Escape the Miaojiang Villain - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Prophetic Bizarre Dream-Testing the Gu
“Tu Lingxiang, I really miss you.”
The second Lian Jing said those words, he inwardly cursed at himself for being so sickeningly sweet.
How could he bring himself to say something so cloying?
Was this even him?
The young girl rolled her eyes and looked up at him with disbelief.
“Miss me? How much?”
“Day and night, forgetting to sleep and eat.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that he truly, desperately missed her.
It was a yearning carved into his very marrow—a longing so deep his entire body ached, a terminal disease beyond saving.
Standing under the maple tree, the girl pulled a face as if disgusted by his cheesy words. “Oh,” she said with utter indifference.
“Well, I don’t miss you.”
“You really don’t?”
Hearing her say that made an unexpected surge of anger rise in his chest.
“Nope.”
She shook her head.
“Then how about a kiss to check?”
He lowered his head, reaching for her crimson lips, but she tilted her head away, completely uncooperative.
“I won’t let you kiss me.”
“Fine, fine. No kiss then.”
With that, his hand moved to her waist, tugging at the sash of her Miao garments.
Seeing this, Tu Lingxiang’s expression changed drastically.
She pushed him away, cursing loudly, “You beast!”
He stopped his hands, looking down at her.
“Then let me kiss you.”
Tu Lingxiang snatched the sash back from his grasp, protecting it fiercely, and grumbled, “Big brother, you are the one begging me here! Is this any way to act when asking for a favor?”
Lian Jing looked at her quietly.
“What do I have to do for you to let me kiss you?”
Tu Lingxiang pondered for a moment before giving a sly smile. “Say ‘Miss, I was wrong’ a hundred times.”
Lian Jing: “???”
She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up.
“Hurry up and say it. Say it, and I’ll let you kiss me.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“For how long?”
Tu Lingxiang glared at him.
“As if you could kiss me until the end of time anyway! As long as you make me happy with your chanting, you can kiss me for as long as you want.”
He smirked wickedly.
“You said it yourself.”
And so, he actually started chanting it.
His tone was deeply sincere.
It was as if he would pay any price just to steal a single kiss from her.
He seemed entirely possessed.
The girl sat leaning against the maple tree, earnestly counting on her fingers. Her red lips curved into a smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she said, “Lian Jing, you have to be my slave from now on, okay?”
A slave…
Surging rage flared within Lian Jing. She actually wanted him to be her slave?
In her dreams.
His mind resisted fiercely, yet his mouth uttered the phrase again and again: “Miss, I was wrong.”
He truly acted as though he had become her slave.
He didn’t know what had come over him, nor why he craved intimacy with her so badly.
To get close to her, he had cast aside even his dignity.
Worse, he actually seemed to enjoy it.
Had he gone mad?
He chanted “Miss, I was wrong” a full hundred times.
“Tu Lingxiang, can I kiss you now?”
Satisfied with what she heard, the girl nodded under his intense gaze.
Having received her permission, he leaned in, pressing his weight against her and pinning her shoulders down.
His lips found her ruby lips with absolute precision.
It was light and soft.
He was terrified of biting too hard or hurting her.
A trace of sweet taste hovered between their teeth, making him feel as though he were tasting candy.
The sensation was novel and strange, and her soft lips made him yearn, pulling him into a state of indulgence.
His mind was completely scrambled. He didn’t know what he was doing—why was he kissing her?
He couldn’t find a single reason.
Yet he wanted to kiss her so badly.
It was as if her lips were the only thing that could quench his thirst.
A thousand thoughts warred inside him.
On one hand, he condemned his own actions; on the other, he was drunk on the feeling, unable to break free.
How could he kiss his enemy?
She was the vicious daughter of his enemy!
Yet her lips were so sweet, like a ripe, plump pomegranate.
He couldn’t fight it.
He couldn’t resist.
And so, in that vivid maple forest, he held the young girl and kissed her until he lost all track of time and space.
