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

Chu Xianlan sat cross-legged on the ground, staring blankly at the white expanse in her field of vision.

Then, not understanding why, he lowered his head and looked at his palm with trembling eyes. His fingertips seemed to be a little transparent, with a few unreal glows. His heart skipped a beat.

Grass.

He realized that he had probably, perhaps, been blown to bits.

Chu Xianlan swallowed the auspicious words she was about to say, and thought blankly: I've said it before, those who refine weapons can be grounded in reality, but not in the underworld. Now look what's happened, both the person and the furnace have been sent to the King of Hell.

Thinking of the spirit stones he hadn't spent yet, he suddenly felt a deep sadness. However, before he could grieve for long, the white mist around him suddenly began to flow.

As the white mist dissipated, two figures gradually solidified, one black and one white.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! Chu Xianlan's pupils dilated in shock; the King of Hell hadn't arrived yet, but the little devil had...

Four words popped into my head uncontrollably.

Black! White! Nothingness! Impermanence!

However, he was unaware that what was about to happen was even more hellish than the underworld.

Chu Xianlan was confused for a moment, but when he saw the white-clad man's face clearly, he couldn't help but shout out.

"Master!?"

Their gaze shifted to the other person, even more incredulous, "There's... Ji Cheng'an!?"

Immediately afterwards, a spoken voice automatically sounded in my ears:

"Jade Capital Pavilion does not accept disciples. Please leave."

"—Does Immortal Lord Jixue only intend to take Chu Xianlan as his disciple in this lifetime?!"

Chu Xianlan: "?"

Who? Me?

Ji Cheng'an stood rooted to the spot, bewildered as to why Yi Chen refused to accept him as a disciple. The other's aura wafted towards him like a bewitching incense. Yi Chen's two full, glistening lips parted slightly, their moisture shimmering, evoking images of flowers that could release sweet nectar with a gentle sip. Even the words uttered from his thin lips became tender and seductive, tempting one to lean forward and savor their flavor, to suck away every last drop of sweetness. Thinking of this, Ji Cheng'an's face flushed, his heart pounded, and he murmured to himself…

Can men be this beautiful?

Chu Xianlan: "??"

"In terms of swordsmanship talent, I believe I am second to none among my peers! Since you can accept a disciple who is unrelated to weapon crafting, why can't you accept me?!"

Ji Cheng'an took a step forward, but suddenly a bone-chilling cold swept over him, freezing him in place. Yi Chen tightly pursed his lips, which were the object of someone's attention, and coldly turned his head away, his jade-like neck taut into a fragile arc. A bead of sweat slid down his neck...

Chu Xianlan felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

As I listened, I got goosebumps all over my body, almost forming a suit of armor.

What exactly is going on here...?

The barrage of inappropriate words left Chu Xianlan speechless; she felt more than just astonished. She felt an urge to donate her eyes and ears to someone else.

He would rather it be the Black and White Impermanence appearing before him.

What followed was an absurd drama, growing increasingly outrageous. Despite being severely injured by the oppressive aura, Ji Cheng'an did not back down and repeatedly sought opportunities to move Yi Chen. In the end, he joined the Taiyi Sect and, as a second choice, became Pei Fang'an's disciple. However, Ji Cheng'an still craved Yi Chen like a hungry beast, unable to control his feelings.

In order to completely possess the other party and develop a relationship that defies common ethics, he even secretly went to the wandering market not long after to buy the Bone-Corroding Soul-Destroying Powder from the demon race.

Yi Chen gradually felt an unusual heat rising deep within his body. He covered his burning cheeks with his scarred hands, unaware that in the other's eyes, the scars of different colors added a unique charm, as beautiful as peach petals falling into the palm of one's hand, making one want to gently crush them...

In his eyes, even Yi Chen's breathing seemed like a seduction.

Ji Cheng'an chose to plan step by step. First, he tried every means to win the championship in the inner sect competition, thereby gaining Yi Chen's approval and further forcing himself away.

"Useless trash, your master will be accepted by this prince with a smile."

Chu Xianlan: "..."

I always feel a nameless, ghostly fire rising in my stomach.

