What Did You Say? A Demon Stone?

After explaining everything, Ji Xuejun drove Lin Yu straight back to Banyan City.

By the time they arrived in Banyan City, night had fully fallen.

Ji Xuejun, who was in the driver's seat, spoke to Lin Yu.

"Little Yu, are you coming with me to see Director Cao?"

"No need. I'll head straight home. I forgot to let my family know when I left today. If I don't get back soon, they'll probably start worrying!"

Lin Yu shrugged. In this life, he treasured this hard-won family affection all the more. If possible, he tried his best not to make his parents worry about him.

Besides, Ji Xuejun had been present for everything that happened in the secret realm. Whether he went or not made no difference.

"All right, then I'll take you home first. I'll go see Director Cao afterward!"

"No need, Sister Xuejun. Business comes first. Go see Director Cao first—I can get home on my own!"

"But I'm worried the Eternal Night Church people might come looking for trouble with you!"

"Don't worry, Sister Xuejun. We're in the city, and they don't even know who I am. Do you really think Sikong Luohe would come after me? With injuries that serious, he's probably already curled up in some corner tending to his wounds!"

"And have you forgotten the ability I used earlier?"

Lin Yu spoke casually. To be honest, with the methods he had to keep himself alive now, he really wasn't afraid of anyone coming to cause trouble. Even Sikong Luohe, an eighth-rank Guardian, had been helpless against Lin Yu after he turned intangible, let alone anyone else.

Moreover, in all of Banyan City, apart from Sikong Luohe, who was hiding in some corner licking his wounds, and the bargain-bin master he had acknowledged today, there was probably no third eighth-rank Guardian.

"Hm?"

Ji Xuejun first looked at Lin Yu in confusion, then quickly understood. She recalled how, in the secret realm, Sikong Luohe had bombarded Lin Yu relentlessly, yet Lin Yu had emerged completely unscathed.

Although Ji Xuejun did not know what kind of ability it was, it was obviously an incredibly overpowered defensive skill. Otherwise, there was no way it could have withstood an eighth-rank powerhouse!

"All right, then! I'll drop you off at a bus stop in a bit!"

Although Ji Xuejun was very curious about Lin Yu's mysterious defensive skill, life-saving abilities like that were everyone's personal secret. She wisely chose not to ask any further questions.

After a while, Ji Xuejun found a bus stop and let Lin Yu off.

"Little Yu, thank you so much for today. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have made it back."

Ji Xuejun rolled down the window and spoke to Lin Yu with a sincere expression. Today could be called the greatest crisis of her life. Without Lin Yu, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"You don't have to be so polite, Sister Xuejun. If you really want to thank me, treating me to a drink someday would be more practical."

Lin Yu smiled at Ji Xuejun.

"You little brat. You're not even an adult yet, and you're already thinking about drinking! Fine, once your college entrance exams are over, I'll throw you a celebration banquet."

Ji Xuejun rolled her beautiful eyes and replied irritably.

"Sister Xuejun, what makes you think I'm a little brat? What little brat is as handsome as I am?"

Without warning, Lin Yu leaned against the car window, leaving only a few centimeters between himself and Ji Xuejun.

Ji Xuejun looked at Lin Yu's face so close to hers and blushed. She then shifted back slightly and said irritably,

"You haven't even graduated high school yet. If you're not a little brat, then what are you?! All right, hurry up and go. I still need to head to the Guardian Office."

"Haha, I'm off then. It's dark out, so drive slowly."

Lin Yu straightened up, waved at Ji Xuejun, and headed toward the bus stop.

Ji Xuejun watched Lin Yu's departing figure and recalled how he had saved her in the secret realm, as well as the sight of him toying with an eighth-rank powerhouse.

"He is kind of handsome."

Ji Xuejun murmured, then rolled up the window and drove toward the Guardian Office.

It was nearly eight o'clock when Lin Yu got home. Just as he expected, the moment he walked in, Chen Shumin grabbed him and demanded an explanation.

"Son, where did you run off to today? You didn't go to class, and you didn't even tell us."

"Ah, I forgot to tell you. Minister Ji took me to get certified as a Guardian today, and then we went into a secret realm together. The college entrance exams are coming up soon, so I went to get some experience in a secret realm."

"A Guardian? Son, you got certified as a Guardian? Why didn't you tell us? We could have taken you there ourselves. You even had to trouble Minister Ji."

Chen Shumin also knew how much the important figures in Banyan City valued her son. Lin Yizhong had long since described Lin Yu's awakening scene in every detail to Lin Aiguo and Chen Shumin.

"Mom, have you forgotten that your son isn't eighteen yet?"

"Oh, right!"

Chen Shumin suddenly realized. It couldn't be helped—her son's performance had been too extraordinary, to the point that even she had automatically overlooked his age.

"Son, aren't we troubling her too much? And she even took you into a secret realm!"

"It's fine, Mom. I've already thanked her."

Hadn't he, though? He had even saved Ji Xuejun's life.

"That's good. By the way, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I came straight home after leaving the secret realm and didn't have time to eat."

"Then keep your dad company and watch some TV. I'll go heat up the food."

After saying that, Chen Shumin hurried into the kitchen to heat up the meal. Looking at his mother's bustling figure, Lin Yu smiled.

"It feels so good to have someone care about you!"

Meanwhile, Ji Xuejun drove straight to the Guardian Office. When she arrived at Cao Yiming's office, she knew he would definitely still be there. Sure enough, the moment she knocked on the office door, Cao Yiming's voice came from inside.

"Come in!"

"Director Cao!"

Cao Yiming, who had been buried in reports, raised his head in surprise as soon as he heard Ji Xuejun's voice.

"Xiaojun, why are you here so late? Did you find something in the secret realm?"

"Mm! You guessed right. We've found the source of the problem."

Cao Yiming's eyes lit up sharply as he stared intently at Ji Xuejun.

Ji Xuejun took a brocade pouch from her pocket and handed it to Cao Yiming. Cao Yiming looked at the pouch in his hand in confusion.

"This is...?"

"You'll know once you open it."

Since Ji Xuejun said so, Cao Yiming opened the pouch and poured its contents into his palm. A glossy, jet-black stone rolled into his hand.

Cao Yiming carefully examined the black stone in his hand. He could only sense that it contained considerable energy, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not find anything in his memories that matched the stone before him.

"Xiaojun, what is this?"

Cao Yiming raised his head and asked in confusion.

"A Demon Stone!"

Ji Xuejun's words struck like a bolt from the blue, startling Cao Yiming into breaking out in a cold sweat.

"What did you say?!"