"You don't trust me?" Wang Xiaoli sneered.
Lin Fan nodded. "Why should I trust you?"
Li Yusheng, seeing the situation, couldn't figure out their relationship and could only wait and see.
The two stared at each other, their gazes clashing fiercely, neither willing to back down.
Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through Wang Xiaoli's chest.
She clutched her chest, a touch of unnatural crimson appearing on her pale, bloodless face.
"Fine, here," Wang Xiaoli gritted her teeth and slammed the door shut.
A triumphant smile curved Lin Fan's lips.
If only she had agreed earlier, this would have been avoided.
"Brother Lin, you and Miss Wang..." Li Yusheng, unable to contain his curiosity, stared intently at Lin Fan.
"The adult world is complicated, child. Don't ask too many questions," Lin Fan replied with a smile, being evasive.
The door opened again, and Wang Xiaoli held out a plain-looking Chi Pearl. "Here!"
"Thank you. I'll keep it for a few days and return it when I'm done," Lin Fan said, thanking her and taking the Chi Pearl.
...
As dusk settled.
Outside the hotel, lights twinkled, and the streets bustled with traffic.
Lin Fan, in his pajamas, stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine, his expressionless gaze fixed on the beautiful scenery outside.
"Xiao Fan," Zheng Yue said softly, a white bathrobe wrapped around her, revealing two fair, slender legs.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
She had initially thought that sharing a room, with both of them unmarried, would at least lead to some romantic tension, let alone any wild advances from Lin Fan. For instance, while she was showering, she had expected Lin Fan to knock on the door or just stand outside.
However, her worries were unfounded. Ever since returning to the room after dinner, Lin Fan had been standing by the window, lost in thought.
"She's gone, then," Lin Fan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he murmured.
"Who's gone?" Zheng Yue came to his side, looking out the window curiously.
The dazzling night view of brightly lit buildings held no unusual features in her eyes.
"Wang Xiaoli left. She went to Qinghe Reservoir alone."
With only the two of them in the room, Lin Fan didn't hide it. He didn't know how to stop her, as she had taken the initiative so skillfully.
Astonishment flickered across Zheng Yue's face. "How did you know?"
"I saw it," Lin Fan said, pointing to his eyes.
"She... flew away?" Zheng Yue asked incredulously.
Lin Fan nodded. "Well, it's fine. It's good for her to go first. If she gains anything, we'll surely get a share. If she returns tomorrow morning, it means she found nothing."
"Xiao Fan, who is she? Why do I feel like you two are enemies rather than friends?"
Zheng Yue recalled Wang Xiaoli's cold demeanor and her obvious hostility towards Lin Fan, and couldn't help but worry.
"You've actually guessed correctly. We are, in a way, enemies."
Lin Fan sighed. "It's just that for certain reasons, we've reached a consensus for now, and there won't be any conflict. But in a few more years, that might change."
Zheng Yue could sense that Lin Fan, who seemed so formidable in her eyes, was somewhat wary of Wang Xiaoli.
"Xiao Fan."
She leaned into Lin Fan's embrace like a small bird, wanting to offer him some comfort.
"Don't worry about me."
Lin Fan sighed. "I'm just worried that Wang Xiaoli might be too greedy, and it will be difficult to explain to the Li family siblings then."
---
In another room.
Li Yurou shed her languid demeanor and approached Li Yusheng, who was sitting by the window reading.
"Yurou, is something wrong?" Li Yusheng asked, looking up.
"Brother, I have something very important to tell you." Li Yurou's expression was serious.
"Oh, go ahead," Li Yusheng placed the ancient book on the table, assuming an attentive posture.
Li Yurou bent down, less than a foot away from her brother's face, and said earnestly, "Wang Xiaoli is not human at all. The farther you are from her, the better."
Li Yusheng panicked, almost bumping his head as he tried to stand up.
"Yurou, what are you saying?!"
"Wang Xiaoli is not human. There's not a trace of human scent about her. Didn't you notice? The Fifth Miss's bodyguard is a martial artist with keen senses. He was sitting next to Wang Xiaoli, and he was sweating cold. That was his intuition kicking in."
Although Li Yurou had been laughing and acting carefree all along, she understood Wang Xiaoli's terrifying nature better than anyone.
"Little sister, you're not joking, are you?"
Li Yusheng found it hard to believe. Although the things left behind by their master were indeed mysteriously wondrous, he had never encountered demons or ghosts and didn't quite believe in them.
"Brother~" Li Yurou pouted and grabbed his ear in exasperation. "What is it with you men? Do you turn into idiots when you see a beautiful woman? She has a life force, so she's probably not a ghost. But her pupils are a little different from normal people's, and her body temperature is terrifyingly low."
"I don't know what kind of demon she is, but she's definitely not good news."
"She'll kill people!"
Li Yusheng saw the concern in his sister's eyes and nodded. "I understand."
"I suspect Lin Fan is playing with fire. He can't control that demon at all," Li Yurou said with a complex expression.
"Isn't Brother Lin in grave danger then?" Li Yusheng couldn't help but worry.
"Don't worry. Judging by his appearance, he must have some means to protect himself. We should focus on our own survival. I've already asked our martial uncle to send the Seven-Star Demon Subduing Sword over tomorrow," Li Yurou said, her brow furrowed with worry.
"The Seven-Star Demon Subduing Sword!" Li Yusheng suddenly realized. He remembered his sister pestering their martial uncle for favors in the car on the way here. So that's what she was after.
"Can the treasure passed down by our master truly slay demons?" Li Yusheng murmured.
Li Yurou rolled her eyes. "It'll be useless in the hands of a lecher like you. It would be good if you don't lose the sword yourself."
"Forget it, I can't be bothered with you. I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll cast a hexagram to see if our journey ahead is auspicious or not."
She waved her hand and walked towards the bathroom.
"Hey, little sister, tell me more," Li Yusheng chased after her, only to be unceremoniously shut out.
Late at night.
The cold northern climate ensured that the nights were not very lively.
A ball of black mist flew silently towards the hotel, quickly disappearing through an open window.
Lin Fan, in the adjacent room, sat up abruptly. He smelled a scent of blood, but it wasn't human blood. He had dealt with countless patients and was at least seventy to eighty percent sure he could identify the smell of human blood.
Could Wang Xiaoli be injured?
"Xiao Fan, why are you awake?"
Zheng Yue felt a coolness beside her and opened her eyes groggily.
Although they were sleeping in the same bed, with such a dangerous demon in the next room, Lin Fan had no ulterior motives. After coaxing Zheng Yue to sleep, he had been listening intently to the sounds next door.
"You go back to sleep. I'll be back soon."
Lin Fan gently stroked Zheng Yue's hair and kissed her smooth cheek.
"What happened?" Zheng Yue asked nervously.