She Dominates the Immortal Realm with Her HP Bar

"Revenge is a dish best served cold. For a rabbit, half a year is more than enough."

After sending the letter about rabbits and carrots, Jiang Tingbai never responded further, seemingly accepting the explanation.

However, from that day onward, every time Yan Luoyue received a paper crane from Jiang Tingbai, she braced herself mentally—just in case he suddenly uncovered the truth and, in his characteristically gentle and refined manner, subtly lamented, "Junior Sister, why did you deceive me?"

Three days after receiving Jiang Tingbai’s letter, Ji Qinghong reappeared.

Perhaps the challenges within the secret realm had been resolved through the joint efforts of the grandmasters.

When Ji Qinghong returned, the corners of his lips were curled in a smile, his gaze warm and affectionate, clearly in high spirits.

This good mood was also reflected in his actions: the first thing he did upon reappearing was to casually extend his mischievous rabbit paw toward Yan Luoyue’s braid.

Yan Luoyue: "..."

What had her hair ever done to deserve this? Tomorrow, she’d just tie it up in a bun!

Yan Luoyue swiftly retreated, but before Ji Qinghong could grab her braid, Wu Manshuang stepped between them.

Calmly, he first bowed to Ji Qinghong, then presented him with a pristine hair ribbon.

The ribbon was pink, with two fluffy white pom-poms at the ends—the very same one Ji Qinghong had casually inscribed with an array not long ago.

Now, not a trace of the array remained.

Wu Manshuang had burned the midnight oil for an entire night, finally managing to extract the array without damaging the ribbon itself.

Ji Qinghong glanced at it and gave a slight nod.

But instead of praising Wu Manshuang, he stroked his chin and shot Yan Luoyue a teasing smile.

With just that one look, Yan Luoyue’s heart filled with foreboding.

Ji Qinghong said, "If that ribbon had been his, I’d believe he wouldn’t lie. But since it was originally yours… Hmm, how do I know you didn’t just find an identical ribbon to trick me?"

This question struck like a bolt from the blue. Wu Manshuang’s head jerked up.

The boy pressed his lips together tightly, unsure whether he was more upset at being doubted or angry on Yan Luoyue’s behalf.

Noticing Wu Manshuang’s reaction, Yan Luoyue first waved a hand behind her back to signal him to stand down.

Then, in a deeply wounded tone, she replied, "Is this how you see me in your heart?"

Ji Qinghong feigned surprise. "Aren’t you?"

"Even if I am—how could you say it out loud like that?"

Wu Manshuang: "..."

The master and disciple traded blows evenly, neither yielding an inch.

This purebred banter between troublemakers made getting angry over it feel utterly pointless.

Wu Manshuang froze, caught between stepping forward and retreating, blinking in confusion.

Seeing his state, Yan Luoyue chuckled and gave the little snake’s arm a gentle shake.

The simple gesture seemed to carry some inexplicable magic.

Wu Manshuang, who had been tense and ready to fight back, unconsciously relaxed his shoulders at her touch.

"Good, much better." Ji Qinghong finally offered a word of praise, though his tone remained cool. "If you’re always this serious, you’ll never make it into my school."

With a faintly wicked smile, Ji Qinghong pretended to reach for Yan Luoyue’s shoulder.

"Since that’s the case… To prevent you from cheating again, I’ll just draw the new array right here."

Yan Luoyue immediately noticed that Ji Qinghong’s fingertip was aimed directly at her face.

"..."

At that moment, she very much wanted to ask, "Are you still interested in pulling my braid? Maybe we should just go back to that."

But Ji Qinghong’s move was merely a feint.

Long before his finger could land, Wu Manshuang resolutely and without hesitation placed his own arm in front of Yan Luoyue.

"Don’t draw on her," Wu Manshuang said, using his free hand to lift the edge of his cloak. "If you want to test me, please draw on my face instead."

"Ah." Yan Luoyue sighed softly behind him. "You’re being serious again."

Such a silly, silly little snake.

She had waved him off earlier precisely because she didn’t want him to step forward and bear the brunt of Ji Qinghong’s teasing.

Though Yan Luoyue didn’t understand why Ji Qinghong insisted on taking such a roundabout approach, she suspected his true target had been Wu Manshuang all along.

Sure enough, when Wu Manshuang volunteered, Ji Qinghong didn’t hesitate and smoothly accepted the substitution.

