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

Brother Xiao's strength is terrifying. With just one person, he has raised the number of rebellious disciples in the entire Taiyi Sect to an unprecedented level.

"What are you going to do next?" Chu Xianlan asked helplessly.

He turned around and saw Xiao Huandu's face slowly turning red.

"A half-demon only recognizes one person in their lifetime. So does a wolf demon." Xiao Huandu's heart pounded as if a hundred wolves were running rampant, and his eyes grew increasingly resolute. "Since things have already... already come to that, I will..."

"I will be responsible to my master to the very end." Xiao Huandu clenched his fist.

Chu Xianlan was disgusted for a moment by his budding, lovestruck appearance.

He said sullenly, "Dream on. Does Junior Uncle need you to take responsibility?"

Even without a formal status, have you already planned a bright future?

Pshaw! You've got all the good things in the world, don't you dare treat yourself any worse?

That's true. Xiao Huandu choked up, feeling a pang of sadness as he recalled Wei Jin's attitude towards him. His ears drooped, and his big tail swept wildly across the ground.

For various reasons, Xiao Huandu firmly believed that the deed had been done the night before. Although he was always shameless and brazen in front of Wei Jin, this was, after all, his first time experiencing something like this... his first time. He couldn't help but hug his body, which was covered in love marks, and felt extremely shy.

Xiao Huandu thought to himself... His master couldn't stand the slightest grievance. Since he had agreed to have that kind of relationship with him, perhaps he still had feelings for him, right...?

Damn it, how could he have forgotten all the details of last night?

Xiao Huandu looked sad and said, "Whether Master needs it or not, I still want to give it a try."

"...I wish you success."

As the two were discussing this, thunder suddenly roared in the sky, and a torrential downpour began.

"It seems even the heavens aren't on your side." Chu Xianlan didn't want to get soaked, so she leaned against the eaves.

The words had barely left his mouth when the thunderstorm subsided somewhat. A few gusts of cold wind then rose, the temperature plummeted, and snowflakes began to fall from the other half of the sky.

What kind of weather is this?

Xiao Huandu raised an eyebrow in surprise, then felt something hit his head. Looking up, he saw a lot of hailstones falling.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the weather in Peach Blossom Spring changes constantly.

Sunny, rainy, thundery, snowy, and hail took turns appearing.

"Strange, why are the celestial phenomena so chaotic? Could it be that the magical artifact controlling the weather has malfunctioned?" Xiao Huandu asked.

Chu Xianlan was quite interested in this, and had previously consulted Xiao Huandu about the structure of the magical artifacts in Peach Blossom Spring.

The magical artifacts that maintain all the climate, seasons, and the sun and moon in this place are supported and operated by an ancient spiritual artifact stored deep within the forbidden area of ​​the Mustard Seed Space.

The history of Peach Blossom Spring can be traced back a thousand years—it was a base established after the chaos of the half-demons. Over these thousand years, the magical artifacts have been in operation for many years, and it is normal for them to occasionally develop some minor problems. On weekdays, there are always artifact cultivators who are specifically responsible for this matter who enter the forbidden area to maintain them.

Xiao Huandu frowned and scratched the back of his head. "I'll go check out the situation at the main building."

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Just then, Wei Jin came out of the house and asked, "What happened?"

"It seems like their weather system is malfunctioning."

"Oh," Wei Jin glanced at Xiao Huandu's back and said to Chu Xianlan, "Yi Chen and I have discussed it. After you advance to the Nascent Soul stage, we will go with you."

Chu Xianlan was taken aback. "Junior Uncle doesn't plan to stay?"

Wei Jin was baffled. "What am I supposed to do here?"

Chu Xianlan fell silent, silently wishing her good brother well. Her junior uncle was truly dashing! He really didn't need that bastard Xiao Huandu to take responsibility!

Seeing the boy's complicated and strange expression, Wei Jin gently tapped his forehead and said earnestly, "Speaking of advancement speed... well, your junior uncle will help you accelerate your progress."

"what?"

Ten minutes later, Chu Xianlan stood in her room, her eyebrows twitching as she looked at the steaming bathtub.

The water in the bucket was not clear at all, but rather a strange milky white color, and it was bubbling away.

...Is this really okay?

Wei Jin stretched and yawned: "This is a secret recipe, a perfect tonic, full of good stuff~"

"This is not ordinary water, but a top-grade marrow cleansing liquid. It also contains many medicinal herbs such as top-grade nine-leaf green lotus, jade spirit mushroom, and primordial yang grass. It is rich in spiritual energy, nourishes the dantian, and can help you advance to the nascent soul stage with twice the result with half the effort."

"Isn't this... a bit too wasteful?" Chu Xianlan felt a pang of heartache just hearing about it. So many rare and precious herbs, just to use them for a bath?

It's fine for him to drink this high-end stuff.

"It's nothing. They're all treasures I smuggled from my senior brother before I was kicked out of the sect anyway." Wei Jin smiled wickedly.

Poor Uncle Pei.

