Mission: Seduce the Master!-Chapter 309: Zhang Mei’s feelings

Zhang Mei's reaction was not just obvious—it was super obvious. Her face turned red, resembling a ripe tomato, and her gestures alone betrayed her embarrassment.

Only a fool could miss her true feelings. Xie Qing's eyes widened.

The man knew about her feelings, saw her passion, but he preferred not to rush things, considering her fiery personality. And now…

"W-what nonsense!" Zhang Mei shouted, pointing at him furiously. "What disrespect! How could I… eeek?!"

A surprisingly girlish squeal escaped her lips as Xie Qing used a special technique to pull her into an embrace.

"W-w-w-what…" Zhang Mei stammered nervously, her face flushed, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "…stop it."

Despite her "resistance," Zhang Mei surprisingly did nothing to make Xie Qing let go of her. Instead, she hugged him back, rested her head on his shoulder, and hid her face.

Her feelings had developed extremely slowly and subtly. As the only man she interacted with, Xie Qing was close to her, no matter how much she tried to deny it.

Given that he wasn't scared of her and didn't look at her with lustful eyes, Zhang Mei felt very comfortable around him. Of course, her admiration for his appearance didn't go unnoticed either.

Love? Well, not exactly. It was more akin to affection. However, this affection gradually began to turn into love when Zhang Mei realized that not seeing him for a long time made her heart ache with longing.

Xie Qing was the cure for her loneliness, and because of that, she didn't want to let him go. Seeing him spend time with other women, including her own disciple, even if it was to help them… she felt jealous.

"Idiot…" Zhang Mei muttered, feeling a sweetness well up in her heart.

The long-standing emptiness in her heart seemed to have been filled. Pain, anxiety, fear—all of it vanished in his embrace.

And she liked that feeling. Being protected and loved… over time, these became the only things Zhang Mei truly needed.

"Mmm…"

Her tense mind relaxed, and little by little, she began to drift off to sleep.

"Did she fall asleep?" Xie Qing wondered. Cradling her in his arms like a princess, he carried her to the bedroom.

After covering her with a blanket, Xie Qing sat down nearby in a chair and sighed.

"Zhang Mei must be very stressed. She used to be much more composed. Her outburst… I suppose it's related to the invasion."

Lately, the closer the invasion drew, the more passionate and honest the women around him became. Even Lu Yin, known for her restraint, no longer tried to hide the longing and love in her gaze.

Because, even if they didn't show it outright, they were all sure of one thing—the chances of survival were slim. Not zero, but still very slim. So, as if ready to face death, their desire was clear: to savor the peaceful moments while they lasted.

This put immense pressure on Xie Qing. Was he strong? Yes. But his enemies were Immortals who wielded strange powers.

Even though he had his own trump cards, each one was extremely dangerous, and reckless actions could lead to catastrophe.

"The Heavenly Emperor, the Immortals, and… the Heavenly Dao. It's all so complicated…" Xie Qing thought, rubbing his brow.

The only hope for survival was to accelerate the fusion of his soul from his past life, but…

"My body is already at its limit. If not for the Golden Dragon bloodline, I wouldn't have withstood this pressure and would've died…" Xie Qing clicked his tongue in frustration. "The memories of a monster who lived for over a million years are too much for a 30-year-old body like mine…"

The reason his personality hadn't drastically changed was that the soul of his past life couldn't significantly influence his new self. This was due to the Heavenly Laws.

"Tch…"

"I want to die…"

"???"

When Zhang Mei woke up, her first words were so absurd that Xie Qing even spat out his tea.

"What?" he asked, bewildered, wiping the corners of his mouth.

"I'm going to die of embarrassment," Zhang Mei declared with a blank expression.

"Uh…"

The man's expression turned complicated as he looked at the Sect Master of Starry Stream like she was a weirdo.

"Ugh…"

Zhang Mei let out a strange noise and covered her face with her hands, mumbling to herself, "My reputation… my reputation…"

Xie Qing didn't know how to comfort her, so he decided to stay silent. In any case, Zhang Mei was a grown woman who could manage her emotions. And he wasn't wrong, as after a few minutes (around 20, to be precise), she looked at him with a complicated expression.

"What is it?"

With a heavy sigh, the man met Zhang Mei's gaze, which seemed to say she wanted to tell him something.

"Don't worry, just say what's on your mind," Xie Qing said gently, smiling reassuringly. He sat down on the edge of the bed, placed his hand on hers, and softly stroked it. "I'm always here to help you."

His encouraging words, gentle and cautious touches, as though the man was handling crystal, touched Zhang Mei.

"Actually... I'm a little scared," she finally said.

"..."

Xie Qing did not respond, wanting to hear her full speech first. However, in a gesture of encouragement, he gently squeezed her hand, receiving a faint smile from the woman in return.

"I am responsible not only for my life but for the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. As the sect master, it is my duty to protect my disciples. And I cannot allow myself to hide behind someone else's back," explained Zhang Mei, looking at her hand. She intertwined her fingers with Xie Qing's and brought them to her heart. "Do you feel it? How my heart beats in tension. I'm scared, like a coward. And that disappoints me."

Through their joined hands, Xie Qing could feel how Zhang Mei's heart was racing. It wasn't out of embarrassment, but closer to panic. Her fear was laid bare before him. However, the man did not blame her.

"There is nothing shameful in being scared, Mei," Xie Qing began. He brought Zhang Mei's hand to his chest and smiled bitterly. "Because I am scaredtoo."

"Scared...?" The girl raised her eyebrows in confusion. Xie Qing's heartbeat was calm, so she thought he was simply joking, but: "!!!"

Suddenly, his calm heartbeat became rapid. Zhang Mei's eyes widened as she looked at Xie Qing, who calmly smiled.

"And I am not scared of enemies. Not at all. My fear lies elsewhere," explained Xie Qing, leaning forward and kissing Zhang Mei on the lips.

"Mmm..."

The girl flinched, and her eyes grew wide, but after a brief hesitation, she closed her eyes and gave in to the kiss.

They didn't use their tongues; their lips simply brushed against each other. However, Zhang Mei's unsettled heart seemed to calm down.

"Haa..."

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Mei and Xie Qing stopped kissing. Without waiting for the girl to say anything, Xie Qing continued.

"What I fear the most is losing you, the people I love... and among those people, you are one, Zhang Mei," said Xie Qing, stroking her cheek. "Am I a bastard? I can't be satisfied with just one woman. I even dared to start relationships with several..."

"That's... not true!" Zhang Mei responded, hesitating but with clear sincerity, lovingly rubbing her finger against Xie Qing's, holding it with her hand. "It's true that from the outside, people might think you're just a lustful guy... partly, you are."

"Eh?"

"However, all the people you've met, with whom you have relationships... are very happy."