Again and again, as if possessed, every time he parted from her for even a second, he couldn’t stop himself from pressing his lips against hers once more.
“No more, no more… Lian Jing, get off!”
The girl yelled in anger, but he threw her words to the back of his mind, saying darkly, “You promised me that I could kiss you for as long as I wanted.”
“But I really can’t take it anymore!”
Her voice was laced with soft sobs, terribly pitiful, as she kicked and beat at him.
“Tu Lingxiang, just a little longer… just a little bit…”
“Lian Jing, you’re not listening! I won’t let you kiss me next time!”
“…”
—
Inside the palace, Tu Lingxiang stood under a pillar, watching Lian Jing who had been kneeling before the altar for a long time. His back was straight, his head slightly lowered, completely motionless.
She wondered if he had fallen into a dream too.
If she stabbed him with a knife right now, what would her chances of success be?
Since she was destined to be killed by him in the end anyway, wouldn’t it be better to carve out a path to survival first? What if he fell into a dream and really never woke up?
If she killed him now, she wouldn’t have to suffer his persecution ever again.
Except she didn’t have any weapons on her.
She pondered for a moment and had no choice but to take off the silver hairpin on her head. It was the only thing she had that could pierce his chest.
She crept toward him with quiet steps, her heart fluttering nervously as she breathed heavily. When she reached Lian Jing’s side, she saw that his eyes were indeed tightly shut, looking completely trapped in a dream.
Curiosity piqued her—what kind of prophetic dream was he having?
His expression was cold, his thin lips pressed into a tight line. It was impossible to tell what kind of dream he was experiencing, but in any case, it had nothing to do with her.
Gathering her courage, she gripped the fine silver hairpin with both hands, aiming the tip at his chest, and crept closer with trembling hands.
Lian Jing, to save myself, I have no choice.
You’re a villain, killing you is the righteous thing to do.
Hardening her heart, she recalled his cold indifference when he stabbed her before, and her heart turned just as cold. Holding the silver hairpin in both hands, she moved forward…
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. After all, this was her first time attempting to kill someone, and the target was such a powerful, dangerous figure.
What if she couldn’t kill him in one blow?
The more she thought about it, the weaker her resolve became.
If he caught her, he would probably chop off her hands.
Whatever, whatever! It was a dead end either way.
Gritting her teeth, she gathered all her strength and plunged the hairpin toward his heart.
“Tu Lingxiang.”
Lian Jing’s voice suddenly rang out, scaring her so badly she nearly dropped the hairpin.
She snapped her head up to look at him, only to find his eyes still closed. She couldn’t tell if he was talking in his sleep or if he was already awake.
Still, the fact that he was dreaming about her was simply bizarre.
Shaken by the scare, her hands lost all their strength. Right at that moment, Lian Jing abruptly opened his eyes, lunged forward, and pinned her to the ground.
She hid the silver hairpin inside her sleeve with lightning speed and looked up at him in terror. A pair of flames seemed to burn in his eyes as he stared at her unabashedly.
Pressed under his powerful body, the posture was inexplicably awkward. Lian Jing’s face was mere inches from hers, his warm breath fanning against her delicate skin, making her go numb all over.
It felt as though if he dipped down just a fraction more, he would be kissing her lips.
“Tu Lingxiang, what do your lips taste like?”
Tu Lingxiang’s pupils dilated, her face filled with shock as she stared blankly at him, completely frozen for a good long while.
What did he just ask… what her lips tasted like?
Was Lian Jing crazy? How could he ask such a question?
His gaze was as dark as a ghost fire, staring straight at her like a predator watching its prey, his eyes filled with an inquisitive search for knowledge.
It really seemed like he was seriously pondering what her lips tasted like.
Was he a pervert?
Just what kind of dream had he experienced to wake up like this?
Seeing his gaze land on her lips, he couldn’t possibly be planning to kiss her, right?
No way, right? No way!
She felt like her head was about to explode.
“Young master?”
That single call snapped Lian Jing back to reality. He let go of her abruptly, stood up, and his face reverted to its previous cold indifference.
