Fifty: Envy Rose in the Heart

The three people at the table weren't surprised; evidently, they'd known she was awake all along. Xue Mu turned his head with a faintly amused look and clicked his tongue. "No matter how shameless Three-Good Scholar Xue gets, he'd never spread his legs against a wall for people to ogle..."

Chen Yao froze. Looking down, she realized she was tied up from head to toe. Not only was the pose humiliating, the ropes also made her figure stand out even more... Forget being called a holy maiden—she looked even more wanton than someone from the Joyous Union Sect!

Panic suddenly gripped her.

These were demonic cultivators! Would they really stick to that refined, gentlemanly code of conduct? She couldn't imagine what number of lewd tricks they had waiting for her.

She looked to Xue Qingqiu for help. At least she was a woman. Surely she wouldn't stand by while a man wantonly humiliated another woman?

Chen Yao soon lost hope. Xue Qingqiu didn't even lift her eyelids. She was studying a draft Xue Mu had written, and said casually, "Her powers have already been sealed. Do whatever you like. If anything happens, your big sister will take responsibility."

To expect Xue Qingqiu, a notorious demoness, to show an enemy compassion—she really was naive... Then Xue Mu rose with a smile and strolled over to her. Chen Yao shuddered all over. She was truly on the verge of tears.

She didn't know why she'd become so fragile. She'd trained in martial arts since childhood; surely her will shouldn't be so easily broken. Perhaps having her powers sealed had left her feeling weaker than ever before? Or maybe... Chen Yao suddenly pictured the little girl from the illusion array, with eyes like the dead of night.

She shuddered again.

Xue Mu reached out and tipped up her chin, looking her over. This girl was truly beautiful. Especially now, with her defiant gaze and disheveled hair—there was something captivating about it.

"Don't be nervous," he said with a smile. "Do you know who I am?"

"Demon Xue Mu," Chen Yao answered coldly.

"No, no." Xue Mu grinned. "People in the martial world call me Three-Good Scholar Xue. Can you guess what the three goods are?"

Chen Yao: "..."

"Good breasts, good legs, and a slender waist..." As he spoke, he slowly moved his hand down, brushing over the curves of her chest. "For instance, I'm quite fond of these good breasts."

His demonic hand passed over her, raising goosebumps all over Chen Yao's skin. A fierce wave of humiliation swept through her. She gritted her teeth and snarled, "Demon, just kill me!"

"Why? I told you I like these things. How could I bring myself to cruelly destroy a flower?" Xue Mu didn't keep touching her. Instead, he brushed the disheveled hair from her forehead. "Just answer a few questions and I'll let you go. How about it?"

She knew perfectly well he couldn't be trusted, but Chen Yao couldn't help clinging to a faint hope. She bit her lip and said nothing.

A glint of amusement flickered in Xue Mu's eyes. She wasn't a martyr—at least, she wasn't as cold and proud as she looked.

"What's your name?"

It was an easy question, unlikely to provoke resistance. After all, even if she gritted her teeth and refused to answer, Xue Mu could easily find out by asking around later. But he knew that once she started talking, the defenses she'd hastily thrown up would crumble, bit by bit. That was human nature.

Sure enough, Chen Yao didn't resist the question. She bit her lip and hesitated for a while before finally answering honestly. "Zhu Chenyao."

"A disciple of Seven Profound Valley?"

"Yes..."

"What rank? With looks like yours, you might be a core successor."

Zhu Chenyao bit her lip. Her voice held a little more resignation. "An inner sect disciple."

Xue Mu studied her expression and clicked his tongue. "Seven Profound Valley doesn't know what it has. Why did you try to kill me?"

A hint of struggle showed in Zhu Chenyao's eyes. She fell silent again.

Xue Mu smiled and moved his lecherous hand back to her chest.

Zhu Chenyao cried out in a rush, "Get your filthy hands off me!"

Xue Mu smiled. "If you won't satisfy my curiosity, then naturally you'll have to satisfy me in other ways..."

Humiliated and furious, Zhu Chenyao quickly said, "You were the key instigator of this battle between the righteous and demonic factions, yet you've kept yourself out of it..."

Xue Mu nodded and, very reasonably, moved his hand away. "So your master sent you?"

