Just as Yun Shou Xi couldn’t resist going into the water to investigate, he heard a splash as someone surfaced.

Ling Luo emerged from the water, shaking water droplets from her face, wiping her lips with her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at Yun Shou Xi. Water droplets slid from her jaw down her neck, revealing her slender neckline as she raised her head.

Yun Shou Xi watched, his gaze deepening slightly.

Ling Luo said: “Master, I don’t want you to see me in this state during water punishment. Please go back first.”

Yun Shou Xi sighed softly, lowering his eyelids and placing medicine on the shore.

“I’ll come back for you when your punishment is complete,” he said.

Ling Luo replied: “Thank you, Master.”

Please leave quickly!

Yun Shou Xi also felt he should leave.

Otherwise, if he kept looking, he feared he might not resist pulling her out of the water and taking her back to Qing Shi Quarter to keep her confined.

Seeing Yun Shou Xi leave, Ling Luo was about to dive in to retrieve Yue Liang Ze when she heard a splash—the man had somehow swum far away from her and surfaced.

Seeing this, Ling Luo was furious: “Why did you swim so far away?”

Yue Liang Ze had his back to her, thinking at that moment how bone-chillingly cold the pond was. It was remarkable that she hadn’t fainted despite soaking in it with internal injuries.

He raised his hand to wipe water droplets from his face, turning to look at Ling Luo only after reaching the shore.

Both were soaking wet.

Ling Luo slightly raised her chin, her face showing a hint of annoyance, but mostly the same as usual—like a little wildcat extending and retracting her claws toward him, vigilant yet provocative.

When their eyes met, the underwater scene flashed through Yue Liang Ze’s mind, his fingers at his side tightening slightly.

Ling Luo: “You—”

She had barely uttered one syllable when the divine lock dragged her down.

Seeing Ling Luo suddenly disappear, Yue Liang Ze instinctively reached out his hand, but it was useless.

He realized the divine lock had taken her down for punishment.

Cold pond water dripped from his hair tips onto his nose bridge, causing a slight itch. Yue Liang Ze raised his hand to wipe it, picking up the food box to leave, but stopped when he saw the medicine on the shore.

She struggled to hold chopsticks after being punished, so how could she apply medicine herself?

Ling Luo, pulled down into the deep pond mud, wasn’t thinking about medicine.

In the boundless darkness and cold, she clenched her fingers in pain, yet thought of those clean, bright eyes that had reflected only her many times.

Underwater, she had covered Yue Liang Ze’s eyes because she didn’t want to see surprise, shock, or rejection and dislike in them.

Ling Luo didn’t know what she wanted to see, but she knew what she didn’t want to see.

Besides, today she was merely giving him air through a kiss, without any improper thoughts.

Unlike that year—

She had leveled Xiao Yao Sect, was being hunted by various great immortal sects, and during that time was cultivating various evil and demonic techniques in Nan Jiang City.

Since she had turned to demonic ways, she naturally should practice more demonic techniques, such as taking men’s yang essence, blood sacrifices, and various evil spells.

At that time, Ling Luo practiced whatever the righteous sects despised, then used these techniques against those who came to kill her, ultimately mocking them for dying by the very techniques they despised.

Back then, there was a forbidden demonic technique called Beauty’s Point.

It was both a spell and a poison; those who mastered it could instantly kill cultivators at the Life and Death Realm and above.

However, the forbidden technique had many requirements. Named Beauty’s Point, it required beauty—dual cultivation with beautiful people, taking their essence to refine into its purest form, requiring many, many beautiful people.

The righteous sects despised it because this technique violated their concept of dual cultivation.

In their eyes, dual cultivation was only about cultivation levels, not desire, and both parties benefited.

But Beauty’s Point required pure desire, and those whose essence was taken would die.

So the righteous immortal sects called Beauty’s Point a vulgar technique, and no one was willing or dared to practice it.

Ling Luo didn’t care.

She sent spirit demons to capture beautiful men back to Nan Jiang City. The mysterious disappearances of handsome men from multiple regions caused panic. Soon, news that she intended to cultivate Beauty’s Point spread throughout the cultivation world.