Looking down at her, he demanded, “Tu Lingxiang, what were you doing just now?”
“I…”
She sat up from the floor, looked up at him, and explained, “I saw you kneeling here without moving for a long time, so I wanted to come check if you had fallen asleep. Who knew you’d suddenly open your eyes?”
Lian Jing lowered his eyelids, remembering that terrible nightmare. He had actually dreamed of frantically kissing her! He pursed his lips; the sensation had been far too real to be just a dream. Scanning her with his gaze, he asked, “You didn’t do anything to me while I was sleeping, did you?”
Tu Lingxiang tightened her grip on the hairpin inside her sleeve, her face betraying nothing as she shook her head.
“No, Young Master.”
“I doubt you’d dare.”
If she dared to kiss him in secret, he would definitely tear her into ten thousand pieces.
He turned and walked away, radiating an icy aura. Tu Lingxiang stared at his back in confusion—just what kind of dream had caused him to wake up with such a foul temper?
Walking ahead, Lian Jing raised a hand to touch his lips. The feeling from the dream refused to dissipate—soft, sweet…
He shook his head vigorously and kicked a nearby pillar in anger.
“???”
Watching from behind, Tu Lingxiang thought to herself: Is this guy sick? Won’t that kick hurt his foot?
She quickly stowed the hairpin away, relieved she hadn’t been caught.
When they stepped out through the door, however, they discovered that the layout outside was identical to the previous room.
She gasped in surprise, “How can this be? Just how many altars are there?”
Without turning around, Lian Jing replied in a tone that suggested he couldn’t be bothered with her, “There is only one altar.”
“Oh. Then what’s going on here?”
Lian Jing turned his face slightly and said, “Go stand on that altar.”
Tu Lingxiang obeyed and walked onto the altar.
“And then, Young Master?”
“Stand in the middle,” Lian Jing instructed.
She walked to the central position and asked again, “And then?”
Lian Jing’s lazy gaze swept over her before he turned to keep walking.
“Come down.”
“???”
Looking utterly bewildered, Tu Lingxiang caught up and asked, “Young Master, why did you have me stand up there just now?”
Lian Jing walked ahead, answering sluggishly, “Walking the dog.”
“You…?”
She stomped her foot in rage, swinging her right fist in the air, wishing she could punch him.
That bastard was too insufferable!
He actually called her a dog!
Upon entering the next door, they found that the scene inside was still identical to the previous ones—a large altar, several dragon-embroidered stone pillars reaching up to the ceiling, and nothing else.
Lian Jing spoke again, “Stand on it.”
Tu Lingxiang glared at him, reluctantly walking onto the altar while muttering under her breath, “Even dogs have dignity, okay? How can you bully people like this?”
In every single room they passed through next, Lian Jing would make her stand on the altar. No matter how much dissatisfaction she felt in her heart, she didn’t dare voice it aloud.
Suddenly, she realized they were trapped in a maze.
“Young Master, when you came looking for me earlier, how did you get to the palace?”
Lian Jing asked back, “How did you get there?”
“I…”
To be honest, she had no idea how she got there either; she had simply woken up from her nightmare and found herself there.
She said, “I just wandered there in a daze.”
Lian Jing stared at her with an unreadable expression and asked again, “How did you come to this underwater palace?”
She scratched her head and replied, “I was running for my life, swam for a bit, and ended up here.”
“You know how to crack the mechanism on the door?”
She gave an embarrassed nod. “I just happened to unlock it by chance.”
Lian Jing actually let out a chuckle. “Since you’re so amazing, you should be able to find the way out of this maze, right?”
“This… I’m really not that amazing.” She had never written about the magical aspects of this palace in detail, so she didn’t understand why there was a maze here at all.
Ever since the prophetic dream started, everything had spiraled beyond her control.
She tossed the question back to him.
“Young Master, shouldn’t you be more familiar with this altar?” Otherwise, why would he have knelt before it earlier?
“Me…?” His fingers tapped rhythmically against his arm, drawing out the last word.
