It has the flavor of Wan'er

Inside the Cold Jade Palace, the air was bone-chillingly cold.

Upon the bed carved from thousand-year-old profound ice, Yun Yuzhen's originally cold and immortal-like face was now tinged with a strange flush.

It wasn't just because of shame and indignation, but also because the massive fire-attribute spiritual power from those few pieces of "Phoenix Tail" she had just consumed was rampaging through her body.

The white jade bowl in Su Ye's hand was already empty.

The "Dragon-Phoenix Prosperity Soup," cooked using a Black Iron Pot and Samadhi True Fire, along with the most choice pieces of chicken, had all entered the stomach of this Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak of the Taichu Holy Land.

“Revered Master, how does it taste?”

Su Ye had a gentle, jade-like smile on his lips. It was the disguise he had used for three hundred years, and it was also the expression Yun Yuzhen hated the most.

Yun Yuzhen bit her lip tightly, refusing to speak even if it meant death.

It was too humiliating!

A dignified Great Power of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, Tenth Heaven with a Taiyin Sacred Body was actually forced-fed a chicken's butt by her own disciple!

What was even more hateful was... that taste was actually damn delicious!

It wasn't just the satisfaction of appetite; a gentle yet overbearing heat flowed down her esophagus into her Dantian, briefly suppressing the Cold Poison that had been raging in her body for three hundred years.

Even her long-sealed cultivation Bottleneck seemed to loosen slightly because of this bowl of soup.

“It seems Revered Master is quite satisfied.”

Su Ye didn't mind her silence. He slowly set down the jade bowl, and as the bottom of the bowl touched the ice-jade table, it made a crisp sound.

In the dead silence of the Cold Jade Palace, it sounded particularly piercing.

Yun Yuzhen's beautiful eyes glared with anger. In those eyes, which were capable of eclipsing the sun and moon, there was now only stubbornness and grievance.

If one ignored the slight trace of glistening oil remaining at the corner of her mouth, she was still that high and mighty Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak who did not eat the food of mortals.

Unfortunately, that bit of oil ruined all sense of holiness.

Instead, it gave her a bit of the mundane air of someone who had fallen into the mortal world, making her look even more... charming and cute.

“Rebellious Disciple...”

Yun Yuzhen squeezed out the words through her teeth. Though her voice was cold, it carried an imperceptible softness because she had just eaten.

Su Ye smiled slightly and took out a pure white silk handkerchief from his storage ring.

It was no ordinary object, but "Snow Cloud Brocade" woven from celestial silkworm silk. In the outside world, an inch was worth an inch of gold, yet he was using it as a rag to wipe a mouth.

“Revered Master, you ate too fast; it's all over your face.”

Su Ye's voice was so gentle it seemed as if it could drip water, but his actions were undeniably overbearing.

He leaned forward slightly, holding the silk handkerchief between his slender fingers as he slowly reached toward Yun Yuzhen's exquisite face.

Yun Yuzhen subconsciously wanted to lean back to avoid him.

She had a Taiyin Sacred Body and was obsessed with cleanliness. Except for when this Rebellious Disciple had to touch her for "healing," she didn't want anyone to even brush against the corner of her clothes.

“Don't move.”

Su Ye spoke softly, his voice not loud, but carrying the authority of a superior.

It was an Aura of someone who had long been in a high position and controlled everything, even a few points stronger than Yun Yuzhen's own majesty as a Holy Land Peak Revered Master years ago.

Yun Yuzhen's body stiffened slightly.

For some reason, facing the current Su Ye, she actually felt an irresistible illusion.

Was it because she had been imprisoned for too long and had grown accustomed to his assertiveness?

Or was it the heat from the chicken soup that made her whole body soft and unable to muster any strength?

In the moment she was dazed, Su Ye's hand had already touched her skin.

His fingertips were warm, transmitting through the thin celestial silk handkerchief to her cold lips.

