Luozhilan was in a very bad mood today.
To be precise, she was in an extremely bad mood.
One furnace after another of pills in her hands was crushed into powder, turning into mist that drifted throughout the Daoist Temple.
Her delicate, well-shaped jade nose inhaled deeply, the fragrance of the pills filling her nasal cavity.
Yet her mood remained sour.
The pill fragrance that used to captivate her so intensely now merely felt “pleasant,” and nothing more.
There was no feeling of happiness, no sense of peace—indeed, inhaling too much even gave her a cloying sensation.
Could it be that time of the month?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
After ascending to Golden Core, the body was forged from the Vital Energy of heaven and earth—there was no way such a thing could happen!
It had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
She tried hard to recall everything that had happened recently; her Daoist Temple was incredibly quiet, and on ordinary days, no one came to visit.
Except for that wretched disciple?
Yes, it had to be him.
This symptom began ever since he came up the mountain that time.
It must be the stench of that man contaminating my Pill Fragrance Grand Array.
That’s it!
Taking in this Founding Disciple was originally the Headmaster’s order.
Though she felt uncomfortable, at least he wasn’t entirely ungrateful—he managed all matters of Congealed Fat Peak with neat precision and seldom disturbed her, so she endured and reluctantly accepted him as her disciple.
But now, this brat had damaged the Great Array and disrupted her state of mind.
The angrier Luozhilan got, the more oblivious she was to how recalling that day’s scent had already flushed her cheeks bright red, and how her shapely legs beneath the white Daoist robe unconsciously rubbed together.
She simply thought that Li Muqun’s stench had soiled her nose, ruining the pill fragrance she once adored.
Expel him—he must be expelled!
Banished from the sect, never to be accepted again!
With a swift movement, she appeared outside the Daoist Temple.
“Let me see where that wretched disciple lives.”
Normally, sect disciples lived on the Ling Mountain of their master’s domain—after all, the Vital Energy was richest there, making cultivation far more efficient.
But Li Muqun was an exception.
Thanks to their master-disciple relationship resembling that of a lord and servant, he was forbidden from setting up camp on the mountain.
He had to live in a wooden hut at the foot of the mountain, sneaking Vital Energy from Congealed Fat Peak for cultivation.
At this moment, Luozhilan’s divine sense swept the foot of the mountain and immediately located the small wooden hut.
“That wretched disciple lives so close to the Daoist Temple—no wonder he polluted the Pill Fragrance Grand Array.”
“I’ve warned him again and again, yet he doesn’t learn. I can’t be blamed for being merciless!”
But before confronting him, she had to block her nose to avoid the stench damaging her sense of smell.
With a wave of her jade hand, invisible Vital Energy enveloped her nostrils. After repeated tests to ensure no scent could be detected, she boldly shifted form and headed straight to the wooden hut.
The wretched disciple wasn’t even there?
Luozhilan’s divine sense scanned the interior but found no sign of Li Muqun.
He must be out causing trouble again.
She’d heard that some Cloud Expanse Sect disciples, relying on their status as Immortal Sect members, committed all sorts of evil in the mortal world—rape, pillage, and murder.
This wretched disciple must be out wreaking havoc in the mortal realm too!
Luozhilan thought so and had already sentenced Li Muqun in her heart.
Originally, she only intended to expel him; now, after he disgraced the sect, he needed punishment.
Considering his years of diligent work, the death penalty was avoidable, but a living punishment was unavoidable.
Castration would do—then he wouldn’t be able to commit crimes outside anymore.
But would that be lacking in evidence?
She wasn’t concerned about Li Muqun’s feelings; the problem was that if the Headmaster asked later, it would be difficult to proceed without proof.
Evidence… Luozhilan stroked her chin, a new idea forming in her mind.
The culprit’s lair was right in front of her—finding evidence wouldn’t be a problem.
As long as she found a shred of proof, she was confident the Headmaster would no longer interfere.
After all, who would tarnish a young woman’s purity by making false accusations?
Having made up her mind, she wrapped herself in Vital Energy and pushed open the door.
The wooden hut was extremely simple—barely furnished.
A bed, a desk, a chair, and a meditation cushion.
Nothing else.
“That wretched disciple is a good actor.”
She snorted and waved her Vital Energy through the room, seemingly turning the hut inside out.
Sure enough, she found a clue in a corner.
“The design of this Storage Bag doesn’t look like something a man would use.”
A soft pink Storage Bag embroidered with patterns was suspended in midair by her Vital Energy.
This was the very Storage Bag Jiang Wan’er had given to Li Muqun a few days ago.
Though Li Muqun had taken out the pills and Sword Manual inside to carry on him, the bag itself was left in the wooden hut.
Li Muqun never thought that this seemingly normal Storage Bag would become irrefutable evidence in Luozhilan’s eyes.
Well, it wasn’t quite ironclad evidence yet.
“What if this wretched disciple is some kind of perverted weirdo with unusual tastes? Would I be wrongly accusing him?”
“Forget it, I’ll loosen the restriction and sniff it—if there’s a female scent, this boy is doomed!”
Luozhilan was supremely confident in her sense of smell; no matter how thoroughly the bag was cleaned, she was certain she could distinguish its owner’s scent.
She formed a hand seal, slightly releasing the Vital Energy near her delicate jade nose.
A faint scent slipped into her nostrils through the air.
An almost imperceptible, gentle, feminine, and fresh fragrance was detected by her sharp senses.
Sure enough—it was a woman’s scent!
Wretched disciple, prepare to be punished!
Finally rid of her worries, she almost laughed aloud.
But the next moment, Luozhilan froze on the spot.
A scent that didn’t belong to the Storage Bag’s owner—a trace of sweat scent clinging to Li Muqun from his frequent grasping during cultivation—silently slipped into her still-unsealed nostrils.
“Plop.”
The floating Storage Bag lost control and dropped to the ground.
Th-That scent.
Luozhilan’s body trembled uncontrollably, her obsidian-like crystal eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and an all-consuming satisfaction.
Impossible, impossible, th-this can’t be.
She shook her head desperately, but her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest, sweat drenched her dark hair and pure white robe.
Her plump legs rubbed together involuntarily, skin flushing a faint pink.
Only when an unconscious whimper escaped her lips did Luozhilan come to her senses, summoning a massive amount of Vital Energy to envelop herself tightly.
Impossible, no, it can’t be.
That’s the scent of that traitorous disciple—the hateful scent of a man.
How could this be? How could this be?
Bathed in Vital Energy, Luozhilan collapsed to the ground, her entire body flushed an abnormal pale red, breathing heavily.
It must be a hallucination, it must be.
The wretched disciple’s scent must be faint, mingled with the scent of some precious celestial material.
Yes, it must be like that!
If only she loosened the restriction, and the scent intensified, she’d surely feel disgusted again, surely!!!
Luozhilan stared at the swirling Vital Energy around her.
The invisible energy pulsated wildly in sync with her emotions, seeming to both cheer and warn:
“Ahead lies an abyss, ahead lies an abyss!”
But Luozhilan’s mind was made up—or rather, every cell in her body urged her to release the restraints on her Vital Energy.
It’s fine. I’m a Golden Core cultivator. Just a sniff—what harm could it do?
Definitely, definitely…
“Oh ho ho ho ho ho.”