43: Chapter 43 Xu Ruyu's Guess

Back Mountain.

Xu Ruyu trod unsteadily along the slippery path, covered in moss and fallen leaves. The chirping of insects around him, and the rustling sounds of unknown small beasts scurrying past, failed to truly reach his ears.

His mind was like a pot of boiling porridge, bubbling away, churning with all the strange scenes and speculations that had occurred just now in front of Ningyin Hall, as well as those that had accumulated over the past few days.

The most persistent image was that of his Revered Master, Xiao Nianyin, sitting upright on the grand armchair, eating two grilled fish with an elegance that was nevertheless almost "greedy."

Those slightly puffed-out cheeks, the focused, lowered eyelashes, the nimble fingers peeling the fish and removing the bones, and finally, that barely audible, satisfied sigh... This scene was completely at odds with the labels of "Sect Master of Hehuan Sect," "Saint Realm Expert," and "Iceberg Fairy," strongly clashing with his preconceived notions.

"Someone who has abstained from food for hundreds of years... how could she care so much about grilled fish?"

Xu Ruyu muttered to himself, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest, filled with thick confusion, "Even if it were just a whim to taste it, it shouldn't have been... that kind of way of eating."

That was by no means just a light tasting; that was genuine eating, intended to satisfy the body's most primitive needs.

Thinking back to the morning, when his Revered Master walked out of the Main Hall, that slightly furrowed brow, the way she leaned against the doorframe, her footsteps seemingly somewhat sluggish...

Xu Ruyu's cheeks began to burn again, but this time, it wasn't just embarrassment; there was more of a coldness stemming from the feeling of being deceived and the possibility that the truth might be extremely cruel.

"Leaning against the wall... isn't that the common sign of weakness after excessive indulgence, or after one's first time?"

A voice rang out sharply in the depths of his heart.

This thought was like opening Pandora's box. Those fragmented, previously suppressed clues that he hadn't dared to delve into now rushed out like beasts breaking free from their chains, roaring as they frantically connected and pieced themselves together in his mind—

First, his Transmigration.

Why did he arrive in this world of cultivation without any warning? No car accident, no System, no strange heavenly phenomena; he just slept, and when he woke up, he was on top of the female Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect?

At the time, he was terrified and only focused on how to survive, never stopping to think about the reason for his Transmigration.

Now that he thought about it, wasn't this the biggest suspicious point?

How could a Mortal break through the barriers of time and space?

In those web novels, such unconventional Transmigration is often accompanied by powerful external interference, such as... summoning? Sacrifices? Or some kind of special... Cultivation Technique requirement?

Second, his Revered Master's "leniency" and "exceptional acceptance as a Disciple."

By common logic, a Demonic Path Sect like the Hehuan Sect, famous for Dual Cultivation and plucking-to-replenish, especially a female Sect Master, would, if "defiled" by an unknown Mortal man, absolutely react by first draining the other party dry and grinding their bones to dust to maintain her own dignity and the Sect's reputation (although the Hehuan Sect might not care much about that, the Sect Master's Face still mattered).

Yet what did Xiao Nianyin do? Not only did she not kill him, but in front of everyone, she defied public opinion and accepted him as her Personal Disciple!

At the time, he only thought it was luck, or that his Revered Master might have had other schemes.

But now it seemed that this "scheme" was likely far more direct and shocking than he had imagined—she needed to keep him!

Because he had something on him that she absolutely had to take back!

Third, that terrifyingly "real" dream.

Last night in the side hall, that beautiful, soul-stirring dream, with details so clear they made him tremble.

In the dream, those cold yet hazy eyes, that cool skin, the sound of suppressed gasps...

After waking up, he only assumed it was a fantasy born of his own excess energy, combined with his guilt toward his Revered Master and some secret desires.

But now, combined with his Revered Master's strangeness this morning, was that really just a dream?

Is it possible... that it actually happened?

Did his Revered Master do something to him while he was "asleep"? In order to... take back something?

Fourth, the strange power within him.

