When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

The Tianyuan Gathering turned half of the cultivation world upside down.

Humans, demons, and half-demons.

The already fragile balance among the three parties is teetering on the brink of collapse and is about to crumble completely.

The demon race was tainted by the red mist and could neither suppress nor eliminate it. They suspected that the malevolent energy was a trap set by the human race from beginning to end.

Why is it that it works on humans but not demons?

Humans are increasingly afraid of the half-demons lurking around them, fearing retaliation and the possibility that their spouses, fellow disciples, or longtime friends may be monsters in disguise.

Suspicion and lingering fear arise in everyone's heart, triggering deeper prejudices.

After all, even that highly respected immortal lord is hidden in filthy bloodlines, so who can say for sure?

Master Zhiyue's sword strike blinded everyone present. By the time they came to their senses, the master and disciple had vanished.

Only Master Zhiyue wiped his eyes and cried loudly, saying that he had thoroughly cleansed the sect and chopped them both into ashes. He assured the devoted cultivators that they could rest assured.

Who can rest assured about this?

In this unstable situation, Ji Ran's status rose accordingly.

Legend has it that His Highness the Crown Prince, with his divine wisdom, sent down a timely rain to cleanse the imperial city, quelling an impending chaos caused by half-demons and saving the people from suffering. This was truly a case of foresight.

Ji Ran knew what everyone was worried about, so he mobilized manpower to clean up the mess and promised to give the cultivation world a result, do his best to investigate the truth of the half-demon's escape, and never tolerate it.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Xianlan finally regained consciousness.

"Master!"

Chu Xianlan struggled to sit up, her palm landing on a certain spot, touching a cool and delicate texture.

Realizing this, he lowered his head.

The silvery-white snake tail coiled around him, completely encircling him, with the tip resting on his calves. Behind him, two arms passed through his waist, clasping him tightly in a protective embrace.

Chu Xianlan was stunned. So she had been lying in her master's arms the whole time...? Her master had been using his body as a cushion for her?

And what I just encountered, was that Master's tail?

Everything that happened in the square flashed through my mind.

The emotions that had been suppressed slowly welled up inside Chu Xianlan. She recalled how her master had been forced to reveal his true form in front of everyone, and the humiliating words he had uttered… and…

She was almost pushed away by her master.

His emotions were in turmoil, and Chu Xianlan's head was still buzzing. He wasn't afraid of facing the malice from the outside world, but what made him even more panicked was Yi Chen's words, "It's over."

Even the master-disciple agreement was broken.

Where else could he go if he wasn't by his master's side?

"Master... Master..."

Chu Xianlan turned around and saw Yi Chen's brows furrowed tightly, his face pale, his eyes closed and unconscious, his body temperature colder than usual, and his spiritual energy quite chaotic.

Fragile, easily broken. These two words shouldn't be applied to Yi Chen, yet they perfectly embody him at this moment.

The momentary daze was followed by the glaring and piercing blood seeping from the white scales, leaving behind numerous wounds that seemed like a knife piercing straight into the boy's heart.

That rain had melted the Thousand-Frozen Iron. How could Master not be in pain after suffering such severe injuries?

Even so, she still held him in her arms in the last moment before he fell into a coma.

Over the years, what has Master been thinking about while enduring all of this alone?

Chu Xianlan suddenly had an idea. If his master had told him about his half-demon identity earlier, he would not have wanted his master to come to that damned Tianyuan Society, nor would he have kept saying those things about wanting the other party to accompany him on his travels.

Immortals descending from the mortal realm should never have landed on the ground.

Our Master has wronged no one. He is worthy of being revered, worshipped with devotion, and not to be touched.

It is the world that has wronged him.

Chu Xianlan gritted his teeth, suppressing the burning sensation in his eyes. He had already survived the worst situation, and now his master needed him; he couldn't lose heart.

He searched for medicinal pills, infused them with spiritual energy, and tried every possible method.

It has no effect.

The Thousand-Glazed Cold Iron seeped into the flesh like poison. Such an injury was not a simple external wound; it was fatal to a half-demon, and ordinary methods were useless.

Chu Xianlan knew nothing about treating half-demons and had never been exposed to this kind of treatment before, so she was so anxious that her eyes turned red.

After a long while, Hua Ling spoke in a weak voice: "Xian Lan, why don't you try dual cultivation with your master?"

Hua Ling wasn't saying anything unintentionally. The exchange of spiritual energy is one of the methods of healing, and the dual cultivation technique itself has the effect of spiritual energy fusion, which can clear the meridians and calm the breath.

"Yi Chen's condition is so bad right now, why don't you two try dual cultivation? Maybe your spiritual energy can directly enter the depths of his meridians and force out the poison from the Thousand-Condensed Cold Iron," Hua Ling added.

Chu Xianlan was in no mood for idle thoughts.

Yes.

Double repair.

I haven't tried this method yet!

He was desperate and decided to try anything, so he immediately grabbed Yi Chen's hand and tried dual cultivation.

Chu Xianlan circulated her spiritual power, focusing her attention on their clasped hands, and repeatedly prayed in her heart that her master would not resist her.

Master, please don't push me away.

A gentle aura soon began to shimmer on the two of them.

The atmosphere was inexplicably tense, making Yan Ling afraid to speak loudly. She crouched in a corner and whispered, "Hey, is it working?"

"Sigh, it's all thanks to their incredible abilities. Without me, this family would have fallen apart sooner or later." Hua Ling nodded in satisfaction. "Look, Yi Chen is no longer bleeding."

"Yes, indeed." Xue Ling flew over.

The bleeding stopped, and the purplish-black color around the wound gradually faded.

The three little spirits exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

"Speaking of which, Xianlan and Yichen have lived together for so long, how come she never discovered that his master is a half-demon?" Yanling couldn't understand.

"I don't know, maybe it's some kind of superhuman insensitivity." Hua Ling's lips twitched. What else could it be? He just believed whatever Yi Chen said.

After the dual cultivation ended, Chu Xianlan's fingertips trembled with tension and fear. He carefully sensed the other's condition and, finding that the breath was relatively stable, gently brushed aside the stray hairs that were obscuring his master's eyes and brows.

Suddenly, Chu Xianlan noticed that the blue spirit mark on Yi Chen's forehead was gone.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, I leaned closer to get a better look and met a pair of dark, deep vertical pupils.

Master has woken up...? Chu Xianlan was startled. Before she could speak, she was rolled over and pinned down. Her silvery-white snake tail had somehow gotten underneath her, separating the hard pebbles.

"Master? You... um!"

Without warning, a breathtaking kiss landed.

------

Happy New Year!!

That's right, they spent the New Year kissing like that. How exciting and thrilling!