Arriving at Sunset Forest.

"Since you've said there are so many heaven-sent treasures there, how could it possibly be easy to obtain them?" Liu Lin looked at Zhang Lexuan with a serious expression.

There were seven hundred-thousand-year soul beasts guarding the place, all of them strictly disciplined by Tang San. He was only a three-ring soul master; even with Zhang Lexuan, a seven-ring soul master, wouldn't they just be walking in to serve as cannon fodder?

Was he tired of living a stable life, or what?

If Liu Lin entered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he would definitely rush in to take everything useful to him. Wouldn't those immortal herbs beat him to death?

It would be better to just lay low and develop steadily, waiting until he was stronger before entering the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Watching Liu Lin's earnest expression, the future Zhang Lexuan smiled and said:

"Did you forget about me? Although I am currently just a wisp of divine consciousness, after so many years of recuperation, dealing with them is still not a problem."

"Besides, if you don't go there, how can you grow quickly? And even if you don't go, I have to."

"If you don't come with me, there won't even be scraps left there in the future. Don't regret it."

As Liu Lin watched Zhang Lexuan say these words, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile.

As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan leaned her body forward slightly, looked into Liu Lin's eyes, and softened her voice:

"In your past life, when you took me to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, we didn't encounter any danger along the way. This time, we're just going a few years earlier, what is there to be afraid of?"

Liu Lin fell silent upon hearing this, his mind racing as he considered the feasibility of the matter.

After all, the future Zhang Lexuan truly possessed god-level insight and experience; with her escorting him, the danger coefficient of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well would be greatly reduced.

However, he was still worried that helping him would destabilize her divine consciousness.

"Can that wisp of your divine consciousness hold up? If not, let's wait a few more years until my strength improves."

Hearing Liu Lin's concerned words, a brilliant smile bloomed on Zhang Lexuan's face.

Then, Zhang Lexuan took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and moved closer to Liu Lin, who was sitting there.

Seeing the dangerous look in Zhang Lexuan's eyes, Liu Lin had just started to say something when his words were cut short.

Zhang Lexuan reached out and tapped him on the forehead, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"Zhang Lexuan, what are you trying to do?" Liu Lin said, covering his forehead with a look of dissatisfaction.

Only after Zhang Lexuan had laughed enough did she stop, looking at Liu Lin, who was pouting from her teasing.

"Naturally, I'm rewarding you for caring about me. Don't worry, it won't affect my divine consciousness. Rest assured and do it."

"Oh, right, did you forget what I told you to call me? Little Lin."

Looking down at Liu Lin beneath her, Zhang Lexuan said with a smile.

Having been tapped on the forehead by her, Liu Lin's face was still somewhat flushed. Although Zhang Lexuan had been holding him to sleep every night for the past two days, being teased like this still made him feel somewhat uneasy. Hearing her words, Liu Lin stammered:

"Lexuan... sister..., can you stop messing around? I still have serious matters to think about."

Liu Lin felt the temperature in the room rising; he felt that if she kept teasing him, his face would surely burn up.

Zhang Lexuan looked at Liu Lin's reddened face, the smile never leaving her own. She found teasing this version of Liu Lin truly amusing.

"I won't get up. I think this is quite nice, don't you, Little Lin?"

Liu Lin felt like he was on the verge of tears; what kind of situation was this?

Watching the expression on Liu Lin's face, Zhang Lexuan felt she had gone a bit too far. Her conscience pricked her; after all, Liu Lin was only nine years old.

Then, Zhang Lexuan got off Liu Lin and let him sit up.

Once Liu Lin was sitting up, Zhang Lexuan sat down on his lap instead.

However, after sitting down, she felt something, and the expression on her face became incredibly vivid.

Seeing the look on Zhang Lexuan's face, Liu Lin truly wanted to find a place to restart his life.

But soon, Liu Lin calmed down and changed the subject.

"Sister Lexuan, where exactly is the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?"

Watching Liu Lin hurriedly change the subject, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Oh, calling me Sister Lexuan so fluently now, are we? Fine, I won't tease you anymore. I'll tell you."

She shifted her position in Liu Lin's embrace and began to tell him where the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was located.

Liu Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to listen carefully as Zhang Lexuan spoke about the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The corners of Zhang Lexuan's mouth lifted slightly, a look of nostalgia appearing in her cold eyes as she spoke slowly:

"This place is something you told me about in your past life. It is located in a certain part of the Sunset Forest."