“Have you carefully looked at the patterns on the altar? The direction of the pattern in every room is different.”
“Huh??”
Tu Lingxiang genuinely hadn’t noticed.
“So you had me stand up there earlier to…” She pondered for a moment before gasping in shock, “To find the angle?”
Lian Jing turned toward the next door, looking quite pleased as the corners of his lips curled up. “Not completely brainless after all.”
Tu Lingxiang pouted behind his back. “You should have just said so earlier, I would have cooperated!”
He just had to call her a dog.
When they reached the next room, she immediately ran onto the altar and carefully observed the patterns on it. A huge Sun God was painted on it, surrounded by numerous runes.
She carefully recalled that when she had knelt on the altar in her dream, she had been facing the Sun God’s face directly. Right now, however, the face was tilted toward the other side.
By the time they reached the following room, the face had shifted a little further in that direction.
So Lian Jing had her stand on the altar just to observe the rotation of the Sun God’s face.
“Young Master, the face keeps turning toward that side. How are we supposed to get out?”
Lian Jing said lazily, “Perhaps by returning to the starting point.”
“Returning to the starting point?”
“Once the face rotates back to its original position, we’ll be able to leave.”
Tu Lingxiang asked, “Then why don’t we just backtrack into the previous room?”
The moment she asked, she felt stupid. Since they were in a maze, going back through the previous door would yield the exact same result. The only way was to keep moving forward.
She added, “The rotation angle of the face is so small. How long will we have to walk for it to turn back to its original position?”
“That, we’ll only know by continuing forward.”
Lian Jing stepped forward again, heading for the next door.
Tu Lingxiang followed behind him. The two of them seemed trapped in a loop, walking for a long, long time.
They had no idea that two whole days had passed outside, and everyone was worrying whether something terrible had happened to them.
Tu Lingxiang was so exhausted her head was spinning, but they finally arrived at the palace where the Sun God face was upright. Lian Jing pulled her along to the only door, but he didn’t step through it immediately. He made strange hand gestures in the air, then grabbed her, leaped up lightly, and flew out.
Once out, Tu Lingxiang realized they were in the water. Lian Jing pulled her up toward the surface. She looked up at the top of the dark green pool, where faint moonlight spread across the surface like a soft white piece of silk.
She had actually made it out.
Lian Jing had brought her out.
She knit her brows slightly. Had Lian Jing really jumped down to save her earlier?
Hadn’t he been injured under this pool before? Why did he still jump down?
Wasn’t he afraid that the demon beast would attack him again?
He brought her out of the water, and they immediately flashed out of the Baiyue Pool. He dried their wet clothes with a drying spell. The night sky above was deep, sprinkled with countless stars. Seeing him walking in a hurry and constantly scanning their surroundings as if afraid of being discovered, she asked curiously, “Young Master, where are we going?”
“Quiet!” He cut her off sharply.
After walking for a while, he lowered his voice and added, “This Guyue village is strange through and through.”
The altar in the underground palace beneath Baiyue Pool shouldn’t have appeared in a place like this. What was Sang Lie’s purpose in building it here?
Why build an underwater altar that was identical to the one in Lian Jing’s memory?
Guyue village covered a vast area with extremely complex terrain.
Lian Jing knocked out a servant before managed to extract the location of Sang Lie’s residence.
Tu Lingxiang couldn’t understand what he was trying to do. Why go to the place where the Miao King lived?
Taking advantage of the night, they headed deep into Guyue Village. Dozens of stilt houses were connected ahead, lanterns swaying gently under the eaves. Spotting signs of movement nearby, Lian Jing had no choice but to pull her into one of the stilt houses.
They went up to the second floor. Tu Lingxiang leaned against the window, looking outside. Bright lights lit up the night, but the entire Miao village had fallen into quietude.
Before long, footsteps echoed from the corridor below.
She immediately whispered to Lian Jing, “Young Master, I think someone’s coming.”
