Three meet, swords drawn

Xiao Qinghe gritted his teeth and gave Xie Jun a discreet kick.

Quit causing trouble! If Master finds out, we'll both be in for it!

Unexpectedly, Xie Jun refused to back down. Rather than letting go, she tightened her grip, practically wrapping him in an embrace from behind.

The movement finally caught Bai Yuqing's attention.

His gaze sharpened, shooting toward the space behind Xiao Qinghe. "My disciple, what's on your bed?"

The light was too dim to see clearly.

Xiao Qinghe's heart nearly leaped into his throat. "I haven't been feeling well, so I put an extra quilt on the bed!"

The Ghost King Spirit Pill acting up inside him could cause chills, so the explanation was plausible enough.

Bai Yuqing remained skeptical.

Xiao Qinghe seized the opportunity. "I'm not craving blood this time. My limbs are just icy cold, and blankets alone don't seem to help..."

After a moment's thought, Bai Yuqing took off his outer robe and draped it over Xiao Qinghe. "Are you any warmer?"

Xiao Qinghe choked.

Could someone please tell me what I have to do to make Master stay the night?

Waiting for answers. Urgent!

Xiao Qinghe was so anxious that he broke into a cold sweat.

Seeing this, Bai Yuqing sighed. "What trouble could you possibly have that you can't tell me? Why insist on bearing it alone? Since when have you become so distant with your master?"

Xiao Qinghe threw caution to the wind. "The Ghost King Spirit Pill has been acting up. I feel cold all over, and I keep having nightmares. Could you stay with me tonight, Master?"

The moment he finished speaking, someone viciously pinched his lower back, the gesture charged with anger.

Ow!

But he had no choice. This was a task assigned by the hellish system.

Look, I'm in a tough spot here. Just bear with it.

Grimacing in pain, Xiao Qinghe could only force himself to endure it. He shifted backward, nearly squeezing Xie Jun into the corner against the wall, and finally cleared enough space for one person beside him. With a stiff smile, he said, "Sorry for the trouble, Master."

Bai Yuqing was slightly taken aback.

His disciple was especially good at fawning over him, but had always observed proper etiquette. Why would he make such a request today?

At that moment, Xiao Qinghe lay on his side wearing only his inner robes, his ink-black hair spilling loose. His clothes hung half-open, the collar dipping to reveal a small patch of skin on his chest.

The sight was a far cry from his usual refined composure. In the hazy moonlight, he looked almost alluring.

Bai Yuqing's expression faltered, and he awkwardly averted his eyes.

Xiao Qinghe thought he was unwilling.

Fair enough.

His master had always kept to himself and disliked having others close. Asking him to share a bed was like throwing insects onto him-it would make him uncomfortable all over.

"If this puts you in a difficult position, Master, I won't insist..."

"It's fine." Bai Yuqing gave a light cough and finally lay down on his side.

As soon as he lowered his eyes, he saw the expanse of pale skin on Xiao Qinghe's chest.

He swiftly reached over and pulled Xiao Qinghe's collar closed. "If you're cold, dress properly. What sort of conduct is this, leaving your clothes in disarray?"

The darkness concealed the suspicious hint of red that crept onto the tips of his ears.

Xiao Qinghe had no attention to spare for that, because a sudden surge of fury swept through him.

Of course, it wasn't his own anger. He was sensing it from Xie Jun behind him.

Xie Jun and his master had never gotten along. Now that they were lying on the same bed, it was already incredible that she had held out this long.

Her anger surged fiercely, threatening to erupt at any moment.

Don't be rash! Nothing good comes of acting on impulse!

Please, stay calm!

Bai Yuqing noticed none of this. He only saw Xiao Qinghe drenched in cold sweat and continually inching toward the quilt behind him. His brows knitted. "Am I some fearsome beast? You were the one who asked me to stay with you, yet now you keep avoiding me. Are you trying to insult me?"

That was a serious accusation!

I wouldn't dare, even if I had ten thousand times the courage!

"I wouldn't dare, Master!"

"Then why do you keep retreating? Is there something about me that disgusts you?"

The person behind me won't let me move!

Xiao Qinghe wanted to cry, but had no tears.

Bai Yuqing's outer robe covered him, and beneath it, Xie Jun's arm lay across his waist, her grip astonishingly strong and utterly unyielding.

Xie Jun lay right behind him without a word. Yet her icy gaze and the threatening pressure radiating from her told him that if he made one wrong move, she would throw off the robe and confront his master.