"And back then, you said that if you had come to this place earlier, your talent could have been raised by another huge margin."

"It's a pity that I knew about it too late back then and missed the best opportunity. So, in this life, I want to take you there earlier."

Hearing Zhang Lexuan's words, Liu Lin was deeply moved, but he didn't dare to speak casually, fearing he might be forced by her again.

It wasn't until Zhang Lexuan had finished recounting the events of the past life that Liu Lin finally spoke up: "Then, Sister Lexuan, when shall we go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?"

"Tonight," Zhang Lexuan said upon hearing Liu Lin's question. She paused, then added, "Use your sound-recording soul tool to send a message, otherwise your little fiancée might cry."

Hearing Zhang Lexuan's slightly jealous words, Liu Lin could only scratch his head in embarrassment.

"Fine, I won't be jealous of a wet-behind-the-ears kid. Hurry up and write it."

Zhang Lexuan waved her hand dismissively. After all, based on her observations over the past few days, the most Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu had done was hold hands; how could that compare to her?

"Mhm, I understand. I'll write it for her." Hearing Zhang Lexuan, Liu Lin nodded and took a voice-recording soul tool from his storage soul device.

"I'll handle things at Shrek Academy. We'll fly directly toward the Sunset Forest. At my speed, we'll be there in a few days."

With that, Zhang Lexuan left to head toward the room of the Shrek Academy team leader.

He looked at the voice-recording soul tool in his hand, remaining silent for a long while.

He could already imagine the expression on Xu Jiujiu's face when she received this message: those deep blue eyes would widen, and she would squeeze the soul tool in a rage, saying, "Liu Lin, you just wait."

Afterward, he spoke a few brief words into the device and placed it on the table.

The soul tool didn't offer much explanation, only stating that there was something he absolutely had to do. He would return in half a month at the earliest, or a month at the latest. He told her not to worry about him and not to come looking for him.

About ten minutes later, when she returned, she had changed into a sharp, dark blue outfit and tied her long hair into a high ponytail.

She reached out a hand toward Liu Lin, a mischievous smile playing on her lips: "Let's go, Little Lin. Big Sister will take you for a flight."

Before Liu Lin could respond, she pulled him into her arms.

A faint moonlight glowed around Zhang Lexuan. With a light tap of her toes against the windowsill, the two of them soared into the night sky like a silver meteor.

The lights of Tiantou City shrank rapidly beneath their feet, and the night wind whistled past their ears. Liu Lin was held tightly in her embrace, the scent of her collar lingering at the tip of his nose.

The next morning, as the horizon turned a pale, fish-belly white, Zhang Lexuan landed in a forest outside a small town.

Liu Lin stepped down from her arms and stretched his shoulders, which had stiffened from being held so tightly. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that the person holding him had gone rigid.

Zhang Lexuan was currently looking down at the arm still wrapped around Liu Lin's waist and at his face, which was mere inches from her own.

Her face flushed a visible shade of red, spreading from her earlobes all the way down to her neck, and even her cold, clear eyes were veiled in a mist of bewilderment.

"I... I..." She quickly let go and took two steps back, nearly tripping over a tree root behind her.

Liu Lin understood immediately: it was a switch.

The current Zhang Lexuan was the "present" her. Although she knew that her future self ran off to find Liu Lin every night, knowing it was one thing, but seeing herself holding a boy in such an intimate posture—how could someone who had been single for twenty years accept that?

"About that... last night..." Zhang Lexuan stuttered, a rarity for her, her gaze darting everywhere but at Liu Lin. "My future self didn't do anything strange, did she?"

"Since you want to know, I'll tell you..." Liu Lin replied upon hearing her question.

Zhang Lexuan's face turned completely crimson. She spun around abruptly, leaving Liu Lin with nothing but a stiff back and ears so red they looked like they might bleed.

About two minutes later, Zhang Lexuan took a few deep breaths, forcing her voice to sound calm: "Alright, let's continue. We need to keep moving."

On the other side, in Liu Lin's room at the Heaven Dou Empire hotel, Xu Jiujiu listened to the recording on the soul tool, her expression looking rather unpleasant.

"Stupid Liu Lin, don't let me catch you."

However, after saying that, Xu Jiujiu remained deeply worried about Liu Lin, fearing he might run into trouble.