Lian Jing swiftly pulled her into a nearby rosewood wardrobe. Entering such a confined space once again, Tu Lingxiang recalled the last time she had hidden in a wardrobe with Sang Yu.
She still couldn’t forget the feeling of being held by Lian Jing that night.
Three people soon walked up the stairs. Through the gap in the wardrobe doors, she saw two young men and a young woman.
The woman asked, “Young masters, why have you brought me here?”
One of the men said, “We brought you here to test a Gu I raised recently, to see how effective it is.”
The young woman was dressed like a maid and looked quite young. She was dragged onto a bed by one of the men. The wooden bed was draped with white gauze curtains, resembling a fairy lotus pool resting atop white clouds.
Upon hearing that she was going to be used to test a Gu, the maid’s face turned pale with fright, and she immediately begged for mercy, “Third Young Master, Fourth Young Master, I know my mistake! Please spare me!”
Standing below the bed was a tall youth in dark black Miao clothing, his ink-black hair held up by a silver hairpin. He brushed away the stray hair from the maid’s forehead and asked, “What mistake could you have made?”
Terror filled the maid’s eyes, her long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably. “I… I don’t know what I did wrong either.”
The black-clothed youth pulled out a small brown jar, smirking wickedly as he approached the bed. “Don’t be afraid. This Gu won’t kill you.”
The younger, blue-robed youth beside him asked, “Third Brother, what strange Gu did you refine this time?”
The black-clothed youth pushed back the maid’s sleeve, exposing a section of her forearm, and placed the small jar beside it. Moments later, a black Gu bug crawled into her arm.
“Fourth Brother, you’ll find out in a moment.”
The smile on his lips was sinister.
Listening to their conversation, Tu Lingxiang realized that these two youths were side characters from the novel. They were Sang Yue and Sang Yu’s younger brothers: the Third Young Master, Sang Yun, was the Miao King’s son, while the Fourth Young Master, Sang Qing, was the son of the Miao King’s second brother.
The two had a great relationship, no different from full brothers, and often played together.
Before long, the girl behind the thin gauze let out a strange groan. The black-clothed youth beneath the bed curled his lips into a smile and said, “Aphrodisiac Gu—a success.”
Tu Lingxiang’s face was filled with shock. They actually made that girl test an Aphrodisiac Gu!
They were so evil!
The woman on the bed writhed uncomfortably, clutching the brocade quilt. Her face flushed red, her eyes filled with spring-like waves, and her voice changed pitch.
“Young Master, what kind of Gu is an Aphrodisiac Gu? Why do I feel so hot…”
“Young Master, it feels like this Gu is crawling down toward my legs… it’s so itchy.”
“Young Master, I feel so uncomfortable… help me…”
The voice was soft, sultry, and soul-stealing—enough to melt the composure of any man who heard it.
Tu Lingxiang glanced over at Lian Jing beside her.
Could he hold back?
Noticing her burning gaze, Lian Jing turned his head and spoke via secret transmission that only she could hear: “What are you looking at? Are you uncomfortable too? Want me to help you?”
The question was asked so innocently.
Yet carried a hint of hostility.
Tu Lingxiang thought: Me…? Uncomfortable with what?
Her thin cheeks flushed pink as she turned her head away, muttering furiously in her mind: Damned Lian Jing! A perfectly fine man just had to be born with a mouth like that!
Outside, the young girl on the bed was tearing at her own clothes, her silver ornaments clinking loudly.
She kept calling out incoherently, “Young Master, what kind of Gu did you feed me? I feel so miserable…”
“An Aphrodisiac Gu, of course, serves to arouse,” the black-clothed youth beneath the bed said slowly, his eyes shining with pride.
“I’ve raised this one for a long time, and you’re the first test subject.”
One day, the title of the top Gu master in the Miao region would belong to him.
“Young master, save me, I really feel so miserable,” the girl’s voice sounded like a hoarse wind chime as she crawled toward the youth opposite her, tugging at his robes to beg.
Seeing how miserable she looked, the blue-robed youth beside them looked up and said to Sang Yun, “Third Brother, why don’t you remove the Gu for her?”
