All of Bai Tu’s guilt and regret vanished in an instant—he was almost amused to the point of laughter.

This foolish disciple…

Suppressing his irritation, Bai Tu gave up on explaining any further. He closed his eyes and lay back down on the bed.

Fine, don’t believe me. You’ll regret it soon enough.

The room fell into silence. A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, extinguishing the only source of light. Darkness swallowed the room. After a moment, Bai Tu felt something lightly brush against his hand.

Yun Ye had hooked his finger around Bai Tu’s, cautiously tightening his grip, the pressure feather-light, tinged with a quiet, pitiful sincerity.

Well, weren’t he just the picture of grievance.

Bai Tu let him hold his hand but kept his eyes shut, pretending to sleep—determined to ignore him.

Growing bolder, Yun Ye let his fingers trail up Bai Tu’s forearm, brushing softly along the lines of his skin.

A tingling warmth spread through Bai Tu’s body, making it impossible to keep up the act any longer. He opened his eyes and glared at Yun Ye. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Yun Ye shamelessly flipped the blame. “It’s you, Master, who went back on your word.”

“You—!” Bai Tu was fuming. His eyes flicked with mischief as he snapped, “So what if I don’t tell you? What can you possibly do to me?”

“I… wouldn’t do anything,” Yun Ye replied softly. He leaned forward, lifting Bai Tu’s hand and placing a light kiss on his fingers. “It’s already a blessing that Master can tolerate a disciple harboring such treacherous thoughts. If you don’t wish to speak, that’s fine. As long as you promise to stay by my side forever, I won’t ask again.”

He rested his head beside Bai Tu’s hand, nuzzling against it gently like a large, loyal dog. “When the child is born, I’ll raise him for you. I’ll protect him for life—as long as you don’t leave me…”

Bai Tu’s heart twinged, a mix of anger and aching pity. He couldn’t help but speak. “You—”

But Yun Ye quietly cut him off. “It’s late. Master should get some rest.”

Bai Tu: “…”

This foolish boy… he deserves it!

Bai Tu refused to say another word. He pulled his hand away and turned over, facing away from Yun Ye. Soon, his breathing began to steady, calm and even.

The room returned to silence. Yun Ye stared at Bai Tu’s back, lost in thought.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised that his master wouldn’t tell him the truth.

After all, the man knew how he felt—he was surely afraid Yun Ye might harm the child’s father.

And besides…

Yun Ye had sent people to investigate everyone who had come into contact with Bai Tu over the past three months. But aside from that Celestial Lord Qinghui and his sword spirit, there was no one.

In other words, during those entire three months, Bai Tu hadn’t seen the father of the child even once.

Immortal Lord Zhaohua possessed profound cultivation—if he hadn’t been willing, no one could have forced this pregnancy upon him. He must have trusted the wrong person and been abandoned by that scoundrel afterward.

His master was always cold and reserved, the kind to bury everything deep within. Even if he’d truly been wronged, he would never show weakness in front of others.

Yun Ye’s gaze darkened, a flicker of hatred surfacing in his eyes.

If he knew who that man was, he wouldn’t let him off easily.

He’d make sure that man paid the price.

But… if his master agreed to stay in the Abyss with him, then who the child’s father was no longer mattered.

As long as he stayed…

Yun Ye gently pulled the blanket up around Bai Tu’s shoulders. Just as he was about to stand, Bai Tu suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

Yun Ye froze. “…Master?”

No reply.

The man on the bed had already fallen fast asleep. By the faint moonlight streaming through the window, Yun Ye could just make out his peaceful, sleeping face.

Yun Ye gently tried to tug his sleeve free, but Bai Tu furrowed his brows in his sleep and, as if in protest, gripped the fabric even tighter.

Yun Ye: “…”

Well, he couldn’t really be blamed for what came next.

He lay down beside Bai Tu.

As his familiar scent surrounded him, Bai Tu’s body tensed for a moment—then gradually relaxed. Yun Ye wrapped the soft, warm body into his arms, pressing his chest against Bai Tu’s back.

Just like back on Luoxia Peak, when he used to hold that little bunny in his arms.

Even now, Yun Ye could hardly believe it—that the little rabbit who clung to him every day, insisted on being held to sleep, and would even sneak onto him in the middle of the night… was actually his own master.

Whatever thought crossed his mind then made Yun Ye’s lips curve slightly. The sharpness in his eyes softened.

His hand came to rest on Bai Tu’s lower belly, and as if sensing the touch, the little one inside gave a faint, gentle kick.

“Shhh.” Yun Ye gently stroked the curve of Bai Tu’s belly, his voice soft with comfort. “Your daddy’s asleep. Don’t disturb him.”

As if the little one understood, it quieted down almost immediately.

Yun Ye let out a sigh of relief, nuzzled into the crook of Bai Tu’s neck, and closed his eyes.

It was a dreamless night.

In the days that followed, Bai Tu remained in the courtyard as usual, and Yun Ye visited often. Unless something truly urgent came up, he actually spent more time in that quiet courtyard than in the grand Demon Lord’s Hall.

That morning, when Bai Tu woke up, Yun Ye was no longer in the room. Stretching lazily, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. Just as he was about to sit up, he heard footsteps approaching from outside.

He quickly lay back down.

