Chapter 24
After a thorough investigation, Helan Xue gradually formed a hypothesis.
This hypothesis was truly shocking, even unbelievable. The “furnace cauldron” constitution had been extinct for a thousand years. How could it have reappeared now?
And it appeared in a disciple of the Changming Clan?
A subtle trace of anger flashed in Helan Xue’s eyes.
How could the Changming Clan let such a disciple wander alone outside? At this moment, if Lin Queli had encountered someone else instead of him, he didn’t know how he would have been treated.
No, the Changming Clan even…
What was their purpose in using such a sordid drug?
Thump, thump!
Ji Chun’s knocking came from outside the room.
“Immortal Venerable! I heard from Immortal Lord Shouyang that something has happened to Young Master Lin. Do you need any help?”
Helan Xue looked at the person in his arms.
At this moment, Helan Xue’s clothes were neat and tidy, while Lin Queli, curled up in his arms, was clutching his collar with his clothes in disarray, his dark hair scattered, looking very pathetic.
Helan Xue could see Lin Queli’s collarbones and fair chest at a glance. Fine beads of sweat trickled down Lin Queli’s neck, tracing a path across his flushed skin and disappearing into his clothes.
Lin Queli’s mouth was slightly open, panting. Because of the discomfort and shame, tears were constantly rolling down his face, looking extremely aggrieved.
The furnace cauldron constitution had an aphrodisiac effect.
It aroused not only oneself, but also others.
At this moment, if it were not Taxue Xianzun here, but someone else, they would have probably been seduced and lost their soul.
Helan Xue gently pulled on Lin Queli’s open sleeve and straightened it for him.
Then he said coldly, “No need.”
“Yes! Then do I need to send in medicine and sobering soup?”
Helan Xue used his sleeve to cover Lin Queli’s face and half his body.
“Do not come in.”
“…Yes?”
After Ji Chun left, Helan Xue’s face darkened. “Do you know what you are doing? Don’t cry like this in front of others.”
He didn’t know if Lin Queli was aware of his situation, but to be so unguarded…
“Shizun is not… others…”
Lin Queli pleaded again, “Can Shizun dual cultivate with me…”
Helan Xue’s face turned even colder. “You keep talking about dual cultivation. Are you skilled in it?”
There was no benefit for a furnace cauldron to have relations with others, but they needed to be pleasured to relieve the evil fire. This was too easy to be taken advantage of. He didn’t know how much the Changming Clan knew, or if they had taught him any wrong ideas.
“I…”
Helan Xue released his suppression of Lin Queli. “Then you can try.”
“…?”
Lin Queli stared at Helan Xue in a daze.
Huh?
Really?
Lin Queli was happy for a moment, but the next moment he was a little confused.
Then what should he do?
He wanted to summon the System to ask how to dual cultivate, but his current state of mind could no longer support him contacting the System.
Then…
Lin Queli’s trembling hand grabbed Helan Xue’s clothes and swallowed hard.
First, take off the clothes.
Lin Queli tugged for a long time, making Helan Xue’s top wrinkled. Seeing that Helan Xue was not moving, he was also a little scared.
Mainly because Helan Xue’s expression was too terrifying, sob, sob…
Helan Xue shook his head. He talks a big game, but in reality, he knows nothing.
Lin Queli was so inexperienced and scared. In the end, he had not yet relied on dual cultivation and had not yet gone astray.
He held Lin Queli’s wrist to help him expel the evil fire, deliberately being forceful and domineering when transmitting his spiritual energy. “You don’t know what dual cultivation is, yet you still want to try?”
A stream of spiritual energy rushed into Lin Queli’s body, and the pain made him tremble all over. “Shizun, Shizun… it hurts…”
“Dual cultivating with a man will be a hundred times more painful than this. It is by no means as simple as you think.”
“Mmm…”
“Your constitution…” Helan Xue frightened him again, “you might die from dual cultivation.”
Die…?
