Xie Liufeng brought Chu Xinghui home.

He watched over him for half a month before he finally received a message from Xie Tinglan.

Xie Tinglan got straight to the point: “I have two pieces of news for you, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Xie Liufeng tucked the blanket around Chu Xinghui’s shoulders and replied: “The good one, I suppose.”

If possible, he hoped there would be no bad news.

Xie Tinglan didn’t beat around the bush: “This demon pill can indeed extract the poison from your disciple’s body.”

Xie Liufeng continued: “And the bad news?”

Xie Tinglan paused for a moment before saying: “I’ve discussed it with my master. This demon pill itself is toxic, even more so than the poison inside his body. To use the demon pill to draw out the poison, we must first have him swallow the pill and then slowly catalyze the absorption with spiritual power. During this process, if the demon pill were to break inside his body… even a god wouldn’t be able to save him.”

The demon pill wasn’t particularly sturdy, and any slight instability in the spiritual power could lead to the risk of it breaking.

And if it failed… Chu Xinghui would certainly die.

Xie Liufeng rubbed his temples and asked hopelessly: “Is there no other way?”

Xie Tinglan fell silent.

After a while, Xie Liufeng proposed: “What if I do it? Most of his spiritual energy is derived from me. I could take the demon pill, draw the poison into my own body, and then use the demon pill to absorb the poison. Would that work?”

“… Although it’s theoretically possible,” Xie Tinglan frowned and warned: “but no matter how similar your spiritual energies are, if he resists you even slightly, causing the flow of spiritual energy between the two of you to become unstable, the demon pill will definitely break.”

Cultivators instinctively resist others’ spiritual power. While shared origins in spiritual energy may reduce the likelihood of triggering this instinct, it can never fully eliminate it.

Especially since Chu Xinghui still didn’t know when he would wake up from his coma. His resistance would likely be even harder to suppress.

Xie Liufeng’s logic was clear: “If the demon pill breaks in my body, there’s still room for recovery. It’s better than letting Xinghui face certain death. Moreover… he won’t resist me. The demon pill won’t necessarily break.”

Xie Tinglan felt the risk was too great and wanted to persuade him further.

Xie Liufeng made his decision: “Cousin, it’s settled. Please come as soon as possible.”

If he couldn’t even bear the risks for his disciple, he had no reason to continue being his master.

Xie Tinglan couldn’t persuade him and could only nod in agreement: “Alright, alright, I understand your intention. We’ll do it your way.”

*

After the plan was confirmed, Xie Tinglan quickly brought Cheng Yu over.

She didn’t say much, simply guiding Xie Liufeng, who had been keeping vigil at Chu Xinghui’s bedside, to one side, then carefully examined Chu Xinghui.

The patient’s condition was much better than she had expected, and she relaxed a little, asking Xie Liufeng: “What did you feed him?”

Xie Liufeng casually replied: “Nothing special, just some blood. I’ve given it to him more than once.”

Xie Tinglan: “…”

It sounded as if blood was just some common commodity.

She didn’t know what to say and could only sigh: “Forget it. Once your disciple’s poison is resolved, I’ll take a look at it.”

She turned to Cheng Yu: “Bring the materials over.”

Cheng Yu immediately brought several packets of medicine.

Xie Tinglan handed the packets to Xie Liufeng: “I’ve already prepared the demon pill. These are the materials for the medicinal bath. I’ve instructed Cheng Yu to set up the tub and water outside. Let him soak for three days, then we can start the detoxification process.”

Cheng Yu, full of enthusiasm, helped Chu Xinghui out of bed, preparing to help him take off his outer garments.

Xie Liufeng pulled him aside: “I’ll do it.”

He rolled up his sleeves, carefully removed Chu Xinghui’s clothes, and personally carried him into the bath.

Xie Tinglan reminded him: “The water must remain warm, and someone should stay with him for the next three days.”

Xie Liufeng nodded: “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with him.”

Seeing his tired face, Xie Tinglan knew he hadn’t had any rest in a while and couldn’t help but suggest: “Why don’t you rest for a bit? Cheng Yu can keep watch as well.”

Cheng Yu immediately leaned in, ready to help.

Xie Liufeng shook his head: “No need, I won’t be able to rest well. It’s better if I stay here.”

*

Three days quickly passed.

Xie Liufeng opened the door and brought out Chu Xinghui, who now carried the scent of the medicinal herbs.

Xie Tinglan handed him the prepared demon pill, hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask again: “Are you really going to do this?”

Xie Liufeng didn’t respond. He lowered his gaze and glanced at the demon pill in his hand before swallowing it directly.

Xie Tinglan…

Well, fine.

She led both of them to the prepared area without saying another word.

Xie Tinglan, with Cheng Yu by her side, stood by to watch in case any unexpected situations arose.

Xie Liufeng pulled Chu Xinghui’s hand over and pressed their palms together, first testing the waters by sending his spiritual power into Chu Xinghui’s body.

Chu Xinghui instinctively struggled slightly.

Xie Tinglan was startled and immediately stood up.

But Xie Liufeng remained much calmer.

Unable to free his hands, he leaned forward and gently pressed his forehead to Chu Xinghui’s.

Feeling the familiar presence, Chu Xinghui’s eyelashes fluttered, and he gradually quieted down, allowing spiritual power that didn’t belong to him to flow freely in and out of his body.

