The forest under the night sky rushed backward as moonlight poured down from above, illuminating the path ahead.
Lin An flew just above the treetops, maintaining a moderate altitude.
The floating array patterns on the back of his Spiritual Power Armor hummed steadily, their faint sound nearly inaudible in the empty night sky.
Grey Wastes City was already far behind him, its brightly lit buildings reduced to a blurry halo pressed against the horizon.
Come to think of it, he had no idea how many times he had silently thanked Gu Yingge.
If it weren’t for the armor she gave him, he wouldn’t dare travel alone at night in this world.
All in all, the world was fairly peaceful.
Deep forests might have demonic beasts, and wilderness roads occasionally had bandits.
With his meager cultivation, walking at night was basically offering himself up on a silver platter.
But now, with the Spiritual Power Armor and these talismans, he could fly, run, and ambush others—at least he had some confidence.
No Life Town was over twenty li southeast of Grey Wastes City.
At his current speed, he would arrive in less than a quarter of an hour.
Thinking about the surprised expression on Aunt Yan’s face when she saw him, he unconsciously sped up.
But just then, he suddenly sensed a powerful aura approaching rapidly from behind, accompanied by the sound of wind breaking.
His back tensed, and he swiftly dodged to the side.
A pale blue figure swept past where he had been, the resulting gust scraping his cheeks painfully.
He steadied himself, one hand already reaching into his robe to grasp the edge of a talisman.
“Lin An!”
A clear voice came from across the way, carrying a hint of gritted teeth.
Lin An’s hand froze.
He hung suspended in midair, as if struck by a paralysis spell.
Under the moonlight, Shen Qishuang stood on a treetop, hands on her hips, glaring at him.
Her pale blue dress gently swayed in the night breeze, her hair slightly disheveled, a few stray strands playfully brushing across her cheeks.
Her eyes, fixed on Lin An, held anger—and something else.
“You sure can run.”
Lin An opened his mouth, then slowly said.
“Miss Shen, you must have mistaken me for someone else.”
“Keep pretending! Believe me, I’ll go back and tell Aunt Yan right now!”
“…”
He took a deep breath and slowly flew to a spot not far from Shen Qishuang.
“How did you recognize me?”
“Your voice.”
Shen Qishuang rolled her eyes.
“You think just because you cover your face, I can’t tell? We grew up together. I’d recognize you even if you were ground to ashes.”
Lin An didn’t buy it.
He touched the mask on his face and sighed.
“Then why did you attack just now? Weren’t you afraid I wouldn’t dodge?”
Shen Qishuang lifted her chin, looking perfectly justified.
“I was testing you. And I held back. Otherwise, could you have dodged?”
Lin An’s mouth twitched.
“You held back?”
“Of course. If I hadn’t, you’d be lying under a tree right now.”
‘What you said actually makes sense!’
Lin An didn’t want to argue with her.
He had never won an argument with her since they were kids.
“Let’s go down and talk. What did you come to me for?”
Shen Qishuang followed him to the ground, stepped forward, and looked up at his face.
“What did I come for? You ask me what I came for? Lin An, you sneak off to become a disciple of Heaven Origin Sect, you get all chummy with that Qu Hongling, and you run off alone in the dead of night—you ask me what I came for? You’ve really gotten bold!”
With each sentence, she stepped forward, forcing Lin An to step back.
After three or four steps, his back hit a tree trunk.
No more room.
Shen Qishuang stood in front of him, less than a foot apart.
Lin An could smell her faint fragrance; Shen Qishuang could see the evasion in his eyes.
“Talk.”
Shen Qishuang crossed her arms, raising her chin higher.
“What the hell are you up to?”
Lin An was silent.
At that moment, he considered many things.
Shen Qishuang was from Canglong Academy, which was an academy directly under the Imperial Court.
So in a sense, the two of them were on the same side.
Moreover, this was Shen Qishuang.
The one he had grown up with, who knew him inside and out—even how many moles he had on his body.
“I can tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else.”
Shen Qishuang raised an eyebrow.
“Depends on what it is.”
“Then never mind.”
“Fine, fine, I promise, I promise, okay?” Shen Qishuang grabbed his sleeve and tugged hard.
“Spit it out.”
Lin An pried her hand off his sleeve and sighed helplessly again.
“I’m a spy sent by the Imperial Court to Heaven Origin Sect.”
