Speak of the devil.

Just as everyone was trying to mediate, Bai Yang strode in, shouting, "Master!"

"Oh, Bai Yang’s back!"

"Bai Yang is all right! Junior Sister Song, you can finally rest easy, can’t you?"

"That’s right, that’s right! Bai Yang is fine!"

The elders were overjoyed and quickly resumed their attempts to persuade Song Wanning.

Song Wanning looked back at Bai Yang, and seeing his eyes brimming with emotion, the corner of her mouth lifted in a slight smile.

"Bai Yang made it back alive because he was lucky. That doesn’t mean the Sect Master’s actions were right."

She still refused to yield.

The elders were getting a massive headache and hurriedly told Bai Yang to try and persuade her.

Bai Yang was also deeply unhappy with the Sect Master’s decision, but he didn’t want Song Wanning to leave the Heavenly Inquiry Sect. He had no choice but to step forward and say, "It is my fault. I made you worry, Master."

"Master, please don’t leave the Heavenly Inquiry Sect. The Sect needs you."

A hint of warmth shone in his eyes. The gloom that had plagued him for days was gone, replaced by a warmth that filled his entire heart.

With Bai Yang breaking the ice, the other elders chimed in with their own pleas. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Song Wanning still looked displeased, but her stance seemed to soften slightly.

The Sect Master’s eye twitched. He was furious but had no way to vent his anger.

’He knew it. Song Wanning was waiting for him to apologize!’

As long as he refused to apologize, she would never back down.

After a long internal struggle, the Sect Master swallowed his pride and apologized to Song Wanning. "Junior Sister Song, I was in the wrong this time. I apologize. I swear something like this will never happen again!"

He felt he had humbled himself enough, but Song Wanning wasn’t buying it.

The Sect Master gritted his teeth in fury. Seeing everyone waiting, he had no choice but to speak again. "Just this once, be the bigger person and forgive me!"

’This was his absolute limit.’

Song Wanning’s eyes danced as she gazed at the Sect Master’s livid face, feeling utterly delighted.

She sighed, feigning a look of magnanimity.

"Fine. We’ll let it go this time. I’d hate for people to say I press my advantage when I’m in the right."

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her cool voice rising once more. "But if there is a next time, Sect Master, don’t blame me for being unreasonable."

Sect Master: "!!!"

’Song Wanning actually dared to threaten him!’

He trembled with rage, his face alternating between ashen and livid.

Song Wanning paid him no mind, turning on her heel and striding away, leaving only her elegant back in her wake.

Seeing this, Bai Yang hurried after her. The other elders, feeling it would be awkward to remain, also filed out.

They had come in a rush and left in a rush, leaving the Sect Master standing there, utterly mortified.

Liu Shiyue, the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect, let out a snort of laughter and made a few teasing remarks, which only made the man’s blood boil even more.

The others managed to stifle their laughter, but their amused expressions were plain to see.

The Sect Master clenched his fists, his loathing for Song Wanning growing even deeper.

’I have to find a way out of this. I can’t let her have me in the palm of her hand forever...’

*

"Master, wait for me."

Bai Yang chased after her, trying to keep up.

Song Wanning, however, shot him a cold glance. "Do not follow me. I have Alchemy to attend to."

With that, her form flickered, and she vanished from right before his eyes.

Bai Yang froze, a sudden sense of grievance washing over him.

’Is Master still angry with me?’

’Why is she still so cold to me?’

As he stood there lost in thought, Ye Chuxue approached, her eyes glinting as she glanced toward Song Wanning’s Alchemy Room.

"Let’s go. You need to go back and get some rest."

"You have to take care of those injuries properly. Come to my place; I’ll give you some Elixir Pills."

’She hated how much attention Bai Yang was paying to Song Wanning.’

’He used to despise Song Wanning. Why the sudden change?’

At her words, Bai Yang fell silent for a moment. He suddenly turned to her. "Junior Sister Ye... you knew Master wasn’t aware I was missing, didn’t you?"

He stared straight at Ye Chuxue, giving her no chance to look away.

Ye Chuxue froze. She wanted to argue, but... the lie was too flimsy. She wouldn’t be able to keep it up if he asked any of the other disciples.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

What else was there for Bai Yang not to understand?

’Junior Sister Ye had deliberately been vague, letting him believe his Master didn’t care if he lived or died. He had been miserable about it the entire journey, yet Ye Chuxue had just watched, never once explaining...’

The person before him had the same face, yet she now seemed like a complete stranger.

’He couldn’t help but think of all the things Junior Sister Ye had whispered in his ear about his Master. Were those lies, too?’

’It was because he’d believed her words that he had gradually come to resent his Master, doing one thing after another to disappoint her...’

"Ye Chuxue," he said suddenly.

"You’ve disappointed me greatly."

"The person you used to be was strong and brave, kind and cheerful. This person you are now... you’re a stranger to me."

The gratitude he’d felt for her venturing into the mountains to find him vanished completely.

Bai Yang’s expression grew cold.

’He had loved the Ye Chuxue of the past, not this person who was full of lies.’

With that, he turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation, his very back radiating cold indifference.

Ye Chuxue stared blankly after him until his figure disappeared completely, at which point her eyes instantly welled with tears.

’She felt so wronged she wanted to cry!’

’She had braved the dangers of the mountains all by herself for him, and this was how he treated her...’

’It was just one little comment! Did he really have to blow it so out of proportion?’

’She’s his Master, not his mother!’

’Why was Bai Yang taking it so seriously?’

Ye Chuxue’s heart burned with resentment. She was so disappointed in Bai Yang, yet she couldn’t stop herself from loving him.

The tangle of complex emotions was driving her mad.

...

Ever since the "Demon Cultivator" underwent their tribulation, the demon beasts had quieted down.

Without the lure of the Divine Beast Egg, the demon beasts gradually came to their senses and stopped their relentless assaults on the border.

Only a few scattered demon beasts were left, still causing trouble at the frontier.

The Sects and families who had come to suppress the horde remained on high alert for several days. When the Demon Cultivator did not reappear, they stood guard at the border for a few more days before confirming the danger had passed and preparing to return home.

Song Wanning first paid a visit to the Song Family, where she handed the Sealing Demon Inner Core she had acquired to Song Qingyun.

"This is...!" Song Qingyun’s eyes widened, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

This was the inner core of a Fifth-rank Demon Beast.

"Where did you get this? Are you hurt?"

He anxiously pulled her close, looking her over from head to toe. Song Wanning had been missing for so long, and it had left him deeply unsettled.

Thank goodness she was safe.

"It’s the inner core of that Great Demon," Song Wanning said with a faint smile.

’That Great Demon was so fond of "dying," anyway,’ she thought. ’So in the end, it got what it wanted.’

Although she hadn’t dealt with the Sealing Demon herself, she had never forgotten about its inner core and had made a special trip to retrieve it at the last moment.

She also told Song Qingyun about undergoing her tribulation, leaving him utterly astounded.

He simply couldn’t connect the image of that infamous Great Demon with his own daughter.

’A Demon Cultivator!’

’And how long has it been since her last advancement? She’s already reached Divinity Transformation?’

’The Divinity Transformation Stage isn’t a dime a dozen!’