Chapter 64: Did She Have to Obey Her Master?
No! What was happening?!
What did she mean by…
…finally having her too?
Li Yu’s mind went blank.
She stared at Mu Tao’s tear-filled eyes, her mouth slightly open.
Just like before, her little disciple was before her, her eyes red, crying silently.
But this time…it was different.
She saw a possessiveness in those light brown eyes, a possessiveness that seemed to have been suppressed for a long time.
Li Yu’s heart pounded in her chest.
Having done everything the male protagonist was supposed to do, and shouldn’t have done, his storyline had inadvertently become hers.
Perhaps, from the moment she tied the Harmony Bells on Mu Tao, things were destined to change.
She had been so oblivious, simply because they were both women, so she had never considered this possibility.
But for Mu Tao, the person who treated her best, and hurt her most, was Li Yu.
Although she couldn’t believe it, couldn’t face it, what she was experiencing now was the twisted, possessive love of the protagonist in the latter half of the original story…
When the Harmony Bells were severed, the little protagonist in the novel thought—
Everyone has their own Dao.
And Senior Brother’s Dao was diametrically opposed to her only path to survival.
If she wanted to be with him, she would have to destroy his Dao.
Yes, she had never been truly obedient and well-behaved.
It was all an act, all her grievances, resentment, and hatred hidden deep within her heart, only showing her most vulnerable side to gain sympathy.
It was the same in the novel and now.
Perhaps Mu Tao was indeed innocent, but her heart was never pure.
That initial 30% blackening value was the darkness within her.
And when her pretense no longer garnered sympathy or affection, she discarded the act, allowing her suppressed desires to consume her.
Li Yu even suspected that Mu Tao rushing to Mount Chao Yao wasn’t entirely about saving her.
It was more about reclaiming what she believed belonged to her—taking something you desired didn’t require consent.
So now, what was Mu Tao planning to do?
Would she, like in the novel, destroy Li Yu’s “Dao” and then toy with her mercilessly?
No, that was terrifying!
She didn’t have a “Dao,” nor any grand sense of duty towards the world.
She was just an ordinary person in a fragile, repeatedly patched-up body, a few more bumps and bruises away from completely falling apart.
Besides severing the Harmony Bells and abandoning Mu Tao, she hadn’t done anything wrong, treating Mu Tao far better than the male protagonist in the original story.
They were both just trying to survive; couldn’t the punishment for her mistake be a little less severe?
This was negotiable, right?
Perhaps she could calm Mu Tao down first and discuss this rationally.
Li Yu: “M, Mu Tao…”
Mu Tao: “Master won’t leave me again, right?”
Li Yu hesitated, then, playing along, replied softly, “…Right.”
That brief hesitation didn’t escape Mu Tao’s notice.
Mu Tao tightened her grip on Li Yu’s wrist, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes, quickly masked by a seemingly innocent expression.
Li Yu’s wrist ached, and she instinctively tried to pull away, but afraid of angering Mu Tao, she froze.
“Master will never leave me again,” Mu Tao whispered, her words both a plea and a command.
“I won’t leave,” Li Yu replied, taking a deep breath and trying to sit up.
Mu Tao frowned, and a black flame flickered in her palm, a restrictive spell falling upon Li Yu.
Li Yu felt a jolt, as if electrocuted, her strength vanishing as she fell back onto the bed, unable to move.
“Mu Tao, you…”
“Master is so good at pleasing me, saying exactly what I want to hear.” Mu Tao said, picking up the pearl with a flicker of dark red light and putting it into her spatial pouch. “But…it’s hard to tell…how much of it is true.”
“I would never lie to you…”
“Master, I trusted you completely, without reservation, and yet you still abandoned me, didn’t you?” Mu Tao chuckled humorlessly. “I’ve always wanted to ask…why did you leave me and return to Mount Chao Yao alone?”
“Mu Tao, it’s difficult to explain, but I truly had no choice…” Li Yu said urgently. “If I had, I wouldn’t have left you there alone. Every promise I made was sincere.”
