Only the cult leader accepted my confession.-Chapter 19 - : You’re After My Beauty?!

"Disappointment?"

Nie Qing felt like she had been struck by lightning.

She started questioning herself—was she really that bad?

No! It was obviously him...

"Senior Sister, what else do you want to say? Was it my fault for what you just did?" Ye Shu interrupted, crossing his arms like a righteous judge about to pass judgment.

Then, with a deep sigh, he continued, "You barged in, took off your outer robe, struck a pose, and then asked me if you looked good? Tell me, which normal man can endure such blatant aggression?! Do you even realize how beautiful you are?! You're playing with fire, Senior Sister!"

"Huh? R-Really?"

Hearing this, Nie Qing felt a rush of embarrassment and gently covered her flushed cheeks.

It was hot—too hot!

She had been so ready to scold Ye Shu just now, but after hearing him say that...

Well.

That was quite reasonable.

And pleasant to the ears.

"You probably want to say, 'Junior Brother, since I did all that, shouldn't you act like a man?'" Ye Shu suddenly changed his tone, imitating Nie Qing's voice with exaggerated dramatics.

Then, with a dramatic swirl of his sleeve, he turned away and declared, "I am a man! But I am not that kind of man!"

"I am a disciple who follows my master's teachings, upholds the iron rules of the sect, avoids matters of the heart, and keeps my soul as pure as an untouched snowfield!"

He placed a hand on his chest and looked up at the sky with a profound expression.

"I am your good junior brother, Senior Sister."

Nie Qing felt her heart pound.

Why did that sound so moving?!

Why did it make so much sense?!

Could it be...

Had she truly misjudged him?

Was he actually not a pervert?

At this moment, Ye Shu let out a deep sigh. "Big Sister, I have endless respect for you. Why... why did you have to humiliate me tonight?"

Saying this, he wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.

"Just now, if I hadn't resisted your outrageous actions, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

"Ah—!"

Nie Qing felt a thunderclap explode inside her mind.

She suddenly remembered!

Ye Shu's slap... wasn't an act of lustful indulgence!

It was because she had lost control!

For some reason, she had been utterly captivated by Ye Shu's face, his eyes, his nose, his lips...

She had wanted to...

To...

She slapped herself internally.

No, no, no! That was too terrifying to even think about!

If Ye Shu hadn't stopped her at the last moment, the situation would have turned into something completely different!

Something utterly shameful!

And worse, it would have had nothing to do with her original goal of simply seducing him to chase him out of the sect!

Instead... instead... she would have become a scoundrel!

A villain!

If word got out... if Master found out...

Nie Qing clutched her head in horror.

She had barely escaped falling into an abyss!

And the one who saved her... was none other than Ye Shu.

At this moment, she no longer hated him for slapping her earlier.

No.

Instead, she felt grateful!

That slap had saved her!

"Junior Brother Ye is truly an upright and disciplined man," she thought, her perception of him shifting entirely.

She looked up at Ye Shu, whose face radiated righteousness, like a beacon of virtue shining in the dark.

She felt ashamed.

Very, very ashamed.

"Big Sister, do you know you were wrong?"

Nie Qing looked at Ye Shu's serious expression and opened her mouth... but no words came out.

Something about the way he was looking at her...

Something about the sheer dignity he exuded...

She gulped.

"Yes," she muttered, lowering her head. "I... I was wrong."

Then she nearly slapped herself again.

What the hell?!

She had come here to trap him!

How did things turn into this?!

Why did she feel like a child being scolded by an elder?!

Ye Shu nodded sagely. "Good. It takes courage to admit one's mistakes."

He placed his hands behind his back and paced around like a wise sage delivering an important lesson.

"Senior Sister, I will not hold today's incident against you. You, too, are a victim of the inner demons that plague us cultivators."

"My master gave me a second chance, so I shall grant you one as well."

"I will tell no one of what happened tonight. But you must reflect on your actions, return to the path of virtue, and become the noble Senior Sister I once respected."

Nie Qing's jaw dropped.

He... he was really letting her go?

He wasn't going to report her to the sect?

No public shaming?

No punishment?

No gloating about how he had been the one wronged?!

She felt her throat tighten.

Compared to his generosity, her earlier thoughts of running to the master to complain felt utterly shameful!

She had never felt so low.

Nie Qing bit her lip, feeling an intense self-loathing.

She had been such a villain...!

Just as she raised a hand to slap herself in repentance—

Ye Shu suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Senior Sister, what are you doing? There's no need to punish yourself! You were simply momentarily overcome by your inner demons—it wasn't truly you acting of your own will!"

"...Really?" Nie Qing whispered, her cheeks burning.

Although she didn't fully understand what he meant by 'inner demons,' the way he said it made her feel like she was innocent in all this.

She placed a hand on her chest and murmured, "My inner demon... so that's what that feeling was?"

She had dealt with demonic possession before—actual demonic possession—but she had never encountered this...

This...

This strange feeling.

That urge to pin him down, to stare into his eyes, to steal a kiss—

Nie Qing felt like she was suffocating just thinking about it.

Why had she lost control like that?!

It didn't make sense!

She was devoted to the Dao! She had never cared for romance or men!

So why did he... why did Ye Shu...

Then, suddenly—

A thought struck her like a lightning bolt.

She gasped.

"Junior Brother Ye!"

Her eyes shone with newfound clarity as she grasped his hands, looking at him like he was the last lifeboat on a sinking ship.

Ye Shu blinked.

"...Uh. What?"

Nie Qing took a deep breath.

Her cheeks were pink, her voice slightly hesitant.

"Junior Brother Ye... how did you overcome your inner demons and become so... so pure?"

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Ye Shu: "...?"

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Inner demons? What inner demons?!

He had just been making things up to confuse her!

But—

Wait—

She actually believed it?!

Nie Qing looked up at him expectantly, like a disciple awaiting divine wisdom.

Ye Shu stared at her for a long moment.

Then, slowly... realization dawned.

His eyes widened.

His mouth twitched.

So that's how it was...

She wasn't trying to seduce him out of duty.

She wasn't trying to trap him for some sect plot.

No.

She was just after his beauty.

Ye Shu felt an existential crisis brewing.