This world is not right!

Inside the carriage, Han Shengyao noticed that Lin Qianshuang was disheveled and quickly lifted the curtain and sat in. She frowned gently.

“Didn’t I say I would wait for you? Why did you come in without packing your clothes?”

Lin Qianshuang’s clothes were wide open, her hair was messy and still dripping with water. She knew that her current appearance was not very elegant, and being stared at by Han Shengyao with a disgusted gaze, she couldn’t help but snap her lapel closed and mutter in a small voice, “Master, I was too excited and forgot my sense of propriety. Besides the Demon Palace, I haven’t had a chance to explore the outside world yet.”

Han Shengyao’s facial expression softened from its original sternness.

Lin Qianshuang could clearly see her own innocent appearence reflected in Han Shengyao’s eyes, a longing for the outside world and novelty. In her heart, she couldn’t help but admire her acting skills.

“It was my negligence, you are still just a child.”

Han Shengyao lazily leaned against the carriage, twining a few strands of her long hair around her fingertips and playing with it.

She raised her eyes to look at Lin Qianshuang.

Lin Qianshuang understood what Han Shengyao meant and moved to her side.

Han Shengyao raised her slightly cool hand and gently rubbed the top of Lin Qianshuang’s head. A warm magic qi flowed from her palm and wrapped around Lin Qianshuang’s body, warming her up and drying the water marks on her clothes.

She then fixed the wrongly tied interlocking flower buttons on Lin Qianshuang’s lapel.

“Shuang’er, do you even know how to button your clothes? How could I have taken in such a stupid disciple like you.”

Lin Qianshuang was slightly stunned. She raised her head and saw Han Shengyao’s face up close. The profile of her face shrouded in the darkness under her slender and thick eyelashes was a bit subdued, without the bold and sharp beauty of the past.

Lin Qianshuang’s feigned foolish and adorable expression disintegrated momentarily, and her face gradually softened along with the indifferent and tranquil atmosphere. The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up into a faint smile.

Han Shengyao patiently adjusted Lin Qianshuang’s clothes and tightened her belt. The woman’s delicate curves became more obvious, any exposed skin smooth and flawless; her beauty was evident.

Han Shengyao’s eyes showed a hint of thoughtfulness. Du Shuang, this old friend, had a high status in the Yixiang Tower and rarely received guests. However, she had a fondness for beautiful people, so she wouldn’t turn away her disciple.

Lin Qianshuang saw a satisfied look on Han Shengyao’s face as she looked her up and down. Though she didn’t know why, she also wore an expression of great happiness at being appreciated by her master.

The carriage stopped, and they arrived at the information building set up by the Demon Realm in the home of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, Tianshu City. This was the Yixiang Tower.

The Yixiang Tower was known for its culture and elegance. It gathered outstanding cultivators from the four paths of demons, devils, humans, and ghosts to exchange cultivation experiences. The titular heads of Yixiang Tower were all famous figures from the four paths, and meeting them required paying a bounty and meeting certain conditions.

After getting off the carriage and putting on a veil, Han Shengyao instructed Lin Qianshuang to follow closely as they walked towards the bustling Yixiang Tower.

Under the swaying red lanterns, a group of cultivators dressed in flamboyant attire welcomed the arriving cultivators. Upon seeing Han Shengyao, they rushed forward and pushed her towards the entrance.

Lin Qianshuang followed Han Shengyao into the Yixiang Tower. On the flower platform, a beast cultivator performed a captivating dance, while on both sides, human cultivators played music with silk and bamboo instruments. The rhythm flowed in the air, accompanying the dance.

After watching the dance for a while, Lin Qianshuang followed Han Shengyao to the second floor.

On the second floor, cultivators mingled and socialized while the sound of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air.

In one of the boxes, Liang Jingxuan was watching the performance on the flower stage when he was suddenly captivated by a figure walking towards the second floor. The figure resembled his senior sister who had died for him.

“Senior brother, who are you so mesmerized by?”

A sweet and cute woman’s face appeared, looking at him with a smile. Her eyes narrowed like a crescent moon, showing a smart and cunning expression.

