Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Chen Ye hadn’t actually intended to kill her. Despite having lost favor in her Sect’s internal power struggles and being utterly ignored, she was still a disciple of the Blood Lotus Sect. If she were to die, it would inevitably attract the Blood Lotus Sect’s attention, and he would very likely be exposed.

Most importantly, keeping her alive was more useful than killing her. She could even be his next stepping stone to power.

"Of course, you don’t have to accept this. Why don’t you try telling someone what just happened?"

Li Qingyan’s heart seized at his words. She immediately tried to visualize the Sect’s emergency communication Jade Scroll within her Sea of Consciousness.

Yet, the moment the thought took form, the brand deep within her Divine Spirit erupted!

A terrifying impulse—an urge to immediately end her own life, to utterly shred her own Divine Spirit—welled up uncontrollably within her!

The feeling was more terrifying than death itself!

"Ugh!"

Li Qingyan’s face went deathly pale. She frantically forced herself to stop thinking.

The self-destructive impulse slowly receded, but the lingering terror of death left her trembling uncontrollably. In an instant, cold sweat soaked through her clothes.

She finally understood. Her life and death truly rested on this man’s every whim.

Despair.

Complete and utter despair.

To resist meant death. To call for help also meant death.

The techniques this man commanded were beyond her comprehension.

Everything she took pride in—her Cultivation, her Identity, her cunning—was as fragile as paper before him.

The cruel reality of her situation forced her to bow her once impossibly proud head.

Li Qingyan struggled to her feet, straightened her disheveled red dress, and then sank to her knees once more.

"Your servant, Li Qingyan, pays her respects... Master."

Her voice trembled, each word seemingly forced from between clenched teeth, dripping with unconcealable humiliation.

Chen Ye looked down at her, then suddenly reached out, gripping her smooth chin and forcing her face up.

Li Qingyan dared not resist. She didn’t even dare to meet his gaze, letting Chen Ye manipulate her as he willed.

This intense humiliation, the feeling of being treated like a mere plaything, made her nose sting. Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up, but she forced them back, not daring to let a single one fall.

Seeing her expression—a mixture of humiliation and fear, all while desperately feigning composure—Chen Ye suddenly smiled.

He released his grip.

As if granted a pardon, Li Qingyan finally dared to take a deep breath.

"Get up," Chen Ye said coolly.

"Yes..."

"First thing tomorrow morning, go to the docks and make an announcement. The daily Spirit Pearl quota for all Sinful People is to be restored to the original amount."

Li Qingyan froze. She had imagined countless possibilities, but she had never, ever expected this to be the first order he gave after becoming her master.

But she didn’t dare hesitate for even a moment. She immediately lowered her head and replied, "Yes, Master."

Without another word, Chen Ye turned and left the room, his figure quickly vanishing into the night.

Only after he was gone did Li Qingyan dare to climb up from the floor. She rushed to a water basin and began frantically scrubbing her face with cold water, over and over, as if she could wash away the memory of kneeling on the floor as he forced her chin up.

But the humiliating scene was seared into her memory like a brand, impossible to erase.

At the same time, profound doubt and fear began to rise within her.

’This man... who in the world is he?’

’Why would a mere Sinful Person possess such a terrifying Spiritual Secret Technique, and a physical body that is horrifyingly beyond human limits?’

’What is his purpose in hiding here at Black Water Lake, a place teeming with Sinful People?’

’Could he... be a spy from a rival Sect?’

The more Li Qingyan thought, the more her heart pounded in her chest, and a cold chill ran down her spine.

And yet, for some reason, beneath the extreme fear and humiliation, deep within her heart, she felt a faint flicker of... excitement and thrill, a feeling she refused to even acknowledge.

’The creed of the Blood Lotus Sect has always been that the weak are prey for the strong, and only the powerful are revered.’

’And she, by her very nature, was drawn to overwhelming strength.’

’To be so utterly and domineeringly conquered by such a mysterious and powerful man... the feeling, while unbearably humiliating, also gave her a sliver of perverse pleasure.’

「The next morning」

Before dawn, the docks of Black Water Lake were already crowded with people.

The air was thick with despair and a dead silence. The faces of the Sinful People were masks of numb resignation, ready to welcome another day of toil fit for a beast of burden.

At that moment, Li Qingyan, clad in her red dress, appeared on the high platform.

She wore the same frosty expression as always, but deep within her eyes lurked a barely perceptible trace of humiliation.

All eyes gathered on her, hearts filled with apprehension, wondering what new torment the demoness had devised for them today.

Under the wary, uncertain gazes of all the Sinful People, Li Qingyan finally spoke, her clear, cold voice carrying across the entire dock.

"As of today, the daily Spirit Pearl quota will be restored to the former amount. All past failures to meet the quota are forgiven."

An absolute, deathly silence fell over the dock.

Everyone thought they had misheard.

A few moments later, a thunderous, tsunami-like cheer erupted from the crowd.

"What? The quota’s been restored?"

"Oh my god! I’m not dreaming, am I?"

"Thank you, Your Ladyship! Thank you for your mercy!"

Many of the Sinful People collapsed to their knees in excitement, kowtowing desperately toward Li Qingyan on the platform, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

’The demoness who was killing people without a second thought just days ago was suddenly showing mercy?’

’It’s like the sun rising in the west!’

Li Qingyan turned a deaf ear to the tsunami of gratitude, even finding the sound of it grating.

Her gaze drifted uncontrollably over the crowd, finally landing on Chen Ye at the very back of the ranks.