Ye Chuxue panicked, and the hand supporting Gu Qingyuan trembled.

The next moment, Gu Qingyuan, who had just been showing signs of recovery, collapsed right on top of her. He had fainted.

"Master!!!"

Ye Chuxue cried out in alarm and quickly shook the man in her arms.

But all she saw was a trickle of dark blood leaking from the corner of Gu Qingyuan’s mouth. He was clearly poisoned.

"How could this be?"

She collapsed onto the ground, hugging Gu Qingyuan’s body tightly, her eyes vacant and lost.

’It’s happening again...’

’Why is it always like this?’

She had performed Alchemy several times without making a single mistake, so why did everyone who took her Elixir Pills end up poisoned?

Ye Chuxue couldn’t understand. This was a Pill Recipe from the Medicine King Sect! There was no way it could be flawed. ’Did I do a step wrong somewhere?’

She began to frantically review her process, sweat beading on her forehead.

The most important thing now was to find an antidote for Gu Qingyuan.

But she had no detoxifying Elixir Pills left, and what was worse, she didn’t even know what poison he had been afflicted with! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

’What do I do?’

Ye Chuxue had to force herself to calm down and think of a plan.

She could only seal Gu Qingyuan’s meridians to prevent the poison from spreading before carefully laying him down inside the cave.

"Master, don’t worry. I’ll definitely find the Medicinal Herbs for an antidote!"

"Just wait for me here."

Still uneasy, Ye Chuxue set up the few remaining Array Plates she had in the cave before heading out alone.

She didn’t dare to venture too far, beginning her search for Medicinal Herbs in the immediate vicinity.

But this was the territory of demon beasts, and Ye Chuxue encountered many of them along her path.

However, her good fortune seemed to hold. After a battle of several hundred rounds with a demon beast, Ye Chuxue fell from a cliff—and unexpectedly stumbled upon a Hundred Flavors Grass.

A Hundred Flavors Grass that was over ten thousand years old, no less!!!

Ye Chuxue’s eyes lit up. She quickly harvested the herb and, on her way back to the cave, made another unexpected discovery: an Earth Spirit Fruit.

The dusty-looking fruit seemed unappetizing, but it was a potent tonic. Not only could it replenish one’s Spiritual Power, but it could also aid in cultivation.

Her Five Elements Spirit Root included the Earth Attribute, so of course, she could eat it!

Ye Chuxue picked all the fruit, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

It was always like this. She might have to face some danger, but in the end, she would always obtain something wonderful. All her wishes would come true.

This was the blessing of a protagonist, her own unique fortune.

She was still the favored child of heaven. The Heavenly Dao had never abandoned her!

’Once I’ve recovered my strength, I’ll go back and settle the score with Song Wanning!’

Ye Chuxue delightedly gathered her treasures and hurried back toward the cave. However, before she was even close, she encountered a figure on the path.

The moment she saw the familiar silhouette, she spaced out for a second, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.

But the person simply watched her from a distance, their expression complex yet cold, making them impossible to ignore.

’It’s real!’

’That’s really Bai Yang!’

Ye Chuxue froze, unsure for a moment how to face Bai Yang. Though they had their conflicts, both of them were keenly aware of the unspoken feelings between them.

’And yet, she had ended up with her Master...’

Facing Bai Yang now, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

Bai Yang, for his part, stared at Ye Chuxue’s slender, frail form, a flicker of complex emotion passing through him.

’This woman,’ he thought, ’was once the love of my life.’

In a daze, his mind drifted back to their first meeting. A disciple was being bullied, and Ye Chuxue had stepped forward to defend them. Even though her Cultivation was no match for her opponent’s, she stood firm, determined to help.

Back then, he had thought she was a fool. ’She can’t even protect herself, so how can she save anyone else?’

But in the end, Ye Chuxue had turned the tables and won, metaphorically slapping everyone across the face.

Covered in blood, she had declared with magnificent heroism, "All people under heaven are equal!"

It was then that he committed this special young woman to memory.

Later, they met again during their training and went through many trials together. He found himself gradually won over by her kindness and good heart.

It was also around that time that he began to resent his Master’s high-and-mighty attitude.

His Master was a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and she never considered others’ feelings. Her "might makes right" philosophy irritated him to no end.

Later, Ye Chuxue became Gu Qingyuan’s disciple, and the two of them grew exceedingly close.

His Master was furious when she found out and went to confront him. But Gu Qingyuan denied everything, claiming it was merely the affection between a master and a disciple.

His actions, however, kept crossing the line, making his Master paranoid and suspicious, leading to countless conflicts between them.

He should have stood by his Master’s side back then, but he was swayed by some of Ye Chuxue’s words.

"Even if they’re engaged, no one is another person’s property! Uncle Song is just trying to control Master mentally!"

"Master treats me like his own daughter. For Uncle Song to be jealous of even that... it’s just so petty."

"I only have the Great Dao in my heart. I would never indulge in worldly love like her..."

And then...

Bai Yang closed his eyes. Scene after scene from the past flooded his mind, filling him with unbearable pain.

He opened his eyes again, his gaze distant as he looked at her.

Time had passed, and everything had changed. He couldn’t believe they had unknowingly ended up like this.

"Ye Chuxue."

Bai Yang called her name softly. His voice was faint, carrying a strange, subtle quality.

Hearing his voice, Ye Chuxue dazedly raised her head, her gaze locking with Bai Yang’s.

"You—are you also here to hunt me down?"

She asked with a self-mocking laugh, though in her heart, she didn’t truly believe it.

She and Bai Yang had faced life and death together numerous times. Their bond went far beyond simple romance. Even if they weren’t together, surely he would still cherish what they had shared.

Bai Yang, however, merely looked at her with indifference and asked a question that had been buried in his heart for a long, long time.

"You knew about Gu Qingyuan’s feelings for you from the very beginning, didn’t you?"

The answer was very important to him.

Back when he had defended Ye Chuxue, his Master had told him that Ye Chuxue was more aware of Gu Qingyuan’s intentions than anyone. She was just pretending to be ignorant, playing dumb while enjoying the attention.

He had argued with his Master that time, and they had parted on bad terms.

Now, he wanted to know if he had been a fool from the very beginning.

"You—"

Ye Chuxue was stunned again. She had imagined their reunion many times and had anticipated many questions from Bai Yang, but she had never, ever expected this one.

She fell silent for a moment before giving a slow, quiet nod.

’At this point,’ she thought, ’there’s no need to hide it anymore.’

From the very beginning, she had sensed her Master’s unusual feelings for her. She had even personally witnessed Song Wanning arguing with him about it on several occasions.

’But that just proves I’m more charming than Song Wanning. You can’t blame anyone for that, can you?’

’Master doesn’t love Song Wanning. She shouldn’t have tried to force it.’

Ye Chuxue’s self-righteous nod shattered the last shred of affection Bai Yang held in his heart for her.

He clenched his fists, a faint red glint appearing in the depths of his eyes.

So, from the very beginning, he had just been a fool.

A blind, stupid fool.