As Zhou Kai was swatted out of the sky, color drained from the faces of the women on the Spirit Boat.

“Husband!” Chen Ziyi cried out, her heart seizing. She instinctively dove toward the edge.

“Brother Zhou!” Chen Ziqing’s face went white. Her large eyes filled with instant, glistening tears—a perfect picture of delicate distress.

“Zhou Lang!” Wang Qiaoqiao shrieked. She had just secured her golden thigh; if it broke now, her investment was ruined!

“Master!”

Lin Zhiwei was the fastest. Instinct overrode fear. Without a thought, she channeled her Mana, transforming into a streak of azure light as she rocketed toward the forest. A flying sword materialized in her hand, humming with genuine, lethal fury.

“Hmph!”

Just as Lin Zhiwei neared the treeline, a cold snort dropped from the heavens like a guillotine.

It carried the weight of a mountain. An invisible pressure slammed down, solidifying the air itself.

Lin Zhiwei gasped. Her chest tightened, her vision blurred, and her flight faltered. The shockwave churned her Vitality, nearly knocking her out of the sky.

She froze in mid-air, terror flooding her veins.

Li Youci… is this powerful?

A single snort had completely suppressed a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Chen Ziyi, Wang Qiaoqiao, and Chen Ziqing fought through their fear, flying to Lin Zhiwei’s side. They hovered together, staring anxiously into the dust cloud below.

In the forest, Zhou Kai shook his head, clearing the stars from his vision, and climbed out of the crater.

He checked his body. Bruised, sore, but no broken bones. No internal bleeding.

He looked up and saw the panicked women. “I’m fine! Stop! Don’t be rash!”

Hearing his voice, the women exhaled, the tension snapping.

Zhou Kai dusted off his robes. He retrieved the ancient bronze mirror—the Mysterious Nether Sub-Mirror—from his Storage Bag. A clear, jagged crack now marred its surface.

He looked up at Li Youci in her floating palanquin and projected his voice.

“Reporting to Young Miss! This subordinate admits to taking the mirror. While passing Red Cliff Town, I felt confused and dizzy. After regaining clarity, I subdued the artifact to prevent it from harming others.”

“However, the mirror possessed spiritual intelligence and resisted violently. In my haste, I failed to control my strength and accidentally cracked it. It was not intentional destruction. I beg Young Miss for forgiveness!”

Li Youci’s phoenix eyes swept over the mirror, lingering on the crack.

“That mirror is named ‘Mysterious Nether,'” she said slowly. “I refined it with a secret technique and placed it near Wangchuan City to help cultivators temper their Consciousness Seas. I provide a service; I take a little Divine Sense as interest. A fair trade. Mutually beneficial.”

Her tone hardened, sharpening into a blade.

“But you? You take advantage of my kindness, refuse to be educated, and damage my treasure! If you hadn’t returned it proactively, your punishment today would be far worse!”

Zhou Kai frowned. Something feels off.

Lin Zhiwei also furrowed her brow, exchanging a strange look with him.

An image surfaced in both their minds simultaneously: the Town Head of Red Cliff Town. The man who loved long-winded lectures but refused to fight back no matter how hard you hit him.

Is this high-and-mighty Young Miss… cut from the same cloth?

Zhou Kai’s eyes shifted. Maybe she likes flattery?

He immediately adopted a look of profound realization, followed by deep admiration. He bowed low, his posture screaming subservience.

“So that’s how it is! This subordinate is dull-witted! I have eyes but failed to see Mount Tai! The mysteries of your mirror were beyond my comprehension. Young Miss possesses such foresight and kindness—I am utterly prostrate in admiration!”

“I acted blindly and failed to grasp your profound intentions. Please, punish me!”

He finished his “heartfelt” speech and waited for the praise.

Li Youci’s beautiful face turned to ice. Her phoenix eyes flashed with disgust.

“Noisy.”

She flicked her wrist.

Smack!

An invisible palm slammed into Zhou Kai’s chest.

He went airborne again, enjoying a second, unscheduled flight before crashing into the edge of the previous crater. He carved out a fresh, human-shaped divot in the earth.

“Trash fish,” Li Youci said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Zhou Kai scrambled out of the dirt, spitting out grass. He was completely bewildered.

What the hell? Flattery doesn’t work either?

He remembered Gao Feiyang’s sycophantic Jade Slip. She had crushed it and called him trash. Back at Broken Wood Bay, Gao Feiyang had flattered her and gotten slapped into a wall.

She hates ass-kissers.

Wait.

He analyzed the two slaps. They hurt, but there was no killing intent. She was playing with him.

If she hates obedience… does she crave resistance?

Zhou Kai’s eyes gleamed. Wealth is found in danger.

He took a deep breath. His aura shifted instantly from submissive to sharp. He looked up at the floating goddess, his gaze burning with defiance.

“Young Miss!” he shouted. “Since I, Zhou Kai, have chosen to follow you, I am yours! I accept that!”

“But regarding the mirror? I did nothing wrong!”

His voice rose, turning aggressive.

“The cultivation world is survival of the fittest! When an opportunity appears, only a fool ignores it! I didn’t know it was yours. I took it because I could. What crime is that?”

“Since Young Miss refuses to be reasonable and insists on ‘educating’ me with violence, then this subordinate has no choice!”

“I will accompany you to the end and learn a few moves from the great Li Youci!”

Before his words faded, black light flashed in his hand. The Hundred Beast Banner appeared, wreathed in dark smoke and roaring souls.

Zhou Kai pushed his Vitality to the limit. He leaped into the air, swinging the banner like a war hammer straight at Li Youci’s face!

“Audacious!”

Li Youci’s eyes widened.

“A wicked slave bullying his master! Do you really think I can’t crush an ant like you?!”

The Dark Cloud Soul Chasing Sedan erupted with terrifying light. It surged forward, aiming to grind Zhou Kai into paste.

Zhou Kai’s heart skipped a beat. Did I guess wrong? That power looks real!

He turned to flee, hurling the Hundred Beast Banner behind him as a distraction.

Thump!

A dull, hollow sound echoed through the clearing.

The moment the banner hit the sedan, the terrifying aura vanished like a popped balloon. The massive artifact spun away like a toy top, its black light dimming instantly.

Zhou Kai froze.

???

That’s it? It got knocked away that easily?

He looked up at Li Youci.

The Young Miss stood in the air, her robes fluttering. Her expression wasn’t angry.

Zhou Kai’s heart raced. I was right!

Those who obey get slapped. Those who resist… give her pleasure?!

Li Youci looked down at him. Her phoenix eyes were bright, devoid of rage. Instead, there was a strange, feverish light dancing in her pupils.

Excitement.

A flush rose on her pale cheeks. Her breathing hitched, faster than before.

“What a rebellious slave!” she cried out, her voice trembling. “Daring to strike your master! Truly presumptuous! No respect for hierarchy!”

Her words were harsh, scathing even, but the tone? It was thick with suppressed, vibrating delight.

“A servant overstepping propriety… it’s against the natural order! You are like a mantis trying to stop a chariot! This crime deserves death!”

She shouted about death and punishment, yet she made no move to attack. She stared at him with burning intensity, like an audience member watching the climax of a play, hungry for more.

Zhou Kai’s mouth twitched.

Looking at the high-and-mighty Young Miss Li, who screamed “death penalty” while looking like she was about to swoon, a bold, absurd realization hit him.

This Young Miss… is a total Masochist?!