"The Marrow Cleansing Liquid has many benefits for those in the Golden Core stage. It can cleanse the marrow and greatly increase cultivation. However, if you haven't tried it before, the first use may cause some stimulation to your meridians," Wei Jin stroked his chin. "Yi Chen, observe his condition carefully and remember to protect your disciple."

Before the two people inside could realize the meaning of those words, Wei Jin waved and left.

Chu Xianlan glanced at the bath tub, then at Yi Chen, a wave of embarrassment washing over her. Did her junior uncle mean she had to take a medicinal bath in front of her master? And that her master would have to watch over her the whole time?

This... won't do!

Yi Chen glanced at him, then lowered his eyes and said, "I will guard outside."

Chu Xianlan's breathing became slightly disordered after being stared at like that. He slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, that's right. Master's spiritual sense has a wide range. Why would he need to be in the same room with him? He had misunderstood.

The room returned to quiet.

Chu Xianlan stood in front of the bathtub and slowly unbuttoned her clothes.

With a rustling sound, clothes slipped off one by one.

Yi Chen slightly raised his eyes. Through a thin screen, he saw the young man with his hair down, his slender shadow swaying gently, his waistline both supple and capable, followed by two straight legs. In the flickering light and shadow, he could be seen turning to the side and raising his arm to remove the last layer of clothing.

Cultivators cannot soak in medicinal liquid through clothing, as it will affect the effect. Chu Xianlan lifted her leg and stepped into the tub. With the sound of water sloshing, the scalding liquid reached her waist.

Starting from the soles of his feet, the intense pain gradually spread throughout his body. My junior uncle was right; the stimulation caused by the marrow-cleansing fluid was even more painful than he had imagined.

The water made a soft sound. He took a slow breath, leaned against the edge of the tub, and glanced out, feeling a little nervous.

"How is it?" Yi Chen's voice came from outside the screen.

"This disciple is... well."

Because of the effects of the marrow-cleansing liquid, Chu Xianlan's voice trembled, and even though she was soaking in a scalding hot medicinal bath, a layer of cold sweat still broke out on her forehead.

"If there are any problems," Yi Chen heard the trembling in his voice and could almost imagine the boy's expression at that moment. His voice was slightly hoarse. "Call me your master anytime."

"……Um.

After that, Chu Xianlan adapted to the marrow cleansing liquid and officially entered a state of cultivation, remaining silent behind the screen.

Hua Ling, exasperated, slapped her thigh and said, "Yi Chen, what are you pretending to be, a proper person! Go inside and act as my personal bodyguard! It'll be healthier for you and Xian Lan to soak in the same bathtub, and then have a sweet, wet, passionate dual cultivation session!"

"Don't be afraid if he disagrees; playing the victim is a man's best dowry."

"If not now, when? Do you understand the Welfare Bureau? Give me a round of applause."

"You stingy person! When you became a half-demon, Xianlan knew to use dual cultivation to save you. People should repay kindness. Go and give her a big thank-you gift."

"Such a good opportunity and you don't even take it? Are you even a man?!"

With his eyes closed, Yi Chen flicked his fingertips, sending a small ice crystal flying out the window, sending the noisy flower spirit flying.

"Aaaaah—you just wait!"

Hua Ling's screams faded into the distance.

About two hours later, Chu Xianlan opened her eyes in the bathtub.

Feeling the fluctuations of the four spiritual energies of metal, wood, water, and fire surrounding him, he could sense that his cultivation had improved somewhat—but he still hadn't grasped the key to advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.

With her palms placed on her lower abdomen, Chu Xianlan was somewhat puzzled.

Calling it a bottleneck... well, not quite. Everything about me is fine; my spiritual energy flows smoothly without any blockages or stagnation. Is it perhaps too early to say?

He shook his head, pulled on an overcoat, and absentmindedly lifted one foot out of the bathtub.

Just then, the ground suddenly shook.

"??" Chu Xianlan's leg was still halfway up in the air when she lost her balance and fell backward.

"Thump!"

A loud bang was followed by screams.

Yi Chen kept a close eye on the situation behind the screen. Almost at the same moment he heard the screams, he got up and rushed in without thinking. Then, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

Because he really didn't mean it...

Chu Xianlan had just been pulled out of the water, and she was wet and disheveled.

The boy sat up on the ground, his long legs slightly apart, his casually draped coat mostly loose, revealing large patches of wet skin.

The skin, steamed by the heat, had a thin, light pink hue. Water soaked through the long, jet-black hair, the ends of which clung uncontrollably to the cheeks and skin, with even a strand of hair stuck to the corner of the mouth... making it look as if the person had just been badly bullied.

"Master! Please, please don't look at me!"

Chu Xianlan was almost in tears, wishing she could ascend to heaven and leave this beautiful cultivation world.

Ugh, why does he always let his master see him in such a disheveled state!

Yi Chen's Adam's apple bobbed noticeably, as if the image was branded into his mind and wouldn't fade away. He turned his head and whispered, "Mm."