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

Daytime, indoors.

Wei Jin watched Xiao Huandu and the others walk away, then looked away and asked calmly, "What are your plans for the future?"

The Peach Blossom Spring may be wonderful, but it will never be the final destination for people like them.

Yi Chen put down his teacup and briefly explained to Wei Jin the situation of Chu Xianlan's damaged spiritual root and mysterious background.

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin's expression grew increasingly grim.

"After the imperial palace issued the kill order, many cultivators were mobilized. You two, master and disciple, are now unable to move freely outside. How can Chu Xianlan possibly uncover the mystery of your origins and find the murderer?"

Yi Chen remained silent.

Wei Jin turned around and sat down, sighing as he rested his forehead on his hand: "This time, you've dragged him down."

The word "drag" is certainly harsh, but it is also an undeniable fact.

Yi Chen said, "I know."

From the moment his half-demon bloodline was exposed in public, he was destined to go through all kinds of hardships. Yi Chen was prepared to bear it alone, but there was one person who insisted on accompanying him on the most rugged road.

Yi Chen thought, since he has nothing left, he should give him his true heart.

Unexpectedly, the boy didn't want it.

Chu Xianlan was confused, and how could Yi Chen not be? What he mistakenly believed to be the budding romance of youth was like the gentle spring rain, enticing fish to leap out of the dangerous pool they shouldn't have left, lying on the shore unable to turn back, suffering unbearable pain from unrequited love.

Passion breeds desire, desire breeds greed, greed breeds delusion, and delusion breeds falsehood.

Yi Chen knew clearly that emotions, desires, greed, infatuation, and delusions were all things that cultivators should sever, but what good was knowing that? He was already trapped in them and couldn't get out.

Having witnessed the splendor of spring, how could a half-demon be content to be trapped in the harsh winter?

Even so, Yi Chen couldn't bring himself to be harsh on Chu Xianlan. Despite feeling heartbroken for days, he couldn't utter a single complaint.

He was unwilling to let go, yet he also didn't want to see his disciple in a state of panic over this matter. Amidst all the unspeakable entanglements, what Yi Chen feared most was his own tendency to lose control.

If next time I am affected by hostility.

Could they do something irreversible?

Now that things have come to this, we can only keep our distance to avoid losing control again... Let's try to get along as ordinary master and disciple for now. After all, this is also Chu Xianlan's wish...

"It's my fault... I'm sorry to him." Yi Chen seemed to be muttering to himself, it was unclear whether he was speaking to Wei Jin or to himself.

"You... sigh! sigh!"

Over there, Wei Jin finished speaking harshly, but he wasn't in a good mood himself. He rubbed his temples and said, "Never mind, actually I'm quite envious of you guys."

Yi Chen looked at him.

Wei Jin looked slightly tired, and his tone carried a hint of self-deprecation: "Your apprentice is much better than mine. At least he's not an ungrateful wretch."

"He doesn't want to be a burden to you."

Wei Jin sneered, "Whether or not you become a burden is ultimately a matter for both of you. Why should one of you decide? When things were going well, you addressed each other as master and disciple, but after your downfall, you treat each other like strangers. How laughable. Years of interaction are worth less than a blank sheet of paper severing ties. What trust is there to speak of?"

Ever since he discovered his disciple's half-demon identity, Wei Jin had been waiting for the day Xiao Huandu would confess.

Unexpectedly, what awaited him was only a request to complete his apprenticeship and a farce.

"While I express respect and admiration, I draw clear lines in my heart. My only mistake in life, Wei Jin, is my poor judgment in choosing disciples!"

He slammed his fist on the table, his teeth clenched, causing the teacups to shatter with a loud crash.

Yi Chen almost got splashed with water and frowned.

Wei Jin grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, "You're not allowed to stay silent! Say something to me, ugh—! You're driving me crazy!"

Yi Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Your judgment in choosing disciples is indeed poor."

Wei Jin: "..."

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because once he did, it blew things up. Wei Jin always felt that Yi Chen's words had a sarcastic effect, which made him furious.

