“Put it away, you’ll have use for it.” The Demonic God of Pain didn’t know why Bai Xiaofei looked so conflicted. In his eyes, the Dragon Saliva Fruit was nothing but a tonic.

  After Bai Xiaofei did as told, it was time to get down to business.

  “What do I do?” He looked up at the huge stone idol, which was so tall that he couldn’t see the top.

  “This stone statue should be the capsule that he built to protect his soul. Break it and the soul will naturally drift out, but because it has no consciousness yet, it will instinctively find the strongest living body around to attach to. You’d better prepare your sea of consciousness to take a strong impact,” replied the Demonic God of Pain.

  Before Bai Xiaofei did anything, Golden Feather came out from the puppet space and advised, “Don’t try to force it, gradually refine it with my flame. Upon being attacked, the capsule will reflect the damage back to the attacker’s sea of consciousness and try to create an opening for the soul to invade. Although it’s only an unconscious remnant soul, you can never be too careful.”


  Bai Xiaofei immediately discarded the idea of taking the opponent head-on.

  “Then please, Aunt Gold.”


  As Spiritualization was launched, Golden Feather merged with Bai Xiaofei. With a clear phoenix cry, a bright golden flame lit up the night sky and engulfed the stone idol.

  ……


  “Why do you think he wouldn’t let us come with him?” In her room, Qiu Muxue wondered in a lifeless tone and expression.

  Lan Shuang sighed and looked at Qiu Muxue with pity. “What you actually wanted to say is ‘why wouldn’t he let me come with him?’ isn’t it?”


  Stimulated by this question, Qiu Muxue’s eyes glinted. “This is a matter of the Sacks, no? Aren’t I the representative of our clan now? What’s wrong with bringing me?” She stubbornly tried to defend her real motive.

  However, for Lan Shuang, who knew her too well, this excuse was weak.

  “Wake up, helping us is just a choice he made after weighing the pros and cons. As for what happened during this, it just couldn’t be helped. He is not stupid, nor is he ignorant about women, but he has never made it clear, or you could say that he has indirectly turned you down. Isn’t that obvious enough?” Unable to watch Qiu Muxue sink any lower, Lan Shuang simply said the words that she had been withholding. The future of the Sacks was important, but her best friend was even more so.

  Unsurprisingly, this pot of cold water immediately made Qiu Muxue fall silent. However, also unsurprisingly as per Lan Shuang’s understanding of her, before long, she looked up with resolute eyes.

  “I know, but I still want to give it a try!”


  Lan Shuang helplessly shook her head. Since hard persuasion was no good, she needed to change methods.

  “At least you two can still talk and laugh like friends now. If he really rejects you face to face, can you still get along with him like this? Even if he can, can you continue to stand in front of him as if nothing happened? Or, even if he rejects you, can you really let go of it? The Qiu Muxue I know is not such a person,” Lan Shuang calmly analyzed.

  Qiu Muxue was completely stumped. She really hadn’t given this matter any thought.

  Friends…?

  ……


  “How can you be so calm?! It’s been so long without any news from him!”


  Thousands of miles away, in the main keep of Moonbright Fortress, Ye Qingcheng had completely lost her composure as she urgently questioned Tan Xin.

  On the contrary, Tan Xin had been calmly eating watermelon slices.

  “You and I both know very well how talented the strategist of the Sacks is. In the later period of the fortress war, they were pretty much throwing their battles. If this wasn’t his arrangement, I wouldn’t believe it. Since he could arrange the major events of the Sacks, it means that he has available personnel there. Having blended into the enemy coupled with having a controllable force, he is absolutely safe. Maybe that fellow is even enjoying life there, so what’s the hurry?”


  Tan Xin analyzed the situation clearly. She understood Bai Xiaofei very well despite having only spent slightly more than a year with him.

  “Meanwhile, you. There is nothing for you to do at the border now, are you sure you don’t need to return to the capital? There should be a lot of things to deal with after the war, right? Don’t tell me you’re going to keep making the court send the reports here?”


  At Tan Xin’s questions, Ye Qingcheng looked conflicted. Indeed, she should have returned already, but she had been worried as there had been no news of Bai Xiaofei. She always thought that Bai Xiaofei got involved in this incident entirely because of her, forgetting that it was only out of the agreement between them.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll send people to inform you immediately once there’s any news. Besides, you still have that girl, don’t you? He can’t just run away. On the other hand, the Fickle Army has to waste time here with you. You’re not going to give them the praise and rewards they deserve?” Tan Xin successively dropped reasons that Ye Qingcheng could not neglect. For Bai Xiaofei, Nie Qing and the Fickle Army were his two major concerns.

  Tan Xin had a hunch that Bai Xiaofei would be back soon, and she didn’t want him to be summoned by Ye Qingcheng for a ‘night talk’ as soon as he did.

  “You’re right, I should go back,” said Ye Qingcheng after a long silence. She smiled faintly and the calm composure of an emperor had returned. “When he comes back, tell him for me that I’m waiting for his good news at the capital and that I will take good care of them, whether it is the Fickle Army or Nie Qing.”


  With that, Ye Qingcheng left Tan Xin’s room. Apart from her own feelings, she also bore the heavy responsibility of running an empire.

  “Rest assured, I’ll let him know!”


  Tan Xin straightforwardly agreed with a chuckle. Watching Ye Qingcheng leave, her eyes shone with expectation.

  “Bai Xiaofei, if you don’t come back, I will be very angry!”