Li Yu paused.
She swore these words were true, but why did they sound so…wrong?
It sounded like a cheater’s desperate excuses after being caught.
“No choice? How much of a choice did you not have?” Mu Tao chuckled softly, but there was no mirth in her red-rimmed eyes. “You still brought me away from Mount Chao Yao, all the way to the entrance to the Demon Realm.”
“If you had wanted to, you could have continued with me. Once inside the Demon Realm, no one could have separated us.” The flickering spiritual fire illuminated the shifting emotions in Mu Tao’s light brown eyes. “But you abandoned me, enduring the backlash of the Harmony Bells, turning your back on me without a second thought!”
Mu Tao’s voice rose with increasing agitation, a dark red glint appearing in her eyes.
Seemingly realizing this, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
She stood up, sat on the edge of the bed, leaned closer, and looked down at Li Yu, her expression pained. “What is it, Master, that’s so important to you? So important that you can break all your promises, abandon the person you swore to protect?”
Li Yu opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but she couldn’t find a suitable excuse.
She couldn’t tell Mu Tao that she had been forced, could she?
Mu Tao wouldn’t understand.
But deflecting the blame was better than accepting it.
Whether they believed it or not was their problem; telling the truth was her responsibility.
But she didn’t know if the system would mute her…
If she avoided mentioning the system directly, just hinted at it, would that work?
Li Yu said tentatively, “Mu Tao, what if I said…there was something, invisible, intangible, undetectable even with spiritual energy, but it was in my mind, telling me I had to leave you…”
【Warning! Warning!】
【The system has detected the host’s attempt to reveal its existence. This action could lead to the collapse of the world. The system has muted the host’s speech and disabled lip movement.】
Li Yu: “…”
Although she had anticipated this, she really wanted to strangle the system.
Mu Tao: “Why did you stop talking, Master?”
Li Yu: “Mu Tao…please release this spell, so we can talk properly.”
“Is there something you can’t say…like this?” Mu Tao tilted her head, an innocent look in her almond-shaped eyes.
She reached out and gently caressed Li Yu’s flushed face.
Her cool fingertips traced Li Yu’s brow, her eyelashes, her cheekbones, the bridge of her nose, finally resting gently on her soft lips.
“Actually, the reason you abandoned me…isn’t that important anymore… Some things, it’s better to know, but if not, it’s also fine. If you don’t want to tell me, you can keep it a secret forever. After all—I also have a secret I’ve been keeping from you.”
Mu Tao smiled faintly, seemingly enjoying Li Yu’s restrained, slightly embarrassed expression.
“Perhaps one day, you’ll be willing to tell me.” She said earnestly, “Secrets aren’t always permanent, just like me, I’m not planning on keeping this secret any longer.”
“…”
“My secret…it’s actually quite simple.” Mu Tao blinked, her hand sliding down from her lips, past her flushed ear, and resting on her neck.
She leaned closer to Li Yu’s ear and whispered, “Last winter, when the first snow fell, I…kissed you.”
Her warm breath tickled Li Yu’s ear, her soft lips brushing against it.
Li Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
She had kissed her…?
Last winter, when the first snow fell—when she gave her the ice flower?
That early…?
Now that she thought about it, Mu Tao had seemed a bit…distracted that day, but she couldn’t remember clearly.
Li Yu felt a pang of regret—she should have realized.
Mu Tao’s dependence on her was far stronger than in the original story.
And every increase in her blackening value was a reflection of her growing desires.
She had always known, perhaps even everyone else had known, that Mu Tao was completely devoted to her, but she had never dared to consider this possibility.
Now, a brief separation had shattered the illusion of a normal master-disciple relationship…
As Li Yu was lost in thought, Mu Tao kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, wrapped her arms around Li Yu, and lay down beside her.
Like a puppy finding its nest, she closed her eyes and nuzzled against Li Yu’s face.
Li Yu swallowed nervously, her mind reeling.
