Chapter 3: You Treat My Teacher Like This…

"No! As the master of Tiansha Palace, you set the rules yourself. How dare you even entertain such thoughts? Aren't you ashamed, Luo Jiuyan?"

Luo Jiuyan inwardly berated herself, her face flushing with a rare hint of embarrassment. She quickly lowered her gaze, only to meet Ye Shu's curious eyes.

Damn it! Was I just being stupid?

Realizing her momentary lapse, she turned away from him with calculated grace, her flowing purple-black robe accentuating the flawless contours of her back.

Ye Shu swallowed. Just looking at his master's jade-like figure could make a man finish two bowls of rice with just his eyes.

He quickly buried his head.

No! He must stay focused!

This was the infamous female demon lord who killed without blinking—his master! Who knew when her mood would shift? If she got annoyed, she could eat two of her disciples for breakfast and still have room for lunch!

Luo Jiuyan's voice was calm, yet carried an unreadable weight.

"You are indeed self-aware, recognizing the turmoil within your heart. Your teacher understands the guilt you bear."

"Uh-huh…" Ye Shu hesitated, then pressed on, his voice carrying forced determination. "Master, please let me leave the sect. I no longer have the face to stay here and face my senior sisters."

Luo Jiuyan fell into deep thought. Then, she sighed softly.

"My dear disciple, this is not your fault. It is the devil in your heart that is troubling you. Why are you so insistent on leaving?"

"But if I lose control and make an irreversible mistake, it will be too late!" Ye Shu argued, feigning desperation.

Why doesn't this old woman understand what I'm trying to say? I just want to leave!

Luo Jiuyan's starlit eyes darkened with sorrow. Slowly, she closed them, letting a cold wind pass between them before she spoke again.

"It seems your inner demon has truly taken root."

She raised her hand, beckoning him forward.

"Come closer. I will examine your body and see just how terrifying this inner demon is to shake your mind so."

Ye Shu stiffened as if struck by lightning.

Check… my body?

A shiver ran down his spine.

This is bad! If she checks me thoroughly and realizes I don't actually have an inner demon, my lie will be exposed!

And deceiving one's master… was an unforgivable crime.

Ye Shu could already picture his tragic end—his soul shattered, his body thrown off a cliff, his name erased from the records of Tiansha Palace.

"Hmm?" Luo Jiuyan's voice carried the slightest hint of displeasure.

"Do you doubt my ability?"

Ye Shu flinched.

Doubt? Of course not!

It was precisely because she was too capable that he was terrified!

"I—" He hesitated, searching for an escape.

Luo Jiuyan narrowed her eyes.

"Back then, your senior sister was plagued by an inner demon. I merely spoke a single word of truth, and she broke free of its grasp."

Ye Shu's expression twitched.

He had heard about that incident.

After his senior sister was "freed" of her inner demon, she immediately went down the mountain and slaughtered her entire family.

At that time, Ye Shu's young and fragile mind was scarred beyond repair.

So this is how the demon sect works…

Later, he learned that her family wasn't innocent either—they had abandoned her in childhood, only to shamelessly claim ties with her once she became powerful. When she refused, they even plotted to sell her to cultivators for a hefty price.

Upon discovering this, his senior sister had been consumed by rage, and her inner demon was born.

When she sought her master's guidance, Luo Jiuyan had merely spoken one word—

"Kill."

And so, his senior sister had done just that.

But none of this mattered now!

What mattered was that Ye Shu absolutely did not want her to examine his mind.

If she probed his thoughts and found no inner demon…

Wouldn't his fate be sealed?!

Just imagining it made Ye Shu's hair stand on end.

Under Luo Jiuyan's piercing gaze, he swallowed hard and took slow, reluctant steps forward.

As he drew near, a faint, alluring fragrance surrounded him. Ye Shu's heart pounded faster. His master's purple-black robes draped elegantly around her, accentuating every graceful curve of her mature figure.

He tried not to stare.

Focus! This woman could kill him in an instant!

"Hurry up," Luo Jiuyan ordered, raising her chin slightly.

Her gaze rested on Ye Shu's sharp features, his once-boyish face now strikingly handsome.

For a brief moment, nostalgia flickered in her heart.

The little disciple who once clung to her robes, always wide-eyed and innocent, had grown into an exceptional young man.

She had raised him herself.

Compared to those vulgar men her junior sister was so obsessed with…

There was no comparison at all.

Her good disciple was like a celestial being, a man beyond mortal reach.

She suddenly understood why her junior sister from Baiguimen had taken such a keen interest in him.

If there existed a man who was truly gifted, intelligent, and handsome, it was only natural that women would be drawn to him.

Just like in the past…

Even when she had committed countless atrocities, righteous cultivators still sought her out in the name of subduing evil.

Yet not one of them had survived.

Still, it had taught her a truth:

An exceptional person, no matter what sins they carry, will always attract others.

"Master?"

Ye Shu's voice pulled her from her thoughts. He was now standing directly in front of her.

Luo Jiuyan's heart skipped a beat.

She had been lost in her own imagination!

This… this was dangerous!

Suppressing her emotions, she steadied herself and coldly extended her hand.

"Place your chest against my palm. I will check for any signs of an inner demon."

Ye Shu's heart pounded like a war drum.

What choice did he have? He couldn't refuse her.

Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward, pressing his chest against her palm.

Luo Jiuyan frowned slightly.

Ye Shu's body was unexpectedly firm and radiated a powerful, masculine warmth.

Is this what a man's body feels like?

She had never had such close contact with a man in her life.

Unlike the soft and delicate scent of a woman, Ye Shu's presence was commanding and strong.

A faint blush crept up her cheeks.

This… this was the first time she had touched a man.

And that man was her own disciple.

But she quickly regained her composure.

With sharp, unwavering eyes, she peered into Ye Shu's soul, her spiritual consciousness invading his mind.

Then she heard it.

"Master is so beautiful! Master is so beautiful!"

"I like my master the most! She's the most beautiful woman in the world!"

"Ah, Master's hand is on my chest! Is this real?!"

"Master's lips look so soft… I wonder what they taste like?"

…

"YOU TRAITOR!"

Luo Jiuyan's face turned crimson as she violently withdrew her hand, preparing to slap him into the next realm.

"Master!"

Ye Shu shuddered, the hairs on his body standing on end.

The slap stopped mere inches from his face.

He was this close to death!

Luo Jiuyan clenched her fingers and withdrew her hand, glaring at him with a mix of fury and embarrassment.

"You little bastard…" Her voice trembled.

"It's bad enough that you had wicked thoughts about your senior sisters… but even about your own teacher?"

Ye Shu wanted to weep.

What kind of dogshit luck was this?!