The Art of Subduing Dragons

Chapter 37

Faced with the system's reminders, Luo Qingci turned a deaf ear. To be honest, it was really hard to persist with such a task.

She wasn't made of wood, nor did she, like the original Luo Qingci, cultivate the path of emotionlessness from a young age. After so much effort with no visible change, even knowing it should be this way, she couldn't help but feel sad and disappointed.

Yet, even now, knowing that Ruan Li still had elements of pretense, she felt happy, even experiencing a kind of joy that seemed detached from normal human emotions.

You see, she still had feelings; some of those tears were genuinely from Luo Qingci herself.

Seeing her tearful and pitiful appearance, a surge of malevolent thoughts arose.

That's why she acted this way and said those words.

Her actions not only made the system unable to bear to look but also left Ruan Li somewhat at a loss.

But Luo Qingci didn't do anything more outrageous. Instead, she released her grip and slowly stood up. "In the past, though you were cautious, it was rare to see you like this. That day when I took you as my disciple, I said I would be your master from then on. As your master, it's only natural for me to protect you. Get up."

Ruan Li's mind was in chaos. Luo Qingci's gaze and words made it hard for her to remain calm.

This wasn't right. It shouldn't be like this. Luo Qingci shouldn't be this way, and Ruan Li shouldn't be this way either.

To dispel the uncontrollable emotions in her mind, Ruan Li forced herself to endure the discomfort and moved to stand up.

But having knelt for so long without using spiritual energy to protect her, her legs had lost all sensation. She gritted her teeth and braced herself on the ground, but the sudden rush of uncontainable numbness and pain made her expression uncontrollable. She fell back down, almost hitting the floor.

Luo Qingci frowned. "How long have you been kneeling?"

Seeing her biting her lip and turning pale, the bit of joy Luo Qingci had felt was dispelled. Was this little brat really so stubborn?

Ruan Li, with pain evident in her voice, still managed to say, "Not long, just my legs are numb. Give me a moment... Mmm..."

Before she could finish, Luo Qingci raised a hand and pulled her up.

Seeing her face grow even more pained, her legs unable to straighten, Luo Qingci used her spiritual energy to gently lift her into her arms.

The sudden lift truly startled Ruan Li.

Her face turned red as she instinctively struggled, "Master, I... I'm fine, you..."

"Don't move," Luo Qingci said firmly, causing Ruan Li to quiet down. She lowered her gaze, turned, and walked back into the room.

At forty percent character freedom, this was reaching its limit. The system could hardly bear to watch and decided to remain silent.

This was the closest the two had been in three years. Thus, Ruan Li once again caught a whiff of the scent on Luo Qingci. That subtle, plum-like fragrance, elusive and hard to resist, made an impression.

Ruan Li confirmed once again that this scent was unique to Luo Qingci. She liked the dragon plum and had been immersed in the plum grove for years, thus carrying the essence of plum blossoms.

Jiang Yuebai's words were true, not just idle talk. From when she entered Tianyan Sect, it was Luo Qingci who saved her from Lin Kong during the trial, who quietly healed her wounds after her body tempering, and even secretly protected her on Xuan Peak.