Just imagining that scene was enough to make his head explode.

Xiao Qinghe didn't dare move. All he could do was invent an excuse to placate Bai Yuqing. "You are far too esteemed, Master. I wouldn't dare presume to get too close. Besides, you dislike others coming too near. I'm already deeply grateful that you're willing to stay with me. How could I push my luck and ask for more?"

Bai Yuqing stared at him. "Is that truly what you think?"

Xiao Qinghe nodded repeatedly. Seeing that Bai Yuqing hadn't grown suspicious, he was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Bai Yuqing suddenly said, "You are my disciple, not just anyone. Besides, you're unwell, so I'll indulge you this once. Come here. Move closer."

Xiao Qinghe was speechless.

Master, you don't have to put yourself through this!

"Why haven't you come over yet? Must I beg you?"

"..."

It's not that I won't come over. I can't!

The furious grip around his waist was about to snap him in half!

Ow!

It hurt like hell!

This was going to kill him!

If he moved closer, Xie Jun would explode. If he didn't, his master would explode. Either way, he would be the one suffering.

What kind of goddamn torment was this?!

That hellish system had really screwed him over!

Xiao Qinghe was on the verge of losing his mind.

Just as he was agonizing over which of them to offend, an urgent voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"Master Yu Qing? Are you here, Master Yu Qing?"

Xiao Qinghe was utterly flustered.

If someone called Master away halfway through, would his task count as completed or not?

The two senior disciples outside seemed terribly anxious.

"I told you Master Yu Qing wasn't here, didn't I? But you wouldn't believe me."

"Master Yu Qing and Junior Brother Xiao are inseparable. If Master Yu Qing isn't in his own hall, he must be with Junior Brother Xiao. Everyone in the Sect agrees on that. How could he not be here?"

Xiao Qinghe was speechless.

Why does everyone agree on that?!

"If Master Yu Qing isn't here, where else can we find him? Without his personal intervention, no one can subdue that demon who escaped from the Demon-Suppressing Tower!"

Bai Yuqing had intended to ignore them, but at the mention of the Demon-Suppressing Tower, his expression hardened. He rose and went outside.

"What happened at the Demon-Suppressing Tower?"

The two senior disciples exchanged glances.

Master Yu Qing really had been in Junior Brother Xiao's room. And he had taken off his outer robe, with his hair slightly disheveled, as though he had just gotten out of bed. This...

How could they not let their imaginations run wild?!

But that wasn't the point. The point was the demon who had escaped from the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

"The Demon Spirit Pearl suddenly shifted, and that demon took the opportunity to escape through the gap it left. More than ten Tower Guards were gravely injured. The demon has fled, and its whereabouts are unknown!"

"The Sect Leader has ordered us to recapture this demon at any cost. Otherwise, if it escapes into the mortal world, it will surely harm the common people and wreak havoc!"

After questioning them further, Bai Yuqing learned which demon had escaped. His expression changed drastically, and a chilling murderous aura burst from him.

"Wind-Piercing!"

With a fierce shout, he summoned the Wind-Piercing Sword and flew toward the Demon-Suppressing Tower atop it.

Xiao Qinghe grabbed an outer robe at random and threw it on. By the time he hurried outside, Bai Yuqing was already gone.

Any demon who could make his master take things so seriously had to be extraordinary.

"What sort of demon creature escaped?"

The two senior disciples stared fixedly at the outer robe he wore, utterly dumbfounded.

Wasn't that Master Yu Qing's outer robe?

There really was something going on between Junior Brother Xiao and Master Yu Qing, wasn't there?

Xiao Qinghe's face darkened. "Are you listening to me? Why exactly is Master in such a hurry?"

The two senior disciples came to their senses. "That was the most difficult demon to deal with in the entire Demon-Suppressing Tower. We heard it killed the person most important to Master years ago. Master fought it for three days and nights, and only by borrowing the power of the Demon Spirit Pearl did he finally subdue it and imprison it beneath the Demon-Suppressing Tower!"

Xiao Qinghe was startled.

The original novel had indeed mentioned that his master bore an old grudge against the Demon Clan, which was why he hated them to the bone. But little had been written about it. The later plot had focused entirely on the Female Lead's tangled relationships with various handsome men, and his master's storyline had never been developed.

He knew nothing about whom his master had lost, whether that demon had ultimately been caught, or even what kind of fiend it was.

"What exactly is this demon?"