Zhou Che looked at the other's trembling state and sighed helplessly.

"I have a name, Zhou Qingyue. I am a newly joined Registered Disciple of the Hehuan Sect. Don't call me 'Mistress' anymore, it feels weird. Just call me by my name from now on."

"Mistress, I dare not! How could Wang Er dare to break the rules? This small one was bought by Mistress as a slave, so I must serve Mistress with all my heart and soul. I dare not speak Mistress's name directly."

Wang Er, upon hearing this, was so frightened he hurriedly knelt on the ground.

His voice trembled, and his head was nearly buried in the dirt.

Zhou Che was a bit speechless but patiently explained, "Hey, let me put it to you this way! I, just like you, am a mortal. I just had some immortal affinity that brought me here and made me a Registered Disciple of the Hehuan Sect.

I haven't truly stepped onto the path of cultivation yet. At best, I'm just an ordinary woman who has grasped the method of cultivation.

That demoness from before, and those women in the restaurant, we are not the same kind.

And even if I do step onto cultivation, I would never associate with them. So rest assured, I am a good person and won't harm you.

Once my cultivation reaches the Minor Attainment Realm and I become an Outer Sect Disciple, I can go out to train. At that time, I'll take you down the mountain, and you'll be able to gain your freedom."

Hearing Zhou Che's words, Wang Er was clearly dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Zhou Che hurriedly helped him up, and then, to prove that she really wasn't a bad person, she handed him the Slave Slip that contained his Soul Mark.

"Do you believe me now?"

Zhou Che looked at him and gave a faint smile.

But Wang Er, who had gone through all this, felt a sense of unreality. He felt as if he were dreaming.

"Relax. It's normal to find it hard to accept such a drastic change all at once. My abode is still a bit far, let's talk as we walk."

Seeing his dazed expression, Zhou Che patted him on the shoulder and turned to lead the way.

However, Wang Er stared at that shimmering silhouette, entranced.

Over twenty years of slave life had left him in a daze day after day, and now it had been ended by this peerlessly beautiful fairy before him.

Wang Er reached out and pinched himself. After confirming it wasn't a dream, he could finally no longer hold back his emotions, and he poured out all his pent-up grievances and sorrows.

"Wang Er? Why are you crying?"

Zhou Che, seeing that he hadn't followed, turned back to look at him again.

At this moment, she glanced back under the moonlight. This fleeting instant, like a startled swan, was precisely captured by Wang Er.

In his blurred vision, everything was hazy, but that figure alone was exceptionally clear.

Wang Er choked with sobs, which then turned into wailing cries. He poured out all the grievances in his heart.

Zhou Che listened, and words of comfort reached her lips but were swallowed back down.

In the end, she simply gently hugged him, like a mother soothing this "child" who had just turned twenty.

By the time they returned to the abode, it was already late at night.

Along the way, Zhou Che had also clearly explained all of Wang Er's doubts.

"So, you joined the demonic sect out of necessity too?"

"Hmm, as a woman, in this chaotic world, I had to find a way to survive, right? Who knew that after joining the Hehuan Sect, I'd find myself surrounded by devils who cultivate desire and kill as easily as drinking water." Zhou Che nodded in response.

She had fabricated a tragic background. After all, the person before her was just a mortal. Once her cultivation reached the Minor Attainment Realm, she would send him back to the mortal world, so naturally she wouldn't reveal her true identity to him.

"Then, once you become an Outer Sect Disciple, shall we escape together?" Wang Er thought for a moment before speaking.

Zhou Che, seeing this, shook her head. "That won't work. The Hehuan Sect's cultivation method has a Restrictive Mark. No matter where I am, the Hehuan Sect's people can use this mark to find me. Trying to escape is impossible."

"I never imagined the fairy's fate could be so tragic." Wang Er looked at Zhou Che, a trace of sorrow showing in his eyes.

Zhou Che said with a hint of anger, "I've said it several times, don't call me 'fairy,' it's very awkward!"

"Ah, sorry! What should I call you... Qing... Qingyue? Right, Qingyue!"

Seeing this, Wang Er hurriedly apologized.

"Forget it. It's getting late. There's a long chair in the living room, you can make do with that for now. Tomorrow morning, I'll give you some money so you can buy some daily necessities yourself."

Zhou Che said, pointing to an ornate chair nearby, and then headed straight to the bedroom on her own.

