“Child, we have been watching you all along, so we understand you and respect your choices. But failure in this trial means you have to accept the punishment. Do you understand us?”

Xinyu appeared in a room.

The first thing she saw was her master and the beautiful fairy sister next to him.

Then they discovered the four enormous screens; it turned out that their master and the fairy sister had been watching them all along.

Looking at Chu Xinqiao and Haotian again, one had black hair and the other had white hair, both of them were so beautiful that she was mesmerized. But when she came to her senses, although she knew she would be punished, her mood still improved.

Master and Fairy Sister are so beautiful.

She also heard what the fairy sister said.

Xinyu couldn't help but lower her head and look at her hands...

Her hands, once considered incredibly delicate, are now marked with bloodstains on her fingers and palms.

It wasn't that she couldn't bear the pain from the battlefield, but rather that she couldn't bear the meaning behind the use of each spell.

It wasn't that she was a saint and couldn't bear to see the enemy being ravaged on the battlefield, but rather that she thought their appearance was too ugly and filthy.

She understands her choice, she knows her path, and she has no regrets.

"Xinyu, I understand Master and Fairy Sister."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xinqiao slowly raised her hand.

Xin Yu didn't know what kind of punishment she would receive, but it seemed that it was her master who was inflicting the punishment on her.

She felt it wouldn't be a physical punishment, but more likely she would be sent to a secret realm related to time so she could experience the desolation of time.

Hsin-Yu has never been afraid of physical suffering; she could even faint from hunger when she was a child. She is only afraid of being alone... afraid of loneliness.

As she was thinking this, a stream of light slowly appeared from Chu Xinqiao's finger. The light, like a lively little fish, circled around Xinyu several times in her puzzled gaze.

The light quickly merged into Xinyu's body, and she did not resist.

She felt the warm glow of the light, which reminded her of her master's warm embrace.

Xinyu couldn't help but close her eyes and enjoy it.

After a long time, she felt the warmth gradually fade, but she still refused to open her eyes.

She was afraid that when she opened her eyes, all she would see was desolation, with no sign of her master or Haotian.

for a long time……

"Why won't you open your eyes, you silly apprentice?"

Xinyu opened her eyes and saw the familiar scene before her, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Master... you didn't just abandon her.

Soon, Xinyu noticed something was wrong with her body.

Her injuries had completely healed, and the bloodstains returned to their original fair and tender skin. Even her hands, which were covered in bloodstains, had become slender, pink, delicate, and fair.

Her tattered dress was now restored to its original state, and her disheveled appearance was now clean and fair.

In the moment of Xinyu's stunned shock, a pair of incredibly familiar arms pulled her into a warm embrace.

“Punishment is punishment, but I think you need a break.”

Xin Yu felt the warmth of her master's embrace, and she couldn't help but feel her nose sting and her eyes dry.

The punishment she had imagined did not come; instead, she was embraced warmly. This... was perhaps proof that she had always been deeply loved by her master.

Haotian sat behind Chu Xinqiao, watching her embrace her disciple, and thought to himself, Chu Xinqiao... could at least be considered half a master.

Xinyu couldn't help but wipe her eyes, controlling the tears that were about to well up, and forced a smile.

"Yes, Master, may I...may I rest in your arms?"

Chu Xinqiao gently patted Xinyu's head: "Okay."

...

Haotian and Chu Xinqiao remained seated side by side, opposite them. Where there were originally four screens, there were now three.

On Chu Xinqiao's lap, a black-haired girl lay peacefully asleep with her eyes closed.

For a moment... they seemed like a family of three.

As for Xiao Hei...

As Xinyu turned to leave, she couldn't help but leave. She needed to find Bai Chen, the clan chief of Xin'an, to ask about the situation here and what her opinion was.

Her own juniors had kindly come to help them, but they were actually trying to stab her. Always protective of her own, she had to ask her if she was truly qualified to be the clan leader.

The kind of stage where any rotten fish or shrimp can perform openly is not the kind of stage she expects.

When Bai Chen noticed Xiao Hei suddenly appear in front of her, she was startled, but she quickly recovered and gave Xiao Hei an elegant bow.

But Xiao Hei's words instantly turned her face ashen.

Although she wasn't emitting any aura, she still instilled in Bai Chen a sense of crisis that left her speechless and wanting to escape.

She was thinking... perhaps... there really was a problem because of her decision back then.

The power of one race was insufficient to resist the invasion of three races simultaneously, so she... hired elves from many other smaller factions to bolster her fighting strength.

In their eyes, participating in the war was nothing more than for resources, and being forced to abide by the rules of Xin'an was a requirement of their employers.

However... they don't take the rules seriously. To some extent, the prisoners of war, whom they can treat arbitrarily and do whatever they want, are more fascinating to them than the resources offered as compensation.

It was precisely because of their existence that such a thing happened to the Xin'an tribe on the entire battlefield.

Xiao Hei lowered her head slightly, as if checking whether her fingernails were still perfectly sharp. She gently rubbed her fingernails with one hand, and faint sparks seemed to appear.

"I think if you can't manage your elven race, I might ask the Human King to unleash several judgments upon your elven race, enough to cover the entire elven forest. All the sinful and filthy elves will turn to dust, simply because the stage you're providing now is a bit too filthy."