The Perilous Night and a Princess’s Reckoning

“Tell me, weren’t you supposed to be monitoring your area? What are you doing here, all of a sudden?”

“It’s a long night, what could possibly happen? Besides, wasn’t the biggest commotion today that a disciple nearly died this morning? I heard they were popping pills indiscriminately to win a match, only to end up suffering a qi deviation.”

“Fighting so desperately? It’s only been a few days since they entered the Hall of Clarity, and they’re already causing such a stir? At this rate, won’t the monthly assessment next month result in fatalities?”

“Bah, bah, bah, that’s bad luck, don’t say such things! But speaking of which, Senior Sister Liu, is it really alright for you to leave your post like this?”

“No problem, no problem~ With all the trouble earlier today, things are actually quite stable now; nobody dares to cause a fuss. Besides, what kind of trouble could possibly happen in the dead of night? Could someone actually die? And I’m only gone for a moment, it’s no big deal~ Anyway, quickly tell me, among the junior sisters who fought today, wasn’t there one who was exceptionally beautiful and incredibly skilled in combat?”

“Oh, your information network is quite impressive… cough cough, well, since I’m idle anyway, I suppose I can tell you all about it~”

The night deepened, black as ink.

The tranquil stillness allowed many disciples to drift into peaceful slumber, granting the surveillance personnel a rare moment of respite.

Normally, they would sit atop lotus platforms, meticulously observing every move of the disciples throughout the month.

Had it not been for the incident tonight, which even summoned Pavilion Master Xian away, they would never have had such an opportunity for a clandestine chat.

‘What else could possibly happen, anyway?’

Yet, they remained oblivious to the earth-shattering events currently unfolding within a small detached courtyard in the Class B disciple dormitories.

A certain man had appeared.

In that instant, Ji Xue was utterly stunned, her initial stupor morphing into sheer terror as she repeatedly recoiled.

“You… you, you’re a man?!”

“You—!”

Ji Xue’s voice abruptly rose, the tail end of her words involuntarily laced with genuine terror.

Her body’s instincts outpaced her thoughts, and she fiercely tried to scramble away from beneath Lin Mo.

She instinctively clutched at her chest.

A torrent of shame and indignation surged through her.

‘She, a dignified pearl, her precious, invaluable form, had actually… actually been seen completely by a man?!’

‘And… and she had even been touched!’

This thought seared itself into the depths of her soul like a scorching brand.

Humiliation and shame erupted within her like molten lava.

She abruptly hunched over, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, as if desperate to conceal every inch of skin that had just been grazed by his gaze.

Her pale, slender fingers clenched her nightclothes, straining with such force that her knuckles turned white.

She even wished she could tear off her own skin and replace it with a new layer!

While she harbored no prejudice against men, it certainly didn’t mean a man could simply gaze upon… her beautiful, graceful body with such casual disregard!

Her body—a vessel of imperial blood, cherished and protected since childhood—this supreme form, how could it permit any man such desecration?!

Nor did it mean… he could be so depraved! To deceive the world by posing as a woman, infiltrate this sacred land of pure cultivation, and even… share a room with her!

Such an act transcended mere shamelessness.

“Pervert…”

“Despicable!!”

She squeezed these two words through gritted teeth, sharp and cold as if dipped in poison.

Yet, she couldn’t suppress the whimper that threatened to shatter the dam of her rationality in that instant.

Her eyes, at this moment, blazed with towering fury and bottomless humiliation.

Her pupils trembled slightly with intense emotion as she stared fixedly at Lin Mo.

In that moment, Ji Xue yearned to slay Lin Mo with a single sword stroke!

She activated her cultivation technique, mimicking his movements to gather spiritual energy into her fist.

Subconsciously recalling Lin Mo’s teachings, she slammed a heavy punch directly onto Lin Mo’s temple!

Yet, it failed to budge him! Upon closer inspection, she saw a faint, almost imperceptible film of light… had defended against her strike!

Despite her furious effort, the hastily condensed spiritual energy in her punch had failed… to inflict even the slightest damage!

Instead, it only made Lin Mo’s gaze even more terrifying!

At that moment, she felt like a fish on a chopping block, utterly at his mercy.

‘Her purity… surely it wasn’t… about to be…’

Lin Mo let out a low growl, driven by surging primal instinct!

That monstrous pillar, now under Ji Xue’s horrified gaze, slowly drew closer!

Lin Mo’s hand, at last, slowly reached for Ji Xue’s final defense!

Ji Xue found herself unable to resist.

Lin Mo surpassed her significantly in both strength and physical prowess.

‘Was she to surrender without a fight? No! Impossible! Even if she were to die… she would absolutely never let this beast succeed!’

Just as she was on the verge of choosing annihilation over dishonor!

Lin Mo suddenly let out another low growl!

The hand that had been poised to tear away her last bastion of defense—with a sudden, forceful motion—swung a punch directly at Lin Mo himself!

‘What?!’

