Truly “Baring Heart and Soul”

Amid the misty rain and ceaseless spring breeze, Su Wanqing jolted awake in her chamber, having been unconscious for nearly a day and a night.

“No! Don’t touch there!”

Clutching the blanket, she gasped heavily, as if roused from a nightmare too dreadful to name.

“Hiss—”

Perhaps due to just waking from her coma, Su Wanqing sat up only to feel her head splitting, her body’s strength barely restored.

Glancing around at the familiar surroundings—not some rebellious disciple’s room—she finally exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness it was all just a dream.

Otherwise, she’d surely have been ruined.

“Why does my head hurt so much?”

Gradually coming to, Su Wanqing held her forehead, muttering to herself as she got out of bed.

For reasons unknown, her first act was to approach the mirror she usually loathed and feared.

Gazing at the breathtaking celestial maiden in a thin robe, her hair cascading loosely, she fell into a trance.

After all these years, she still couldn’t adjust to this body.

It shouldn’t matter, yet it filled her with inexplicable shame.

“Hm?”

Noticing a faint reddish-purple mark on her neck, her heart skipped a beat, an ominous premonition rising.

“Tch—”

As expected, pulling back her collar to reveal the undergarments beneath her robe, she saw the marks multiply, spreading to her shoulders and collarbone.

At this sight, Su Wanqing knew not everything was a dream. Touching her forehead, she briefly recalled the events.

She deduced that the strange third-person perspectives were likely from the dream.

But the first-person humiliations at her disciple’s hands? Those were real.

The thought made her head throb again—the plot had veered so drastically, it was nearly irreversible.

She had planned everything so carefully, yet at the least likely point, it all went wrong.

She had every reason to suspect this world’s Heavenly Dao held a personal grudge, targeting her at every turn.

She had already yielded, yet everything still spiraled into chaos.

Su Wanqing stood before the mirror, lost in thought for who knows how long.

Only when footsteps sounded outside did her heart lurch with a panicked “Oh no!” as she scrambled back to bed, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket for protection.

“You’re awake?”

As expected, it was none other than the rebellious disciple who had “rushed her master” and even aimed to “ride” her—Chen Xueli!

Just like yesterday, she carried a tray with Su Wanqing’s beloved tea set, the teapot steaming with freshly brewed tea.

Su Wanqing knew, in her current state, resisting this disciple was impossible.

Leaving aside the two gu poisons in her body, their strength alone told the story.

Though Chen Xueli hadn’t reached the Golden Core stage, as the villainess with a heaven-defying demonic inheritance, she surely had the power to fight above her level.

Seeing Su Wanqing tightly wrapped in her blanket, wary and guarded, Chen Xueli froze for a moment, caught off guard.

“What are you doing?”
“Can a Golden Core cultivator catch a cold?”

“Get out! Get out of here!”

With their relationship now in tatters, how could Su Wanqing give her a kind face?

She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her disciple without hesitation.

Though caught off guard, Chen Xueli’s agility made dodging effortless.

“Don’t be so tempestuous.”
“Aren’t you afraid of breaking your precious tea set?”

“It’s already tainted—how could I use it again?!”
“Take it if you want it, or I’ll smash it!”

At this, Su Wanqing lost her composure. The pillow wasn’t aimed at Chen Xueli—it was meant for the tea set.

Unable to destroy it herself, this was her only way.

That tea set, crafted from Hetian red jade at great expense, was her treasure—breaking it would hurt, no question.

Su Wanqing knew she was acting out of spite, but she couldn’t stand it. She wanted to hurl everything tied to this disciple away!

“You’re so angry you’d throw out your beloved tea set?”
“Am I really that filthy to you?”

Chen Xueli gave a helpless smile, choosing not to escalate.

Such potent drugs, if used repeatedly, could harm Su Wanqing’s body—not worth the cost.

Her actions yesterday had sated her hunger to some degree; now, it was time to “attack the heart, not just the body.”

“Hmph—”

Recalling her disciple’s outrageous behavior last night—perhaps even taking advantage of her unconsciousness—Su Wanqing felt utterly wronged.

With a cold snort, she bit her lip and denounced Chen Xueli’s vile deeds.

“Your person may not be filthy, but your heart!”
“I want to rip it out and see if it’s truly black!”

Hearing this, Chen Xueli didn’t argue. Instead of lingering at the door, she approached Su Wanqing’s bedside.

“You… what are you doing?”
“I’m warning you, you won’t get away with defying me again!”

Seeing this, Su Wanqing, who moments ago was railing against her disciple’s sins, panicked, instinctively clutching the blanket tighter, fearing another outrageous act.

To stop Chen Xueli’s advance, she threw her last pillow, but even hitting her mark was futile.

Chen Xueli silently grabbed Su Wanqing’s wrist—not roughly as expected, but gently placing her hand on her chest.

The act left Su Wanqing bewildered. She thought her words had enraged Chen Xueli, prompting retaliation.

But now…

“…What… what do you mean by this?”

“What do I mean? Can’t you see, Master?”
“If you want to know if it’s black, why not rip it out yourself?”
“As long as you do it, your disciple won’t resist.”

Chen Xueli’s calm, even her words and actions, completely blindsided Su Wanqing, as if they’d returned to their former “deep bond.”

But Su Wanqing knew that was impossible—this was just Chen Xueli’s ploy to get under her skin.

Clenching her teeth, eyes blazing, she gripped Chen Xueli’s chest harder.

She didn’t care about propriety now—her mind was consumed with vengeance against this rebel.

“You think I wouldn’t dare, you traitor?!”

“Go ahead and try, Master.”

Chen Xueli’s response remained calm, fearless, and tinged with a smile.

“…”

Unrelenting, Su Wanqing tightened her grip. A bit more force, and she might truly rip out her disciple’s heart.

But in the end, she couldn’t do it. She flung the blanket at Chen Xueli, covering her upper body entirely.

“Get out! I never want to see you again! Get out!”

“Your disciple… obeys.”

This time, Chen Xueli complied, her goal already achieved.

She picked up the scattered pillows and blanket, placed them at the bed’s head, and left without looking back.

But as she departed, a smile curled her lips—she had gotten the answer she wanted.

As expected…

“Damn it!”

Only when Chen Xueli was truly gone did Su Wanqing relax. Clutching the blanket she’d just thrown, she stared at her right hand, questioning herself.

“Why couldn’t you do it, Su Wanqing?”
“It must be because even if I tried, I’d fail—and it’d drag down the entire Heavenly Sword Pavilion. That’s it…”

“…”

Calming down, she recalled where her hand had been, and a flush of shame crept across her face.

But before she could dwell on it, the door creaked open again.

Startled, Su Wanqing guiltily hid her hand under the blanket, warily eyeing the entrance.

Could that rebellious disciple be back?!