Yun Jianyue’s expression stiffened. She bitterly said, “I’m sorry, Honglei.”
Seeing her proud master apologizing in such low spirits softened Qiu Honglei’s heart. “Master, can you construct a formation to prevent sounds from getting out?”
Yun Jianyue knew that Qiu Honglei was going to lay things out. She was flustered, but she didn’t turn down the request. “Alright.”
She constructed a barrier. “They can’t listen to our conversation anymore.” Though I won’t be able to stop Ah Zu if he wants to eavesdrop.
Qiu Honglei looked at her. “Master, how did you... get together with Ah Zu?” That was what she was most curious about. Her master wasn’t the type to stoop to stealing her disciple’s man.
“I sustained severe injuries during Lu Sanyuan’s rebellion. To save me, Ah Zu...” Yun Jianyue began.
Qiu Honglei interjected before Yun Jianyue could finish speaking. “I know about that. He did it to save you, and I don’t blame either of you for that. But that wasn’t your first time, right? You know what I’m getting at.”
Yun Jianyue’s face heated up. She had imagined this situation countless times and thought about how to deal with it, but now that she was faced with it, she found that her mind went blank instead. In the end, she sighed and replied, “It started with a misunderstanding...”
She explained what had happened after Zu An absorbed Sir Fu’s ki.
Qiu Honglei’s face darkened. “Ah Zu forced himself on you?”
Yun Jianyue shook his head. “He was suffering from an inner demon from his breakthrough to essence form stage, but I couldn’t have helped him if I wasn’t willing too.”
Qiu Honglei’s heart swelled with jealousy upon learning the full story. “You were already together that early on. I was the third party...” Even though I came first...
Yun Jianyue anxiously exclaimed, “That’s not it, Honglei. I got in between your feelings. I'm the despicable one.”
“Master, don’t put yourself down. It’s beyond humans to control their feelings.” Qiu Honglei sighed. “It’s all Ah Zu’s fault for being a philanderer.”
Yun Jianyue looked at her worriedly. “Honglei, you can punish me however you wish to, but you’re currently in a feeble state. You shouldn’t bottle up your feelings. You’ll only hurt yourself.”
Qiu Honglei smiled. “Master, do you know what I’m the angriest about?”
Yun Jianyue bitterly replied, “I failed to uphold my duties as your master and stole your man. Anyone would be angry about that.”
“That’s not it,” Qiu Honglei replied, much to Yun Jianyue’s bewilderment. “I’m angry that you chose to keep it from me.”
Yun Jianyue was speechless.
“It’s one thing for Ah Zu to keep it from me, but master, why did you keep it from me too?” Qiu Honglei’s eyes glimmered, making it impossible to tell how she was feeling.
“How could I talk about that?” Yun Jianyue was frustrated as well. “I wanted to shrug that incident off as a beautiful mistake and erase Ah Zu from my life, but things happened afterward...”
Qiu Honglei sighed. “Ah Zu is indeed an unforgettable man, not to mention he’s shameless and tenacious. He wouldn’t give up on a beauty like you.”
“You know him well.” Thinking about how the culprit behind this mess had escaped scot-free made Yun Jianyue grit her teeth in anger.
You have successfully trolled Yun Jianyue for +33... +33... +33...
“Master, it’s one thing if this happened to Chuyan and Sect Master Yan, but I’m disappointed that you were so indecisive and even chose to hide it from me.” Qiu Honglei sounded aggrieved. “We are the Devil Sect’s demonesses, practitioners of the Bewitching Dance! We should be free from the shackles of social convention. We've seen plenty of such things from the sisters around us. Do you think I’d be fazed by your relationship with Ah Zu?”
“I have disappointed...” Yun Jianyue noticed something amiss halfway through her sentence. “Ah?”
Qiu Honglei bit her lips. “I mean it, master. I would have been jealous and angry if I were Ah Zu’s only woman, but he’s a philanderer! He has countless lovers, and they're all beautiful and outstanding women. I can’t deal with them alone. We could have worked together if you had told me earlier. The other women out there wouldn’t have stood a chance against us!”
Yun Jianyue blinked. She tried touching Qiu Honglei’s forehead. “Are you serious?”
“Of course!” Qiu Honglei exclaimed. “Such things are common in our Devil Sect! There are also similar instances between fellow disciples, blood-related sisters, and even... You're the master of the Devil Sect, so why are you following the hypocritical conventions of the orthodox sects?”
Yun Jianyue awkwardly replied, “But it’s a different story. Our sect members do those things to attain greater power or to vent their lust, whereas we...”
“True love, huh?” Qiu Honglei interjected.
Yun Jianyue couldn’t take it anymore. “Fine, you’re even teasing me now! Don’t you feel the same toward Ah Zu too?”
“Of course I do,” Qiu Honglei replied with tender eyes. “I believe Ah Zu feels the same about us too. So, we can’t let Ah Zu do worse than those scum in our sect. Good people deserve to be bullied.”
Her twisted logic left Yun Jianyue’s head reeling. “Honglei, you have a novel perspective.”
Qiu Honglei crossed her arms. “Master, Ah Zu is always looking to fool around. If we were going to have another sister, do you think I’d prefer it to be a stranger or you?”
Yun Jianyue’s heartbeat hastened. “Honglei, do you really not mind?”
“What I mind is you not telling me the truth. We could have stopped other vixens from slipping in through the cracks.” Qiu Honglei lay in her master’s arms with a tear flowing down her cheek.
How could she not mind? But the other party was her master. Yun Jianyue had taken good care of her, doted on her, taught her how to cultivate, and provided her with a safe shelter.
While disciples of the Devil Sect were indignant that the orthodox sects labeled them as demonic, deep down, they knew that it was a fitting label. The Devil Sect believed in the survival of the fittest, and the ends justified the means. With Qiu Honglei's beauty, were it not for her master’s protection, some elder in the Devil Sect would have long used her as a cauldron for nourishment.
For the longest time, her master was her sky. It was home to her wherever her master was. Having been orphaned at a young age, Yun Jianyue was more than a master to her. She didn’t want her master to be burdened by guilt for the rest of her life and perhaps even leave an inner demon behind. Their ties couldn’t be allowed to fracture over a man.
Although, she meant what she had just said too. Zu An was indeed a terrible philanderer. Rather than benefiting outsiders, she would rather let her master in on the pie.
Yun Jianyue tightly embraced her disciple. Having raised Qiu Honglei, she could see through the latter’s intentions. She murmured under her breath, “Thank you, Honglei.”
All of a sudden, Qiu Honglei frowned. “Oh no!”
Yun Jianyue was stunned. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t let others know about this, especially not Sect Master Yan and Chuyan. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to lift our heads in front of them.”
Yun Jianyue had fought with Yan Xuehen all their lives, whereas Qiu Honglei and Chu Chuyan were rivals, as they were both the Holy Maidens pushed forth by their respective sects.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance from Ah Zu to keep them from learning about it,” Yun Jianyue replied.
Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes. “Master, do you think I’m trying to pressure you using the same hypocritical tactics that those orthodox sects? It goes against our Devil Sect’s style to retreat in the face of a challenge. We should be proactively making a move instead!”
Yun Jianyue’s heart stirred. “You mean...?”
Qiu Honglei’s eyes twinkled. “We’ll drag Sect Master Yan down too. Let’s see who mocks whom then. We're the Devil Sect’s demonesses; such things are no big deal to us. They, on the other hand, pride themselves on their principles. They're the ones who will be shamed!”