“Wait a bit longer. Let me see just how powerful this Gu is.”
The young woman on the bed wept softly, her delicate, flirtatious voice rising from time to time. Hearing this from inside the wardrobe, Tu Lingxiang’s face burned bright red.
She stole another glance at Lian Jing, only to see him sitting cross-legged inside the wardrobe with his eyes closed, his lips moving as if he were reciting… the Heart-Clearing Sutra?
Huh???
So he had things he was afraid of too!
To think he was actually chanting a sutra! She had thought he was so capable!
Platonic and detached? Unshakable amidst temptation?
Pfft.
Fine, fine, fine. Since he was chanting a sutra, she would chant one too.
And so, she began reciting the Heart-Clearing Sutra in her mind as well.
After chanting for a while, she realized something wasn’t right. Why was she chanting the Heart-Clearing Sutra? She didn’t need to clear her heart!
Lian Jing was the one who needed it, not her.
She peeked out through the crack in the door again. Outside, the blue-robed youth turned his slightly flushed side-profile toward her, watching in surprise as the black-clothed youth began unbuttoning his clothes.
“Third Brother, what are you doing?”
“Removing the Gu for her,” Sang Yun answered without stopping.
“Ah?” Sang Qing was stunned for a moment before realizing how he intended to remove the Gu.
He gasped in shock, “You’re going to remove the Gu ‘like that’?”
“Yeah. Fourth Brother, I’ll go first, then it’s your turn.”
Sang Qing looked as though he had heard something mind-boggling. Dumbfounded, he rushed over to pull him back, advising, “Third Brother, if your dad finds out, won’t he scold you?”
Sang Yun said nonchalantly, “My dad doesn’t have time to care about me right now. He’s busy every day with sister’s marriage, staying in his room studying the list of participants for the recruitment contest—acting even more serious than when he picked his own wife. I’ll tell you secretly, the final round of the marriage contest is a Gu competition.”
“A Gu competition?”
Inside the wardrobe, Lian Jing abruptly opened his eyes upon hearing those three words, dark undercurrents surging in the depths of his gaze.
Outside, Sang Yun continued, “Yes, a Gu competition. But it’s not about fighting with Gu, it’s a test of ability to find Gu. As for the specifics, I didn’t catch them.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “You’ve seen what happened over the past two days. After that maid fell into the water, so many people jumped into Baiyue Pool after her, but none of them have come back up. My dad is worried sick—he’s afraid they’ll discover the secret beneath the water.”
Sang Qing asked curiously, “Third Brother, why is there a palace built under that pool anyway? I’ve actually always been curious, but my dad refuses to tell me.”
Sang Yun’s expression turned solemn. “Of course your dad won’t tell you. This involves the secret of Guyue village. Anyone who knows this secret has to die.”
“Ah? Then how much do you know, Third Brother?” Sang Qing was frightened by his grave expression.
“I only know that once, I saw Father holding a bag of joss paper and spices going down to Baiyue Pool. I followed him down and saw him kneeling before that altar, as if commemorating someone. He kept saying words of atonement, looking terrified of that altar.”
“There’s such a thing?” Sang Qing was astonished.
Sang Yun added, “This marriage contest isn’t simple at all. The person he wants to choose isn’t meant to satisfy Sister, but to satisfy himself.”
Sang Qing had also noticed from his own father that this recruitment contest wasn’t simple, but he didn’t know the full story.
Sang Yun continued, “Think about it. Father treasures that Paulownia Mirror so much—he’s had it for three hundred years! Yet now he’s actually offering it as a dowry. Sister’s beauty alone is enough to attract countless heroes under heaven; there’s no need to offer the Paulownia Mirror on top of it. Yet he insists on giving it away. That’s one thing I’ve never quite understood.”
“Isn’t it said that the Paulownia Mirror is a sacred artifact of the Realm of Demons? Holding it allows one to command the entire demon race! Would Uncle really be willing to give away such a treasure?”
