Because the losses in the secret realm were too devastating—utterly intolerable—the realm’s defensive mechanism was triggered, and all cultivators were expelled.
Everyone was completely dumbfounded. They had never even heard of such a rule before.
But they really had been forced out—a day and a half earlier than expected.
Just as everyone was still unsure how to react, suddenly voices of excitement burst out among the crowd.
“It was Elder Luofeng who saved us.”
“Elder Luofeng is amazing. He must have realized there was no way to break through the secret realm’s barrier, so he deliberately provoked the immortal’s remnant consciousness, forcing it to expel us.”
“Elder Luofeng isn’t just powerful, he’s also so clever—able to come up with such an unorthodox method. Truly a role model for us all!”
“Thanks to Elder Luofeng, I can finally return to my sect. I’ve been so worried about them.”
“Me too. So many of my disciples are injured. In the secret realm, it’s really hard to heal. All thanks to Elder Luofeng.”
“Before, I’d only heard rumors that Elder Luofeng was trying to fleece the secret realm.”
“How could that be? Elder Luofeng is righteous and benevolent, holding all living beings in his heart. He simply disdains to explain himself.”
“Exactly. Even if he had explained back then, would anyone have listened under those circumstances?”
Just a moment ago, some elders had been questioning Fu Zhiyi, but now they silently turned their heads to look at the disciples of Zixiao Sect.
Why hadn’t they believed?
So it really was intentional, not coincidence?
But then why had some seen Gu Baiqing moving so skillfully as he collected things—chanting from his little booklet while using long-range search techniques, carefully picking and choosing?
Hand on your heart—was Gu Baiqing really trying to help them out of the secret realm?
“So that’s what Senior Brother was planning. Why didn’t he tell me? I could have helped too.” Chu Fei said earnestly, as if enlightened.
“Maybe there were… other restrictions… like maybe he also once received inheritance here.” Fu Zhiyi stammered to patch things up. Who wouldn’t be confused listening to this nonsense?
Fu Zhiyi was certain Gu Baiqing had simply gone too far and enraged the immortal’s remnant consciousness. But what could he say? He could only seize the chance to maintain Gu Baiqing’s aloof, superior image, boosting Zixiao Sect’s reputation.
Meanwhile, Gu Baiqing stood outside the secret realm, the corner of his mouth twitching. In his hand was a fairy spirit stone he had just pried off a cliff wall. He wasn’t a greedy man—he believed in sustainable harvesting. Since the secret realm only opened once every ten years, he had been calculating carefully, leaving behind enough for regrowth while working diligently.
Who knew the immortal’s remnant would suddenly jump out and accuse him? How stingy could it be? He was still short of the five hundred thousand spirit stones! Couldn’t it have let him pry off just a few more?
Feeling all the grateful gazes around him, Gu Baiqing could only accept them with a blank expression. Luckily, the immortal’s final words had sounded only in his mind. If others had heard that because of his plundering the realm was now sealing for a hundred years—cutting off the best trial ground for future juniors—no one would be thanking him.
By the time people realized the truth in the future… hopefully they wouldn’t suspect him.
Gu Baiqing swallowed his guilt and was about to go meet up with the Zixiao Sect when he suddenly froze, realizing a problem.
Where was his disciple?
Where was Mo Xuanli?
This… this… They’d been forcibly sent out by the teleportation array. At that moment, Mo Xuanli should still have been in the ruins… According to the original text, two days and nights… meaning right now he’d be in a “see no evil” situation.
Gu Baiqing’s heart lurched. He might have caused a disaster. He quickly activated the master-disciple bond to locate Mo Xuanli.
Confirming the position, he released Three Bean from his storage pouch. By now Three Bean had fully recovered. Hearing they were going to find Mo Xuanli, he immediately carried Gu Baiqing at full speed.
Soon, from afar, Gu Baiqing saw Xie Qingrong supporting the unconscious Mo Xuanli.
Three Bean braked hard. Sitting on Three Bean’s back, Gu Baiqing’s first glance darted toward a certain area, then quickly shifted to Xie Qingrong’s face.
Mo Xuanli’s clothes were disheveled but not indecent; nothing exposed.
