"Ahahaha... Master, come sit down! Li'er will pour you some tea!"
Pulled down to sit at a somewhat aged wooden tea table, Qingyu heard Su Liuli's reminder.
And once seated, Qingyu noticed something.
Her obedient disciple's hands were severely and clearly burned.
The wounds were terrifying.
They made her slender, delicate, once-flawless hands look utterly gruesome.
The burn marks upon them were painfully obvious.
At the sight of this, Qingyu unconsciously frowned again.
Moving quickly, Su Liuli set a teacup down in front of Qingyu, then picked up the freshly boiled teapot with a beaming smile and came to Qingyu's side.
"Master, let Liuli pour you some tea... Hehehe... That way you won't chase Liuli away..."
Laughing with a sense of fulfilled satisfaction, Su Liuli spoke her innermost thoughts aloud.
Ever since her mind had shattered into this frantic state, she was utterly unable to hide what was in her heart anymore.
Whatever thought crossed her mind, she would simply blurt it out.
Hearing these words, Qingyu immediately nodded.
"Alright, Liuli, Master will not chase you away."
Qingyu knew very well that Su Liuli's mental state was currently unstable, so she had to communicate with her gently.
Otherwise, if she suffered another shock, there was a strong chance she would truly go mad and become a crazed rogue cultivator.
She was clearly a young powerhouse at the Early Golden Core stage—a cultivator in her early twenties who would be considered a genius wherever she went!
Someone who would spark fierce competition among all the major sects!
Even within the sphere of that great heroine, she would be considered a top-tier genius!
Yet now, this top-tier cultivation genius had been reduced to such a deranged state.
Qingyu could only feel that her own fault in this was simply too heavy.
Hearing Master's words, an expression of immense excitement surfaced on Su Liuli's delicate and pretty face.
Her eyes wide, she stared with her red pupils straight into Qingyu's handsome face.
Master had said those words—had said she wouldn't abandon her!
For Su Liuli, her greatest fear in the world was being abandoned by Master once again.
She simply dared not experience that overwhelming despair ever again.
Laughing happily twice more, Su Liuli held the teapot in her right hand and lightly steadied the teacup with her left.
She began to pour the tea.
It was an action she had practiced countless times.
To make Master happy, she had studied a vast amount of tea ceremony techniques.
Her tea-brewing skills were exceptional.
Even Qingyu thought so.
Su Liuli's tea-making art was so refined that she must have practiced it countless times.
Otherwise, she could never have acquired such craftsmanship.
But right at that moment, a stabbing pain suddenly shot through Su Liuli's right hand holding the teapot.
The burn wounds had long since penetrated deep into her marrow.
Normally, when practicing tea-making and pouring, Su Liuli would also feel a stabbing pain.
Yet in order to bring joy to Master with the tea she brewed, she hadn't paid it much mind, simply circulating her spiritual power briefly to dull the ache before ignoring it.
However, every single time she circulated her spiritual power, the pain would ride along that power straight into her hand.
From the outer skin to the flesh beneath, and down to the bones, the injury had slowly seeped inward.
And there were no medicinal herbs to treat it.
By now, Su Liuli's hands were actually in a state of extreme, grave injury.
Yet without a second thought, Su Liuli circulated her spiritual power once more.
Master had finally come to visit, so she had to brew a proper cup of tea for Master.
Otherwise, the moment Master grew displeased, she would surely be driven away!
But her hands were already severely injured to begin with.
The moment she circulated her spiritual power, Su Liuli suddenly felt as though her hands were being sliced open horizontally and salted all at once.
The pain was agonizing, draining away every ounce of her strength.
Her right hand instantly lost its grip on the teapot, causing it to crash down onto the table.
It smashed the small teacup sitting in front of Qingyu.
Tea splashed everywhere, spilling across the table top.
This sudden accident startled Qingyu slightly.
She hadn't expected Su Liuli to fail even at pouring tea.
