Chapter 69: “You’re Too Strong.”
Her master sat down.
The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were still on the table, but she ignored them, pouring herself a cup of water.
Mu Tao stared at the paper with the fingerprint, at the misspelled words, at the unfamiliar name, confusion swirling in her mind.
Why were they all wrong?
Her master couldn’t possibly misspell words…
And why did her master write this unfamiliar name, Li Yu?
Different characters, but the same pronunciation…
Was her master trying to trick her?
But if so, why write the preceding sentence—that wasn’t her command.
Mu Tao couldn’t understand, tears blurring her vision again.
Her master was right; she was a crybaby.
A tear fell onto the paper, smudging the still-wet ink on the character “Yu.”
Mu Tao was startled. She quickly wiped away her tears, protected the paper with a spell, carefully folded it, and put it into her spatial pouch.
“Master…”
“Hmm?”
Mu Tao looked at Li Yu, her heart filled with questions, but she didn’t know where to begin.
What was the point of asking?
How many truthful answers could she possibly get now?
It was all just obedience under a spell.
Her master must be angry; the messy handwriting, the misspelled words, were all subtle signs of her displeasure.
Mu Tao panicked, not daring to look at Li Yu, and quickly put away the writing materials.
“What time is it?” Li Yu suddenly asked.
Mu Tao glanced out the window. “About noon in the human realm.”
Li Yu: “I’m hungry.”
Mu Tao snapped out of her melancholy. “I’ll go and prepare a meal for Master!”
Li Yu: “And wash your face!”
Mu Tao giggled. “I know!”
With that, she transformed into a dark flame and vanished.
When she returned, the room was unchanged, and Li Yu was still sitting at the table, staring blankly into her cup of water.
As if hearing Mu Tao’s return, Li Yu looked up and smiled. “What did you make today?”
Mu Tao quickly placed the food box on the table and took out the dishes.
“I had them bring some ingredients from the human realm. From now on, we’ll have fresh, seasonal produce delivered regularly, so Master can enjoy proper meals like before.”
“Mm.” Li Yu nodded slightly, her gaze still unfocused.
Mu Tao put the empty food box on the floor, picked up her chopsticks, and started feeding Li Yu, alternating between rice and dishes.
It had always been like this.
She liked feeding her master, it reminded her of their time in the human realm.
Back then, her master always seemed to need her.
She wished she could always be needed by her master like that.
Her master was so obedient, so gentle, so reliant on her now.
She should be happy, yet a hollowness lingered in her heart.
Like a bottomless, dark sea, slowly consuming her.
Mu Tao struggled against this emptiness.
She started chattering, trying to recapture the past.
Those days on Mount Chao Yao, in the human realm, or perhaps in some snowy wilderness, huddled around a fire, talking for hours even with bland grilled fish.
She said that spiritual fire needed to be maintained with spiritual energy, which her master currently lacked, making things inconvenient at night.
So, she had Xiang Hanyu bring candles from the human realm, along with candle holders and flint.
From now on, her master could control the light in the room.
She also said that many things in the Demon Realm were different from the human realm.
Although she had adapted, she didn’t want her master to be uncomfortable.
So, she had them create human-style furniture, which would soon replace the current furnishings.
Then her master would be more comfortable.
She suddenly ran out of things to say.
Mu Tao, not wanting the silence to return, asked, “Master, do you remember Xiang Hanyu?”
Li Yu: “I couldn’t forget her.”
Mu Tao: “After I came to the Demon Realm, she and Yan Buqiu found me. They’ve been with me these past six months, taking care of me whenever I was injured…”
Li Yu: “That’s good.”
Mu Tao: “This care…Master risked your life for it; I don’t deserve it.”
Li Yu shook her head. “If you weren’t…who you are, they wouldn’t have stayed. You deserve it; you earned their loyalty.”
Mu Tao’s hand paused momentarily.
Those words…sounded like her master from before.
Could her master, controlled by a spell, still say such things?
But her eyes were still unfocused, her expression vacant, regardless of her tone.
Mu Tao sighed softly and continued feeding her.
After lunch, she started clearing the table as usual.
“It should be almost time,” she said. “Your wedding attire should arrive soon.”
