Brother, how come you're a witch?

Su Yan met Liu Baishuang's gaze and saw that the little demoness's pupils had lost their luster, her red lips were pressed tightly together like flowing waves, and cold sweat was faintly appearing on her forehead.

The awkward silence was palpable; Liu Baishuang's small feet, wrapped in white silk, gripped the soles of her boots tightly.

"Master, Master, what is he doing here?"

Liu Baishuang forced herself to remain calm, hiding half of her body in front of Xu Qinglan, and pointed at Su Yan.

"At the request of that old fellow Chen Yixing, I brought him here to retrieve something."

Xu Qinglan glanced back at Su Yan, who stood there awkwardly but politely smiling, and felt even more satisfied with him.

"Shuang'er, go and get the Foundation Establishment Pill from my study."

"Huh?"

Liu Baishuang was stunned, her expression freezing on her small face:

"Master, are you referring to the Foundation Establishment Pill in the second drawer on the left side of the third cabinet from the left in the study?"

"That's right, it's that Foundation Establishment Pill. How do you know so much about it?" Xu Qinglan asked, slightly puzzled.

"this--"

Liu Baishuang was sweating profusely.

Because the Foundation Establishment Pill she planned to give Su Yan came from there!

The Foundation Establishment Pill had been in that drawer ever since it was delivered, and Xu Qinglan had never used it in all these years. She thought her master had long forgotten about it.

"Master...what does he need the Foundation Establishment Pill for?"

Liu Baishuang swallowed.

He intends to participate in the Ultimate Sword Cultivation Challenge four days from now.

As Xu Qinglan was speaking, she suddenly thought of something and asked Su Yan:

"And tell me, will Ye Jingqiu participate in this competition?"

"meeting."

Su Yan nodded, not understanding.

"Alright, my Shuang'er will participate too."

Xu Qinglan patted Liu Baishuang's slender shoulder:

"Let's test the level of Sword Ruins first, in preparation for the upcoming sect competition."

The little demon girl was stunned for a moment, while Su Yan's lips trembled slightly.

It turns out that Xu Qinglan, as the master, did a lot of instigation in the conflict between Liu Baishuang and Ye Jingqiu.

"Master, uh, I, I will try my best."

Liu Baishuang pressed her temples, her mind a little confused.

She had wanted to participate in the competition anyway, and since Xu Qinglan brought it up on her own initiative before she even told him, that was naturally a good thing.

However, this matter also led to Su Yan demanding the pill, so she had no choice but to hand over the Foundation Establishment Pill that she had hidden by her bedside.

Although this Foundation Establishment Pill was originally prepared for Su Yan, but...

The person who gave it to him is not right!

Liu Baishuang's eyes twitched uncontrollably.

She was supposed to be there to offer help in Su Yan's time of need, to warm his heart; then Liu Liu appeared, so she could only add to the good fortune, but it also deepened their relationship; a few days ago, she learned about the challenge again, and she felt that Su Yan needed another timely and caring help...

But why did the person who brought the rain become the Master?!

"What's wrong, Shuang'er? Are you still thinking about those old times?"

Seeing his disciple standing there in a daze, Xu Qinglan frowned with concern:

"Then I will go and fetch it myself. Shuang'er, go back to your room and rest early."

"Ah, no, Master, I'll go!"

As if waking from a dream, Liu Baishuang quickly responded and turned around almost simultaneously, walking briskly towards the pavilion where the master and disciple lived.

Her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn't think of any solutions for such a short distance. So, she bit her lip and reluctantly sneaked into her room, taking out the wooden box containing the Foundation Establishment Pill from her bedside.

She lingered in the pavilion for a while, pretending to search through the study. After about half a cup of tea's time, she carried the box back to the swing in the backyard.

"Master, I've retrieved it..."

Liu Baishuang handed the wooden box to Xu Qinglan, but her fingers gripped it tightly. When the latter tried to pull it out, she almost couldn't.

"Shuang'er?"

"Um......"

Seeing that her Shuang'er's eyes were darting away and her responses were absent-minded, Xu Qinglan assumed that she was distracted by memories of the past. She gently patted Shuang'er's head again before looking at Su Yan.

