A Tangled Web Unraveled

Before the stone cave, Shangguan Zhi’s divine sense subtly spread out. She saw soft moonlight, like a delicate veil, filter through the rock crevices and spill onto the wide stone bed. Inside the cave, candlelight flickered, casting mottled shadows on the walls.

Mu Xi’s face was flushed, her disheveled hair fanned out as she lay sprawled over Zhang Xiaocha’s lower abdomen. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, Mu Xi’s waterfall-like hair cascading down the side of the bed.

Her lips parted slightly, a soft sigh escaping them like a fragrant orchid. “Bingning, why aren’t you saying anything, ah~”

“Mmm~”

…

Periodically, she would lick Zhang Xiaocha’s skin, as white as mutton-fat jade. The glistening moisture at the corner of her lips shone exceptionally bright under the silver moonlight.

Shangguan Zhi’s pupils abruptly contracted. Her fingertips unconsciously clutched the hem of her skirt.

She sharply drew in a cold breath. “Hiss—”

“This…”

“Zhang Xiaocha’s figure is actually so voluptuous! This Sect Master never noticed!” Her throat bobbed lightly, as faint sounds of the bedchamber echoed in her ears. “Bingning, you smell so good, ah~”

“Mmhmm~”

…

Her breathing grew ragged and chaotic, and a hint of desire flickered in her eyes. Her fingertips involuntarily yearned to part her skirt and explore within, but she abruptly snapped back to reality.

Her beautiful eyes widened like brass bells, her face filled with disbelief as she blurted out, “Bingning?!”

Wait…

Wasn’t the person beneath Mu Xi clearly Zhang Xiaocha? Why was she calling out Bingning’s name?

Furthermore, hadn’t Mu Xi always been infatuated with Luo Bingning? How could she now be so intimately entangled with Zhang Xiaocha?

“Hiss—” She sharply drew in a cold breath.

‘Holy shit… the relationships between these three are a bit messy!’

Recalling her recent interaction with that girl Bingning, it was clear Bingning harbored unique feelings for Zhang Xiaocha. Yet, she also liked Mu Xi, and Mu Xi, in turn, liked Luo Bingning.

But why now… She abruptly turned her head, her gaze fixed intently on the graceful figure on the stone bed.

Yes, it was indeed Mu Xi!

But where was Luo Bingning?

Where had Luo Bingning gone? Since she and Zhang Xiaocha had disappeared together, they must have been in the same place! Did Bingning even know about this?

At this thought, Shangguan Zhi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

If she knew, it would be one thing—merely a sign of their overly complex relationships.

But if she didn’t know, then…

She numbly perceived the sensual scene within the stone cave, her pretty face instantly turning ghastly pale. She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing with difficulty.

Just then, a familiar aura emanated from not far behind her. Her pupils constricted sharply. “It’s that girl Bingning’s aura!”

With no time to spare for anything else, she swiftly set up a small sound-proofing array at the cave entrance. Designed to block divine sense prying, it muffled the moans from within the stone cave.

‘Damn it! Whether that girl Bingning knows about Mu Xi and Zhang Xiaocha or not, I have to stall her first!’

Shangguan Zhi gritted her teeth, a resolute glint flashing in her eyes. Otherwise, if Bingning truly didn’t know, and her mind shattered, leading her to do something foolish, Shangguan Zhi would have nowhere to cry later!

“Sect Master, you…”

Luo Bingning gazed at Shangguan Zhi, who stood firmly at the cave entrance, her exquisite face instantly drained of color. Her fingertips uncontrollably gripped the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white from the immense pressure.

‘How could this be…’ Her heart was filled with shock and bewilderment.

Her and Xiaocha’s physiques were unique, differing from ordinary people. The spirit jade tokens used by the Jade Maiden Sect to track disciples’ auras couldn’t detect their presence at all. Thus, it should have been impossible to trace their whereabouts using the tokens.

‘How did the Sect Master find this place?’

Glancing briefly at the Sect Master’s expression, she saw her brows tightly furrowed. Luo Bingning’s gaze darkened, and her fingers dug deeply into her palms.

‘The Sect Master must have sensed my arrival, yet she remained silent. She must be furious about me taking Xiaocha and fleeing the Jade Maiden Sect, and is undoubtedly contemplating how to punish us both…’

Shangguan Zhi’s divine sense remained spread out, closely monitoring the infatuated Mu Xi on the stone bed. ‘Not… you,’ she grumbled inwardly.

‘Why aren’t you done yet?’

‘You’re not even poisoned by an aphrodisiac! How can you not even tell the difference between Zhang Xiaocha and Luo Bingning?’

‘Do you know that the Bingning you’re calling out is right at the entrance? You’re still there, gnawing on Zhang Xiaocha’s foot! Is it really that fragrant?’ Her throat bobbed, her breathing growing more frantic.

Just as she was about to forcefully interrupt Mu Xi and bring her back to her senses, she saw Luo Bingning. Bingning’s face was ashen white, her body trembling slightly as she knelt directly before Shangguan Zhi.

“Sect Master, this disciple is guilty! I should not have privately taken Zhang Xiaocha and fled the Jade Maiden Sect…” Luo Bingning’s voice trembled uncontrollably. Listening to Shangguan Zhi’s increasingly rapid breathing, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, a chill spreading from the depths of her heart.

Overwhelmed with fear, and terrified that Shangguan Zhi would vent her anger on Zhang Xiaocha, she hastily added, “But all the fault lies with me; it has nothing to do with Zhang Xiaocha. Therefore, if the Sect Master wishes to punish, then punish me alone!”

