Chapter 87: Extremely Terrible Punishment Mechanism

Almost instantly, Lando, who had just been wearing a stern expression, began stammering, unable to get a word out.  

Immediately after came the rapid heat rising from the nape of her neck to her forehead, an overload…  

“Sorry, I think I just said something offensive. I seem to have remembered something.”  

The hand that was originally pushing Su Mu away immediately changed to a grabbing gesture, clutching Su Mu’s wrist and pulling her into the room.  

It seemed like she had forgotten something very important and needed to explore it more on the bed.  

In the brief moment the two struggled, Luo Linglan—who had long been awakened by the commotion—appeared on the other side of the Dojo, wearing a thin, short-sleeved nightgown.

She looked over at them indifferently.  

There was no ripple of Magic Power, but her footsteps were noticeably faster and heavier.  

The approaching footsteps immediately startled the two girls, who instinctively separated to avoid being caught in an embarrassing scene.  

“Hello, are you Jialan’s classmates? Did you come here looking for her?”  

“Uh, yes.”  

Su Mu didn’t reveal her purpose, trying to avoid arousing Luo Linglan’s suspicion.

Lando nodded repeatedly in agreement beside her.  

“I see. Well, if you don’t mind, please stay and have a seat~”  

“Uh, oh, okay.”  

Su Mu awkwardly responded with filler words, then hesitantly sat on the straw mat.  

It felt as uneasy as sneaking into the home of a girl you liked and being invited for tea by her parents.  

Under Luo Linglan’s imposing presence and formal speech, Su Mu’s social anxiety flared up again.  

But after a moment, Su Mu sensed something unusual.  

Luo Linglan was dressed far too revealingly.  

In Su Mu’s understanding, before her fall, Luo Linglan always dressed very modestly, trying hard to avoid exposing her skin, like a disciplined female Taoist.  

But today, she was wearing only a thin, gauzy nightgown, which naturally put Su Mu on alert, recalling what Lando had warned her earlier.  

That’s right—Luo Linglan now was not just the aloof Orchid on the Ridge.

If certain taboos were touched, she might transform at any moment into a dangerous plant that hunted young girls.  

While Luo Linglan poured tea, Su Mu quickly grabbed Lando to ask.  

“I remember your Master had quite a few rules, right? Tell me quickly.”  

Lando was slightly taken aback.  

“How do you know… I definitely can’t explain such complicated things in just a few words, but I have a vague feeling that you absolutely can’t lie to her.”  

‘Can’t lie?’  

Lando’s vague words made Su Mu’s suspicions grow.

Perhaps the first Memory Point was related to lying?  

Everyone has little secrets, things they need to hide.

When asked, whether out of guilt or just to brush it off, everyone lies sometimes.  

But most people get severely punished the first time they lie, right?  

Recalling that horrendous exam paper, Su Mu suddenly understood.  

Luo Jialan probably lied and deserved to be scolded.  

So how could one intervene in such a matter?

If it were Su Mu, she would likely choose the same solution under pressure.  

Better to wait and see.  

“This student, what is your relationship with Jialan?”  

Luo Linglan asked while approaching with the teapot, pouring a cup of steaming pale pink tea for Su Mu.

The alluring color and fragrance made Su Mu hesitant to take a sip, so she just answered Luo Linglan’s question.  

“Just friends.”  

“Is that so?”  

Luo Linglan’s dark eyes scanned Su Mu’s face lightly, causing a chill to run through her.  

Those two simple words from her crimson lips were not mere self-talk but a clear question directed at Su Mu.  

The intense sense of danger made Su Mu cross her arms and lean back.  

Was there a problem with such a simple answer?  

“Uh, Su Mu and I aren’t really friends.”  

Lando suddenly interjected from the side, causing Su Mu to frown, and then her next words made Su Mu furrow her brow even deeper.  

“We’re lovers.”  

Such boldness!  

And yet, Luo Linglan immediately accepted this statement, retracting her oppressive demeanor as if nothing had happened just moments ago.  

Is this for real?  

Su Mu teasingly pinched the soft flesh at Lando’s waist from behind while cautiously continuing to watch Luo Linglan’s strange behavior.  

Looking closely, besides the clothes, the orchid-shaped scar at her eye corner was completely gone.

Instead, there was a small mole, reducing the distance between her and the world to zero—no longer appearing so remote.  

“So, Su Mu, is there something special that brought you here to see Jialan?”  

As she spoke, Luo Linglan casually glanced at Su Mu, as if ready to catch any hesitation or inner conflict on her face.  

This question threw Su Mu into another dilemma, forcing her to seek help from Lando.  

‘Why is the spotlight only on me? Aren’t you the main character here?  ‘

Of course, Su Mu didn’t come here just to hand over the exam paper; she came to help Lando remove the Dark Magic Corruption and light up the Memory Points.  

According to Lando, continuing to lie to Luo Linglan would likely draw her attention.

But how could she say something like that?

It would sound very strange no matter what.  

Only Lando could answer this question for her.  

“Oh, she’s here to help me deliver the exam paper.”  

Caught in Luo Linglan’s gaze, Lando was momentarily stunned, then gave an answer that Su Mu considered extremely wrong.  

Why not just confess already?  

Su Mu rubbed her forehead helplessly.

What should have been carefully hidden was now being openly spoken by the very person involved.  

Fine, I’ll have to handle this myself.

It’s about time to deal with little Luo Jialan who only scored 57 points.  

“How many points did you get?”  

“57.”  

She didn’t lie.  

Su Mu was a bit surprised.

Looking at Lando, who lowered her head guiltily, Su Mu overturned her previous assumption.  

No, this wasn’t her first lie.

So what did this mean?  

Sure enough, upon hearing the number, Luo Linglan’s expression darkened significantly.  

Not just a figure of speech—her skin genuinely darkened, resembling Ning Xi’s seductive dark complexion.

The depths of her eyes began to emit a strange glow.  

Not good—she had touched a taboo!  

“Jialan, didn’t I say you must at least pass the exam?”  

“But this time it was really difficult.”  

“Is that so? Then Su Mu, how much did you score?”  

Just as Su Mu was about to bury her head under the table, both pairs of eyes locked onto her, freezing her body and clearing her mind.  

‘Can you leave me alone first?! Don’t target me, please? You two squeezing me in the middle makes this really difficult. ‘

“I didn’t take it. We’re not in the same class.”  

That was the truth, after all…  

“Su Mu, I wonder why you’re so cautious? Am I putting too much pressure on you, so much that—”  

Luo Jialan suddenly sat upright.

The shadow she cast covered Su Mu, setting off alarms in her heart.  

“You always say the wrong things.”  

‘Wrong things? What does that mean? I’m clearly telling the truth!  ‘

But Su Mu had no time to ponder this, because Luo Linglan was closing in on her with eyes full of hearts, while behind her, several wet, writhing tentacles danced in the air.  

This can’t be right.

How can there be such a terrible, nightmarish punishment mechanism?