What Are You Trying to Do?

In the woods on the other side of the cemetery.

"Xiangnan."

"!!!"

Wu Xiangnan, who had been lying prone on the ground, shuddered and whipped around. When he saw who it was, he finally let out a breath of relief.

"Captain, don't creep around a cemetery without making a sound in the middle of the night. You nearly scared me to death." Wu Xiangnan pressed a hand to his wildly pounding heart and took several deep breaths.

Chen Muye quietly sat down beside Wu Xiangnan. Looking at Hong Ying, who was carving a gravestone alone in the distance, he spoke softly.

"I thought that blockhead of yours only held tactics. I didn't expect you to come too."

Wu Xiangnan rolled his eyes at him. "Who would believe she went out to practice shooting in the middle of the night? Do I look that dense to you?"

"You do."

Wu Xiangnan: ...

"Where's Qimo? He came too, right?"

"He's lying on the opposite ridge with Lin Qiye."

"What about Leng Xuan and Xiaonan?"

"Leng Xuan disappeared somewhere long ago. Xiaonan was too scared of the dark to come."

"Oh."

The two men fell silent.

After a long while, Chen Muye spoke again.

"I'm quite happy you came."

"...Was that really necessary?"

"It was." Chen Muye nodded seriously. "It means you're no longer the Wu Xiangnan who had just crawled out of a pile of corpses. No matter how much you deny it, you... have already changed."

"Why would I deny it?" Wu Xiangnan said calmly. "It's been nearly six years since Team Blue Rain was wiped out. A cripple like me had to move on eventually. Meeting all of you was a stroke of luck for me, Wu Xiangnan."

Chen Muye let out a long sigh. "In their eyes, you're a stiff who only cares about rules and regulations. Last time, when I eavesdropped on Hong Ying and Xiaonan, they even said you'd never find a wife in this lifetime."

"..."

"If they knew you used to be a member of the renowned Blue Rain Special Squad, their jaws would probably hit the floor."

"I'm just a useless man who survived by clinging to life. I'm not worthy of carrying that name again," Wu Xiangnan said evenly. "Now, I only want to be an ordinary member of Team 136."

Chen Muye patted Wu Xiangnan on the shoulder without saying anything.

"What do you think?" Wu Xiangnan suddenly asked.

"About what?"

"The new recruit, Lin Qiye."

"He's a good kid."

"I'm not talking about his potential. I mean his personality."

"That's what I mean too."

Wu Xiangnan paused before continuing, "He was the one who killed the Ghost-faced King. If I'm not mistaken, Zhao Kongcheng only severely wounded it. He didn't deal a fatal blow."

"Does that matter?"

"Doesn't it?"

Chen Muye looked into Wu Xiangnan's eyes and slowly said, "That kid chose to give the credit to Zhao Kongcheng. Why do you have to fixate on it?

You've known Old Zhao for so long. Don't you know what his dream was?"

"Killing a 'River' Realm Mysterious is a tremendous achievement! It would help that kid's future immensely!"

"Do you think he cares about that?"

Wu Xiangnan was rendered speechless.

Chen Muye shifted his gaze away from Hong Ying and toward the distant ravine, speaking calmly.

"I told you, that kid is good."

Meanwhile.

Dozens of miles away from the cemetery.

Leng Xuan, who was crouching quietly atop a hill, lowered the binoculars in his hand, a faint smile curling at his lips.

"Every single one of them hid without the slightest bit of skill. Got them on camera again this time..."

Click, click!

Several soft sounds came from the binoculars in Leng Xuan's hands, and a few high-definition photographs dropped out from underneath. Some showed Hong Ying carving a gravestone alone, some showed Lin Qiye chatting with Wen Qili, and some showed two grown men fooling around in the woods...

He picked up the photos as though they were priceless treasures and carefully placed them into a locked box.

The box was filled with photographs.

Photographs unique to Team 136—funny, awkward, yet warm.

