I, who was turned into a woman by the Jade Maiden Master, want to rebel against the Heavenly Gang.

Liu Bailian continued, "The Zhenjin Insect belongs to the metal element, so you can use your fire elemental root to subdue and refine it."

"But the stone shell that encases this Gu worm is of the earth element. Fire generates earth, and earth generates metal. You can't just use fire directly."

"But you still have the Wood Spirit Root. By using Wood to overcome Earth and peeling off the stone shell, you can refine it with fire. Burn it slowly, don't kill it, and also replenish it with Metal Spiritual Energy. In this way, it won't die but will never hatch, thus becoming yours to use."

"Some cultivators who practice Gu cultivation use Gu worms in this way."

"This is insane!" Yan Qingping said with a worried expression. "Someone would use their own body to refine something so terrifying?"

Liu Bailian said slowly with her eyes half-closed, "As the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise..."

Upon returning to the Jade Maiden Sect, Liu Bailian first took Yan Qingping as her maid. She made it clear that she would not teach her any cultivation techniques, but she could use the resources of the Xuanwu Land.

Yan Qingping bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for taking me in, Master."

Liu Bailian nodded. "Yes, Feng is much more sensible. But you are, after all, the daughter of the sect leader, so you must not belittle yourself. Just call me Holy Venerable."

Yan Qingping: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Because she was a maid, Yan Qingping could not stay in Cuixing Pavilion but lived in the thatched hut where Qin Rufeng had lived before.

Liu Bailian assigned her the daily tasks of patrolling the Xuanwu area and cleaning the Cuixing Pavilion. Of course, there were also trivial matters such as pouring tea and water and adding incense.

As for tasks exclusive to her, such as warming the bed, serving baths, serving in bed, and accompanying someone for drinks, these are not assigned to her.

Yan Qingping was known to outsiders as a young lady from a wealthy family, but in reality, she had been ostracized since childhood. She was no stranger to the work of servants and had no psychological burden about it.

After returning to Cuixing Pavilion, Liu Bailian plunged into her study, focusing on how to save her beloved disciple.

Yan Qingping quickly adapted to her role as a maid.

She was cleaning one day when she suddenly heard a scream...

She recognized Qin Rufeng's voice immediately. Although she knew the Holy Venerable was treating her, Yan Qingping was still worried, so she went to check on her.

Qin Rufeng was kneeling on the ground. His head, neck, chest, and spine were covered with needles.

Liu Bailian pulled out Qin Rufeng's tongue and then pierced it with a silver needle.

"Waaaaah!" Qin Rufeng screamed in agony. Yan Qingping felt a pang of heartache watching her.

The silver needle, though thin, was still about the length of a hand. It pierced Qin Rufeng's tongue and became stuck in his lips; Qin Rufeng couldn't retract his tongue. It was truly a miserable sight.

At this moment, Liu Bailian said, "You've come at the right time. Come and help me hold her down. Don't let her move around."

Yan Qingping knew that this was being spoken to, so she quickly said "yes" and went over to help.

Chapter 58 Lost Soul

Qin Rufeng trembled like a leaf, drenched in sweat. He was in a daze.

Liu Bailian, while inserting needles, carefully studied a scroll that resembled an ancient book. It seemed she was also proceeding cautiously, feeling her way forward.

After studying it for a while, she picked up a pen and yellow paper and began to draw talismans.

After a short while, Liu Bailian removed the needles from Qin Rufeng's body. Yan Qingping then realized that each needle was about the length of a palm, and the depth to which they had been inserted was truly astonishing.

Yan Qingping asked softly, "How is Rufeng?"

Liu Bailian shook her head, her face full of worry. "The situation is worse than we imagined. Besides the Gu worms, there's also entropy energy. And her soul is completely in disarray. Why is this happening?"

Yan Qingping thought for a moment and felt that it was probably because her body had been scattered during the battle with Lu Yu. So she quickly told Liu Bailian.

Liu Bailian nodded. "That's right, I'm on the right track."

"That damned Yun Yishui, how could she give such a dangerous magic weapon to Rufeng? She can forget about getting a single spirit stone from me from now on."

As Liu Bailian spoke, she handed a dark green pill to Yan Qingping, "Eat this. This is a Wood Spirit Pill to help her increase her wood spirit energy."

"Using wood to control earth will suppress the metal-generating earth element of the Zhenjin worm. If we allow that worm to grow, it will be even more troublesome."

"Yes." Yan Qingping fed Rufeng the pill.

Then Liu Bailian stood up and said, "Help her steady. I'm about to begin."

Yan Qingping didn't know what to start, so she could only follow the instructions carefully.

Liu Bailian held a talisman in her left hand and a slender silver needle in her right. A small bell hung from the end of the needle.

She half-closed her eyes and silently chanted a spell...

She stuck the talisman on Qin Rufeng's forehead, and then actually nailed the palm-sized silver needle to the talisman, piercing Rufeng's forehead.

Yan Qingping was startled. The depth of the needle insertion clearly indicated it had pierced the skull.

