Wait… was this some kind of bizarre ancient-era play?

Without thinking, Lin Mo gave the fluffy thing in his hand another squeeze.

“Ahhn~!”

Qu Ruyan shuddered violently, her entire body trembling as if struck by lightning.

Her soft moan was so loud that it even echoed into the next room.

The sudden sound terrified Xie Zhiqu, who immediately burst into tears, clinging to his sister for dear life.

After all—

For beastkin, tails were their most sensitive weak points.

And since Qu Ruyan was still under the effects of the drug, the sensation was like pouring oil onto a raging fire.

“S-Senior Brother… d-don’t touch my tail…”

Qu Ruyan’s breath was ragged, her eyes dazed and misty, and drool glistened at the corner of her lips.

Lin Mo quickly released his grip, feeling a little awkward.

“Uh… sorry!”

“Forget this ever happened, alright? Just rest and recover.”

This was not a good place to linger.

The fact that Qu Ruyan wasn’t human…

Lin Mo decided it was best to leave that alone.

Something told him that digging too deep would only lead to unnecessary trouble.

Shutting the door behind him, Lin Mo moved to the next room.

As soon as he stepped inside—

A flash of silver shot toward him!

Lin Mo effortlessly caught the incoming dagger between two fingers.

“Easy there, I’m on your side.”

Xie Zhi’an’s eyes widened in shock.

“Why are you here?”

Lin Mo raised a brow.

“Would you rather I wasn’t?”

That shut her up immediately.

Of course, Lin Mo being here meant they were safe.

A strange sense of relief washed over her.

Her knees suddenly buckled, and she collapsed forward.

Lin Mo caught her, feeling her heated, ragged breath against his chest.

“Not bad,” he murmured, impressed. “Even while drugged, you still managed to put up a fight.”

Gently, he placed her on the bed.

Nearby, Xie Zhiqu had already lost all control, desperately pawing at his lower abdomen.

“Can you still move?”

Xie Zhi’an nodded weakly.

Lin Mo tossed the last antidote toward her.

“Drink this. You’ll recover soon.”

He wasn’t about to touch either of them.

Nor was he particularly interested in exploring whatever ‘secret’ Xie Zhiqu was hiding.

Just as Lin Mo turned to leave,

A soft, hesitant voice whispered behind him—

“…Thank you, Senior Brother.”

The moment she said it, her face turned beet red.

Lin Mo didn’t respond.

As he closed the door behind him, his system notifications rang out.

Another 10,000 Regret Points deposited into his account.

Yet, Lin Mo felt nothing.

“Now you call me ‘Senior Brother’? Where was that attitude earlier?”

Still, he had done his part.

This was all he could do.

Suddenly—

A sharp scream shattered the silence.

Lin Mo’s gaze snapped toward the next room.

The door to Xia He’s room was slightly ajar.

His brows furrowed.

---

Inside—

Chen Huai’s face twisted into a grotesque grin.

“Never thought I’d see the day… the proud Xia He reduced to this state.”

He took a step closer, his voice dripping with malice.

“You want it, don’t you? Just beg me for it, and I’ll give you what you crave.”

As he spoke, he continued his vile actions, creeping ever closer.

Xia He’s mind was unraveling.

She felt disgusted, nauseous—yet at the same time, her drugged body betrayed her, instinctively yearning for relief.

Chen Huai’s laugh grew even more deranged.

“Yes, that’s it… come to me, and I’ll give you pleasure!”

“Let me feed you the filth you once looked down upon!”

Xia He was losing it.

Her mind screamed in defiance, but her body refused to obey.

As Chen Huai reached for her—

“What a pathetic and lowly hobby.”
A familiar voice snapped Xia He back to reality.

Chen Huai’s entire body stiffened, and he whipped around in panic.

“P-Public Master Lin, you’re here!”

“I-I wasn’t doing anything! Just… checking the goods for you!”

Lin Mo remained silent, his cold gaze fixed on him.

Under that piercing stare, Chen Huai felt a chill creep up his spine.

“P-Public Master Lin, let’s talk business!”

“Would you consider selling her to me? I have a personal grudge against her.”

Xia He, still breathing heavily from the lingering drug effects, finally realized—

It was Lin Mo who had bought her.

Her seemingly ordinary senior brother…

Was actually this wealthy?

Lin Mo’s voice was indifferent.

“Go on.”

Chen Huai licked his lips eagerly.

“Give her to me, and I’ll pay you three million spirit stones within a month!”

Lin Mo chuckled softly.

“Oh? And you think I need your three million?”

Truth be told—

He absolutely did.

He was basically broke at the moment.

Seeing Lin Mo’s disinterest, Chen Huai gritted his teeth and raised the offer.

