"Clearly, the path chosen is one of downfall, yet the Favorability Rating keeps increasing. I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing."
"And the hidden event with Her Majesty the Consort, there’s not a single hint. How on earth can I achieve it... Do I really have to break the tempered glass?"
Chen Mo couldn’t make sense of it, so he decided to stop worrying, went to the bed, and comforted the thoroughly embarrassed Little Tiger.
Ling Ningzhi ran back to her room, slammed the door shut with force, leaned against it, and panted heavily, her heart pounding so fiercely it almost jumped out of her chest.
"What were they doing just now?"
"Was Mr. Chen punishing General Li? It looked so frightening, almost as if... yet General Li didn’t seem to be in pain, in fact, he almost seemed joyful..."
"Could Mr. Chen one day treat me in that way too?"
Ling Ningzhi, despondent, sat by the window. The scene just now had caused her a great mental shock, her mind was a chaotic mess, her gaze unfocused and blank.
At that moment, a red handkerchief was handed over:
"Wipe your face first."
Ling Ningzhi reached out to take it, just about to wipe her face when her body suddenly stiffened, she slowly turned her head to look.
There sat a red-robed Daoist nun on the bed with a casual demeanor, crossing her legs, holding a sleek black cat in her arms.
The red-robed Daoist grabbed a wine jug and took a sip, her charming, half-smiling almond-shaped eyes sizing Ling Ningzhi up, "Seeing your Master, you seem quite surprised?"
Ling Ningzhi hurriedly rose to her feet to salute, "Disciple greets Master!"
"Alright, between us master and disciple, no need for excessive formalities... It’s been a while, come over here and let Master see if you’ve gained weight." The red-robed Daoist stretched her hand towards Ling Ningzhi’s chest.
Ling Ningzhi instinctively took a step back.
The red-robed Daoist paused, a look of grievance and reproach appearing on her exquisite, seductive face, "What, have you forgotten about Master now that you have a man? He can touch, but I cannot?"
Ling Ningzhi blushed deeply, muttering, "Disciple doesn’t know what Master is talking about..."
"Master has already seen everything—it’s clear you and that Chen Mo are close and not only do you let him touch, but you even call him Master."
"Originally, Master was worried about your safety, so came down the mountain to check, didn’t expect to find such an unexpected surprise..."
The red-robed Daoist shook her head, sighing softly, "Qingxuan, you truly surprised Master!"
Ling Ningzhi bowed her head in shame, not knowing how to explain.
Even though she did all this for her grandfather, restricted by the Contractual Power, she couldn’t mention it to her Master... In the end, she softly replied, "Sorry, Master."
"You should not apologize to Master, but rather to yourself. Do you still remember the ancestral precepts of Tianshu Pavilion?" the red-robed Daoist asked.
Ling Ningzhi replied, "I remember: ’Forget Love in Holiness, Supreme Mysterious in Stillness, maintain utmost emptiness, gather energy and concentrate spirit, the Wheel of Law turns constantly, and the Dao Heart remains clear.’"
The red-robed Daoist asked again, "And is your Dao Heart still clear now?"
Ling Ningzhi remained silent.
Her Dao Heart was already on the verge of collapse, unable even to meditate, let alone speak of clarity.
"In fact, Master had foreseen this situation."
"Your nature is too pure and kind, like an unpolished gem. This level of purity is certainly rare and precious, but it also easily blinds you to worldly ways. If you cannot break free from the net of mortal ties by your own strength, your immortal path may end here..."
Upon hearing this, Ling Ningzhi’s expression grew increasingly desolate, but the red-robed Daoist then shifted her tone, softly laughing, "However, Master has another way that can help you break free from these bonds."
Ling Ningzhi looked up and asked, "What way?"
The red-robed Daoist’s lips curled up into a brilliant smile, as dazzling as a blooming poppy flower,
"If you can’t solve the problem, solve the person causing the problem. Whoever binds you, I will kill them."