"Are you out of your mind!" Huo Li shouted, then he heard some disciples as they passed through his quarter, he quickly leaned his body against hers and covered her mouth.

"Do you want them to know that you are in my room?" Bingchen whispered ​​

"Guardian Bingchen, is everything alright?" a disciple shouted from outside his quarter, Bingchen quickly turned towards the door and frowned his face.

"I am okay," Bingchen replied then he waited until the disciple's footstep had vanished, then he turned to look at her, her large eyeball was staring down at him in confusion, he quickly realized the situation then he removed his hand from her mouth and moved away from her.

"What are you thinking, if I don't suck the poison out, you will die, you have wasted enough time already," Bingchen said

"I don't care, I would rather risk dying before I get to the infirmary than to let you suck the poison" Huo Li replied

"Why can't you just close your eyes this once and it will be done before you know it," Bingchen said with his voice slightly raised, he was already getting pissed at her for being too stubborn but he couldn't just let her go.

"I am leaving!" Huo Li aid then she stood up from the bed and walked towards the door while she closed her robe, Bingchen sighed as he watched her leave then...

He stood up from the ground and rushed towards her, he grabbed her arm and spun her around, she was shocked by his action that she couldn't even react, he pulled her to his chest with her head over his shoulder then he pulled her almost tied robe down her shoulder, he placed his mouth on the side of her neck, almost at her back and sucked the poison out of her wound.

She batted her lashes and widened her eyes with her jaw dropped and her mouth slightly opened in shock when she felt his lips on her shoulder, she couldn't believe that he actually...she could feel the thumping sound coming from her chest.

Dubum!

Dubum!

Dubum!

He removed his mouth away from her neck then he spat the poisonous blood on the floor then he placed his lips on the wound again to suck the poison, she felt like she was paralyzed the whole time he was sucking the poison, she was supposed to stop him but she just couldn't move at that moment.

"You....!"

"Don't move..." Bingchen said softly then he spat out the poisoned blood in his mouth and placed his lips on her shoulder again, after sucking the last bit of the poisoned blood, he spat it on the floor then he pulled his body away from her.

She hurriedly covered her shoulder with an embarrassed expression on her face, then she turned to look at him with her eyeballs glaring at him.

"I..."

TAP!

She sent a slap across his face with an angry expression on her face, she would never have imagined that he actually sucked the poison out of her body with his lips and the embarrassment she felt had that moment.

But was it really embarrassment she was feeling...

She immediately regretted her action as soon as she slapped him but she just went on with it, he turned his face back at her but his expression was still the same as though she didn't just slap him, his eyes had a gentle look in them and it made her feel guilty but she didn't want to show it.

I am supposed to be angry at him, why am I feeling sorry instead...

She thought to herself!

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the bed then he sat her down and opened the box of medication on the bed, she was feeling scared thinking that he was going to do something to her because of the slap she gave him.

"What do you want...." Huo Li said in a shaky voice but she didn't get any reply, he raised his hand against her face but she quickly closed her eyes in fear thinking that he was going to hit her, seeing her reaction, a smile carved on his lips, with her personality, she wasn't supposed to react that way but seeing her closing her eyes was just too cute, he gently brought his hand down on her shoulder then he slightly moved her robe away from her shoulder and applied a powdered medication on the wound.

She was wondering why she wasn't feeling any pain but a sting on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see him applying the medication on her shoulder, she eased her tensed shoulders and gazed at him with a gentle look in her eyes.

He leaned his head closer to her shoulder to blow on the wound then he raised his head again then their eyes met, they both stared at each other for seconds until her heart started beating heavily, she batted her lashed upon hearing the sound of her heartbeat and looked away from him.

A lopsided smile carved on his lips then he chuckled and stood in front of her...

"why is your heart beating that fast?" Bingchen asked with a teasing smile on his face.

"What do you mean? I didn't hear my heart beating you must be mistaking it for yours" Huo Li replied hurriedly.

"I don't think so, I heard it very clearly"

"Then you heard it wrong" Huo Li answered

"or could it be that..."

"My heart is not beating that fast because of you!!" She shouted before he could complete his statement, he balled his fist and placed it on his mouth to stop himself from laughing then he brought it down when his urge to laugh out loud subsided.

"I didn't say anything, you said it yourself," Bingchen said

"I.....hmmph! I won't be bothered by you, I am leaving" Huo Li said then she tied her robe and put on her waistband, she stood up from the bed and left his room in a hurry, he smiled as he watched her leave in the room in embarrassment then he slumped on the bed with his arms folded behind his head.

She sneakily walked out of his quarters to avoid being seen by the others but as soon as she left his quarters, she heard someone shouting her name from afar, she was afraid that she has been caught redhanded so she started running.

