After Betraying the Whole World, You’re Telling Me They Were All Real? - Chapter 28:

Chapter 28: Come, Lick My Foot

Years ago, during Luo Qiuya’s travels, she had secretly given birth to Luo Xi.

Back then, she had faced the same choice that Luo Xi was facing now—whether to keep the child or not. The decision had been entirely her own. She had chosen to keep the child, which led to the birth of Luo Xi.

Now, Luo Xi was caught in the same dilemma.

But there was one major difference—Luo Xi was far younger. She was only nineteen, while Luo Qiuya had been close to thirty back then.

“Silly child,” Luo Qiuya whispered, gently wrapping her arms around Luo Xi.

As the Sect Master, she had once broken the sect’s rules but had done it in secret. No one knew she had borne a child. But now that Luo Xi was pregnant, the entire sect had already heard about it. The nature of the two situations was completely different.

“If you had told me earlier, I could have arranged something for you,” Luo Qiuya said with a helpless sigh. “Now that everyone in the sect already knows… what can I possibly do?”

Had Luo Xi informed her sooner, she could’ve arranged a journey for her, just like before, or let her quietly leave the sect and go wherever she wanted. But unfortunately, someone else had discovered it first—so the whole sect knew.

As the Sect Master, she couldn’t openly show favoritism.

“Mother always taught me that those who cultivate the Immortal Soul Technique must not fall in love, must remain pure, only then can they hope to reach the Supreme Limit Realm,” Luo Xi sobbed. “I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

The Immortal Soul Sect’s secret art, the Immortal Soul Technique, was said to be a path to the Supreme Limit Realm. But it required the cultivator to sever all romantic ties and remain untouched by men. That’s why the sect had only female disciples and no men at all.

But Luo Xi had failed to hold back.

Ever since meeting Ling Qi, her heart had wavered.

She knew the moment she allowed that to happen, her cultivation path had been broken.

Yet she still didn’t want to let her mother down. She had always been seen as the most promising disciple to reach the Supreme Limit Realm. So she kept everything a secret.

Unfortunately, Bai Xing had discovered it first.

Bai Xing had always been jealous of her, and she wanted nothing more than to see her fall. So the first thing she did was spread the news throughout the entire sect.

“Sigh…” Luo Qiuya let out a long breath.

To sever emotions and desire—how many people could truly do that?

People were made of flesh and blood. Who could really abandon all feelings?

That her daughter had broken the rule, she understood it completely.

“Though it’s said that our sect’s first Sect Master reached the Supreme Limit Realm through cultivating the Immortal Soul Technique, the truth is… no one since has ever proven it works,” Luo Qiuya said, shaking her head. “It might all just be a baseless rumor.”

The sect’s founder was rumored to have reached the Supreme Limit Realm through this very technique. But no disciple since had ever managed to reach that realm. Even Luo Qiuya herself often doubted whether the legend was even real.

If the first Sect Master really had reached the Supreme Limit Realm… then how did she die?

Weren’t those who reached that realm supposed to be immortal?

Luo Xi continued crying softly in her mother’s arms. At this point, none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered now… was what to do next.

“That Ling Qi… do you truly love him?” Luo Qiuya asked.

Luo Xi sniffled and said in a small voice, “Mother, maybe… maybe he had his reasons. Maybe he didn’t abandon me.”

Because Ling Qi had vanished suddenly, without a word. Perhaps he had some emergency. Perhaps he had no choice.

Until she met him again and heard the truth, deep down, she still held a shred of hope.

After all… she truly loved him.

Hearing that, Luo Qiuya sighed again.

Women… they could be so foolish sometimes. Always so stubborn when it came to love.

“If you believe he didn’t abandon you… then go find him,” Luo Qiuya said softly.

“Mother?” Luo Xi looked up in surprise.

What did she mean? Was her mother really going to let her go?

But if she let her leave, what would she say to the other disciples? What would she say to the elders?

“Three days from now is the Immortal Soul Sect’s annual recruitment ceremony,” Luo Qiuya said. “During the event, I will lead the entire sect in hosting the gathering. You’ll escape then.”

If Luo Xi fled, then even if the elders and disciples were angry, they couldn’t blame Luo Qiuya directly.

“Go find Ling Qi. If he truly had his reasons, then stay with him and live your life happily. That is your right.”

“But if he’s nothing but a heartless man… then kill him,” Luo Qiuya said coldly. “Then… go find your father.”

“My father… who is he?” Luo Xi had never known who her father was.

“The number one assassin in the world—Duan Tianqing,” Luo Qiuya said softly. “After you find him, go to the old place we once lived. I’ll visit you there.”