"Okay."

Wang Er nodded, but Zhou Che had already returned to her room.

He looked at the splendid room surrounded by silk and satin ribbons, and a sense of romantic longing rose in his heart. At that moment, that peerless beauty was living inside, separated from him by just a single wall.

"Qingyue... Zhou Qingyue... such a beautiful name!"

Wang Er murmured, then dusted off his tattered clothes and lay down on the long chair.

That night, he slept very comfortably. One could say it was the first peaceful sleep he'd had since he could remember.

* * *

The next morning, Zhou Che gave Wang Er some silver coins and told him to go buy some daily necessities.

After sending him away, she continued cultivating the Heart Desire Lure.

Today, her control over spiritual power was clearly more proficient.

And with continuous attempts, she finally, around noon, succeeded in drawing a wisp of spiritual energy into her body.

‘I succeeded!’

Zhou Che exited her meditative state and joyfully looked toward her own chest.

At this moment, what she saw was different from what ordinary people saw.

Although to an ordinary person, her body hadn't changed at all, from her perspective, she could clearly see a pure, flawless wisp of spiritual energy gently flowing near her chest.

But probably because this wisp of spiritual energy was too tiny, it didn't bring her any tangible sensation.

‘Spiritual power tempers the body, shedding mortality and practicing inedia. It seems I need to absorb enough spiritual power!’

Zhou Che frowned and then focused even more intently on breathing exercises.

Second successful spirit absorption! Third! By dusk, Zhou Che had successfully absorbed spiritual energy 294 times, and the spiritual power within her body now occupied one percent of her body.

Reflecting on the day's results, Zhou Che couldn't help but reveal a smile.

‘It seems that to shed mortality and enter the Minor Attainment Realm, I must fill my entire body with spiritual power.’

Just as Zhou Che was delighted, she sensed something outside the window.

In a single swift step, she leaped from the bed and arrived by the window in an instant.

"Who's there!"

"Qingyue, it's me!"

Wang Er's voice came from by the window, and then she saw him tremblingly stand up from beneath the windowsill.

Zhou Che frowned but restrained her anger and asked in a relatively calm tone, "What are you doing by my window?"

Zhou Che's room was closely connected to the pond, with only a foundation about ten centimeters wide to stand on. Moreover, an ordinary person with no business would naturally not be lurking by her window. So faced with Wang Er's action, Zhou Che was truly a bit puzzled.

"Uh, I saw that you've been cultivating all day without eating, so I went to the market again to buy you some food. But I was afraid of disturbing you, so I didn't dare knock. I could only crouch by the window and see if you were finished with your cultivation."

Wang Er said, scratching the back of his head a bit sheepishly.

Zhou Che breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but her good mood had been spoiled nonetheless.

"Don't climb by the window next time."

"Alright!" Wang Er nodded.

Zhou Che calmed her emotions, then said evenly, "Bring it in!"

A few minutes later, Wang Er came in carrying a pile of fine wine and dishes, entering Zhou Che's room.

Because the Hehuan Sect consisted entirely of female disciples and was itself one of the six great demonic sects, the disciples' abodes were decorated very exquisitely.

Upon entering Zhou Che's room, Wang Er was captivated by the scene filled with a feminine fragrance.

"What are you looking at?"

Zhou Che frowned again at this.

For some reason, she felt an aversion to Wang Er's actions.

"S-sorry, Qingyue! It's my first time seeing such an exquisite boudoir, I was a bit dazed."

Wang Er was startled by Zhou Che's words.

His reply was also a bit stammering.

His words clearly didn't satisfy Zhou Che. She coldly said, "If there's nothing else, you can leave. I'll clean up myself later."

Hearing Zhou Che's words, Wang Er was taken aback.

"What? Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

Zhou Che was starting to get angry. For some reason, she felt that although the other had now changed into fine clothes, his image and temperament had instead become somewhat sleazy.

"No, Qingyue. It's just that I saw you hadn't eaten anything, so I myself felt embarrassed to eat. I've been hungry all day."

Wang Er's face showed embarrassment. Looking at the food laid out on Zhou Che's table, he swallowed.

Seeing this, Zhou Che's expression softened slightly. "Then sit down. Let's eat together."

"Alright!"

Wang Er responded with a grin and sat down across from Zhou Che...