Chapter 223

Chapter 223: The Unexpected Method to Lift the Curse

"You You!" Feng Rong abandoned the ongoing seal and rushed back, his face etched with worry. "Are you hurt? Any discomfort?"

You You shook her head. "No!" If anything, she felt completely normal.

"You You, how are you unaffected?" The crowd gaped. The curse had knocked out every follower and even the conscious celestial maidens, yet You You showed no reaction—she hadn’t even noticed the curse activating.

"You You…" Yuan Qi stepped closer, urgently taking her wrist to check her pulse. "Any loss of spiritual energy? Pain in your Sea of Consciousness?"

"Nothing." She shook her head again, then gripped both their arms. "Wait—they said the Emotional Contract Spell affects followers too! Feng Rong, Yuan Papa, are you two okay?" She gestured at the blood-coughing followers around them.

The two froze, as if just remembering this detail, and exchanged a long look.

"I feel nothing…"

"Nor do I…"

As her followers, they should’ve been impacted if the spell targeted those she loved. So why no reaction? Either she wasn’t cursed… or neither qualified as her beloved.

"I did feel a twinge in my chest earlier," Ling Qi interjected suddenly before they could speak further. "Faint, but—"

Yuan Qi and Feng Rong whirled to glare at him—less concerned, more affronted. Feng Rong looked ready to combust.

If this spell targeted loved ones, why Ling Qi and not them?!

Ling Qi flinched, but before he could explain, voices rose across the hall—Zhen Yan Sect disciples chiming in.

"I felt a pinch too…"

"Same here!"

"Oh, that? Thought I imagined it."

"Me three!"

"Add me!"

You You: "……"

Feng Rong: "……"

Yuan Qi: "……"

What nonsense was this? Why did the entire sect feel it?!

Every eye in the hall swiveled to You You, thick with unspoken judgment. Did the Zhen Yan Sect’s celestial maiden fancy her whole flock?

Even Yuan Qi hesitated before asking, "You You… the spell only affects those you hold affection for. Earlier, you—"

Feng Rong exploded. "How many people are stuffed in that heart of yours?! Who’s the actual target here?!"

"Huh?" You You blinked, answering without thought. "I’m the sect master. Of course I care about every disciple here. I like them all—is that wrong?" Made perfect sense to her.

If the spell hit everyone she liked, then yeah—that included Ling Qi, Lin Feng, Liu Qing, Shui Yan, every sect member, even Wu Yue, Long Xi, and the sweet celestial maidens from other sects.

Feng Rong: "……"

Yuan Qi: "……"

Crowd: "……"

Emotional Contract Spell: "……"

Their reasoning was so sound that they couldn’t argue back!

At this moment, throughout the Zhen Yan Sect…

"Eh? My chest suddenly ached, and I immediately thought of our sect master!"

"Me too! The sect master’s figure just flashed through my mind. Did this happen to all of you?"

"Are we all sharing the same thought? I felt it too!"

"But why did our chests hurt?"

"I don’t know. Senior Sister Shui Yan, do you understand this?"

"Fools! This isn’t pain – it’s clearly our devotion to the sect master!"

"……"

————————

Yuan Papa explained the Emotional Contract Spell’s power came from affecting both the cursed person and those they cherished. This explained why Long Xi and the celestial maidens’ Followers reacted this way.

But this clearly excluded You You, because her cherished ones… were simply too numerous.

You You herself marveled at the curse’s extensive scope. To her, "cherished" included family bonds, friendships, and comradeship!

During that crucial moment when the curse activated, she’d instinctively considered who mattered most. For her, the most important people… were naturally all members of the Zhen Yan Sect!

She’d mentally reviewed every single disciple. Now realizing this must’ve been the curse’s activation feedback.

"Sect Master You! Your Curse Seal…" someone suddenly cried out.

All eyes snapped to her forehead. The vivid red Curse Seal had begun warping strangely. You You sensed something being torn from her Sea of Consciousness.

Channeling her energy instinctively, she watched crimson smoke stream from her forehead. It shrieked piercingly before dissolving into nothingness.

"The curse… vanished?!"

Stunned disbelief filled the air. You You conjured a water mirror, confirming her forehead mark had disappeared. Internal inspection showed no trace of the infected eye pattern in her Sea of Consciousness either.

"What just happened?" She blinked in confusion.

Yuan Qi examined her thoroughly before explaining awkwardly, "The curse has indeed lifted… through self-termination."

"Eh?" You You gaped. "Self-termination? Does the Emotional Contract Spell have intelligence?" Like some smart lock?

"No!" Yuan Qi’s expression turned stranger. "The curse’s power… it scattered too thin across too many connections simultaneously. It couldn’t sustain itself… so it collapsed."

"You mean…" You You’s cheek twitched, "We literally overworked the curse to death? Because I chose too many people?"

"…Essentially, yes."

You You: "……"

Everyone: "……"

This works?! Since when did being overly affectionate become advantageous?

"Divine Master…" Someone finally asked, "How can we treat our sect master’s curse then? Can we make our celestial maiden cherish more people temporarily? Our sect master cares deeply for her Disciples too!"

Yuan Qi rubbed his temples. "The curse’s connections follow set patterns. The chosen ones were fixed during activation – the celestial maidens’ own selections."

You You recalled her earlier experience. "Right! That instant when something asked who mattered most…"

Meaning the selection couldn’t be altered. The crowd sobered instantly. Watching their unconscious celestial maidens while feeling phantom chest pains, they struggled between pride at being cherished and anxiety about finding a cure.