Luo Xi nodded gently. There was no other way now.

Luo Qiuya took a deep breath. “The Supreme Limit Realm is important. But in life, we all have our own choices. Happiness… is more important.”

Becoming invincible might be ideal—but if it wasn’t possible, then so be it. Life held many paths. As long as her daughter was happy, that was enough.

If being with Ling Qi brought her happiness, then… it was all worth it.

Luo Xi nodded again.

In the room, mother and daughter held each other, leaning into one another for warmth.

Neither of them noticed the tiny bee resting silently at the window, spying on everything they said and did…

…

Buzz… buzz…

The little bee flew from the courtyard, past the pavilion and the flower gardens, over the small bridges and streams, and finally arrived at another room.

It slipped through the crack in the door.

And suddenly, it transformed into the figure of a man.

Once he took human form, he immediately knelt down and whispered, “Master.”

Inside the room, Bai Xing was soaking in a bath.

“Bee Slave, any new discoveries?” she asked, smiling faintly.

This little bee was actually a tiny demon she had once saved a long time ago. The smallest kind of demon. After Bai Xing had raised and refined him, he lost all abilities except shape-shifting—and even had no demon aura.

Once transformed into a bee, no one could detect him. He looked like an ordinary insect.

Bai Xing had named him Bee Slave.

He always followed her, serving as her personal spy.

The reason she had discovered Luo Xi’s secret rendezvous with Ling Qi before… was all thanks to Bee Slave.

Bee Slave kept his head lowered and began to report everything he had seen and heard in Luo Xi’s room just now.

After listening, Bai Xing’s eyes widened.

Then, she burst into laughter. “Hahahahaha! What a surprise! What a wonderful surprise!”

She hadn’t expected Luo Qiuya and Luo Xi to not only be master and disciple—but mother and daughter!

She hadn’t expected the revered Sect Master, her own master, to have broken the sect’s rules years ago!

“So much for outward appearances…”

Bai Xing slowly stood from the bath.

No wonder her master had always favored Luo Xi. No wonder Luo Xi had always received special treatment.

No wonder Luo Xi had been chosen as the successor.

It was all because the Sect Master was biased toward her own daughter!

Excellent. She herself was no less than Luo Xi in any way—yet just because of a blood relationship, she had to suffer unjust treatment.

“Oh, dear master… if the whole sect finds out about this… what will you do?”

Bai Xing sneered, “How will you explain yourself to the elders? To the disciples?”

As Sect Master, not only had she failed to lead by example—she had broken the rules the worst of all.

A pair of shameless women—both mother and daughter!

What a disgrace to the Immortal Soul Sect!

“Very well… I will make sure both of you are completely ruined.”

A dark glint flashed in her eyes. “You think you’ll let Luo Xi escape during the recruitment ceremony? Heh… neither of you will get away.”

This was her only chance to reclaim everything.

With Luo Xi and Luo Qiuya out of the way, she would be the only hope left for the sect.

The position of Sect Master would be hers alone!

She lifted her slender leg and stepped out of the bath, walking slowly toward Bee Slave.

He kept his head down, never daring to look up.

He was genuinely grateful for Bai Xing saving his life and had always respected her deeply.

“Bee Slave, you’ve done well this time. Raise your head,” Bai Xing said softly.

He slowly lifted his head and looked at her.

“Am I beautiful?” Bai Xing’s skin glistened as water droplets slid down her body.

“Of course, Master. You are the most beautiful immortal in the world,” Bee Slave said quickly.

“I’m in a good mood tonight. I’ll reward you.”

Bai Xing slowly lifted her pale foot toward him. “Come, lick my foot.”

A flicker of heat burned in Bee Slave’s eyes. He pounced, hugging her delicate, soft foot, and began to lick it gently…

…

Great Yan Empire, Imperial Palace.

“Supreme Limit Realm? Hahahahahaha! Wonderful! That so-called ordinary man really deceived my daughter miserably! Hahaha!”

Duan Tianqing laughed toward the sky, his expression bordering on madness.

He had learned about Ling Qi from Luo Qiuya.

Although he had never met her openly, they had always kept in contact behind the scenes. Only recently did he find out that Ling Qi had wronged his daughter.

So he came looking for him!

But he hadn’t expected… that Ling Qi was far from ordinary.

In front of his daughter, Ling Qi had pretended to be a commoner. Said he had no money, no power, no status.

Then he seduced her, had a relationship with her, and left her pregnant.

Looking at it now… he had deliberately toyed with her.