“Five million! I’ll deliver it in two installments over the next year!”

A huge sum—but Lin Mo still showed no reaction.

Instead, he turned toward Xia He and spoke casually—

“Did you hear that? You owe me five million now.”

Chen Huai blinked in confusion—

Before he could react,

SMACK!

A fierce slap sent him flying out of the room.

His world spun as he landed hard on the ground.

Chen Huai staggered to his feet, his cheeks burning red with humiliation.

But instead of getting angry, he chuckled darkly.

“500,000, then. Let me watch while you break her in.”

Even if he couldn’t have her, just watching her humiliation would be satisfying enough.

Lin Mo’s eyes turned ice-cold, the murderous intent in his gaze sharp enough to pierce bone.

Chen Huai swallowed hard, his smile faltering.

“Y-you’ve got guts!”

Leaving behind a threatening remark, he hurriedly fled the scene.

Now, only Lin Mo and Xia He remained in the room.

She was still panting, her body squirming uncontrollably due to the drug’s effects.

Her head was lowered, utterly ashamed.

She still couldn’t believe it—

Lin Mo had actually bought her.

This wasn’t a dream.

He had truly come back to save her…

Yet, no matter how grateful she felt, it was drowned in guilt.

“If only I had listened to Senior Brother earlier… I never would have ended up like this.”

“Look at me.”

Lin Mo’s voice pulled her back to reality.

She slowly lifted her head, meeting his calm, unreadable gaze.

He looked just as he always did—

Neither angry nor pleased.

But at the same time…

There was something different.

‘Weird… why did I never notice before…?’

Her senior brother was actually… very handsome.

His sharp brows, his perfectly sculpted jawline,

Those deep, star-like eyes, resting above a nose so elegantly defined…

“I—”

Lin Mo cut her off.

“No need to apologize.”

“You haven’t wronged me.”

“I never cared about you to begin with.”

“The only reason I saved you was because it was a sect mission.”

“To me, you are nothing.”

Xia He froze.

She had expected him to be furious, to scold her mercilessly.

Instead, his tone was unnervingly calm.

And for some reason—

That last sentence felt like a knife plunging deep into her heart.

“But as your senior brother, I still have a duty to punish you.”

The moment those words fell,

A gust of wind swept past—

SMACK!

A loud, crisp slap landed across her cheek.

“This slap is for disobeying orders and acting recklessly.”

A searing pain bloomed across her face, but Xia He was too stunned to react.

No one had ever dared to strike her before.

Before she could recover—

SMACK!

“This slap is for dragging your junior sisters into this mess.”

Xia He bit her lip.

She couldn’t argue.

Everything that had happened—

It was all her fault.

She hadn’t just ruined herself—

She had nearly destroyed Qu Ruyan, Xie Zhi’an, and Xie Zhiqu as well.

She deserved this.

She deserved far worse.

Yet, even though the slaps hurt…

Why did it also feel so… strangely relieving?

SMACK!

“This slap is on behalf of your parents—”

“For raising you all these years, only for you to nearly make them bury you.”

SMACK!

“This slap is for my wallet.”

“Because you cost me 2.5 million spirit stones.”

SMACK!

“This slap… is just because I feel like it.”

After about a dozen slaps, the excuses for each one went from reasonable to downright absurd.

But honestly?

Lin Mo didn’t care.

He had wanted to slap this girl for ages—

And today, he finally got the chance to do it properly.

Xia He kept her head lowered, completely silent.

Lin Mo frowned.

Did he hit her stupid?

That wasn’t good.

She still needed to pay back the spirit stones he spent on her.

Just as he was about to check her condition,

Xia He suddenly lifted her head—

And pressed her cheek against his palm.

Lin Mo instantly recoiled.

His entire body shuddered in alarm, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

“Senior Brother, I was wrong… Please… keep going…”

Xia He’s dazed eyes shimmered with strange longing—

Her expression practically begged him to hit her again.

…Did she just unlock a masochist trait?!

Lin Mo refused to continue.

At this point, showing her mercy was already the cruelest punishment.

As he turned to leave,

Xia He suddenly clung to his leg.

“Senior Brother… please… help me…”

By now, the aphrodisiac had completely overwhelmed her.

Her eyes were clouded with lust, and her hands trembled as she reached for her clothes…

A delicate, slender waist.

Porcelain-white collarbones.

A doll-like, creamy complexion.

Lin Mo remained utterly unfazed.

He knew that her drug had fully taken effect.

With a calm expression, he retrieved an item from his system inventory—

A special cleansing fruit, one of the random rewards he had drawn before.

Without a word, he tossed it onto the table.

Then, without looking back, he walked out the door.

This was all he could do.