At that moment, the candle flame in Yuan Yu's room suddenly flickered.
Immediately afterward, an even denser black aura slowly drifted out of his dantian.
The black aura coalesced into a human shape, gradually forming distinct limbs, a distinct body, and a distinct face.
The "person" who emerged was none other than the Book Spirit, who had not appeared in a long time.
"Are you really planning to hand me over to that woman tomorrow?" The youth's voice was just as it had always been. From his appearance and voice alone, no one could have detected that he was an evil spirit.
Yuan Yu lifted his slightly drooping eyelids and smiled. "You're practically my Life-Bound Treasure now. Do you think I would really hand you over?"
The Book Spirit leaned back in a chair and picked up a piece of fruit from the plate on the table. He tossed it up and down without eating it, simply watching it for a long while.
"Yuan Yu, you should know I'm not that brain-defective City Lord. Honestly, I don't believe half a word you say. I understand people like you all too well. You would sacrifice anything for your own interests, especially now that your life is at stake. Take a guess-do I actually believe you?"
Yuan Yu's gaze flickered ever so slightly, the change vanishing so quickly it was almost impossible to notice.
"You're overthinking it. Although you can't become as perfectly attuned to me as the Submergent Spirit Brush, our efforts over all this time have brought us to a level ordinary magic treasures can't reach.
"For example, I can summon you from a thousand miles away...
"When the time comes, even if you end up in Su Jiu's hands, as long as I escape, you'll return to me when