Lin Queli tilted his head back and said weakly, “I want to dual cultivate with Shizun before I die… this is this disciple’s lifelong wish… if I can dual cultivate, then… then I’ll die without regrets…”
Helan Xue: “…”
…
The room fell into a brief silence.
Helan Xue took a deep breath. “This Venerable is your Shizun. I cannot dual cultivate with you.”
“Why?” Lin Queli panted. “Why can’t I… can’t I be Shizun’s disciple and wife?”
This was no longer just outrageous, this was a complete breakdown of morality.
“…”
“Sob, sob, sob, ah! Shizun, I-I was wrong… spare me!! It hurts!”
Lin Queli only felt waves of cold qi piercing his body, causing him unbearable pain, so much so that he almost rolled on the ground.
He couldn’t control it. He tilted his head back and bit Helan Xue’s shoulder.
Helan Xue frowned slightly.
Lin Queli didn’t have much strength now, and his bite was like a kitten or a puppy. Helan Xue didn’t mind much, but then Lin Queli moved up—
Lin Queli bit Helan Xue’s neck, leaving a red mark.
Helan Xue freed a hand and pinched Lin Queli’s chin.
“…Don’t make a fuss.”
Lin Queli whimpered.
“Mmm…”
After the evil fire was completely suppressed, Lin Queli also fainted from the pain.
Looking at the motionless person in his arms, Helan Xue actually felt a sense of relief.
—He had finally quieted down.
Helan Xue placed him in the quilt and stood up to sit on the soft couch on the side.
The aura of a furnace cauldron in the room was getting stronger. Logically, Helan Xue should leave, but if he left, he would be leaving Lin Queli, this “hidden danger,” here alone, which might cause trouble.
Helan Xue closed his eyes, sat in meditation on the soft couch, and turned the cinnabar prayer beads, silently chanting the Heart-Clearing Mantra.
…
The next day.
When Lin Queli woke up, he was the only one left in the room. He looked around in a daze, not quite understanding why he was here.
How did he get back to his room…?
His head hurt, and he had a memory gap.
Lin Queli rubbed his temples. Oh my god… he felt like he had a hangover.
Could it be that he had been a one-cup wonder at the banquet last night?
Or was it…
Lin Queli felt the soreness all over his body and was full of anticipation. Could it be that the aphrodisiac had worked last night, and he and Helan Xue had had a drunken one-night stand and successfully hit a home run?!
Then had he completed his mission?
Cause for great celebration?!
Lin Queli quickly summoned the System.
“Da Zhuang! Did I…”
【Congratulations, Host, for completing physical contact: Hug. Reward: 5 points!】
【Congratulations, Host, for completing physical contact: Biting. Reward: 6 points!】
【Congratulations, Host, for completing physical contact: Negative Distance. Reward: 50 points!】
【Congratulations, Host, for completing…
A series of rewards popped up, and the message bombardment almost made Lin Queli faint again.
Wait a minute…
Negative distance?!
The score is so high… as expected of negative distance!
So they really did it, right?!
Lin Queli was overjoyed.
【No, Host, you’ve misunderstood… Although I was forced to shut down last night, I’m very sure you didn’t do it.】
Lin Queli: “?”
Lin Queli: “Then what’s this negative distance? You didn’t detect it wrong, did you?”
【Host, this kind of thing can’t be detected wrong, right?! Can’t you judge for yourself whether you did it or not!】
Lin Queli scratched his head. Well, he had a memory gap, so of course he couldn’t judge.
Then what was negative distance?
【It’s spiritual energy, spiritual energy! The Immortal Venerable transferred spiritual energy to you all night last night!】
Lin Queli: “?”
Lin Queli: “…”
Okay then.
Lin Queli scratched his head. “What happened last night?”
【Last night, the Host’s mental state was very unstable, and I was frequently disconnected… so I don’t know what happened. I only roughly know that you seem to have… for some reason, been drugged with the beginner-level aphrodisiac we exchanged for. Later, the Immortal Venerable should have transferred spiritual energy to you to suppress the drug’s effect, which is why there was that negative distance.】
Lin Queli: “…??”
