Chapter 202: Face Stab

It wasn't that Lu Xingzhou favored Peichuyun over others by personally delivering her elixir while having the others' delivered. It was simply because Peichuyun had presented herself, now trapped in his cave dwelling with nowhere to go. In that situation, it was more sensible to send the children out on an errand and dedicate his time to researching the new elixir's effects on the human body with the little demoness.

In reality, it was incredibly easy for Little White Hair, Guamei, and the little demoness to acquire breakthrough elixirs on their own. Giving them this elixir was akin to treating wealthy young ladies to a meal; whether he gave it or not, it wouldn't hinder their progress. It simply meant they had all reached a crucial threshold, destined to usher in a wave of breakthroughs.

However, such a custom-made elixir, representing understanding and care, could truly melt a woman's heart. The other two felt it was akin to a love letter, and the little demoness was no different. The moment he took out the elixir, her eyes, which had initially looked for trouble, softened into a watery gaze. She nestled against him and purred, "What's the use of just making the elixir? I want you to feed it to me..."

"Uh, no, your cultivation at the upper fourth-grade isn't fully perfected yet; it's not time for an immediate breakthrough. Continue cultivating for a while, and take it when you truly need it. Don't rush... Hey, hey, don't rush!"

Lu Xingzhou was pushed onto the bed, as the little demoness, holding the elixir in her mouth, insisted on putting it into his mouth so he could feed it back to her. Lu Xingzhou turned his head, a wry smile on his face, feeling like a little girl being assaulted.

"Hmph," the little demoness finally retained some sense. Knowing it wasn't the right time to take the breakthrough elixir, she put it away and playfully traced circles on his shoulder. "I can feel it," she murmured, "Du Guqingli's progress is faster than mine. She's going to reach third-grade first. Yet, when we first met, my cultivation was slightly ahead."

When they first met, Peichuyun had indeed appeared before them as a stronger, 'boss-like' figure, and Lu Xingzhou still hadn't quite figured it out. "Qingli is a genius from the Holy Land, and she's been a diligent cultivator since childhood. Reaching this level by eighteen is unprecedented. How did you manage to be ahead of her?"

Peichuyun glanced at him. "As long as you don't suspect I've been engaging in illicit cultivation practices."

"Of course not."

"Actually, it's nothing else. I received some power transmissions from sect elders who, knowing they couldn't break through before their deaths, bestowed some of their power upon junior disciples. Others received more, but I was a bit resistant to it, so I didn't take much."

"Why didn't you accept more?"

"I found it disgusting," she said, "like eating someone else's vomit. I disliked taking others' cultivation power."

"...And you don't mind taking others' cultivation power when you engage in dual cultivation for harvesting?"

"So, do you really think I want to engage in cultivation harvesting?!" Peichuyun angrily pinched the flesh on his chest. "If I truly wanted to harvest, I would have drained you to death already, you scoundrel, instead of letting you sit here grinning at me!"

"When I'm useful, I'm 'young master,' but when I'm useless, I'm a 'scoundrel.'"

"Isn't it true?" she retorted. "I've already heard the gossip: that Sheng Yuanyao sat on your lap and even vomited. There must be an illicit affair between you two, maybe even morning sickness! Tell me, aren't you a scoundrel?"

Lu Xingzhou's eyes widened. "Someone dares to spread *this* gossip? Are they tired of living?"

"Hehehe..." Peichuyun whispered into his ear. "Of course, they wouldn't dare spread it openly, but plenty have secretly told me. They want Miss Pei to see what a terrible scoundrel Lu Xingzhou is. Even my brother quietly told me about it..."

Lu Xingzhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If Guamei knew there was gossip about her having morning sickness, he wondered if she would draw her blade and start hacking people down.

Peichuyun scratched his chin. "But what can I do? Miss Pei knew from the start that Lu Xingzhou was a terrible scoundrel, but alas, she lost the battle and was captured, now being toyed with by the scoundrel. Miss Pei is simply helpless..."

"Hey, who's toying with whom now? I feel like you're having a great time."

Peichuyun's eyes narrowed seductively. "So, are you going to play or not?"

"Play," Lu Xingzhou said, finally rolling over and pinning her beneath him, his hand reaching out to test the tactile feedback of different "cherry switches."

Peichuyun bit her lower lip, enduring. "Hurry up," she urged. "I slipped out again, and they're watching me closely now. I can't be out for too long."

"What kind of talk is that? One shouldn't rush such things."

"I don't care. Du Guqingli has overtaken me, and I won't accept it," she countered. "You need to dual-cultivate with me more so I can reach that threshold sooner."

Lu Xingzhou leaned down and kissed her.

His Qi-exchange dual cultivation with the little demoness allowed for a bit more than with others. At the very least, they were quite accustomed to engaging in a 'platonic' form of superficial intimacy.

Peichuyun allowed him to remove her skirt, meeting his movements with her legs. As they kissed and exchanged Qi, he 'worked' upon her, and psychologically, it felt to both of them as if they were truly making love.

Unfortunately, if it wasn't real, it wasn't real; ultimately, it was like scratching an itch through a boot.

And even after a round of Qi-exchange dual cultivation, Lu Xingzhou still hadn't 'delivered' in the way she desired.

Peichuyun, with her starry eyes half-closed, watched him 'working,' and suddenly asked, "Why are you still willing to give me a breakthrough elixir?"

Lu Xingzhou was taken aback by the question. "Why wouldn't I be willing to give you a breakthrough elixir?"

"Because right now, we're in the same major realm, and you... could actually get serious with me," she explained. "Your cultivation is so unique; my Enchantress Profound Art might not be useful to you anymore. Once I break through again, returning to my original state, would you be content?"