Two hours later.

Lin Qiye stood before a luxurious mansion, staring in disbelief.

He lowered his head and checked the address on the note again, then looked at the villa and sucked in a sharp breath!

"So she's rich?!"

If Lin Qiye had not taken a wrong turn, then the place before him was Hong Ying's home.

Vaguely, her words seemed to echo in his mind again: "My house is pretty big..."

This was far more than pretty big!

Lin Qiye hesitated outside the villa for a long time before finally making up his mind and stepping forward to knock on the door.

Earlier, Wen Qimo and he had silently watched Hong Ying carve the gravestone at the cemetery. They had not left until she was finished. And to keep Hong Ying from becoming suspicious, he had deliberately arrived half an hour later, creating a time gap.

After only two knocks, Lin Qiye withdrew his hand.

The faint patter of slippers came from behind the door, followed by the villa's front door opening.

Hong Ying stood behind it in plush pajamas, her eyes slightly red. When she saw Lin Qiye, a smile appeared on her face.

"Qiye, come in. Why did you get back so late?"

"Qimo kept pulling me into conversation until now," Lin Qiye lied without batting an eye.

As he entered the house, Lin Qiye lowered his head and discovered that Hong Ying had already prepared a pair of slippers for him.

"Um... I didn't clean the house today, so it might be a little messy. Don't mind it!" Hong Ying said somewhat embarrassedly, toying with her hair and winding several strands around her fingertips.

"It's already very clean." Lin Qiye glanced around helplessly. "Besides, as long as I have somewhere to stay, I'm already happy."

It had to be said that everything about Hong Ying's home, from the decor to the furnishings, exuded an air of grandeur and elegance. Lin Qiye, who had never lived in a villa before, felt somewhat restrained.

And besides... he had never stayed overnight at a girl's house before.

"Hong Ying, is Qiye here?"

A soft voice came from the second floor. Si Xiaonan, still bleary-eyed with sleep, was leaning over the railing as she asked quietly.

"Mm." Hong Ying nodded.

Lin Qiye froze and turned to look at Hong Ying.

Hong Ying smiled at him. "Since I don't usually stay in the dorms, and I don't feel comfortable leaving Xiaonan there alone, I usually have her live here with me."

So that was it...

Just then, Lin Qiye seemed to think of something. "What about Uncle and Auntie? Would it disturb them if I just moved in like this?"

"It won't." Hong Ying shook her head. "Five years ago, they disappeared in the Mist. Before Xiaonan came, I lived here alone."

"They were part of the exploration team?"

"Yes."

Lin Qiye opened his mouth. He knew he had said the wrong thing, but he did not know what he could say to comfort her.

Just then, Hong Ying pointed to a room on the second floor.

"You'll stay in that room. I've already cleaned it up. The blue towel and toiletries in the bathroom are yours, so don't mix them up!" Hong Ying said as she climbed the stairs in her slippers, one step at a time.

Then, as if she had remembered something, she suddenly turned to look at Lin Qiye.

"Oh, right. If you want to enter Xiaonan's or my room, knock first! If I find out you have any improper intentions... heh heh!"

Hong Ying rolled up her pajama sleeve, exposing a fair arm, and waved it "fiercely."

"Don't forget, I'm the team's frontline combatant. Other than the captain, no one can beat me!

And my spear doesn't have eyes!"

With that, she turned around smartly. Her long black hair fell in natural curls as she strode into her room.

Lin Qiye: ...

Si Xiaonan, who was slumped off to the side, yawned and waved at Lin Qiye. "Good night."

Bang!

The two bedroom doors closed, and the hallway fell silent once more.

Lin Qiye suddenly thought of something. He quickly walked to Hong Ying's door and knocked several times.

Creak...

The door slowly opened. Hong Ying stood behind it with a spear in hand, her expression unfriendly as she raised her chin.

"You... what do you want?"