All The Female Disciples Want To Kill Me

Su Bei followed.

There wasn't much to see, just someone who could supposedly drink milk with their eyelids.

Hmm, and they could also breathe fire, he thought.

After that, all sorts of coincidences kept happening.

Every time Su Bei wanted to hear some interesting stories about the Dao Sect and Wuhua Palace, Mo Li would suddenly interrupt and drag him to a deserted place.

However, seeing her seemingly happy, Su Bei didn't mind too much.

「As night deepened, the bright moon hung high.」

The Buddha Gate returned in triumph.

This was expected, but the fact that not a single person from the Buddha Gate had been defeated made it somewhat shocking.

Su Bei and Mo Li had already returned to their courtyard. For Mo Li, the journey had been eventful but ultimately safe, and thankfully, she had completed the task given by Wenren Pingxin. All that remained was to get through the next day, and then she could prepare to return to the Sword Sect.

After a day's exhaustion, Xiao Ruoching brought out a large wooden barrel already filled with hot water and various herbs.

According to Mo Xingjian, this medicinal bath could help Su Bei's muscles and bones recover as quickly as possible.

Su Bei was touched. A disciple raised for a thousand days, useful in a moment... Of course, this "useful" is just a euphemism for "causing trouble."

Su Bei, wearing only a pair of large shorts and bare-chested, sat in the barrel. The water covered his chest, and he sighed contentedly.

He casually tossed the Linglong Pearl into the water as well. Although it wasn't a cold spring, it still had some effect, albeit faint.

His arms rested on the edge of the large wooden barrel, a white silk handkerchief draped over his forehead.

It is said that only when a person is well-fed, well-drunk, and has no trivial matters to worry about will they feel emo, a view Su Bei heartily endorsed. Staring at the moon, he felt a wave of empty sentimentality.

Just then, a knock came from the door, followed by a voice, "Master, is the water temperature okay?"

Su Bei hummed through his nose. Before he could speak, the door was pushed open. Since Su Bei's back was to the entrance, he didn't see Xiao Ruoching.

She came up behind Su Bei, her slender, delicate hands gently massaging his shoulders.

"When can we return to the Sword Sect?" she asked.

She was starting to miss No-Sword Peak. It felt like her true home; the Sacred Land always made her feel unsettled.

Su Bei thought for a moment and then said, "We'll have to wait at least a few days. The Sword Sect has advanced, after all."

"Moreover, even after the Ascension Platform event ends, I, as your master, need to make a trip to the South Wind Ancient Country. Your Ninth Uncle's Evil Qi issue still needs to be resolved."

Su Bei vaguely sensed that the Southern Border might hold secrets unknown to him.

"Master, rest well tomorrow. Go to sleep early tonight," Xiao Ruoching said softly.

Su Bei, eyes closed, peacefully enjoyed the ministrations of his spendthrift disciple.

"Hmm, tomorrow I shall sleep in and not arise!"

PSST—

Xiao Ruoching visibly faltered, her face flushing crimson. Master actually wants to have such beautiful dreams, she thought with an inward sigh.

"Master, you aren't the Emperor. Could it be you wish for a palace of three halls and six courtyards?"

That's so shameless...

Su Bei frowned, feigning anger. "Is that not allowed?!"

Xiao Ruoching's eyes, carrying a hint of hesitation, scrutinized Su Bei carefully. Then, her gaze seemed to fix on something beneath the water, and with a playful smile, she said, "Of course not! Master is so weak, yet you still dream of such lovely things..."

Su Bei's heart flared with annoyance. This is an insult to my dignity!

Then, before her astonished eyes, he suddenly stood up. Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her.

Next, he placed her across the edge of the wooden barrel and raised his hand sharply.

The crisp sound of a hand meeting flesh, mingled with splashing water, echoed in the room.

SMACK—

Her body trembled slightly, sending ripples across the water.

Xiao Ruoching lay draped over the edge of the barrel, her previous arrogance gone. Although Su Bei's slap had been measured, flesh and blood still felt pain!

It hurt!!

"Do you know what you did wrong?!" Su Bei demanded, pausing his actions.

Xiao Ruoching turned her head to look into Su Bei's eyes. Her entire body was soaked, vaguely revealing the silken, carp-embroidered bodice beneath her wet clothes, creating a shockingly unconventional allure.

—The plump carp, visible beneath the nearly transparent white silk, seemed to swell as if mocking Su Bei.

"Disciple... understands her mistake... I know now," Xiao Ruoching hummed nasally, trembling as she stuttered out the words.

Looking at the scene before him, Su Bei felt his throat inexplicably go dry. He activated the Selfless Realm to forcibly suppress the rising impulse.

He didn't continue to punish his disobedient, spendthrift disciple but simply released his grip.

