“How about it? If you are willing, accept this storage ring and disciple token.” Gongsun Rou waved her hand, and the token and storage ring appeared before Tantai Yunzhi.
“However, I must remind you: if you accept them, you will be family to us just like Little Lin'er from now on. You may not leave Divine Might Manor in the future, not even to return to the Tantai clan.” Gongsun Rou’s gaze turned serious as she looked at the overwhelmed Tantai Yunzhi.
The hexagram she had cast was far too bizarre—something she had encountered only once in her century of cultivation. Since she intended to take Tantai Yunzhi as her disciple, she planned to keep the girl firmly within her grasp.
...
Tantai Yunzhi had no idea how she walked out of that Council Hall.
Her steps felt as though she were treading on clouds, light and airy, without the slightest sense of reality.
A personal disciple... A personal disciple under Senior Brother’s mother...
On her finger sat the storage ring Gongsun Rou had just bestowed upon her. Inside were high-grade cultivation techniques, precious medicinal pills, and numerous natural treasures whose names she could not even begin to identify.
There were also several ancient volumes of medical manuals and personal notes.
Were any one of these items to find its way outside, it would be enough to cause a massive uproar within the Tantai clan.
The Tantai clan...
The moment those words crossed her mind, an indescribable sour pang surged into her nose, instantly moistening her eyes.
The disparity between them was far greater than heaven and earth.
...
“Mistress, Junior Sister Tantai has only just entered the sect. Will you not observe her for a while longer?” Gongsun Lin asked, looking in the direction Tantai Yunzhi had departed, confusion written across her face.
“No need. What, are you jealous?” Gongsun Rou withdrew her gaze from Tantai Yunzhi, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Gongsun Lin immediately lowered her head, her voice slightly stiff. “I am not.”
She paused, seemingly wanting to cover something up, before adding in an even tone, “I was merely a bit concerned.”
“Concerned?” Gongsun Rou chuckled softly, her laughter carrying an all-knowing amusement. “If you keep saying the opposite of what you mean, you will certainly lose many things in the future, Little Lin'er.”
“I am not doing that,” Gongsun Lin retorted, though her voice had dropped noticeably lower than before.
“No, you are.”
“I am not.”
“No, you truly are.”
“I really am not.”
“You truly are.”
“I...”
Looking at Gongsun Lin’s hesitance, an odd expression surfaced in Gongsun Rou’s eyes, and she suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.
‘Little Lin'er, you really are far too contrary.’
Meanwhile...
“Young Manor Lord, what brings you to the Law Enforcement Hall?” At noon, the law enforcement disciple on duty bowed hurriedly upon seeing Su Yi, his voice tinged with surprise and deference.
Su Yi gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. After leaving the Council Hall, he had come straight to the Law Enforcement Hall, primarily for Zhao Qian's sake—after all, her noticeable change in behavior had occurred after receiving her punishment.
In the game, the demonic soul of a Soul Lost Ridge temptress lingered near Divine Might Manor; otherwise, Gongsun Lin would not have succumbed to demonic corruption so easily later on.
Su Yi simply did not know whether it lurked inside or outside the manor. Soul Lost Ridge evaluated people based on two traits: wrath and envy.
In the original plot, Gongsun Lin, triggered by the female lead, felt wrath over her own inadequacy and envy toward Tantai Yunzhi.
Now, Zhao Qian's wrath and envy were both directed at Tantai Yunzhi, fulfilling both conditions, and she already had bad blood with the female lead.
It was impossible not to suspect that, due to his presence, Gongsun Lin's role as the villain had been preemptively stolen by someone who harbored wrath and envy toward the female lead first.
Naturally, that was merely one possibility. Zhao Qian had shown no concrete signs of consorting with demons; this was only his speculation. It could not be ruled out that she had stumbled into some serendipitous encounter, inheriting the legacy of a reclusive powerhouse that bolstered her confidence.
Sweeping his gaze across the solemn main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall, he said in an even tone, “Nothing in particular. I simply recalled that when Zhao Qian struck a fellow disciple back then, I personally ordered her here to receive punishment.”
“Passing by today, I thought I would drop in and ask: how did the Elder punish her at the time?”
Hearing this, a look of understanding immediately appeared on the law enforcement disciple's face. He replied respectfully, “Reporting to Young Manor Lord, shortly after Zhao Qian was escorted here that day, Elder Zhao personally sent word stating that such conduct must not be tolerated and that she had to be severely punished as a warning to others.”
“Therefore... the Deacon Elder applied the heaviest tier of punishment permitted by the rules, subjecting her to the agony of Bone-Piercing Frost Soul in the Profound Ice Prison.”
The disciple spoke with conviction, even carrying a hint of admiration for Elder Zhao’s righteousness in placing justice above family.
After all, everyone knew Elder Zhao was exceptionally smooth and tactful. For someone the Young Manor Lord personally singled out for punishment, the old man ordering severe measures both upheld sect rules and gave face to the Young Manor Lord—a perfectly standard maneuver.
Su Yi’s gaze flickered slightly, though his expression remained unreadable. “Take me to that interrogation chamber to take a look.”
“Yes, please follow me, Young Manor Lord.”
Though somewhat puzzled, the disciple dared not ask questions and hurriedly led Su Yi down to the Profound Ice Prison beneath the Law Enforcement Hall.
Stepping into that bone-chilling chamber where eerie blue ice crystals encrusted the four walls, a sinister, frigid aura enveloped them in an instant.
