Chapter 19: The True Reason for the Lure

Hearing Ye Cha inquire about the matter, Ke Qian raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had fully expected him to ask about the poison, providing her with an opportunity to intimidate him.

She intended to make the handsome man abandon any other hopes, listen obediently to her words, and then they could leave the Lingtian Sect together.

Although events hadn’t unfolded as she anticipated, Ye Cha’s compliant nature greatly pleased Ke Qian. She wasn’t inclined to dwell on it, choosing instead to patiently offer an explanation.

“The cultivation method I practice allows me, even with my spiritual power sealed, to use blood as a medium to draw in those nearby who harbor malevolent intentions, compelling them to serve me.”

“Malevolent intentions…”

Yet, as he listened to Ke Qian’s explanation, Ye Cha couldn’t help but murmur to himself. It seemed he found it hard to believe that he, a disciple of the Lingtian Sect, could be someone with malevolent intentions.

His expression was one of profound shock, causing the color that had just returned to his lips to swiftly drain away once more, leaving them starkly pale.

Seeing this, Ke Qian, who stood beside him, felt a pang of heartache. She quickly interjected, not wanting Ye Cha to continue his troubled thoughts.

“Beyond malevolent intentions, there are numerous other unpredictable factors. For instance, possessing an exotic treasure or a unique spiritual body, or even the cultivation method one practices, all carry a chance of luring individuals here.”

As she mentioned exotic treasures and spiritual bodies, Ke Qian’s gaze upon Ye Cha remained unwavering.

Having already reached the Nascent Soul realm, she honestly held no regard for the treasures a mere Qi Condensation cultivator might possess. Even more so, a spiritual body, a rarity found in perhaps one in ten million, was exceedingly uncommon.

Otherwise, if every cultivator in the cultivation world possessed a spiritual body, cultivation wouldn’t be nearly as arduous.

Had it not been for Ye Cha’s striking good looks and his gentle, endearing demeanor, which she found immensely appealing, Ke Qian would not have treated him with such courtesy and warmth. Instead, she would have simply threatened him harshly, only to kill him with a sword once they departed the Lingtian Sect, thus preventing any unforeseen complications.

“I see…”

After hearing Ke Qian’s words, Ye Cha’s fingers subtly curled, imperceptible to others. He now clearly understood the true reason he had been lured here.

‘Damn this Heavenly Net Body.’

‘It truly is a case of “made by the Heavenly Net, broken by the Heavenly Net.”‘

“As long as you remain compliant, you will certainly be out of harm’s way,” Ke Qian assured him. “I am Ke Qian, the Left Protector of the Ziyan Sect. What is your name?”

Only after seeing Ye Cha’s confusion dissipate, and observing that he raised no further questions, did Ke Qian recall that she still didn’t know the handsome man’s name.

‘To have conversed for such a long time yet still not know his name, what a grave oversight.’

“Senior, this junior’s surname is Ye, and my given name is Cha,” Ye Cha replied. “I only just joined the Lingtian Sect this year as a menial disciple.”

“Ye Cha… what a beautiful name!” Ke Qian exclaimed. “However, for such an extraordinary person like you to be a mere menial disciple, the Lingtian Sect is truly squandering… *cough, cough*… they’re simply too much of a bully!”

Repeating the name “Ye Cha” under her breath, Ke Qian gazed once more at the handsome man standing before her, her heart swelling with profound delight.

Despite having only just met, Ye Cha exuded a warmth that felt like a refreshing spring breeze.

Even though Ke Qian was an evil cultivator, her aesthetic sensibilities were perfectly normal. Aside from her penchant for slaughter, she wasn’t significantly different from orthodox cultivators.

However, perverse evil cultivators were an entirely different story.

For instance, Ke Qian knew a demonic individual who held no affection for the living, insisting on killing people first, then deriving perverse satisfaction from toying with their corpses. Even Ke Qian, a demonic evil cultivator herself, felt a wave of nausea at such a strange fetish.

“Ye Cha is merely a five-spirit-root waste,” he lamented. “Naturally, I cannot become an official disciple of the sect. Tomorrow morning, I’ll still have to report to the Affairs Hall to collect my tasks, chopping wood and delivering water until nightfall.”

As he spoke, Ye Cha offered a bitter smile, then raised a hand to tuck the stray wisps of hair from his forehead behind his ear.

In doing so, he inadvertently revealed the thin calluses on his palm, which Ke Qian immediately noticed.

Witnessing the handsome youth’s plight, Ke Qian’s heart ached profoundly.

“Ye Cha, you must not belittle yourself,” Ke Qian urged. “A five-spirit-root aptitude merely means you absorb a bit more spiritual energy than others. As long as you have sufficient resources, it’s hardly a significant issue.”

As Ke Qian spoke, she immediately retrieved a small cloth bag from her Sumeru Ring. The moment it floated through the air and settled into Ye Cha’s hand, its seal automatically unfastened, revealing a gleaming pile of top-grade spirit stones within.