After a moment of silence, Mu Tao muttered softly, “I want Master…to belong to me, only to me.”
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
But each word resonated deeply within Li Yu’s heart.
She said that in the past, she wouldn’t have dared to even dream of this.
But things were different now; many people feared her. A single word, a gesture, and people would offer her anything she wanted.
Her master hadn’t lied; she could now obtain everything she desired.
“I’ve waited for this day…for so long.” Mu Tao said. “I worked so hard to reach this position, just waiting for my injuries to heal, so I could bring Master back… But Master, why were you almost…married to someone else?”
“I…”
Mu Tao interrupted, whispering in her ear, “I know, I know. You escaped from Mount Chao Yao; you must have been unwilling—but when I first heard the news, I was so…so upset…”
“I thought, even if it’s a trap, or even if you willingly agreed, I would still come and take you back!” Mu Tao’s voice was filled with possessiveness. “I thought you might be angry, but compared to your anger, I was more afraid of…never being with you again…”
She tightened her embrace, as if wanting to merge with Li Yu, to never be separated again.
“Mu Tao, listen to me…”
“Mm,” Mu Tao replied softly, her cheek pressing against Li Yu’s.
“I only agreed to marry Weisheng Xuanzhu because he was controlling me. He put me into a deep sleep and used my body to set a trap for you!” Li Yu said urgently. “He is the black-robed figure, I saw him use the power of the stars…”
“Mm,” Mu Tao replied again, her voice soft, almost dreamy.
“He wants to revive the Heavenly Demon, you’re the perfect vessel, he…”
“Master is worried about me,” Mu Tao opened her eyes, a flicker of joy in them.
“…Mm,” Li Yu replied softly, then, just as she was about to continue, Mu Tao buried her face in the crook of her neck.
The girl’s warm breath on her neck made Li Yu’s mind go blank.
She felt a slender hand sliding down her arm, resting on her waist.
The delicate fingers traced circles on her thin robes.
Li Yu snapped back to reality, a wave of panic washing over her. “Mu Tao! What are you doing?!”
“…” Mu Tao frowned, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, her hand pausing momentarily.
“You can’t…you can’t do this…”
“…”
Mu Tao didn’t respond, her face still buried against Li Yu’s neck.
Li Yu took a deep breath and tried to circulate her spiritual energy, to break free from the spell, but a sharp pain in her chest stopped her.
Breaking Mu Tao’s spell required too much energy.
Weakened by the curse, she couldn’t do it.
She had to reason with her—
“Mu Tao, listen to me, Weisheng Xuanzhu put a curse on me. It has no effect normally, but using spiritual power triggers a backlash—” Although her body was still immobile, Li Yu’s heart raced, her voice trembling slightly. “He doesn’t even see me as a threat anymore. This curse…isn’t meant for me. He wants to use me to transfer it to you, so you…”
【Warning! Warning!】
【The system has detected the host’s attempt to reveal plot details to the protagonist. This action could lead to the collapse of the world. The system has muted the host’s speech and disabled lip movement.】
This was infuriating!
She would try a different approach.
Li Yu: “Mu Tao, Weisheng Xuanzhu has…tampered with me. If you get too close, you’ll fall into his trap!”
【The system has muted the host’s speech and disabled lip movement.】
Deep breaths, stay calm.
Don’t be angry, anger was bad for her health.
The Chinese language was rich and expressive; she could find another way to phrase it.
Li Yu: “Weisheng Xuanzhu has been hiding his true power. He’s far stronger than we imagine. My escape from Mount Chao Yao was too easy; he must be planning something, perhaps I’m the bait, you…”
【The system has muted the host’s speech and disabled lip movement.】
Seriously, that didn’t work either?
What was the point of having a mouth?!
【Try appeasing the protagonist, Host.】
Mu Tao wasn’t angry; she simply…wanted her.
How absurd!
And even if it wasn’t absurd, how was she supposed to “appease” her in this situation?
Li Yu had never felt so speechless, so speechless that she didn’t even notice the anger burning in her eyes.
