Only a single red lantern swayed gently in the wind within the courtyard.
Warm yellow light spilled from the main room.
That was Yuan Shu's room.
Yun Sheng paused in the yard for a moment, placed the woven basket from his back into the storage room, and went to the adjacent woodshed to boil water for a bath.
After washing away the dirt from his body and changing into clean clothes, he finally approached Yuan Shu's door.
He pursed his lips, stood there for a moment, and slowly raised his hand to knock.
Knock, knock, knock...
Three moderate knocks awakened Yuan Shu from her cultivation.
Yuan Shu slowly opened her eyes.
Although her spiritual consciousness was not as powerful as it had been in her previous life, she still heard the sounds of the person walking and fetching water in the courtyard.
Core disciples of the peak were allowed to select a chore disciple to manage their daily lives, as long as they could afford the chore disciple's food, clothing, and expenses.
Yun Sheng was the one the original host had picked from the chore disciples.
Initially, the original host treated him decently, or at least did not mistreat him.
However, ever since Su Lingxi arrived at Qingyun Peak half a year ago, things had changed.
Out of jealousy, the original host had done many things against Su Lingxi, but after repeatedly hitting a wall with her, she transferred this resentment onto Yun Sheng.
There were not many descriptions of Yun Sheng in the book.
He was merely a cannon fodder passerby arranged to act as a foil to the female lead, serving to highlight the original host's twisted, vicious, and ruthless personality.
Beatings and scoldings were common occurrences. Even worse, the original host would deduct Yun Sheng's spiritual rice and medicine, torturing him in various ways.
In the book, it wasn't until the original host's death that Yun Sheng finally gained his freedom.
Yuan Shu had no hobby of cleaning up other people's messes, but the person definitely needed to be dealt with.
She let out a soft breath and spoke in a deep voice, "Come in."
Creak.
The door was pushed open, and a slender, tall figure stepped inside.
At first glance, Yuan Shu frowned.
This person... was excessively thin!
His frame was frail, with narrow shoulders and a slender waist. There was not an ounce of excess flesh on his body, leaving only a thin skeleton propping up his loose clothing.
His skin was a cold white from a lack of year-round sunlight, carrying a sickly pallor that made the prominent joints of his wrists look especially stark. A gentle grip seemed enough to touch the jagged bone tips beneath the skin.
But this person was very handsome.
He was born with fine, clear-cut facial bones, light brows, and a pair of moist, bright peach-blossom eyes. The outer corners of his eyes tilted slightly upward, seemingly covered with a faint layer of weariness.
His nose was tall and straight, perfectly supporting his facial contours.
His lips were a near-transparent pale pink, with clear lip lines and corners that naturally curved upward slightly, yet lacked any healthy color.
The lines of his jaw were clean and smooth, contrasting with that cold, almost translucent skin, exuding an unexplainable beauty of a fragile, sickly frame.
Yuan Shu suddenly understood why the original host had chosen this person.
Whether it was Shu Linyuan, whom she had always regarded as her possession, or this Yun Sheng, who needed to cling to her to stay on Qingyun Peak.
They were both very handsome!
Unsurprisingly, the original host was someone who valued appearances above all else.
Normally, when choosing a chore disciple, one would definitely look at their strength. The stronger the chore disciple, the more popular they were.
Because chore disciples not only had to take care of the core disciples on the peak, but they also had to complete weekly tasks assigned by the sect.
The stronger they were, the faster they completed the tasks.
Conversely, if they failed to complete the tasks, they had to pay a fine.
And the person in front of her was probably only at the level of just entering the Qi Condensation realm, which should be considered the weakest among the chore disciples.
Needless to say, the original host definitely paid the fine every single time!
Yun Sheng walked into the room and immediately knelt on the floor.
He took a soft whip from his waist, held it up with both hands, and moved on his knees, crawling respectfully toward Yuan Shu.
He offered the soft whip in his hands.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and reached out to take it.
Yun Sheng then turned around with practiced familiarity, presenting his back to her.
Then, he pulled open his upper garment.
The thin, fair back of the man was currently covered with crisscrossing whip scars, both old and new.
Some had just scabbed over a few days ago, faintly showing a bloody hue.
Some were older and had already grown pink granulation tissue.
But it was evident that the weapon that left these scars was the same kind.
Yuan Shu lowered her eyes, glanced at the soft whip in her hand, and her gaze trembled slightly.
She actually didn't know that the original host had a fetish for whipping people?
"Miss Yuan, please begin."
Yun Sheng kept his head down. His hands hanging by his sides clenched slightly, already prepared for the whip to fall.
However, in the next second, the whip was casually tossed to the ground.
Yun Sheng was stunned. He turned his head and saw Yuan Shu step off the bed, walking step by step until she was right in front of him.
He looked up in confusion, but upon meeting her downward gaze, he instinctively lowered his head again.
Yet, he suddenly saw a pair of slender, delicate feet perfectly appear in his line of sight.
Yun Sheng's eyes widened slightly.
Yuan Shu... wasn't wearing shoes?
These feet were beautiful. The lines of the instep were slender and smooth, the joints delicate but not bony.
The five toes were well-proportioned and elegant, the nails bearing a faint pink halo, exuding a healthy luster.
As she stepped on the ground, her arches curved into a petite, graceful arc.
Yun Sheng took a couple of extra glances, but thinking of Yuan Shu's temper, he quickly lowered his head, not daring to look recklessly.
Yuan Shu hated him!
In the past, as long as he looked at her one more time, it would draw a severe beating from her.
He knew that the one she liked was that exceptionally talented core disciple of Qingyun Peak—her sixth senior brother, Shu Linyuan.
And he was just a chore disciple she had picked up because she fancied his face.
In her eyes, he was merely a punching bag.
He couldn't be like Shu Linyuan, showing any emotion, any gaze, or any action toward her!
But why wasn't she beating him today?
And she even threw the whip away?
Yun Sheng's heart skipped a beat, suspecting whether he had done something to displease her.
While his thoughts were running wild, Yuan Shu's nonchalant voice came from above his head.
"Raise your head."
Yun Sheng's eyes trembled. Not daring to disobey, he slowly raised his head.
However, his eyes remained downcast, not daring to look at her.
The last time he raised his eyes to look at her, she had mercilessly whipped him forty times, almost double the nightly whip torture.
It hurt so much that he couldn't sleep well for three days and three nights.
"Look at me," Yuan Shu said again.
Yun Sheng's body trembled, feeling somewhat hesitant.
Was this Yuan Shu's new way of torturing him?
She ordered him to look at her, but if he really looked, would it be another severe beating?
But if he didn't look, wouldn't she also give him a severe beating out of anger?
Yun Sheng hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and slowly raised his eyes to look at Yuan Shu in front of him.
She was wearing a long, bright red nightgown. Her figure was tall and slender, yet exquisitely curvy.
The fabric was an extremely soft brocade, shimmering with a delicate luster under the moonlight.
Tassels hung down to her collarbones. Because her exaggerated curves blocked their downward drape, the tassels swayed gently with her breathing, exuding an inexplicable allure.
Her black hair was loosely tied in a bun, with a few stray strands clinging to her fair neck. Her brow and eyes carried a faint sense of languor.
The bright red accentuated her face, making it look as delicate and alluring as a passionately blooming peony.
This was a Yuan Shu that Yun Sheng had never seen before!
A flash of amazement crossed Yun Sheng's eyes, and his heart uncontrollably pounded twice.
Why had Yuan Shu suddenly become so beautiful?
