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

Outside, the wind howled, and the entire courtyard was completely surrounded by a powerful, malevolent energy barrier, so tight that it was eerily quiet.

"I...I like it?" Chu Xianlan stammered, "But I really don't...ah!"

Those who say things they shouldn't will receive the punishment they deserve.

The nimble snake tail completely encircled the boy, adjusted its position, and flipped him over.

Her waistline slumped, and her body sank into the soft bed.

His entire body was completely exposed to the other party's control.

This was an extremely insecure posture, and Chu Xianlan instinctively curled up backward, but her hands were held down, leaving her nowhere to escape.

Yi Chen used one hand to pull Chu Xianlan's two hands above his head and hold them still. With his free fingertips, he brushed aside the stray hairs on the back of the boy's neck, revealing that rarely seen, delicate skin.

The tip of my nose touched it.

The half-demon slowly sniffed along the lines of the neck, from the back of the neck to behind the ears, and from behind the ears to the shoulder blades, teasing and probing inch by inch.

Chu Xianlan involuntarily shrank back, feeling as if the place where his breath was sprayed was being burned by fire. Realizing what might happen next, he turned his face away and desperately shook his head to push it away.

Such a refusal only added fuel to the fire for the half-demon.

Before he could even adjust, the snake's tail slipped inside his clothes, rubbing restlessly against him, bringing a smooth yet rough sensation, almost exactly the same as the experience in his dream. He was pressed down even heavier, and that indescribable feeling... left Chu Xianlan's mind blank.

Oh my god, Master wouldn't be going to...

The stimulus came without warning, and soon, like a wildfire, it ignited, leaving my whole body weak.

"No no no no no no..." Chu Xianlan's mind went blank, her waist tensed instantly, and she could only utter a single syllable blindly.

He was so scared he almost fainted, and so ashamed he wanted to kill himself and disappear on the spot.

This is the bottom line! This is the bottom line!

If this continues, his rebellious son will really... betray the righteous organization!!

This is not something that can be controlled by will; instinct cannot be refused. This is an irresistible force!

The boy's fair skin flushed a pale pink, the small mole beneath his eyelashes trembled violently, and his wet eyes struggled to lift. He couldn't care about anything else; he was almost on the verge of collapse. In his frantic panic, he haphazardly patted the white snake's tail—

"Master, I feel terrible, I don't want to..."

"Chu Li, don't move," Yi Chen said.

The low, short command left no room for argument.

But Chu Xianlan's shoulders trembled, as if she had been frozen in place, swallowing her resistance and slowly ceasing her struggle.

The boy closed his eyes tightly as if resigned to his fate, his chest heaving. Although he was filled with grievances and confusion, and his whole body was red from being bullied, he really didn't dare to move again.

Seeing his obedience, Yi Chen's eyes darkened.

A surge of annoyance welled up from the depths of his heart, and he turned his anger towards himself.

He knew that Chu Xianlan would never disobey him in the slightest.

She always only showed her most gentle and obedient side in front of him. As long as he gave the order, even if he ordered his disciples to undress, Chu Xianlan would obediently comply and give in to his every whim.

Even if it wasn't entirely by choice.

But... is this really the result he wanted?

A sense of confusion arose in Yi Chen's chaotic thoughts, as if he were the one being given the order.

Yi Chen always believed that Chu Xianlan had feelings for him; after all, the boy's various reactions were all caused by him, and there was no way to fake it. But...

Of those feelings, how much was admiration, how much dependence or habit, and how much...?

True liking?

The silvery-white snake tail paused for a few breaths, then slowly loosened, freeing the person imprisoned in its embrace.

"Master...?" Chu Xianlan was still cursing her unfilial son a hundred thousand times in her heart, but now that she was suddenly empty, she opened her eyes in a daze.

"Let's go. Let's remove the curse."

Yi Chen didn't say anything, and with a cold face, he got up and walked out the door.

He was all alone in the room.

Chu Xianlan sat on the edge of the bed, covered her face with her hands, rubbed her head haphazardly, and stood there for a long time before she managed to tidy herself up.

What exactly is Master thinking?