Qin Rufeng trembled violently. The bells at the tips of the silver needles jingled. But she quickly calmed down again.

Liu Bailian then used the same "bell needle nailing talisman" technique to nail two talismans to Qin Rufeng's chest and another to his lower dantian.

Finally, they used a red ribbon to firmly bind Qin Rufeng's feet.

Then he muttered to himself, "This should work."

Yan Qingping saw that Ru Feng was still in a daze, like a puppet. So she was still very worried.

Liu Bailian said, "I forced her soul out of her body. Only then can it return to its proper place in the correct order. This talisman on her forehead serves this purpose. However, it will take some time for the soul to return to its place."

"There are also Jade Dew Insects and Zhenjin Insects. The other three talismans are for suppressing Gu insects."

"The Wood Spirit Pill nourishes her Wood Spirit Root, binding her feet like a tree taking root. This is called the Root Foot Technique, which also helps in cultivating and increasing the Wood Spirit Root."

"If everything goes well, she will regain her senses in a few days. The Gu worms will also calm down. You don't need to worry, go and get back to work."

Yan Qingping was still worried, "Ru Feng, she..."

“She’s with me.” Liu Bailian said, taking out a Sanqing Bell with a handle.

With a gentle ring of the bell, Qin Rufeng began to move in time with the sound. Because his feet were bound, he hopped forward, like a corpse herder.

The two large, snow-white rabbits with talismans attached to them hopped and skipped along with them. The talisman paper floated up and then fell back down.

Yan Qingping blushed upon seeing this. Although she felt guilty towards Rufeng for having such thoughts, she really wanted to... ring that bell too.

Liu Bailian's methods were indeed effective. After several days, Qin Rufeng's Gu poison was suppressed. His arm had also fully recovered under the treatment of acupuncture and spiritual medicine. It was just that the return of his soul seemed to be progressing slowly.

Liu Bailian studied ancient books until very late every day, while the distraught Qin Rufeng stood in her boudoir.

In fact, Liu Bailian couldn't bear to make her precious disciple stand as punishment, but the cultivation technique of the Wood Spirit Root required the cultivator to be as similar to a plant as possible.

Having devoted herself to treating Qin Rufeng for many days, Liu Bailian was also somewhat exhausted. The incense that had been meant to refresh her had long since gone out, so she went to bed early.

At midnight, Liu Bailian seemed to hear a bell ringing. She quickly got up to check... Qin Rufeng was still unharmed.

I had just lain down and was drifting off to sleep when I heard the alarm ring again. I got up and checked, but there was still no sound.

Liu Bailian muttered to herself, "The yin energy is strong at night. Has the soul returned to the body? I hope nothing goes wrong."

Thinking of this, she took out another pill and put it into Qin Rufeng's mouth. This was a Soul-Soothing Pill, a powerful hypnotic. It could even put walking corpses into a deep sleep.

Qin Rufeng's method of restoring the soul to its rightful place is almost the same as that used for treating zombies.

After finishing, Liu Bailian fell asleep again. But she hadn't slept long before the alarm rang again. She got up and saw it was the same old thing.

This time, she didn't lie down, but instead sat in meditation with her eyes closed to rest.

After an unknown amount of time, the bell rang again...

Liu Bailian opened her eyes. This time, she realized something was amiss. Qin Rufeng seemed to be standing a little closer...?

Just as I was wondering what was going on, Qin Rufeng suddenly jumped over!

Liu Bailian was caught off guard and was tackled to the ground by Ru Feng.

In a daze, Qin Rufeng grabbed Liu Bailian by the neck with both hands. Liu Bailian used her hands to break the lock on her throat, and Qin Rufeng exhaled a breath of cold air.

She had cultivated her jade-like purity to the point that exhaling cold air was nothing unusual. However, this cold air contained powder from a soul-soothing pill.

After inhaling the powder, Liu Bailian immediately became weak in the knees and unable to move. Qin Rufeng took the opportunity to undress Liu Bailian.

"You audacious traitor!" Liu Bailian stood up and struck Qin Rufeng in the chest with a palm, sending her flying.

With the cultivation level of the Xuanwu Saintess, how could she possibly be defeated by a mere Soul-Soothing Pill? Liu Bailian wasn't worried about herself, but rather about whether the palm strike had been too powerful.

"Ru Feng?" She stepped forward and saw Qin Ru Feng spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Ru Feng!!" Liu Bailian panicked. She quickly helped Qin Ru Feng up to check on him.

However, Qin Rufeng moved again! She turned around and pressed Liu Bailian down. The ribbons on her feet had also come off, and Qin Rufeng straddled Liu Bailian.

She stretched out her arms like a walking corpse. Then she bent down and pressed her hands on Liu Bailian's chest.

"Ah! Traitor!" Liu Bailian raised his hand to strike again. But seeing that Qin Rufeng's mouth was still bleeding, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Ah!"

"Traitor! Stop!"

"Qin Rufeng, how dare you betray your master and ancestors?!"

Liu Bailian knew that no matter how she shouted, it would be useless. She could see that beneath the yellow paper talisman on his forehead, Qin Rufeng's pupils had turned into pink hearts.