Lin Queli: “That is to say, not only was the beginner-level aphrodisiac not used on Helan Xue, but I ate it myself??”
The aphrodisiac he had worked so hard to get was just… eaten by himself?
The reason for the mission failure was not because the aphrodisiac was ineffective on Helan Xue, but because he ate it himself…
Haha, what a little glutton…
Ah, ah, ah, ah!!! Damn it—
It sounds not only stupid and embarrassing, but what if I did something strange in front of Helan Xue… then I would really die of social embarrassment!
Ah, ah, ah, ah, so what happened last night!!
【Host, you were already in despair last night. Now, for the sake of so many points, you should let it go!!】
Lin Queli: “Can I just let this go?! I might have made a fool of myself in front of Helan Xue, sob, sob, sob, what if he hates me because of this? I shouldn’t have done anything annoying last night, right?”
【But Host, that’s just your seduction target. It’s fine as long as you get the points, right? Whether he hates you or not, didn’t you say it wasn’t important before?】
“…”
Lin Queli was stunned.
“Well, you can’t say that, can you?”
【Host…】
“I’m doing it for the mission!” Lin Queli said loudly, “If Helan Xue hates me too much, then the mission can’t proceed!”
【Oh!】
【Aiya, anyway, those things are not important. The points are what’s real! I checked, and now the Host’s points are higher than ever!! You were originally only 8 points away from exchanging for the high-level spell item. Now, after exchanging, you even have 200 points left!】
The high-level aphrodisiac could only be exchanged after the debt was paid off, so the System immediately delivered the 200 points. Lin Queli now only owed 300 points, not 500.
This could be said to be a… huge breakthrough.
Lin Queli: “?”
Holy shit…?
The child is suddenly rich!
How did I get 200 points from cuddling last night—
Because there were too many rewards, the details of the later ones were collapsed by the System, so Lin Queli couldn’t see what he and Helan Xue had done last night.
Could it be that they kissed…
It doesn’t make sense?!
How about… I go and test Helan Xue?
Lin Queli only felt it was strange.
The aphrodisiac didn’t have its intended effect, but it wasn’t… completely useless.
Just then, Ji Chun’s voice came from outside the door.
“Young Master Lin! Are you okay? Can you still participate in the competition?”
Ji Chun said, “If you are still tired, it’s okay to cancel.”
Only then did Lin Queli realize that the competition was about to start. He quickly said, “I can! I can! Right away!”
Lin Queli thought to himself, although I was stupid last night and my body is a little sore for some reason, I have now exchanged for the high-level spell. I should be… more confident, right?
He still didn’t want to be a “deserter.” Since he had already accepted the challenge, even if he lost, it was better than being afraid before the fight.
…
At the grand competition site.
Lin Queli saw Shouyang and Helan Xue sitting in their seats as usual. He squinted his eyes, wanting to see Helan Xue, but he still couldn’t see anything.
Ji Chun said that Helan Xue had been in his room all night and only left this morning.
Ji Chun’s original words: “The Immortal Venerable is so good to you! It must be because you were drunk and uncomfortable last night.”
Lin Queli scratched his head.
After the grand competition was over, he would ask Helan Xue what happened.
And when Qiu Heng saw Lin Queli step onto the arena with a steady pace, the surprised expression on his face couldn’t be hidden.
How could it be?!
Why could he still come to the competition today after taking the Loss of Mind Pill?
It doesn’t make sense…
Qiu Heng was a little flustered.
Was he really going to lose?
As a challenger and a Golden Core cultivator, lose to an unlearned Foundation Establishment?
“The match begins—”
Qiu Heng looked at Lin Queli before him. For some reason, he had lost the courage to strike first. In this moment of hesitation, Lin Queli took the initiative and rushed forward.
Shouyang looked at Lin Queli, who was actively attacking, with relief in his eyes.
Lin Queli swung his sword and stabbed at Qiu Heng.
He wanted to win!
The two swords clashed, creating a huge clang.
