Kiana charged. Kiana fell.
Kiana charged again. Kiana fell again.
Over and over.
She was no match for Jingliu in a single clash.
Jingliu, too, was inwardly shocked: this heart demon, just like Ye Feng, was impossible to kill, impossible to cut down.
Kiana was also getting fired up from the beatdown.
"This lady refuses to believe I can't even touch you today!"
Kiana's grand initial goal of "defeating Jingliu" had been downgraded to "if I can just touch her, it's a win."
"Alright, that's enough. You can't kill anyone by fighting like this."
Ye Feng appeared between Jingliu and Kiana. The two of them seemed to lose control of their bodies, freezing in place as if someone had hit the pause button on a movie.
"Speaking of which, Time Stop is quite a classic series," Ye Feng said with a chuckle.
Jingliu turned in Ye Feng's direction. Though her eyes were covered by a black cloth, he could still feel her gaze upon him.
Ye Feng couldn't help but smile. "Master, we meet again."
Kiana's eyes widened. "Ma-Master?"
"That's right. Just like how I call you 'Bug' and Ah Lin calls me 'Master.' It's all for amusement."
"Hmph, who's amusing you! Also, why did you freeze me too! Let this lady go!"
"Call me 'darling' and I'll..."
"Darling."
Kiana recited the word in a deadpan monotone.
Ye Feng clicked his tongue. "So straightforward now, are we? Bug, you're looking more and more like you're starting to take my shape."
Kiana's frozen body lunged forward as she regained her freedom.
She paused, then huffed, "It was merely an equivalent exchange."
It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
Ever since Ye Feng had appeared, Jingliu had remained completely silent.
Jingliu couldn't understand why she had appeared here again.
She hadn't fallen asleep, nor had she lost consciousness.
She had been in seclusion on a deserted planet, fighting against the erosion of the Mara corruption.
Her mind was still perfectly clear; she could still feel the sense of blockage from the 'candied fruit' at every moment.
But she had blinked, and in that instant, she had arrived in this Mara-Struck illusion once more.
No, this place... was it truly an illusion?
Jingliu was beginning to have her doubts.
The "candied fruit" inside her rectum could, with some stretching, be explained as 'tā huà'—the symptom where the body begins to grow mutated organs, unable to maintain a stable human form.
But this "consciousness leaping" was already beyond the scope of Mara-Struck symptoms.
She had arrived here fully awake.
"Master, a day without seeing you feels like three autumns. I've missed you dearly."
Ye Feng's eyes narrowed into a smile as he walked over to the immobilized Jingliu. He circled her once, then said:
"Seeing you like this, I'm reminded of the Great Sage who once froze seven celestial fairies... only to go pick peaches. Master, what do you think I should 'pick' now?"
"..."
"Look at you, always so silent. I never know what you want or what you don't want. As long as you're willing to speak, I would certainly obey my Master's decree. For example, if you said, 'Good disciple, please just let your Master go,' I wouldn't dare to disobey."
"..."
Jingliu remained silent.
Only Kiana knew that everything Ye Feng said was true.
Unless it was a special situation like the "first time" she had encountered.
When Little Ye Feng was on the outside, he was actually quite open to persuasion.
But Kiana was very angry right now and didn't feel like reminding Jingliu.
A small, wicked thought even bloomed in her heart... Ahhh, no, no, no! Why would I think something like that? That scoundrel Ye Feng must be corrupting this lady!
Ye Feng shot an amorous glance at the Bug. Kiana dodged his gaze and looked away.
And our Empress Dowager Jingliu remained like a pillar of ice—silent, cold, and proudly aloof.
She had already witnessed Ye Feng's methods. Even if she was no match for him, he could not shake her will.
There was nothing to be afraid of.
Let him be as mighty as he may, he is but a breeze caressing the mountainside.
When the time was up, she would naturally be released.
Jingliu was already experienced in this.
"Still not talking, I see."
Ye Feng stroked his chin, his gaze suddenly landing on Kiana with great interest.
"What are you looking at me for?" Kiana instinctively leaned back.
"Kiana, shall we continue the duel from before?"
"A duel? Me and her? Hmm... I have a bad feeling about this."
"Wow, the Bug and I really are on the same wavelength now. You can even guess what I'm thinking."
Under the sun, Ye Feng flashed a brilliant smile.
A cowlick stood straight up on the Bug's head. She watched Ye Feng with wary eyes.
"What are you planning now?"
Ye Feng cocked an eyebrow at Jingliu. "Nothing much. Just giving you a chance to beat her."
"Even if I win by cheating, it would be meaningless."
"No, no, no. I won't participate. It'll be all up to your own performance."
"Eh? Me... can I really?"
Kiana pointed at her own nose, not believing for a second that she could defeat this terrifyingly strong monster.
"Of course. In my heart, the Bug is one of the strongest people there is. Want to give it a try?"
"Alright!"
Kiana's eyes lit up. She clenched her fists, filled with determination.
But Kiana soon regretted it.
The "duel" Ye Feng had spoken of was... completely different from what she had imagined.
Alright, she had actually realized it from the start, but she had chosen to ignore it.
Now, as Ye Feng brought her and Jingliu to a room with a large bed, Kiana finally reacted with a huff of anger.
"I knew you were up to no good, you scoundrel Ye Feng!"
"A battle on the bed is still a battle. A contest of endurance is still a contest."
"This lady isn't going to play such a ridiculous game with you."
Kiana made a show of leaving. Ye Feng chuckled.
"Can't do it, Bug? You don't even have confidence in this area? Think you'll lose to her?"
"Hah?"
Kiana looked at Jingliu, who had been tossed onto the large bed. The memory of the beatdown she had just received resurfaced, and a powerful sense of defiance surged within her.
She crossed her arms.
"Her? As if."
"Then the duel officially begins. The numbers on your lower abdomens both start at 100. The first to reach zero loses. No objections, right, Bug?"
"Hmph."
Kiana let out a cool snort, which was taken as acceptance.
Even so, Kiana couldn't shake the feeling... that something wasn't quite right here.
Forget it, I'm not thinking about it!
She had never won before. This time, her opponent was just a "newbie"—
She would win!
Jingliu? Jingliu had been silent the whole time, so they'd just assume she agreed.
She just didn't quite understand what Ye Feng meant by "a hundred times, a hundred times."
It wasn't until Ye Feng bent her over into position that Jingliu suddenly realized things were about to get serious...
"Master, if you don't want this, you can still say, 'Good disciple, your Master is not yet ready'."
"..."
Jingliu silently turned her head to the side, exposing the pale skin of her neck and collarbone.
"Understood. Then, Master, I shall begin to dine."