While Liu Bailian hesitated between fighting and not fighting, Qin Rufeng's knees firmly pinned down Liu Bailian's hands.

Her body, devoid of its soul, felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. The dignified Xuanwu Saintess, the aloof and beautiful Willow Fairy, was actually unable to move under the weight of her own disciple.

After finally managing to free his hand, Qin Rufeng pressed his entire body against him again.

No matter what move Liu Bailian uses, it will severely injure Qin Rufeng. Especially since her soul is currently wandering, once her body is injured, her soul may not be able to return.

However, in a pure contest of strength, Liu Bailian could not defeat this soulless body.

Just as she was hesitating, Qin Rufeng leaned in and kissed Liu Bailian on the lips.

Liu Bailian's heart skipped a beat, and then her body went limp.

She then realized that Qin Rufeng was like a runaway zombie, sucking people's souls.

Liu Bailian immediately guarded her mind. Although her soul hadn't been drained, it was damaged, and the effects of the Soul-Soothing Pill couldn't be suppressed anymore. She felt weak all over and couldn't move at all.

Qin Rufeng, however, was following his nature...

The night was deep, and the full moon's light streamed through the carved windows, casting a soft glow. In the vermilion pavilions and flower-adorned towers, plum blossoms and snow vied for attention. White blossoms, soft as jade, pressed against a warm fragrance.

The table was overturned, and the peaches in the white jade plate were crushed into persimmon cakes, with juice spilling all over the floor.

Chapter 59 Regaining Consciousness

Liu Bailian regained her composure quickly, and her body regained some movement. However, she didn't resist, simply accepting that she was still powerless…

The reason for this is that she harbors a deep-seated resentment. It stems from a legendary belief in fate and karma, the idea that even the most skilled individuals inevitably experience periods of decline and hardship. Worse still, some may be subject to the whims of those far weaker than themselves, their lives controlled and subjected to cruel humiliation.

Those who are too rigid are easily broken, and end up dead and their path destroyed. Only by enduring what ordinary people cannot can one achieve the Great Way.

A virtuous and chaste fairy fell into the hands of a cunning and despicable demonic cultivator, whose cultivation was inferior to her own. She suffered endless humiliation and was eventually tortured to death as a furnace, her body and soul to be refined. Such things are not uncommon.

However, there are also quite a few who endured humiliation and hardship, persevered through adversity, and ultimately achieved success.

Liu Bailian knew of a fairy who had broken through the three upper realms and ascended to the heavens. She had been imprisoned by demonic cultivators for a hundred years as a furnace for cultivation.

Instead of being discouraged, the fairy secretly cultivated special techniques to accumulate strength. After turning the tables, she slaughtered all the demonic cultivators. Not only did she avenge herself and regain her freedom, but her cultivation also advanced by leaps and bounds.

Later, she gained a profound understanding of the true meaning of the Great Dao, and was able to look back on her past experiences with a smile.

Liu Bailian has cultivated to the late stage of the Flowing Cloud Realm without ever encountering any setbacks. Since joining the Jade Maiden Sect, she has been deeply favored by her master and has never suffered any losses.

But the more she cultivated and grew, the more afraid she became of ending up in that situation one day. Because over the long course of life, it is not easy to avoid such karma.

If that day ever comes, I'm afraid I won't be able to do what that senior did... How can this body of iceberg snow lotus be trampled on? I will definitely choose to perish like jade and fragrance, to die and vanish.

Since the consequences are so terrible... how about bringing "this day" forward to a slightly earlier date within a controllable range? For example, it wouldn't be so bad to give it to my beastly apprentice.

It was merely that Ru Feng, who was walking like a zombie, was having his yang energy and soul absorbed; she couldn't actually steal souls.

A weakling with low cultivation and pseudo-spiritual roots was taken in as a disciple by her master out of an exception. Instead of repaying this kindness, she committed such a heinous and treacherous act of betrayal and disloyalty against her master…

"Alas, it's a pity that I am that tragic master." Liu Bailian thought to himself, "So be it... getting tainted by this karma is like breaking the perfect body on the path of cultivation."

"Having endured this misfortune, one has a greater chance of avoiding such calamities in the future in terms of fortune and luck."

"So, it was indeed by chance that Zhao Rufeng joined the sect. I didn't deceive her..."

"But this rebellious disciple is so unruly. I can treat her however I want, but how can she, as my disciple, treat me like this... Ah~~ Mmm!!"

(II) Lin Wuyi Sanxiaqi I San “You traitor, how dare you! You betray your master and ancestors! Let go! You dare to tie me up? Don’t push your luck any further!”

If Liu Bailian doesn't fight back seriously, all her struggles are just pretense. She has put shackles on herself, so of course she is powerless to resist.

Liu Bailian, who has been exceptionally talented and diligent in her cultivation since childhood, has always maintained the demeanor of a strong person. However, now that she has truly placed herself in the position of a weak woman powerless to resist, allowing a strong person to control, manipulate, ravage, and tear her apart... she doesn't find it particularly unpleasant.