That touch spread through her entire body like an electric current.

Yun Yuzhen's eyelashes trembled, and her breathing involuntarily skipped a beat.

Su Ye's movements were extremely slow and meticulous, as if he were wiping a rare treasure.

The silk handkerchief gently wiped across her full, rosy lower lip, taking away that glint of oil.

His gaze was focused and deep, as if only this peerless face remained in the entire world.

“Revered Master's skin is still as good as ever.”

Su Ye murmured softly, his finger pads brushing against her cheek as if by chance, “Even after being locked in this Cold Jade Palace for three hundred years, your beauty hasn't faded in the slightest.”

Yun Yuzhen was dying of shame and anger.

This Rebellious Disciple!

Not only did he humiliate her with forced feeding, he even teased her with words!

“Su Ye! That's enough!”

Yun Yuzhen finally reached the end of her patience and forcibly turned her head away, trying to escape that meddling hand.

“It's not clean yet.”

Su Ye chuckled, and his left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Yun Yuzhen's smooth, jade-like chin.

He didn't use much force, but it was like a steel clamp, making her unable to move.

At this moment, the distance between the two was extremely close.

So close that their breathing was audible.

So close that Yun Yuzhen could clearly see her own reflection in Su Ye's pupils—a reflection of herself with a flushed face and panicked eyes.

Su Ye raised the silk handkerchief again, bit by bit, wiping away the last of the oil from the corner of her mouth.

His movements were very gentle, yet full of aggression.

It was as if he wasn't wiping a mouth, but declaring some kind of sovereignty.

The owner of this Cold Jade Palace was no longer that Great Power of the Tribulation Crossing Realm who once commanded the winds and clouds.

It was this "gentle" Great Master at the Nascent Soul Second Heaven who possessed the Supreme Bone and the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art.

“There, it's clean.”

Su Ye withdrew his hand with satisfaction. Looking at the face that had regained its tidiness but had become even more gorgeous due to shame and annoyance, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

His Revered Master, although three hundred years old, truly had an extraordinary Taiyin Sacred Body.

Time had not only failed to leave any marks on her, but had instead distilled a breathtaking charm.

Especially this look of being angry but not daring to speak out; it was a hundred times cuter than her usual cold and lofty demeanor.

Yun Yuzhen gasped for air, her chest heaving violently.

She stared fixedly at Su Ye. If looks could kill, Su Ye would have been cut into a thousand pieces long ago.

“Get out!”

She gritted her teeth, her voice trembling, “Now, immediately, get out of my sight!”

Su Ye shrugged, preparing to get up.

Since he had finished feeding the soup, established his presence, and taken some liberties along the way, today's daily task could be considered complete.

However, the moment he stood up, a slight breeze caught his sleeve.

It was the evening breeze unique to Purple Bamboo Peak, mixed with the fragrance of bamboo leaves and... a very faint, yet very special delicate scent.

Yun Yuzhen's nostrils twitched slightly.

As a possessor of the Taiyin Sacred Body, her five senses were extremely sharp. Even though most of her cultivation was sealed by Su Ye's methods, that perception originating from the depths of her Soul could not be completely erased.

This scent... fresh, elegant, like a lotus after rain, or a secluded orchid in a deep valley.

Mixed within it was an extremely pure fluctuation of water element Qi, like a gurgling stream, gentle and continuous.

This is... Yun Yuzhen's pupils shrank suddenly. Her originally angry expression froze instantly, replaced by a deep shock and panic.

She was all too familiar with this scent!

This was the unique body fragrance of her third disciple, Lin Waner!

Lin Waner possessed a Saint-rank Water Spiritual Root and was the rarely seen "Primal Water Body" of ten thousand years.

This Physique was extremely special, born with a Primal Water delicate scent, and as cultivation deepened, this fragrance would become increasingly pure and charming.

When she had taken Lin Waner in back then, she had specifically warned her that this was an excellent cauldron Physique; if discovered by evil Cultivators, the consequences would be unimaginable.

