The Girl's Secret Thoughts

After only a few words, the group subconsciously shifted their bodies into positions ready for action.

Remaining on guard for a few seconds, Luo Li couldn't help herself and snatched another piece of meat.

Chewing the beef, she mumbled, "Could it be an ordinary criminal?"

"No." Lu Shaoqi, sitting to her right, was browsing through the relevant information pages.

"If there were truly such a super serial killer, they would have been dealt with by other squads long ago."

There were seven Transcendent special squads in Tianhai City in total. The squad led by Qiu Ye ranked sixth among them; because of her non-competitive attitude, no newcomers with potential ever chose to join her team.

"Then it must be a Transcendent."

"A Transcendent killing dozens of people... that doesn't seem quite right either." The blue-haired loli said, not forgetting to fish the largest piece of tripe out of the pot.

"Besides, since they are a Transcendent, they must know our identities, yet they are here putting on an act."

Luo Li volunteered, "I'll go test them!"

Hearing this, Qiu Ye tacitly approved her plan.

Luo Li was petite and looked as adorable as a doll, making it easy for others to lower their guard; she was the best candidate to approach them.

She walked straight to the pair's table, meeting the gazes of Chen Xi and Lin Yue with a cheeky grin.

"Big sister, do you have a partner? My boss wants to get to know you."

Her words were shocking. Lin Yue wanted to say something but hesitated, leaving Chen Xi to be the first to answer the intrusive question.

"...And who is your boss?"

"Right there." Luo Li pointed toward Qiu Ye, whose face was flushed red with embarrassment.

"Luo Li!"

Qiu Ye hissed in a low, angry voice, walking over quickly to pull away Luo Li, who was resting her hands on the table and acting cute.

"Apologies, the child doesn't know any better. Please forgive any offense caused." She bowed slightly, offering a sincere apology.

There was no need to test them any further.

[Kagura Mind Eye], this was the second Legend Luo Li commanded, possessing one and only one ability—to discern a target's emotions and malice.

The fact that Luo Li dared to pull such a stunt meant that the two people in front of her had passed her ability test.

"It's fine, kids are like that. I understand."

After Chen Xi finished speaking, she waited for Qiu Ye to continue probing her, but instead, she saw her apologize once more before turning around and sitting back down with decisive grace.

She wasn't going to keep asking?

She glanced at Qiu Ye again, and the latter smiled when she noticed her looking.

So, she just didn't want to get involved in other people's business...

The other party clearly already knew she was a Transcendent and, after probing her with some method, had decided to let her go.

"Is she pretty?"

Lin Yue's voice pulled Chen Xi back from her thoughts.

The black-haired girl turned her head back to see Lin Yue resting her chin on her left hand, her right hand holding a slice of meat, yet she hadn't put it in her mouth for a long time.

Hearing this, Chen Xi shifted her gaze back to Qiu Ye.

Three seconds later, she reached a conclusion: "She is."

Qiu Ye had a very unique presence, a quality that made her inexplicably convincing.

"I see..." Lin Yue silently placed the meat into her bowl.

Seeing her struggle to hide her disappointment, Chen Xi assumed the young girl was just being moody and used the communal chopsticks to place a piece of freshly blanched beef into her bowl.

"You're very pretty too, Lin Yue. Sometimes, there's no need to compare yourself to others."

"I'm not!" Lin Yue retorted eagerly.

"I'm not a child; how could I be angry over something like this?"

Even so, that inexplicable sense of disappointment had faded quite a bit.

What exactly was going on?

It was always like this whenever she spent time with Chen Xi.

The two ate a bit more meat, and seeing that Qiu Ye truly had no intention of continuing her investigation, Chen Xi took Lin Yue and left the hot pot restaurant.

Outside, the restaurant was packed with people, and it wasn't until they reached a bus stop further away that the crushing crowds finally thinned out.

Chen Xi stole a glance at her. "I'll take you back to school."

The girl who had been high-spirited back in the restaurant now seemed to be burdened by some secret worry.

"Mm," Lin Yue whispered.

Noticing that her mood was off, Chen Xi deliberated for a moment before comforting her, "What are you thinking about again, Lin Yue?"

The blonde girl stammered, but in the end, she asked it anyway: "Why... why are you so good to me?"

"It feels as if we've known each other for a long time."

It was precisely this feeling that left her dazed, even though the memories between the two of them had already been wiped clean by the Regression of time.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi's expression remained as calm as ever.

"There is no reason." Those eyes gazed indifferently at the blonde girl.

"Lin Yue, sometimes when others show you kindness, it doesn't necessarily mean they are coveting something."

"If I had to say, it is your own conduct that has led you to see this side of me."

"Go back and get some sleep."

She patted Lin Yue's head. The bus arrived at the stop, and the latter gave a soft hum before hurrying onto the vehicle.

It wasn't until she sat down in her seat that Lin Yue finally snapped out of the daze from their conversation.

So hot...

She gently touched her reddening cheeks.

She muttered to herself, full of regret: "Ah—if only I had just asked if I could stay at your place."

In this cycle, because both of them already knew that Wu Xin would not make a move against an unpromoted Chen Xi, she hadn't even managed to come up with a proper excuse.

Amidst the girl's self-reproach, the bus pulled away.

Watching the bus depart, Chen Xi's pounding heart finally calmed down.

Heaven knows how Lin Yue ended up thinking in that direction; she had clearly only treated her with a normal attitude.

Fortunately, after the tempering of this period, she was already capable of spouting nonsense with a straight face.

However, this could be considered a blessing in disguise; at least from now on, she wouldn't have to keep up an act in front of Lin Yue at all times.

Once settled, seeing that there was no one around, Chen Xi took out the pupil of the Rain Lord and swallowed it whole.

Lin Yue hadn't eaten one and didn't know, but in truth, once the Rain Lord's pupil was swallowed, one could choose whether or not to absorb it.

Although Wu Xin would not attack her, that did not mean she wouldn't snatch the Rain Lord's pupil.

Chen Xi did not want to be on guard against that ghost at every waking moment.

As for why the conditions for mastery were so simple, the act of killing the Rain Lord was, in fact, the greatest tempering of all.

Taking the last bus home, Chen Xi reviewed her previous actions while slowly walking up the stairs.

Because it was an old residential complex, the wiring was in constant disrepair, and the hallway lights would short-circuit from time to time.

Chen Xi made her way through the darkness; fortunately, she was a Succubus and possessed excellent resistance to the dark.

It wasn't until she reached the third step that the black-haired girl heard the faint sound of breathing coming from right in front of her door.

Someone?!

It was most likely Wu Xin again.

Chen Xi steadied herself and simply turned on her phone's flashlight.

An unexpected visitor appeared before her.

"...Zhu Li?"

In front of the security door, the red-haired girl was half-squatting, boredly drawing circles on the floor with flames.