Entering the bone-chilling chamber alone, Su Yi quietly crushed a Demon-Seeking Talisman between his fingertips within his sleeve.
An invisible wave meticulously swept through the entire space. Yet the talisman remained utterly silent, producing no reaction whatsoever.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Su Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly. This talisman had been personally crafted by his father. In this situation, there were only two possibilities: either there truly was no trace of demonic soul taint here, or... the entity was cautious beyond imagination, possessing methods so sophisticated that it left behind not the slightest clue.
‘It seems I need to test her using a different approach.’
‘Though this method might be a bit...’
Turning to walk out of the Profound Ice Prison, Su Yi restrained his inner grimace and wore a timely, carefully calibrated expression of... pity and concern?
He knitted his brows slightly, feigning a trace of reluctance. “I merely stayed in this Profound Ice Prison for a brief moment, yet already the chill invades my body, leaving me thoroughly uncomfortable. Junior Sister Zhao Qian received her punishment here; surely... she suffered greatly.”
With that, he retrieved an exquisite little white jade bottle and handed it over, speaking in a gentle tone: “Find an opportunity to deliver this bottle of medicine to Junior Sister Zhao Qian on my behalf.”
“Just say... that I hope she focuses on recovering from her injuries, and makes no more missteps.”
The disciple froze for a second before receiving the jade bottle with both hands, hastily agreeing: “Yes, yes! Young Manor Lord is truly benevolent; this disciple will surely deliver it!”
These gestures and words were not spoken in hushed tones, naturally falling upon the prickled ears of several nearby disciples.
The disciples exchanged glances of shock and bewilderment. Once Su Yi’s figure vanished past the entrance of the Law Enforcement Hall, suppressed whispers immediately buzzed into life.
“What is going on? Didn’t the rumors say Young Manor Lord favored that Junior Sister Tantai recently?”
“Why turn around and show such deep care for Senior Sister Zhao? Sending medicine, and even coming in person to ask if her punishment was too severe?”
“Could it be... Senior Brother Su actually cares more about Senior Sister Zhao Qian? But he was the one who personally ordered her severe punishment back then!” Those onlookers were completely baffled.
At that moment, a seemingly experienced disciple chuckled slyly and lowered his voice. “You don't understand, do you? As the saying goes, 'deep love breeds harsh reprimands'! Senior Brother Su was probably just angry that she failed to live up to expectations back then. Now that his anger has faded and he sees how Senior Sister Zhao truly suffered, how could his heart not ache? Sending medicine and showing concern now is likely because he regrets punishing her so harshly and wants to mend their relationship!”
This ‘eminently reasonable’ speculation immediately drew a chorus of teasing, knowing nods of agreement.
Listening to the faint murmurs behind him, Su Yi curled his lips into a smile. This was precisely the message he wanted to spread.
He knew Zhao Qian's character better than anyone—arrogant, conceited, intolerant of the slightest slight, and especially disgusted by gossip.
While Elder Zhao was eager to curry favor, Zhao Qian herself harbored zero affection for Su Yi, even holding a deep grudge due to the previous punishment.
Now, by intentionally fanning the flames of this kind of "romantic gossip"...
With Zhao Qian’s explosive, short-fused temper, her first reaction upon hearing it would most likely be feeling humiliated, driving her to confront him in a fit of rage to demand an explanation. Throwing the medicine back in his face would be her true style.
Yet if she did not come... If she had no reaction at all, or reacted with uncanny calmness...
A glint of cold light flashed through Su Yi’s eyes.
Then, in eight cases out of ten, a demonic soul truly resided within her body. It would either assume this was a trap testing her recent fortuitous encounter and dissuade her, or forcefully suppress her true nature.
A demonic soul capable of remaining undetected had to be cautious; it would definitely hold her back.
After all, Su Yi knew full well that neither her grandfather's authority nor the Manor Lord’s prestige could restrain Zhao Qian’s fiery temperament; otherwise, how could she have dared to strike Tantai Yunzhi in the first place?
Therefore, if Zhao Qian still failed to come demand an explanation under these circumstances, she had to be possessed!
‘If it's confirmed that the demonic soul is on her, that should mean she's taken over Gongsun Lin's script.’
Su Yi thought, casually tossing the jade bottle in his hand.
‘Hm? Didn’t I just give the medicine away?’
‘Wait, something's not right?!’
A short while later...
“Senior Brother Su, why did you return?” The law enforcement disciple looked at Su Yi, who had hurried back, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“Don't... don't say another word!” Su Yi snatched the jade bottle back from the disciple's hands, then hastily shoved the noticeably higher-grade, far more exquisite green jade bottle in his hand into the disciple's grasp, speaking in a solemn tone.
“I grabbed the wrong one just now! That one was of ordinary quality and isn't worthy of Junior Sister Zhao Qian. Use this one—this one is better! As her senior brother, I wouldn't want Junior Sister Zhao Qian using an inferior medicine and being left with hidden injuries!”
The surrounding disciples: “!!!”
Looking at the clearly superior jade bottle in hand, and then at Su Yi’s earnest expression radiating “everything I do is for her own good,” the gossiping onlookers found their theory—"deep love breeds harsh reprimands; the Young Manor Lord regrets his actions and is desperately trying to make amends"—completely cemented!
“Understood, understood! The Young Manor Lord’s intentions are truly painstaking!”
Meanwhile, having successfully retrieved the bottle of medicine that Gongsun Lin had given him back then, Su Yi breathed a relief. ‘That was close! I almost let Zhao Qian feast on the good stuff!’
Rate on N.U.