But looking at the captured beauties, Ling Luo found them either crying and kneeling to beg for mercy, or full of righteousness cursing and swearing they would never submit, or excessively flattering and obsequious—with such good-looking appearances making these expressions, it was unbearable to watch.

She scolded the spirit demons beside her: “I told you to capture beautiful people, but why did you bring back these misfits!”

These people’s attitudes disgusted her, destroying her desire to practice Beauty’s Point.

The spirit demons, berated, transformed back into small round balls, bouncing at her feet to please her and try to make her happy.

Ling Luo looked at the men in cages with various expressions, her face showing slight disdain. She said softly: “I’ll give you the time of one incense stick. If you can escape this Bewildering Bamboo Formation, you’ll live. If not, figure it out yourselves.”

This back mountain was full of green bamboo. In the morning, the bamboo fragrance drifted gently, and the sunlight was soft, watching the wind play through the groves.

When the cages opened, the men frantically rushed out, all hoping to escape from the seemingly endless bamboo forest.

Ling Luo sat leisurely in a rocking chair, watching these men’s ugly behaviors while spirit demons served her tea, water, and peeled fruit.

Some people broke down crying, while others still cursed her as a witch, demonic heretic, and more.

Among them, a young man in blue robes grew tired of running and lay on the ground, shouting: “I’m… I’m not running anymore. Whatever happens, happens.”

“Brother Zhao, get up! If you don’t run now, that witch will take you to…” A person beside him bent down to pull him up, but heard him say, “So what if she does? I see the young lady is quite exquisite, prettier than anyone I’ve seen before. What witch? She looks more like a fairy. If she wants to take me for dual cultivation, thinking about it, I’m not losing out.”

Ling Luo, eating grapes and watching the show: “…”

His friend said with a red face: “Brother Zhao, you absolutely cannot think like that. That kind of thing… that kind of thing should only be done with your wedded wife, how could you…”

Brother Zhao: “Given my family’s situation, I probably won’t get a wife in this lifetime anyway.”

Too tired to run, he called out while lying down: “Miss Fairy, I’m not running anymore. If you let my friend leave, I’ll dual cultivate with you, but I should tell you first, it’s my first time, so I don’t have experience—”

His friend became anxious: “Brother Zhao! Brother Zhao, you can’t give up your chance to survive for me! Quick, get up…”

Ling Luo pointed at that person and said to the spirit demon: “Take him…”

Before she finished speaking, a piercing sword sound came, and a huge blue bird flew overhead, its talons fiercely tearing apart the barrier around this area as it landed.

Ling Luo narrowed her eyes, rising from the rocking chair.

That sword strike broke the outer mist and shattered the formation.

Affected by the sword energy’s shock, mountain bamboo swayed, emerald leaves fell, and a man emerged from the mist with his sword, wearing green clothes that matched the mountain scenery.

His black hair lightly brushed past his sharp chin in the wind. Beneath his slender eyebrows were beautiful phoenix eyes, and his slightly pursed lips were red—colored with blood.

He was injured.

His green robes were stained with blood, and on the back of his sword-holding hand was a wound that cut through skin and flesh.

At that time, Ling Luo believed this was what beauty should be.

The appearance was one aspect, but the spirit was another.

This disciple from the Sacred Sword Sect held his sword, breaking the formation, glanced at Brother Zhao on the ground, and said softly: “Follow the bluebird. It will lead you out.”

“Thank you, Noble Lord!” Brother Zhao’s friend hurriedly carried him on his back, watching the bluebird in the sky for direction.

Ling Luo appeared in the forest, nodding to the two men: “You just said you were willing, so why are you leaving now?”

Brother Zhao: “…”

He buried his face on his friend’s back, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.

His friend said firmly: “You… you are forcing this, it cannot be so!”

“I was originally going to let you all go, not forcing anyone. It was he who just said he was willing, and now he’s going back on his word.” Ling Luo drew her long sword, smiling, “A person should be responsible for his words. If one doesn’t know the weight of what they say and speaks carelessly, it will bring disaster upon themselves.”

The sword intent flew from her hand but was blocked by Yue Liang Ze, and the two began to fight.

