Chapter 499 469: A Forbidden Relationship That Master's Wife Cannot Know About (Part 2)

On the vast, white landscape of her Sea of Consciousness.

With a cold and stern expression, Qing Yueqiu walked over to a place where a prominent crack had appeared on the surface.

As if sensing her arrival, a mocking voice sounded from below.

"Heh..."

Wisps of black qi seeped out from the crack, like countless tiny hands trying to grab Qing Yueqiu's pale ankles.

Qing Yueqiu's gaze went cold. She ruthlessly stomped down with her white, gold-embroidered boots, and the black qi instantly let out a pained SIZZLE, dissipating into smoke.

Her knuckles, clenched tight, turned white. Suppressed anger churned in the depths of her eyes.

"Ji Shenyun, you're incorrigible! I had just suppressed you, and you're already trying to stir up trouble!"

"You pathetic little stray~" a raspy voice drifted up from the depths, thick with cloying malice. "Did you really think... you could hide it for long?"

"Rather than say I'm the one making mischief, it's that your own heart is impure, you treacherous little bitch."

"The moment malice sprouts in your heart, I can start prying open the seal~"

"The malice in your heart is so immense, you won't be able to hold out for long. Sooner or later, I will descend once more~ Hahahaha~ Hahaha!"

Qing Yueqiu's expression grew colder and colder, while the laughter from deep underground became ever more brazen.

"Ji Shenyun, don't get too arrogant."

Qing Yueqiu stomped her foot, and the entire Sea of Consciousness began to tremble.

However, this was not enough to intimidate Ji Shenyun.

"So what if I'm arrogant? I just love watching a little bitch like you, despising me yet utterly powerless to do anything about it.

"Just you wait. Sooner or later, I will take away everything you cherish. The more you adore that Pei Yuhang, the more I'll enjoy using crude, violent ways you could never bear to ravage him!"

"Then you just wait."

Back in reality, Qing Yueqiu's eyes snapped open. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her expression lacked the composure she had maintained in her Sea of Consciousness.

Outside the window, dancing bamboo shadows sliced the moonlight into swaying fragments that fell across the young woman's bedroom.

She stared at her slightly trembling fingertips for a long moment before finally taking a yellowed letter from her Jiezhi Storage Ring.

The name on the envelope belonged to an old friend she hadn't seen in a very long time.

Bei Lingyin.

She was an assassin from Yama Hall who had once been undercover at Shang Miaoyan's side, her mission to instigate conflict between the Yin Yang Sacred Land and the Jade Pool Sacred Land.

She was also the only fellow member of the Rakshasa Race that Qing Yueqiu had met after fleeing to the Zhao Kingdom, and it was she who had taught Qing Yueqiu how to unleash the true potential of her bloodline.

Later, after her identity was discovered by Shang Miaoyan, Bei Lingyin had been forced to flee the Dao Sect.

Before leaving, she had given Qing Yueqiu this letter. It revealed that the mysterious Hall Master of their Yama Hall had long foreseen Qing Yueqiu being cursed by Ji Shenyun in the Kunlun Secret Realm.

Bei Lingyin had told her that if she wanted to resolve Ji Shenyun's curse, she should follow the address in the letter and find her.

'Back then, because I had Master's Golden Sun Divine Seal, I chose not to seek out Sister Lingyin and use Yama Hall's methods to deal with the curse.'

'But now it seems Ji Shenyun's curse is far more tenacious than I imagined. So... should I go find Sister Lingyin now?'

Qing Yueqiu pressed her lips together, her gaze lost and uncertain as she looked at the full moon outside the window.

'If I go looking for Bei Lingyin, I'll have to be separated from Master for some time. Moreover, Yama Hall and the Dao Sect are opposing factions. Master would absolutely never permit me to go to the Demon Sect to find a cure for the curse.'

'But if I don't deal with Ji Shenyun... I can neither eat nor sleep in peace.'

Qing Yueqiu looked down at her own body, as pale and flawless as jade, a flicker of anxiety flashing through her beautiful, crimson eyes.

'That Female Demon is both powerful and cunning. Before, just to hide the fact that she had infiltrated my Sea of Consciousness, she even faked the signs of pregnancy to mislead me...'

With such a cunning demon dwelling inside her, Qing Yueqiu was terrified that one day her mental guard would slip, allowing it to take over when she was vulnerable.

'If that Female Demon only brought disaster upon me, I could accept it. After all, this is the karma I brought upon myself.'