The weight at the back of his head vanished abruptly, and his vision suddenly brightened.

Wu Manshuang’s breath caught as he realized the white gauze covering his eyes had been removed.

At the center of his vision was a pair of smiling yet merciless crimson eyes.

For as long as Wu Manshuang could remember, this was the first time someone had maintained eye contact with him without freezing in place.

"..."

Yan Luoyue, watching from the side, couldn’t help but ask, "How did you do that? Can I learn to do it too?"

What a shame it would be to keep such beautiful, obsidian-like eyes hidden away forever.

"When your cultivation reaches a higher level, you can. It must be a racial trait—his gaze carries a spiritual attack."

Ji Qinghong chuckled, his tone genteel yet merciless. "Though, perhaps before your cultivation is strong enough to withstand it, he’ll have already mastered control over it. Hard to say which of you will progress faster—after all, you’re both equally hopeless right now."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Wu Manshuang: "..."

With unreadable emotions, Wu Manshuang closed his eyes and subtly shifted the toxins seeping from his skin to the kind that could strip hair from one’s body.

...Naturally, this wasn’t because even a clay figurine has a temper, and certainly not because Wu Manshuang was seeking revenge.

It was simply because, at the moment, this was the only non-lethal toxin he could control!

The next instant, even through closed eyelids, he could sense the glow of the formation’s lines etching onto his face.

Having witnessed the peculiarities of Wu Manshuang’s toxins at the Matchmaker’s Temple, Ji Qinghong coated his fingertips in a dense, solidified layer of spiritual energy as he drew.

With the final stroke completed, Ji Qinghong admired his handiwork with a satisfied nod.

Casually patting Yan Luoyue’s head, he instructed in a leisurely tone:

"Within three days, memorize and master a hundred basic formations. Each has two or three variations—treat those the same way."

Yan Luoyue pointed at herself. "Me?"

Ji Qinghong raised an eyebrow. "Is there another little girl here who needs to start from scratch with formations?"

Mentally calculating the workload for the next three days, Yan Luoyue inwardly gasped.

This was akin to asking someone who only knew the 26 letters of the alphabet to memorize a thousand words in a single day—an almost impossible task.

Rubbing her fingers together, she ventured cautiously, "If I can’t memorize them... our sect doesn’t practice corporal punishment, right?"

As if hearing a particularly amusing joke, Ji Qinghong shook his head and laughed.

He asked kindly, "Do you truly think your master is such a cruel, unreasonable, and rigid person?"

"..."

Yan Luoyue shook her head.

But an ominous feeling slowly crept into her heart.

Twirling a strand of Yan Luoyue’s braid between his fingers—this time without tugging—Ji Qinghong spoke benevolently:

"If you can’t do it in three days, then take six... I’m confident you’ll have it memorized by then."

His leniency only deepened Yan Luoyue’s unease.

With a graceful turn, Ji Qinghong strode away, casually dropping his final words like a lit fuse to the explosives he’d planted earlier.

"By the way," he mused cheerfully, "have you ever let Wu Manshuang look in a mirror?"

The white-haired man departed, leaving behind a trail of amused laughter.

In his wake, Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang stood frozen like wooden statues.

"..."

Right—if Wu Manshuang looked into a mirror, would he petrify himself?!

This question carried the same philosophical weight as "Can walnuts still nourish the brain after being crushed by a door?"

If Wu Manshuang could petrify himself with his own reflection, then he wouldn’t be able to sketch the formation on his face—Yan Luoyue would have to copy it blindly for him!

Wait—did that mean—?!

Wu Manshuang abruptly shut his eyes.

Understanding his intent, Yan Luoyue quickly studied his face.

The formation’s patterns flowed freely across his skin, shifting every ten seconds or so into a new configuration.

If Yan Luoyue wasn’t mistaken, the first pattern was a nested combination of three different basic formations.

The next variation intertwined four.

As for the formation’s ultimate purpose...

Given Yan Luoyue’s current knowledge, she couldn’t decipher it.

In other words, to break the formation, Wu Manshuang first needed to know what was drawn on his face.

But with the patterns changing every ten seconds, there wasn’t enough time for Yan Luoyue to copy them stroke by stroke.

Unless she could instantly identify each basic formation at a glance and relay their names to Wu Manshuang for quick dismantling, the formation would remain in place indefinitely.

"..."