"Senior disciple Li!!!" the disciples shouted as they ran after her, they weren't even sure of why she was running but they had to catch up with her.

She continued running without even looking back at the disciples who were already out of breath after running after her for over twenty-five minutes, she rested when she saw that she had lost them.

She placed her hands on her knee and tried to catch her breath but she started running again when she heard the disciples shouting her name behind her, the disciples were stupefied when they saw that she was running away from them again.

They were about to lose her until she bumped into Huo Ying, she raised her head to see who it was...

"Huo Ying...."

"Where have you been and why are you running?" Huo Ying asked with a frustrated look on her face.

"Just don't bother with me" Huo Li answered then she was about to leave but Huo Ying held her back.

The disciples who were running after her heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Huo Ying holding her back, they walked up to them and greeted both of them.

"Senior disciple Li, why are you running away from us?" One of the female disciples asked as they tried to catch their breath.

"Mother has asked many disciples to find you but you were nowhere to be found," Huo Ying said, she has also been looking for Huo Li all around the sect but it seemed like she had disappeared into thin air which made Huo Ying very frustrated.

"Is that why you were calling me?" Huo Li asked

"Yes, the sect madam ordered us to find you but you had already started running before we could even say anything" one of the disciples replied.

"I am sorry, I thought you caught me...."

"What are you saying?" Huo Ying asked

"Don't bother, " Huo Li answered,

"You had better go to my mother's quarter before she gets angry, she is already angry with you for the incident that happened in the reception hall" Huo Ying said

"Alright, I will take my leave now," Huo Li said then she walked away.

"Where did you find her?" Huo Ying asked the disciples.

"We found her in front of guardian Bingchen quarters" a disciple replied

"In front of his quarters....."

"Is there something wrong young mistress?" One of the disciples asked

"Nothing, you can leave now" Huo Ying answered, after the disciples had walked away, she folded her arms on her chest and stared into space.

"They found her in front of Bingchen's quarter and she started running....something must be going on between the both of them"

---------------------

"Master, I heard that you have called for me, may I enter?" Huo Li asked as she stood outside the sect madam's room.

"Come in"

Huo Li opened the door gently then she entered the room with her head cowered, she walked to the front of where her master was seated, she knelt down immediately with a grievous look on her face.

"Why are you kneeling down?"

"I have failed their expectations of master and I have disappointed you by putting the sect in danger instead of protecting the sect, please punish me, master," Huo Li said

"You do realize that you have disappointed me and wasted the effort I spend on you all these years," her master said then she dropped the book she was reading and faced her.

"I admit my mistake master, please punish me as you see fit"

"You do deserve to be punished and I will do just that, you will be sent to the Mind destroying pagoda," her master said in a resolute tone, Huo Li raised her head with her eyes widened at her master then she lowered her head.

"I will accept my punishment," Huo Li said then she stood up.

"You may leave"

She turned around and walked toward the door but as she was about to open the door, her master called her name....she turned back to look at her master, she stood up from her seat and walked towards her with a gentle look in her eyes filled with love and compassion, she held one of her hand and walked back to her seat then she placed her on the seat beside hers.

"Master....." Huo Li muttered with her eyes turning teary.

"A' Li! all these years, I have been guiding you to cultivate your mind so that you can get rid of your inner demon, there were times when I used up my internal force and had o recuperate for weeks all because of your mind cultivation, do you know how hurt and angry I feel when I discovered that all my effort had been wasted by you all because of a momentary impulse to yield to your inner demon?" her master said softly

"I am really sorry master..." Huo Li answered with tears dropping from her eyes

"I couldn't bring myself to punish you because I see you as my child and I am sure you know that....."

"I know master, you have always cared for all these years and have never treated me unfairly" Huo Li answered, her tears slowly trickling down her face then her master wiped her tears away with her thumb.

"Sending you to the mind-destroying pagoda is not just to punish you if you can successfully pass through the thirteen levels of the mind-destroying pagoda without yielding to you inner demon then you will be able to get rid of your inner demon"

"What if I can't pass through it?"

"You must or else you will never be able to leave the mind-destroying pagoda, I didn't use this method before because I didn't want to put you in danger before your inner demon was contained and couldn't grow because of the sutra but now that it has been destroyed, if we don't get rid of it on time, you will be devoured and you will lose your reasoning"

"Does that mean that I would become a demon"

"Not just a demon, your inner demon is activated whenever you see someone being abandoned but when you are devoured by it, you will start killing everyone you see and you won't be able to recognise anyone"

"Master, don't worry, I will definitely pass through the thirteen levels of the mind-destroying pagoda"

"I know you can but you still have to be prepared, after two days, you will enter the pagoda"

"I understand" Huo Li answered with confidence.