The Rebel’s Room

“!!”

Thankfully, Su Wanqing reacted quickly. Taking advantage of the moment Chen Xueli was forced to tilt her head back from the brow strike, she grabbed a blanket to cover her front.

Fortunately, Chen Xueli didn’t see anything she shouldn’t have, or Su Wanqing would’ve died with regrets.

“Mas… Master… I…”

Su Wanqing’s spell was undeniably effective, snapping Chen Xueli out of her irrational state with a single touch.

Holding her master’s dudou, she hadn’t fully processed what happened, but seeing Su Wanqing’s expression, she knew she’d gone too far.

“Get out! Scram!”

Tears glimmered in Su Wanqing’s eyes as she gritted her teeth in fury, her voice sharp as she drove her rebellious disciple out.

This time, Chen Xueli didn’t cling to her usual shamelessness, obediently retreating…

“Ah!”

The dream ended here. Three days had passed since the incident.

Yet every time Su Wanqing rested, she still dreamt of the humiliating moment her undergarments were torn off.

The next day, Chen Xueli left early for Xiangping Town, where the demon troubles plagued Heavenly Sword Pavilion.

Three days of peace left Su Wanqing feeling refreshed.

Without that rebel, no one disturbed her.

“…”

Rising from bed, Su Wanqing brewed a pot of tea, savoring its fragrance, instantly feeling revitalized.

The tea and teaware weren’t her old favorites—those carried too much trauma, prompting her to switch to a new flavor.

Though less robust than her previous choice, this one had a floral note, a decent substitute.

Gazing at the fine weather outside, Su Wanqing’s heart remained heavy.

“Tomorrow’s the departure.”

As expected, the Heavenly Dao had made corrections—or so she believed.

Yesterday, she received orders from Sect Leader Jiang Yi.

[She was to head to Xiangping Town to discuss critical matters with an elder emissary from the Red Embroidery Sect, details undisclosed, requiring a face-to-face meeting.]

“Sigh—”

The thought gave Su Wanqing a headache. She knew the “critical matter” was secretly eliminating a Golden Core-stage fox demon.

The original novel described the mission involving twelve disciples, all injured, with three dead and two gravely wounded.

The intelligence was flawed—supposedly minor Qi Refining demons, but they targeted a Golden Core fox demon instead.

With a leading elder, the losses shouldn’t have been so heavy, but in the original plot, that elder was Su Wanqing, controlled by Chen Xueli as a puppet.

After the mission’s failure, she was punished by the sect leader for negligence.

Though the failure wasn’t her fault, as the leading elder, she bore the blame.

Punishment was inevitable to appease the sect.

Thankfully, she wasn’t the leading elder this time, or she’d have taken the fall unjustly.

The fox demon wreaked havoc due to the Red Embroidery Sect’s oversight, so their emissary came to join forces for its elimination.

The matter wasn’t glorious—if word spread, it’d damage their reputation, so it had to stay secret.

To silence Heavenly Sword Pavilion, they offered substantial benefits.

During the mission, Chen Xueli was seriously injured—not from the demon but from an accident while seeking a key inheritance item.

Coincidentally, her injury spared her the sect leader’s suspicion.

“Sigh—!”

Su Wanqing sighed deeply, feeling profound powerlessness, hoping only for a smooth and safe trip.

If possible, she’d prepare a grand “gift” for that one.

Since the Heavenly Dao couldn’t touch heroines like Chen Xueli, and it was so keen on fixing the plot, she’d defy it!

It’d be revenge for her years of wasted effort.

At worst, she’d die—but tripping up that one would be a tale to boast about in the underworld for lifetimes.

Besides, with Chen Xueli’s current obsession, the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t let her die easily.

In the original novel, Chen Xueli pursued immortality ruthlessly but never aimed to destroy the world.

Now, things were different. If something happened to Su Wanqing, who knew if that mad girl would plunge the world into irreparable chaos?

“Hmph—”

Thinking this, Su Wanqing smirked smugly. A silver lining, perhaps?

At least her life was somewhat secure.

“Let’s go.”

Clear-headed, Su Wanqing strode out of her room without regard for appearances, heading toward Chen Xueli’s quarters.

With Qiongxiao Peak empty save for her, why bother with decorum?

Her goal was to find her transmission token!

She hoped Chen Xueli hadn’t taken it, or she’d have to ask the sect leader for a new one—a major hassle.

A transmission token was essential outside; it could be a lifeline in trouble.

But hers was with Chen Xueli, and their conflict meant she hadn’t retrieved it before her disciple left.

With no choice, she pinned her hopes on finding it here.

“It’s surprisingly tidy.”

Chen Xueli’s room wasn’t the mess Su Wanqing imagined—just an ordinary person’s space.

At first glance, there were no strange tools for “discipline” or humiliation.

Yes, Chen Xueli’s image in Su Wanqing’s mind was that deplorable, forming a warped stereotype.

“Meow~”

A cat’s meow caught her attention—a tricolored kitten being raised.

Su Wanqing recognized it, a stray from Qiongxiao Peak.

“Nini?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Nini” was the name she’d given the kitten. She picked it up, and it didn’t resist, clearly accustomed to her.

“Been a while, hasn’t it?”

“You’re being raised by her?”

Stroking the little tricolor, Su Wanqing felt a pleasant surprise.

She’d thought something happened to it, never expecting to find it in Chen Xueli’s room.

Seeing supplies prepared for the cat—enough for a week—Su Wanqing’s view of Chen Xueli improved slightly.

She’d once considered adopting Nini but left it to roam to avoid revealing her charm.

Who’d have thought her disciple would take in a pet?

With her personality, shouldn’t she be treating people as pets?

To have such compassion to adopt an animal?

Perhaps Chen Xueli wasn’t as extreme as she thought—maybe there was hope for her…

A seed was planted in Su Wanqing’s heart, one that would later be the main reason for her “losing both the wife and the army.”

Unbeknownst to her, Chen Xueli’s nature was utterly irredeemable.

Adopting the kitten was merely because her master liked it, a tool to please her.

“Alright, go play. I have things to do.”

Savoring the cat’s softness, Su Wanqing remembered her task.

After careful, thorough searching, she found a white jade token, imbued with her spiritual energy.

“Found it!”

“Thank goodness she didn’t take it!”

“And, surprisingly, nothing weird.”

To her surprise, even after searching, she found no strange items, leaving her oddly disappointed.

Was it the lack of evidence against her disciple?

Or had Chen Xueli’s “training” awakened something strange in her?

Su Wanqing shook her head vigorously, but her thoughts swirled, washing over her heart.

Why the disappointment?

Was… she becoming strange?