'But if Ji Shenyun ever breaks the seal and possesses my body, she will undoubtedly go after Master...'

Qing Yueqiu absolutely, under no circumstances, could accept the image of Ji Shenyun controlling her body, acting cute and affectionate in Pei Yuhang's arms, or even taking things further!

The mere thought made Qing Yueqiu sick to her stomach.

'So, dealing with Ji Shenyun... cannot be delayed!'

Qing Yueqiu took a deep breath. Her mind was made up.

She would go find Bei Lingyin and seek out the true solution to the curse.

'And this time, I don't want to trouble Master again... He has already done more than enough for me. As his disciple, it's time I learned to stand on my own two feet.'

'I'll just wait a little longer... I'll stay by Master's side for a few more days, and then I'll leave.'

Qing Yueqiu murmured to herself, gazing at the bright, silvery moon outside the window.

She lay down on her bed and hugged the thin silk quilt tightly, burying her face in it. Recalling the pleasant, cool scent of pine that always clung to her Master, she silently closed her eyes.

...

...

「Half an hour ago.」

Lu Ruoxi had just left Pei Yuhang's room. She hadn't taken more than a few steps before she stopped in her tracks.

Her slender brows furrowed slightly as she narrowed her limpid eyes, her gaze sweeping vigilantly around her.

The night wind brushed the loose strands of hair at her temples, making them gleam like silver in the moonlight.

"RUSTLE—"

A nearby cedar swayed in the wind, shaking loose a fine dusting of snow.

'Is it just my imagination?'

Lu Ruoxi muttered to herself, her red lips pressing into a thin line. She then shook her head in self-mockery. 'I guess getting Junior Brother Pei's acceptance so suddenly has made me insecure and overly sensitive...'

She sighed softly and adjusted the sheer shawl on her shoulders. Her long legs were faintly visible beneath the hem of her dress, and the gentle sway of her hips exuded the charm of a mature woman. She quickly vanished at the end of the covered walkway.

Only after Lu Ruoxi's figure had vanished completely did a tall, graceful silhouette step slowly out from the shadows behind a parasol tree.

Shang Miaoyan leaned languidly against the tree trunk, the moonlight tracing the exquisite contours of her profile.

She narrowed her foxy, seductive eyes, then slowly ran the tip of her tongue over her full lower lip.

"That meddlesome woman is finally gone."

Shang Miaoyan spoke as she looked toward Pei Yuhang's residence.

For the past several days, Lu Ruoxi had been standing guard outside Pei Yuhang's home without leaving, which inevitably made Shang Miaoyan a little curious.

'What on earth could my dearest Xiaohan be so busy with? Why would he ask that woman, Lu Ruoxi, to stand guard for him... and without telling me, no less.'

'Is it because he still doesn't completely trust Fan Xuan?'

This couldn't help but make Shang Miaoyan feel a sting of jealousy.

What bothered her was that Pei Yuhang seemed wary of anyone and anything connected to her, Shang Miaoyan.

'Xiaohan... why can you forgive even that lovesick bitch Lu Ruoxi, but you can't let go of your prejudice against me?'

Shang Miaoyan sighed to herself, then took a deep breath and, in her persona as Fan Xuan, walked to Pei Yuhang's door.

She first pressed her ear to the door. Only after confirming that there were no strange voices of other women inside did she knock, relieved.

KNOCK KNOCK—

A moment later, the door opened.

"Xiaoxuan?"

Pei Yuhang was taken aback for a moment seeing "Fan Xuan" standing before him. He then stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in.

"Xiaoxuan, it's so late. Did something happen? Why the sudden visit?"

"Nothing happened to me."

Shang Miaoyan's performance was flawless. She shook her head, perfectly mimicking Fan Xuan's mannerisms and tone of voice, then adopted a look of concern and said:

"I was just a little worried about you."

"You haven't shown your face for days, and you had Elder Lu standing guard for you. I tried to come visit a few times, but Elder Lu always chased me away with a terrifying voice and expression."

As Shang Miaoyan spoke, a look of lingering fear crossed her face, as if Lu Ruoxi were some hideous, violent, man-eating yaksha who had frightened her terribly.

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang gave a resigned smile.

"Xiaoxuan, please don't mind her. My Senior Sister is usually a very kind person. I was the one who asked her to stand guard for me this time. It was only out of caution and her sense of duty that she didn't allow anyone to get close."

"And you don't need to worry about me. I've been in seclusion these past few days, just helping Yueqiu regulate the meridians that were disrupted by her qi deviation."