The Senior Disciple's Guide to Self-Preservation

My name is Meng Kunlun. I am the foremost disciple of Si Wuling, the greatest cultivator in the cultivation world. Blessed with outstanding talent and the protection of the greatest sect, I am admired and envied by all.

My master's cultivation is unrivaled throughout the world. He has no idea how to deal with people, but his extraordinary looks have attracted plenty of admirers over the years. As his disciple, I've helped him fend off a few of them, so I'm used to it by now.

But my master has always been cold and thought me foolish. Whenever I finished dealing with these matters, he'd catch me during sword practice and punish me. It wasn't fair. So many of his admirers were people I couldn't afford to offend, and I never wanted to deal with this stuff in the first place.

This time, though, things seem to have gotten out of hand. I accidentally absorbed demonic energy. If I'm found out, I'll be expelled from the sect and suffer the Bone-Pulling Punishment, which will cost me half my life. To survive, I decided to ask to leave the sect before anyone discovered the truth. But my master seems furious. He razed my quarters to the ground and even wants to lock me up...

A thickheaded yet sensitive gong x a cold but obsessive shizun shou

Contains confinement, injuries in battle, and demonic corruption. An unconventional melodramatic romance, meaning the gong is subjected to coercion. There may be a shou disciplining the gong, in an abnormal way. Please check the content warnings for yourself.

The gong suffers physically and emotionally; a fake-strong gong.

Theme: What we cling to beyond ourselves is as faint as smoke