with every breath. You tormented me until my waist nearly broke.”
Shu Li’s fingers paused. Slowly, he turned, fixing Yu Tai with eyes as clear and luminous as if they had been washed in water.
His gaze was gentle and carried no pressure at all, yet it inexplicably made Yu Tai want to shrink back.
“Junior Sister Yu must be joking. Last night, you were clearly the one who refused to let me go and kept begging me to give it to you.” Though the subject was utterly indecent, he spoke with the grave propriety of a gentleman expounding some moral principle.
Even a veteran like Yu Tai couldn’t stop her face from reddening.
She had thought she was worldly enough. Weren’t people from ancient times supposed to be reserved and restrained?
How could this man be even more shameless than she was?
As she pondered that question, a faint, elusive fragrance curled beneath her nose.
Yu Tai looked up in disbelief. The smooth, jade-like line of his jaw was only inches away.
One hand settled slowly on her shoulder and slipped the robe from her body.
Yu Tai’s eyes widened.
No way. This bastard was actually-
“You!”
The accusation had only just left her mouth when Shu Li stepped away.
Under Yu Tai’s scarlet-faced glare, he said placidly, “Junior Sister Yu, that is my outer robe.”
Yu Tai was speechless.
She stared at the bloodstained dark teal robe in his hand and pursed her lips.
Was it too late to move to another planet?
By the time Yu Tai had dressed and hurried outside, Shu Li was crouched in the courtyard, stroking the plump panda bound on the ground.
“Chirp, chirp.” The panda called incessantly. The moment Yu Tai appeared, it grew even louder, as if lodging a complaint about her with Shu Li.
“Junior Sister Yu, please release my demon beast from its restraints.” He rose and cupped his hands to her. Every movement was a pleasure to behold.
Yu Tai couldn’t help wondering how broad-minded this Senior Brother must be. Once renowned throughout the cultivation world and now reduced to a cripple, he could still treat the enemy who had framed him with flawless courtesy and grace.
While reading the novel, she had never stopped mocking the male lead for being such a saint.
Now that her identity and position had changed, however, she couldn’t help admiring him.
Even so, Yu Tai had no intention of untying Xia Mo.
What a joke. The demon beast’s defenses might be weak, but if it swatted her even once, she would probably die on the spot.
“There’s no hurry. All the Qingshan Sword Sect disciples who humiliated you were killed by this demon beast of yours. If you still mean to return, I’m afraid you’ll be in serious trouble,” Yu Tai kindly warned him, shamelessly shifting all the blame onto Xia Mo.
She ignored the panda’s furious chirping from the ground.
Shu Li cupped his hands again. “If it is not too much trouble, Junior Sister, please take us back.”
With the body of an ordinary mortal, there was no way for him to descend the mountain alone.
Yu Tai shrugged and agreed.
She had already warned him. If the male lead insisted on courting death, what did it have to do with her? She had gotten his primordial yang essence, and if he became powerful in the future and wanted revenge, he was welcome to try.
From this day forth, they would have nothing more to do with each other.
As soon as Yu Tai dropped Shu Li off, she returned.
She still had to wait for news about the innocent Qingshan Sword Sect disciples who had died so tragically.
They had sneaked down the mountain, though, and everyone who knew she had been with them was dead.
As long as she kept quiet, who could possibly know she had been there?
To her surprise, the moment she flew back to her cave dwelling, a young attendant riding an immortal crane blocked her path.
“Senior Sister Yu, the sect leader requests your presence.”