But, I Refuse

Time flowed like water.

There were exactly three months left until the All-Peak Grand Tournament, and during these three months, Lin Qingxue finally understood why her grandfather had sent that heartless man to the Xuantian Sword Vein.

It wasn’t because of the powerful legacy of the Xuantian Sword Vein.

It was because of debt!

That’s right, debt!

She still remembered before he left, her grandfather had said earnestly to her, “Nannan, you want to bind Ye Shu as your tea-serving boy, keep him by your side, not let him go out, not let him interact with other women, turn him into a caged canary—I understand your thoughts, because love is extremely selfish.”

“People need to learn to see things from others’ perspectives.”

“If Ye Shu locked you in the courtyard, wouldn’t let you go out, wouldn’t let you talk to anyone, would you be happy?”

“Why should he be unhappy!”

“I gave him so much, even saved his life—his life belongs to me. I just want him to stay with me forever. What did I do wrong?”

“The reasoning is sound.”

“But I have to tell you, Nannan, if you insist on this, the gratitude Ye Shu feels for you will gradually fade during the long imprisonment, and might even turn into hatred!”

“Loving someone doesn’t mean you have to lock them up.”

“If you like the wind, would you make it stop so you can smell it? If you like the clouds, would you make them drift down to cover you?”

“But I’m afraid he’ll leave, that he won’t want me anymore.”

“Nannan, remember—if you want to imprison someone, the cage doesn’t have to be physical. It’s like a kite flying freely in the sky—as long as the string is in your hand, no matter where it goes, it won’t leave you.”

“Grandfather knows Ye Shu is a good child.”

“A person like him is destined to soar through the heavens, to spread his wings like the Kunpeng. You can’t hold him back, but your kindness is the string that ties him to you. You were the one who offered help in his hour of need, the devoted wife who stood by him when he was down, the unwavering supporter when he was at his lowest.”

“You don’t have to worry about him leaving you.”

“Just like the kite flies freely in the sky—the string is its restraint, but also its foundation for staying aloft. If the string is lost, the kite will eventually fall.”

Now, Lin Qingxue finally understood those words.

She glanced back at Ye Shu, who was massaging her shoulders without a hint of complaint.

Since returning from Sister Li’s place, over these three months, she had been buying Ye Shu’s time with spirit stones, keeping him on Falling Cloud Mountain as her tea-serving boy, occasionally ordering him to perform “special services” and humiliating him!

And the effect was the same.

That heartless man had no time to go out and stir up trouble with other women—what’s more, he seemed happy about it, and all she had to do was pay him five hundred spirit stones a day.

For her grandfather’s stockpile, that sum was nothing more than a single hair from nine oxen.

And that heartless man actually seemed content.

Was this what her grandfather meant by an invisible cage?

Lin Qingxue rolled over happily, lifted her leg high, and extended her flawless jade foot before Ye Shu, ordering, “Massage my foot—and no sneaky nibbling!”

“Yes, my dear lady.”

Ye Shu obediently crouched down and gently started kneading that small, delicate foot. Lin Qingxue’s feet were soft, boneless as the finest suet jade—warm, smooth, and utterly addictive.

Even eating them would be fragrant and delightful.

Wait, no—there wasn’t any odor when he sniffed them.

Every day, he just needed to rub his lady’s shoulders and feet, and when he was tired, he could cuddle with Lin Qingxue. The rest of his time was all his for cultivation, with spirit stones provided on full expenses.

Was there anything better in this world than this?

Ye Shu could say it outright—

These three months had been the most comfortable and enjoyable days since he entered the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

No pursuits, no heroines.

Cultivating during the day, warming Lin Qingxue’s bed at night, holding a beauty in his arms, occasionally chatting with Xiao Qingli and enjoying the thrill of a secret affair—spicing things up.

His days were as bland as boiled water.

And in these three months, his heart settled deeper.

His cultivation had also soared by leaps and bounds.

The little world inside his dantian had expanded from a radius of three miles to thirty miles—a qualitative leap.

In that space, there were snow-capped mountains, grasslands, poisonous forests, and deserts.

Small in size, but complete in all essentials.

Xiaobai had been managing that space for him the whole time, even more diligent than he was himself.

He wasn’t even sure how strong he was now.

Probably strong enough to kill two oxen with one punch!

“Hey! Heartless man, tomorrow’s the All-Peak Grand Tournament. Do you have confidence?” Lin Qingxue asked, lying on the stone lounge.

Hearing this, Ye Shu looked up with a confident smile.

“Naturally... I have no confidence at all.”

“No confidence?!”

Lin Qingxue bolted upright, staring at him with big, wide eyes, her voice sharp with disappointment. “Then why are you still rubbing my feet? Why aren’t you training? Idling around all day, just slacking off!”

“Didn’t you tell me to rub your feet?” Ye Shu spread his hands helplessly.

“Uh...”

Lin Qingxue was momentarily stumped.

That was actually true.

“Then... why didn’t you refuse?” she snapped, kicking him angrily.

If I refused, you’d get upset.

Ye Shu cursed under his breath but kept his face neutral, obediently continuing to massage her foot.

Truth be told, he really had no confidence.

Before, he had always fought against the heroines. When it came to facing a System Host now, who knew what kind of cheat they’d pull out? They might conjure up some heaven-defying ability like “Transforming into Ancient Times”—he wouldn’t be able to withstand that.

So he had beautifully decided to just coast by.

If he could win, good. If he couldn’t, no loss.

He could always think of another way—like pleasing the lady in front of him, which could also get him the heavenly treasures he needed to wake up his master.

Ye Shu’s little calculations were clicking away in his mind, but Lin Qingxue was fuming at his unflappable attitude.

“Stop rubbing!”

She slapped his hand away and glared at him angrily. “I order you to go cultivate, now!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Ye Shu stood up, saluted, then scurried back into Lin Qingxue’s private room, shut the door, and sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate. Breathing in the pleasant fragrance around him lifted his spirits, so much so that even his cultivation speed noticeably improved.

No one disturbed him until midnight.

“Little ghost, aren’t you eager to win? In tomorrow’s tournament, I can help you once.”

Suddenly, a babyish voice rang out.

Ye Shu’s eyes shot open, and he saw a little girl in a red dress standing before him, hands on her hips, chin raised high, looking at him with a haughty expression.

“Aren’t you uncertain?”

“This king can secretly attach myself to you, and then no matter if it’s some measly Gold Core brat or even a Nascent Soul trash, they’d all have to kneel and call me daddy.”

“You don’t have to worry about being found out.”

“This king can hide in your little world—your little world is self-contained; nobody can detect it.”

She floated in midair, wearing an expression of “This king is graciously helping you out of the kindness of her heart.”

Hearing this, Ye Shu was taken aback.

“You mean, you’re volunteering to help me out once, with no strings attached, and it won’t count toward those three intervention opportunities?”

“Exactly. Grovel in gratitude for this king’s immense favor,” Little Medusa said, lifting her chin proudly.

Yet, Ye Shu’s reply was—

“However, I refuse.”