Lu Xingzhou chuckled. "I could now, but I haven't. Little demoness, that's never what I wanted."

"Then what is it?" Peichuyun asked softly.

Lu Xingzhou placed his hand on her heart. "What do you think?"

Peichuyun was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Tomorrow is the Qingming Festival for ancestor worship. My father's duties keep him from leaving the capital to return to Hedong, so he'll hold a memorial ceremony at the ancestral shrine in the capital. Some Hedong clansmen will be coming. I think... no matter what my master wants me to do, something should happen tomorrow."

This was actually the main reason Peichuyun had taken the initiative to come tonight: she needed a pillar of support. What was interesting was that neither her father nor her brother was her pillar, nor was her sect. Instead, this scoundrel, who had captured the little demoness and made her his maidservant to toy with, had become her true pillar.

In the little demoness's heart, anyone could have ulterior motives for her, but precisely not Lu Xingzhou. At most, he wanted her body. And she was willing to give it.

However, the Qingming ancestor worship ceremony didn't involve guests, so Lu Xingzhou couldn't possibly go along.

Lu Xingzhou finally stopped his movements, pondered for a long time, and then said, "Get me a servant's outfit, disguise me a little, and quietly take me in as your attendant."

Peichuyun smiled. "Okay."

Then she asked, "Why aren't you moving anymore?"

Lu Xingzhou gave an awkward laugh. "It's like scratching an itch through a boot, just deceiving myself. Never mind."

Peichuyun pouted and actively slid downwards. "I really owe you this."

Lu Xingzhou said nothing.

Peichuyun noticed, and felt like laughing herself, but obediently lowered her head and took him in.

Immediately, her expression turned a little strange. She hadn't felt it when it was bushy, but now that it was trimmed short, why did it feel prickly? It was her own mistake for trimming it, so she had to endure the pricks; this was a case of facing the consequences of her own actions.

It was Qingming Festival. Families everywhere were burning paper offerings and sweeping tombs. Sheng Yuanyao clearly couldn't run out to find her 'brother,' and Du Guqingli was also worshipping the ancestors of Tianyao Holy Land. The gentlemen of the Alchemy Academy also had to sweep tombs and worship ancestors, but students from all corners of the world had no tombs to sweep, so they were given a day off.

Lu Xingzhou also had ancestors to worship, but performing the rites in the capital felt somewhat meaningless to him.

He woke up refreshed early in the morning, only to be immediately met with a large, unpleasant surprise.

Someone called out from outside his cave dwelling: "Is Mr. Lu there?"

Anu opened the door from the adjacent cave dwelling and peeked out. "Who is it?"

"By order of Grand Tutor Huo, we invite Mr. Lu home to worship his ancestors."

Anu slammed the door shut. "Get lost, you ill omen!"

Lu Xingzhou slowly went about his washing, his voice carrying outside the cave. "Go back and tell Grand Tutor Huo that next Qingming, I might grudgingly help him burn an offering."

"You... are utterly unreasonable!"

Lu Xingzhou couldn't be bothered to respond. He instructed Anu to cultivate in the cave dwelling and not wander off, then swiftly made his way to the back gate of the Pei residence.

The little demoness was already waiting there. She pulled him into the woodshed to change into a servant's uniform, then messily applied disguise materials to his face.

"Even if you want to disguise me, don't make me so ugly."

"I don't care," she retorted. "I want you to be a little ugly, so those maids don't take a fancy to you and try to snatch you."

"Alright, alright..."

"What name will you use? I heard Sheng Yuanyao calls you Little Gou?"

"How about Hua An? Or Lin San."

"No, it'll be Little Gou." Peichuyun grinned, pulled him out the door, and then instantly straightened her face. "Follow closely, and wait for instructions."

Lu Xingzhou ground his teeth. "I didn't act like this when you were my maid. Now that it's reversed, you're putting on airs, huh?"

"When I was your maid, I knelt and did *that* for you. Do you want to try it too?"

"...Actually, it wouldn't be impossible."

"Get out of here!" Peichuyun blushed and glanced around. "My father is a first-grade cultivator; it'll be very difficult for you to hide. Do you have a way? If not, just don't go in; hide outside and adapt as needed."

Lu Xingzhou smiled faintly. His aura suddenly became very weak, appearing at most like a seventh or eighth-grade cultivator.

"You can do that?" Peichuyun looked at him in astonishment. "My Joyful Enchantress Sect is accustomed to feigning weakness, but even we don't feel as natural as you. No wonder no one could find Ye Wufeng when he was in hiding; your Yama Hall truly lives up to its reputation as an assassin organization."

"Uh... my technique is different from Ye Wufeng's. Ye Wufeng completely conceals his aura, but I can control how much others perceive. My method is a level above his."

Peichuyun was even more surprised. "I've never heard of this technique. Where did it come from?"

"The Yama King. Actually, long ago, when her cultivation wasn't as high as it is now, she would also pretend to be a fragile, innocent little demoness to deceive people. It's a shame she hasn't played that role in a long time..."

"Miss, Miss, you're here..." A small maid ran over, panting. "The master is gathering everyone to the ancestral shrine; they're waiting for you. Oh, who is this...?"

Peichuyun nonchalantly said, "This is my attendant, Little Gou, whom I just recently took on."

The small maid glanced at Lu Xingzhou, whose face was pitted with pockmarks, and indeed quickly looked away. "Attendants aren't allowed inside the ancestral shrine."

"It's fine, he'll just wait outside the shrine." Peichuyun elegantly lifted her skirt and walked forward, then glanced back coolly. "Keep up, you oaf. I don't know how I could have been so blind as to choose you as an attendant."

Lu Xingzhou remained silent.

Perhaps her eyes had been poked blind last night.