Or maybe—he just liked testing whether girls genuinely loved him.

Bastard.

His daughter had given her body to him—what more proof of sincerity did he need?

Duan Tianqing had no idea that Ling Qi liked to disguise himself around different women. He’d played countless roles.

Ordinary man or not—he’d pretended to be both.

When facing an innocent girl like Luo Xi, he naturally used his purest side to deceive her. Pretending to be a humble man made their love seem clean and sincere.

But after playing for a while… he left.

After all, in his eyes, Luo Xi was just an NPC. There was no way he’d stay with one forever.

“So… he’s already headed for the Immortal Soul Sect?” Duan Tianqing asked.

“That’s right. Unless something unexpected happens, the Immortal Soul Sect is about to be thrown into chaos,” Jiang Ling said with a faint smile.

With Ling Qi’s personality, if the sect dared to challenge him directly…

The outcome… would be even worse than what happened to the Tianshan Snow Sect.

Because everyone in the Immortal Soul Sect was incredibly arrogant, thinking themselves superior to all others.

But acting superior in front of Ling Qi… was simply courting death.

The consequences would be dire.

“Good! Excellent!” Duan Tianqing laughed loudly. “With strength at the Supreme Limit Realm, he can surely turn that damned Immortal Soul Sect upside down!”

“What I couldn’t do back then, what I didn’t dare to do, he dares—he can do it!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Once, Duan Tianqing and Luo Qiuya had been secretly in love.

But Luo Qiuya, as the Sect Master of the Immortal Soul Sect, had no choice but to part ways with him and take their daughter into the sect.

At the time, he had even considered storming the sect, openly declaring the sect’s rules were bullshit.

But Luo Qiuya stopped him.

He wasn’t a match for the entire sect. If he had charged in recklessly, the outcome would’ve been disastrous.

So, he endured.

But now, Ling Qi had gone.

And Ling Qi was at the Supreme Limit Realm. Of course he had the power to force that haughty Immortal Soul Sect to lower their heads.

This was great news—an opportunity like no other!

“Your Majesty, I apologize for my earlier offense. I acted rashly. Please forgive me,” Duan Tianqing said, cupping his fists and bowing to Jiang Ling.

He had barged into the palace in a fit of rage because of his daughter. For her sake, he was willing to be more reckless than he had been for Luo Qiuya.

After all, when he couldn’t be with Luo Qiuya, all he did was secretly hold on to their love.

But this time, his daughter had been hurt—truly, painfully hurt. That, he could not endure.

“If your daughter truly has such ties with him, then… I have no reason to hold it against you,” Jiang Ling replied calmly.

Given the situation, Duan Tianqing could be considered Ling Qi’s father-in-law. Holding him accountable would be inappropriate.

Besides, out of respect for Ling Qi—and because Duan Tianqing hadn’t caused any actual harm—she decided to let it go.

“Hehe, many thanks, Your Majesty!” Duan Tianqing bowed again. “The Great Yan Empire truly lives up to its name—far more reasonable than that damned Immortal Soul Sect.”

It was clear that despite being an assassin, Duan Tianqing was a man of principle and loyalty.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared charge into the imperial palace for his daughter’s sake.

Then, his gaze shifted to little Qiyue behind Jiang Ling, and he chuckled. “Don’t be afraid, little one. By seniority, I suppose I’m your grandfather, hahahaha.”

At that, Qiyue pouted slightly and furrowed her brows. “When did I ever say I was scared?”

What a joke.

Who was her father? Who were her masters?

Her father was a Supreme Limit Realm powerhouse!

Her two masters were the Empress of the Great Yan Empire and the Martial Alliance Leader!

In today’s world, in terms of background, she—Ling Qiyue—was number one!

Why would she need to be afraid of anyone?

Ridiculous!

“Hahahaha! Right, right! You’ve got nothing to fear,” Duan Tianqing laughed loudly and cupped his fists again. “Then I’ll take my leave. Since Ling Qi has already gone to the Immortal Soul Sect, I… of course must go join the fun too.”

With that, he turned and vanished into the distance in a flash.

Watching his departing figure, Jiang Ling sighed and shook her head.

Ling Qi’s emotional debts… who knew when they would be settled?

This time it was the Immortal Soul Sect’s successor, and it had drawn out the world’s top assassin.

Who knew who it would be next time…

…

At the foot of the Immortal Soul Sect was a city called Taoyuan Prefecture.

Every year, the sect held a recruitment ceremony.

Aside from a few prodigies discovered during sect travels, most talented young women were recruited through this annual event.