In this instant, Lin Queli’s sword burst out with immense spiritual energy, sending Qiu Heng and his sword flying.
When Qiu Heng was slammed to the ground, he was dazed.
Not just him, but everyone below was also wide-eyed.
Shouyang stood up in confusion, wanting to take a closer look.
How did Lin Queli improve so quickly??
How could he have such powerful spiritual energy? It was even higher than the mid-stage of the Golden Core!
Qiu Heng was in disbelief. He got up and rushed forward again.
Swoosh—
This time, Qiu Heng was thrown even farther. How far…
The arena was not small, but Qiu Heng drew an arc in the air and actually flew out of the arena, rolling down the steps. Let alone the cultivator and gentlemanly demeanor required by the Myriad Sword Sect, his personal face was probably rolling down with him.
Lin Queli took this opportunity to raise the drumstick and was about to hit the drum. A gust of fierce wind struck Qiu Heng, knocking the hidden weapon in his hand to the ground. At the same time, three drum beats sounded.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
This wasn’t a win, this was a crushing defeat!
A very beautiful crushing defeat.
In the second match, Helan Xue had thought that Lin Queli’s spiritual energy would definitely not be enough to defeat a Golden Core cultivator, so he taught him to win with moves. But this could only be used once, and it wouldn’t fool Qiu Heng a second time.
Helan Xue and Shouyang both thought that Lin Queli would definitely lose in the third match. Anyway, it didn’t matter. It was not a shameful thing for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to lose to a Golden Core cultivator, especially since the child had already won one match.
But at this moment, Lin Queli had won with spiritual energy in two strikes.
What… happened?
After hitting the drum, Lin Queli looked at the surprised, admiring, or joyful gazes of everyone and also felt happy.
【Host… it seems that besides unlocking the high-level spiritual energy, the spiritual energy Helan Xue transferred to you last night also had an effect! Could this also be considered… dual cultivation?】
Lin Queli: “?”
Lin Queli: “But aren’t I a furnace cauldron? You said before that a furnace cauldron would only be drained when dual cultivating with someone.”
【I’m not sure about that… the lore didn’t say.】
Amidst the applause, Lin Queli looked at Qiu Heng.
He had only vaguely seen a gust of fierce wind stab at Qiu Heng just now. Now, looking closely, he saw Qiu Heng’s pale face… lying on the ground?!
There was black blood at the corner of his mouth, and he was convulsing, looking seriously injured.
Mingguang and many Changming Clan members were anxiously surrounding him.
Shouyang walked down. “I think you all already know why I took action.”
The gust of fierce wind just now came from Shouyang.
—In front of Qiu Heng was a small hidden weapon.
Shouyang stepped forward and picked it up. “It’s coated with poison from the Medicine Sect. How dare you do such a sordid thing in the competition of my Myriad Sword Sect.”
The crowd was in an uproar.
This…
Who didn’t know that the Myriad Sword Sect couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand in their eyes, let alone someone cheating in the grand competition and causing unfairness.
Shouyang said coldly, “With such a style, you still want to enter the Cangsheng Sect?”
Mingguang’s face turned pale. He looked at Qiu Heng, disappointed, and wanted to scold him, but Qiu Heng couldn’t even get up now, only looking at Shouyang and Lin Queli with bloodshot eyes.
He said in a hoarse voice, “But… Lin Luo… is not… good either…”
Shouyang had only been cold-faced before, but now he was a little angry.
“Unrepentant.”
Shouyang glanced at Helan Xue for instructions.
Helan Xue had asked him to investigate some things last night. Seeing Helan Xue nod now, he had his disciples bring a person from the Medicine Sect up.
He said to the Medicine Sect disciple, “Speak.”
The Medicine Sect disciple knelt down with a “thump” and said with a sad face, “We were just doing business as usual. Qiu Heng came to buy the Loss of Mind Pill and an aphrodisiac from me. How would I know he was going to use it on fellow Daoist Lin and Taxue Xianzun…”
Now everyone was even more in an uproar.
