Female Lead, Something's Not Right (GL) - Chapter 4

Qin Qianqian’s face went pale, and she immediately let go. “True Monarch, please don’t be angry. This disciple only wanted to move the Bloodvine Flower into the jade box to preserve its medicinal properties.”

Zhao Feixue and Lu Ran also noticed the situation. The two quickly walked over. Lu Ran took Gu Shiyan’s hand with his feather fan and examined it.

“This flower is already damaged. You have a wood-element spiritual root, which happens to be able to nourish it, which is why it has settled in your palm. Don’t move it for now. Take it directly to the seal.”

Qin Qianqian quickly put on a flattering smile. “Senior Uncle is right!” Qin Qianqian didn’t dare to be presumptuous now. She turned to look at Gu Shiyan. She was about to say her name but then paused, realizing she didn’t know what this outer sect disciple was called. “Then you will go to the White Tiger Pagoda with the True Monarch. Consider it a good deed for the sect!”

Even with Gu Shiyan’s timid nature, hearing Qin Qianqian’s words made her want to curse. The movement of her raising her eyes, glaring, and pursing her lips in discontent was done in one fluid motion. Anyone could see her reluctance, but she could only hold it in.

This Qin Qianqian was truly a piece of work! She didn’t even think about how dangerous the White Tiger Pagoda was and if it was a place she could go! What’s more, the closer she was to Shen Shu, the faster she would die!

Lu Ran, fanning himself, looked at the little outer sect disciple under the tree with amusement.

This was truly strange! Everyone would fight tooth and nail for a chance to travel with True Monarch Hehua, a rare opportunity that might not come again. But this little disciple was the opposite. Could it be because she was worried about the dangers ahead? Hmm, it made sense that a third-stage Qi Condensation cultivator wouldn’t be willing to go.

Shen Shu put away her Floating Light Sword and didn’t even spare Gu Shiyan a glance. “We leave now.” With that, she flew away on her sword.

“Feixue, you take her with you.” Lu Ran said and then also left.

Why didn’t anyone ask for my opinion?! Of course, that was a thought she could only keep to herself. She was the one with the least right to speak here.

Gu Shiyan was on the verge of tears, feeling incredibly unlucky. She thought it would have been more merciful if Qin Qianqian had just killed her with that hairpin.

Zhao Feixue’s expression was serious, her eagle-like eyes fixed on Gu Shiyan, trying to find some sort of conspiracy. “How did an outer sect disciple like you end up here?”

Qin Qianqian quickly interjected. “Senior Sister Zhao, she is an alchemist I brought. I thought she could be of some help.”

“What use is an outer sect alchemist? Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because of your master. Bringing a person here privately is an added offense. You’ll be punished for both crimes when we get back!” Zhao Feixue no longer paid attention to Qin Qianqian. She grabbed Gu Shiyan’s collar with one hand and flew away.

Gu Shiyan didn’t notice Qin Qianqian on the ground, twisting her clothes and staring at her with a malicious gaze. All she felt was the sudden oppressive sensation of being lifted into the air.

“Ah!”

Gu Shiyan’s scream was immediately cut off by a sharp glare from Zhao Feixue.

At this moment, being held by her collar, she felt weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Sigh… she just wanted to live a peaceful and low-key life and cultivate her own path. Why was it so difficult?!

Dark clouds pressed down on the city as if to crush it. The deeper they went, the thicker the demonic energy became. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and flashes of lightning occasionally struck the scorched earth. She could see strange things wriggling under the ground. Suddenly, a withered, bony claw broke through the earth, tentatively grabbed at its surroundings, and then sank back into the soil.

Looking around, there was no sign of life.

Beyond the deadland stood a nine-story tower about a hundred meters tall. A giant crouching tiger was carved on its top. The White Tiger Pagoda was surrounded by righteous white immortal energy. The base of the tower suppressed the chaotic turbid energy that was born after the ancient war of the six realms. This turbid energy could devour all things in the six realms and was a great taboo!

The demonic energy sealed inside the tower was the nascent form of this turbid energy.

Just approaching the boundary made Gu Shiyan feel dizzy. Even on the outskirts of the lightning zone, she felt suffocated and suppressed. Looking at the inescapable trap before her, her legs felt weak.

“How about I wait outside for you?” Her trembling voice sounded pathetic.