Li Yu: “What about yours?”
Mu Tao: “It’s still being made. We’ll choose yours first.”
Li Yu tilted her head, took Mu Tao’s hand, and said, her tone slightly stubborn, “I’ll choose yours too.”
Mu Tao paused. “Okay.”
Li Yu, having received the desired response, walked to the window and looked out at the dim sky.
“The sky in the Demon Realm is always so dark, yet you can tell the time.” She touched the barrier, a curious look on her face. “How do you do it?”
Mu Tao quickly walked to her side, as if afraid the barrier would harm her, and took her hand. “Don’t touch the barrier, Master, it might hurt you.”
“Okay,” Li Yu replied obediently.
Mu Tao pointed at the flowers outside. “Master, have you noticed those flowers everywhere?”
Li Yu nodded.
Mu Tao: “Do they look…different from before?”
Li Yu thought for a moment. “They seem…brighter.”
“These flowers grow everywhere in the Demon Realm,” Mu Tao said. “The Demon Realm lacks light, and most of its light comes from them—they’re called Netherbloom Flowers.”
“Netherbloom Flowers…”
“Mm.” Mu Tao nodded and explained, “They’re the most common wildflowers in the Demon Realm. Their leaves are long, usually grayish-black, and their petals are translucent, coming in all colors.”
“They absorb and release nether energy every day. During the day, when the nether energy is weak, they show their true colors and glow with their respective light.” She continued, “At night, as the nether energy strengthens, they turn dark purple, almost black, emitting a black mist-like aura, then, around midnight in the human realm, they lose their light completely, only regaining it around dawn.”
Mu Tao smiled at Li Yu. “The demons here rely on the Netherbloom Flowers to tell the time.”
“I see.”
“Sometimes I think…there’s no place in this world that’s truly dark. If a place is untouched by sunlight, moonlight, or starlight, it will create its own light.” Mu Tao said. “Like the Netherbloom Flowers in the Demon Realm.”
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Mu Tao ran outside.
She picked a blue flower from a nearby cluster and happily ran back to the window.
“Master, look!” Mu Tao smiled, her eyes crinkling. “This one’s the same color as your eyes!”
The translucent petals of the Netherbloom Flower glowed with a soft, blue light.
A gentle light, like the light in a dream.
Mu Tao reached through the barrier and offered the flower to Li Yu.
Li Yu took it and smiled faintly. “It’s beautiful.”
As she took the flower, a black flame flickered into its center.
Mu Tao: “I infused it with my spiritual energy, so it won’t wither so quickly.”
Li Yu stared at the flower, a thoughtful look on her face, then opened her left hand, palm up.
After a moment of silence, she closed her hand and lowered it.
“Master,” Mu Tao said, her head tilted curiously, her hands on the windowsill. “What were you doing just now?”
“I forgot,” Li Yu replied softly.
Mu Tao paused, removed her hands from the windowsill, and ran back into the room.
She took Li Yu’s hand and gently swayed it. “How could you forget? Think again, Master!”
The silver bells chimed softly. Li Yu seemed to think hard, then held Mu Tao’s hand and said calmly, “My meridians are still sealed.”
Mu Tao’s smile faded, her gaze lowering.
“You want to…undo the seal?” she asked.
Li Yu nodded.
Mu Tao’s voice was filled with disappointment. “Why?”
Li Yu: “I haven’t retrieved the ice flower you gave me.”
Mu Tao blinked. “You…brought it with you?”
Li Yu: “Mm.”
Mu Tao hesitated, then gently touched Li Yu’s forehead, and the demonic energy sealing her meridians dissipated.
Li Yu raised her hand, and the ice flower appeared in her palm.
Mu Tao stared at it as Li Yu placed it by the window. “Look, it’s still the same.”
Her master’s voice was soft, her vacant eyes staring at the ice flower.
It was still the same as last year, slightly melted even before she gave it to her master, not very pretty.
But even so, her master had preserved its shape, placed it by the window with a smile, saying she wanted to see it every morning.
She hadn’t believed her master when she said she had brought it.
But her master had indeed kept her promise.
And what had she done?
