An Unexpected Old Friend

Among the crowd, there were also people secretly watching the Salvation Sect's visitors.

"Here, your candied date skewer." Qian handed the sweet date skewer in his hand to Yan Qing.

"Thanks." She took the stick, licked it, then suddenly frowned at Feathered Garment. "Why are you staring at me? Watch that Black Gate Cult envoy!"

Qian turned his head aside with an amused smile. "I thought Lock Weavers were cold and heartless, and that even their food would be spicy, sour, or salty. I never expected you to pick candied fruit."

Back in the Capital Region, quite a few people regarded Yan Qing as a venomous killer spider. They held her in awe, yet kept their distance as well. Aside from the core members, almost no one was willing to deal with a Lock Weaver.

"Heartless? It's only because they have guilty consciences." Yan Qing dismissed it. "The worms and enemies lurking within the Bureau naturally hoped their judges would be more merciful, but they never considered the plight of the innocents implicated by their negligence and evil deeds. Sometimes, I think spiders are cuter. At least they make it clear that they're poisonous."

Qian smiled and said no more.

Because the Lock Weaver truly had changed quite a bit.

Perhaps even she herself had not noticed.

Qian searched through more than a decade of memories, yet could not find a single scene of her eating candied fruit in public. With an Azure Blade's salary, she could not possibly have been unable to afford sweets. That could only mean that she might have liked sweet things, but had hidden that preference from others.

She had been the Bureau of Military Affairs' inspector and purger. She needed to maintain an imposing, icy image, even if that was not her true nature.