Seeing Xuji True Master so anxious, An Qi didn't dally and immediately took the jade cup from Xuji True Master's hand and swallowed the "tea" inside in one gulp.

"Gulp!"

The moment the "tea" touched her mouth, An Qi indeed tasted the flavor of tea, so she let her guard down.

However, after a while, she gradually realized something was wrong as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

She didn't know what had happened, but it definitely had something to do with the cup of "tea" she had just drunk.

But if Xuji True Master wanted to harm her, killing her directly would have sufficed. Why go through so much trouble? Did she want her to suffer unbearable pain, dying in endless agony?

Confounded by her thoughts, she decided to ask, "Master! What exactly did you give me to drink?"

"Palace Guarding Tea!" Xuji True Master answered.

"Palace Guarding Tea? What is that? Does it pose any danger?" An Qi asked curiously.

"Palace Guarding Tea is a medicinal liquid meant to protect a woman's womb. It has a potent toxicity, and if it detects male sexual contact there, it will quickly release poison, corroding the male organ until destruction; so you should never have intercourse with your boyfriend, otherwise don't come to me if he becomes a eunuch," Xuji True Master answered.

The top Martial Arts of her Cinnabar Palace required the protection of the palace, otherwise all previous efforts would be wasted; thus, every inner gate disciple must drink the Palace Guarding Tea.

"Master, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why are you so cruel?" An Qi asked in tears.

Her dream was to marry Lin Yifan in three years, have a baby, and live happily ever after; now, all that was ruined.

"If I had told you, would you still have drunk it? Therefore, don't blame your master for being cruel, I had no choice. I really don't want to lose you," Xuji True Master answered.

An Qi was very important to her, as only An Qi could cultivate that Martial Art to the highest realm; therefore, she was willing to pay any price to keep An Qi with her.

"You don't want to lose me, so you can deceive me? You don't want to lose me, so you can disrespect me? You don't want to lose me, so you can be cruel to me? Have you ever thought that I might rebel at all costs?" An Qi countered, already resigned and extremely pained.

"Disciple! Don't be sad, as long as you cultivate the Ice Jade Sword Technique to the eighth level, I will help you neutralize the poison of the Palace Guarding Tea," Xuji True Master consoled.

She was really afraid An Qi might contemplate suicide, which would be counterproductive.

"I don't want to cultivate any damned sword technique anymore. I just want you to remove the poison from me and let me leave," An Qi responded in agony, utterly heartbroken.

She didn't know how difficult it would be to reach the eighth level of the Ice Jade Sword Technique, but without a doubt, it would be extremely difficult and would likely take far longer than three years; thus, she didn't want to wait any longer.

"That's impossible. Since you're here, you cannot simply leave!" Xuji True Master flatly refused.

After waiting in Guiyuan City for so many years, just for that one person with the Extreme Yin Jade Body to appear, now that she had found An Qi, there was no way she would let her leave.

"You are so heartless!" An Qi glared venomously at Xuji True Master, who appeared kind-hearted on the surface but was actually extremely wicked.

"No matter what you say, I will not let you leave; unless you cultivate the Ice Jade Sword Technique to the eighth level," Xuji True Master stated adamantly.

It was apparent that she was ruthless and decisive; she would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

"Fine, since you press me so, I will just end it all and we can go our separate ways."

After speaking, An Qi aimed her head at the sharp corner of a nearby coffee table, intending to end her life swiftly.

However, attempting suicide in front of a master who had reached the Middle Stage of the True Master Realm of the Five Realms was obviously unlikely to succeed; a slight exertion of their power and you couldn't move at all.

Thus, An Qi was unable to fulfill this wish.

"Let me go! If you dare, let me go! I swear I won't cultivate your Martial Arts anymore."

An Qi struggled, but she found that in front of a powerful being, she seemed so insignificant and powerless.

Fortunately, the opponent bore her no animosity, otherwise who knew what kinds of torment she might endure.

Seeing An Qi's eyes resolute in death, Xuji True Master was frantic, feeling that this was no solution.

She could control An Qi for a moment but not for a lifetime; as long as An Qi sought death, she would eventually succeed; thus, she must find a way to alleviate this situation.

The main conflict for An Qi was that she could not be intimate with Lin Yifan. True Master could offer An Qi a rough timeline to reach the eighth layer of the Ice Jade Sword Technique, giving An Qi a hope; but this timeline couldn't be too long, otherwise it would backfire.

Soon, she had her answer and comforted her, "My dear disciple, to cultivate the 'Ice Jade Sword Technique' up to the eighth layer, it will take at most ten years, but with your talent, it could take just five years. That means, there will only be a two-year delay after you leave the mountain, which really isn't much at all."

"Just two years, do you know how quickly a woman ages in two years? What should I do if I can't have children?" An Qi questioned.

Three years later, she would be approaching thirty, the prime age for childbirth. Any further delay, and it would become very difficult to conceive; so, she couldn't afford even a year's postponement.

"My disciple! When you become a Cultivator, you can maintain your youth for many years without aging. Not to mention two years, even ten years, you will still be as young and beautiful, and your reproductive system will function just as it does now, without any changes. Of course, the prerequisite is that you must continuously improve your Realm. The higher your Realm, the longer your life will be," Xuji True Master explained and comforted.

"Really?" An Qi seemed to see a glimmer of hope. If it was as Xuji True Master said, then delaying for two years might be acceptable.

"Why would your Master deceive you? Didn't you start Cultivation to extend your life and spend it forever with that young man?" Xuji True Master asked with a smile.

Seeing An Qi change her mind, she finally felt a weight lift from her heart.

"Are you sure I can cultivate the 'Ice Jade Sword Technique' to the eighth layer in five years?" An Qi inquired curiously.

"Sure, if you diligently cultivate," Xuji True Master boldly promised.

Actually, it had taken her hundreds of years to advance from the seventh to the eighth layer, so it was virtually impossible for An Qi to achieve it within just five years unless she was an extraordinary prodigy.

Her whole reason for doing this was just to keep An Qi here, to cultivate her 'Ice Jade Sword Technique', and to experience the joys and benefits of Cultivation.

Only if An Qi tasted the benefits of Cultivation would she possibly continue practicing the 'Ice Jade Sword Technique' indefinitely.

This was the purpose behind her lies.

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