Mo Ruxue couldn’t sleep.
She suddenly felt a hint of envy for Zhu Yuexi, who had already grown gradually familiar with this place, and whose sleep had even become more peaceful.
Zhu Yuexi was originally the disciple with the more restless temperament, while she was the master who should always remain serene and indifferent.
But tonight, when it came to sleep, the two seemed to have swapped roles. Zhu Yuexi slept soundly and at ease, while Mo Ruxue found it hard to fall asleep.
That set of clothes had already been taken off by Mo Ruxue.
Xu Sheng had already said that no matter what, he would teach her how to manage the Linxian Sect.
So she no longer needed to pay any tuition.
She had no reason to wear that set of clothes ever again.
Keeping them was useless. Mo Ruxue didn’t think she would ever wear them for anyone in the future.
Such a shameful thing should have been destroyed outright.
But in the end, she had tucked it away into her ring.
Most of Mo Ruxue’s ring contained cultivation supplies and spiritual treasures; even daily necessities were scarce.
That kind of clothing stood out glaringly in the ring’s space.
What was she keeping it for?
Mo Ruxue couldn’t say, yet if she were to truly throw it away, she always felt something was off.
In the end, she used the excuse, ‘These are clothes from Xu Sheng’s hometown, so they’re worth keeping,’ to stop herself from overthinking.
Lying on her floor bed, she stared at the bright moonlight outside the window, and could also feel the gentle river breeze blowing in.
But Mo Ruxue felt a wave of irritation.
Had Li Qingqing entered Xu Sheng’s room just now?
Last night, a red mark had appeared on Li Qingqing’s neck, identical to the one on her own.
What about tonight?
Xu Sheng had explained that Li Qingqing, due to her cultivation art, needed to preserve her virginity.
So what kind of contact would it be?
Kissing?
Thinking about the lingering kiss she had shared with Xu Sheng earlier, Mo Ruxue’s breathing quickened again. But when she thought that this kiss might extend to other women, her chest felt tight and stifled.
Mo Ruxue took a deep breath and used her spiritual energy to draw the curtains over the balcony, plunging the room into darkness. Only then could she calm her heart slightly.
…
Morning.
It was already the second morning since arriving at this paradise. Both Mo Ruxue and Zhu Yuexi were fairly familiar with the routine now. After washing up, they left the room together and followed Li Qingqing to the dining hall.
“Come have some crab roe buns. Li Qingqing made them all by hand.”
Xu Sheng had a bun between his teeth and a glass of soy milk in his hand.
He had casually given Li Qingqing a modern cookbook earlier, never expecting her to have such talent in cooking. Almost every meal, she made something different.
Zhu Yuexi and Mo Ruxue looked a bit awkward when they saw Xu Sheng.
Yesterday, after Xu Sheng finished treating Zhu Yuexi, he hadn’t appeared before her again. So seeing him now, she still carried the resentment from their last encounter.
But with Mo Ruxue present, she couldn’t act out.
As for Mo Ruxue, there was no need to even mention it.
Yesterday, after Mo Ruxue returned to her room on her own, she had even felt a pang of regret.
‘If I hadn’t left back then, what would things be like now?’
Xu Sheng, as if nothing had happened, pointed at the buns on the table with some surprise.
“Eat up. Why aren’t you two eating?”
Hearing his urging, the two women absentmindedly picked up their buns at the same time.
Both Zhu Yuexi and Mo Ruxue felt a bit envious of Xu Sheng’s ability to maintain the same attitude no matter what happened.
Mo Ruxue even wondered if it was this very state of mind that had allowed Xu Sheng to touch the threshold of the legendary Tenth Realm faster than herself.
While thinking this, Mo Ruxue took a bite of the crab roe bun.
The flavor was sweeter and more savory than she had imagined. Over the years, her cultivation hadn’t extinguished her desires, but she had still stuck to simple fare. She rarely ate such time-consuming things as crab roe buns.
Noticing Mo Ruxue’s expression, Xu Sheng chuckled and glanced at Li Qingqing.
“Looks like Sect Leader Mo really likes the ones you made.”
Mo Ruxue, whose appetite had just been stirred, suddenly felt like she didn’t want to eat anymore.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuexi muttered.
“Anyone would think you’d hunted dragon meat to cook.”
On a normal day, Mo Ruxue would have scolded Zhu Yuexi for being disrespectful. But this time, she remained silent.
This scene seemed oddly familiar.
And Li Qingqing, upon hearing those words, actually responded.
“If our master wishes to eat it, even dragon meat would be no trouble.”
Zhu Yuexi rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Mo Ruxue’s hand gripping the bun unconsciously tightened, and some crab roe even spilled out.
Xu Sheng hadn’t said anything, yet Li Qingqing had answered on her own initiative. Not because she was overstepping, but precisely because she understood Xu Sheng and human nature too well.
She knew that Xu Sheng’s goal was probably to make Mo Ruxue and Zhu Yuexi fall for him.
To be blunt, she didn’t have much enmity with the two.
Zhu Yuexi’s mockery of her now, and Mo Ruxue’s tacit approval, were essentially jealousy.
Making them jealous would also speed up their descent, much like the red mark she still kept on her neck—serving the same purpose.
That was why Li Qingqing had “taken the liberty” to say those words.
Xu Sheng was a bit surprised. Li Qingqing was even sharper than he had imagined.
But he didn’t immediately praise her. Instead, he took out a handkerchief and handed it toward Mo Ruxue.
Mo Ruxue froze.
A playful smile curled at the corners of Xu Sheng’s lips.
“What? You want me to wipe it for you myself?”
Hearing Xu Sheng tease her master, Zhu Yuexi felt a surge of anger, mixed with a strange tightness in her chest.
She reached out and snatched the handkerchief from Xu Sheng’s hand, wiping the fingers of Mo Ruxue.
“Who asked you to wipe it yourself? Pfft!”
This time, Mo Ruxue frowned and said in a low voice.
“Yuexi!”
“Master…” Zhu Yuexi looked aggrieved.
“Alright, alright. Hurry up and eat.” Xu Sheng waved his hand carelessly.
…
They ate in silence.
The meal went quickly. Li Qingqing’s cooking skills rivaled most spiritual chefs. Zhu Yuexi couldn’t resist eating a bit too much. She reached out her chopsticks to grab another one, but Xu Sheng’s chopsticks blocked her.
“Leave these last three for Li Qingqing.”
Leave them for Li Qingqing?
Zhu Yuexi was already almost full, but hearing those words, a temper flared up.
“I haven’t had enough yet.”
This behavior was too childish. Even Mo Ruxue couldn’t help frowning, wanting to remind Zhu Yuexi again.
She had been spoiling Yuexi a bit too much lately.
“In that case, Saint Zhu, please go ahead. After all, you’re still growing.”
This was said by Li Qingqing.
But Li Qingqing was actually slightly younger than Zhu Yuexi. Using such a condescending excuse as “still growing” felt oddly out of place.
Zhu Yuexi looked at Mo Ruxue in confusion, only to find that her gaze was fixed on her own chest.
snap!
Zhu Yuexi exerted force and snapped the chopsticks in half.