Xie Qingrong, meanwhile, wore a worried expression. Seeing Gu Baiqing, he hurried forward.
“Elder Luofeng, this junior happened to encounter Brother Xuanli in the secret realm. He had collapsed outside, unconscious. I was just about to bring him to you when we were all expelled. Please, Elder, is Brother Xuanli all right?”
Gu Baiqing, reading Xie Qingrong’s natural expression, couldn’t discern anything—nor dared ask whether anything awkward had happened when he found Mo Xuanli.
Looking at Mo Xuanli’s pale face now, so drained as if hollowed out—clearly, he had exhausted himself into unconsciousness.
Uneasily, Gu Baiqing took him, propped him onto Three Bean’s back, thanked Xie Qingrong, and flew toward Zixiao Sect’s flying vessel.
Just as they were about to approach, fatigue suddenly swept through Gu Baiqing. A familiar sensation—he had forgotten about a random side effect: after forcibly replenishing spiritual power in large amounts, once exhausted, he had a certain chance of total collapse—weakness, even unconsciousness.
And right now, bad luck struck. In an instant, his spiritual power drained. Beneath him, Three Bean lost its support and instantly reverted to its kitten form.
Gu Baiqing reacted decisively, clutching Mo Xuanli tightly, forcing out the last of his spiritual power, and carrying Three Bean with him as they hurtled toward the flying vessel.
Just before fainting, he glimpsed Chu Fei rushing toward them, and finally let himself black out.
But Gu Baiqing didn’t know what the others would do next. If he had, he would have forced himself to stay conscious no matter what.
Seeing master and disciple both collapsed, everyone was shocked. For convenience, Fu Zhiyi waved a hand, directing Chu Fei to carry them into the same room, and place them on the same bed.
Yun Yue brought several healer cultivators to examine them. Both were simply in states of extreme fatigue. Some medicine and a good sleep would be enough.
Everyone relaxed and went about their business—after all, they needed to hurry back to their sects to avoid another demon clan ambush. So no one was paying much attention. Not one person—really not a single one—stopped to think that putting master and disciple together on the same bed might be… inappropriate.
Just like that, the flying vessel slowly began its return journey.
…
At the break of dawn, Mo Xuanli awoke slowly in the quiet and tranquil atmosphere. He could hear the steady sound of breathing inside the room, mixed with a cat’s gentle snores. All of it told him he was safe for the moment.
Yet the bone-deep exhaustion still left him unable to summon any strength.
His memory lingered on the scene of him repeatedly trying to relieve himself, until his body finally stopped reacting. He no longer remembered how many times it had been—only the constant blackness before his eyes, and that the piece of cloud-brocade in his hand grew heavier and wetter, until the original plum fragrance was completely covered.
When he regained clarity, guilt rose in his heart. That cloud-brocade had been torn from the hem of his master’s robes. How had he ever thought—how could he ever think—that staining it was something exciting? As though he had been bewitched, reckless and wild like a demon.
No matter what his master thought of him, he himself could never act that way. Perhaps it was the demonic bloodline in his body influencing him, making him lose measure and propriety. Otherwise, even at the cost of his life, he would never have shown such disrespect to his master.
Mo Xuanli dared not face it. He quickly used spells to clean everything, then tucked the now-clean cloud-brocade into his storage pouch—afraid to throw it away, afraid for it to be seen. It became an unbearable memory, something he only wished to bury forever.
After finishing, a sudden surge of spiritual energy swept over him. Already weak, he could not withstand it and fainted. He seemed to hear Xie Qingrong’s voice after that, and then nothing more.
What happened before he passed out felt unreal, like an illusion. If only… if only it had been false, then he wouldn’t be so humiliated now.
Just as he was thinking this, a voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear, startling him out of his skin.
Because the voice was right next to him.
“Mo Xuanli…”
His master’s voice carried a cool clarity, like a spring flowing onto fine jade, producing a pure, resonant sound.
Mo Xuanli recognized it instantly. Just when he had been trying to brainwash himself, reality came crashing down on him.
Stiff-necked, he slowly turned his head—and saw, less than a palm’s distance away, sharing the same pillow, his master’s black hair scattered against a snow-white cheek, his serene features close enough to touch, stirring his very heart.
