The Scheming Ancestral Master

The very first time Gu Changyuan set foot in the Demon Realm, it was actually the system that had directly teleported him across realms.

Because the Demon Realm and the Human Realm were vastly far apart, it would have been no simple task for him to travel there at the time, so the system simply helped him arrive in a single step.

And his first "target" upon arriving in the Demon Realm, or rather the candidate the system had filtered out as the most suitable to become the head disciple of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, was Tushan Youyao. At the time, she was ostracized by her clan due to her heterochromatic bloodline, and had accidentally fallen into a freezing deep pool, lingering on the brink of death.

The system had locked onto her as she was the closest to him, and both her innate talent and temperament met the requirements.

Back then, Gu Changyuan followed the system's guidance and found that bone-chilling deep pool, fishing out Little Youyao, who was already frozen purple all over and breathing faintly.

He used his own pure spiritual power to dispel the cold and heal her injuries, protecting her heart meridian.

When Little Youyao woke up, the first thing she saw was an unfamiliar human man.

Because of her past experiences, she was full of vigilance toward any living creature that approached her.

Therefore, Little Youyao subconsciously puffed up all her purple fur, bared her little fangs, and let out a low, warning growl from her throat, trying to use this entirely baseless "ferocious look" to scare off this stranger.

It was not until Gu Changyuan gently explained that he was the one who had saved her, and handed over warm spiritual medicine and clothing.

Only then did Little Youyao slowly confirm that the other party had no ill intent. Her tense body gradually relaxed, and her puffed-up fur smoothed down.

She lowered her head and offered her thanks in a voice as soft as a mosquito's.

In Gu Changyuan's eyes at the time, this little fox's puffed-up appearance held absolutely no threat; instead, it had an adorably stark contrast that made her cute.

Thus, moved by a sudden whim, he used a certain recording function built into the system to casually "snap a picture" of this amusing scene, thinking he would show it to the grown-up Tushan Youyao later.

He never expected that he would later be sent to the Ruins of Disorder, and he certainly never expected that the system would keep it saved all this time.

......

Tushan Hanyan pinched that glowing photograph, looking at the puffed-up, fang-baring little purple fox inside, and laughed so hard she trembled, her snow-white fox ears twitching along with her.

That was until a jade-like hand suddenly patted her shoulder.

"!!!"

Tushan Hanyan froze entirely as if she had been hit by an immobilization spell. She gave a violent shudder and almost dropped Xiaobai from her arms.

Stiffly, inch by inch like a puppet, she turned her head to the right with excruciating slowness.

What entered her vision was her master Tushan Youyao's terrifyingly menacing smile.

Tushan Hanyan's body once again gave an uncontrollable, violent shudder, her back instantly drenched in cold sweat.

She felt as if every hair on her body was about to stand on end.

She subconsciously cast a pleading glance toward her grandmaster, Gu Changyuan, beside her, only to discover that this grandmaster, who had just been sharing snacks and telling amusing stories with her a moment ago...

Was currently tilting his head slightly to the side, his shoulders shaking suspiciously, while a trace of a smile he was trying desperately to suppress still leaked from the corners of his mouth.

Grandmaster noticed Master coming over long ago, yet he didn't give me a single warning!

Tushan Hanyan cried out in sorrow in her heart, feeling as if she had been ruthlessly stabbed in the back by the grandmaster she trusted most.

Grandmaster... aren't you throwing your own cub under the bus?!

She was weeping rivers of tears internally.

Following Tushan Hanyan's line of sight, Tushan Youyao's gaze naturally landed on the photograph in Gu Changyuan's hand as well.

When she clearly saw the soaking wet, puffed-up, and fang-baring little purple fox girl in the photo, two extremely obvious blushes instantly bloomed on her breathtakingly beautiful face, spreading all the way to the roots of her ears.

Having a thousand-year-old "dark history" caught off guard and "publicly executed" by her master made even her feel an intense wave of bashfulness.

She looked at Gu Changyuan, the expression on her face instantly shifting to one of reproach and helplessness, her voice taking on a slightly coquettish tone of complaint:

"Master! Why do you still have this photograph saved?! Even if you kept it, why did you show it to Xiaoyan!"

Gu Changyuan finally stopped his secret chuckling and tried hard to put on a serious expression, but the amusement in his eyes simply could not be hidden:

"Ah, well, about that..."

He cleared his throat.

"I just thought I'd keep it as a memento. Besides, Little Yao, don't you think the past you... was actually quite cute?"

Hearing her master personally call her "cute" caused a trace of sweetness and secret joy to involuntarily ripple through Tushan Youyao's heart, but being told such a thing in front of her disciple only made that feeling of bashfulness all the more intense.

She bit her lower lip, at a loss for words for a moment, only feeling her cheeks burn even hotter.

Just as her mind was in a flurry of turmoil—

"Pfft!"

Another extremely faint sound of laughter, clearly from someone who had failed to hold it in, came from the side.

Tushan Youyao's head snapped around instantly, her gaze shooting like lightning toward the main culprit—her good disciple, Tushan Hanyan.

She saw the little girl covering her mouth tightly, but her eyes, curved into crescent moons, and her shaking shoulders completely betrayed her.

Startled by her master's "death stare," Tushan Hanyan gave a jolt and hurriedly clamped both hands over her mouth.

She even held her breath, her eyes filled with the message, "I was wrong, I'll never dare do it again."

Seeing that the situation was just about right, Gu Changyuan, adhering to the principle of "better you than me," decisively chose to make his exit.

With a swift motion, he tucked away the photograph that was the "source of all sin":

"Ahem, well... Little Yao, it seems you still have matters to attend to. As your master, I won't disturb you two in your master-disciple 'bonding'. I'll be going now!"

Saying that, he looked very naturally at the little white fox in Tushan Hanyan's arms:

"I'll take Xiaobai away for now. You two take your time and chat."

Before his voice had even faded, he had already reached over, scooped up the drowsy Xiaobai, and tucked her into his own arms.

He leaped down from the edge of the window, his figure blurring as he returned to the Heavenly Demon Tower.

Not only that.

Almost at the exact moment he vanished, a transparent barrier silently enveloped the entire window area.

The barrier's power was gentle yet incredibly tough; with Tushan Hanyan's current cultivation base, it was absolutely impossible for her to break through it by force.

This barrier was clearly something Gu Changyuan had casually set up right before he left!

The purpose was very clear—to completely block off Tushan Hanyan's only escape route.

After her initial shock, Tushan Hanyan immediately realized things were looking bad!

Grandmaster had run away, Master was still furious, and she herself had just laughed...

If she didn't run now, when would she?!

Her first instinct was to copy her grandmaster and jump out the window as well.

Although the floor was high, as a member of the demon race with a decent cultivation base, this bit of height was nothing to her.

However, just as she rushed to the window, with a loud thud, she crashed solidly into that layer of pale golden barrier that had suddenly appeared, and was gently but firmly bounced back.

"?!"

Tushan Hanyan clutched her forehead, which was a bit dizzy from the impact, and stared at the layer of light before her in disbelief.

Tushan Youyao also immediately noticed Tushan Hanyan's attempt to escape, as well as the barrier that had suddenly appeared.

With a brief sweep of her senses, she recognized her own master's handiwork from the familiar power of the barrier.

The corners of Tushan Youyao's mouth could not help but twitch. A thousand years had passed, yet how was her master still so childish, and still so devious.