She couldn't help but rub her nose; she didn't know why, but her nose had been itching ever since she woke up this morning.

Meanwhile, the subtle awkwardness between Liu Lin and the present-day Zhang Lexuan gradually faded over the next few days of travel.

During the day, Zhang Lexuan went from blushing at the slightest touch—not even daring to brush against Liu Lin's hand—to being able to walk naturally by his side, cook meals together, and discuss cultivation insights by the campfire.

Liu Lin also gradually learned about Zhang Lexuan's growth over these years: from being saved by her future self on the night of her family's massacre, to entering Shrek Academy, and then breaking through step-by-step under the guidance of her future self.

Her path of cultivation was completely different from the original timeline; there were no marriage constraints from Mu En, and she hadn't fallen into the trap of paranoia born from hatred, yet she still carried the weight of her family's past and her responsibilities for the future.

Every night, when the present-day Zhang Lexuan fell into a deep sleep, her future self would quietly take over the body.

She no longer used chains to lock Liu Lin up, but she still slept holding him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, occasionally waking in the middle of the night to watch his face in silence.

Whenever Liu Lin woke up, he would always find himself resting on Zhang Lexuan's lap, covered by her outer robe.

On the evening of the eighth day, Zhang Lexuan and Liu Lin arrived at a small town closest to the Sunset Forest.

The two decided to rest there for the night before heading to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well within the forest.

However, a small incident occurred while they were checking in.

As Zhang Lexuan led Liu Lin to an inn to rent a room, the landlady noticed Liu Lin's youthful face while processing their check-in.

"Young man, you're so handsome; you'll have so many girls chasing after you in the future. You should let your big sister protect you well."

"I am his wife; he doesn't need to look for anyone else," Zhang Lexuan said after hearing the landlady's words.

Upon hearing this, the landlady looked from Liu Lin to Zhang Lexuan, her shock impossible to hide.

"Haha... I see. That's lovely, cultivating a relationship from a young age. I have some things to attend to, you two go on up."

With that, the landlady left the front desk.

Elsewhere, in Xu Jiujiu's palace in Star Luo City.

A maid stood to the side, holding a book and reading a story to Xu Jiujiu, who lay in bed. While listening, Xu Jiujiu suddenly sneezed.

"What's going on? Why have I been sneezing so much these past few days?" Xu Jiujiu said, feeling somewhat puzzled.

It's been nearly ten days, Liu Lin, why haven't you returned yet? I miss you so much, Xu Jiujiu thought silently to herself.

Seeing Xu Jiujiu lost in thought, the maid, Xiao Yu, asked cautiously, "Your Highness, shall I continue?"

"Mm, go ahead." Hearing the maid, Xu Jiujiu nodded, signaling her to continue.

"Right, last time we left off where the heroine signed a soul contract with her disciple, and the hero was watching from the side..."

Upon hearing Xu Jiujiu's instruction, Xiao Yu resumed telling the story.

Listening to the maid's tale, Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but frown.

"Isn't the author of this storybook just writing nonsense? Forget it, stop reading. You may withdraw."

"Yes, Your Highness." Hearing Xu Jiujiu's command, the maid left the bedchamber.

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Liu Lin and Zhang Lexuan left the inn and flew toward the Sunset Forest.

At noon, Zhang Lexuan carried Liu Lin into the Sunset Forest, flying toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

About an hour later, Zhang Lexuan stopped with Liu Lin at a certain location.

"We've arrived; it's right inside here." Looking at the place before her, the future Zhang Lexuan set Liu Lin down and spoke.

"Finally here." Hearing Zhang Lexuan, Liu Lin climbed down from her and looked at the scene before him.

A ring of mountains over five hundred meters high enclosed a conical valley. The mountains were bare and jagged, the rocks weathered and mottled. The valley entrance was tightly sealed by a poisonous green miasma, with thick, verdant fog churning endlessly, isolating the inside from the outside.

The vegetation in the forest was withered, the ground was muddy and filled with rotting swamps, and the scent of sulfur mingled with alternating currents of cold and heat, spreading everywhere. The remains of those who had wandered in by mistake were visible everywhere.

"Yes, this is the place. Let's go. And don't forget what I told you earlier."

Hearing Zhang Lexuan, Liu Lin nodded.

"I understand."

Hearing Liu Lin's reply, Zhang Lexuan nodded and led him deeper into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.