Suddenly, a massive clap of thunder boomed, and a black mist shot toward the sky. The countless withered bones on the ground swarmed out!

“Oh no, the seal is loose! Xiao Hehua, take this disciple into the White Tiger Pagoda first. Feixue and I will help you break through the immortal lightning formation!”

Zhao Feixue, in her black robe, led the way, carving a half-meter-wide path. Shen Shu grabbed Gu Shiyan’s waist, refusing any protest, and flew into the White Tiger Pagoda.

Inside the tower, on the fourth floor.

Gu Shiyan kept her eyes tightly shut the entire time as Shen Shu carried her. When she finally opened them, she was already on the fourth floor of the White Tiger Pagoda.

But… the scene didn’t look like the inside of a tower. It was more like a small world within a cave. They stood on soft grass. Not far away was a clear stream, and in the center, occupying half the tower’s space, was a giant pink Demon of Lust Flower. Countless petals fell from the golden seal at the top of the tower.

The patterns on the seal flickered, and even small cracks were visible. Balls of black demonic energy surged from the flower’s stamen toward the golden seal.

“The Demon of Lust Flower!!” Gu Shiyan’s eyes widened! She even rubbed them. “I’m not mistaken, am I?”

Shen Shu was slightly surprised and gave Gu Shiyan a look, as if she didn’t expect the other person to recognize it.

Gu Shiyan gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe I’m mistaken! I read in a book in the library that the Demon of Lust Flower only grows in the demon realm and feeds on demonic energy. It was even forbidden there because of its immense power. Since the demon realm has been destroyed, then of course…”

Just as Gu Shiyan was about to deny it, Shen Shu softly confirmed, “You’re right.”

After Shen Shu spoke, Gu Shiyan immediately took a step back! Shen Shu raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

“Uh, True Monarch, you should fix the seal quickly. Just tell me when you need the Bloodvine Flower,” Gu Shiyan said, covering her nose and trying to shrink into a corner to avoid the petals and pollen.

After all, this was the Demon of Lust Flower, famous as the most lewd plant in the world. It could even invisibly corrode a poisoned person’s sea of consciousness and was a treasure for cultivation furnaces. If a malicious person mixed the flower’s nectar with someone’s blood, they could achieve a mother-son gu relationship, where the mother gu didn’t need to be near the person to achieve dual cultivation within the son gu’s sea of consciousness.

The power of the Lust Flower was that anyone, regardless of their cultivation, could control it. It once caused chaos in the demon realm and was even banned there!

Moreover, the flower pollen was a potent aphrodisiac. Even Golden Core cultivators might not be able to resist its effects!

“Give it to me!” Shen Shu’s brows furrowed as she looked at the weakening seal, deciding to act quickly!

Gu Shiyan didn’t hesitate. She endured the pain and pulled the Bloodvine Flower out of her palm. The flower’s root was still dripping with blood. Shen Shu took it with her spiritual power and threw a bottle of medicine to Gu Shiyan before flying up to the flower’s stamen. In the very center was a bowl of amber-like yellow nectar.

Gu Shiyan was overjoyed at the sight of the medicine bottle: a medium-grade healing pill! As expected of the True Monarch.

She sprinkled the powder on her palm, and the wound immediately healed, leaving no trace of the injury. Suddenly, a scene from the heavenly book flashed in her mind. It described Shen Shu and Xiao Ze in the White Tiger Pagoda, where Shen Shu was poisoned by lust. Xiao Ze helped her detoxify, and their relationship deepened.

But now, she was the one in the White Tiger Pagoda. Why was the timing so off? Did her appearance change some of the plot?

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted. As Shen Shu threw the Bloodvine Flower into the demonic energy above, the energy slowly disappeared. The Bloodvine Flower also quickly withered and fell into the center of the Lust Flower. At this moment, the petals of the Lust Flower twisted wildly, and a massive amount of glowing pink pollen sprayed toward Shen Shu in the air.

Shen Shu activated her spiritual energy shield and jumped away, but she was still not fast enough. A large amount of the pollen landed on her body.

Gu Shiyan didn’t know what to do. Shen Shu had her back to her, leaning against the wall. Her ears and neck were flushed red, and her hands were clenched tightly, with veins bulging, as if she was trying to restrain something.

“True Monarch?”

“True Monarch?”