Shen Qishuang’s eyes widened, then narrowed as she looked him up and down, as if confirming whether he was joking.
“You?”
“Yes, me.”
“The Imperial Court sent you?”
“Yes.”
“As a spy?”
“Yes.”
Shen Qishuang was silent for three seconds, then let out an ambiguous “Ha?”
“Is the Imperial Court that desperate?”
“Even though I think the same, can you please talk nicely?”
“I’m telling the truth. You don’t even have the first level of Mortal Martial Realm. Sending you as a spy? Are you spying or just going to die?”
Lin An’s face was expressionless.
“Even though I do think that, can you please talk nicely!”
“Sorry, can’t.”
“…”
Shen Qishuang leaned in a little closer.
The distance was dangerous—almost touching heads.
“What about you and Qu Hongling? She’s clinging to you. Are you and her…”
“No.”
Lin An answered decisively.
“She’s from Demon Soul Sect.”
This time, Shen Qishuang was truly stunned.
“What?”
“A spy from Demon Soul Sect. The Left Protector. She thinks I’m the Holy Son of the Demon Sect, so she’s clinging to me.”
Shen Qishuang blinked, then blinked again, slowly digesting the information.
“Holy Son of the Demon Sect? Then… are you?”
“Do I look like it?”
Shen Qishuang stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.
“Yeah, Lin An, you’re pretty lucky.”
“I think so too.”
Shen Qishuang’s smile faded, and she looked at him seriously.
“What are you going to do now? She keeps thinking you’re the Holy Son. One day she’ll find out you’re not, and then she’ll definitely kill you first.”
“I know. That’s why I’m trying to think of something.”
“What?”
“Haven’t figured it out yet.”
Shen Qishuang took a deep breath.
She raised her hand as if to grab Lin An’s, but instead gave him a firm slap on the shoulder—hard enough to make his shoulder drop.
“Can’t you just stay put? Isn’t it good to stay home? Why do you have to go be some spy?”
“It’s the Imperial Court’s orders. What can I do?”
“Refuse.”
“Refusing is defying orders. Defying orders means death.”
Shen Qishuang bit her lip and fell silent.
The night wind blew through the treetops, making the leaves rustle.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches, falling on the two of them.
After a long while, Shen Qishuang spoke again.
“So you’re going home now?”
“Yeah, going back to see Aunt Yan.”
“Alright.”
Shen Qishuang nodded.
“Stay home for a few days. When I’m done with the Demon Extermination Assembly, I’ll come find you. I haven’t been home in a while either—I’ll go see my parents.”
“Okay.”
“Then get going.”
Shen Qishuang stepped back a few paces.
“Be careful on the road. Don’t let anyone else follow you.”
“You’re the only one following me. And you say others.”
“That’s not following. That’s protecting.”
“…Fine.”
Lin An activated the floating array patterns on his Spiritual Power Armor and slowly ascended.
“Shen Qishuang.”
“Hm?”
“Thank you.”
Shen Qishuang waved her hand, her tone casual.
“What’s there to thank? Go on, go on. Don’t keep me from going back to sleep.”
Lin An smiled, turned, and flew south.
His figure quickly disappeared into the night, merging into the dark sky.
Shen Qishuang looked up at the shrinking black dot.
The night wind lifted her skirt and hair, and the moonlight stretched her shadow long.
“Holy Son of the Demon Sect?”
A meaningful curve appeared at the corner of her mouth as she repeated those four words, her voice very soft, as if savoring something interesting.
“You fool. Do you think you can hide this forever? You can fool me for a while, but not forever. Looks like I’ll have to help you, or you’ll slip up sooner or later.”
…
…
At midnight, in Qu Hongling’s room.
She was meditating and cultivating when suddenly, a black token materialized in front of her.
On the front was a bright red character for “demon”; on the back was the face of an evil spirit.
Sensing the aura, Qu Hongling’s eyes snapped open, and she immediately saw the floating token.
“Demon God Token! This…”
She naturally knew the origin of this token.
Only the Sect Master and the Holy Son possessed one.
She respectfully held the token with both hands.
Along with it came a message transmitted into her mind.
[Protector Qu, this seat has important matters to attend to and will be leaving Grey Wastes City for a few days. Do not seek me out.]
After reading the message, she felt the token lighten in her hands.
It disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.
‘The Holy Son’s important matters… must be very important!’