"I don't understand why you would associate with the Holy Spirit Cult. You disgrace the name of the Six-Winged Angel," Xue Lingxun said with disdain, her voice laced with contempt.
In the Snow family's records, the Six-Winged Angel was an incredibly powerful martial spirit. Qian Renxue, who had almost overturned the Heaven Dou Empire in ancient times, had possessed this spirit, so the family held it in high regard.
The Six-Winged Angel was considered the nemesis of evil soul masters. For Qian Ran to collaborate with them was nothing short of heresy.
"Today, I lost and fell into your hands. Call it bad luck on my part. Do what you will with me, but don't you dare think about doing that kind of thing," Xue Lingxun said, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as if shielding herself from his gaze.
Thinking back to her earlier dance in that humiliating outfit, she felt a surge of anger.
If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn't have wasted my efforts. Now, she felt like nothing more than a joke.
"Miss Xue Lingxun, you look rather defiant," Qian Ran remarked, a playful smirk on his lips.
"Hmph. If not for your sneaky tricks, you wouldn't stand a chance against me," Xue Lingxun retorted, her mind racing as she deliberately tried to provoke him.
She was confident in her own strength. If it came down to a straight fight, how could Qian Ran possibly defeat her?
But his ability to teleport unpredictably had rendered her attacks useless.
"Miss Xue, even Xu Sanshi is older than me. So, if I'm no match for you, it's not exactly shameful," Qian Ran shot back with a chuckle. When he entered the outer court, Xu Sanshi had already been a fourth-year student.
As for Xue Lingxun, she was from an entirely older generation.
Xue Lingxun's face turned bright red. Qian Ran's words stung, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"I checked earlier—Xu Sanshi is doing fine. He's currently at the Holy Spirit Cult."
"So, Sanshi really is at the Holy Spirit Cult," Xue Lingxun muttered, letting out a small sigh of relief.
Now a full-fledged evil soul master, it made sense for Xu Sanshi to seek refuge among his own kind.
"Xu Sanshi is fully integrated into the Holy Spirit Cult now. I don't think you need to worry about taking him away. If his cultivation advances further, it could provoke fear in others, and his life might be in danger.
"On the contrary, the Holy Spirit Cult can provide him with proper training."
Qian Ran didn't actually care about helping Xu Sanshi. He had no fondness for the man who once dared covet his woman. Instead, he saw this as an opportunity to keep Xu Sanshi under his control within the Holy Spirit Cult's domain.
Of course, Qian Ran wasn't a complete villain.
The treatment Xu Sanshi received would be directly proportional to Xue Lingxun's attitude toward Qian Ran. If she behaved, Qian Ran wouldn't torment Xu Sanshi excessively.
Heh.
"You sure know a lot," Xue Lingxun said, maintaining a calm exterior even as her thoughts churned.
What exactly was Qian Ran's relationship with the Holy Spirit Cult? How had he so easily uncovered Xu Sanshi's whereabouts? The cult was notoriously secretive about its members, even managing to evade the Shrek Academy Inner Court's surveillance.
Yet Qian Ran had discovered everything within a day...
Could he be a core disciple of the Holy Spirit Cult?
No, that wouldn't explain this level of access. He must be at least the young master—or even higher.
Xue Lingxun's mind spiraled with speculation. Little did she know that even the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Leader, Ye Xishui, treated Qian Ran with utmost deference. If Qian Ran wanted the position of sect leader, he could claim it with ease—and probably wouldn't even bother.
"If Xu Sanshi falls to the dark path, won't he lose his will and become a mindless fiend?" Xue Lingxun asked, her brow furrowing. Like most soul masters on the Douluo Continent, she held a deep prejudice against evil soul masters.
"Not all evil soul masters lose their sense of self. I can ensure Xu Sanshi is taken care of," Qian Ran replied nonchalantly.
His words weren't entirely untrue. Figures like Ye Xishui, Zhongli Wu, and Feng Ling might have sinister martial spirits and less reverence for life, but they otherwise appeared as rational as ordinary soul masters.
Of course, they were exceptions. Most evil soul masters were exactly as Xue Lingxun described—monstrous and devoid of humanity.
"Why would you help Xu Sanshi? You're the one who turned him into this. Why should I trust you?" Xue Lingxun countered, though doubt crept into her voice.
Even if she found Xu Sanshi, what could she do with him? Evil soul masters were universally reviled. If the truth about Xu Sanshi came out, even the Xuanyuan Sect couldn't protect him.
As Xu Sanshi's cultivation advanced, he might even become a liability to the sect. In such a case, the sect itself might decide to eliminate him.
Leaving him in the Holy Spirit Cult might actually be the best option.
But...
At Shrek Academy, Xu Sanshi had been mercilessly bullied by Qian Ran. Wouldn't staying in the Holy Spirit Cult just make him an easy target for more of the same?
"Miss Xue, I think you're overthinking this. I wouldn't bully someone younger than me," Qian Ran said teasingly. If he got his way with Xue Lingxun, wouldn't that technically make him Xu Sanshi's senior?
"Pfft! Impossible," Xue Lingxun snapped, taking two steps back. She felt increasingly uncomfortable under Qian Ran's gaze.
This scoundrel—does he actually want to become Sanshi's elder?
Death before dishonor! I would rather die than...
As Xue Lingxun was mentally fortifying herself, Qian Ran's voice—smooth and devilish—whispered in her ear again:
"Miss Xue Lingxun, you wouldn't want Xu Sanshi to be mistreated in the Holy Spirit Cult, would you?
"You're making things difficult for me."
Qian Ran leaned in close to Xue Lingxun, his breath brushing against her ear. The scenario reminded him of certain storylines he'd come across in novels online—troublemaking students and vengeful parents, each meeting their match.
Now, he, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Lingxun seemed to be perfectly cast in such a tale.
This is practically a live reenactment, he thought with a shiver of excitement.
Xue Lingxun's resolve wavered as her thoughts spiraled.
It's not just me trapped in this cage—Xu Sanshi's fate in the Holy Spirit Cult is completely at Qian Ran's mercy!
Qian Ran took a deep inhale near her cheek, savoring the faint, alluring fragrance that seemed to radiate from her.
This is... intoxicating.
"You scoundrel!" Xue Lingxun snapped, jumping back two steps as her soul power flared uncontrollably. She glared at Qian Ran with a mixture of rage and humiliation.
In all her years, she had never met someone so shameless.
Bullying Xu Sanshi was one thing—now he dared to target her?
If she gave in, how could Xu Sanshi ever hold his head high around Qian Ran again?
(End of Chapter)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X