How could a Mortal without a Spiritual Root "shatter" the spirit testing stone during the Spiritual Root test?

How could he last the longest in the Great Fox Illusion, and even "break through" it?

How could he, on the Martial Arts Arena, rely solely on instinctive reaction to withstand the attacks of a Genius Disciple like Lei Xuan, and even make him suffer a setback?

If all of this wasn't because of his own innate talent, but because... his body already contained a power that didn't belong to him, but was extremely powerful?

A lifetime of cultivation from the Sect Master of Hehuan Sect, a Saint Realm Expert?!

This thought was like a thunderclap, leaving Xu Ruyu feeling ice-cold, yet suddenly enlightened.

That was it!

Only this explanation could connect all the suspicious points!

His Transmigration was very likely a part of a "summoning" or "sacrifice" ritual that Xiao Nianyin performed for some purpose!

The result was that the ritual went wrong; not only did it fail to achieve her expected effect, but her entire lifetime of cultivation had, by some twist of fate, been transferred entirely to him, the "sacrifice" or "medium"!

That was why she had lost all her cultivation, leading to the failure of her fasting, the need to eat, physical weakness, and all sorts of other characteristics consistent with someone who had been "plucked and replenished" or had experienced a "drastic drop in cultivation"!

That was why she had to keep him, because she needed to "take back" her cultivation from him!

Last night's "dream" was very likely her first attempt!

And the abundant energy and that inexplicable "evil fire" he felt this morning were perhaps the side effects of his body being unable to fully control that immense power after the cultivation transfer!

That was why, knowing full well that he had "no Spiritual Root," she had forcibly accepted him as her Disciple; on the surface, it was protection, but in reality, it was captivity!

It was to make it convenient for her to "study" and "take it back" at any time!

As for that so-called "three-month agreement at the Martial Arts Arena," it likely wasn't to test him at all, but rather... a deadline she had set for herself?

A deadline by which she must successfully take back her cultivation and recover her strength?

Otherwise, in her current weak state, how could she cope with the pressures from both inside and outside the Sect?

Or perhaps, it was simply a ruse to numb him and make him stay by her side peacefully!

And the sudden return of Lady Qingli today... Xu Ruyu suddenly thought of that charming and dangerous woman again.

That remark of hers, "I've tasted it," and that undisguised look she gave him, as if looking at a peerless treasure... had she also sensed something?

Perhaps even, when she had that kind of thing with him in the Great Fox Illusion, had she also accidentally "shared" or "triggered" the cultivation power belonging to Xiao Nianyin that was stored within him, thereby gaining some huge benefit? That was why she had returned, aiming directly at him!

The more Xu Ruyu thought about it, the colder his whole body felt. Cold sweat had already soaked his inner garment, and when the wind blew, he couldn't help but shiver.

If all these speculations were true...

Then what was he? An unlucky guy who accidentally carried a huge "fortune" (Saint Realm cultivation)? A prey being eyed covetously by two powerful women, ready to "devour him whole" at any moment? A pawn whose fate had not been in his own control since the moment of his Transmigration?

What made his heart burn with even more anger was his previous guilt—the deep guilt he felt for "taking" his Revered Master's purity—which now seemed so ridiculous!

That was absolutely not his fault!

He was the one who was the victim!

He was the victim who had been forcibly dragged into this world of cultivation, inexplicably stuffed with a body full of power that didn't belong to him, and who had to live in fear and might even pay the price with his life for it!

Xiao Nianyin! She was the one who started it all!

Her weakness, her need for food, her "special care" for him... it was all her own doing!

She had planned everything, but it had backfired, and now she wanted to make up for it from him!

A strong sense of anger at being deceived and used, mixed with deep fear for his own situation, surged in Xu Ruyu's chest.

He stopped abruptly and punched a rough old tree nearby with all his might. The bark shattered, wood chips flew everywhere, and the back of his hand instantly broke and bled, sending a burning pain through it.

This pain actually made his chaotic mind a little clearer.