Luo Jiu, who had just emerged from the magic circle, was still shaken by what she had just witnessed.

Just when everyone thought the fox demon was trapped by the magic array, she unexpectedly used her own blood essence to nourish the Soul-Gathering Sail. The black mist that the Soul-Gathering Sail suppressed revealed the evil spirits that broke through the golden restriction in an instant and attacked Luo Jiu.

Seeing how badly Luo Jiu had tricked her, the fox demon was determined to bury Luo Jiu beneath the cave, even at the cost of her own life.

The Soul-Collecting Sail is an evil artifact left over from ancient times. It enjoys feeding on human jealousy and resentment, and now, its intense malice seems to be about to engulf everyone.

Just as Luo Jiu and Wen Zhaobai were caught off guard, Yan Ze slashed Luo Jiu's arm with a dagger.

Bright red blood flowed from his palm, still tinged with a hint of green spiritual energy.

"Master?"

Luo Jiu was puzzled. Could it be that Yan Ze was thinking of ending her life since she was going to die sooner or later anyway?

However, Luo Jiu's imagination soon came to a halt.

Her blood didn't drip onto the ground; instead, it gathered into a stream of green water that flowed towards Yan Ze.

Blood flowed smoothly across the sword's blade, and Yan Ze, wielding the longsword, pierced through the black mist, attacking the Soul-Collecting Sail.

Pale green spiritual energy burst forth from the black, swirling mist, and a sharp wail emanated from the Soul-Gathering Sail, as the suppressed evil spirits vanished into thin air.

"puff……"

Zizhi was knocked to the ground by the powerful impact, and the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth stained her pink dress.

She could feel her body breaking apart, on the verge of collapse. So, she struggled to her feet, supporting herself on the ice coffin, only to slip and fall again and again.

The huge tail behind it looked like its bones had been broken, hanging limply to the ground.

"Xue Lang..."

The woman still had a faint smile on her face as she inserted her fingers into the ice coffin, as if stroking her beloved's face one last time.

No matter how reluctant she was, a moment later she transformed into an orange fox, motionless and lifeless.

Luo Jiu was deeply saddened by the fox demon's fate.

In the end, he was just a pitiful person trapped by love...

"Junior Sister? Junior Sister?"

Hearing the sound, Luo Jiu came to her senses and saw Wen Zhaobai looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Um?"

"What you said to the fox demon in the cave... was it all true? Did that scholar truly not want to wake up?"

"...Of course I was lying to her."

Luo Jiu was embarrassed, her eyes filled with even more affection as she looked at Wen Zhaobai. How could there be such an innocent male lead? He was practically a pure white flower... She really couldn't imagine what he would be like after he turned evil.

"I just read too many random books, so I'm just trying to scare her."

After these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence among the three of them.

Even Yan Ze, who was walking ahead, couldn't help but turn around and take another look at Luo Jiu.

The group quickly returned to Master Ma's residence. Now that the murderer had been eliminated, they were ready to return to the mountain after a short while.

As Luo Jiu watched Yan Ze's firm steps, a faint sense of doubt arose in her heart.

Yan Ze found this very strange. Why couldn't he even defeat a small fox demon in the cave? He had clearly exhausted his magic power, so why did he break the Soul-Gathering Sail by borrowing his own blood?

Luo Jiu looked at her palm, which was wrapped in a handkerchief, completely puzzled.

Back in the bedroom, before Yan Ze even reached the bedside, he couldn't hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood.

...

"Master?"

Luo Jiu knocked on Yan Ze's door with the medicine she had just brewed. She hadn't forgotten Yan Ze's pale, bloodless face when he turned around earlier.

The room was quiet, without a sound. Luo Jiu couldn't figure out what Yan Ze was doing, so she slowly pushed the door open.

The sight of a pool of blood startled Luo Jiu, and she quickened her pace, carrying the medicine.

Yan Ze sat cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by a faint black aura. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were fighting against something.

His face appeared even paler against the black backdrop.

Luo Jiu had seen Yan Ze's spiritual power before; it was a cold white color, just like him, carrying a faint scent of cold wood. It was quiet, yet grounded and substantial, making people feel at ease and reliable.

She didn't know what the black mist was, and dared not interrupt, so she just waited and waited...

Night had quietly fallen.

Yan Ze suppressed the increasingly troublesome black energy back into his body and looked at Luo Jiu sitting in the chair.

The little girl had already fallen asleep on the table, but even in her sleep she didn't forget to hold the bowl of medicine that had been brought to her.

Yan Ze did not expect her to come in, and even to discover his secret.

However, instead of feeling panicked by the unexpected, a warm current slowly flowed into my heart.

He has always been alone. In his childhood, he cultivated alone, ate alone, and slept alone. As he grew up, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of the Xiuyun Immortal Sect and the task of protecting all living beings in the Three Realms all by himself.

He was seen by everyone as the omnipotent number one cultivator in the cultivation world, and by his disciples as their most loyal support...

Therefore, he cannot get hurt, and he cannot show the slightest bit of fear...

He has always been hurt, but whether he is hurt or not, he is still just a person...

Nobody cares, nobody pays attention...

But upon reflection, this seemingly silly little girl in front of him turned out to be the only person who had genuinely cared about him all these years.

I always seem to appear sickly and weak in her presence... I don't know what kind of magic she possesses, that keeps uncovering my secrets...

No one knew how tender Yan Ze's gaze was towards Luo Jiu at that moment; even he himself was unaware of it.

"Hmm... Master?"

Luo Jiu woke up, her eyes still closed, groggy, but she was calling Yan Ze's name.

"Eh... Master, you..."

Luo Jiu was about to say something when she looked at the medicine bowl in her hands and remembered her mission.

"Master, drink it quickly. You don't look well."

Yan Ze looked at the bowl of medicine that Luo Jiu was holding, his eyes showing a slightly complicated expression.

"Oh, I forgot, the medicine has gotten cold. I'll go heat it up for you."

"You came here just to bring me medicine?"

As Luo Jiu turned around, a cold voice sounded from behind her, making her stop in her tracks.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Of course there are."

Seeing that Yan Ze had made his point clear, Luo Jiu stopped hiding it. She showed Yan Ze the wounds on her hands.

A glaring red mark ran across her delicate, fair palm, and trickles of blood seeped from the pink handkerchief, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

"Master, why do you want my blood? Aren't you going to explain?"

When Yan Ze met Luo Jiu's clear and bright eyes, all the excuses he had prepared vanished without a trace.

He smiled helplessly and said calmly:

"You're so smart, didn't you already guess it?"