I Have a Little Plan

Unsure of when she had fallen asleep, Gong Ning only felt a heaviness, as if her body were filled with lead, and she couldn’t blink her eyelids open no matter how she tried.
Suddenly, a drop of cold water landed on her face, instantly pulling her out of this inexplicable sleep paralysis and startling her awake.
However, opening her eyes was even more startling, because a delicate face was right in front of her, no more than ten centimeters away, full of cunning and mockery.
Only then did Gong Ning realize that this girl was sitting on the side of her bed, her upper body leaning over her chest, propping up her chin and studying her.
“You are…”
“Ugh, it smells like alcohol.”
The girl, however, pinched her nose in disgust and immediately got off her, making Gong Ning feel a bit awkward.
It was at this moment that Gong Ning recognized the girl’s identity—the Sect Master’s mischievous daughter.
“How long have I been asleep…”
“I don’t know. The people of the Heart-Sword Hall are so impolite. A guest has arrived, yet the host is still sound asleep.”
Hearing her say this, Gong Ning actually felt embarrassed.
The banquet was at noon yesterday, how could I have slept until the next morning?
Drinking really is a troublesome thing.
Gong Ning hurriedly got up, realizing she had been changed into her nightclothes at some point.
She just hoped it wasn’t her disciple who had changed them.
She was about to change her clothes when she saw the girl was still in the room, looking around here and there.
“Could you, perhaps, give me some privacy?”
The girl, however, moved closer, practically forcing Gong Ning to sit back down on the bed.
“Mmm, are you shy?”
“Shame is a human instinct. Moreover, even between members of the same s*x, one should be mindful of propriety.”
“Aiya, look at this alluring appearance you’ve taken on, yet your words are so proper? Just a moment ago, when a certain someone was still asleep, her mouth was panting and sighing softly. It was enough to make my face turn red just from listening.”
Seeing her pretend to be shy and cover her face made Gong Ning feel a mix of feigned anger and bashfulness.
“You child, barging into someone’s room, peeking at their privacy, and then turning around to mock their unsightly state.”
“Not at all, not at all. Elder, your ruby lips and pearly teeth could outshine the moon and make flowers blush in shame. I was complimenting you.”
She stuck out her little tongue, appearing cute, but Gong Ning felt it was all an act.
Not only that, Gong Ning also felt that she was intentionally letting her see that it was an act.
It was rather infuriating.
“I don’t think you’re complimenting me. Get out now.”
“Alright then.”
A look of disappointment showed on her face as Tang Qiaohuan left the bedroom.
Gong Ning sighed in relief, then quickly breathed onto the back of her hand and sniffed carefully.
There was clearly no smell.
She remembered that the Pure Goddess Nine Luminaries True Art clearly stated that those who cultivated this technique would have bodies that did not attract dust or grime, and that filth would cleanse itself, like the suspended moon guarding its purity.
Logically, there shouldn’t be any smell.
‘Surely this little one isn’t just teasing me?’
Gong Ning thought about it, but felt it was unlikely.
After all, they had no grudges against each other.
Humans have evolved a function, which is to adapt easily to their environment, just like someone who lives with a strange smell for a long time can no longer smell it themselves.
So after changing, Gong Ning rinsed her mouth with particular care and also drank two sips of tea.
Satisfied, she then went to make some breakfast.
Her disciple was probably outside doing weight training at this time.
But just then, the Sect Master’s daughter came to the kitchen again, moved a stool over, sat down, propped up her chin, and said nothing, her eyes just roaming over Gong Ning’s body.
Gong Ning didn’t know what to say.
If she were a man, she could have cursed her as a lecher and thrown her out.
But the ethics and morals of this world didn’t apply to interactions between the same s*x.
Moreover, she had a mental block, always feeling that she shouldn’t display a woman’s weaker side.
But she couldn’t stand it for long, because as she was chopping vegetables, Tang Qiaohuan’s brazen gaze was fixed on her chest.
Gong Ning already disliked the feeling of her chest swaying with every slight movement.
