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

As dawn breaks and the rain clears, the sky begins to brighten.

The bamboo leaves, washed clean by the rain, were emerald green and translucent, with dappled sunlight scattering across the ground. Half-asleep, Chu Xianlan slowly opened her eyes.

The moment his senses returned, he casually moved his fingers.

I can't move.

My hands seemed to be wrapped in something, tightly restraining me from moving.

Time seemed to stand still for a long time. In the dim environment, the curtains created a completely safe space, filled with a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

In the dim morning light, Chu Xianlan tilted her head.

His gaze slowly moved upwards.

At a distance where we could almost hear each other's breath, a flawless face was right in front of me.

Yi Chen's long, silvery-white hair was scattered on the pillow. His fair and jade-like face was relaxed, without any sense of aloofness or coldness, and he was completely unguarded.

The silence was so profound that it almost made one wonder if the person was still breathing.

Chu Xianlan's mind went blank. She blinked slowly, staring at Yi Chen's sleeping face.

So this is what Master looks like when he's asleep.

After all, most cultivators don't need to sleep. Yi Chen usually only meditates and cultivates after nightfall. He seems to have never seen his master sleeping like this before. Uh, this is... the first time?

Chu Xianlan was lost in thought, completely unaware that this scene of sharing a bed was quite subtle. Instead, she was worried that she might wake her master.

Until the other person also opened their eyes.

Staring into those deep, all-consuming eyes, Chu Xianlan felt her heart suddenly pound.

Immediately afterwards, his body was pinned down.

A large, slightly rough hand touched his cheek, and his breath suddenly drew closer.

Yi Chen silently leaned down, ran his fingers through his hair, and kissed him.

The sensation of my hair being gently tugged was strangely tingling, causing waves of shivering.

In his panic, Chu Xianlan was dealing with the hot and forceful lips and tongue when he felt a hand that went deep into his hair lift his neck, forcing him to tilt his head back and greedily deepen the fusion of their breaths.

His mouth was completely blocked, and not a single sound could escape.

"Hold me on your back."

His deep breaths fell on my ear, and his low, husky voice exuded endless allure, captivating and terrifying.

As if his soul had been ripped away, the boy, under an inescapable command, reached out and, in a daze, clung to the other's strong, broad shoulders.

The man on top of him stroked the top of his head, and a focused and tender kiss landed on his eyelids, his voice seemingly carrying a slight smile, "Mmm, Xianlan is such a good boy."

Having received the gentle praise, Chu Xianlan, feeling dizzy, accepted the kiss, then realized she shouldn't have done so.

That was clearly a banished immortal untouched by worldly affairs, so why would he have feelings and desires?

The life-binding curse has been removed... How could he and his master...?

In an instant, the view became bright.

Chu Xianlan suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath, her heart still pounding... It was all a dream!

Ugh! What the hell was that in my dream?!

Why do we dream about things we don't want to happen? Is his dream a sign of being inherently rebellious?

I am not a traitor, I am not a traitor, I am not...

Overwhelmed by a strange and shameful feeling, Chu Xianlan swallowed hard and nervously turned her head to look at her side—

The scene before my eyes completely overlapped with the one in my dream.

He and his master were really lying in the same bed! Their fingers were intertwined!

Holy crap! Could this be a dream within a dream?!

Chu Xianlan was speechless. Expressionless, she raised her free left hand and slammed it hard against her forehead. "Ouch!"

It hurts terribly; this time it's not a dream.

Chu Xianlan covered her head and grimaced. When she met Yi Chen's slightly puzzled gaze, she was so frightened that she leaned back.

"Bang!" The second trauma caused his head to slam solidly against the headboard.

Yi Chen: "..."

He hadn't expected Chu Xianlan to cause such a commotion after waking up, and he felt somewhat helpless.

Knowing that his disciple had inexplicably fainted yesterday and had not slept well all night, Yi Chen got up and approached, wanting to feel the boy's forehead.

There's nothing romantic about doing this; it's just out of concern.

As a result, Chu Xianlan instantly became extremely tense.

As Yi Chen drew closer, Chu Xianlan felt that the atmosphere was almost identical to the absurd dream he had just experienced. His face was burning with embarrassment, and he was so stiff that he didn't know what to do.

This is my master! A disciple can't just beat up his master!

If he absolutely had to fight, he'd rather knock himself out first.

Chu Xianlan was truly torn, her heart pounding. Finally, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and chose to escape reality.

The cool fingertips landed on my forehead, with just the right amount of pressure.

"Do you feel any discomfort anywhere in your body?" A calm voice, as always, came from beside me.

Chu Xianlan opened her eyes blankly.

With her mind buzzing, Chu Xianlan wished she could dig a hole and disappear. How could she have taken it for granted that her master was leaning in to kiss... kiss... kiss her!

What was he thinking just now?!

"Are you alright?" Yi Chen frowned and asked again.

"No, nothing's wrong," Chu Xianlan said, covering her face in grief and indignation. The tips of her ears, hidden under her hair, turned slightly red. "Master, what happened after I fainted yesterday? What happened to my spiritual root...?"

Yi Chen got up and sat on the edge of the bed.

His clothes were neat and tidy, showing no signs of disarray despite the passing of the night. He turned around and glanced at Chu Xianlan, who was sitting cross-legged in the bedding, rubbing her head.

The boy's undershirt hung loosely on his body.

Because she had been tossing and turning all night, her neckline was mostly open, revealing a fair and rosy collarbone and a small part of her rounded, fair shoulders.

Chu Xianlan pressed her slender fingers to her forehead, with a faint red stain remaining between her fingers.

Those were fingerprints left from holding hands all night.

He was completely unprepared and had no idea how he would appear in someone else's eyes.

Yi Chen paused, his eyes darkening.

She looked away, stood up, and got off the bed.

"Get yourself sorted out first," he said calmly. "We'll talk later."

Outside, Hua Ling, Xue Ling, and Yan Ling were playing Five Elements cards together. Yan Ling was very dissatisfied with being kicked out of the house last night, complaining, "It rained so hard last night, and Yi Chen just used a spiritual energy barrier to separate us. Why?! That house doesn't belong to him alone!"

Hua Ling picked up a card, unfazed by such common refrains. "That's just how he is. You can't get along with him. You'll get used to it."

"Damn it! This is infuriating!"

Mama is not convinced! Mama dares to resist power!

After much agonizing reflection, Yan Ling attempted to find Yi Chen's weakness and strike at his most vulnerable spot!

"You all know so much, so tell me, why exactly did Chu Xianlan reject his master?"

Hua Ling sighed, "He is controlled by a mysterious Taoist technique."

"Which kind of Taoist method?" Yan Ling felt there was hope.

Filial piety.

Yan Ling: "?"

At this moment, Xue Ling suddenly revealed her hand: "I won."

Before this, Xue Ling had won ten times in a row, and even the only time she lost was by deliberately letting others win. This time, Xue Ling won effortlessly, and the other two players, Yi Hua and Yi Ma, stared wide-eyed and were completely defeated.

"Xue Ling'er, you cheated!" Hua Ling was silent for a few seconds, then screamed, "You definitely cheated! Nobody wins every time!"

Yanling let out a howl, stood up, threw down the cards, and decided to stop being human.

A horse ran angrily around the yard, breathing fire everywhere.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?!"

Xiao Shengsheng, who came to visit, was startled by the strange sight in the courtyard.

The witch doctor, elegantly dressed in white gauze, followed behind Xiao Shengsheng and asked with concern, "Has Fellow Daoist Chu awakened yet?"