The Price of Deceit and a Madwoman’s Obsession

“Because… because I am the hope of the Shadow Sect, I cannot leave it.”

“Master still hopes that I can carry forward the Shadow Sect and restore its glory, Miss Yao.”

Lin Xingjian’s words were earnest, his gaze fixed intently on Yao Qing’er, hoping to find a hint of understanding and pity in her eyes.

“Oh? What does that have to do with me?”

Yao Qing’er’s tone was utterly indifferent.

The young woman’s expression remained aloof as her slender, jade-like fingers idly twirled.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xingjian felt his blood surge, nearly spitting out a mouthful of it.

“If that’s the case, why bother asking, young lady?”

Lin Xingjian couldn’t help but blurt out, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“How amusing.”

“Just like you once toyed with me, deceiving my affections.”

Yao Qing’er’s lips curved into a faint, enigmatic smile as she slowly replied.

Lin Xingjian was momentarily speechless.

After a brief silence, he offered another sincere apology.

“Miss Yao, I am deeply remorseful.”

“I’ve made myself quite clear; this was my mission. If you seek revenge, I urge you to find my employer.”

At this moment, he harbored only one thought: to sever all ties with Yao Qing’er as swiftly as possible.

“I have no interest in anyone else; at this moment, I am only interested in you.”

“Tell me, what is your true name? And where is your Shadow Sect located?”

“If you don’t… hmph hmph.”

Yao Qing’er leaned slightly forward, awaiting Lin Xingjian’s response.

Her eyes gleamed with a mix of eagerness and greed, intent on holding his entire being in the palm of her hand.

Cold sweat poured down Lin Xingjian’s face, large beads rolling from his forehead.

While his own name was insignificant, the location of the Shadow Sect was an absolute taboo, not a single detail of which could ever be revealed.

A fierce internal struggle raged within him.

On one hand, the rules of the Shadow Sect forbade him from uttering a single word.

On the other, Yao Qing’er’s threat hung over him like a suspended blade, poised to fall at any moment.

Lin Xingjian gritted his teeth and concocted a string of lies for Yao Qing’er.

Evidently, Yao Qing’er remained skeptical, not entirely convinced by his words.

“You still don’t understand, do you? I hold all the power now.”

“If you don’t cooperate, I have countless ways to make you speak.”

Yao Qing’er’s voice suddenly turned cold and sharp, imbued with a bone-chilling frost.

A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes, a resolute determination to achieve her aims no matter the cost.

“Miss Yao, I…”

Lin Xingjian had just begun to speak.

With swift precision, Yao Qing’er popped a pill directly into his mouth.

As the pill neared his lips, Lin Xingjian instinctively clamped his jaw shut, attempting to ward off the unknown danger.

The moment it entered his mouth, the pill rapidly dissolved, transforming into a powder that mixed with his saliva and seeped into his body.

“This is my latest Truth-Telling Pill (TL Note: A pill that compels the user to speak the truth). Once its effects take hold, you’ll likely reveal even your most secret affairs to me, down to the last detail.”

“Heh heh, don’t struggle, dearest.”

Yao Qing’er chuckled triumphantly, her laughter echoing in the small space, sending shivers down his spine.

Lin Xingjian attempted to circulate his spiritual energy to expel the pill, but he was bound hand and foot, rendering him unable to perform even the most basic movements.

A look of despair settled on his face, leaving him no choice but to persevere with sheer willpower.

He clenched his jaw, cold sweat beading on his forehead, large drops trickling down his cheeks and dampening his collar.

Facing the barrage of questions from Yao Qing’er, he refused to answer any, holding firm to a single, unwavering conviction: he would never betray the Shadow Sect.

Fortunately, he had previously acquired the Minor Poison Resistance ability.

Had it merely been nascent poison resistance, he truly might not have been able to withstand Yao Qing’er’s pill.

Ultimately, despite feeding Lin Xingjian five Truth-Telling Pills, Yao Qing’er only managed to extract his true name, gaining nothing else.

“Lin Xingjian, a fine name.”

“I never imagined Shadow Sect cultivators could be so formidable. The Truth-Telling Pills I concoct are a hundred times more potent than those on the market, yet five doses had no effect on you.”

A flicker of surprise and admiration crossed Yao Qing’er’s eyes, her tone tinged with praise.

“I appreciate your compliment, Miss.”

Lin Xingjian gasped for breath, his voice weak and hoarse.

Having endured the Truth-Telling Pills, his breathing was shallow, his mind in a daze, all his strength utterly depleted in this contest of wills.

“Dare I ask, Miss Yao, is all this merely to exact revenge upon me?”

“Revenge upon you?”

“How could it be? I merely wish to keep you by my side.”

“I truly love you, Lin Xingjian. I told you, you’ve stolen my heart, and I cannot live without you.”

Her eyes gleamed with a mix of infatuation and madness, utterly lost in the romantic fantasy she had woven for herself.

“Miss Yao, please calm yourself.”

“All of that was merely my acting, entirely an illusion…”

Before Lin Xingjian could finish, Yao Qing’er interrupted, “There was no acting, no illusion. Existence itself is reason.”

Her tone was firm and resolute, as if defending the truth in her heart.

Lin Xingjian was speechless.

Is she trying to debate me? Is she from the Confucian path?

“If everything is false, then just act for a lifetime.”

“As long as you act for a lifetime, it will become real. You truly love me, and I truly love you.”

“Come, Lin Xingjian, besides you, there’s no one else to test the pills I concoct. I cannot be without you.”

‘Are you trying to make me your human poison-testing tool?’

Lin Xingjian’s mouth twitched, a surge of anger and helplessness rising within him.