So she had always made Lin Waner live in seclusion, even using secret methods to mask her Physique's Aura.

But this scent... how could it appear on Su Ye?

And the scent was so strong; it was definitely not something that could be picked up by simply passing by.

This was clearly... this was clearly an Aura that would only remain after a long period of intimate contact, or even skin-to-skin intimacy!

A terrifying thought exploded in Yun Yuzhen's mind.

Could it be... could it be that after imprisoning her, this Rebellious Disciple had finally laid his hands on her other disciples?!

Shallow Snow had a cold personality and was devoted to the sword; perhaps she could protect herself.

But Wan'er was naturally pure and weak, and with that special Physique, if she fell into the hands of this Rebellious Disciple who possessed the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art... Yun Yuzhen didn't dare think further.

Fear, an unprecedented fear, instantly flooded her mind.

This fear even surpassed the despair of her own three-hundred-year imprisonment.

“Stop!”

A sharp shout suddenly rang out in the empty Cold Jade Palace.

With this shout, Yun Yuzhen had used almost all her strength, even agitating the Cold Poison in her body, causing her face to instantly turn as pale as paper.

Su Ye, who had already reached the palace entrance, paused in his tracks.

He turned back, that impeccable gentle smile still on his face, though a flash of doubt crossed his eyes.

“Does Revered Master have further instructions? Did you not have enough of the chicken soup just now? If that's the case, I can go to the back mountain again...”

“That scent on you... what is it?”

Yun Yuzhen interrupted him, her voice trembling as she stared fixedly into Su Ye's eyes, as if trying to see through his Soul.

Su Ye's brow twitched slightly.

He raised his sleeve and sniffed it lightly at his nose.

Aside from a faint medicinal fragrance and a bit of smoke from the cooking earlier, there didn't seem to be any special scent.

Of course, as a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he naturally knew what he was tainted with.

Just half an hour ago, in the quiet room of Purple Bamboo Peak, in order to help his Third Junior Sister Lin Waner "detoxify," the two of them had indeed spent a long time together in a confined space.

He had even had quite a bit of physical contact with her to guide the water spiritual power in her body.

Although he, Su Ye, acted uprightly (in his own opinion) and it was purely to assist his Junior Sister's cultivation without any selfish thoughts,

this scent obviously couldn't be hidden from the keen sense of smell of Yun Yuzhen.

But then again, who was Su Ye?

He was a villain-type protagonist (though he considered himself a good person) who possessed a System, the Supreme Bone, and a deep mind.

Faced with this questioning, he didn't even blink.

“Scent?”

Su Ye lowered his sleeve and looked at Yun Yuzhen with a look of confusion, his expression as innocent as a child who didn't understand what an adult was saying.

“Is Revered Master referring to the scent of the Beggar's Chicken? Indeed, when I was roasting the chicken on the back mountain just now, I used some special spices called 'Nine-Mile Fragrance'; the scent is indeed a bit strong.”

“Don't you dare lie to me!”

Yun Yuzhen shouted sharply, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the profound ice bed, her knuckles turning white from the force.

“That's not the scent of some spice! That's... that's the scent of Wan'er!”

Her voice became shrill with agitation, “That is the unique delicate scent of the Primal Water Body! Su Ye! You beast! What did you do to Wan'er?!”

Yun Yuzhen's heart was bleeding.

She had always thought that although Su Ye had gone against the natural order by imprisoning her, for the past three hundred years, besides torturing her, his Revered Master, in various ways (absorbing her Primal Yin), he had been relatively caring toward the other Junior Sisters of Purple Bamboo Peak.

This was the only reason she had not chosen to perish together with him despite hating him to the bone.

She wanted to live, to live and see her disciples grow up; perhaps one day, they could clean up the sect.

But now... if Su Ye had really laid hands on Wan'er, what point was there in her living on for these three hundred years?