The friend ran away quickly. Brother Zhao couldn’t help but turn back and shout: “Goodbye, Miss Fairy! Noble Lord, please go easy on her, she is a girl after all—”

“Will you please stop talking!” his friend was on the verge of collapse.

Ling Luo and Yue Liang Ze began fighting in the bamboo grove, sword intent sweeping across, cutting down proud, upright green bamboo stalks at the waist.

As their swords clashed, she smelled the blood on Yue Liang Ze, her gaze sweeping over his sword-holding hand. Due to the exertion of battle, the wound had reopened, fresh blood flowing.

Ling Luo’s sword intent overcame his. Yue Liang Ze slightly frowned, about to make a move, when he saw Ling Luo withdraw her sword and step back.

“Fighting you in your current state isn’t interesting,” she said, looking Yue Liang Ze up and down before continuing, “Should I be curious about who could injure you like this, or should I be angry at how little you think of me, daring to come disrupt my plans in this condition?”

Yue Liang Ze looked at her and said: “This forbidden technique, don’t practice it.”

Ling Luo laughed coldly: “What business is it of yours what I practice?”

“Your sword intent has always contained the purest righteous energy, even though you’ve turned to demonic ways, it hasn’t been affected at all,” Yue Liang Ze looked directly into her eyes and said, “This is already what they fear most. You don’t need to cultivate those vulgar techniques.”

Your sword intent has always contained the purest righteous energy.

These words made Ling Luo, who was about to attack, pause.

She never would have imagined that the first person in the world to see through her sword intent would be Yue Liang Ze.

In this serene bamboo sea, sunlight fell gently through the branches onto the man, illuminating his eyes, which reflected only her.

Ling Luo looked into his eyes, unconsciously tightening her grip on her sword. Those deep eyes made her feel suffocated, wanting to escape.

“I decide what’s vulgar or not. I’ll practice whatever I want,” she said, looking away.

Seeing she had no intention of giving up, Yue Liang Ze gripped his sword tightly and said solemnly: “However many you capture, I will free just as many. As long as I live, you will never complete this technique.”

Hearing this, Ling Luo laughed strangely, turning back to look at him.

“Since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep, why would I waste effort capturing others?” She sheathed her sword and strolled toward Yue Liang Ze. “Sect Master Yue, Sword Saint Yue, Dan Water True Lord—you’re severely injured, yet dare to enter my territory. Do you think I won’t do anything to you?”

Yue Liang Ze’s features were clear and bright.

Ling Luo stopped one step away from him, her eyes full of teasing laughter: “Since I want to cultivate Beauty’s Point, I already activated a seduction poison when I captured people and set up the formation. Normally, you would have noticed immediately, but unfortunately today you entered the formation while severely injured, and even if you noticed, you wouldn’t have the strength to resist.”

She was lying to him.

The seduction poison was something she just thought of on the spot.

It was because she was annoyed that Yue Liang Ze had seen through her sword intent and said what she was most unwilling to believe.

By now, Yue Liang Ze had also noticed; he smelled the unusual sweetness in the air and frowned slightly.

Ling Luo had already taken his hand and was walking toward the pavilion.

“You call it vulgar, the righteous immortal sects say it insults the meaning of dual cultivation, viewing it as a lowly technique, but isn’t all dual cultivation the same? Later, if you do vulgar things yourself, don’t lecture me about this in the future.”

Yue Liang Ze used all his remaining strength to resist the seduction poison, having no energy to struggle.

Ling Luo brought him to the pavilion chamber.

The windows were open, and spring flowers blooming outside.

The bed curtains and veils were lowered, rising and falling with the morning breeze.

By the bed was a low table where they stopped. Ling Luo looked with a smile at the man sitting properly across from her, trying to dispel the seduction poison.

“You must hold firm, continue being the righteous and noble sword saint of the immortal sect, and don’t do anything vulgar that would ruin your reputation.”

She mocked him with a smile, then took medicine and took his injured hand.

Ling Luo applied to medicine, her soft fingertips pressing and circling on his tense arm muscles.

Yue Liang Ze raised his eyes to look at her, hearing her laugh and say: “You may look at me, but don’t imagine what’s beneath my clothes.”

His throat moved slightly.