A feeling of having been saved washed over her.

Zhu Chenyao gasped hard. She didn't want to provoke this demon over something so unimportant again, and answered weakly, "I came on my own."

Xue Mu was taken aback. "Miss, I haven't offended you, have I?"

Chen Yao stared at him coldly. "A demon like you deserves to be killed by everyone!"

"Come on... There's no need to act so righteous." Xue Mu tapped his temple. "Let me guess... Mu Jianli broke through the Joyous Union Sect's defenses and stole the limelight. Some people couldn't stand it and wanted to prove they could earn merit too—and even more important merit. Am I right?"

A flicker of panic crossed Zhu Chenyao's eyes, but she still gave a cold snort. "You're judging a gentleman's heart by your own petty measure."

"You're a gentleman? You're a woman, and a very beautiful one..." Xue Mu pointed toward the corner with a smile. "Those three useless fellows are your admirers, aren't they?"

Zhu Chenyao followed his finger. Her three companions lay rigid in the corner, and she couldn't tell whether they were alive or dead. She gritted her teeth and said nothing.

"With your looks, you must have countless admirers both inside and outside your sect. A favored daughter of heaven, admired by everyone." Xue Mu smiled. "But then Mu Jianli came along, and people started comparing you without even thinking. 'Oh, this is bad. Apart from being pretty, she just can't compare with Mu Jianli.' The admiring eyes that used to follow you turned to Mu Jianli instead. Our Chen Yao couldn't accept it."

Zhu Chenyao's heart shook like thunder.

Truth be told, even she had never thought about it so carefully. Instinctive jealousy and a desire to be the center of attention had driven her to compete with Mu Jianli. But deep down, she'd never put those thoughts into such clear words.

Yet as Xue Mu's words slipped into her ears, they fell like one hammer after another, pounding at her heart and stripping bare the deepest envy hidden beneath the outward appearance of "fellowship."

Her gaze grew hazy. She didn't speak for a long while, not because she knew how to answer, but because her thoughts were in turmoil.

When she didn't answer, Xue Mu's hand moved down again. "You've gone quiet again. That's no good..."

The shame pierced her to the heart. Zhu Chenyao no longer cared about the unease of being seen through. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Yes! I'm jealous of Mu Jianli! So what?!"

The air fell still.

Even Xue Qingqiu, who'd been too lazy to glance over all this time, turned her head to look at her.

Though she'd let Xue Mu do as he pleased, she knew perfectly well that, while he was a bit of a lecher, he was no depraved fiend. For him to act so out of character this time, he must have had his reasons. And sure enough, it had worked.

Meng Lan gave Zhu Chenyao an amused look and finally spoke her first words. "So what? It's only natural."

Xue Mu nodded with a smile. "Only natural."

For some reason, hearing the two of them say that filled Zhu Chenyao with a little gratitude. Yet she knew that gratitude was horribly twisted. A wave of weakness washed over her, and sweat poured from her.

Xue Mu leaned close and murmured in her ear, "If some other man at Star Moon Sect stole my big sister's attention, I'd find a way to get the better of him too... Maybe I'd be even more direct than you. I might want him dead. That's only natural. Why should you be ashamed to say it?"

"Is... is that so?" Chen Yao gasped. She seemed to be slowly getting used to this, though she still struggled to whisper, "I... I told you the truth. You... you have to keep your word. Don't humiliate me."

"Miss, you were born beautiful. You deserve to be pursued by every man under heaven. Look at me, surrounded by beautiful women, yet I still can't help being captivated by you."

Zhu Chenyao stared distractedly at the ceiling. Xue Mu's quiet whisper continued. "You're a captive, so you must know that leaving without giving up something isn't possible. Why struggle? I understand your ambition. I won't tell anyone afterward, and no one will find out. Once you go back, you'll still be the pure and untouched holy maiden."

As Zhu Chenyao listened, her rigid body slowly relaxed. After a long while, she finally whispered, "You promise... you'll definitely let me go?"

As she spoke, her eyes darted nervously toward Xue Qingqiu and Meng Lan, her face red as blood. She knew those words amounted to volunteering. The holy maiden, celestial maiden, ice maiden air she'd maintained all her life had vanished without a trace.