“Wan'er?”

The smile on Su Ye's face gradually faded, replaced by a sense of helplessness, even carrying a few points of grievance at being wronged.

He slowly turned around and walked back to the bedside.

With every step he took, the Aura on his body became a point heavier.

Until he stood before Yun Yuzhen once again, looking down at her from above.

“Revered Master, have you been locked up for so long that your mind has become muddled?”

Su Ye's voice was low, carrying a hint of coldness.

"Waner is my Junior Sister and the Third Senior Sister of Purple Bamboo Peak. As the Eldest Senior Brother, I guide her cultivation daily. Is it strange for us to be a bit close?"

"Furthermore..."

Su Ye suddenly leaned down, propping his hands on either side of Yun Yuzhen's body, trapping her entirely within his shadow.

In those eyes, deep as an abyss, flickered a light that made Yun Yuzhen's heart palpitate.

"Revered Master, is there something wrong with your nose?"

"This is clearly the scent of 'ice soul lotus heart.' It's a Spirit Medicine I specifically sought out to help regulate your body. I just refined it within myself, which is why there's this fragrance."

Su Ye lied through his teeth without blushing or his heart skipping a beat.

What ice soul lotus heart? It was entirely his own invention.

But he was betting on the fact that Yun Yuzhen had been imprisoned for three hundred years, and her perception of external Spirit Medicines had long since blurred.

Moreover... "Revered Master, you keep saying it's Waner's scent. In your heart, do you really think I'm the kind of beast who would lay hands on my own Junior Sister?"

Su Ye looked pained and remorseful. "For the past three hundred years, I have diligently managed Purple Bamboo Peak. I've had to look after my Junior Sisters while finding ways to 'cure' your illness. Even if there's no glory, surely there is credit for my hard work?"

"Slandering my innocence like this out of thin air... it truly disheartens me."

Yun Yuzhen was stunned by his sudden rebuttal.

Looking at Su Ye's expression of immense grievance, her originally firm suspicion actually wavered slightly.

Could it be... she really smelled it wrong?

After all, she had been locked here for three hundred years, accompanied by Cold Poison all day long. It wasn't impossible for her sense of smell to be off.

Besides, the Spirit Medicine 'ice soul lotus heart' did indeed have a fragrance similar to the Primal Water Body.

If Su Ye really found it to treat her... No! That's not right!

Yun Yuzhen shook her head violently. That scent was too unique; it definitely couldn't be explained by a Spirit Medicine alone.

That bone-deep water spirit Aura—that was the Life Qi of a person!

"You're lying!"

Yun Yuzhen bit her lip, tears in her eyes. "That is clearly Waner's scent! Su Ye, look into my eyes! Do you dare to swear? Do you dare to swear before the ancestors of the Taichu Holy Land that you haven't touched a single hair on Waner's head?!"

She was betting her last shred of dignity to get a clear answer.

If Su Ye had truly ruined Waner, she would drag this Rebellious Disciple to hell with her, even if it meant self-destructing her Nascent Soul!

Su Ye looked at the stubborn yet fragile woman before him.

He knew that if he didn't provide a perfect explanation this time, this imprisoned canary might actually go insane.

Though he wasn't afraid of her going mad—under the System's buff and the Cold Jade Palace's Restriction, Yun Yuzhen couldn't stir up any trouble.

But if he pushed her too hard and she really self-destructed, wouldn't his perfect 'Cultivation Cauldron' be gone?

Furthermore, Su Ye was a man who appreciated finesse.

While forced fruit might quench thirst, it wasn't sweet.

He wanted his Revered Master to submit in despair and depend on him through shame, not turn into a cold corpse.

Thinking of this, the coldness in Su Ye's eyes dissipated, replaced by that gentle and doting expression.

He reached out and gently stroked Yun Yuzhen's smooth, long hair.

It was as if he were soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Revered Master..."