After all, this tea-pouring scene did not exist in the original story, where her character had already departed before any tea could be poured.
Su Liuli froze for a second, then began to gasp heavily.
Terror gripped her heart.
The hard-won feeling of joy vanished instantly, and the smile on her face went with it.
It was replaced by an expression that looked on the verge of tears.
After standing frozen for a few seconds, Su Liuli realized that her Qingyu Master was about to speak.
Without a doubt, she was going to be scolded!
At the thought of this, Su Liuli cried out in profound distress.
Master had finally come here, and yet she had messed everything up.
"Wuwu, Master..."
The sound of her crying instantly choked off whatever words Qingyu had meant to say.
Leaving Qingyu at a complete loss for what to say next.
Yet the moment the cry left her lips, Su Liuli snapped back to reality.
In the past, it was precisely because she had cried and shown a tearful face in front of Master...
That she had been cast out by Master.
At this realization, a wave of intense panic seized Su Liuli's heart.
As if her soul had been sucked dry, her little face turned instantly pale.
At that moment, only a single thought echoed in her mind.
She did not want to be driven away by Master!
As a powerhouse at the Early Golden Core stage, Su Liuli reacted with extreme speed, her expression shifting instantly into one of profound joy.
In front of Qingyu, she burst into a flustered, booming laugh.
"Ahahaha... Master... Master, I'm not crying... Don't chase me away!"
"Hahaha... Master, look, Li'er is smiling! Li'er isn't crying, don't drive Li'er away!"
"Master! Master, do you hear me? Hahaha... Li'er is smiling!!"
Su Liuli's harsh, grating laughter echoed in the air.
Though she was laughing and wearing a joyful expression...
The tears she simply could not stop betrayed the sorrow hidden within her heart.
She was like a stray kitten terrified of being abandoned, performing with every ounce of her strength before her master.
The sight made Qingyu sigh involuntarily before standing up.
Seeing Qingyu stand, Su Liuli panicked even more.
In her eyes, this could only mean that Master despised her, hated her, and wanted to leave!
"No, Master! Don't go! Master, don't leave Li'er! Don't chase Li'er away!"
"Li'er will smile! Li'er won't cry! I won't cry!!"
Crying out two more piercing shouts, Su Liuli reached out with both hands, desperate to grab the cuff of Qingyu's robe.
Yet her palms and fingers lacked all strength, and the pain was excruciating.
Her cries reached the ears of Luo Siyun not far away, who was currently soaking in a medicinal bath.
The shock nearly made Luo Siyun leap up by reflex to rush over.
She quickly remembered, however, that Master had already recovered and didn't need her to worry.
Thus, Luo Siyun decided to wait for Master to perfectly resolve the matter with the second disciple.
Standing before Su Liuli, watching her cry and laugh at the same time while trying desperately to grab hold of him, Qingyu wore a gentle smile on his face.
Extending both hands, Qingyu proactively pulled this severely injured second disciple tightly into his embrace.
Feeling her delicate and soft body against his, Qingyu spoke in an exceptionally tender voice.
"Li'er, you have suffered."
"Master has failed you."
"From this day on, whatever troubles you have, you can come to Master. Master will never abandon you, not ever."
With his left arm around Su Liuli's waist and his right hand gently stroking her head, Qingyu pulled her into his arms, offering her an apology and a promise to treat her well from now on.
This was the only way Qingyu could think of to make amends.
And Su Liuli, feeling everything from Master and hearing those very words...
Saw the joyful expression on her face instantly dissolve into one of deep, aggrieved sorrow.
"Wuwuwu!! Master... Master!!!"
"Li'er was so scared! So scared that Master would abandon Li'er!!"
"Wuwuwu... Li'er can finally cry! Li'er hurt so much, keeping it all in hurt so much! Master! Master!!"
Clinging tightly to Qingyu with both hands, Su Liuli pressed her face against his chest and burst into heavy, unrestrained sobs.