“Servant Disciple Han Lie greets the Sect Leader.”

Upon seeing Ye Qingxuan, Han Lie offered his salutations with his customary deference.

“The eighth layer of Qi Refining? He even looks younger. What exactly happened to this old servant?” Ye Qingxuan observed Han Lie, a flicker of curiosity and suspicion dancing in her eyes.

In little more than a month, he had soared from the second layer to the eighth. Such a terrifying cultivation speed was something even she, in her prime, could not have matched.

“It makes no sense. If this old servant truly possessed such monstrous talent, why would he have spent his life as a mere servant disciple?”

And yet, the aura of the eighth layer radiating from Han Lie was unmistakable. It could not be faked.

“Could he be the reincarnation of some supreme powerhouse who only recently awakened? Otherwise, with talent and comprehension that were once worse than trash, how could he possibly master the Yang Volume of the Yin Yang Demonic Art so seamlessly?”

If Han Lie truly were a reincarnated sovereign, she should have been able to detect some trace of his past life’s divinity. But as Ye Qingxuan scrutinized him from head to toe, he showed absolutely no signs of such a prestigious origin.

“Sect Leader, what are you looking at?”

Seeing Ye Qingxuan staring at him in a heavy silence, Han Lie couldn’t help but feel a prickle of awkwardness.

Ye Qingxuan turned the possibilities over in her mind but found no answers. Deciding to be blunt, she asked, “The eighth layer of Qi Refining. Explain to This Palace Master how you achieved this.”

“Uh…” Han Lie paused for a moment before replying, “Reporting to the Sect Leader, This Senior doesn’t quite know either. I was simply cultivating as usual, and the breakthrough just… happened.”

He looked up at her tentatively. “What do you think, Sect Leader? Could it be that This Senior is actually a hidden genius?”

“If you are a genius, then the word ‘trash’ no longer exists in this world,” Ye Qingxuan snapped, dismissing his claim instantly.

“……”

“Then This Senior is at a loss. However… Sect Leader, it seems I am not the ‘rotten mud’ you once spoke of. Perhaps I really can be propped up against the wall,” Han Lie said with a hint of smugness, testing the waters of her temperament.

“You’ve merely been smeared onto the base of the wall. What is there to be proud of?” Ye Qingxuan shot him down mercilessly. “Since you have cultivated the Yang Volume of the Yin Yang Demonic Art, I presume you have gained some insight into the technique. Tell This Palace Master, how deep is your understanding?”

“Yes, Sect Leader!” Han Lie straightened up, his expression turning serious. “If This Senior understands correctly, the Yin Yang Demonic Art is a Dual Cultivation technique. As the name implies, it requires the union of two practitioners to unleash its true potential.”

Ye Qingxuan’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. Well said. Next time, keep it to yourself. How was that any different from spouting absolute nonsense?

But Han Lie continued, “Unfortunately, since I began cultivating the art, This Senior has always practiced alone. Therefore, I have been unable to achieve the true efficacy the Yin Yang Demonic Art is meant to provide.”

“Is that so?” Ye Qingxuan’s tone turned ice-cold.

Sensing a bone-chilling, terrifying aura emanating from her, Han Lie steeled his resolve and nodded. “Yes!”

However, the moment the word left his lips, Ye Qingxuan flicked her long sleeve.

Han Lie was sent flying instantly, his body soaring through the air like a kite with a severed string. He crashed heavily against the stone wall, a spray of blood erupting from his mouth.

Wiping the crimson from the corner of his lips, Han Lie clutched his chest where his qi and blood churned violently. Confusion and a spark of anger flared within him. “Sect Leader! What… what did I say wrong?!”

Ye Qingxuan looked down at him, her expression a mask of stony indifference. “You vile thing. This Palace Master has long known that all men are maggots fueled by lies. How dare you, a lowly slave, lie repeatedly to my face?”

“Last time, when This Palace Master said you carried a foul stench, did you think I was speaking literally?”

“That nauseating scent of a woman is still fresh in This Palace Master’s memory.”

“Three strikes and you are out, vile slave. If you dare lie to This Palace Master again, you had better pray I do not find out. Otherwise, I will ensure you taste the agony of ten thousand insects gnawing at your heart!”

“……”

Han Lie opened his mouth to defend himself, but the words died in his throat. One lie required a hundred more to cover it. Since Ye Qingxuan wasn’t pursuing the matter further, arguing would be nothing short of courting death.

Only now did he realize that her previous comment about a “stench” wasn’t an insult to his hygiene—she had smelled another woman on him!

If he recalled correctly, the last time he visited Violet Heaven Palace, he had just been released by Zhuo Hongyi. And before that release, the two of them had been… intimate.

Dammit! It’s a good thing This Senior went to the Jade Clear Pool today. If this female demon had smelled the scents of multiple women on me today, I’d probably be wiped from existence!

A shiver ran down Han Lie’s spine. It seemed the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was off-limits for the foreseeable future. He also needed to limit his visits to Zhuo Hongyi—and even if he did see her, a trip to the Jade Clear Pool afterward was mandatory.

But… doesn’t this indirectly prove that this female demon, Ye Qingxuan, actually cares about me quite a bit? Han Lie mused.

If that were the case, perhaps today’s blow was a price worth paying. Shaking off his thoughts, Han Lie extended his sleeve and silently began to wipe his blood from the floor.

Watching Han Lie hunched over, subserviently cleaning the bloodstains, Ye Qingxuan felt a strange stir in her soul. For a fleeting second, she felt a sharp pang of heartache for him.

What is happening? How could This Palace Master possibly feel such an emotion for an ignorant servant disciple who constantly courts death? Ye Qingxuan pressed a jade-like hand against her chest, deeply unsettled by the sensation. Yet, the feeling of heartache was vivid, clear, and undeniably intense.

Clink.

Just as he finished cleaning the floor, a storage ring dropped in front of him, followed by Ye Qingxuan’s voice.

“One thing at a time. You resolved the matter in the Servant Disciple Department using your own strength. These are the Spirit Stones This Palace Master promised you.”

Han Lie swept up the storage ring and swept his spiritual sense inside. There were eight thousand Spirit Stones!

Instantly, his back stopped aching, his legs felt fine, and the memory of the slap seemed to vanish into thin air.

“Thank you, Sect Leader!” Han Lie’s voice was low and raspy, yet he couldn’t entirely mask the thrill of joy in his tone.

Ye Qingxuan said nothing more. She turned and walked toward her inner chambers.

After a moment of hesitation, Han Lie hurried to follow. Based on his understanding of her, since she hadn’t explicitly dismissed him, she likely had more to say.

Keeping a respectful distance of ten meters, Han Lie followed her all the way into her private quarters.