Everything that just happened occurred while he was fully conscious and without the Gu poison activating. Although his master didn't actually do anything to him, the sheer oppressive feeling he exuded was enough to send chills down anyone's spine... right?

He was genuinely frightened.

But it doesn't seem to have reached the point of being terrifying.

As Chu Xianlan pondered, she suddenly recalled their previous nonsensical conversation, in which her master said, "We are mutually in love," "You have always liked me," and "Why did you go back on your word?"

Could it be... that Master really likes me?

Oh no, that can't be right?

He was dumbfounded, and this daze lasted until he returned to the shaman's bamboo hut.

The witch doctor was somewhat surprised that they had returned from their discussion so quickly.

She didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded: "Please wait a moment, the removal of the life-binding Gu requires a few special medicinal herbs. I'll go and prepare them. It should take about half an hour."

After a series of events, Chu Xianlan and Yi Chen had been silent all the way, and now that they were in the same room, the awkwardness only intensified.

He secretly glanced at Yi Chen.

As a result, Yi Chen got up and went out again.

Chu Xianlan: "..."

Staring at the tightly closed door, Chu Xianlan sat upright, feeling a mix of emotions. He couldn't quite grasp the situation. His mind was straightforward; he was good at researching intricate magical artifacts but not at handling emotional matters.

Good heavens, this is outrageous.

One day... he and his master would encounter emotional problems...

Just as I was lost in thought, the door to the bamboo house was pushed open again.

Chu Xianlan looked up abruptly.

"Handsome brother! These two little things are your friends, right? They followed me around everywhere, and now I've brought them back~" Xiao Shengsheng, holding Yanling in his left hand and Hualing in his right, rushed in, his fluffy tail almost shaking like a windmill.

Hua Ling struggled desperately to poke her head out of her clutches, her face filled with despair.

"Ugh, I'm dizzy! This little devil is too much of a handful!"

Xiao Shengsheng looked around the room, his wolf ears twitching: "Huh? Why are you the only one here? Where's the other handsome brother?"

Chu Xianlan stammered, "I don't know."

After Xiao Shengsheng left, Hua Ling glanced at the absent-minded Chu Xianlan and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What's wrong with you? Where's Yi Chen? Aren't you two usually inseparable?"

Chu Xianlan did not want to answer any of these three questions.

"Those two had a fight," Xue Ling said slowly, sitting at the table.

"!?!" Hua Ling was so shocked she took flight. "Who!? You actually dared to argue with Yi Chen!? What happened!?"

Chu Xianlan closed her eyes. Her mind was in a mess, and she couldn't find a better person to confide in. After thinking it over again and again, she gritted her teeth and told them what had just happened!

Hua Ling murmured, "...Wow! A stunning debut!"

She then asked, "Xianlan, what are your thoughts?"

"What...should I think?"

Hua Ling said speechlessly, "Yi Chen forced you and almost ruined your reputation. Aren't you angry?! Don't you want to sever your master-disciple bond with him?!"

"It can't be that serious, can it?" Chu Xianlan whispered. "Master was affected by the malevolent energy at the time, which is why he lost control. It wasn't intentional..."

Yan Ling rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Come on! What do you mean 'not on purpose'? I think he did it on purpose! He takes advantage of his high cultivation level to do whatever he wants! He just wants your body, what's the difference between him and a beast? No, he is a beast to begin with!"

"Don't talk nonsense, my master is not what you think." Chu Xianlan pressed down on Yan Ling's head, her tone dissatisfied.

Hua Ling took a deep breath, rolled her eyes in exasperation, and said, "I can't say anything to you, I can't scold you. You two should just become Daoist partners. What are you still hesitating about?"

Chu Xianlan frowned: "Are you crazy? How can that be?"

"What exactly do you want?" Yan Ling really suspected that this kid was sick.

Xue Ling said, "If you want to follow your master, respect him, never abandon him, share joys and sorrows, and always be sincere to him no matter when or where, and never betray him."

"How do you understand me so well?" Chu Xianlan was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up as if she had met a kindred spirit. "This is exactly what I wanted to be like!"