How could I feel this way about a servant?

"Lin Mo of the Maidservant Department greets you, Sect Leader."

Upon seeing Liu Ziyan, Lin Mo greeted her as he always did.

The eighth level of Qi Refining? He looks a little younger, too. What exactly happened to this old lackey?

As Liu Ziyan studied Lin Mo, she could not help feeling curious and surprised.

In just over a month, he had shot straight from the second level of Qi Refining to the eighth.

Even she, back in her youth, could only have gazed at the dust left behind by such a terrifying pace!

That makes no sense. If this old lackey truly possessed such monstrous talent, why would he have become a servant in the first place?

Yet Lin Mo's eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation could not possibly be fake.

Could he be the reincarnation of some Super Supreme Expert who only awakened recently? Otherwise, with his aptitude and comprehension worse than those of a good-for-nothing, how could he have mastered the Yang Volume of the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art so smoothly?

If Lin Mo truly was the reincarnation of a Super Supreme Expert, she should have been able to spot some clues.

But...

No matter how Liu Ziyan examined him, Lin Mo showed absolutely no signs of being a reincarnated Super Supreme Expert.

"Sect Leader, what are you looking at?"

With Liu Ziyan staring at him without saying a word, Lin Mo could not help feeling a little awkward.

Unable to make sense of it no matter how she pondered, Liu Ziyan simply asked, "The eighth level of Qi Refining. Explain to me how this happened."

"Uh..."

Lin Mo thought for a moment before answering, "Sect Leader, this old man doesn't know either. I just kept cultivating, and then I broke through."

"Do you think it's possible that this old man really is a genius?"

"If you were a genius, there would be no good-for-nothings in this world."

Liu Ziyan immediately rejected Lin Mo's claim.

"..."

"Then this old man has no idea. But... Sect Leader, I don't seem to be the rotten mud you said I was. I really can stick to a wall," Lin Mo said with a hint of smugness.

He was testing Liu Ziyan's attitude toward him.

"You've only just been smeared onto the foot of the wall. What is there to be smug about?"

Liu Ziyan mercilessly cut him down. "Since you've mastered the Yang Volume of the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art, you must have some understanding of this cultivation art. Tell me how deeply you understand it."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

Lin Mo answered solemnly, "If this old man's understanding is correct, the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art should be a dual cultivation art. As the name suggests, one must practice dual cultivation to bring out its true effects."

Liu Ziyan narrowed her beautiful eyes.

Very well said. Don't say it again.

How is that any different from spouting a heap of nonsense?

But Lin Mo had more to say. "Unfortunately, ever since mastering the Yin-Yang Evil Demon Art, this old man has cultivated alone, so I haven't been able to achieve the cultivation results it ought to produce."

"Is that so?" Liu Ziyan asked indifferently.

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from Liu Ziyan, which sent chills down his spine, Lin Mo steeled himself.

He nodded. "Yes!"

However!

The moment he finished speaking, Liu Ziyan swept her long sleeve.

Lin Mo was sent flying again, his entire body like a kite with its string severed.

He slammed heavily into the wall, spraying a mouthful of blood.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Lin Mo clutched his chest, where his blood and qi churned violently. Confused and a little angry, he asked, "Sect Leader, did... did I say something wrong?"

Liu Ziyan rebuked him expressionlessly. "Wretched thing. I've long known that every man in this world is a maggot with a mouth full of lies. Yet you, a lowly slave, dare to lie through your teeth before me again and again?"

"Last time, when I said you carried a foul, revolting stench, surely you didn't think I meant that literally?"

"I still vividly remember that nauseating scent of a woman."

"You get no third chance, lowly slave. If you lie through your teeth before me again, you'd better make sure I don't see through it. Otherwise, I'll let you taste the agony of Ten Thousand Insects Devouring the Heart!"

"..."

Lin Mo opened his mouth, intending to offer another excuse.

But after thinking it over carefully, he gave up.

One lie required a hundred more to cover it up.

Since Liu Ziyan was no longer pursuing the matter, wouldn't arguing further be courting death?

Only now did Lin Mo realize that the stench Liu Ziyan had mentioned last time was the scent of another woman on him!

If he remembered correctly, Shangguan Wuqing had just released him before his last visit to the Purple Heaven Palace.

And right before she released him, he had enjoyed a bout of fish-and-water bliss with her.

Damn, thank goodness this old man visited the Jade Purity Pool today. If this she-devil had smelled several other women on me, I'd probably be dead without even a scrap of bone left!

Looking back on it, Lin Mo still felt a lingering shudder of fear.

It seemed he could no longer visit the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

He had best see less of Shangguan Wuqing, too. Even if he did meet her, he would have to visit the Jade Purity Pool afterward.

But... doesn't this also indirectly prove that Liu Ziyan, this she-devil, actually cares quite a bit about me? Lin Mo wondered.

If that was truly the case, then the slap he had taken today had been worth it.

Coming back to his senses, Lin Mo reached out with his sleeve and silently wiped the blood from the floor.

Watching Lin Mo lower his head and wipe the bloodstains from the floor, Liu Ziyan felt something stir in her heart.

For an instant, she actually felt an impulse to pity him.

What's going on? How could I possibly feel this way about a servant who doesn't know what's good for him?

Liu Ziyan pressed her delicate hand against her chest, utterly bewildered by the emotion within her.

Yet that aching sympathy was so distinct, so intense.

Clink.

Just as he finished wiping the blood from the floor, the sound of a Storage Ring landing rang out, accompanied by Liu Ziyan's voice. "One matter is one matter, another is another. You resolved the Maidservant Department's troubles through your own strength. These are the spirit stones I promised you."

Lin Mo picked up the Storage Ring and used his spiritual sense to check the number of spirit stones inside.

There were a full eight thousand spirit stones!

In an instant, Lin Mo's back no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt, and it was as though Liu Ziyan's slap had never happened at all.

"Thank you, Sect Leader!" Lin Mo's voice was low and hoarse, but it could not conceal his excitement and joy.

Liu Ziyan said nothing more. Instead, she rose and walked farther inside.

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Mo hurried after her.

Based on his understanding of Liu Ziyan, since she had not explicitly ordered him to leave, she probably still had something to tell him.

Keeping more than ten meters behind Liu Ziyan, Lin Mo followed her all the way to her bedchamber.