Inside the Daoist temple, filled with drifting pink mist, Li Muqun stood motionless like a statue.
Since swallowing that pill, it was as if his soul had been drained away, leaving only an empty body behind—he remained indifferent to all of Luozhilan’s actions, his vacant eyes staring blankly ahead without any response.
Only after Luozhilan finished her “feast” did she remember the real task at hand, immediately forming hand seals.
The pink mist in the room began to swirl more vigorously, and within Li Muqun’s previously vacant gaze, a faint glimmer of clarity suddenly appeared.
However, this sliver of awareness was too weak to allow Li Muqun to realize what was happening.
With just this small trace of consciousness, his previously puppet-like, hollow stare softened into the innocent purity of a child, flashing a foolish smile toward the fairy-like Luozhilan.
Saliva dribbled at the corners of his mouth as his limbs twitched, and he muttered:
“Mommy, mommy, I want a hug.”
“Good, very good.”
A victorious smile curled at Luozhilan’s lips.
The Western Sect’s Disarraying Mind Hypnosis Array was truly extraordinary.
First, it put the victim’s divine consciousness to sleep using the Heavenly Demon Heart-Devouring Great Pill.
Then, the caster’s own refined blood was used to concoct the Jade Sea Proliferating Mist, binding the cursed subject to their will.
Once loyal, the mist worked in tandem with the pill, gradually rewriting the victim’s mind.
The entire process was unnoticed, and even if discovered, it was already irreversible.
Such a vicious formation!
Such a useful formation!
Gently, Luozhilan pulled Li Muqun into her arms like a small child, resting his head against her ample, supple thigh while stroking him tenderly.
“Good baby, good baby.”
“Wuwu, mommy, mommy.”
Luozhilan smiled and nodded, both testing and commanding as she spoke:
“Tell mommy, what’s the good baby’s name?”
“Li Muqun, my name is Li Muqun.”
“Very good, very good.”
She breathed softly like fragrant orchids, her rosy lips brushing his ear.
“Now, good baby, can you tell mommy what you love most to do?”
“I love cultivating the Dao the most. Muqun loves cultivating the Dao.”
At the mention of cultivation, the dullness on Li Muqun’s face brightened noticeably with excitement.
He really was a seed devoted to the path.
Too bad you met me as your Master.
Luozhilan bent down, her large Dao fruit almost enveloping Li Muqun’s entire head.
“But good baby, cultivation is hard work. You have to meditate and enter seclusion. Don’t you find it boring?”
“Not boring, not boring.”
At the topic of cultivation, Li Muqun’s eyes cleared even more.
“Cultivation is fun, it leads to becoming immortal!”
“Is that so?” Luozhilan did not deny it but whispered in his ear, “But after becoming immortal, good baby, have you thought about what you want to do then?”
“Become immortal… after that…”
Li Muqun froze slightly, clearly he hadn’t pondered such distant matters.
“Mommy heard that after becoming immortal, it can be very lonely.”
“Watching those around you fade away, seeing the world change, oceans dry up and mountains erode—you must endure immense solitude and loneliness.”
“Solitude, loneliness.”
Li Muqun repeated the words.
“Yes, good baby, aren’t you afraid of loneliness and solitude?”
“No! Muqun is not afraid!”
Li Muqun’s firm answer shocked Luozhilan.
There truly were those with a resolute heart for the Dao, unafraid of the greatest demons—the loneliness and solitude feared by countless grand cultivators.
One must remember, under this hypnosis, his words were pure instinct, without any deceit.
But only Li Muqun himself knew the truth.
Li Muqun was not merely a cultivator living in a fantasy world; he had lived through the Atomized Society, had been an exam-taker, an Ox-Horse, a King of Grinding, all roles that dehumanized him beyond breath.
In his past life, he worked diligently but was once demoted and had his salary cut by his superiors, citing poor social skills as the reason, even threatened with dismissal.
After enduring seventy-two hours of non-stop overtime—a hellish memory—these nightmares left an indelible scar.
Even deep in his soul, he bore a shadowed instinct to avoid social contact, turning instead to what his previous world called the NEET Tribe: no socializing, no work, not even leaving the house.
