Su Yingxue looked up and took in Luo Qingchuan’s “home.”

“Have a seat,” Luo Qingchuan said. “Thirsty? Want something to drink?”

The girl shook her head.

“Xiaoxue, I want to ask you something.”

In the spacious living room, Luo Qingchuan tied an apron around himself and glanced at the girl spacing out on the couch.

“Hm?”

Su Yingxue turned her head and gave Luo Qingchuan a gentle smile—quiet and sweet, with all the charm of a teenage girl. She gave off the rosy impression of a first love.

Luo Qingchuan suddenly felt a little nervous. “You…”

As he walked toward the kitchen, he asked casually, “What kind of people do you think demonic cultivators are?”

Su Yingxue tilted her head and replied without much thought, “Probably people who do evil, or want to do evil. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure.”

Luo Qingchuan stepped up to the cupboard, reaching for a kitchen knife. “I saw the news about the Qinggang bar, and I was wondering… why do demonic cultivators always have to be the bad guys…”

“Because they want to grow stronger. Some wicked demonic techniques are shortcuts, after all.”

Luo Qingchuan’s hand suddenly froze.

The Blood Demon Divine Refinement Technique that Mudan cultivated had helped him rapidly ascend to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

If Mudan devoured all the customers in the bar, he would reach Foundation Establishment.

Luo Qingchuan hadn’t wanted to hide it from Su Yingxue.

He’d always had the impulse to tell her everything, and had been trying to lead the conversation in that direction, carefully, without scaring her.

Until he suddenly realized: sure, he could lie about where the Disaster and Chaos Immortal Sutra came from, and he could probably convince Su Yingxue that he was a good person…

But how was he supposed to explain the “miracle” of reaching Foundation Establishment overnight?

There would definitely be doubts. Too many things he couldn’t explain. And Su Yingxue, of all people, was the kind of girl prone to overthinking.

So complicated… Luo Qingchuan pressed his lips together.

“Xiao Chuanchuan, are you scared?”

Luo Qingchuan turned around and saw Su Yingxue on the couch, turned slightly toward him, her gaze soft.

“I’ll protect you,” she said, softly but firmly, with a smile.

Luo Qingchuan gave a wry smile. He seemed to be the passive one in this relationship.

But that wry smile made Su Yingxue space out for a second. Her eyes, previously moist and glistening, suddenly dimmed a little.

While Luo Qingchuan was still rubbing soap off his hands, the girl’s light footsteps approached and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently.

“No more pills,” Su Yingxue said.

Luo Qingchuan shook his head. “I won’t.”

“And you’re not allowed to chase after demonic techniques either. You don’t need to rush to become strong. That whole ‘Ten thousand years is too long, seize the day’—it sounds cool, but I don’t like it.”

The girl, a member of the literature club, recited slowly and clearly, “If love can last forever, does it matter whether we see each other every day or not?”

《Immortal at the Magpie Bridge – Delicate Clouds Weave Skillfully》, Luo Qingchuan said.

He could feel Su Yingxue’s body, pressed against his waist, go soft.

That line completely disarmed him.

Su Yingxue’s voice was as beautiful as newly melted spring snow—pure and warm—landing in Luo Qingchuan’s heart, not chilling but soothing.

She murmured, “I don’t want to eat.”

“Not hungry?”

“I’m a genius at the ninth level of Qi Refining, okay? I could go a whole month without food.”

“Then I’m not hungry either.”

Luo Qingchuan thought to himself: I’m a big-shot demonic cultivator at Foundation Establishment, too.

“Then I want you to stay with me.”

“Sure.”

“Take a bath with me.”

“?”

The splashing of water echoed briefly, then fell silent as the faucet was turned off.

Drip, drip. Crystal-clear droplets trickled down the warm walls.

Slender white toes lightly dipped into the bathwater, flinching like they’d been scalded. Pearl-like toes curled, and shapely legs slowly submerged, sending soft ripples through the water.

She stepped in gracefully. Her figure was delicate and elegant. Her long black hair cascaded down, covering large portions of her smooth, flawless back.

Only when Su Yingxue’s soft, snow-white body lowered into his lap did Luo Qingchuan finally come back to his senses.

He wrapped his arms around her trembling form and asked in a low voice, “Too hot?”

Su Yingxue gently shook her head. The tips of her ears were a warm red—whether from the heat or from embarrassment was hard to tell.

“Your hand…”

“What about it?”

“Your fingertips are hot…”

Luo Qingchuan cleared his throat. “A boy’s instincts.”

“…You want to touch me?”

“…Yeah.”

Su Yingxue grabbed Luo Qingchuan’s hand and placed it on her body. Like a little kitten, she stretched her waist and leaned against his chest, gazing up into the white mist above.

Her skin felt even warmer and softer than the water.

Luo Qingchuan’s other hand crept down from her flat stomach toward the quiet, hidden place.

“So warm,” she murmured with a smile. “Your hands are so smooth, like a girl’s.”

“As long as you like them.”

Su Yingxue fell silent, closing her eyes, quietly feeling Luo Qingchuan’s slow, gentle movements. Her flushed cheeks were enticing.

“I can hear the water,” she whispered, as if trying to melt completely into Luo Qingchuan’s embrace, hiding in that gentle warmth like a cat curling up in the sunlight.

Luo Qingchuan paused his hand.

“I hate noise,” she said softly. “I don’t like fighting with people, but my mom and dad… they argue all the time.”

“They work from morning till night, barely see each other, barely talk… and yet they spend that little time just complaining.”

Her lips curved in a lonely smile. “Without any real communication, even tiny things become needles, pricking at you, over and over, until your whole body’s covered in wounds. But…”

Her voice became soft and sorrowful. “I don’t know what to do. And they won’t even spare a little of that arguing time to listen to me.”

In Luo Qingchuan’s arms, Su Yingxue felt like she was going to melt—boneless and helpless.

“I’ve always been obedient,” she said quietly. “They used to tell me to focus on school.”

“Now they say I should become an immortal who controls life and death. And… they told me to stay away from you.”

Her voice dropped to a murmur. “Luo Qingchuan, it’s like everyone has a dream… but I don’t. I don’t know what I want to become. The more I think about it, the less I understand myself. Sometimes I even have really scary thoughts.”

Su Yingxue opened her eyes and looked up at the boy behind her. “What about you?”

“Me?”

The boy smiled without hesitation.

“Just like a lot of kids, I used to want to grow up to be one of those great people in society.”

Su Yingxue blinked in surprise, curiosity mixing with confusion. “What does it mean to be ‘great’?”

“Well, that’s…”

Su Yingxue sensed a subtle pause in the boy’s voice.

Luo Qingchuan gently rested his chin on her slightly flushed, tender shoulder.

“I’m still looking for the answer.”

The lights were soft. The dripping of water gradually faded.

Su Yingxue turned around and kissed Luo Qingchuan.

A long time passed.

“Take me with you to find it,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, smiling softly and beautifully.

…