Mo Xuanli felt as though his heart would leap out of his chest—not knowing if it was from fear or… something else.
Suddenly, Gu Baiqing seemed to fall into a nightmare. His sword-like brows furrowed, and he turned his head away, the movement drawing a graceful curve from jaw to shoulder.
Mo Xuanli’s gaze happened to land there—and he froze.
His master’s robe collar had come slightly loose, revealing delicate collarbones.
And just beneath the collarbone, at the side of the neck, was a clear red bite mark. A trace impossible to miss… That was when—after being struck down by the succubus—his master had caught him, and he had lost control and bitten him.
He had forgotten before, but now, recalling it, he seemed to still remember the lingering sensation between his teeth and lips, carrying with it the faint, cold fragrance of plum seeping from beneath the skin.
Mo Xuanli’s mind went blank. The shameful memory from the ruins flared up, setting his whole body taut with tension.
Something bad was about to happen.
His face flushed crimson in an instant. He dared not wake Gu Baiqing, dared not face the fact that he had bitten his master and left such an intimate trace. He turned over, intent on fleeing the room.
But Gu Baiqing slept on the outer side, while he was on the inner.
Mo Xuanli nearly held his breath as he prepared to leap over Gu Baiqing.
Yet just as he gathered qi to jump, Gu Baiqing murmured again in his sleep.
“Mo Xuanli…”
Mo Xuanli’s breath caught; the shock scattered his spiritual energy, and he fell straight onto Gu Baiqing.
Wide awake, how could he dare press down on his master? In desperation, he braced himself with arms and legs, holding himself suspended just above Gu Baiqing.
His head buzzed like a thief caught red-handed, yet at the same time, he was utterly bewildered.
Master… was dreaming?
And calling his name?
Master… dreamed of him?
For a moment, Mo Xuanli felt flustered, uncertain what dream his master was having.
Just as he was about to retreat, he heard Gu Baiqing speak again, urgent, almost breathless:
“Mo Xuanli, give me… more, it’s not enough… I need more…”
Mo Xuanli’s body stiffened. He was dumbstruck. Completely dumbstruck. Every word struck like thunder.
What… what had his master just said?
Had he misheard?
Master said—
“Mo Xuanli, again.”
This time, there was no way to deceive himself. His body reacted before his mind could.
Mo Xuanli trembled all over, shocked into rolling back to the inner side of the bed, not daring to breathe. His head was filled with those words, while beneath him…
On Gu Baiqing’s side, he was startled awake from a nightmare—again dreaming of a crisis where his spiritual power wasn’t enough, just like earlier, when he had nearly fallen to his death.
In the dream, he had desperately clutched his portable spiritual-charging device, demanding more and more. Yet his disciple was always hesitant and shy, reluctant to cooperate. It was just charging spiritual energy—why the shyness? He himself hadn’t even thought about all those master-disciple clichés. What was there for a straight man like him to be embarrassed about?
He was… straight, right?
But then the dream shifted, showing Mo Xuanli sprawled on him, tearfully pleading, those soulful eyes making his heart pound.
Gu Baiqing jolted awake, sitting up abruptly.
The sudden movement even woke Three Bean, who was sleeping nearby.
Gu Baiqing glanced outside at the sky, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Luckily, just a dream.
Stretching his body, he was about to yawn lazily when his gaze shifted—and nearly wrenched his waist in fright.
On the inner side of the bed, someone was lying with their back to him.
Even without seeing the face, just that broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, solid back was enough to make his heart skip.
Mo Xuanli!
Gu Baiqing shot straight up, launching into the air with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin before landing back on the ground.
Steadying himself, his first reaction was to look at his clothes.
The same clothes as before… scared him half to death! He thought—
Gu Baiqing let out a breath, truly unable to stay in this room any longer. This world was full of traps, impossible to guard against—he’d only fainted for a moment, and now master and disciple had ended up sharing a bed again. Far too terrifying.
Worried that Three Bean would wake Mo Xuanli, he hurriedly scooped the little one up and escaped the scene together.
Only then did Mo Xuanli slowly open his eyes, his expression both tormented and lost.
