The bed was completely empty; the patient who should have been resting was gone.
While he was still feeling surprised, curls of cooking smoke wafted from outside.
Yun Liu followed the strange smell through the Ice Palace and discovered Yan Bingling fiddling with the stove in the kitchen.
Seeing her perform such mundane chores she usually disdained, he leaned against the doorframe out of curiosity.
During the day, the Ice Fairy was transcendent, a completely different person from her nighttime self.
Her eyes were tightly shut as she moved about awkwardly.
“You… are awake.”
Sensing someone’s arrival, Yan Bingling quietly hid the half-finished product behind her back, acting as if nothing was wrong.
She did not ask when he had returned, and he did not bring it up; this was not the first time her old ailment had flared up.
Every time the Demonic Affliction took hold, this child would be by her side when she woke up.
Even if his small face was purple from the cold, he would still hold her tightly, becoming Yan Bingling’s only reliance during those long nights.
However, these last two instances had been particularly comfortable, and her recovery was remarkably fast.
That little match had unknowingly grown into a bonfire, protecting her as always and silently providing warmth.
Thus, Yan Bingling wanted to do something to return Celestial Phenomena Peak to the way it used to be, but she had directed her efforts in the wrong direction.
“Mhm.”
Yun Liu scratched his head.
Looking at the smoke-filled kitchen, he asked doubtfully, “What are you doing?”
“Making breakfast for you.”
“…”
Yun Liu walked over.
Black smoke was rising from the pot, and a few half-raw pieces of sweet potato lay nearby in a complete mess.
“I thought you were practicing alchemy.”
“Do—do you have some kind of problem with it!”
Yan Bingling caught the sarcasm in his voice.
She lifted her chin, putting on a front of false bravado.
His disqualified foster mother did not eat the food of mortals, yet the Human Race cub had been starving.
Since Yun Liu could remember, he had never eaten a full meal at home.
Yan Bingling had zero talent for anything other than the Sword Way.
Every time she followed a recipe, she either burned the food or charred it completely.
The result of letting her into the kitchen was always food poisoning; he had lost count of how many times she had been carried to Clear Mist Peak for emergency treatment.
Yun Liu wanted to live for a few more years, so he eventually took over all the household chores.
When Gelan saw this, she was often confused about who the actual guardian was.
She had never seen someone start “raising a son to provide for old age” from such a young age!
“No,” Yun Liu said with a smile, stepping forward to help.
He first cleaned up the kitchen and then brewed a pot of fish porridge.
Yan Bingling pinched her fingers and watched from the side.
She was in the way and could not help at all.
It felt like a return to the past; everything was normal and back on track.
Once a bowl of porridge was finished, Yan Bingling exhaled a breath of warm air, and a slight smile appeared on her frosty face.
As for her other young disciple, she had long since forgotten about her.
The impractical fantasy was quickly shattered.
After the meal, Yun Liu continued his work, reaching out two fingers to check her pulse.
“Pardon my rudeness.”
Her internal breath was steady.
Her spiritual energy and demonic energy maintained a delicate balance, and the effect was surprisingly good, better than countless Spirit Pills and Divine Medicines.
It seemed Demonic Affliction really had to be treated with Demonic Arts.
“Have you been anything but rude lately?”
Yan Bingling’s eyebrows slumped.
Her Divine Sense swept over the jars and bottles on the table with a sense of helplessness; she was almost sick of taking them.
Mr. Kuai had been at his wit’s end regarding her condition, so Gelan had specifically hired the Master of the East Pole Pavilion, who had indeed helped her recover some Yuan Qi.
This also suited Yun Liu’s intentions perfectly—acting as her Master on the surface while secretly treating his “Demon Mother” with the right medicine!
“Watch your attitude. I am currently your attending Alchemist. If you won’t follow the doctor’s orders, then find someone else more capable.”
With Ge Erniang as his shield, Yun Liu became increasingly bold in teasing his Aunt Master, firmly grasping her weakness.
“Bingling… will follow the Mister’s instructions.”
Yan Bingling bit her lip in frustration but did not lash out.
Her pure Master-disciple bond had devolved into a doctor-patient relationship; no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t accept it.
“Open up.”
“Ah—”
“Fortune enters the Heart.”
Dense spiritual energy radiated from his body.