At this moment, Yan Luoyue finally understood everything.

No wonder Ji Qinghong had drawn the formation on Wu Manshuang’s face instead of hers.

If he’d placed it on Yan Luoyue, it would’ve been Wu Manshuang’s homework alone.

Instead, he’d bound the two of them together, turning it into a group project.

—In that brief exchange, Ji Qinghong had indulged his whims, subtly tempered Wu Manshuang’s disposition, and, by holding the snake hostage, forced the turtle onto the arduous ship of relentless study!

"Three birds with one stone—impressive as always, Ji Qinghong."

Wu Manshuang pressed further, "What did he draw on my face?"

"A formation that made me realize how deeply I love studying, so much so that I’ll burn the midnight oil tonight," Yan Luoyue said with a choked voice.

Just as she picked up the white gauze to tie it around Wu Manshuang’s face, she suddenly paused and stared intently at the little snake’s features for a moment.

Though his eyes remained tightly shut, Wu Manshuang could sense her gaze.

His palms grew slightly damp as he asked in a small voice, "W-why are you still looking at me?"

Yan Luoyue closed her eyes in anguish.

"I have some news for you. When you hear it, you must stay calm."

"..."

Noticing the shift in Yan Luoyue’s tone, the faint trace of nervousness vanished from Wu Manshuang’s expression.

Through his gloves, he gently patted her hand, his voice steady and composed.

"It’s alright. You can tell me."

Yan Luoyue struggled to speak. "Ji Qinghong… drew a little turtle on your face."

That’s right! No matter how she looked at it, the nested formations resembled nothing more than a plump little turtle!

"..."

Wu Manshuang, who had weathered countless storms, was momentarily speechless.

After a pause, he suddenly ducked his head slightly and murmured, "If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to break the formation."

Yan Luoyue: "???"

Yan Luoyue was utterly bewildered.

Friend, what are you thinking?

...

Three days later, Yan Luoyue rubbed her temples, charcoal pencils wedged between her fingers, as she studied Wu Manshuang’s face.

At the slightest movement from her, Wu Manshuang reflexively shut his eyes.

"How is it?"

"Minor Initiation Formation, Short Spirit-Gathering Formation, Earth-Sinking Formation—this time, at least, I recognize them all."

She rattled off the formations etched on Wu Manshuang’s face in five seconds, then covered her eyes in agony.

Like a student cramming all night before finals just to avoid failing, she groaned, "Manshuang, my brain is so full."

Normally, Yan Luoyue was sharp and quick-witted.

She was always the first to notice changes in her friends, then either had a sudden flash of inspiration or confidently whipped up solutions.

It was rare to see her like this—whining almost like she was sulking.

Wu Manshuang wanted to comfort her, but he also found this side of her rather endearing.

Unsure of what to say, he silently patted the back of her hand.

He had been by her side all three days.

The table before them was buried under stacks of paper, each sheet covered in messy formation sketches, some even filled on both sides.

Over the past few days, it wasn’t just Yan Luoyue who had been grinding away, memorizing basic formations by force—Wu Manshuang hadn’t slacked off either.

Based on her descriptions, he tried to deduce the original formations Ji Qinghong had used.

After all, Yan Luoyue recognizing the formations was only the first step. How Wu Manshuang responded afterward was equally crucial to solving the puzzle.

Pushing aside his own drafts, Wu Manshuang cleared his throat.

"Judging by the formation’s behavior and the hints Ji Qinghong gave us, I think it has two purposes."

"First, it can switch between three to four hundred basic formations and their variants in nested combinations."

"Second, on the third and sixth days, the formation will undergo a change."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Yan Luoyue forced herself to focus. "What kind of change?"

Wu Manshuang turned his closed eyes toward her, his tone cautious.

"One possible outcome… would kill me on the spot."

Yan Luoyue: "...Can we hear some good news instead?"

A faint smile tugged at Wu Manshuang’s lips, as if her reaction amused him.

He said lightly, "There are two more likely outcomes—one would change my skin color, the other would turn my hair into a sky-piercing topknot."

Compared to the first, these two possibilities were far more probable and aligned with Ji Qinghong’s mischievous tastes.

Yan Luoyue flipped through her own towering pile of notes.

Drawing on the crash course in formations she’d forced herself through, she ventured a wild guess:

"I think the third option is the most likely."

A sky-piercing topknot on little Wu… tsk tsk.