Xie Tinglan sat back down, suddenly realizing why Xie Liufeng could do so much for Chu Xinghui.

A single hand cannot clap, it seemed that both of them were more invested in their relationship than she had realized.

However… she couldn’t help but glance at her own foolish little disciple.

Her disciples probably weren’t enough. Was it normal to raise disciples like this?

Cheng Yu, unaware of his master’s thoughts, was chanting quietly, eyes closed.

The words seemed to rhyme.

Xie Tinglan listened carefully for a while but couldn’t understand what he was chanting and asked: “What are you doing?”

Cheng Yu answered honestly: “Paying respects to the ancestor.”

Xie Tinglan asked: “Who taught you that?”

Cheng Yu thought for a moment, then without hesitation sold out his senior disciple: “Senior Sister taught me. She said that our alchemy ancestor left many pioneering alchemy formulas. When encountering difficult problems, it’s useful to pray.”

Xie Tinglan gave his head a slap: “Do something useful. Go prepare the pills we’ll need later.”

These little brats had the energy for nonsense. It was clear they had too little work to do.

*

The detoxification process lasted a day and a night, and finally, Xie Liufeng opened his eyes.

He forced the demon pill that had absorbed the poison out of his body, caught Chu Xinghui, who was about to collapse, and held him in his arms. With his other hand, he checked Chu Xinghui’s pulse and examined his condition.

The flow of spiritual power was stable, and the toxins that had once been wandering in Chu Xinghui’s body had completely disappeared.

Even his body temperature, which had always been much lower than normal, had risen noticeably.

Xie Liufeng let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling at ease. He couldn’t help but pinch Chu Xinghui’s now rosy cheek.

With that… there were no more hidden dangers.

Xie Tinglan, who had been waiting nearby, immediately approached and handed the two of them some pills.

She looked at Xie Liufeng’s pale face, her concern evident: “Everything went smoothly, right?”

Xie Liufeng lowered his head to feed Chu Xinghui the pill and shook his head: “Don’t worry. The demon pill is out, so what else could go wrong? I’ve just consumed quite a bit of energy, and it’ll take a couple of days to recover. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Xie Tinglan rubbed her forehead: “This time, it’s a stroke of luck. Don’t be so impulsive next time.”

Her age made it hard for her to handle such shocks.

With the biggest issue with Chu Xinghui resolved, Xie Liufeng was in a good mood and began to babble on again: “How could it be called impulsive? Our Xinghui is very filial. I’ve always said he wouldn’t resist me.”

Xie Tinglan: “…”

What a mess of nonsense.

She had never heard of this sort of thing being called “filial piety.”

Cheng Yu, curious, peered over at Chu Xinghui and couldn’t help but ask about his little companion: “When will he wake up?”

Xie Tinglan checked on Chu Xinghui and concluded: “The poison has been cleared, but his soul still needs to recover. It will take some time before he wakes up.”

The three of them chatted for a bit before Xie Liufeng carried Chu Xinghui back to his room.

Watching their backs, Cheng Yu suddenly felt the urge to say something.

He pondered for a long time but couldn’t come up with the right words. Then, suddenly, an idea struck him: “Senior Xie and Xinghui really are a match made in heaven.”

Xie Tinglan looked at him, irritated, and asked: “How did you do in your cultural studies?”

Cheng Yu scratched his head: “Master, you didn’t sign me up for cultural studies.”

Some new disciples don’t know how to read for various reasons, and many sects provide cultural classes for these disciples. The Danding Sect was no exception.

But Cheng Yu had known how to read when he entered, so he skipped that class.

Xie Tinglan sighed: “…In a couple of days, you’re coMing back to the sect with me.”

Cheng Yu blinked, a bit confused: “Wait, didn’t you promise I could go out and train?”

Xie Tinglan’s face remained expressionless as she grabbed him by the collar: “I’ve changed my mind. You’re not allowed to go out and train until you pass your cultural studies exam.”

What was this nonsense?

She couldn’t have him embarrassing the sect outside.

*

Xie Tinglan stayed to observe for two more days. Once she confirmed that both Xie Liufeng and Chu Xinghui were free of hidden dangers, she took Cheng Yu and returned to the sect.

Half a month later, Chu Xinghui finally opened his eyes from his long slumber.

He looked at the familiar bed curtains in front of him, and the memories of what had happened before he fell unconscious gradually returned to him.

He suddenly remembered something, and in a rush, he threw off the blanket and sat up, calling a name: “Xie Liufeng!”

Xie Liufeng pressed down on his hand from beside him and answered: “I’m here.”

Chu Xinghui stared at him, and the frantic beating of his heart gradually calmed.

… It wasn’t a dream.

Xie Liufeng really did bring him home.

He couldn’t help but call Xie Liufeng’s name again: “Xie Liufeng.”

Xie Liufeng looked at him, a smile curving his eyes, and responded again: “I’m here.”

Chu Xinghui still felt uneasy and called his name repeatedly.

Xie Liufeng was patient, responding every time Chu Xinghui called.

Finally, Chu Xinghui stopped calling. He looked at Xie Liufeng, his eyes slowly turning red, before suddenly burying his face in Xie Liufeng’s chest.

Xie Liufeng’s heart ached for him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around him, soothing him: “It’s alright, it’s over now.”

 

Support translation: