At that moment, Lang Tu was tightly holding the wound on his arm, blood continuously seeping through his fingers. But it seemed like he had forgotten the pain, his eyes locked with an intense focus on his master, Yan Mingxin.

Yan Mingxin, on the other hand, squinted slightly, his expression serious. He brought his index and middle fingers together, while the other three fingers naturally touched each other. He murmured something under his breath: "Break!" As he spoke, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, a flash of sharp light shooting from them.

Lang Tu, who had been standing quietly, suddenly felt a strange ripple of energy behind him. The next moment, something astonishing happened—his once-hidden, fluffy, large tail suddenly emerged and began to gently sway. At the same time, his ears, which had originally resembled human ears, began to visibly elongate and sharpen, eventually transforming into wolf-like ears.

Seeing this, Yan Yuning was first startled, and then an overwhelming sense of worry surged in his heart. He subconsciously turned his gaze toward his master, his eyes filled with anxiety and concern.

Lang Tu silently stared at the old Taoist before him, instinctively glancing at his own tail. A sharp pain shot through his arm, causing him to furrow his brow in discomfort.

"Oh, I was just passing by! We’ll meet again!" Lang Tu gritted his teeth, forcing the words out before turning to leave.

Yan Yuning, who had been standing silently at the side, suddenly opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to begin. He looked at Lang Tu’s retreating figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Yan Mingxin, however, snorted coldly and shouted, “Does my Hengyang Mountain look like a place where you demons can come and go as you please?” Before he even finished speaking, he swiftly raised his palm, sending a fierce gust of wind like thunder crashing toward Lang Tu.

Lang Tu, caught off guard, was struck by the powerful force and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing hard into the ground. He felt a sweet taste rise in his throat, and with a loud cough, he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground beneath him.

Seeing this, Yan Yuning’s heart tightened, and without thinking, he rushed forward to help Lang Tu up. However, after taking just two steps, he suddenly hesitated, a look of inner struggle appearing on his face.

Eventually, he slowly turned around and knelt before his master.

“Master... He’s not a bad person…” Yan Yuning lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly. As if recalling something important, he raised his head, his eyes full of determination, and added, “He’s not a bad monster either. Please show mercy, Master!”

“Master, if he hadn’t helped me, I would’ve already been dead, crushed to pieces!” His voice quivered with emotion, his eyes full of pleading.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Yan Mingxin paused his actions, his face showing a brief moment of astonishment, but he quickly returned to his usual composure.

“Ying’er, you may rise,” Yan Mingxin said, extending his hand to help Yan Yuning up.

Then, Yan Mingxin slowly raised his hand, and in an instant, several light rustling sounds could be heard. A few green leaves flew toward his palm, as though pulled by an invisible force.

Once the leaves landed in his hand, Yan Mingxin closed his eyes for a moment, as though entering a meditative state. After a while, he opened his eyes again and exhaled slowly. He then solemnly tossed the leaves to the ground, watching them carefully, not daring to look away.

“Enough. The cycle of cause and effect will run its course,” Yan Mingxin murmured as he looked at the leaves on the ground, then turned and walked away.

Yan Yuning hurried to Lang Tu’s side to help him up. “Xiao Lang, are you okay?” he asked anxiously.

“I… I’m fine…” Lang Tu wasn’t thinking about the pain at that moment, but rather about how weak he felt. One strike from that old Taoist had knocked him down. He glanced at Yan Yuning and explained, “I… was already injured before. I wasn’t prepared, so I got hit by your master’s attack!”

“Hm?” Yan Yuning was initially concerned about his injuries and didn’t understand what he meant, but then it clicked. He smiled softly, “Mm, Xiao Lang is really strong…”

The evening mist draped over the land like a light veil, pressing down heavily and giving the world a dim, hazy appearance.

Yan Yuning carefully selected a plate of tempting jujube flower pastries and walked briskly toward the cave entrance.

Lang Tu was sitting there quietly, his eyes tightly closed, completely still. He was meditating, and the air around him seemed to shift slightly with each breath.

Looking more closely, Yan Yuning noticed that Lang Tu’s ears had changed again, no longer resembling the fluffy wolf ears from before. Instead, they had completely transformed into human-shaped ears.

This change made Yan Yuning think to himself, “It seems like his injuries must be almost healed.” With that thought, he couldn’t help but murmur to himself, “Does that mean he’s going to leave soon?”

As soon as this thought appeared, Yan Yuning felt a strange mixture of emotions well up inside him. On the one hand, he was genuinely happy that Lang Tu was recovering; on the other, a deep sense of loss began to rise in his heart—if his injuries were truly healed, it would mean it was time to say goodbye.

By the time Yan Yuning reached the cave entrance, Lang Tu had already sensed his arrival. He pretended not to notice, then suddenly opened his eyes. Yan Yuning was gazing at him, eyes shining brightly like stars, with a hint of melancholy.

Yan Yuning seemed used to his playful antics and wasn’t startled by his sudden open eyes.

“I made jujube flower cake. Come try it,” he said, handing a piece to Lang Tu.

Lang Tu grinned mischievously, opened his mouth, and bit down on the pastry right from Yan Yuning’s hand.

“Silly child, what’s wrong? Not happy?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he chewed.

“Hm? No… Is your injury… healed?” Yan Yuning paused and then added, “When are you leaving?”

Lang Tu chewed the last bite of pastry and suddenly leaned close to Yan Yuning, sniffing the air near his ear. His warm breath brushed against Yan Yuning’s ear, and he whispered, “Sweet!”

Yan Yuning was caught off guard by his sudden closeness, frozen in place. “Huh? What... sweet?”

“The jujube flower cake! Silly child, what did you think I meant?” Lang Tu grinned, not breaking eye contact.

Yan Yuning felt a warmth spread throughout his body under his gaze.

“Come with me tomorrow to buy some things. It’s been a while since I left home. I should bring something for my family,” Lang Tu patted his hands together.

“Mm… alright, will you leave right after we buy them?” Yan Yuning couldn’t help but ask.

“Silly child, do you want me to leave?” Lang Tu teased, raising an eyebrow.