No wonder Ji Qinghong loved teasing people so much—she kind of wanted to see it too.

"..."

Wu Manshuang fell silent for a moment before firmly declaring, "Then I’ll shave my head."

He’d grow his hair back after the formation was broken.

No matter what, a sky-piercing topknot was absolutely out of the question.

He might be easygoing and undemanding, but he still had standards when it came to aesthetics!

Yan Luoyue blinked, mentally picturing Wu Manshuang with a perfectly smooth, round head.

Hmm, with such delicate features, even dressed as a monk, Little Snake would probably look quite handsome.

But it’d be best if he didn’t shave his head.

Almost the moment the two fell silent simultaneously, their minds conjuring strange scenarios involving hair, the formation’s transformation arrived right on schedule.

The next second, Yan Luoyue jumped up in shock.

A sense of foreboding struck Wu Manshuang, and his first instinct was to touch his head: “…What’s wrong?”

His hair remained neatly attached to his scalp—neither standing on end nor suddenly braided into countless tiny plaits.

Yan Luoyue murmured, “Manshuang, your face…”

In the blink of an eye, Wu Manshuang’s entire face had turned blue!

—Oh right, Wu Manshuang had mentioned earlier that the second possible transformation was a change in his skin color.

But why only his face? This effect was downright bizarre!

And combined with the white glow of the formation, the blue-and-white visual contrast…

Yan ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Luoyue really didn’t want to admit it, but at this moment, Little Snake’s face looked like a giant police bulletin.

“……”

Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang stared at each other in silence.

The next second, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle her impending laughter, Yan Luoyue mumbled, “I’ll go get the book!”

She swept past Wu Manshuang like a gust of wind.

From behind him, Wu Manshuang clearly heard Yan Luoyue humming a tune on repeat—something about “Blue-faced Dou Erdun stealing the imperial horse~~.”

Wu Manshuang: “……”

He touched his face, sighed in resignation, and closed his eyes.

—Demon Venerable Ji, you’ve really done a number on me.

But…

Shaking his head, Wu Manshuang picked up the draft notes beside him, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly.

—Well, as long as it made her laugh.

……

Thanks to their joint efforts, Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang finally cracked the group assignment just in time on the morning of the fifth day.

Letting out identical sighs of relief, they slumped into their chairs, sliding down the backs like two sun-dried fried eggs basking in the light.

“Thank goodness, we finally solved it.”

Yan Luoyue cradled her head and lamented, “I’ll never forget this. Those hundred basic formations and their variants—I’ll remember them for the rest of my life.”

Compared to Yan Luoyue’s outward dramatics, Wu Manshuang’s reaction was more subdued as he touched his face.

He recalled the burst of inspiration that had allowed him to dismantle three of Ji Qinghong’s traps in a row—part headache-inducing, part undeniable pride.

Truthfully, the early identification work had been the result of Yan Luoyue’s relentless perseverance. But the later breakthroughs? That was all Wu Manshuang carrying the team.

For the first time in his life, Wu Manshuang had experienced the weight of leadership—and found it rather satisfying.

“Demon Venerable Ji’s personality… I can’t quite put it into words,” Wu Manshuang said, half-lidded. “But he really is teaching me.”

“We still have seven or eight hours before the sixth day.”

Yan Luoyue let out a small cheer and bounded toward the door. “Before we turn in the assignment tomorrow, I need a change of scenery!”

“Uh, Luoyue.”

Wu Manshuang called her back.

“What is it?”

His tone was slightly hesitant. “Given what I know about Demon Venerable Ji… you might want to preview ‘Three Hundred Advanced Basic Formations’ after you come back tonight.”

The smile instantly vanished from Yan Luoyue’s face.

She closed her eyes in despair and muttered, “If your master’s standards are high, every night’s a college entrance exam…”

Still mumbling to herself, she drifted out of the room like a ghost.

Wu Manshuang: “……”

The next day, after several days of absence, the two finally returned to report at the Seal Wall.

Stretching for hundreds of miles, the Seal Wall still looked as imposing as ever, though it seemed slightly thinner to the eye.

Five days away hadn’t been enough to make it feel unfamiliar.

Yan Luoyue estimated in her heart: At their current pace, completely dismantling this Seal Wall would take about a year.

In other words, as long as Ji Qinghong’s enthusiasm held, he could personally tutor her and Wu Manshuang like this for an entire year.