Not only sealed her master’s meridians, but also used a mind-control spell…
After placing the ice flower by the window, Li Yu looked at the Netherbloom Flower in her hand, unsure where to put it, then placed it beside the ice flower.
She echoed her earlier words, “You gave these to me, I want to see them first thing every morning.”
Mu Tao frowned and muttered, “That’s not good…”
Li Yu: “Why not?”
Mu Tao: “…”
Li Yu stared at her, and Mu Tao lowered her gaze, guilt washing over her.
After a long moment, Mu Tao looked up and sealed Li Yu’s meridians again.
Li Yu didn’t react, just smiled faintly, her gaze fixed on Mu Tao.
Mu Tao suddenly hugged her, her arms around her slender waist, and whispered in her ear, “Master should see me first thing every morning.”
Li Yu chuckled softly. “Should I wake up later, or should you come earlier?”
This question, asked with an almost unfamiliar tone, made Mu Tao feel slightly disoriented.
But strangely, she didn’t dislike this unfamiliarity; it felt…right.
She felt that her master should always be like this.
—Perhaps she was going crazy.
Mu Tao playfully nuzzled Li Yu’s ear with her nose.
“After we’re married, won’t we be living together?” she said.
Li Yu smiled, about to say something, when a knock came from the door.
“Demon Lord, your wedding attire has arrived.” A demon maid’s voice echoed from outside.
“Master, it’s the wedding clothes!” Mu Tao released Li Yu and happily ran to the door.
As the door opened, the barrier temporarily dissipated, and five maids, each carrying a tray with neatly folded clothes, entered the room.
They placed the trays on the stone table, bowed, and left.
The moment the door closed, the barrier reappeared, the windows also closing, leaving only the flickering green spiritual fire illuminating the room.
Mu Tao led Li Yu to the table. “Which one do you want to try on first, Master?”
“Any one is fine,” Li Yu said with a faint smile.
Mu Tao looked at the five sets of wedding attire, each with matching accessories, deliberated for a moment, then picked one up and held it before Li Yu, tilting her head as she examined it.
She frowned. “This seems a bit too…flashy, not quite Master’s style.”
“It looks nice,” Li Yu reached for it.
Mu Tao shook her head, placed the clothes back on the tray, and picked up another set.
This one looked better, elegant but not overly ornate, more suitable for her master’s ethereal aura.
Thinking this, she held the attire before Li Yu, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Master, let me help you try it on?”
Li Yu nodded. “Okay.”
Mu Tao placed the clothes on the table, turned around, untied the sash of Li Yu’s robe, removed it, and tossed it aside.
Her slender fingers gently pulled at Li Yu’s robes, sliding them off her shoulders.
Only a thin undergarment remained.
—She really wanted to remove that too.
But it wasn’t time yet; she had promised to wait until they were married.
Mu Tao took a deep breath, cupped Li Yu’s face in her hands, her thumbs unconsciously tracing her delicate features.
Like quenching her thirst with the mere sight of water.
“Aren’t we trying on the clothes?” Li Yu asked calmly, her finger gently touching the red fabric on the table.
“Yes, of course!” Mu Tao quickly picked up the wedding attire and draped it over Li Yu’s shoulders.
She held Li Yu’s shoulders, moved behind her, and pulled her long hair out from the back of the robe.
The sash, the belt, the golden ornaments, she put them all on Li Yu, one by one.
Her hands moved around Li Yu’s slender waist, smoothing out every wrinkle on the wedding attire.
Finally, Mu Tao stepped back and looked at Li Yu, dressed in red.
Her master usually wore plain colors; this was the first time she had seen her in such a vibrant color, so beautiful it was breathtaking.
Her hair was slightly disheveled from changing clothes; she needed to fix it.
Mu Tao conjured a wooden comb and started combing Li Yu’s hair.
As her fingers moved through the soft strands, her gaze was drawn to the smooth skin of Li Yu’s neck.
After a moment of hesitation, she gently pulled Li Yu’s hair aside.
She wrapped an arm around Li Yu’s waist, nuzzling her face against her neck, inhaling her scent.
Her warm breath tickled Li Yu’s neck, a faint blush appearing on her skin.
Either from embarrassment or from the contrast with the red robe.
