Chapter 31: Being Siblings, in Our Hearts

“This town is about to fall into chaos!”

Late at night, in the small chapel, Lin Hong was channeling pure vitality into Old Butler Robert’s body, dispelling the old man’s deathly qi, while deep in thought.

All the Royal Knights stationed outside the town had gone missing—their fate unknown.

The reinforcements of the Evil Clan followers had likely already assembled; otherwise, how could they be so audacious?

Those were more than a dozen Royal Knights!

Even Lin Hong himself felt that this was a high-stakes game.

Yet, whether it was his imagination or not, he found Lovella’s reaction somewhat strange.

Although she also looked grave, there was a sense of stability beneath her seriousness—calmness within the tension, even more composed than the two Royal Knights stationed in the town.

Could this have been within her expectations as well?

That would be quite frightening, Lin Hong thought to himself.

By now, Old Butler Robert’s face no longer showed signs of pain.

His breathing had become steady and deep.

Though he remained unconscious and was severely emaciated, his flame of life had stabilized.

Lovella had brought various precious medicines and magic scrolls.

The old man’s body was now strong enough for the medicinal effects to take hold; given time, he could fully recover.

Nearby, the old man’s two sons had witnessed the entire process.

By now, they were no longer as visibly shaken as they had been at the beginning.

Only gratitude filled their eyes as they watched quietly.

Lovella’s clenched fists loosened slightly at this moment.

Her expression was complex, but overall, gratitude and thanks prevailed.

Lin Hong withdrew his energy, helped the old man lie down, and adjusted his breathing briefly.

His expended energy was restored in no time.

He smiled at the two middle-aged men: “No more problems. The old gentleman will wake up in a few days. He just needs rest and slow recovery. You two brothers need not worry day and night.”

The two men bowed solemnly and thanked Lin Hong with deep respect.

Lin Hong chuckled, stretched lazily with a feigned yawn: “I’m tired, time to rest. I’ll leave the old man in your care.”

With that, he waved his hand and left directly.

Lovella also nodded gracefully and followed quietly behind Lin Hong.

The night breeze was cool, and they walked in silence.

It was already late at night, and the entire town was shrouded in darkness.

Lin Hong didn’t stay in his room for long.

After confirming there was no movement from the adjacent room, he slipped out through the window and prepared to move out.

Suddenly, a flash of silver gleamed under the moonlight.

What’s that?

Lin Hong glanced over—it was a short sword, its blade dark silver, inscribed with magical runes.

It looked very sharp.

Lin Hong’s expression instantly turned strange.

When he had returned to the residence earlier, this sword wasn’t there.

But now, as he came out, it appeared.

It went without saying who had placed it.

But why did she do this?

Lin Hong felt puzzled.

To be honest, ever since she had caught him dragging the half-dead Bazi and he had spoken those nearly half-confessing words, he had stopped imitating young Evan’s mannerisms when interacting with Lovella.

He didn’t believe Lovella hadn’t noticed.

Yet some unspoken understanding seemed to have formed between them—both pretending to be confused while knowing the truth.

Lovella didn’t press, and Lin Hong didn’t offer an explanation.

They maintained this eerie calm.

Now, he couldn’t guess what was on that young lady’s mind.

Lin Hong gestured, and the short sword flew into his hand.

He inspected it.

There was nothing unusual; on the contrary, by this world’s standards, its grade was quite high.

“Wow, sibling love indeed—a timely gift in the snow.”

Lin Hong looked amused.

He really did lack a suitable weapon, so he gladly accepted it.

Let’s just say, siblinghood is in the heart.

Tonight, he had big things to do!

Lin Hong melded into the night, adjusting himself as he moved, bringing his body to its peak state.

At first, he walked naturally, his steps steady, even somewhat slow.

But as his condition gradually adjusted, his essence, energy, and spirit became vigorous and highly unified.

Without deliberately speeding up, his pace quickened naturally—like shrinking the earth beneath his feet, each step covering several zhang!

In just a dozen or so breaths, the town was already behind him, swallowed by the dense darkness.