After all, he had nothing better to do with his time.

The thought alone made Yan Luoyue’s scalp prickle.

She didn’t dislike studying.

But spending a whole year on the same subject—and one that was her weak point at that—wasn’t that a bit much?

So when Ji Qinghong finished assigning Wu Manshuang his new task and stayed behind alone with Yan Luoyue, she cautiously voiced her doubts.

She asked Ji Qinghong why he didn’t give her and Wu Manshuang some artifact-crafting assignments to work on together.

To be honest, Yan Luoyue also wanted a turn at being the expert, carrying Little Snake through a group project!

Ji Qinghong saw right through her.

He chuckled, shook his head dismissively, and delivered what felt like a death sentence: “Wu Manshuang doesn’t have to learn artifact crafting. But you? You can’t skip formations.”

Yan Luoyue suddenly looked up: "...Why?"

Ji Qinghong's ruby-like eyes gazed calmly into the depths of hers.

"If he doesn't learn artifact crafting, it won’t matter. But if you don’t understand formations, you’ll lack a skill to compensate for your weaknesses."

This answer...

In a flash of realization, Yan Luoyue remembered Jiang Tingbai once telling her that turtle clans excelled in defense but were less adept at offense. If she was interested, he suggested she study formations to shore up that shortcoming.

Yan Luoyue: "Senior Brother Jiang gave me the same advice."

Ji Qinghong chuckled lightly, casually producing a teacup from nowhere, its contents wafting a delicate fragrance. He took a leisurely sip to moisten his throat. "It’s easy to see."

"Offering the right advice might take just a blink. But following through on it could take a year, a decade—"

"—Oh, considering your track record and your species’ traits, mastering formations might take you a century at least."

With a teasing lift of his brow, Ji Qinghong smiled leisurely. "Our little bunny can’t bear to see that happen."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Wait—wasn’t that a mimicry of her earlier reply to Jiang Tingbai’s letter: "What radish? Our little turtle knows nothing of such things!"

Feeling her toes curling hard enough to dig a pentagon, Yan Luoyue desperately scrambled for distractions.

She recalled how Niu Qidao, pleading for his brother’s sake before Ji Qinghong, had mentioned the demon lord’s fondness for mentoring youths.

At the time, Yan Luoyue thought it a laughable excuse.

But now, seeing how effortlessly Ji Qinghong had ensnared both her and Wu Manshuang, it clearly wasn’t coincidence.

In artifact crafting, Yan Luoyue was already exceptional, so Ji Qinghong left her to her own devices.

In formations, where she was still a novice, he pressured her to build foundational knowledge. Wu Manshuang, a prodigy, was handed immediate challenges one after another.

Two students, two disciplines—yet Ji Qinghong navigated the fine line between "guidance" and "instruction" with precision.

It seemed he truly did have a habit of mentoring the young.

The only problem was...

A muffled bang erupted nearby, startling a few resting birds into flight.

Yan Luoyue turned to see Wu Manshuang gripping the "assignment" Ji Qinghong had given him. The explosion had been triggered by a botched solution.

Now, Wu Manshuang’s face was smudged black, his expression stormy, his hair frizzed into an enraged lion’s mane.

Physically unharmed, but spiritually devastated.

Ji Qinghong observed the scene, not bothering to hide his amusement.

He even shared his delight with Yan Luoyue, conjuring a glass of iced plum tea and considerately handing it to her:

"Care to bet? He’ll mess up at least three more times."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

—The only problem was, under Ji Qinghong’s relentless mischief, few probably endured his "mentorship" for long.

The realization struck Yan Luoyue like a bolt of clarity.

Hesitantly, she ventured, "Wait—Senior Brother Jiang is a swordsman, yet he’s the head disciple. Could it be...?"

Could it be that before Jiang Tingbai, no one had ever withstood Ji Qinghong’s torment?

Ji Qinghong mused, "Possibly? I’ve casually guided many. But Jiang Tingbai was the first who didn’t flee overnight after learning."

Yan Luoyue took a deep breath, sipping the chilled plum tea to steady herself.

The sweet-tart drink had barely touched her tongue when she jolted violently, spitting it out in a spray.

Amid the light-brown liquid was a flickering flame the color of preserved plum.

"..."

Water encasing fire—an advanced artifact-crafting technique Yan Luoyue knew well.