“Master…you look especially beautiful today,” Mu Tao whispered, looking up at Li Yu.
Li Yu didn’t respond, just turned slightly and looked at her.
Most of the time, after being controlled by the spell, Li Yu would just stare like this.
A puppet’s obedience.
Mu Tao felt a surge of frustration, her heart pounding restlessly.
She didn’t like this vacant look in her master’s eyes, she preferred the anger, the panic, even the blush of embarrassment, anything but this unnerving calmness.
Her fingers unconsciously dug into the soft, white skin of Li Yu’s neck.
Li Yu flinched, a drop of blood welling up, staining the pristine white.
Mu Tao frowned, a sudden heat rising within her, making her eyes burn.
She couldn’t resist kissing the small wound.
A faint sweetness, a metallic tang, as she gently licked the blood.
She could feel the pulse throbbing beneath her lips.
A rapid, erratic rhythm, echoing the frantic beating of her own heart.
Unsatisfied, her teeth grazed Li Yu’s neck, breaking the skin.
More blood.
Li Yu’s breath hitched.
Her body trembled again, her hair cascading down, slipping through Mu Tao’s fingers.
The sting on her neck made her moan softly.
Like a shard of ice thawing in a frozen pond, a spark of awareness flickered within her.
Mu Tao’s light brown eyes had turned crimson.
A dark red aura enveloped them.
Blood trickled down Mu Tao’s lips, staining the white skin of Li Yu’s neck, a crimson stain against the pure white undergarment.
A fitting contrast to the vibrant red wedding attire.
“Mu Tao, what are you doing…weren’t we…trying on clothes…?”
Mu Tao ignored her, licking the blood, savoring the taste.
Li Yu’s breathing became more erratic, her usually composed body melting against Mu Tao.
Mu Tao held her tightly, her restlessness growing, a desire to tear away everything that separated them.
The sound of tearing fabric.
Mu Tao’s warm fingers gently caressed the skin of Li Yu’s waist.
Li Yu instinctively grabbed her wrist but lacked the strength to stop her.
The silver bells on her wrist chimed softly as Mu Tao’s teeth grazed her neck again.
“Mu Tao…it hurts…” Li Yu’s voice trembled.
The soft plea, accompanied by the sound of a falling pearl, echoed in Mu Tao’s heart like a morning bell.
Mu Tao paused, her mind slowly clearing, realizing that her vision was blurred with tears.
She released Li Yu’s neck, looking at the beads of sweat on her forehead, the red mark on her pale neck, the torn wedding attire, the exposed skin, now stained with blood.
—Her breath hitched.
Mu Tao: “Master…I, I’m sorry…”
Li Yu didn’t speak, just leaned weakly against her.
Mu Tao: “I…I lost control…”
“It’s fine, there are other outfits,” Li Yu said, her eyes closed, a weak smile on her face.
“…”
“Don’t…don’t help me with these anymore, I’ll choose myself later…before you ruin them all.”
“I…”
Li Yu took a deep breath, nuzzled against Mu Tao’s chest, and asked softly, her tone like a gentle reprimand, “Who taught you to treat me like this?”
But her voice was flat, her eyes still unfocused.
Mu Tao gently lifted Li Yu and placed her on the bed, then knelt beside her, holding her hand, unsure what to do.
“Master, did…did my resentment hurt you?”
“I don’t know, probably not,” Li Yu whispered, then smiled faintly. “This body is weak, and you’re…too strong.”
Her body was weak, without even her protective spiritual energy.
How could she have let her desires hurt her master like this…?
Mu Tao shook her head. “It was my fault; I shouldn’t have sealed your meridians.”
She released the spell, her eyes filled with tears as she kissed Li Yu’s fingers.
Her voice choked with emotion, she whispered, “Master, if I ever do this again, please…scold me…”
“…”
“I’ll return your spiritual energy, you can scold me, you can even hit me…”
“…”
Silence fell, a deep, impenetrable silence.
A puppet was just a puppet.
If this were her true master, she would have been scolded relentlessly by now.
A soft sigh broke the silence.
“It’s so difficult,” Li Yu whispered, her eyes closed, her voice like a sigh, “Being your master…is truly difficult…more difficult than…cultivating alone…”
“…”
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