After Ji Cheng'an became Yi Chen's disciple, he deliberately set up a life-binding Gu to tightly bind the relationship between the two, forcing Yi Chen to cultivate together, otherwise Yi Chen might die from exhaustion of spiritual power.

From then on, the usually aloof and serene Immortal Jixue often had inexplicable, ambiguous red marks appearing on her neck beneath her collar.

Furthermore, due to the Life-Binding Gu, Yi Chen lost all his spiritual power and could only use spiritual power transferred from others...

Upon seeing this, Chu Xianlan's anger surged to the top of her head, burning fiercely with a mixture of shock and rage.

Who is Yi Chen? He is the master in Chu Xianlan's heart, as lofty as the moon hanging over a high mountain, inviolable. Even the slightest thought of him by an ordinary person would be a desecration. As a disciple, Chu Xianlan has no time to respect and admire him, how could he allow outsiders to offend his master and covet him at will?

What do these images represent?

A possibility vaguely surfaced in my mind, yet I dared not believe it.

Could it be that he didn't die, but just fell into a coma...?

And all of this is just a dream!?

...If he had another of those strange dreams that foretell the future, wouldn't that mean...these are all things that are about to happen?!

Then, a lot of noisy voices came from around her, forcing Chu Xianlan to interrupt her thoughts.

Everything around me went blank, and then the scene before my eyes vanished.

……

The tip of his nose seemed to smell a bitter medicinal fragrance, and at the same time, a vast ocean of spiritual energy was flowing into his body, dispelling the pain.

Chu Xianlan suddenly opened her eyes, not caring about the scene around her, and tried to sit up.

A scarred hand landed on her shoulder, and her body was gently pressed back onto the couch.

He looked up following the hand and was met with a pair of deep gray eyes. Yi Chen sat quietly by the couch, sunlight streaming through the window and falling on him, making him seem unreal and dreamlike.

It felt like a lifetime had passed. The moment Chu Xianlan saw Yi Chen, she grabbed his hand tightly without a second thought.

"Master!"

The slightly warm palm pressed firmly against the cool back of the hand, the force was excessive. Yi Chen was stunned for a moment, but did not pull away, letting his disciple hold it so tightly.

The boy's face held an expression that Yi Chen had never seen before.

It was like the relief of finding something lost, and also like the lingering fear; her whole body was trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Yi Chen assumed he was still shaken by the explosion at the Thousand Refinement Hall, so he lowered his voice: "Xianlan..."

The words of comfort that were about to be spoken were interrupted by the disciple's choked voice—

"Master, you absolutely cannot accept Ji Cheng'an as your disciple!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yi Chen felt himself being tightly hugged with great force.

The disciple wrapped his arms tightly around his shoulders. Because of his injuries, Chu Xianlan's hair was loose, with a few strands of silk falling onto his snow-white inner robe. His clear and bright eyes were covered with moisture, and the corners of his eyes were slightly red from excitement.

This sudden hug startled Yi Chen for a moment.

This renowned immortal lord had very little experience with hugs and rarely had a moment of such closeness with others. His icy, jade-like face was filled with bewilderment.

Chu Xianlan didn't notice her master's slightly bewildered expression. Her mind was full of the absurd things in her dream. She seized the opportunity to subconsciously scan the other person's neck with her eyes to confirm repeatedly.

Fortunately, no unsightly red marks were left there.

There's no such thing as "a drop of fragrant sweat" or anything like that...

After doing all this, Chu Xianlan buried her face in Yi Chen's shoulder, her voice muffled and trembling, stammering, "Master, Master... in my dream... I dreamt of you..."

"Cough cough cough."

An untimely, light cough broke the silence in the room.

Chu Xianlan slowly raised her head, completely unaware that there were other people in the room, and her mind immediately cleared.

Xiao Huandu, Pei Fang'an, and Zhu Ling stood not far away, each with a different expression. Xiao Huandu stared wide-eyed, looking like he'd just stumbled upon some juicy gossip; Pei Fang'an awkwardly turned his face away, his expression shifting constantly; and Zhu Ling suppressed a laugh, her shoulders twitching slightly.

Chu Xianlan's face gradually flushed.

"..."