Tit for Tat

Yu Zhiling: "..."

She calmly closed her eyes and said, "I am asleep again."

Mo Zhu: "..."

For an instant, he truly had the urge to search her soul and seize her spirit to determine if she had been soul-snatched.

He closed the booklet, his voice indifferent: "Does Master wish to expel this disciple from the sect?"

This question was no different from pushing someone into a dead end.

Yu Zhiling covered her ears.

She wasn't listening, she wasn't listening at all.

Mo Zhu did not bother to pretend anymore. He leaned against the edge of the table near the window, bracing himself with both hands behind his back, his voice carrying a trace of a smile: "Master should know that this disciple is a snake demon."

Snakes possessed keen senses. Just by her breathing, he knew perfectly well whether she was truly asleep.

Yu Zhiling sat up abruptly, making up a story with a serious face: "How could that be! Why would I expel you from the sect? Yesterday, your master read a biography. The character inside was also surnamed Mo, named Duanzi. This person..."

Mo Zhu: "What about this person?"

Yu Zhiling said, "That Mo Duanzi was an ungrateful wretch who actually dared to rebel against his senior, killing his master to prove his Dao! Reading it made me furious. If such a person were my disciple, I would definitely expel him from the sect!"

Having said that, she stole a glance at Mo Zhu's expression. Feeling a bit guilty, she immediately rushed to add a survival-seeking remark: "Of course, I am not talking about you! It has absolutely nothing to do with you! My disciple is very good and would never do such a thing! He is both kind and handsome, with a generous heart!"

Mo Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly. Clearly, he had said nothing, yet he made her feel as if every single word had been laid bare.

Yu Zhiling trembled, even her legs hidden beneath the blanket shaking.

Mo Zhu glanced over, and she hastily placed her hands on her legs, forcing a laugh: "Haha, it is a bit cold today."

But it was currently May.

Mo Zhu's face suddenly turned cold, as if he had dropped all disguises in an instant without any warning.

Over the past two days, Yu Zhiling understood only too well how much Mo Zhu hated Immortal Venerable Zhuoyu. But the male lead was still the male lead; he always maintained a calm facade on the surface.

Now, with only the two of them in the room, Yu Zhiling completely forgot that she was supposed to question him about why he had suddenly appeared here.

In reality, her throat felt constricted, and breathing became difficult.

Mo Zhu stood against the light, his expression as gloomy as an abyss, as if his calm shell had fallen away to reveal the cold darkness within his heart.

"Master." His voice was very soft, as gentle as a lover's whisper. "Are you afraid of this disciple?"

"Afraid... afraid of you? What a joke, how could this master be afraid... afraid... afraid of you!"

Afraid? Of course she was afraid! She was scared to death!

Mo Zhu looked at her indifferently and countered, "Master only said that Mo Duanzi should not have killed his master, but have you ever thought about it? Why did he kill that master? What did that master do to him? Could it be that you already know the entire truth?"

Yu Zhiling: "I..."

"Could it be that he was once flayed and deboned, whipped, verbally abused, and even subjected to Gu poison that gnawed at his mind, tortured like that for so many years... Tell me, Master, if that were the case, what should Mo Duanzi have done?"

"Forget everything?"

"Or..."

Mo Zhu suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance in an instant. Kneeling with one knee on the bed, he lowered his head to look directly at her.

"Should he crush that master's soul, scrape away every single bone, and return every past 'gift' in full?"

"Tit for tat?"

Yu Zhiling's eyelids twitched violently. She seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, her nose filled with the cold, snowy fragrance emanating from him.

Mo Zhu raised his hand, his long, slender fingers drawing close to her cheek. Her heart pounded like a war drum, yet she could not move an inch.

She saw it. She saw the clear killing intent in his eyes.