“And don’t focus solely on the sensation of my fingers, the fragrance in the room, and—” she nodded, meeting the man’s darkened gaze, the corner of her eye curling up, “the sound of my voice.”

“I promise, even if you can’t resist and grab a strand of my hair or pull at the hem of my clothes, I won’t resist, letting you have your way.”

Her voice was soft and light as she appeared to be seriously focused on treating his wound, but her eyes were full of laughter, with a hint of bewitchment.

“Even if I let you take what you want and do as you please, you still can’t do it.”

“How could someone like you, so lofty and viewing yourself as pure as a lotus from the righteous immortal sects, do such vulgar things to me?”

Yue Liang Ze’s clear voice now carried a hint of hoarseness: “That’s what you think.”

“Hmm?” Ling Luo looked up at him, deliberately leaning closer, her shoulder robe slipping slightly.

“Lofty, pure as a lotus.” Yue Liang Ze lowered his gaze to look at her, his body already uncontrollably heating up, yet he still restrained himself from crossing the line.

“A person knows himself best.”

“Then I must not know our Dan Water True Lord well enough. Why don’t you come closer and tell me in detail?” Ling Luo looked at him patiently.

Although wind came through the window, brushing his cheeks, it couldn’t suppress the heat.

Yue Liang Ze slowly withdrew his hand, but Ling Luo caught it. “I haven’t bandaged it yet.”

“No need,” he said.

“Fine, the medicine is applied anyway.” Ling Luo smiled. “Then let me check your back, waist, abdomen, and—”

She tilted her head, her gaze moving downward.

Yue Liang Ze lowered his eyelids, his withdrawn hand tightly clenched into a fist. Even with medicine applied to the wound, it was useless.

The pain stimulated his nerves.

Ling Luo stood up, her skirt hem passing through his peripheral vision.

“The man you just rescued said that such things can only be done with one’s wedded wife.” She placed her delicate hand on Yue Liang Ze’s shoulder, her jade fingers lightly brushing his collar, about to pull it down when Yue Liang Ze pressed her hand with his.

“Your hand is already so hot,” Ling Luo smiled, leaning close, her breath teasing the man’s ear as she spoke, causing the white skin to flush red. She said, “Still holding back, is it because I’m not your wedded wife, so you don’t dare?”

Yue Liang Ze nodded slightly, suppressing the heat in his lower abdomen, turning his head to remove her hand from his shoulder, only to find that when he turned, Ling Luo hadn’t moved, bringing their faces closer, their breath falling lightly on each other’s cheeks.

Ling Luo blinked, intending to tease him a few more times before stopping when suddenly she was pulled over. Before she could react, he held her head and kissed her.

He hadn’t changed his clothes, and blood was still on him. His desire-filled kiss was scorching hot as if it would melt everything.

There was a moment of confusion in Ling Luo’s eyes, seeming not to have expected he would truly dare.

Yue Liang Ze held her waist as he stood, their clothes rustling as they fell onto the soft couch beside them.

He supported himself with his hands on either side of Ling Luo’s shoulders, pressing down on her scattered black hair, cool and smooth. Yue Liang Ze held her in his arms but slightly straightened up, looking down at her, the corners of his eyes red.

The woman’s lips were vibrant, smiling at him.

“How vulgar,” she said. “A lowly technique, insulting to dual cultivation.”

Yue Liang Ze lowered himself again, saying only: “Apply the medicine.”

The curtains swayed lightly, the atmosphere intimate and alluring.

Ling Luo felt her heart beating faster but didn’t call for him to stop.

The lofty supreme immortal sect member, at that moment, fell into the mud.

The divine lock contracted again, pulling her up from underwater.

Ling Luo awoke from her memory, emerging from the water while still thinking to herself that it was Yue Liang Ze who had initiated, only to open her eyes and see a certain someone standing on the shore, soaking wet.

Her mind was momentarily blank as she asked: “You didn’t leave?”

Yue Liang Ze looked at her and said: “Waiting for you to come out, to apply medicine for you.”

Apply medicine.

Ling Luo gurgled as she sank back into the water.

Yue Liang Ze watched the ripples on the water’s surface, once again helpless.

What did he say wrong this time?