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

Chu Xianlan rolled her eyes, and suddenly an idea came to her mind. "Wait for me."

"What, you don't want to?"

"Of course not," Chu Xianlan shook her head, her expression very sincere. "I have many more good things stored in my room, I'll bring them to you along."

After saying that, Chu Xianlan turned and ran.

Seeing the boy slip away as if he'd stepped on a wind spirit root, Hua Ling was taken aback. "Hey, so savvy! You know how to handle people better than your master..."

Chu Xianlan rushed back to her room, ransacked the place, stuffed everything into a large cloth bag, and carried it back to the spirit platform.

The bag was placed in front of Hua Ling.

"Here they are."

Hua Ling excitedly opened it, but her expression quickly turned from sunny to gloomy, and she asked in a foul tone, "Is this shit?"

She wants rare and precious materials, not junk!

Chu Xianlan spoke with great familiarity: "Although this piece of sunken iron looks unremarkable, it is still a mid-grade Xuan-level material, which is compatible with your wood-type spiritual power. This withered grass is a Qi-condensing orchid; it can only be effective after it withers..."

After listening to his explanation, Hua Ling was still skeptical, but she decided to try absorbing a little bit. After chewing it, she found that the spiritual energy was quite abundant, and her eyes lit up instantly.

Flower Spirit: "Hiccup"

Chu Xianlan wiped her sweat and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

I've accumulated so many refining materials over the years. They're useless and take up space, but it's a shame to throw them away. Finally, they can be put to good use.

You're welcome. The house is much cleaner now that you've tidied up.

While Hua Ling was busy eating, Chu Xianlan remembered that she had been slacking off in her cultivation these past few days. Feeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in her spiritual platform, which was much richer than usual, she gradually immersed herself in cultivation.

He closed his eyes, his breathing slowed, and his consciousness sank into his dantian.

An hour passed, and he slowly opened his eyes.

A figure appeared under the peach tree without anyone noticing.

Her silvery-white hair fluttered gently in the warm breeze, and her features were cool and elegant.

...Master?

Hmm? Wasn't Master discussing important matters with Grandmaster? Why is he here at Lingtai?

Chu Xianlan looked up and called out, "Master?"

Yi Chen stood by the peach tree, half of his face shrouded in the shadow of the branches and leaves.

Upon hearing his voice, his gaze, deeper than usual, fell upon her, like thick ink or a deep pool, almost drawing her in.

"...?" Chu Xianlan was stunned.

He saw his master walking towards him in silence, the branches under his feet breaking as he continued walking without stopping. He quickly reached him and stopped.

Chu Xianlan was still in a meditative posture. She was already half a head shorter than the other person, and now the other person's tall figure blocked all the light in front of her, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Master, what's wrong...?" Chu Xianlan leaned back slightly, feeling increasingly uneasy.

The next second, Yi Chen half-squatted down, stared at him intently, raised his hand, and gently brushed his cheek with his fingertips, like a feather.

Chu Xianlan felt a chill run down her spine.

The hand didn't stop; instead, it gently traced along Chu Xianlan's jawline, slowly sliding down to his chin, and suddenly lifted his face with force.

Forced to look up, their eyes met. Chu Xianlan's eyes widened as she met those dark, star-like eyes.

I was stunned for a moment, my mind went blank.

Only one question kept flashing through my mind: Where is he? What's going on? What is Master doing?

Could it be that the Life-Binding Gu has flared up again?

But something's not right. I didn't smell any strange fragrance, and I didn't feel any restlessness from the Gu worms in my body. Moreover, my master's appearance... although strange, doesn't seem like he's in a state of losing his mind.

There was no time to think about the situation at hand.

Yi Chen leaned closer, his cool breath tickling his face like a small hook. His lips, like carved jade, were rosier than usual, and quite alluring.

This atmosphere... isn't it just like that feeling in the cave back then?

The deliberately sealed memories resurfaced, and Chu Xianlan's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

No... we can't do it again!

The aloof and ethereal face drew closer and closer, and Chu Xianlan's heart pounded wildly. Half of his body went numb with fear, his pupils trembled, and he instinctively leaned back to run away. But the other man's arm forcefully wrapped around his waist, pulling him forward, and his lips were almost touching his own...

No! No way! Absolutely not!

Just a second before Chu Xianlan closed her eyes and was about to shout out—

"puff."

Unable to suppress his laughter, Yi Chen let out a sound.

Chu Xianlan opened his eyes, looking ahead in astonishment. The "Yi Chen" in front of him had already let go of him, clutching his stomach and backing away, falling to the ground in an extremely unladylike manner, pounding the ground and laughing loudly.

"Hahahahahaha—!!!"

"Hahaha, I can't take it anymore! This is hilarious!!!"

Chu Xianlan: "..."

...them?

That familiar, cheeky tone is...

Hua Ling laughed so hard she could hardly breathe, rolling around on the ground twice. Her laughter was so unrestrained that it shook the peach tree, causing the petals to fall to the ground.

"How about that? Isn't my illusion technique amazing? You can't detect any clues at all, and even my aura is perfectly imitated!"

She wiped away tears of laughter, "Even your master's cold yet... well, repressedly flirtatious nature, he's got it all figured out. When he got close to you just now, didn't your heart flutter—?"

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Xianlan stood up, dusted off her clothes, and turned to leave.

Are you angry?

Hua Ling peeked out from behind him, using Yi Chen's voice and face.

"No way, really angry?"

"You... that's enough!" Chu Xianlan's brows furrowed, veins throbbing, and she gritted her teeth. "You're not allowed to impersonate Master again!"

Yi Chen placed his finger to his lips, his expression downcast, his deep, mellow voice flowing slowly, "Why? Does Xianlan hate her teacher... doesn't she want to see her teacher anymore?"

Chu Xianlan was stunned.

"You, you change back right now!"

"I don't."

Chu Xianlan took a deep breath. If she couldn't win, she would regretfully leave the scene. She covered her ears and chose to leave.

Hua Ling was having so much fun that she wasn't about to let him go. She chased after Chu Xianlan relentlessly, shouting as she ran:

"Holding an orchid in one's hand~"

"Holding an orchid in one's hand~~"

"Disciple, wait for your master!"

The piercing noise relentlessly pursued her from behind, and Chu Xianlan could only cover her tormented ears and rush forward, never before did she feel that the journey down the mountain was so long.

At the same time, Xiao Huandu leisurely arrived at the gate of Yujing Pavilion.

Just as he was pondering whether to send a telepathic message first or directly call Chu Xianlan to come out and greet him, he saw his good brother rushing toward him like his pants were on fire from around the bend in the mountain road ahead.

A surge of warmth, a feeling of telepathy, welled up in Xiao Huandu's heart.

It's so exciting to see my brothers again after so long. They're still so warm and welcoming.

A bright smile bloomed on his face, and his arms slowly opened, ready to give him a hug. But Chu Xianlan brushed past him and continued running without looking back.

What does "……?" mean? You're wasting my feelings.

Xiao Huandu scratched his head and turned around. There stood another figure in white robes and white hair. He was immediately terrified and quickly clasped his hands in greeting, "...Disciple Xiao Huandu greets Immortal Lord Jixue."

The man gave a deep "hmm," and his figure transformed into a blurry, icy-blue streak of light, chasing after the direction Chu Xianlan was running.

Xiao Huandu blinked, then blinked again, trying to process the scene before him.

The brothers ran for their lives ahead, while Immortal Lord Jixue chased after them frantically.

After standing there stunned for a long while, I pinched my thigh hard. It wasn't a dream.

"Holy crap, have I finally gone mad?"