The punch was merciless, even infused with spiritual energy!

Lin Mo was sent flying backward, smashing into the nearby table and chairs.

“Quick… quickly escape… I… I don’t know what… what’s wrong with me…”

Lin Mo, his robes disheveled, his voice trembling and laced with a hint of wild delirium, seemed trapped in a profound internal struggle.

Ji Xue had no time for such thoughts! She simply wanted to flee immediately!

Clasping her chest, she instantly scrambled off the bed.

“Help! Someone—” Ji Xue cried out as she got off the bed.

However, as soon as her feet touched the floor, she stepped on something, her foot slipped, and she landed heavily on her backside!

This was no time to dwell on the pain; fear instantly overwhelmed Ji Xue.

Yet, just as she tried to get up, she noticed what had caused her to slip—

A white porcelain bottle, labeled “Azure Wave Spirit Gathering Pill.”

‘The Azure Wave Spirit Gathering Pill?’

This item… instantly bewildered Ji Xue!

This concoction, though ostensibly a Spirit Gathering Pill, was in reality also an aphrodisiac, if one were to consider its true properties beyond its deceiving name.

Its spirit-gathering effect was a hundredfold! However, it absolutely couldn’t be consumed all at once!

If it was, one’s desires would multiply exponentially! It was said that… they would transform into a mere shell, thinking only of “that.”

Ji Xue once heard of a heinous incident that occurred within the imperial dynasty.

Due to its extremely vile impact, the implicated nobles were thoroughly investigated and severely punished by imperial decree.

In that incident, a group of noblewomen, for their own amusement and to humiliate men, forced male servants to consume a potent elixir.

After ingesting the powerful pill, the male servants descended into a frenzy, fighting amongst themselves… even dogs were not spared…

Ultimately, with nowhere to vent the drug’s immense power, all the male servants exploded.

These noblewomen actually turned this into a game, organizing underground gambling rings, placing bets on… whose male servant would survive the longest.

This act led to a massive abduction of men across the nation, eventually… attracting the attention of the imperial court.

‘This fool… surely he didn’t consume all of them, did he?!’

‘Wait… no…’

Ji Xue recalled, it seemed… it seemed as though… she was the one responsible?

‘She had groggily woken up, seeing Lin Mo looking at something in the bottle.’

‘Then a mouthful of liquid had poured out, which Lin Mo caught with his mouth, seemingly trying to… spit back into the bottle?’

‘But then her playful side took over… she wanted to scare him…’

‘And she patted him…’

‘Then… wasn’t she the one who caused this?!’

‘Moreover, after consuming a large amount of this pill, one would typically… lose all rationality, driven solely by “desire,” and even for the sake of release, if met with strong resistance, would directly kill to achieve peace…’

‘A chill instantly ran through her heart at this thought…’

‘But she hadn’t died…’

‘Nor had Lin Mo intended to rob her of her purity… he was even able to regain… some rationality to allow her to escape?’

‘He must be in great pain, because due to the pill’s spirit-gathering efficiency, absorbing spiritual energy a hundredfold… would temporarily heighten all his senses…’

‘No, no! This wasn’t the time to give in!’

‘She had to run, quickly!’

‘Her purity couldn’t possibly be————’

‘Forget how he infiltrated the Xuan Nv Sect for now, forget how he managed to… deceive the Sect Master and the sect’s grand formation. Right now————’

‘The Sect Master…’

‘The sect’s grand formation…?’

‘He hadn’t been eliminated… did the Sect Master know about this?’

‘If the Sect Master knew, what about the others?’

‘Being able to reside in the dormitories… did that mean… only the Sect Master knew?’

‘A peerless spiritual root…’

‘Endowed with extraordinary talent…’

‘Possessing formidable strength and a sharp mind…’

‘And he was a man who had infiltrated the Xuan Nv Sect…’

‘What kind of leverage could possibly be more important than this?’

‘With this leverage, did it mean… the Sect Master… would have no choice but to… obey her?’

‘Did it mean… by knowing this secret, she could gain a… highly loyal subordinate?’

‘And even the Sect Master of an entire sect could be compelled to cooperate with her?’

‘Purity?’

‘She was an imperial princess; she was ultimately destined to be a tool for political marriage, wed to someone she didn’t know.’

‘Her purity would be lost sooner or later.’

‘Why… not give it to this promising individual?’

‘This man, who could pass the Xuan Nv Sect’s tests—a man whom even the Xuan Nv Sect, a sect that abhorred men, had been forced to accept as a disciple.’

‘One must remember, if a man were to be tested by the Xuan Nv Sect’s testing stone, it would only yield a very low evaluation, or even none at all.’

‘If he could even cause a celestial phenomenon when tested by the Xuan Nv Sect’s testing stone… how powerful would he be in the future?’

‘Should she exchange her purity… for this?’

‘Using this leverage…’

‘To gain a powerful subordinate, and the Sect Master of the Xuan Nv Sect.’

‘Was it worth it?’