Chapter 23: Master, What Are You Doing?

To be honest, Chu Huaizhou was a bit worried about whether his third disciple, Meng Yinlu, was normal.
He recalled how she disliked lively places, often reading alone in a pavilion.
Once, Bai Li peeked at her book and acted like she’d discovered a new world.
From then on, she couldn’t sleep, pestering him for spirit stones to buy books.
Curious, he sneaked a look at what Bai Li was reading—titles like The Tyrannical Immortal Lord Loves Me and The Cold Sword Immortal’s Cherished Pet.
Just the names gave away the contents. Truly, the Black Abyss developers spared no effort, even crafting romance novels.
Chu Huaizhou didn’t get it, but he respected it.

Centuries later, Bai Li was still hooked. If Meng Yinlu was reading them too…
Shudder.
He didn’t dare imagine how those books might warp his third disciple’s mind.

Clearly, Bai Li wasn’t a reliable source for useful info.
Given Leng Qingqiu’s behavior, they probably weren’t partners.
But why did they spend time alone, locking Bai Li out?
Ugh, if he couldn’t figure it out, he’d stop trying.
After saying that to Leng Qingqiu, whether they were partners or not, he had to act like they were to protect his freedom—and his organs.
Short of crossing that line, he’d slowly accept her terrifyingly intense affection.

Seeing Chu Huaizhou lost in thought, ignoring her, Bai Li pouted.
Neglected, meow! Annoyed!
His feet were nearly done anyway. Recalling her earlier embarrassment, she decided to reclaim some dignity.
As the demon realm’s second-in-command and Qingqiu Empress, she couldn’t lose face!
No longer the blushing fox, she’d sorted her emotions.
This palace, cold and ruthless!

While Chu Huaizhou was distracted, Bai Li flicked her tail, leaving a lifelike clone in her place.
Her real self turned into a wisp of smoke, silently slipping behind him for a sneak attack.
Take this, meow!
Holding her breath, her jade-white arms slithered around his neck from behind.
To maximize “damage,” she pressed her soft body tightly against him.
Duang~

The sensation snapped Chu Huaizhou out of his thoughts. Seeing the clone dissolve like Mirror Flower, Water Moon, he knew what was up.
Seriously, Bai Li, what now?! Another sneak attack?!
Always pulling shady moves, and he, shamefully, couldn’t resist.
Her model was too OP, plus the cat-girl vibe—Chu Huaizhou was defenseless.

But perhaps because he was clutching the Leng Qingqiu plushie, feeling the icy pendant’s constant coolness, he didn’t let his instincts win this time.
Raising a hand, he flicked her forehead.
“Ow, meow!”
A pained whimper came from behind as Bai Li recoiled, the sensation vanishing.
Chu Huaizhou felt a chill down his back, oddly disappointed…
Wait, what am I regretting?!

Turning to scold the lawless fox, he saw her clutching her reddened forehead, white fox ears drooping pitifully.
Her amber eyes shimmered with tears, lips trembling, her whole body flushed again.
It was like she was the one who should be embarrassed, not him.
Come on, Bai Li, are you made of blushing glass or something? I haven’t even blushed yet!
Staring at her steaming head, it hit him.
Is Bai Li high-attack, low-defense?

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away at the Jade Cold Palace:
This was the imperial hall of the Hanyuan Dynasty’s Empress, Leng Qingqiu.
Carved entirely from ten-thousand-year-old mystic ice, the palace glistened transparently, exuding a chilling aura.
The interior stayed dozens of degrees below zero, freezing the blood of any ordinary cultivator into an ice statue upon entry.
Instead of candles, the ceiling held ghostly blue cold flames formed from extreme frost fire, their flickering casting a misty chill, enveloping the hall in a lethal, serene atmosphere.

Female officials in ranked robes knelt respectfully, foreheads pressed to the icy floor, not daring to overstep.
Their auras were impressive, but before the figure at the hall’s end, they seemed like ants.
Leng Qingqiu reclined on her mystic ice throne, her deep blue imperial robe adorned with nine frost phoenixes, so vivid they seemed ready to burst free.
Propping her chin with one hand, her slender fingers tapped the armrest, producing crisp ice-crystal clinks.
Her perfect, jade-like legs crossed, the hem revealing intricate ice-silk patterns, exuding both laziness and suffocating pressure.

A female official in a star-embroidered robe spoke loudly:
“Your Majesty, the sealing materials for the Rotting Bone Nether River are prepared. We await the sun-moon convergence to activate.”
“But…”
She hesitated, glancing nervously at Leng Qingqiu.
“Due to the rushed preparation and our treasury’s limited stock, we can’t reinforce the original array. We can only establish a new one.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“The new array can only hold for half a month, not centuries.”
Fearing Leng Qingqiu’s wrath, she bowed her head, falling silent.

But the expected outburst didn’t come. The official cautiously looked up.
Their normally icy empress seemed… off.
Her crossed legs had uncrossed, and was she… smiling?
Master… what are you doing… hehe…

Leng Qingqiu had tuned out the official’s report from the first sentence.
Her body tingled, growing warm.
Of course, in the imperial hall, she suppressed it fiercely to maintain composure.
The cause? Chu Huaizhou, thousands of miles away.

The chibi Leng Qingqiu plushie on his bed wasn’t just a toy.
It was a symbiotic puppet she’d crafted with her heart’s blood and a secret technique.
From its creation, they shared half a life—if the puppet survived, she could revive instantly even if killed, a top-tier life-saving method.
She’d stumbled upon this treasure technique in a deadly secret realm during a campaign, its sophistication hinting at immortal realm origins.

But that wasn’t the point. She’d spent time refining it for one of its many effects: shared sensation.
When someone touched the puppet, it was as if they were touching her.