As her Spirit Breath returned to the Nascent Soul Upper Realm, she was already able to operate the Sword Scripture of Celestial Phenomena on her own to heal.
“Mhm, the recovery is going well. Soon, you won’t need external help anymore.”
“Eh? So soon? Did you check carefully? I mean, if there are any lingering side effects, what if it affects my future Tribulation?”
Seeing Yun Liu withdraw his hand, Yan Bingling suddenly became nervous, accusing the “quack” of being irresponsible.
One had to realize that once her injuries were healed, there would be no reason for them to meet anymore!
‘But I’ve already checked inside and out several times, feeling out every corner while you were unaware…’
Yun Liu acted the part, asking, “Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?”
Yan Bingling thought for a moment.
Snow seemed to fall between her brows as her eyelashes trembled, and she unconsciously rubbed her lower abdomen.
“Actually… no. It’s just that I feel a warmth inside my body, a very full feeling. What kind of secret recipe is this?”
“Ahem, trade secret. Then we shall observe for a while longer. Remember, do not stop taking the medicine.”
“Oh.”
Yun Liu’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned to run, feeling extremely guilty.
It wasn’t entirely his fault, right?
His Aunt Master was so obsessed that she would rather lose her defensive high ground just to lock down his entire army, forcing his Sacred Fire to only move forward.
He felt more and more like the protagonist of an erotica novel—plots of revenge and hypnosis.
He was just waiting for the moment his Master’s Divine Soul merged and she discovered the truth, completely shattering her mask of sanctimonious nobility.
While the rebellious disciple was looking forward to the Demon Master’s recovery and her eventual honest confession, Yan Bingling dumped all the medicine out the moment he left.
She couldn’t get well this quickly. Absolutely not!
The reason for the relapse of the “dire illness” was obvious; both mother and son were busy digging holes for each other, completely unaware that they were the ones falling in.
A Master is one who passes on the Way, imparts professional knowledge, and resolves doubts.
On the eve of the Great Competition, while Yan Bingling and Yun Liu were having their “private sessions,” the Head Seats of the other peaks were not idling either.
Also giving special lessons, Tu Gou, the Head Seat of Sunset Peak, was much more serious.
He took his youngest but most talented beloved disciple to the back mountain and demonstrated the Sword Canon for her.
The same moves performed by the chubby Master had a different flavor.
Even without any spiritual energy, the pressure was intense, intentionally leading the young girl toward the realm of Sword Intent.
Xiao Xinran remained motionless, deep in thought.
Within her Sea of Consciousness, the Burning Silence Art operated as a flame figure repeated the movements over and over.
It wasn’t until the sun dipped low and the sunset glow reflected off the Sea of Clouds that she suddenly opened her eyes.
Sparks flew from her pupils as she attained Level 3 of the Sword Canon.
Tu Gou smiled with gratification, looking smugly toward the direction of Falling Cloud Peak.
At the same time, Little Yellow Hair had just slipped out of her room, planning to sneak to Jueyun Peak to beg for food.
An old man with a transcendent, immortal air appeared out of thin air in front of her.
Her face instantly dropped as if she had guessed something.
“G-Great Baldy, what a coincidence.”
Ji Shiyu tried to slip away with a forced smile, backing away step by step.
Nothing good ever happened when she met him.
The Grand Elder gave a mysterious smile and waved his hand.
The clouds rose and the wind stirred.
Ji Shiyu’s world spun, and she was confusedly tossed into the Illusion Pavilion on Sighing Peak.
“Ouch!”
The Sweep Old Man saw the blonde-haired girl land on her backside.
He gestured toward the door with a beaming smile.
“Ah, you’ve arrived just in time. Do me a favor.”
Ji Shiyu had a miserable expression.
This wasn’t the first time she had been conscripted.
She wouldn’t be able to leave this library until her task was done, so she could only obediently take the broom.
Why did everyone in the Shenhua Sect love ordering people around so much?
However, the more fallen leaves she swept, the more appeared.
No one knew where they were coming from, making the blonde girl scream in frustration.
“I don’t believe this!”
Her mood gradually became irritable, and her movements grew faster and faster.
Meanwhile, over at Clear Mist Peak, Gelan was even more direct.
Without a word, she dragged her underperforming eldest disciple onto the Jasper Bed and stripped her clothes off, frightening Qin Yao significantly.
“Teacher, what are you do—mmph!”