Right as he settled under the covers, Yun Ye entered the room, carrying a bowl of steaming soup.

The bitter scent of medicinal herbs filled the room almost instantly.

Bai Tu kept his eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

Yun Ye set the bowl of soup on the bedside table and sat down at the edge of the bed, calling softly, “Master?”

The figure under the covers didn’t move, offering him nothing but a quiet, turned back.

Yun Ye wasn’t in a hurry. He reached out and gently brushed Bai Tu’s hair, his voice tender. “Still don’t want to get up? Are you waiting for me to wake you with a kiss?”

Still no reaction.

A hint of amusement flickered in Yun Ye’s eyes. He leaned in closer, his breath warm against Bai Tu’s ear, as if he truly intended to follow through with the kiss. That finally did it—Bai Tu shrank back toward the inner side of the bed, avoiding him.

His ears had turned completely red. He glared at Yun Ye, equal parts annoyed and flustered. “You shameless disciple.”

“I admit my mistake,” Yun Ye replied immediately, though clearly without any real remorse. “But please, Master, get up and drink your medicine.”

“…I don’t want it,” Bai Tu muttered.

“You have to. It’s to replenish your spiritual energy—you need to drink it.”

Ever since Bai Tu had settled in the Abyss, Yun Ye had brought in the best physician the Abyss had to offer to treat him. Pregnancy for an immortal was no easy matter—especially one carrying a celestial fetus. The child would absorb spiritual energy directly from the parent, which explained why Bai Tu had been constantly fatigued and his cultivation weakened.

Due to the lack of spiritual energy, the fetus was developing slowly and still showed no signs of being ready for birth.

The moment Yun Ye learned of this, he scoured the world for every rare herb and spiritual ingredient known to restore cultivation and replenish energy, brewing them into medicinal soups for Bai Tu.

Though made from the finest materials, the taste of the medicine was anything but pleasant. A dose or two would’ve been tolerable, but Bai Tu had been drinking it for days. By now, just the smell was enough to make him feel queasy.

Unable to win the argument, Bai Tu reluctantly accepted the bowl, muttering gloomily, “I feel like you’re raising me like some kind of spirit beast.”

Yun Ye only responded once Bai Tu had finished every last drop. His voice gentle, he teased, “Spirit beasts are far better behaved than you. They don’t complain—and they certainly don’t fake sleep to avoid their medicine.”

As Yun Ye spoke, his expression was warm and gentle. Bai Tu caught his gaze, and his face flushed as if scorched. He turned his head awkwardly to the side and muttered under his breath, “No respect for your elders…”

Yun Ye took the empty bowl and set it aside, then brought over fresh clothes and began helping Bai Tu get dressed.

It was only during this time that Bai Tu finally understood what Yun Ye had meant when he said he wouldn’t let him suffer even a little.

These past days, Yun Ye’s care had been even more meticulous than usual. He attended to everything—meals, clothing, anything Bai Tu needed. If the doctor hadn’t insisted that Bai Tu needed to walk a bit each day to prepare for the birth, Yun Ye would probably have kept him in his arms at all times, terrified he might bump into something or get even the slightest scratch.

To be honest, ever since Bai Tu became pregnant, aside from some weakened spiritual energy and a bit less stamina, he hadn’t experienced much discomfort. In fact, before coming to the Abyss, he had spent far more effort managing the affairs of the cultivation world.

Being suddenly treated with such delicate care… it took him quite some time to adjust.

He looked at the man helping him get dressed, momentarily dazed. In this lifetime—and even counting all the years before—he had never met anyone who treated him this well.

So well that… he almost wished things could stay like this forever.

Once Yun Ye finished dressing him, he instinctively bent down to pick Bai Tu up.

Bai Tu dodged and lightly slapped his hand. “Enough, let me walk on my own.”

Yun Ye gave a small nod, steadying him as he rose and led him out the door.

Bai Tu allowed Yun Ye to support him as they walked several slow laps around the courtyard. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, “About what we discussed before… have you given it any thought?”

Yun Ye was silent for a moment before saying, “There’s no rush. Let’s wait until Master has recovered a bit more.”

Bai Tu had been living in the Abyss of Demons for more than half a month now. It had also been quite some time since Yun Ye had declared his intention to attack the Tianyan Sect. While he and Yun Ye were living freely in the abyss, the righteous sects were in a state of constant fear. Unable to locate the Abyss of Demons, they remained on edge, dreading the possibility of a sudden assault.

It was about time they gave the righteous sects an explanation.

The whole matter had started when Wu Jiu forced Yun Ye onto the path of demonic cultivation in Tianyan Sect and even caused the death of one of its disciples. After careful consideration, Bai Tu stopped Yun Ye from throwing Wu Jiu into the Infinite Abyss and instead persuaded him to send Wu Jiu to the righteous sects for trial, making everything clear to them.

And naturally, the most suitable person for this task was Bai Tu himself.

A few days ago, Bai Tu had already told Yun Ye of his desire to visit Tianyan Sect, but Yun Ye kept delaying it under the pretense of Bai Tu’s health.

Bai Tu frowned. “We shouldn’t drag this out for too long, or the righteous sects might lose their patience.”

Yun Ye replied, “Don’t worry, Master. They won’t be finding the Abyss of Demons anytime soon.”

Bai Tu pondered for a moment but said nothing more.

^_^