"Take it."

"Thank you, Elder Qing, for bestowing the pill."

Su Yan bowed and accepted the wooden box containing the Foundation Establishment Pill with both hands, a genuine smile appearing on his lips.

This Foundation Establishment Pill is truly hard to come by.

"Mmmmmm..."

Liu Baishuang glanced at Su Yan's smile out of the corner of her eye and uttered a resentful murmur.

That smile should have belonged to her. Su Yan should have been smiling at her. Master—how could you steal it from her?

Su Yan put the wooden box into his pocket, and a huge weight was finally lifted from his heart.

He looked up at Xu Qinglan, about to express his gratitude again, but his gaze swept over Liu Baishuang, who was standing silently with her head down.

Moonlight shone on the little demoness's long eyelashes, casting a shadow on her cheeks.

She pursed her lips, twisting the hem of her skirt with both hands. Her hesitant, resentful look made Su Yan feel that she resembled... a small animal whose beloved toy had been taken away but dared not make a sound.

What's wrong?

She doesn't need the Foundation Establishment Pill, so why does she have this expression?

Su Yan frowned. She had seen the little vixen twice today, and she found it very strange.

But right now is clearly not a good time to ask questions.

"Now that you have obtained the elixir, you may leave."

Xu Qinglan's voice was cold, and her hand never left the top of her Shuang'er's head.

She could sense that her disciple's mood was getting worse and worse. She was worried but didn't know why. She could only ask him in detail after she had sent Su Yan away.

"Yes, thank you again for the pill, Elder."

Su Yan bowed politely and took his leave, nodding and smiling at the little demoness, which softened her melancholy gaze somewhat.

A straight blue stone path runs up and down Shuiyue Peak, like a long sword.

Su Yan walked along the road, his figure gradually descending the mountain.

When he was almost out of sight, Xu Qinglan put her arm around Liu Baishuang's shoulder, half-squatted down, and looked at her.

"Shuang'er, what's bothering you today?"

Liu Baishuang pursed her lips, looking at her master's face, which was so close to her and full of concern, and felt even more distressed.

Her master's sincere care was like a small thorn, pricking her secret expectations of Su Yan.

"No...it's nothing, Master."

She lowered her eyelashes, avoiding Xu Qinglan's gaze, her voice somewhat muffled:

"It's just that sometimes the scenery triggers memories of my childhood, and I can't help but get caught up in them."

"Oh, you child."

Xu Qinglan sighed deeply, her voice becoming even softer:

"You're always reluctant to talk to me about your past before coming to the Xuanqing Sect, but pain bottled up inside just keeps... Wait, what scene did you trigger?"

"...?"

Liu Baishuang froze. She seemed to have inadvertently let slip something in her low mood, and Xu Qinglan keenly noticed this as well.

......

Su Yan walked halfway up the mountain, then suddenly remembered something and turned back.

When buying socks for Ye Jingqiu today, he secretly bought an extra pair and hid them in his storage bag to give to Liu Baishuang.

This is an important item for studying Ye Jingqiu's weaknesses. If it can be presented in front of Liu Baishuang and Xu Qinglan, wouldn't it win double the favor?

Although Su Yan himself felt that using a pair of stockings to find weaknesses was rather impractical.

He hurried back to the summit, and before he even entered the courtyard with the swings, he could hear a series of "slapping" sounds coming from the pavilion, and...

"Your wings have really hardened; you keep doing it, one after another. Even if you get away with it once, you'll do it again."

"Snapped!"

"Waaah! Master, I was wrong! I'll never sneak out to play again!"

"Slap! Slap!"

"Goo-hoo~ No, stop hitting me!"

Su Yan stopped and listened intently, his lips trembling.

I thought that the little vixen was so confident walking openly down the street this afternoon.

Was it just recklessness all along?

Sure enough, they were discovered and educated that very day.

"Let's give it to you next time."

Su Yan silently retreated; anyone with a modicum of emotional intelligence would know that approaching at this moment was inappropriate.

but......

So the little vixen is afraid of being spanked.

Su Yan silently memorized it.