Su Ye let out a long sigh, his tone filled with helplessness and indulgence.

"You are being far too suspicious."

"I did indeed see Waner just now, however..."

Su Ye paused intentionally, observing Yun Yuzhen's reaction.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Yun Yuzhen's body instantly tensed to the limit, her eyes filled with terror.

"However, it was because Waner's cultivation went awry, and she nearly suffered Qi Deviation. I had to step in and help, using my True Qi to guide her Meridians."

Su Ye told a half-truth without changing his expression.

"The situation was critical, and I did hold her, which is how I got some of her scent on me."

"If Revered Master doesn't believe me, feel free to use your Divine Sense to probe my True Qi. See if there's any residual water spirit energy from Waner?"

As he spoke, Su Ye generously opened his Qi Sea, appearing completely open to inspection.

Yun Yuzhen was stunned.

Looking at Su Ye's crystal-clear (feigned) gaze, her suspicions began to crumble.

Waner suffered Qi Deviation during cultivation?

That's right, Waner possesses the Primal Water Body. Though powerful, this Physique is extremely difficult to control in the early stages. If one's state of mind is unstable, it's easy to suffer a backlash.

If it was to save her... then having skin-to-skin contact and picking up her scent would be perfectly reasonable.

Moreover, Su Ye actually dared to open his Qi Sea for her to check.

One must know that for a Cultivator, the Qi Sea is their lifeblood. If one had a guilty conscience, they would never dare to expose it so easily.

Could it be... she really had wronged him?

Yun Yuzhen's Aura instantly weakened.

Her spine, which had been propped up by anger, now curved slightly.

She looked at Su Ye blankly, her lips trembling as she struggled to find words.

Apologize? Absolutely impossible!

He was a Rebellious Disciple who betrayed his Revered Master. Even if she had wronged him this time, he deserved it for his other crimes!

But after that extreme fear dissipated, what remained was deep exhaustion and a trace of inexplicable guilt.

"Was it really... just to save her?"

Yun Yuzhen's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, carrying a hint of uncertain probing.

Su Ye laughed inwardly.

Handled.

This was the advantage of an information gap.

Revered Master was locked up here and knew nothing of the outside world. As long as his logic was self-consistent and he added a bit of acting, he could easily manipulate her.

"Of course."

Su Ye straightened up, a hint of "bitterness from being misunderstood" appearing on his face.

"In Revered Master's eyes, am I really that kind of demon who disregards human relations and lays hands on his Junior Sister?"

"Although I've imprisoned you, Revered Master, it was for..."

Su Ye gazed deeply at Yun Yuzhen, his voice low and magnetic. "It was so I could have you all to myself. Besides you, Revered Master, what other woman in this world could ever catch my eye?"

This direct approach caught Yun Yuzhen completely off guard.

Her originally pale face instantly flushed crimson.

These words made her feel ten thousand times more ashamed than the feeding earlier.

"You... shut your mouth!"

Yun Yuzhen hurriedly turned her head away, not daring to look into Su Ye's eyes, which seemed capable of swallowing one's Soul.

Her heart was pounding wildly, as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

This Rebellious Disciple!

Not only was he a bastard, he was also... a smooth-talking lecher!

But why, upon hearing him say it was "only to have her for himself," did a trace of bizarre... joy rise in her heart?

No!

Absolutely impossible!

Yun Yuzhen pinched herself hard, forcibly dispelling that absurd thought.

She hated him! She wanted to tear him into ten thousand pieces!

"Alright, since the misunderstanding is cleared up, I won't disturb your rest, Revered Master."

Su Ye quit while he was ahead.

Today's progress was sufficient.

He had fed her (deepening physical dependence), bullied her a little (establishing psychological dominance), and successfully resolved the potential disaster (intellectual crushing).

If he stayed any longer and Revered Master actually came to her senses and wanted to verify the matter with Waner, it would be troublesome.