Lin Hong didn’t slow down.

He first arrived at the woodland camp where the Royal Knight squad had been secretly stationed, as he recalled.

The camp was orderly—no signs of fighting or frantic escape.

Nearly ten Royal Knights had apparently vanished into thin air within a quarter-hour, right after sending out one normal communication.

Lin Hong didn’t linger.

He left immediately and arrived at a secluded forest clearing.

Here, he retrieved the imprisoned evil spirit’s mental entity from his spiritual sea.

It was still unconscious, which left Lin Hong speechless.

“Brother Ban sure has a strong kick.”

He concealed himself well, tossed the evil spirit entity out, and then released a jolt of spiritual energy.

“……!”

Soon, the dim red mass trembled slightly.

The evil spirit awoke, appearing dazed and confused, radiating a wave of puzzlement.

“Where am I?”

It was clearly bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.

“I remember… I was supposed to infiltrate Panshi Town to scout and gather intelligence on the two remaining lowly creatures.”

The evil spirit tried to recall, growing more confused.

It should be in that town—so why was it here?

What happened?

It couldn’t remember! Its waves grew agitated.

“Brother Ban is truly authoritative—great simplicity at its finest!”

Lin Hong, sensing from the shadows, gave his mysterious status panel a mental thumbs-up while keeping his eyes fixed on the evil spirit.

The evil spirit muttered quietly, chanting obscure incantations to check its own condition.

“No damage, no abnormalities—doesn’t seem like an ambush.”

It mused to itself.

“Ah, I see. I’ve been too diligent setting up altars these past days, leading to exhaustion. I really shouldn’t have…”

Then, it suddenly shuddered, made a motion resembling looking up, and emitted an urgent wave: “It’s already this late! The operation has begun!”

Without further hesitation, it cast aside its confusion, transformed into a faint stream of light, and shot off in a certain direction.

Finally took the bait…

Lin Hong breathed a sigh of relief, suppressed all his presence, and silently trailed behind it, following stealthily.

The evil spirit entity was clearly very cautious, even peculiar.

At times it moved through the real, material world; at other times it seemed to sink into some illusory layer, entering an interstitial dimension.

Only thanks to Lin Hong’s extraordinary perception and complete focus did he manage not to lose it.

“So that’s how it is,” Lin Hong realized.

Now he understood how these people had evaded the Royal Knights’ searches.

They indeed possessed this bizarre technique.

Lin Hong thought to himself that even he, with a moment’s carelessness, might have missed them and struggled to root them out.

“I’ve been looking down on them until now. This is a warning—I must correct this!”

He spoke to himself in admonition, while remaining vigilant, following closely.

Finally, the stream of light stopped at a mountain col.

The evil spirit entity hovered for a moment, repeatedly confirming its position, then began chanting a strange incantation.

At the same time, the entity itself glowed, forming several runes that imprinted onto the void before it.

Om—

In an instant, space there began to ripple and distort, splitting open a fissure like an evil eye, from which emanated unsettling waves of filthy energy.

The evil spirit entity dove in without hesitation, feeling deeply familiar with this aura.

As it entered the fissure, the crack began to shrink and seal rapidly!

But in the final moment before the crack closed completely, a figure—moving at extreme speed, nearly merging with the night—slipped through in the last instant and successfully entered.

Suddenly, Lin Hong felt the world spin.

The starry sky, mountains, and forest outside vanished in an instant.

When his vision steadied, Lin Hong found himself in an entirely new world.

Above him, a dark red canopy stretched like eternity.

Beneath his feet, the earth was blood-colored, cracked everywhere, with thick streams of viscous energy oozing out like pus—extremely unsettling.

In the air floated a sweet, cloying fragrance—not pungent, but it rushed straight to the brain, capable of disturbing one’s mind.

Moreover, this world seemed to constantly echo with faint whispers and wails—barely audible, yet penetrating straight to the soul.

“This place again!”

Lin Hong was not particularly surprised.

He had been here once before—this was precisely the Courtyard Domain of Evil Clan Number One.