In the grand hall of the Xiao Sect, Xiao Yan sat at the head seat, his expression exceedingly grim. Across from him sat Qing Lin, her face still tinged with shyness. The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched involuntarily. Since his rebirth, this was without a doubt his most humiliating moment. If not for his iron will, he might really be looking at "three years minimum"...
Yesterday, after refining the Heavenly Flame, he was struck by the backlash of flame fusion. Just as he was doing his utmost to suppress the Evil Flame within, Qing Lin had barged in, instantly escalating the difficulty of suppression to hell level.
But Xiao Yan was still a Dou Zong-level expert, a peak Dou Saint in his previous life. How could he possibly succumb to such temptation? He immediately rallied all his Dou Qi to suppress the evil fire. And after struggling with all his strength, he… ultimately lost.
Very clearly, some things can't be resolved by sheer will alone.
What happened after that, Xiao Yan couldn't remember. The last thing he saw before completely losing consciousness from the torment of the Evil Flame was a fist flying toward his face—clearly not Qing Lin's doing, but rather Zi Yan's style.
As luck would have it, Zi Yan had just run out of pills and sensed that Xiao Yan had exited his retreat, so she came to check on him—only to find Xiao Yan, overtaken by the Evil Flame, trying to tear off Qing Lin's clothes. Seeing this, she instinctively swung a punch and knocked him out cold.
What Zi Yan didn't know was that had Xiao Yan not still been resisting with all his strength at the time, she very likely would have gotten more than just a punch in herself.
Despite being punched, Xiao Yan was truly grateful to Zi Yan. Without her intervention, he might have committed an irreparable mistake. His gloomy expression now was partly due to how painful that punch had been—and more importantly… the Evil Flame in his body was gone.
Evil Flame didn't just vanish on its own.
Using his soul perception, Xiao Yan could tell that although both girls now carried his scent, their bodies were still untouched. In other words, he hadn't done anything irredeemable. That only left two possible explanations for why the Evil Flame had disappeared.
Either they found someone else to help him deal with it… or they used another method to suppress the Evil Flame. Judging by their intelligence—and the residual trace of his aura on both of them—the answer was obvious. As for the exact method… Xiao Yan didn't want to ask. He could already guess.
Looking at Qing Lin, curled in the corner like a frightened little rabbit, Xiao Yan sighed helplessly. Shaking off the chaotic thoughts in his head, he softened his voice. "Qing Lin, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine…" Qing Lin shook her head quickly. But as memories of the previous night surfaced, her heart thumped like a startled deer, and her cheeks flushed scarlet like a ripe apple—adorably so.
She shyly covered her cheeks with her hands, though between her fingers, she peeked at Xiao Yan's expression. Zi Yan, too, looked rather uneasy. After all, she had just achieved the "caught in the act" achievement and the follow-up mess had left her a little embarrassed.
Naturally, Xiao Yan didn't miss the subtle gestures between the two girls. He looked at them with a dazed gaze for a moment. Ever since his falling out with Hun Dai'er in his past life, he had never allowed himself to feel emotionally vulnerable again. As the Demonflame Saint, countless women had thrown themselves at him, but he had always kept his distance—not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't dare.
Once you give your heart to someone and get hurt so deeply in return… that kind of pain, he didn't want to relive.
Since his reincarnation, he had treated everyone around him with calculated distance. Although he was occasionally touched, he never allowed himself to fully invest his emotions. And yet… this unexpected situation had arisen without warning, leaving him momentarily unsure of what to do.
Normally, with his personality, he'd cut off emotional complications at the root. But Qing Lin's Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils were too valuable. Discarding her felt like a terrible waste...
"Hey!" Zi Yan suddenly slammed the table, snapping him out of his thoughts. "So what are you going to do about this?"
"What do you want me to do?" Xiao Yan rubbed his temples, genuinely feeling a headache over this whole mess. He kind of wished someone would just tell him what to do. He regretted not making preparations beforehand, especially knowing that fusing Heavenly Flames came with such backlash. Now here he was, nearly turning what was supposed to be a father-daughter relationship into something that belonged in an entirely different genre...
"I mean, you already saw her whole body," Zi Yan stammered, losing her earlier aggressive tone. "And you almost did… that. Don't you think you should take responsibility?"
"Please don't say it like that. It was an honor to be of help to the young master," Qing Lin quickly interrupted, her voice flustered. "Even if it had been my life, I would have willingly offered it. And besides, the young master didn't mean to do it. It was just… an accident."
"Qing Lin! Don't be so self-effacing!" Zi Yan scolded, clearly upset. "Your life is your own. No one is worth that kind of sacrifice—not even your precious young master, got it?"
"It's not like that!" Qing Lin shook her head desperately. "The young master has treated me better than anyone ever has. Whatever I do to repay him, it's not enough."
Seeing Xiao Yan's somewhat conflicted expression, she leaned closer, trying to appease him. "Young master, I know I'm not worthy of you. I don't ask for anything—just to be able to stay by your side."
Looking into Qing Lin's eyes, which now shone with something far deeper than sibling affection, Xiao Yan cursed silently to himself. The method he used to foster her loyalty by treating her kindly had clearly worked—too well. She didn't just feel sibling admiration for him anymore. This was the love of a woman for a man.
"Silly girl… why would I not want you?" Xiao Yan gently patted her head and said warmly, "But if you truly want to stay by my side, promise me one thing."
"Don't be like this again—trying to please me by lowering yourself. I want to see the real you."
Seeing the nervous gleam in her eyes, Xiao Yan's tone became solemn. Before, he had only regarded Qing Lin as a subordinate, so obedience was all that mattered. But now… he wanted her to grow as a person. Otherwise, she'd be nothing more than a beautiful vase.
"Mhm." Qing Lin nodded softly. In truth, when she had just woken up, she had been even more panicked than Xiao Yan. She had feared he would discard her. But instead, he acknowledged her, accepted her, and even encouraged her to be herself. Her heart, already loyal, now clung to him even more tightly.
In simple terms—if this were a dating sim, Qing Lin's affection rating for Xiao Yan would have burst through the screen.
"Hmph, that's more like it." Zi Yan crossed her arms and exhaled lightly, clearly satisfied with Xiao Yan's response.
"And you, little brat." Xiao Yan reached out and pinched her cheek, smirking. "Thanks for what you did."
"Che, if you really want to thank me, then make more delicious pills for me next time." Zi Yan turned her face away, but the blush spreading across her cheeks betrayed the storm of emotions she was trying to hide...
(End of Chapter)
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