Chu~

The blurry vision gradually sharpened, and the familiar face of Jia Shizi came into focus, “Very good. That is your reward for what you've told me so far."

An enamored voice, breathless with adoration, responded to him, "Master… Wei Er wants more..."

“Hahaha…” The hearty cackle finished off with a grin on Jia Shizi’s face. "If you want more, then you have to be obedient and tell me more.”

“Ah…” Following a gasp, Wei Er leaned in eagerly, pledging, "Master, ask anything. Wei Er will be obedient."

“Good. I like obedient girls.” The unsettling grin on Jia Shizi’s face widened as he leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with amusement."Now, tell me, do you know what he hides in the dungeon?"

Wei Er hesitated for a moment before admitting, "No, he doesn't let us down there."

“Oh.” Jia Shizi's face fell, his interest waning like a dying ember.

And just like that, the vision began to fall back, the warmth slipping away like smoke in the wind.

Soon, Wei Er found herself sprawled on the damp ground of the bathhouse, a tinge of pain shooting through her body, yet she ignored it.

Her gaze hastily lifted to see Jia Shizi seizing her sister's head, clearly showing a change of heart.

Panic surged within her like a tidal wave, driving her to act on instincts alone.

Crawling forward, she clutched onto Jia Shizi's muscular legs, her voice trembling with fear and desperation. "Please don’t abandon me, Master! Wei Er will do anything!”

Her plead was barely audible, yet he still heard her.

Jia Shizi glanced down, wearing a smirk that seemed to hold a world of hidden intentions. "Anything?" he echoed.

Wei Er nodded fervently, "Anything!"

“Hahaha!” Another hearty laugh erupted from Jia Shiz's throat, the sound filling the air like thunder.

Following his laugh, the curve on his lips twisted into a sinister grin, “Good. From now on, you’ll be my ears and eyes by his side. Spy on him well. Try to find out what he is hiding. If you do well, I'll reward you."

Hope blossomed within Wei Er like a fragile flower, and her voice bubbled with happiness, “Yes, Master~”

But then, her gaze flickered to the side. "But my sister..."

Jia Shizi's grin turned predatory, widening into a maniacal smirk.

"Oh, your sister… She is indeed a tough nut to crack," he remarked casually, his tone quickly chilling. "But it matters not. We still have all night. Hahaha…"

As his maniacal laughter echoed through the steam-filled bathhouse, the waves of steam collapsed inward toward Jia Shizi, as if he were a black hole consuming everything in his path...

Bubai slowly opened his eyes, his gaze settling on Wei Er sleeping peacefully on the bed beside him.

He shook his head in disappointment, a sigh escaping his lips. "Only one time and she fell.”

That's why, despite knowing the innocent and naive Wei Er was easier to manipulate, Bubai still favored the older, smarter sister.

After all, being easily manipulated isn’t always a good thing because it was synonymous with being weak-willed.

This meant that even if he invested a good amount of effort to increase Wei Er’s loyalty, she would still be easily affected by the sinister and mysterious enslavement techniques of this demonic sect.

In fact, Bubai didn’t have much hope for her older sister either. How can a mortal resist the power of cultivators? But...

His gaze shifted to the other side, where Wei Yi lay. "It's good you didn't lie," Bubai said softly, almost to himself.

Indeed, Wei Yi had professed her loyalty to him and even hinted at her affection, but how could he easily accept such declarations at face value?

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Love and loyalty doesn’t just look at the surface; it required depth, trust.

And Bubai wasn’t one to trust others easily. So, he naturally needed to confirm the details himself.

Dream fishing was indeed useful. Alas, what he found wasn’t always pleasant.

Yet, the results settled his heart.

A wry smile tugged at Bubai’s lips as he affectionately patted her head, “This silly girl really resisted till the end…”

From the other memory fragments he collected, it was crystal clear she had put herself in harm's way to remain true to him.

Fortunately, it seemed Jia Shizi, upon discovering the twins’ true background, had exercised restraint, sparing her from an untimely “accidental” death.

A faint chuckle escaped Bubai’s lips. "Well, if it happened, I wonder if old man Mo would dare to trouble Grand Elder Jia."

Bubai couldn't rid himself of the spies with his own hands, but he could borrow the knife of someone else.

Handing vulnerable mortals to a man crazy enough to even strangle his own daughter... it was obvious what Bubai was gaming for.

Regrettably, his plan fell through as his opponent countered with a gambit of holy conversion.

Unexpectedly, the conqueror was met with a setback, and a surprise gift was returned to him.