Her eyes, filled with both resolve and supplication, were fixed on Shangguan Zhi. “Whether it’s solitary confinement, expulsion from the sect, or even the abolition of my cultivation, I will accept it willingly. But Bingning only begs you, please do not punish Zhang Xiaocha anymore. She…”

Luo Bingning’s voice choked, tears welling in her eyes. “She only has a Qi Refinement Realm cultivation. If the Soul-Striking Whip is used, Zhang Xiaocha… she truly won’t be able to bear it, she’ll die…” With that, her body leaned slightly forward, her forehead almost touching the ground, her posture utterly humble.

Shangguan Zhi: “…”

‘Alright, it’s completely over now! It seems she truly doesn’t know what’s happening inside the stone cave.’

‘As for Zhang Xiaocha dying? Ha! She wouldn’t die if I whipped her to death; I’d probably exhaust myself first! In fact, she’s currently on the stone bed, being served by Mu Xi, her face flushed and murmuring sweet nothings!’

‘Sigh, what should I do now…’

‘If I forcefully tore open space, I might be able to take Mu Xi away. But with her intelligence, she might very well guess something. Am I to sever her memories?’

‘But if too many memories are severed, it could lead to the growth of inner demons… One careless mistake could ruin Bingning’s future cultivation path.’

‘Wouldn’t that just push my retirement further away?’

She said exasperatedly, “Alright, get up! This time, I’ll let it go, and I won’t pursue the matter with Zhang Xiaocha any further!”

“However, the prerequisite is that you must lead the Jade Maiden Sect to victory in the Five Sect Grand Competition a few months from now. Otherwise…” Luo Bingning suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling with joy. “Really? You’re truly willing to forgive Xiaocha?”

Shangguan Zhi: “…”

‘I wonder if you’ll still be able to smile once you see the scene inside the stone cave.’

‘She’s even calling her Xiaocha directly now! She’s really grown up, hasn’t she! When she was little, she used to call me Big Sister Zhi, but now?’

‘She only calls me Sect Master this, Sect Master that! And to spare her little lover from punishment, she’s even willing to wander the world with her, abandoning the Jade Maiden Sect!’

Instantly, a profound sense of betrayal welled up within her. ‘You are all concubines this Sect Master painstakingly abducted from various places, yet you’re devouring each other!’

‘Damn it…’

‘This Sect Master needs to take a holiday; I won’t be Sect Master today!’ A hint of cunning swiftly flickered in her narrow eyes as she flicked a strand of spiritual energy from her fingertip, sending it towards Mu Xi in the stone cave.

She chuckled inwardly.

‘Hehehehe~ Mu Xi, oh Mu Xi, it’s going to be so entertaining when you realize the person beneath you is your most hated Zhang Xiaocha, and not Luo Bingning~’

At the same time, she glared exasperatedly at the joyful Luo Bingning. “Who said that? This Sect Master never said that!” Then she abruptly lowered her head, her pretty face rapidly enlarging in Luo Bingning’s vision as she fiercely declared, “Not only must you lead the Jade Maiden Sect to victory in the Five Sect Grand Competition, but you must also bring me that treasure of Zhang Xiaocha’s that messed up half the sect!”

“Otherwise, I’ll whip her with the Soul-Striking Whip! I’ll whip her severely! Do you hear me?”

Instantly, the smile vanished from Luo Bingning’s face without a trace, a look of disbelief replacing it. “Sect Master, you!” Her fingers clenched, digging deeply into her palms.

‘What should I do now?’

‘If it were merely winning the championship, with Xiaocha’s help, it wouldn’t be a difficult task! But to make Xiaocha hand over her treasure…’

‘How could that be possible?’

Glancing at the tightly furrowed brows of Luo Bingning, Shangguan Zhi’s lips curved upward in a wide smirk. ‘Heheheh~ That feels good!’

Her thoughts gradually drifted. ‘Once I get that treasure, I’ll immediately go to the imperial palace and abduct the Empress! I’ll get to taste the Empress’s flavor~’

“Bingning, actually, I don’t necessarily want Zhang Xiaocha’s treasure. It’s just that you know her personality; if that treasure stays with her, who knows what bigger troubles it might cause in the future! So…”

“It’s better to keep it with me for now!” she said earnestly.

“Yes! This disciple understands, thank you, Sect Master! I’ll go in and find Xiaocha now!” Luo Bingning cupped her hands in a salute, and with that, she moved to enter the stone cave.

“Huh!?” A look of astonishment appeared on Shangguan Zhi’s face.

‘No…’

‘This Sect Master hasn’t even left yet, and you’re already going to find your Xiaocha?!’

‘If I let you in there, what the hell would happen? They’re not even finished yet!’

Meanwhile,

On the stone bed, Mu Xi’s eyes were half-closed, her gaze hazy, her cheeks flushed as if intoxicated. She was greedily caressing Zhang Xiaocha’s red lips, her movements gentle yet tinged with eagerness.

From her lips, a low murmur occasionally escaped. “Mmm~”

“Bingning~”

…

Her voice was soft and lingering, filled with endless tenderness and affection.

Suddenly, a wisp of spiritual energy, like a faint plume of smoke, quietly diffused before Mu Xi. Her previously infatuated eyes gradually cleared. “Bing…”

Before the ‘ning’ left her lips, her gaze inadvertently fell upon her own body, and she was instantly struck as if by lightning. She saw herself naked, sitting atop Zhang Xiaocha’s body, their forms pressed tightly together, her own lips still deeply kissing Zhang Xiaocha’s.

Her pupils violently constricted, her eyes instantly filling with shock and indignation. “Zhang… Zhang Xiaocha?!”

In that instant, a blazing fury abruptly surged within her chest.