It was an accident to be caught by Su Tianhe. More surprising was his calm demeanor.

"You're not going to report me to Shi Fu?"

"Why would I report you?" Su Tianhe was more surprised than the person involved. "You're a demon, and so am I. I understand what you're doing."

Chu Suiyan rose from the pile of corpses, his boots stepping on a barely breathing spirit, which showed a pained expression.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a striking red contrasting with his pale cheek, making him appear even more sinister and eerie.

This was a stark contrast to the straightforward and innocent image he usually portrayed.

Standing before Su Tianhe, they were of similar height, as young men tend to grow quickly.

Chu Suiyan's expression showed no trace of innocence. On the contrary, due to long-term consumption of demonic flesh and blood, his eyes had become much more clouded.

"It seems you've done a good job disguising yourself in front of Tao Mian. Eating flesh and blood should have severely demonized your body. Maintaining a human appearance must have taken a lot of effort."

Su Tianhe nodded, looking quite satisfied.

Chu Suiyan pressed his lips together, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the compliment.

"Don't let my Shi Fu know about this."

"You care a lot about Tao Mian? Your Shi Fu is an Immortal, and you are a demon. Chu Suiyan, you shouldn't have been under his tutelage in the first place."

The origins of Immortals and demons are fundamentally different, the more one cultivates, the more they diverge.

Chu Suiyan should never have followed Tao Mian in cultivation from the beginning.

"Your sister has no talent for cultivation, nor is her heart in it. She became Tao Mian's disciple merely for protection. Since you have ambition, you shouldn't waste time on Peach Blossom Mountain."

Su Tianhe analyzed the pros and cons rationally, but Chu Suiyan's eyes lowered to the side.

"I am urgently cultivating precisely to stay on Peach Blossom Mountain."

Su Tianhe paused, then suddenly leaned in to closely examine the young man's features.

"…You have half-human blood in your veins? No wonder the aura I sensed was always off, not as pure as Chu Liuxue's."

Chu Suiyan remained silent.

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This time, Su Tianhe had an epiphany.

"Your Shi Fu, Tao Mian, is an Immortal Being, and your sister, Chu Liuxue, is a demon. Demons also have long lifespans, so Chu Liuxue can stay by Tao Mian's side for a long time, but you cannot."

Due to impure blood, no matter how high Chu Suiyan's cultivation talent, he was destined to have a short life.

Chu Suiyan looked down, opening his palm. Most of the monster's blood had dried, clinging to his skin like an indelible birthmark, something he was born with.

Truly filthy.

He recalled his Shi Fu's clean robes and his sister's silky black hair, fragrant with soap.

In contrast, he was the only unclean presence on Peach Blossom Mountain.

But he had to achieve his goal, even if it meant resorting to any means.

Su Tianhe had been observing the young man's expression. Seeing his eyes lose their indifference and become resolute, he smiled.

"You are more worthy of support than your sister."

Chu Suiyan looked up at him.

Su Tianhe kicked the corpses aside, treating them like worthless trash.

"Consuming these won't help much, it's like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. If you want to demonize faster, you have to listen to me."

He raised an eyebrow, looking at the young man with a hint of provocation.

"Do you dare? Once you walk this path, there's no turning back."

Chu Suiyan recalled past scenes: Chu Liuxue holding his hand, scavenging for leftovers in alleys, fighting with street urchins for territory, and Chu Liuxue shielding him...

And the years after arriving at Peach Blossom Mountain. When he was sick, Tao Mian stayed by his bedside, correcting his every move during cultivation, and after Lu Yuandi's death, Tao Mian was heartbroken.

That night, he overheard a conversation between his sister and Shi Fu. The emperor who once imprisoned Shi Fu was dead, and despite her deep care, she had to leave him, leaving Tao Mian in a state of sorrow.

Chu Suiyan didn't want to repeat the same mistakes; he didn't want to die early. To Immortals who can live for thousands of years and demons for hundreds, a mortal's life is but a fleeting moment.

He didn't want to be sealed in dust, leaving only Shi Fu and Liuxue to guard a tombstone.

That evening, Chu Liuxue called out for her brother and Su Tianhe for a long time, but they didn't come to eat.

Tao Mian, however, sat properly at the wooden table, waiting for dinner.

"Two people are missing, Banknote, no sneaking food."

"I didn't eat..."

Tao Mian had just picked up his bowl when he was wronged, feeling aggrieved.

Chu Liuxue looked towards the mountain, where a narrow path from the Taoist Temple led into the mountains, the path her brother would take to return.

After another quarter of an hour, the two finally arrived.

Chu Suiyan walked in front, Su Tianhe behind. The fact that they were in the same scene without fighting surprised even Tao Mian.

Chu Liuxue, holding a freshly cooked plate of stir-fried beans, paused at the open courtyard door, frowning slightly.

Her sharp intuition told her something bad was quietly taking root. But Chu Liuxue, lacking experience, couldn't trace the source of the unease.

So the girl had to temporarily suppress her anxiety, urging the two to hurry up and eat.

The four of them sat around a small square table, having dinner in the courtyard. Tao Mian and Chu Suiyan sat opposite each other, as did Chu Liuxue and Su Tianhe.

Originally, Chu Liuxue and Tao Mian sat face to face, but the other two kept flipping the table, so they had to change positions.

Chu Suiyan was particularly quiet today. Tao Mian talked about which tree's fruit in the mountains had ripened, suggesting they try it another day. Su Tianhe picked up the conversation, jokingly asking the Immortal to take him along. Chu Liuxue chimed in with something too.

By the time Chu Suiyan snapped out of his thoughts, Tao Mian had called his name two or three times.

"Suiyan, why so down? In a bad mood?"

Tao Mian, regardless of how annoying his words might be, always had a gentle gaze for his disciple.

Chu Suiyan usually relied on the sense of security that gaze provided, but today he avoided it uncomfortably.

"Shi Fu, I'm just... not hungry."

"Then don't eat. I'll wash a pear for you later. Just picked, it's sweet."

"Okay..."

After the meal, Tao Mian indeed washed fruit for his disciple. He fetched a bucket of clear well water, using a gourd ladle to wash it slowly. Chu Liuxue had already prepared a towel for drying hands, a silent understanding developed over years among the three of them.

Su Tianhe joined in the fun, seeing Tao Mian pick up a large pear, suggesting they share it.

The Immortal said that wouldn't do.

Su Tianhe complained about his stinginess, and Chu Liuxue spoke up.

"Pears shouldn't be shared, Banknote doesn't like it, don't make it difficult for him."

Su Tianhe then realized the human custom: sharing a pear symbolizes separation, a bad omen.

Especially for Little Tao Immortal, who had experienced several separations, this was a taboo.

Su Tianhe quickly apologized, but Tao Mian shook his head, not holding it against him, instead handing him the whole pear.

"This one's intact, you eat it."

It was the best and most perfect pear in the basket, Tao Mian picked the best for others, leaving the one that accidentally fell and got a small dent for himself.

Su Tianhe took a bite of the crisp pear, thinking the Immortal was strange.

Clearly, he was happy when Su Tianhe offered to stay for money.

Yet he truly possessed nothing, viewing everything as fleeting smoke.

After dinner and fruit, Tao Mian and Su Tianhe each returned to their rooms to rest.

Chu Suiyan also returned to his room, but someone gently tapped on the window from outside.

He opened the window to see Chu Liuxue's usually expressionless face.

"Come with me."