"The human soul... such a curious thing," Bubai examined the face of the slumbering Wei Yi.

She was a mortal, but being mortal doesn't mean her inherent qualities are bad. It just meant she lacked the opportunity for cultivating.

"With such a strong will, she deserves a chance,” A grin tugged at Bubai’s lips as he ran his fingers through the soft, violet hair of his busy secretary. “Don’t you agree?"

At his words, Xiao Lan slowly sat upright, her expression unreadable.

After adjusting her loose, silky lilac robe, which had slipped off during her activities, her sharp glassy eyes finally fell upon Wei Yi, “What do you need me to do?”

"You can teach her the basics. But keep an eye on her. We'll see how things turn out."

Xiao Lan’s glassy blue eyes threw a glance upward to read her partner’s face before averting her eyes, setting them upon the other twin, “And her?”

Tearing his eyes away from the enchanting iceberg beauty, Bubai set his sight on the traitor, his smile turning mischievous. "Keep her. She will be useful. Just ensure she stays out of the dungeons."

Xiao Lan nodded, “Noted.”

Rising to his feet, Bubai scooped up Wei Yi in his arms, cradling her gently. "Okay. I'll head down to the dungeon to add some safety measures to her. I'll leave it to you here.”

Dungeon.

Within a dimly lit prison cell, Bubai came to a stop next to the head of the experimental subject lying on the long table.

He pried open her mouth, his finger probing cautiously within.

"Can't really plant it here, can I?" Bubai muttered to himself, his brow furrowing with concern. "She'll need to wake up to swallow, and... will the stomach acid destroy it?"

Unknown. But with the limited numbers at his disposal, he was not willing to gamble.

Retracting his hand, Bubai shifted his focus to examine the rest of her body.

Slowly, he traversed along the table's edge, his touch tracing over the soft surface until it settled on her abdomen, right between her rectum and bladder. "Here... should work?"

After verifying in his mind that it was feasible, Bubai immediately circled to the foot of the table, parting the subject’s legs to gain a clearer view.

With a turn of his hand, a small seed materialized from thin air, clamped between his fingers. This was one of his tribulation seeds!

That’s right! Bubai intended to plant a seed in her!

Planting a seed on real creatures in the world had been a notion he’d entertained for some time.

However, he couldn't bring himself to experiment on ordinary creatures; it felt wasteful.

Honestly, even the thought of using such a rare commodity on a mere mortal seemed extravagant, even frivolous.

In truth, the first worthy target he’d been eyeing for some time was Xiao Lan.

But there lay a problem. He wasn’t sure about the potential adverse effects the seed might have on her.

The circumstances surrounding the refined puppet An Jali were unique, and he couldn't be certain that they would apply to a normal woman.

Thus, Bubai hesitated, opting to wait until he gained a deeper understanding of the seed through An Jali.

Then, unexpectedly, Wei Yi had delivered herself to his doorstep.

And he realized… she was the perfect in-between candidate – a normal flesh and blood woman holding some weight in his heart, yet not so deeply entrenched that he would fret over her loss.

So, turning her into his experimental subject was a good option because this could help him achieve multiple objectives, one being... value.

From Wei Yi’s words, Bubai could guess her true desire.

She craved to be valued, to hold significance in his eyes, but they both knew her qualities fell short of such recognition.

Indeed, she was a little beauty, but it still remained entrenched in the ranks of mortals and wasn’t something to fall head over heels for.

At the same time, the benefits she once provided to his cultivation and pleasure were now diminishing, causing her value to almost dwindle to nothing.

The trade was the inevitable end that merely laid bare this unspoken truth.

Even now, she didn’t hold much value in his heart.

However, value was a subjective concept.

While she may have held little worth before, it was only a matter of thought for him to elevate her value as long as he felt she was worth the investment.

And… the loyalty she showed was a fine quality for him to invest in.

In light of this realization, he harbored no reluctance in sacrificing a seed on her.

Rolling the seed between his fingers, Bubai's gaze lingered on the entrance, "Now, how to stuff the seed all the way in?"

Well, the answer was obvious…

The old school way.

Pak. Pak. Pak.

Bubai clapped his hands to dust off the nonexistent dust. “Job’s done.”

Bubai’s attention returned to the still clean entrance. His observant gaze ascended after a brief pause, fixing on her abdomen.

A smirk was written over the researcher’s lips when he sensed the seed entrenched within its clean, new home. "Well, this is an unexpected surprise.”

Through this impromptu experiment, he stumbled upon a new discovery. His seed could actually...