After all, although he hadn't "eaten" Waner, that level of Dual Cultivation detoxification would be no different from "eating" her in the eyes of his conservative Revered Master.

"The wind is cold at night in the Cold Jade Palace. Although your cultivation is heavenly, Revered Master, your body is weak now. You must take better care of yourself."

Su Ye considerately tucked in a non-existent corner of the blanket for Yun Yuzhen.

His movements were as natural as those of Dao Companions who had been in love for many years.

"After all, your body, Revered Master, is my most precious treasure."

Leaving behind those meaningful words, Su Ye laughed and turned to walk out of the palace gates.

His white robes were as pure as snow, his black hair like ink, and his back looked incredibly dashing.

He left Yun Yuzhen alone, sitting blankly on the cold jade bed.

In the air, that faint scent of Primal Water seemed to still be floating, intertwined with the residual aroma of the chicken soup.

Yun Yuzhen touched her burning cheeks, then her still-warm lower abdomen.

That Rebellious Disciple... of the things he just said, which were true and which were false?

Was Waner... really alright?

She inhaled deeply through her nose, wanting to confirm that scent again.

But this time, all she smelled was the cold air of the room and that damned, lingering scent belonging to Su Ye.

"Bastard..."

Yun Yuzhen cursed softly, but her voice was as soft as a sigh.

She slowly lay down, curling up on the freezing cold jade bed.

In her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about that focused and overbearing look in the Rebellious Disciple's eyes when he wiped the corner of her mouth just now.

Clearly she was a prisoner, clearly it was a humiliation.

Why... why did she feel like this cold Cold Jade Palace seemed a bit warmer than before?

"It must be because of that bowl of soup."

Yun Yuzhen told herself firmly in her heart.

"It's definitely the soup."

...Outside the hall.

Su Ye walked out of the Cold Jade Palace, and the heavy ice doors slowly closed behind him.

The gentle smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, sharp glint.

"That was close."

Su Ye let out a soft breath of turbid air.

He hadn't expected the sense of smell of the Taiyin Sacred Body to be so terrifying; even a trace of residual scent could be detected.

It seemed that after "working hard" with his Junior Sisters in the future, he would have to wash up thoroughly before coming to see Revered Master.

After all, the current Purple Bamboo Peak was like a giant harem... oh no, a giant Shura Field.

To navigate this place smoothly, satisfy everyone, and maintain his glorious image as the Eldest Senior Brother was truly a technical skill.

"System."

Su Ye called out in his mind.

【Host, I am here.】

"How much of that Dragon-Phoenix Prosperity Soup did Revered Master absorb?"

【Ding! Detection shows that the target Yun Yuzhen has completely absorbed the medicinal power of the soup. The Cold Poison in her body has been suppressed by one-thousandth, and her Favorability toward the Host has increased by 1 point. Current Favorability: -99 (Hates you to the bone, yet finds you hard to part with).】

"Only 1 point?"

Su Ye curled his lip. "This old woman is really hard to please."

However, looking at the note in the parentheses, the corner of Su Ye's mouth curled into a wicked arc again.

Hard to part with, eh?

It seemed that completely conquering this cold and aloof Revered Master was not far off.

He looked up at the sky.

The moon was high, and stars dotted the sky.

"It's so late. I wonder if Junior Sister Shallow Snow is asleep yet?"

Su Ye rubbed his chin, recalling the wonderful taste of Dual Cultivation with Lin Qianxue last night and his promise to teach her the 'Nine Heavens Profound Frost Sword Formation'.

"As the Eldest Senior Brother, I should go check on my Junior Sister's nighttime activities."

Su Ye straightened his collar, and with a flash of his body, he turned into a streak of light, heading toward the Tingxue Courtyard where Lin Qianxue lived.

As for the scent Revered Master smelled just now?

Heh.

Revered Master smelled it wrong.

That's what the Eldest Senior Brother says. Who agrees, and who objects?