Unexpectedly, without Su Bei's support, Xiao Ruoching plunged headfirst into the wooden barrel.

SPLASH—

Water flew in all directions.

Like a mermaid, her long black hair fanned out in the water, blooming on the surface like seaweed. Her whole body pressed against Su Bei's side, and he could feel the elusive touch of her soaked white silk against his skin.

SPLASH—

Xiao Ruoching surfaced, not daring to look at Su Bei. Her cheeks were as red as if they were bleeding, her long hair was in disarray, and she looked utterly disheveled from being drenched.

Su Bei, however, felt his dignity had been thoroughly satisfied.

"Can this disciple accompany Master when you visit the South Wind Ancient Country!?" Xiao Ruoching asked softly, her face still red, not daring to look at Su Bei.

Su Bei lifted her out of the tub and set her down outside it. Watching the "chubby fish" design beneath the white gauze seem to open and close its mouth as she breathed, he replied, "We'll see. Your master isn't going there for leisure."

If she stays like this, my composure really won't hold, he thought.

Xiao Ruoching bit her thin lip and lightly hummed in acknowledgment.

"Disciple's bodice is all wet..."

Su Bei felt somewhat embarrassed. He recalled that he seemed to have a few bodices in his storage ring. He carelessly pulled one out and, without looking, tossed it to Xiao Ruoching. A flash of red arced through the air.

Xiao Ruoching's face turned even more crimson as she caught it and quickly stuffed it into her Storage Ring. She then said softly, "Disciple will scrub Master's back..."

A soft rustling followed.

「Later that night.」

In the pitch-black sky, only the stars and moonlight twinkled.

Su Bei, however, had been unable to sleep for a long time. He lay there, counting the stars above.

"The one hundred and seventy-eighth, the one hundred and seventy-ninth... the..."

Suddenly, a cool breeze whooshed past, accompanied by a figure in red gauze.

"Elder Su, you truly have the leisure to be counting stars."

Su Bei didn't seem surprised by this arrival. He stood up, looked at Queen Lin entering from the back door, and said with a faint smile, "Impressive that you could guess I'd be here."

Lin Jinyu's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she glided towards Su Bei. Then, her eyes widened in surprise. "You've actually broken through to the Late Stage Refining Void Realm!?"

Could it be that the mysterious elder from the Sacred Land who triggered the full-blown Heavenly Thunder Tribulation last night was him?! she wondered.

Su Bei smiled. "I was merely fortunate to break through."

Lin Jinyu took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart.

No wonder he could fight a Peak Refining Void expert. The Heavenly Tribulation for merely breaking through to the Late Stage Refining Void was something even ordinary Dao Integration Cultivators couldn't compare to!

She gave him a deep look and said in a low voice, "Then Elder Su must be confident in taking on Lin Duo now?"

「Hour of the Earth.」

Everything around was extremely quiet.

Su Bei frowned, looking at her with a peculiar expression.

Fight Lin Duo!? How could it be my turn? Wasn't today supposed to be the Dao Sect versus Wuhua Palace?

Seeing Su Bei's clearly puzzled expression, Lin Jinyu's phoenix eyes also widened in confusion. "Judging by Elder Su's expression, could it be you don't know?"

Su Bei took a deep breath. "Didn't the Sword Sect get a bye?"

Lin Jinyu was taken aback. "The Sword Sect got a bye? It was clearly the Dao Sect that got the bye. Today is the Sword Sect versus Wuhua Palace..."

Su Bei was utterly bewildered.

He carefully recalled everything that had happened today, and realization suddenly dawned!

No wonder my disciples were acting so strangely today! Could it be that the entire Sword Sect has been keeping this from me? Just to prevent me from fighting!?

A bitter smile involuntarily touched his lips. He looked up at the bright moon and murmured, "Eldest Sister, ah, why did you have to go to such lengths?"

It seems only she would do something like this, he mused.

Lin Jinyu fell silent for a moment, a flicker of unease in her eyes. It seems I've made a mistake. If Wenren Pingxin finds out...

"Where is my bodice?!" Lin Jinyu demanded, taking a deep breath as she finally remembered the primary purpose of her visit.

Su Bei seemed as if he hadn't heard her. A Sword Box lay beside him, and he was gently stroking it, his eyes lost in thought.

Lin Jinyu glared at him, her phoenix eyes flashing, her voice turning cold. "Su Bei! I'm talking to you!"

Su Bei started. "Ah!" He snapped back to reality, hastily apologizing, "My apologies, my apologies! I'll return it to you right now!"

As he spoke, his Spiritual Sense dived into his storage ring, searching for the red bodice embroidered with a phoenix.

「After a long search—」

Su Bei looked up at her with a peculiar expression, swallowed hard, and said cautiously, "Um... it seems to be gone..."