Lin Yi had just steadied himself when he heard Yan Long ask a question in a distinctly unusual tone.
His gaze swept over Yan Long's subtly scrutinizing expression. His thoughts raced, and in an instant, he understood what the other man was thinking.
Looks like Lord Yan Long saw me return alone, with signs of battle on me, and instinctively assumed our team had encountered a powerful enemy, that I'd fought and lost, and might even have... abandoned my teammates and used the Space Law to escape back on my own?
Lin Yi understood, but he wasn't angry.
In a Secret Realm, you never knew what people were thinking, and in a crisis, all sorts of choices were possible.
Yan Long's suspicion was rash, but it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Lin Yi couldn't be bothered with some tiresome game of "deliberately keeping him in suspense, creating a misunderstanding, and then revealing his battle record to humiliate him."
That would serve no purpose beyond satisfying petty interests and causing unnecessary conflict.
So Lin Yi smiled calmly and said frankly, "There's no need to worry, Lord Yan Long. My teammates are safe and sound. They're resting in a secure area right now."
Hearing Lin Yi's direct and candid answer, and seeing how calm he looked, without a trace of panic or shame, Yan Long immediately realized that he had probably gotten the wrong idea.
His taut nerves relaxed a little, but his confusion only deepened.
If Lin Yi's teammates were fine, and Lin Yi had clearly been in a fight, why had he returned alone?
Yan Long didn't want to speculate. He asked outright, "Lord Lin Yi, the disturbances in the laws around you have yet to settle. You've clearly just been through a battle, and now you've returned alone. Did something happen