Loneliness—was a kind of comfort.
Luozhilan arched a beautifully shaped brow, clearly not expecting the conversation to develop this way.
Time for a new approach.
She changed tone: “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about that.”
“Mommy asks, will good baby obey mommy?”
“Yes, of course.”
Li Muqun nodded vigorously, causing ripples of flesh to move on the Dao fruit.
“Good, so if mommy asks good baby to give up cultivation and stay by mommy’s side forever, would you?”
As she spoke, she manipulated more pink mist into Li Muqun’s body, seemingly to deepen his dependence on “mother.”
“Give up… cultivation…”
Suddenly, a great pain flickered across Li Muqun’s face, his gaze flickering between clarity and haze, as if he might awaken at any moment.
Seeing this, Luozhilan waved her jade hand, intensifying the purple aura of the Heavenly Demon Heart-Devouring Great Pill within his mind.
In an instant, the faint resistance Li Muqun showed vanished, replaced once again by the vacant, dull expression.
Good, good. My cultivation far surpasses his.
If this wicked disciple truly broke free, it would be troublesome.
Clearly, I cannot be so direct. I must proceed gradually, slowly rewriting his consciousness.
It’s hard work, but this kind of work is the most rewarding.
For a moment, Luozhilan felt like she had returned to her days at the Jade Mansion Stage, waging war against the Western Demon Cult.
Long forgotten, the thrill of conquest surged within her.
She stroked Li Muqun gently and inhaled deeply as a perfect plan formed in her mind.
Drip by drip, conquer his body first.
Even if his mind wakes, he won’t escape me.
How to deal with him later? That’s all up to me.
The thought of Li Muqun’s face twisted with disgust and disdain, yet still obediently standing beside her, used as a human incense burner, flushed Luozhilan’s cheeks crimson, and her full thighs rubbed together lightly.
“Good baby, you want to cultivate, right?”
“Yes! Muqun loves cultivating the Dao the most.”
“Good, good, but do you know how to rapidly improve your cultivation?”
“Rapidly improve cultivation?” A flicker of confusion crossed Li Muqun’s dazed face.
“Should be by taking Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, right?”
“That’s right. So do you think this Vitality Qi refined by Master counts as Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?”
Hesitation crossed Li Muqun’s face as he stammered, “Maybe… I guess so.”
“What do you mean maybe!” Luozhilan said as she maximized the operation of the Heavenly Demon Heart-Devouring Great Pill.
“This Vitality Qi is refined from mommy’s own refined blood. Mommy is a Golden Core Cultivator. Doesn’t that count as Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?”
“Mommy’s refined blood, Golden Core Cultivator’s refined blood,” Li Muqun repeated her words, his hesitation fading.
“Yes, of course, that counts as Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.”
A smile tugged at Luozhilan’s lips as she continued, “So since this Vitality Qi is Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, shouldn’t good baby feel very comfortable absorbing it? Hard to resist, right?”
“Very comfortable, hard to resist,” Li Muqun repeated, though a pained expression flickered across his face.
“But it smells pungent, and looks improper.”
“Cultivation is like that. This is Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, good for cultivation.”
“Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, good for cultivation…”
“That’s right. Mommy is a Golden Core Cultivator, would I lie to you? Or do you not want to improve your cultivation?”
“No, I want, I want to improve cultivation.”
“Mommy is a Golden Core Cultivator, never wrong.”
The pain on Li Muqun’s face vanished.
Suddenly, he lifted his head and eagerly inhaled the pink mist, his face full of joy and excitement.
“Improve cultivation, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.”
He murmured as his nostrils trembled, as if wanting to engrave the scent of the pink mist in his memory.
“Very good, very good.”
With a snap of her fingers and the purple glow at his brain, Li Muqun returned to that puppet-like state.
Only now, when faced with the mist, he no longer resisted subconsciously but instead cooperated, absorbing it.
“No rush. You can’t escape my palm.”
Li Muqun inhaled the mist while Luozhilan held him close, taking deep breaths of his scent as well.
Neither noticed that their dazed expressions had become indistinguishable from each other.