Yao Qing’er’s expression grew increasingly bizarre, her eyes revealing a strange, hollow void that threatened to pull one’s gaze inward, trapping them irrevocably.

“Hmph.”

“Miss Yao, I believe our time is nearly up.”

Suddenly, Lin Xingjian spoke in a cold, rational tone, as if his earlier panic had been nothing but a facade.

His gaze instantly sharpened, becoming resolute, as though he had transformed into a different person.

Yao Qing’er’s body stiffened, her pupils dilating as a flicker of surprise and alarm crossed her face.

As if comprehending something, she hastily reached into her sleeve, intending to retrieve a concocted powder.

Faster than words could convey, Lin Xingjian had already broken through his restraints.

Indeed.

This was the power of the Bone Shrinking Art (TL Note: A martial art that allows one to shrink and expand their bones).

The Bone Shrinking Art not only allowed one to reduce the size of their bones but also strengthened them.

With Lin Xingjian’s Qi Condensation stage cultivation, breaking free from the shackles was effortless.

His body moved like an agile leopard, swiftly breaking free from the ropes’ confines and seizing Yao Qing’er’s arm.

Pill cultivators were not proficient in combat, so once Lin Xingjian broke free, apprehending Yao Qing’er required no effort at all.

A flicker of panic crossed Yao Qing’er’s face as she was captured in turn, but her eyes quickly settled, becoming as calm as water, even showing a hint of amusement, completely unafraid of Lin Xingjian.

“As expected, you are simply too perfect!”

“I distinctly remember making you swallow over a dozen types of pills before you fainted, yet you developed an immunity in mere moments. I like you even more now!”

“Madwoman!”

Lin Xingjian spat at Yao Qing’er.

At this moment, he finally understood that Yao Qing’er’s mind was, to some extent, unhinged.

“Dearest, what do you intend to do with me? My identity has already been exposed to you, and your Shadow Sect would hardly resort to murder to silence me, would it?”

“Oh, I’m so scared.”

Yao Qing’er feigned fear, her voice laced with mockery.

“Tsk.”

“You are the illegitimate daughter of the Pill Sect’s Sect Master, and furthermore… I was at fault first in this matter.”

“Miss Yao, our paths diverge. We shall never meet again!”

Yao Qing’er’s body trembled.

Just as she was about to struggle, she realized the sensation of being held captive had vanished.

When she turned to look, Lin Xingjian was nowhere to be seen.

“Lin Xingjian, come back!”

“You faithless scoundrel, how dare you abandon me? Do you even know who I am?!”

Yao Qing’er screamed at the empty air around her, her voice echoing through the deserted room, filled with anger and indignation.

Lin Xingjian had already vanished hundreds of meters away, using the Shadow Sect’s unique techniques.

His figure disappeared like a phantom into the darkness, far beyond the pursuit of a mere Pill Sect cultivator.

Yao Qing’er immediately felt all strength drain from her, collapsing onto the floor.

She recalled how Lin Xingjian had once been so good to her, without a single complaint…

‘I was truly too careless.

Knowing he was a Shadow Cultivator, I should have been far more cautious… I should have crippled him directly back then.

Why did I go soft?’

“Good, very good!”

“Lin Xingjian, is it? No matter, I will certainly investigate thoroughly.

Since I already know your appearance and name, you cannot escape my grasp.”

“The next time I capture you… I will ensure you have no chance of escape.”

In the room, the woman let out a strange, cackling laugh, like a soul-reaping imp crawling from hell, utterly spine-chilling.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Lin Xingjian dared not rest, soaring across rooftops for over a thousand meters without pause.

His figure, a black lightning bolt under the moonlight, was swift and agile.

Finally stopping, he tossed the man from his back, then immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Damn it, this injury is no light matter.”

“The pill poison Yao Qing’er left behind is truly formidable; even I can’t expel it all at once, and strenuous activity only exacerbates the backlash.

It’s truly terrifying.”

His face was as pale as paper, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, his eyes revealing a mix of weariness and pain.

Lin Xingjian had failed to completely purge the pill poison.

Fortunately, it was Yao Qing’er’s first time imprisoning someone, leading to numerous mistakes and a lack of experience that offered Lin Xingjian, a seasoned professional, too many openings.

Not only did Lin Xingjian successfully escape, but he also discovered his employer, who had been imprisoned in the adjacent cell.

Adhering to his professional ethics, he rescued the client as well.

“Hey, wake up! Wake up, boss.”

Lin Xingjian patted the man, his voice tinged with urgency and concern.

The man was unharmed and hadn’t been tormented by Yao Qing’er; he had simply fainted.

Upon waking, the man was scared out of his wits.

He declared that he would, from then on, become a quiet scholar of the Confucian Sect and never again provoke women of the Pill Sect.

While the client held some influence within the Pill Sect, facing the illegitimate daughter of the Pill Sect’s Sect Master left him with unspoken grievances.

He could only silently pray that Yao Qing’er wouldn’t seek revenge against him.

Before parting ways, the man, grateful for Lin Xingjian’s life-saving grace, not only paid the agreed-upon reward but also offered an additional two hundred spirit stones as a gift.

Upon receiving the notification of the spirit stones’ transfer, Lin Xingjian contentedly withdrew the dagger from the man’s throat and, with a clear conscience, vanished into the shadows.

This mission was a failure, and the system would certainly not grant him any rewards.

These tasks were, after all, not considered official Shadow Sect missions.

What Shadow Sect mission would ever involve a Shadow Sect cultivator helping someone pursue a fairy?

Lin Xingjian was astute enough not to ask the system about rewards.

However… the thought of his failure filled him with indignation.

Damn the Pill Sect; he would never come here again!