Liang Jingxuan withdrew his gaze and sipped his tea to hide his distraction. He murmured, “I mistook the person, it’s not her.”

Xiao Lanle’s bright eyes clouded for a moment. She bit her lower lip and angrily snatched Liang Jingxuan’s teacup, saying, “Senior brother, I snuck out with you, why are you still thinking about that dead senior sister Lin!”

Liang Jingxuan saw that Xiao Lanle was angry and quickly appeased her with sweet words. However, his eyes unconsciously stared for a long time at the figure that disappeared into the shadows.

“Holy Maiden, you’re here? Lord Du Shuang is already waiting inside the building.”

A demon cultivator respectfully bowed to Han Shengyao and guided them to a quiet corridor.

Lin Qianshuang followed behind Han Shengyao when the system notification sound rang. The favorability interface appeared, and a second black box was unlocked. The avatar of the target character Xiao Lanle had been unlocked, with a starting negative fifty percent favorability.

That her character was unlocked meant she had to have met Xiao Lanle just now. Lin Qianshuang felt a bit depressed seeing the negative favorability. She wondered if the system had made a mistake because there shouldn’t be negative favorability before even meeting face-to-face.

Xiao Lanle, as the daughter of the major Rightous Path Sect’s leader, shouldn’t be in Yixiang Tower, where the cultivators of all kinds mixed. The only person who could bring her here was Xiao Lanle’s senior brother Liang Jingxuan, whom she liked.

What were they doing in Yixiang Tower?

Lin Qianshuang was lost in her thoughts when the sound of a slamming door interrupted her. She snapped back to reality and realized that she was alone in a spacious study. The pale green curtains fluttered, creating ripples, and the scent of tallow and rouge filled the air.

Misty clouds obscured the silhouette of the rustling bamboo forest cast onto the wall from the window. A brocade sparrow danced lightly in the thick ink of the inkstone, and a burnt-tail zither¹ was placed flat in front of the gray-white cushion. Its strings were still trembling, for its owner had just used it.

The only thing that made her feel out of place in the elegant and tranquil setting was a heavy scent of face powder and rouge. After inhaling it, her throat became slightly irritated, causing her to cough a few times.

From outside the door, she could hear Han Shengyao’s voice and another woman’s voice, which she recognized as Du Shuang’s.

Du Shuang entered the study with a broken sword in her hand and her arm around a girl. She looked displeased as she addressed Han Shengyao, “I was playing a little song for my little baby, and I was about to do something interesting, but it was all interrupted by this uninvited guest of yours!”

Han Shengyao had known about Du Shuang’s peculiarities for a long time, so she wasn’t surprised to see her with a girl. She used her magic qi to threaten the girl in Du Shuang’s arms to leave and then approached her.

“Du Shuang, I need your help. I’ve taken in an apprentice who has good qualifications for cultivating swordsmanship. This time, she’s going to establish her foundation, and I think she would benefit from your guidance.”

Han Shengyao had always accepted male disciples who had eccentricities. She was hardly interested in teaching some male pet.

Du Shuang reached out her hand to Han Shengyao and said with little interest, “If you want me to teach your disciple, first give me a gold brick, and then it depends on my mood.”

Han Shengyao calmly handed a gold brick to Du Shuang without changing her expression.

Du Shuang took the gold brick with surprise, and threw it back to Han Shengyao. She smiled and said, “You’re really giving it to me. We’ve been old friends for several years, and I was just joking with you.”

Han Shengyao put the gold brick back into her jade slip and lazily raised her eyes to Du Shuang. “So you agree to teach my disciple?”

“I shall. I wouldn’t dare to disobey the Holy Maiden’s command,” Du Shuang replied with a smirk. She pushed open the door of the study and dropped the words, “Sword cultivation requires practicing breath training. Go get another zither.”

Han Shengyao felt relieved to hear Du Shuang’s agreement and was not bothered by her rude tone. She went to another compartment to fetch the zither. Du Shuang’s temperament was unpredictable, so it was already difficult enough to get her to agree.