Drugging Taxue Xianzun?
Was he tired of living?!
They had thought this junior from the Changming Clan was so outstanding, and even said he was the most powerful prodigy now. But it turned out his strength was so-so, and his character was even more worrying.
Everyone was discussing.
Qiu Heng’s eyes were about to pop out. “I didn’t buy… an aphrodisiac! Nor did I give it to… Taxue Xianzun… cough, cough, cough!”
Lin Queli stood on the side, his eyes wide.
No, wait, he didn’t even know. So he wasn’t drunk last night, but had been drugged with the Loss of Mind Pill and an aphrodisiac?
But the aphrodisiac he had taken wasn’t an ordinary one, but one he had exchanged for himself?
Could it be that he had been drugged twice, or even three times, last night?? No way? So embarrassing?!
…No wonder Helan Xue had been infusing him with spiritual energy all night.
When Mingguang heard this, he almost fainted. “You… you rebellious disciple! You’re crazy!”
“I… didn’t!” Qiu Heng crawled on the ground with difficulty and said hoarsely to Shouyang, “I really… didn’t!”
“This Medicine Sect disciple has Qiu Heng’s purchase record and the Changming Clan’s paper money. The evidence is conclusive.” Shouyang shook his head and looked at Mingguang. “What does the elder think should be done?”
This question seemed to be an inquiry, but it was not.
Mingguang looked at the tall, stern-faced man before him and felt a cold sweat. If Helan Xue was a terrifying pressure, then Shouyang was a rigid and oppressive one.
“This… this…” Mingguang swallowed hard. “It was Changming’s poor discipline that produced such a disgraceful disciple… I apologize to everyone. I will definitely look after him well and punish him severely when we go back this time!”
Seeing that Shouyang was still staring at him, not planning to let him muddle through, Mingguang closed his eyes and said decisively, “I, I heard that the Myriad Sword Sect has caning…”
“Master…!” Qiu Heng trembled all over.
“That’s right.” Shouyang said, “This Lord was punished with thirty strokes by my Shizun when I made a mistake outside. Considering that your disciple is young and it’s his first offense, twenty strokes and an apology to my junior martial brother will be fine. Does the elder think it’s appropriate?”
Mingguang nodded like a bobblehead, not daring to have any objections. “Yes! Yes! The Immortal Lord is wise!”
Qiu Heng: “???”
Qiu Heng was about to faint from fear.
Twenty strokes…
That would be the death of him!
Lin Queli also almost fainted.
No, wait, so the Myriad Sword Sect also had caning?
Shouyang before… thirty strokes.
How many??
Lin Queli now understood why Helan Xue said he was delicate.
You and your cultivators.
In comparison, the discipline ruler was so much better…
Qiu Heng was so scared he shouted at Lin Queli, “I know I was wrong… I really know I was wrong! Junior martial brother… for the sake of our clan, can you plead for me! Please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, junior martial brother!”
Although Shouyang didn’t say anything, Mingguang also consciously apologized to Lin Queli. “I’m sorry, Xiao Luo…”
He lowered his head and took a deep breath. “We have offended you before. I hope you won’t take it to heart…”
Lin Queli scratched his head and said obediently, “I’ll listen to my senior martial brother and Shizun.”
Shouyang: “Take him away.”
Qiu Heng was dragged away, wailing.
Lin Queli swallowed hard, feeling a little sympathetic.
He had also drugged his Shizun. Fortunately, it wasn’t exposed…
And after the competition ended, Lin Queli followed behind Helan Xue back to the Myriad Sword Sect, skipping happily.
“Shizun…”
Lin Queli wanted to ask, was he now considered Helan Xue’s official disciple?
He also wanted to ask what he had done last night after being drugged with the Loss of Mind Pill and an aphrodisiac, and why Helan Xue was so cold to him!
Lin Queli grabbed the corner of Helan Xue’s clothes, blinked, and probed, “Shizun, I won. You…”
“Aren’t you going to praise me?”