With the recruitment ceremony approaching, Taoyuan Prefecture had become especially lively in recent days.

Genius girls from all over the world had gathered there, hoping to be chosen and enter the sacred sect of immortals.

Beyond the city, a wide river spanned hundreds of meters. At the river’s source, across a canyon, was the main gate of the Immortal Soul Sect.

The ceremony would be held right there, on the canyon before the gate.

“Hyah!”

A caravan stopped at the city gate.

“Madam Ling, we’ve arrived at Taoyuan Prefecture,” the leading attendant said with a bow toward the sedan chair.

Xu Qingxue lifted the curtain and stepped out.

Everyone knew about her relationship with Ling Qi—and naturally, everyone also knew about Ling Qi’s strength and identity.

So, everyone respectfully referred to her as Madam Ling.

Xu Qingxue was quite fond of this title.

Though she and Ling Qi hadn’t held an official wedding, she was the first woman to be acknowledged as his partner in the open.

“Find a place to stay first. Since the Immortal Soul Sect’s recruitment ceremony is in a few days, we’ll meet with them then,” Xu Qingxue instructed.

Since they had come to apologize and resolve things, they needed to approach politely.

After all, the Immortal Soul Sect was in the right this time.

Ling Qi was the one at fault.

Everyone nodded and followed her into the city, finding an inn.

Just as they were about to enter the inn, a figure descended from the sky and landed right in front of Xu Qingxue with a swish.

It was Ling Qi!

“Phew… good thing I made it,” he said with a smile.

“You came too?” Xu Qingxue and the others were surprised.

“You think I’d let you go to the Immortal Soul Sect alone?” Ling Qi pinched her cheek. “You think that place is any good? Those people inside are full of themselves.”

A sect full of women might seem like a paradise of fairies to outsiders.

But Ling Qi knew the truth—within that sect, alongside those ‘fairies’ were all kinds of schemers and backstabbers.

The women inside were ruthless, and their internal politics rivaled the most intense palace dramas.

If Xu Qingxue went in alone, she might not come out again.

“Well, who told you to offend them?” Xu Qingxue glared at him. “They even posted a bounty that spread all the way to the Great Yan Empire.”

“Anything outside the empire, don’t worry about it. It might be dangerous,” Ling Qi said with a grin.

Within the Great Yan Empire, Jiang Ling’s word was law.

With her as Xu Qingxue’s backing, she wouldn’t be in danger anywhere within the empire.

But outside the empire… things were different.

Even though the Great Yan Empire had a mighty reputation, not everyone would show deference to it.

Hearing that, Xu Qingxue pouted. “So now I’m just meddling in things, huh?”

Seeing her expression, Ling Qi chuckled and shook his head.

Xu Qingxue… Xu Daiyu… where did you even learn to talk like this?

“I’m just thinking of your safety. You don’t know how dangerous the world can be,” Ling Qi said with a smile.

As his wife, Xu Qingxue had come to help him resolve his emotional debts. Her intentions were pure. He couldn’t blame her.

But the world outside… really did have people and places that were dangerous and unreasonable.

“Yes, yes, I’ve been scolded. I’ll be more careful next time,” Xu Qingxue muttered.

“Since you’re here too, let’s go together to the Immortal Soul Sect!” Ling Qi said, taking her hand.

But Xu Qingxue shook her head. “You’re going now? Going to charge in?”

“Mhm.” Ling Qi nodded.

“They already hate you. You hurt their successor. And now you’re going to barge in arrogantly? You think they’ll forgive you?”

She looked at him and said, “Do you really think that successor, who already resents you, will take you back?”

“Uh…”

Ling Qi gave an awkward laugh. “Then what do you think I should do?”

Honestly, he had no idea whether Luo Xi would forgive him for abandoning her.

Probably not.

She was the sect’s successor. Now the whole sect was hunting him down—meaning her secret was exposed.

He had not only abandoned her but caused her to fall from grace. She probably hated him to the core.

“If you don’t want to fix things and just want to end it, then go ahead. Storm in and beat them until they’re too afraid to keep hunting you.”

“But if you want to make it right… then listen to me. Be polite.”

Xu Qingxue continued, “If there’s still a chance to make things right—if you still care and she still cares—don’t crush it.”

“You really are an amazing wife,” Ling Qi laughed, pinching her cheek again.

What kind of woman helps her husband reconcile with another woman?

Most wives would want their man to cut all ties with other women.

“Well, you were the one who acted like a jerk. You wronged her. Now you need to take responsibility!” Xu Qingxue glared at him. “The recruitment ceremony is about to start. We’ll wait for it, then make our move.”