In the outer cabin, Gu Baiqing downed several cups of tea before he could calm himself. Thankfully, he had woken early and avoided the embarrassment of opening his eyes to find themselves face-to-face. That situation was far too ripe for psychological suggestion. Dangerous, dangerous.
The door to the outer cabin was left wide open. Occasionally disciples walked past. Calling one over for news, Gu Baiqing learned they were already nearing Zixiao Sect.
He carefully reviewed this trip to the secret realm. Overall, it had gone quite smoothly. At the very least, Mo Xuanli had already broken through to late Foundation Establishment—that was half the task completed. Earlier he had checked: reaching late stage required 66% progress, and now his cultivation progress had already reached 70%. Truly, the secret realm had accelerated Mo Xuanli’s growth. Next would be his natal magic weapon. The three materials required for forging had also been found. Once it was refined, the task would be truly complete.
As he thought of this, Gu Baiqing suddenly remembered his debts. If his mental calculation back then wasn’t wrong, it still might not be enough. A bit unwilling, he decided to recalculate when he had time.
He pulled out ten storage bags, reaching in to rummage, counting item by item.
Finally, he took out a few items of uncertain value. Better to let Second Senior Brother handle them—he had the instincts of a profiteer and would surely negotiate the best price.
Lowering his head, he looked at what lay in his hand: the Spotless Immortal Sprout. Yes, he had also found it, plucked a bud.
Just thinking of how, for the sake of money, he had let this little thing probe through his memories left him feeling like he had shamelessly sold himself.
In the end, the green sprout turned into the brightest red. By rule, the more vivid the red, the more satisfied the sprout was with what it had seen.
But Gu Baiqing only felt wronged. He was clearly clean and innocent! It was the original text’s demonized Mo Xuanli who had all those tricks, forcing him, every time he did voice-overs, to carefully study and pair them with fantasies. Originally, those fantasies were vague, without a concrete face. But now—having transmigrated into Gu Baiqing, with a real Mo Xuanli in front of him—the illusion slides had automatically swapped faces. It was as if those memories were real, as if he had truly done those things with Mo Xuanli.
Ah, sometimes Gu Baiqing suspected this world was controlling his mind. Otherwise, why were the scenes he least wished to recall imprinted so deeply, as vivid as lived memories, impossible to shake off?
While he was brooding over the Spotless Immortal Sprout’s judgment, suddenly a voice came from behind him.
“Master.”
Gu Baiqing’s hand trembled in shock. Mo Xuanli had walked over and immediately spotted the sprout in his hand. His face instantly grew uneasy.
Master… had plucked one too.
Gu Baiqing felt as if he had been caught streaking naked. But he couldn’t show panic. With a cold, composed face, he set the sprout down and changed the subject: “How is your body?”
But the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Heavens, of all topics, why that one? How was the other supposed to answer?
Sure enough, at his question, Mo Xuanli’s cheeks visibly flushed. Even with his head lowering further and further, his reddened ears were plain to see.
“Disciple… disciple deserves death. This disciple offended Master, this disciple…” Mo Xuanli dropped to his knees outright, as though he had committed a grave sin.
Seeing such an overblown reaction, Gu Baiqing actually relaxed. This looked more like the awkward response of a straight man.
Since he had already spoken, Gu Baiqing simply continued, casually:
“It was only a spell. Nothing to dwell on. That spell should last quite a while, though. For it to fade so quickly…? If you still feel unwell, don’t force yourself. Once we return to Zixiao Sect, go have your Third Senior Aunt take a look.”
If he really held it in until something went wrong, his own guilt would be enormous.
But Mo Xuanli suddenly jolted, answering off-topic: “It lasts that long?”
“What? You really feel fine already? The succubus spell… it should last two days,” Gu Baiqing said doubtfully. But after thinking a moment, he understood: in the original text, it was the demonized Mo Xuanli who had deceived his Master, pretending it was the spell—when in fact it was simply his own rut.
Realizing this, Gu Baiqing was left with black lines all over his head.
But Mo Xuanli grew visibly agitated, like someone in fear who had just seized upon hope.
So that was it. The reason he had lost control just now wasn’t because he harbored thoughts toward his Master—it was the lingering effect of the spell. All along, he had thought….
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