The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Shen Yifei mumbled a response, then felt someone grab his arm and drag him outside.

He was completely exhausted, his legs as limp as noodles, unable to muster any strength.

A faint fragrance wafted past his nose, and Shen Yifei subconsciously moved his head closer to the source of the fragrance, only to touch something soft and warm.

The softness made Shen Yifei feel extremely at ease; he had never felt this way before. He nuzzled closer, wanting to bury his head in it.

"Young Master..." Hongxiu's voice carried a hint of helplessness, "You've had too much to drink."

Shen Yifei rested his entire head on her chest, rubbing and nuzzling against her, leaving her somewhat bewildered.

Helping him up is not an option, nor is pushing him away.

Drunk, Shen Yifei kept shaking his head, muttering in a daze, "Mother..."

Hongxiu's body jolted, and she looked down at Shen Yifei leaning against her chest, tears streaming down her face again.

She bit her lip, forcing herself not to cry out, and carefully helped Shen Yifei into the innermost room on the third floor.

Hongxiu put Shen Yifei on the bed, took off his boots, and pulled the blanket over him.

She sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Shen Yifei's face, which bore a resemblance to Shen Changtian's, and couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke his forehead.

"So alike, so very alike," Hongxiu murmured. "When you smile, your mouth is like a princess's, and your eyes are like Young Master Shen's. Ah, how happy the princess would be if she saw how grown up you are now..."

Shen Yifei turned over, stretched his hand out from under the covers, and grabbed at Hongxiu's hand.

"Don't go..." he mumbled, still half asleep. "Mother... don't go..."

Hongxiu's tears flowed again.

She held Shen Yifei's hand, leaned down, and gently kissed his forehead. "Young Master, I won't leave, Hongxiu won't leave. Hongxiu has waited for you for so many years, and finally you're here. How could I leave?"

Shen Yifei didn't know if he heard her or not, but he held onto her hand tightly and wouldn't let go, mumbling something incoherently.

Hongxiu sat on the edge of the bed, letting him hold her hand and watch him sleep, until the middle of the night.

Later, she was so tired that she lay down next to Shen Yifei fully clothed.

Shen Yifei, like a kitten drawn by the scent of milk, nuzzled closer...

Early the next morning.

Shen Yifei woke up with a start. In his dream, he always saw his mother's stunningly beautiful and alluring face, and her red eyes.

Before long, her mother's face turned red again, and then after a while, she turned into the dragon girl wearing a veil!

Shen Yifei felt like he was still dreaming. He blinked hard, then closed his eyes again, and then opened them again.

Before my eyes stood Hongxiu!

Hongxiu lay on her side beside him, her clothes wide open. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even, clearly still fast asleep. Tears still clung to her face, showing no trace of the wildness she had displayed on stage yesterday; she looked utterly pitiful.

Shen Yifei's mind went blank.

He remembered drinking with Yun Zhonghe last night, remembered that he drank too much, remembered someone helping him back to his room, and then...

Then there is no more.

Shen Yifei's mind went blank for a moment, and he instantly became fully awake.

He lifted the covers and looked down at himself; his clothes were still there. Then he looked at Hongxiu; her clothes were also there, neat and tidy except for the chest area.

"Thank goodness, I didn't do anything bad." Shen Yifei breathed a sigh of relief.

He tiptoed out of bed, careful not to wake Hongxiu.

As soon as she straightened up, Hongxiu opened her eyes.

"Young Master, you're awake?"

Shen Yifei was a little embarrassed. "Sister Hongxiu, last night... I... I didn't do anything, did I?"

Hongxiu sat up, straightened her clothes, and smiled. "What does Young Master want to do?"

"No, no, no, I don't want to think about anything." Shen Yifei quickly waved his hand. "I just drank too much, I don't remember anything."

"Young Master, do you really not want anything?" Hongxiu asked, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

The two sat side by side on the bed, the atmosphere slightly awkward.

"Sister Hongxiu, I was a bit groggy last night. Please forgive me if I did anything wrong..."

Hongxiu chuckled, "Young Master, you were so drunk last night you were like a lump of mud, you couldn't even stand up straight, what could you possibly do to me?"

Shen Yifei breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good...that's good."

Seeing his relieved expression, Hongxiu pouted, "What, young master, are you disgusted? Do you think Hongxiu is not good enough for you?"

"No, no!" Shen Yifei quickly shook his head. "Sister Hongxiu, you're so beautiful, how could I dare to look down on you?"

Just then, Yun Zhonghe's voice came from outside the door, "Yifei, are you awake? I've prepared the Water-Repelling Pearl for you!"

Shen Yifei felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly stood up to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Yun Zhonghe stood in the doorway, holding a jade box in his hand. Shen Yifei took it, opened it, and saw a green bead the size of a grape, which didn't seem particularly special.

"Uncle He, is this the water-repelling pearl?"

"Hmm, this is the Water-Repelling Pearl. Not many people know that I have it. Back then, I bought it from a dragon merchant for a high price, hoping to visit the Dragon Palace... Oh, Hongxiu is here too. Did you sleep well last night?"

Before Shen Yifei could explain, Yun Zhonghe had already closed the door.

"Uncle He, wait, Sister Hongxiu and I..."

"Haha, Master, now it's hard to explain, isn't it? Even if you talk until you're hoarse, that old drunkard will still think you did it."

"Mengli, I didn't do anything bad last night, did I?"

"No, apart from you looking like a little piglet suckling, there's nothing else wrong with you, it's acceptable!"

"Breastfeeding? That's impossible!"

"I didn't get to eat, I was just really rubbing against them..."

At this moment, Hongxiu came up behind Shen Yifei, "Young Master... don't listen to the Master's nonsense, we didn't do anything last night."

"I know, I know." Shen Yifei scratched his head. "Sister Hongxiu, I'm going to check on Uncle He."

After saying that, he quickly slipped out of the room.

When they got downstairs, Yun Zhonghe was sitting in the lobby drinking tea. When he saw Shen Yifei come down, he gave him a thumbs up and chuckled twice, "Kid, you're really something. The number one beauty of Zuixianlou, you've already won her over so quickly..."

"Uncle He, you've misunderstood. Nothing really happened between me and Sister Hongxiu."

"Alright, alright, if you say it didn't happen, then it didn't happen. Hongxiu is a good girl, loyal to your parents, and has suffered a lot all these years in trying to find your mother."

"Uncle He, isn't Sister Hongxiu also a demon? Why can't I sense any demonic aura about her?"

"Sigh..." Yun Zhonghe sighed deeply, "Hongxiu led people to the demon territory, but they were discovered by the demons. All the dozens of people she brought died there. The Demon King, remembering that she was Youlan's maid, had her demonic roots removed!"

"The Demon Root?"

"The demonic root is equivalent to the dantian of a human. Hongxiu's cultivation has been completely destroyed, and all her demonic energy has been lost."

"Uncle He, Sister Hongxiu...she's cultivation is completely gone now, isn't that...?"

"After all, she still has her foundation. The demon race has a special physique, and she's only at the Golden Core stage now." Yun Zhonghe sighed. "Over the years, she's helped me manage the Drunken Immortal Pavilion business, and she's been quite content. It's just that she's always worried about your mother and keeps thinking about going back to the demon territory."

Yun Zhonghe paused after speaking, then continued, "Yifei, didn't you notice anything last night?"