Mu Tao gently tugged at the sash of her robe.
Li Yu panicked. “Mu Tao! Stop!”
Mu Tao sat up, a hurt look in her eyes.
She looked at Li Yu, a flicker of anger in her eyes, then, perhaps because of the blush on Li Yu’s cheeks, the anger softened into a strange tenderness.
Even when her master was angry, she couldn’t bring herself to resent her.
Her master had said that anything in this world, if she wanted it, she could have it.
Then why couldn’t she have her master?
Thinking this, Mu Tao leaned down and kissed Li Yu’s forehead.
Li Yu’s breath hitched, her cheeks burning.
The young girl leaned against her, her hair, coming loose from its braid, brushing against Li Yu’s face, a cool touch against her burning skin.
Their chests pressed together, silently sharing each other’s heartbeats.
Li Yu’s heart pounded, a chaotic rhythm that threatened to overwhelm her.
Her vision blurred, as if shrouded in mist.
She looked at Mu Tao, and Mu Tao stared back, her gaze unwavering.
This brief exchange of gazes intensified the already chaotic emotions swirling within them.
No one had dared touch Li Yu since she returned, unconscious, only cleansing her body with spells.
And she had left Mount Chao Yao in simple white robes, her hair tied back with a blue ribbon, without even a hairpin.
This simple attire drew attention to her delicate features.
And now, her usually pale face was flushed, a captivating sight that made it difficult to look away, like a flower blooming in secret, its beauty drawing one in.
Master’s white robes are a bit too…cold, Mu Tao thought.
Why did Master always have to be so aloof?
Surely she could be closer to the world, closer to her.
After a moment of hesitation, the hand that had been stopped earlier gently cupped Li Yu’s face.
Her slender fingers brushed aside Li Yu’s slightly disheveled hair, tilting her face upwards slightly.
She leaned in, gently tracing Li Yu’s features.
As their lips met, she untied the sash of Li Yu’s robe.
The once neat robes loosened slightly,
A captivating sight.
Suddenly, no longer satisfied, Mu Tao sought more.
This bolder advance jolted Li Yu awake.
She couldn’t, she couldn’t do this…
The curse poison, it would harm Mu Tao.
“Mu Tao, stop…”
Mu Tao, as if she hadn’t heard, kissed her again.
Li Yu’s body, though restrained by the spell, trembled instinctively.
“You can’t… You can’t do this to me…”
“…”
“Mu Tao! I said stop!”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Mu Tao looked into Li Yu’s eyes.
She saw fear, panic, and even resistance in those deep blue eyes.
She had done everything her master asked; why was her master even more distant now?
“Why?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “Are you that…unwilling to be with me?”
“I can, I can stay by your side, I can always be with you…” Li Yu’s voice trembled. “But you can’t…do this…this is absurd…”
Confusion flickered in Mu Tao’s eyes.
After a long silence, she blinked, a mix of hurt and resentment on her face.
She asked softly, “You said you left because you had no choice. Is returning to my side…also something you’re being forced to do?”
Li Yu: “No…”
Mu Tao: “No?”
Li Yu suppressed a surge of guilt and whispered, “You’re my only disciple, I…I should protect you, returning to your side…wasn’t a forced choice…”
Mu Tao: “Just that?”
Li Yu: “…Yes.”
Mu Tao: “Then, the Harmony Bells are broken, yet you’re still wearing yours, was I…mistaken about its meaning?”
Li Yu: “…”
That day, Mu Tao didn’t get the answer she wanted.
A wave of bitterness washed over her.
The person beneath her, her clothes disheveled, her hair messy, a sight she had never seen before.
She should like this.
But she couldn’t bear the unwillingness in her master’s eyes, the almost commanding tone of her voice.
As the spell dissipated, Li Yu sat up, straightened her clothes, and subtly moved away.
Such an obvious rejection.
Why couldn’t she be bolder? Mu Tao thought.
Did she have to obey her master?
Couldn’t there be a day when her master obeyed her?
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