The Sect Leader Raised a Fox to His Own Detriment - Chapter 6

A-Yin’s aggressive questioning echoed through the cave, the sound rippling outward in layers. Yue Xichen’s eyes remained tranquil. He was like an ice sculpture exquisite, beautiful, and frozen.

Having spent his outburst, A-Yin slumped his shoulders like a deflated ball. It was always like this. No matter how he questioned him, his Master was forever like a mute, refusing to reveal a single extra word.

“You are a half-demon.”

A-Yin snapped his head up. His wide eyes reflected Yue Xichen, who was drenched from head to toe.

“A… half-demon is…”

“Half of the blood flowing in your body belongs to a demon beast. That is why you cannot cultivate. The peach blossom cakes I gave you previously were actually Transformation Pills.”

“What…”

“If you do not take them regularly, you will manifest demonic traits as you did just now, and you would no longer be able to remain at Lingyun Mountain.”

Listening to Yue Xichen, A-Yin touched the furry ears atop his head, his heart thumping. According to his Master’s explanation, he wasn’t trying to harm him, but was actually helping him?

“Master, I… what kind of demon am I?”

“…I don’t know.”

Yue Xichen clearly hesitated when answering this. A-Yin narrowed his eyes, knowing his Master was being deliberately evasive.

“Then Master, why did you take me, a half-demon, as your disciple? Doesn’t the cultivation world usually preach that humans and demons cannot coexist?”

“I was entrusted by someone.”

“Entrusted by whom?”

“I don’t know.”

A-Yin: “…”

Pouting, A-Yin knew perfectly well that Yue Xichen simply didn’t want to tell him the truth and was too lazy to even invent a proper excuse. At that moment, Yue Xichen produced a Transformation Pill and held it to A-Yin’s lips. A-Yin instinctively opened his mouth, but suddenly recalled the scene from before when Yue Xichen had forced the cake on him. Back then, he had tasted Yue Xichen’s finger.

I wonder if Master’s finger is still sweet without the peach blossom cake.

As Yue Xichen stuffed the pill into A-Yin’s mouth, he saw the boy’s tongue dart out, the tip lightly licking the pad of his thumb with just enough pressure to be felt. A slight itch caused him to retract his hand immediately.

Swallowing the pill, A-Yin carefully savored the lingering taste on the tip of his tongue. It seems… it really is a bit sweet!

Yue Xichen had already turned around, walking alone toward the cave entrance. A-Yin chased after him, continuing his interrogation.

“Master, since you were helping me, why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Troublesome.”

“Master, I don’t remember anything from the past. I was just in Peach Blossom Village when I woke up. But you say I’m a half-demon… do you know something about my background?”

“No.”

“Master…”

“Noisy.”

Yue Xichen turned to glance at him. A-Yin shivered under that sharp, icy gaze. The two stood one after the other at the cave entrance. Outside, the scenery looked like a landscape painting diluted by water, and the darkening sky was heavy with black clouds.

“Um… Master, can I ask one last question?” A-Yin edged closer to Yue Xichen. Seeing that the man didn’t speak or glare at him again, he spoke up weakly: “Why did you make the Transformation Pills look like peach blossom cakes?”

“Because you like”

“Mnh?”

“It is nothing.”

Yue Xichen shook his head just as a sudden boom of thunder came from overhead. “Whoa, thunder.” A-Yin covered his ears, noticing then that the furry ears on his head were gone. Relieved that he looked like a normal person again, he walked to the entrance and looked up at the sky.

“It feels like it’s going to rain. Master, we should head back to the sect early!”

After saying this to Yue Xichen, he faintly noticed that the man seemed to clench his hands.

“…Master?”

Ignoring A-Yin, Yue Xichen gathered some dry wood and lit a fire. With the bonfire, the cave instantly became much warmer. Looking at the setup, A-Yin realized his Master intended to stay the night. He didn’t understand; it hadn’t started raining yet, only thundered a bit. Why not fly back before the rain started? With Yue Xichen’s cultivation, it certainly wasn’t impossible.

Sitting by the bonfire with his knees hugged to his chest, A-Yin was full of questions. However, he didn’t voice them, having already asked too many. Yue Xichen’s impatience wasn’t written on his face, but his previous answers made it clear enough.

It turned pitch black outside the cave, the sound of torrential rain and thunder roaring like a massive beast. Yue Xichen had already stripped off his wet clothes and placed them near the fire to dry. The bonfire occasionally popped, contrasting with the silence of the cave.

With nothing to do, A-Yin stole glances at his Master. Master’s skin… is so white!

Under the firelight, Yue Xichen didn’t seem as cold as usual. His skin was as fair as congealed fat, delicate as silk, without a single mole or scar—so perfect it was hard to believe. Usually, Yue Xichen was meticulously dressed in layer upon layer of snow-white robes, giving off a very ascetic vibe.

In A-Yin’s memory, this was the first time he had seen Yue Xichen stripped so completely. He looked away occasionally, but it never took long for his gaze to return to his Master. A-Yin couldn’t quite say what made the man so good to look at. But compared to anything else, he figured he might as well take a few more peeks at his Master’s exposed body; he might never get the chance again.

“Do you have something you wish to say to your Master?” Yue Xichen’s celestial voice suddenly rang through the cave.

“N-No!” A-Yin shook his head frantically.

“Then why do you keep looking at me?”

“I…” A-Yin panicked even more, his cheeks burning hot from the fire. “I, I just wanted to ask, Master… aren’t you cold like this?”

“I am not cold.”

“Oh…”

A-Yin shivered, clutching his own thinly-clad body. Although there was a fire, spending a rainy night in a cave wasn’t like being in the sect with a sheltered room and soft, warm bedding. As he thought about it, he unconsciously edged closer to Yue Xichen.

Yue Xichen turned to look at him. “Master, I’m a bit cold…” A-Yin said pitifully.

As soon as he spoke, Yue Xichen’s hand was immediately against his forehead. “It is fine. No fever.” Before A-Yin could react, Yue Xichen had already pulled his hand away.

Perhaps because the bonfire was burning brighter, A-Yin, sitting right next to Yue Xichen, gradually drifted into a dreamland. This sleep was even more peaceful than when he was at the sect. By the time dawn broke in the east and the morning light was faint, he was lying sprawled across Yue Xichen’s lap, covered by his Master’s now-dry clothes.