When Love Runs Deep

And so, after a full quarter-hour, accompanied by several crisp smack sounds, Su Wanqing surrendered completely.

There was no more room left for resistance.

This time, both her body and her spirit had suffered catastrophic humiliation.

It was simply too mortifying.

If word of this ever got out… how could she ever show her face again?

Then again, she quickly realized that literally anything that happened between them, no matter which incident, would ruin her reputation forever if it leaked.

“Wuu…”

Su Wanqing lay prone on the bed, hugging a pillow over her burning face, letting out muffled sobs.

She wasn’t choosing to lie on her stomach; she literally couldn’t lie on her back right now. It hurt!

So embarrassing!

To think she’d actually been spanked on the butt by her own disciple…

This was…

Far more humiliating than anything else!

At this moment, Su Wanqing almost wished Chen Xueli had just taken her purity instead!

That would’ve been less shameful than this!

Just now, she had been forcibly pulled over her disciple’s lap. No amount of struggling had helped.

The current gap in strength was absolute.

If Chen Xueli was prepared, Su Wanqing had zero chance of resisting.

Now she truly understood how terrifying her disciple’s progress had been.

There was almost nothing left she could teach her as a master.

The physical pain of each slap had been bad, but the psychological damage was a hundred times worse!

And the absolute worst, most mortifying part:

She had broken and begged for mercy after only two hits.

That wasn’t like her at all!

Even thinking back on the exaggerated cries she’d let out made her want to die.

Anyone eavesdropping would’ve assumed something entirely different was happening in here.

No wonder Chen Xueli’s face had been bright red afterward; she’d clearly been holding herself back too.

If you can’t control yourself, then stop!

Why did you have to keep going until it swelled?!

Damn it.

Golden Core cultivators healed quickly, but it would still take a day or two for the swelling to go down.

How was she supposed to face Little Yuer tomorrow?!

What if the girl asked?

Was she supposed to admit, “Your senior sister did this”?

“Hmph—”

Su Wanqing stealthily peeked at the disciple beside her, only to find Chen Xueli already looking at her.

Their eyes met for a moment—then Su Wanqing broke contact with a cold huff.

“Uh…”

Chen Xueli actually felt a little regretful.

Who could’ve predicted Master’s voice and reactions would be that… intense?

It had been torture for her too.

If she hadn’t been too proud to stop, she would’ve quit much earlier.

Looking at the hand that had just spanked her master, Chen Xueli couldn’t help sighing at the memory of that softness.

Truly addictive.

But she also realized: with her current strength, she no longer needed drugs to subdue Master.

If she wanted to play rough, she could pin her down right here and now and make her enjoy it.

Who knew breaking through to Golden Core came with such perks?

“Right, you still haven’t told me—what exactly happened with that tribulation?”

After a long silence, Su Wanqing finally overcame her shame and asked the question that had been gnawing at her.

“It wasn’t a big deal. Just… twice as strong as we estimated.”

“What?!”

Su Wanqing forgot the pain and shot upright in shock.

“Hiss—”

The motion made her instantly flop back down, face twisted.

She didn’t bury it in the pillow this time, though. She turned to stare at Chen Xueli.

“Twice as strong as we predicted?”

“That’s the level of a heaven-jealous Nascent Soul tribulation!”

“Forget Golden Core—even most Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t survive that!”

“You were only late Foundation Establishment—how did you live?!”

Hearing that the lightning Chen Xueli endured was on the level of a supreme genius breaking through to Nascent Soul, Su Wanqing forgot all about their earlier conflict.

If she had faced that kind of tribulation, she’d be ashes right now.

How had this girl survived it at Foundation Establishment?

Even with demonic arts, enduring a Nascent Soul tribulation with a Foundation Establishment body should’ve been impossible.

In the original novel, Chen Xueli’s tribulation hadn’t been nearly this exaggerated.

Was this… because she had changed the plot?

For the first time, Su Wanqing began to doubt whether altering the story was truly safe…

But Chen Xueli’s talent was heaven-defying to begin with.

If anyone could do it, it was probably her…

“I really thought I was going to die. But the whole time, all I could think about was Master. Even at the brink of having my soul scattered, I held on.”

“Was the location hidden well?”

“No one came to investigate?”

“Of course not. In this region, Nascent Soul is the ceiling. A tribulation of that level? No one would dare approach.”

“But I’m glad I survived. Otherwise I really would’ve handed you over to that little brat and that exhibitionist fox.”

“Little brat” = Ning Yuer. “Exhibitionist = Shen Xianyue.

“I only remember Master’s face in my mind. I was one step from having my soul destroyed, but I pulled through. All thanks to this.”

“It’s basically my life-saving talisman now.”

With a soft laugh, she pulled out a tattered cloth doll.

The very first gift Su Wanqing had ever sewn for her.

It was badly damaged now, large parts burned or torn.

“It’s all because of me…”

Looking at the doll, Su Wanqing’s eyes gradually lost focus.

The two gazed at each other.

The atmosphere grew strange, heavy with unspoken feelings.

Just as they teetered on the edge of falling completely—

Bzzz—

Chen Xueli’s transmission token vibrated.

Su Wanqing: “!”

Chen Xueli: “?”

Su Wanqing instantly snapped out of it.

She snatched the doll from Chen Xueli’s hand, turned her face away in embarrassment, and muttered:

“H-hurry and answer it…”

“Fine.”

Chen Xueli answered with extreme reluctance.

Damn it, just a little more and Master would’ve let her in deeper.

“Yes, got it.”

“Master, the sect leader wants me. I’ll head out first.”

“Go on. I’ll have it mended by tomorrow.”

Su Wanqing knew her little secret had already been discovered, so she didn’t bother hiding it.

She had sewn the doll herself, of course she could fix it.

“Mm.”

Chen Xueli turned to leave, but paused at the door with a teasing grin:

“When I get back, remember to give me a kiss on your own initiative. Otherwise, your disciple will have to punish you again~”

“Utterly outrageous!”

Su Wanqing grumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket over herself, waiting for her disciple to return.

She suddenly had a very clear realization:

Neither Chen Xueli nor Ning Yuer were people she could control anymore.

Or even safely stay beside.

Both of her disciples were growing and changing at terrifying speeds.

Chen Xueli was still within the realm of understanding; she could at least feel the pace of her growth.

But Ning Yuer?

In just one short month, the girl had already transformed this much.

Even her personality was slowly drifting toward the original novel’s black-bellied heroine.

Despite all her guidance, the darkness was still creeping in…

Su Wanqing buried her face in the pillow.

For the first time, she felt that the future was completely out of her hands.

These two little monsters she had raised…

Were going to devour her whole one day.