But never had she imagined someone would use it to hide flames in plum tea!

Ji Qinghong met Yan Luoyue’s accusing gaze, utterly unsurprised. He even informed her:

"This was just an ordinary flame, barely scorching you. Next time, I might hand you a cup of rare fire."

Yan Luoyue’s immediate thought: "If coins in dumplings go to whoever bites them, then any rare fire I drink should be mine, right?"

Ji Qinghong: "..."

The answer clearly caught him off guard—and delighted him.

After a low laugh, he waved magnanimously. "Keep it, if you want."

Returning to the topic, Ji Qinghong gestured at the teacup, explaining his reasoning.

"I started teaching Wu Manshuang with formations first, since that’s where his natural talent lies. But for you..." Yan Luoyue quipped smartly, "Starting with artifact forging?"

"No." Ji Qinghong smirked wickedly. "We’ll start with survival."

—The reason he’d chosen to teach her formations in the first place was to improve her chances of staying alive.

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Ji Qinghong took a moment to savor Yan Luoyue’s abruptly frozen, deeply aggrieved expression before patting her head in a consoling gesture.

Just as his hand was about to land, Yan Luoyue suddenly had a flash of insight.

The hairs on her back stood on end, and she swiftly raised her arm to block Ji Qinghong’s movement—her reflexes outpacing her thoughts.

Only after seizing Ji Qinghong’s wrist did she belatedly look up and spot the flimsy talisman pinched between his fingers.

Given the vast difference in their cultivation levels, Ji Qinghong had no need for external aids to do anything he pleased.

The only reason he’d held that talisman was because he wanted her to notice it.

"Not bad. You blocked once."

With an amused chuckle, Ji Qinghong patted her head again.

This time, Yan Luoyue instinctively tried to intercept—but failed.

Ji Qinghong’s hand effortlessly bypassed her defense, gently ruffling her hair before flicking her forehead with a light snap that sent her stumbling back three steps.

"Ow!"

Stars burst before Yan Luoyue’s eyes.

Ji Qinghong watched her with a smile, shaking his head in mild regret. "Being cautious is good, but you can’t misplace your vigilance."

"..."

When the trio regrouped at the inn that evening, Ling Shuanghun nearly jumped at the sight of Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang.

One had a soot-blackened face and singed, frizzy hair, while the other looked utterly drained, his head covered in swollen bumps.

Ling Shuanghun: "...Did the two of you sneak off to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven without me?"

He took a step toward Yan Luoyue, only to freeze under her silent glare.

That look was a far cry from her usual demeanor—more like a blade honed to a sharp, dangerous edge.

"Yan Luoyue, you seem... off?"

Ling Shuanghun frowned, struggling to put the feeling into words.

If turtles had feathers, Yan Luoyue’s would be standing on end right now.

Exhausted, Yan Luoyue waved a hand and sighed deeply. "Don’t ask, Ling Shuanghun. Right now, I feel like everyone’s out to get me."

Ling Shuanghun: "..."

Witnessing his two perfectly fine friends leave cheerfully in the morning only to return in such a pitiful state by nightfall, the righteous crane was incensed.

He flipped furiously through his bamboo scrolls, zeroing in on the records he’d meticulously compiled about Ji Qinghong.

After reviewing the materials, Ling Shuanghun found that the man’s misdeeds were too numerous to recount.

After a moment’s thought, he solemnly inscribed in the margins:

"Demon Venerable Ji is exactly as the rumors say..."

...

Time passed in a mix of agony and exhilaration, and the once-imposing seal wall gradually dwindled.

Using the wall as a teaching aid, Ji Qinghong conducted lessons so vivid, lively, and unforgettable that Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang would remember them eight hundred years later.

Out of a sense of duty—and, more importantly, to balance frugality with learning—the two didn’t slack off entirely.

Whenever time and energy allowed, they would return to the seal wall, one deciphering formations while the other dismantled the materials.

Yes, Wu Manshuang had now progressed enough to unravel the seal wall’s formations himself.

Their progress as a duo was astonishingly rapid.

Even with their sporadic efforts, their efficiency matched Yan Luoyue’s earlier daily grind.

On the day the seal wall was halfway dismantled, Wu Manshuang traced a formation pattern as usual.

But the moment one formation dissolved, a faint energy seeped from the seal into his fingertips.

At first, Wu Manshuang dismissed the odd sensation.