It was only because no one had paid attention for so many days that she had finally managed to get used to it.
But being stared at like this by Tang Qiaohuan made Gong Ning especially conscious of it again, making her feel conflicted and uncomfortable all over.
“You, if you have nothing to do, you can go to the courtyard. The smell of cooking fumes is strong in here…”
“Are you that concerned about me? Or do you hate me and want to drive me away?”
‘Why is this child’s thinking so extreme? Or is she deliberately twisting my words?’
Her mischievousness was becoming a little unlikable.
Gong Ning stopped paying her any mind.
In any case, she was only staying in the Heart-Sword Hall for a while and would return to Mystic Sky Peak sooner or later.
However, the girl hid the smirk at the corners of her mouth.
In Tang Qiaohuan’s life, she loved only three things.
First, fanning the flames, letting conflicts grow larger and situations more severe, until they swelled to their limit and exploded with a pop.
Second, writing books.
Books are vessels for thought; any book can subtly influence others.
To write things that violate heavenly principles and human ethics, stirring up people’s darker psychology, or to write things that satirize worldly affairs, making certain people filled with righteous indignation.
Third, teasing her Master, looking for trouble with her, making her feel awkward, making her feel conflicted, making her unable to distinguish between good and bad.
Unfortunately, in her past life, this was the one thing Tang Qiaohuan never succeeded at.
Her Master, as a person, if one were to describe her characteristics, they would be: rational, and self-fettered.
The more one interacted with her, the easier it was to discover that her thoughts, while seemingly similar to most people’s, were in fact vastly different.
Yet these thoughts were not deviant or bizarre; on the contrary, they were extremely correct, one could even say they were truths.
Tang Qiaohuan had engaged in countless verbal battles with her, discussing things that had no answers: life and death, laws, morality, history.
In reality, many things could not be debated to a conclusion.
What had remained unanswered for thousands of years, how could it be easily known by someone?
But Tang Qiaohuan would always be outmatched.
Over time, she began to rely on sophistry, always managing to refute her Master into speechlessness.
‘You say a disciple is not necessarily inferior to their master, so why do you keep cultivating? Are you afraid of being surpassed by Eldest Senior Sister?’
‘You say blind loyalty brings disgrace and saps ambition, and blind filial piety harms oneself and one’s family, so why do you still stay in the Gong family?’
‘You say that kings and nobles are not born, they are made, so why did you let Eldest Senior Sister suppress the rebellion of the common people in Huazhou the other day? Wouldn’t it be better to let them succeed in their rebellion and turn their lives around?’
‘Win, win, win, it was always a win.’
But in reality, she knew she was just being unreasonable.
The process of those discussions was what was most important.
Her Master understood too much.
She was soft-hearted, yet she advocated for ruthless legalism.
She was foolish, yet she always taught rebellious things.
That calm face, just how many secrets did it hide?
And how many things did she keep hidden in the bottom of her heart, never to be spoken to anyone?
Everyone thought she was emotional, including Tao Lingling and Lu Yunling, but how could people who only wanted to climb into her bed ever truly understand her?
‘Although Tang Qiaohuan was also staring at her Master’s chest right now, this was to stir ripples in her Master’s heart, to let her gradually get used to the gazes of others. This was beneficial. How could it be the same?’
‘Her Master was clearly a monster of rationality. The more one understood her, the more one realized they couldn’t even see the tip of the iceberg.’
‘How could such a person be cooped up in a small Mystic Sky Sword Sect, teaching people who only knew how to cultivate?’
At this point, Tang Qiaohuan had a grand idea, but this idea had a small obstacle.
‘Her Master was always restraining herself. To realize this idea, she had to make her Master take this small step.’
Tang Qiaohuan had a little scheme.
‘Eh? As long as I become the guide and constantly lead her to step beyond her boundaries, wouldn’t that work?’
‘But taking too big a step would definitely not work; it had to be done step by step.’
‘Let’s start by having Master break her precepts. As the saying goes, even heroes find it hard to resist a beauty’s charm. Corruption often begins to spread from small places.’