Unpredictable Tempers

“Little Chair, are you alright?” Qin Gou asked cautiously, softening his tone to avoid upsetting her. He tread carefully, not wanting to trigger any sensitive nerves.

Yi Chengying, still tied up and facing away from him, slowly turned her head. Her once lively, spirited eyes were now dull and vacant.

Alarmed, Qin Gou quickly stepped forward and removed the silk cloth from her mouth.

“Oh, Heavenly Master, you’re back? Little Chair was so bored that I took a nap and didn’t notice. But don’t worry, Heavenly Master, I’ve been obediently staying here the whole time. I didn’t go anywhere or do anything,” Yi Chengying said with a mechanical smile, her voice eerily detached.

The sight sent a chill down Qin Gou’s spine. He shook her shoulders gently, his voice filled with concern. “Little Chair, what’s wrong? If something’s bothering you, just tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up.”

“Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine,” Yi Chengying replied with a bright smile. But Qin Gou could clearly see the tears glistening in her eyes.

Fine, my ass! Qin Gou thought, his mind racing. The system had used phrases like “shattering her dignity as a human being”—a terrifying statement. Even though it had only awarded him 250 merit points since it was unintentional, he couldn’t shake the fear that Yi Chengying might end up hanging herself in his cave out of sheer despair.

“Um… Heavenly Master, can I ask what kind of tea you gave me earlier?” Yi Chengying asked, her voice distant.

Qin Gou frowned, puzzled. “It was Profound Grade Enlightenment Tea. It’s excellent stuff—its benefits like calming the mind, clearing heat, detoxifying, and improving focus are amplified several times over. It even slightly purifies spiritual energy. It’s a rare treasure.”

“I-I see…” Yi Chengying suddenly burst into tears, wailing loudly. “Waaah! I, Yi Chengying, swear I’ll never drink tea again in my life!”

Qin Gou was at a loss, scrambling to comfort her. “Don’t cry! What’s wrong… You know what, forget it. I won’t ask anymore. Let’s just pretend nothing happened.”

“Uwaaah! The Heavenly Master humiliated me, toyed with me, trampled my dignity into the dirt! I should never have held back! Why did I hold back? What’s the point of untying the ropes? How could I be so stupid? If I could do it all over again, I’d choose dignity over life!” Yi Chengying cried, tilting her head back and sobbing uncontrollably.

Qin Gou was utterly bewildered, his head pounding. He quickly retrieved a small, sealed white porcelain bottle from his spatial ring. “Alright, alright, stop crying! Are you a three-year-old? Here, have some candy. This is a ‘Youth-Fixing Pill.’ Once you take it, your appearance will be frozen at its current age, never aging again. It’s the dream of every female cultivator. Surely you’ve heard of its reputation?”

The moment he finished speaking, Yi Chengying stopped crying. She broke free from the spirit-binding rope, her hands trembling as she reverently cradled the bottle in Qin Gou’s hand. Her chest heaved as she sniffled, her voice shaky. “Heavenly Master, is this really a Youth-Fixing Pill? You’re not tricking me, are you?”

“Do you think I’d give you a fake pill?” Qin Gou glared at her, exasperated.

In that instant, Qin Gou could see the light return to Yi Chengying’s tear-filled eyes. She held the small bottle close to her chest as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. Her cheeks flushed as she said, “Thank you, Heavenly Master, for your generosity.”

As expected, the Youth-Fixing Pill is a deadly weapon against female cultivators, Qin Gou thought. It had instantly pulled Yi Chengying back from the brink of despair. Bringing a few bottles of these pills from Arc Moon Mountain had turned out to be a brilliant decision.

“Feeling better now? See, life’s not so bad if you think about it calmly—”

Before Qin Gou could finish, Yi Chengying bit her lip, her chest rising and falling as tears threatened to return.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say another word about it!” Qin Gou quickly changed the subject. “Let me tell you what I did while pretending to be you. You need to know so you don’t accidentally expose anything later.”

—

After finally sending Yi Chengying away, Qin Gou felt utterly drained. He still didn’t know what he had done to push her to such an extreme state, but he felt a deep sense of guilt nonetheless.

—

“Brother Qin!” Chen Keshua burst into the cave, clutching his chubby face. “The Lone Shadow Saintess is too much! I told her I set up a soundproof array around your cave while you two were talking, but instead of thanking me, she slapped me and called me a scoundrel! Brother Qin, this Mystic Maiden Palace is truly a den of madness. Everyone here is more temperamental and unreasonable than the people we dealt with in the Seed Demon Holy Sect!”

“So you’re the one who set up the soundproof array?” Qin Gou asked, his eyes widening.

Chen Keshua nodded, looking innocent. “Of course! When I came back earlier, the Lone Shadow Saintess kept making muffled noises, urging me to leave. But I noticed you two were making quite a ruckus inside. If anyone overheard, it could’ve caused trouble. So I set up the array to help you out. How was I supposed to know she’d be so ungrateful?”

Qin Gou: …

—

That night, inside the cave.

Using the Dreamwalker spiritual tool, Qin Gou entered a dreamscape. Standing atop the illusory Arc Moon Mountain, he called out the name “Mu Man’er.”

A familiar figure appeared—a woman in a moon-white dress, carrying a long sword on her back. Before Qin Gou could speak, Mu Man’er rushed toward him, throwing herself into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest. Tears streamed down her face as she choked out, “Master, please save me!”