After that, the two sparred for a while, and the jade pendant probably fell off at that time. However, Yi Chen was absent-minded and preoccupied throughout, so he didn't notice the jade pendant.

After hearing what had happened, Chu Xianlan held the wine jar and fell into deep thought.

The master only said a few words throughout the entire process, one of which was admitting his mistake and the other was apologizing.

This made him very sad.

Chu Xianlan suddenly hugged the wine jar, took a big gulp, and said in a daze, "The fault doesn't lie with the half-demon, it lies with this world."

"What a fine poem," Wei Jin patted him, his tone full of appreciation. "Come on, a mouthful of horse urine will cure all your sorrows."

"..." Chu Xianlan frowned. "Junior Uncle, you are so vulgar. This is spirit wine. How can you call it horse urine?"

"Spiritual urine." Wei Jin didn't seem to care much.

As they drank, Chu Xianlan completely forgot about Wei Jin's drunkenness and his relatives. The two suddenly started playing rock-paper-scissors, with the loser having to take off their clothes.

Chu Xianlan was lucky; she only had to take off her outer garment.

Wei Jin tugged at his loose clothes, refusing to play anymore, and stroked his chin to change the subject, "Little Xianlan, I'll show you something fun."

"What?"

Wei Jin handed over a piece of paper.

"Xiao Huandu, a direct disciple of the Taiyi Sect's Xingjin Pavilion, has committed insubordination... What the hell!" It's actually a travelogue written by Nidie!

Seeing the legend of your brother Xiao's rebellious disciple spreading throughout the cultivation world, Chu Xianlan was filled with rage. She tore the paper to shreds, picked up the wine jar, and took another big gulp, getting completely drunk.

Wei Jin wasn't drunk at all. He propped his cheek up and watched him fall to the ground, dizzy and slumped over, and smiled gently.

The reason I asked this kid to drink was because I was worried he was under too much pressure. Sometimes people need to get drunk to release stress.

"Alright," Wei Jin stretched, "Junior Uncle will take you back."

Wei Jin squatted down and scooped up Chu Xianlan, who was unconscious and swaying like a noodle.

Little did they know, this was just the beginning of a nightmare.

When Yi Chen arrived after receiving the message from the jade slip, Chu Xianlan was clinging to a pillar, crying out repeatedly:

"Master...Master, please don't leave me..."

"Master, don't go... This pillar is so cold, and my heart is so cold too, boohoo!"

"Waaaaah, Master! Master!"

Wei Jin, standing to the side, felt his eardrums about to burst. He wanted nothing more than to beat the child to a pulp, and exclaimed in despair, "Take your disciple away right now!"

Good grief, who gets drunk like this, crying, screaming, and threatening to hang themselves?! What's with that broken pillar?!

Yi Chen walked to Chu Xianlan's side and called out softly as if it were a common occurrence, "Chu Li, your master is here."

Chu Xianlan raised his head, the firelight illuminating the flushed face from his drunkenness. His eyes were moist and swollen from crying, with tears still clinging to his eyelashes.

He stared blankly at Yi Chen for a while, seemingly trying to figure out which one, Zhu Zi or Yi Chen, was the real master. Then, in front of Wei Jin, he grabbed Yi Chen's sleeve with his claws and obediently followed him.

On the way out, Yi Chen let him hold his sleeve. Chu Xianlan could walk even when drunk, but he walked very, very slowly.

The atmosphere between the two was quiet.

Suddenly, Chu Xianlan blurted out, "Master, why didn't you reach out and pull me up from the ground?"

Yi Chen said, "I'm afraid you won't agree."

Chu Xianlan added, "The jade pendant is also lost. Don't you like it?"

Yi Chen: "I like it."

Chu Xianlan suddenly stopped, her eyes unfocused, and touched her forehead, asking, "Are you angry...? Don't you want a disciple anymore?"

Yi Chen shook his head at him, "Let's go back."

Chu Xianlan did not leave.

He stood there, as if he had been lost for a long time, or as if he had come to his senses. He grabbed Yi Chen's sleeve tightly, looked up, and said softly, "As for matters of love, this disciple really... doesn't understand. Master, please teach me."