“I don’t understand Father’s plan either. But I know this marriage contest must take place.”
Sang Qing sighed. Poor Sister Sang Yue, kept in the dark the entire time. To this day, she probably still thought this was genuinely about selecting a husband for her.
Hearing this conversation, Lian Jing’s expression gradually tightened.
Suddenly, the maid on the bed grabbed Sang Qing’s hand, her voice filled with seductive entreaty.
“Fourth Young Master, save me…”
Sang Yun laughed, raising an eyebrow at Sang Qing.
“Fourth Brother, looks like she wants you to save her.”
Sang Qing’s handsome face flushed bright red as he slapped the woman’s hand away.
“Third Brother!”
“Fourth Brother, what are you embarrassed about? Quick, remove the Gu for her.”
Sang Yun pushed him toward the bed.
Seeing the woman with flirtatious eyes reaching out for him, Sang Qing panicked, tumbled off the bed, and bolted toward the door.
“Third Brother, I’m leaving!”
With that, he pulled open the door and ran downstairs.
Sang Yun shook his head gently. His younger brother was still as timid as ever. He pulled the maid in front of him, saying with a smile, “Looks like I’m the only one who can save you.”
Inside the wardrobe, Tu Lingxiang was wide-eyed with shock at the scene unfolding before her.
In her state of panic, her hand grabbed Lian Jing’s arm again, pinching it tightly to express her utter astonishment.
“!!!”
Was this live-action erotic scene something she was allowed to watch for free?!
Her heart pounded like thunder, her face flushing completely red.
She immediately closed her eyes and began reciting the Heart-Clearing Sutra, only to find that it wasn’t very effective at all!
Lian Jing gritted his teeth and roared via secret transmission, “Let go of me!”
Did she have any idea how hard she was pinching him?!
Tu Lingxiang instantly released her grip, her face covered in a bright red blush. She was so anxious she almost cried, saying to him, “Young Master, why isn’t this Heart-Clearing Sutra working?”
“How should I know? It must be because your own willpower is lacking,” he said with his usual cold expression.
“Then why aren’t you affected? Are you even a man?!”
“You…” Lian Jing managed to hold back from slapping her to death.
Looking at her annoying mouth, he genuinely couldn’t understand how he had managed to dream of rushing over to kiss her.
He explained, “Because I set up a soundproofing barrier. I can’t hear the noises outside.”
“Then set up a soundproofing barrier for me too!”
He raised an eyebrow and asked back innocently, “Why should I?”
“???” Tu Lingxiang was momentarily speechless. Facing such an insufferable person, she was at a total loss for words.
His peach-blossom eyes curved slightly as he said, “Tu Lingxiang, figure out a way yourself.”
How ridiculous!
He had sealed all her cultivation—how was she supposed to figure out a way?!
She covered her ears with both hands, trying hard not to listen to the decadent sounds outside, yet they penetrated through every crack, reaching her ears nonetheless.
Her neck and ears turned completely red. This was far too intense! To make matters worse, Lian Jing sat beside her, leisurely watching her, making her feel thoroughly uncomfortable.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, thinking that since it was a soundproofing barrier, there must be a transparent bubble around his body. He was so stingy! What would one more person hurt?
Since you told me to figure out a way myself, don’t blame me then!
Once she made up her mind, she lunged toward him, throwing her arms around his arm and burying her face into his chest.
Sure enough, not a single sound could be heard here.
“Tu Lingxiang, what are you doing?!” Lian Jing’s enraged voice echoed above her head.
She spread her arms and held him tight, burying her head against his firm, warm chest. “You refused to set up a barrier for me, isn’t that just your way of playing hard to get so I’d throw myself into your arms? Playing hard to get—I get it.”
Playing hard to get?!
This time, it was Lian Jing’s turn to be stunned. After a long moment, he growled softly, “Get off me!”
Instead of leaving, Tu Lingxiang burrowed half her body further into his embrace, saying, “Saying no when you mean yes—I get it.”
Lian Jing: “???”