Seven days later, however, the accumulated energy had grown, and an unfamiliar ache swelled in his bones.

His body swayed slightly, and without warning, a murky haze clouded his vision.

Testing, he removed the white gauze covering his eyes—but his sight remained intermittently blurred.

"..."

Six months ago, Wu Manshuang would have silently endured the changes until they became unbearable.

Now, though, he could calmly stop and explain the situation to Yan Luoyue.

"I can’t keep dismantling the wall with you for now," he admitted.

"...This can happen?" Yan Luoyue was indeed surprised, her voice tinged with anxious concern. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

Wu Manshuang reassured her: "I didn’t pay much attention to it in the past few days. But the moment I noticed a change today, I told you right away."

Just then, Ji Qinghong appeared out of nowhere, gracing them with his presence.

Yan Luoyue quickly tugged at Wu Manshuang’s sleeve and described his condition to Ji Qinghong.

Ji Qinghong studied Wu Manshuang for a moment, then lightly tapped the sealing barrier twice.

After confirming the composition of the materials and formations here, his brows slowly furrowed into a knot.

"It’s nothing, don’t worry about it."

Though Ji Qinghong said this, the usual gentle and amiable facade he wore had completely vanished.

For the first time, his crimson eyes revealed a chilling, murderous intent.

Yan Luoyue took a sharp breath. "...Is it serious?"

Ji Qinghong’s eyes no longer held any trace of warmth as he waved his hand dismissively. "Focus on your own tasks. This isn’t something for you to concern yourselves with."

Wu Manshuang calmly stepped forward. "Whatever the situation is, please tell us, Demon Venerable."

In this world, there were clearly no child protection laws or the like.

Seeing Wu Manshuang’s insistence, Ji Qinghong gave him a faint glance before rapping his knuckles against the sealing barrier.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold—though the first half of the sealing barrier has been breached, the latter half has an additional combination of materials and formations."

In other words, this was the retaliation from the master of the secret realm against those who broke the seal?

Yan Luoyue clenched her fists subtly, her fingertips turning cold. She forced herself to stay composed. "What kind of combination is it, and what effect does it have?"

"The latter half of the barrier contains a certain type of bone material fused into it, and the formation’s purpose is to nourish the growth of this material."

Yan Luoyue looked puzzled. "That… sounds harmless?"

Shouldn’t this just be a reinforcement for the seal? What does it have to do with revenge?

Ji Qinghong let out a cold laugh. "It should be. But he happened to encounter a special period—how long has it been since you last saw yourself in your original form?"

Hearing this, Yan Luoyue’s heart sank further into the abyss.

It had indeed been a while since she last saw Wu Manshuang in his little green snake form.

Wu Manshuang himself was also surprised. "It’s related to this?"

Ji Qinghong gave a slight nod. He stared at the two of them with an inscrutable expression, watching as Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang grew increasingly tense…

Then, Ji Qinghong suddenly broke into a cheerful smile:

"You’ve been breaking the seal over the past seven days, and under its subtle influence, it’s equivalent to consuming a growth-promoting spiritual herb."

"Coincidentally, you’ve recently entered a critical growth period."

"If you had transformed back earlier, you would’ve noticed—Wu Manshuang, little friend, you’re about to shed your skin."

Wu Manshuang: "..."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

They were scared to death—turns out it was just a normal physiological change!

To make such a fuss over this was just… so very Ji Qinghong!

Fortunately, Wu Manshuang was naturally good-natured. After a brief moment of speechlessness, he still managed to bow properly and thank Ji Qinghong:

"I’ve never experienced this before… Thank you for your guidance, Demon Venerable."

Ji Qinghong looked at him with amused interest, his crimson eyes twinkling with faint mirth. "After all this time… you’re still calling me ‘Demon Venerable’?"

Realizing the implication behind those words, Wu Manshuang abruptly lifted his head.

He took a shallow breath and tentatively asked, "...Shifu?"

Through the cloak, Ji Qinghong patted Wu Manshuang’s head with a playful smile, his tone half-serious, half-teasing:

"Mhm. But calling me ‘Shifu’ all the time is too formal. You can just keep calling me ‘White Radish.’"

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Wu Manshuang: "..."

—Wait, that happened ages ago, how do you still remember that?!

—Damn! No wonder you were messing with us earlier.

So the phrase "revenge is a dish best served cold" was meant for this context?!