Chapter 41 The Scheming Disciple and the Charming Master 41

Chapter 41: The Scheming Disciple and His Beautiful Master 41

The two old men who had been kicked out scrambled right back inside the formation.

As if staying outside for even one more second meant they'd be devoured alive by the demon clan.

"I will not return to the demon realm with you. You can give up on that idea."

Lin Huaiqing's resolute reply sent a dull ache through even Qin Du's unyielding heart.

In the end, he'd overestimated his standing with Lin Huaiqing and underestimated the man himself.

Once the crushing disappointment faded, Qin Du's gaze slowly turned ice-cold. A crimson light flashed in his eyes:

"Since we can't agree, there's nothing more to say!"

Everyone present could sense the fury radiating off Qin Du.

It looked like he was about to go on a killing spree.

Xiao Sha, standing beside Qin Du, smiled faintly.

Guess he'd underestimated his master.

His master might have been a bit of a lovesick fool, but he wasn't that useless. When it came to the big stuff, he definitely knew what mattered.

Once they conquered the cultivation world and he became the supreme ruler of immortals and demons, how could a mere Lin Huaiqing possibly slip through his fingers?

Demonic energy surged everywhere—the signal that the demon clan was about to launch an attack.

"Junior brother! Come back now!" Chu Xiuyuan shouted.

But Lin Huaiqing stood rooted to the spot, not budging. "Are you... really going to lay a hand on me? Don't forget, I'm still your master!"

He'd quietly let Qin Du stay on Kuhand Peak, but he'd never fully kicked him out of the sect.

After all, they were still master and apprentice.

Hearing this, Qin Du let out a crazed laugh, dripping with despair and desolation.

"Master? Wasn't it you who ordered Elder Western Law to kill me without mercy? Why didn't you remember I was your disciple then?!"

"Kill... without mercy?" When had he ever said that?

"Lin Huaiqing! Today you're coming back with me, whether you like it or not! Let's settle this score properly!"

Before he even finished speaking, Qin Du was already right in front of him.

Lin Huaiqing was forced back a few steps by the overwhelming demonic aura, and the next second, Qin Du grabbed his waist and yanked him into his arms.

Demonic energy condensed into thick black-purple smoke, swallowing them both. Lin Huaiqing, coughing from the fumes, quickly covered his nose and mouth to keep the demonic energy out.

"Is Master afraid now?"

"Cough, cough... Qin Du, you... mis—"

Lin Huaiqing had meant to explain that he had never issued such an order, but a wave of weakness washed over him.

His awareness of his surroundings faded more and more, until all he could feel was being lifted into someone's arms.

And then he knew nothing more.

"Xiao Sha, retreat!"

With his prize in hand, there was no reason to stick around.

"Retreat?! Retreat where?"

"Back to the demon realm!"

"What?!"

Qin Du didn't repeat himself. Holding Lin Huaiqing in his arms, he vanished straight back to the demon realm.

Xiao Sha stood there, frozen, like he'd been hit by lightning.

The battle was basically won, and now they were just... calling it quits?

"Commander Xiao, are we pulling back now?" a subordinate asked.

Xiao Sha had been itching to blow off steam, and here was someone walking right into it.

"Retreat! Can't you hear the Demon Lord? He said retreat!"

In an instant, the massive demon army camped at the foot of Xuantian Sect scattered like the tide going out.

Lin Huaiqing didn't know how long he had slept, but he was woken up by his own coughing.

He'd accidentally breathed in some demonic energy earlier, and now his throat was on fire.

God, he wanted some water...

Lin Huaiqing pushed himself up from the bed, only to discover that his spiritual sense had failed him, and everything before his eyes was pitch black.

He fumbled around for a while before finding the edge of the bed and hauling himself upright.

"Is Master thirsty?"

A warm cup of tea was pushed into his hand. Lin Huaiqing took it and drank eagerly, the tea soothing his dry throat.

"Drink slowly, Master. There's plenty more..."

Qin Du turned to refill his cup, but Lin Huaiqing waved him off.

"Where am I?"

"The Demon Palace."

"What exactly are you trying to do by bringing me here? Qin Du, I don't think I owe you anything, do I?"

Why did he keep messing up his plans over and over?

This world's mission was actually pretty simple—so why had it turned into such a mess?

"Master saved this disciple's life, so of course you don't owe me anything. But what I don't get is..."

Suddenly, someone grabbed Lin Huaiqing's wrist hard, and the next second, he was yanked forward.

Even blind, he could feel a scorching gaze on him, crawling over every inch of his body.

"I don't get it—does Master even have a heart?"

Lin Huaiqing's wrist was squeezed so hard it turned bright red, as if it might snap in Qin Du's grip at any second.

But at this moment, the spiritual energy inside him felt completely sealed off, useless no matter how he tried. Even struggling against Qin Du's hold was a total dead end.

None of what Qin Du was saying made any sense to him. The searing pain in his wrist left him no room to think straight, so all he could do was lash out in anger.

"Qin Du, have you lost your mind?! Let me go!"

"Yeah, I've lost my mind! You never should've sent Elder Xifa to kill me in the first place! Since you're the one who saved my life, why not just take it yourself! I swear I won't fight back!"

Seeing Lin Huaiqing was genuinely hurting, sweat already beading on his forehead, Qin Du, furious as he was, still let go of his wrist.

"You're in the Demon Palace now, so don't even think about running. I've already sealed the spiritual power inside you. You're on your own from here."

With that, the door slammed shut, and the room fell into dead silence.

Qin Du had left.

Lin Huaiqing tried to flex his throbbing wrist, but it felt like it wasn't even his anymore.

Now that it was quiet, he could finally think through what Qin Du had said.

So Qin Du thought he'd sent Elder Xifa to hunt him down.

But only he knew he'd never said anything of the sort.

Back then, he'd begged the four Disciplinary Law Elders, pleading with them not to kill Qin Du—just to capture him and bring him back.

So why did Qin Du think it was a kill-on-sight order?

The issue had to be Elder Xifa, but Qin Du had already killed him, so there was no proof to clear things up.

If Qin Du had spent all these years thinking Lin Huaiqing wanted him dead, then wasn't this the perfect chance for revenge?

Just like killing Elder Xifa, he could deliver a palm strike and end it all—game over.

Why go through all this trouble, sealing his spiritual power and imprisoning him in the Demon Palace instead?

Could it be that Qin Du thought he couldn't defeat Mu Yunting, so he planned to use Lin Huaiqing as a hostage to threaten Mu Yunting?

Hmm—that was actually a good idea! The kid was clever.

The male lead valued loyalty above all, so maybe he really could be threatened.

With this realization, Lin Huaiqing felt somewhat relieved. Since Qin Du wouldn't kill him for now, he should go explain things to Qin Du first.

The room he was locked in was exceptionally large. After painstakingly feeling his way along the wall to the door, he discovered it was bolted from the outside.

"Is anyone out there? Open the door! I want to see your Demon Lord!"

"Our Demon Lord said you should reflect on yourself. Once you figure out why he's angry, he will come to see you."