Entering the study, Du Shuang lifted the gauze curtain carelessly, thinking about how disgusting and ugly Han Shengyao’s newly acquired male pet would turn out to be. However, she did not expect that just by taking a glance, her eyes would be glued to the person sitting on the cushion, unable to be moved.

In the faint light, her delicate and graceful profile shimmered with the crystal glow of her skin. A sheer white veil outlined her slender waist, cascading down to the ground like rolling waves.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Lin Qianshuang turned around and smiled faintly at Du Shuang. “Master, you’re here.”

Du Shuang’s heart skipped a beat. The moment Lin Qianshuang turned around, her blue eyes sparkled like the morning sky, incredibly bright and beautiful.

This pretty little beauty was Han Shengyao’s new disciple?

When did Han Shengyao develop such a taste?

Lin Qianshuang felt uncomfortable under Du Shuang’s gaze. She remembered the conversation she overheard and asked the person in front of her, “Are you Sword Master Du Shuang?”

Surprisingly, it was the new little pet that Han Shengyao had taken in. Surely the master would not mind her teasing the disciple for a bit of fun.

Du Shuang thought mischievously, while her heroic face, different from ordinary women, said seriously to Lin Qianshuang, “I am indeed Du Shuang. If you want to establish your foundation with the sword, you must first refine your qi. I have a music score here. Play it seriously according to my instructions, and remember the rhythmic pauses. You can figure out your own way to set the pauses. It will make it much easier for you to cultivate and absorb demonic qi in the future.”

Lin Qianshuang listened attentively and sat on the cushion, placing her hands on the zither. She played the song according to Du Shuang’s instructions.

As she practiced, she sensed something was off. The woman guiding her intentionally or unintentionally got close to her back, and her hand adjusting Lin Qianshuang’s fingertips brushed against her fingers.

Halfway through the tune, Lin Qianshuang felt her tailbone being lightly touched. She blushed and stood up, realizing that Du Shuang was intentionally touching her.

If she could dismiss it as her imagination before, now she was certain that Du Shuang was indeed touching her.

Lin Qianshuang looked at Du Shuang with guarded eyes and distanced herself from her.

The harassment she faced in her original world, whether in the office or on public transportation, was always from the opposite sex.

But in this novel’s world, she was being harassed by a woman.

It felt strange.

Du Shuang watched as Lin Qianshuang discovered her intentions and no longer tried to hide her true motives. She attacked Lin Qianshuang with her broken sword.

As Lin Qianshuang dodged, Du Shuang pinned her to the ground and sealed her acupoints. She smiled ambiguously and said, “Little beauty, you are quite charming. I chased after Han Shengyao for a year without success, but it seems she has taken a liking to you. However, you’re just a plaything to her, so why don’t you come with me?”

Lin Qianshuang’s mouth was sealed, unable to speak as she resisted. She turned her head away with a disgusted expression, completely different from the feeling of being close to Han Shengyao. The touch of that person’s hand disgusted her.

Du Shuang observed Lin Qianshuang’s disgusted expression and kissed her eyes. She said, “Are you not interested in women? Did Han Shengyao not arouse your desires?”

Get lost.

Lin Qianshuang’s mouth made a few muffled sounds. Her temples throbbed as she realized that Du Shuang had misunderstood and thought she was just like the male pets that Han Shengyao had taken in.

Du Shuang felt that Lin Qianshuang had become even more adorable. She caressed her chin and lifted it, looking at her with infatuation. She said, “Don’t be afraid. Let me teach you how to truly cultivate and please your master.”

Lin Qianshuang’s eyes widened as she saw Du Shuang’s lips closing in on her. Her stomach churned.

“Du Shuang, the zither in your side room was borrowed by Yue Lan. I went to find Xiao Hong to borrow another one… You…”

A loud crash interrupted their encounter. The zither had fallen to the ground, split into two halves, and its strings turned into useless threads.

Han Shengyao stood in shock, witnessing Du Shuang pinning Lin Qianshuang and attempting to kiss her. The zither in her hands had fallen to the ground unconsciously.

When Du Shuang saw Han Shengyao enter, she casually ruffled her bangs, looked up with a smile, and said, “Holy Maiden, your new disciple tastes good.”