Secret photo

Jianxin stood rooted to the spot, feeling a chill wash over her.

A closer look revealed that the backyard had become rather drafty.

She turned a blank stare on Ling An.

Looking embarrassed, Ling An pressed the Gourd and said, "Sorry."

"It's fine..." Jianxin tugged at her long cowlick, feeling rather lost.

The confidence that had just welled up inside her suddenly seemed to have vanished again.

She practiced diligently every day. No one understood better than she did what it meant to shatter twelve pillars in one go.

Not to mention that even the backyard wall had been blown away.

Just what sort of power was hidden inside this cat?

She stood in silence for a long while before finally coming to her senses. "This humble Daoist has learned a lesson. Patroller Ling An's full-strength strike..."

"That wasn't full strength."

Jianxin froze. "?"

Although saying that was a bit of a blow to her, Ling An was simply being honest.

He really had held back.

At the final instant, when the force of his strike erupted, he had felt a premonition-

If he didn't hold back on this punch, Jinzhou might never have a Six Envy Teahouse again.

With that in mind, Ling An had reined himself in considerably.

Having suffered a second blow to her confidence, Jianxin coughed twice and recovered once more. "Truly powerful!"

In that instant, her admiration for Ling An grew even further.

But this teahouse's backyard...

Repairs would probably cost quite a bit.

Ling An seemed to realize this too and stood motionless in silence.

He looked utterly shameless, as though nothing could faze him anymore.

Want money? I haven't got any. Want my life... that's not on offer either.

The hundred thousand Shell Credits he had earned from the Flaming Sea bounty had long since gone toward buying photos from Yinlin.

If you want compensation, would a stack of photos do?

Ling An pulled out the stack of photos Yinlin had given him. They were the closest thing to valuables he had on him.

"What are these?" Jianxin took the photos and flipped through them curiously.

"Ahem. A geographical atlas of Jinzhou. That's right! Valuable stuff!" Ling An began making things up.

When Yinlin had given him the photos, he hadn't looked through all of them. He had only looked at a few before skipping to the end.

Presumably, they were all photos of black petals taken around Jinzhou.

He wondered whether Jianxin would believe him.

"A geographical atlas..." Jianxin murmured.

Suddenly, for some reason, her hands stopped as she reached one of the photos.

She looked up at Ling An, a blush rapidly spreading across her cheeks.

Her reaction left Ling An utterly bewildered.

What's wrong?

Aren't these just photos of Black Flowers drifting through the air?

Surely Yinlin wouldn't have slipped anything else in...

No way?!

In a flash, Ling An caught on. He sprang up and snatched the photos back.

Jianxin covered her face without a word, a faint blush still visible beneath her hands.

Ling An solemnly examined the photo Jianxin had just seen.

The next second, he blushed too.

If his fur hadn't concealed it, Ling An would have been visibly burning red.

His eyes were glued to the photo.

Holy crap!

Th-this...

Ling An could barely take it.

No wonder Jianxin had reacted that way.

The photo showed a woman and a cat.

The gray cat had his eyes closed, curled up peacefully in Yinlin's arms.

Yinlin had her chin resting on the gray cat's head and was gently nibbling the tip of his ear.

She looked into the camera with a teasing smile.

This was from that time at the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society, when Ling An had helped her out by pretending to faint!

Yinlin had secretly taken a photo-and even posed for it!

More importantly, she had actually slipped it into the photos she sent him.

Ling An's face burned red. Yinlin had taken advantage of him!

He hadn't noticed a thing!

Only now did Ling An have to admit that he couldn't beat her at her own game.

He didn't even need to think to know what expression Yinlin would wear when he discovered this photo.

She really did have a wicked sense of humor.

And now Jianxin had seen it too...

"Can I trust you?" Ling An asked quietly.

Feeling Ling An's gaze on her, Jianxin hurriedly waved her hands. "This humble Daoist... um... won't breathe a word!!!"

"The wall, the secret. We're even." Ling An pressed the switch.

Jianxin said nothing.

Hadn't Ling An handed her the photos himself?

In the end, though, she could only nod helplessly.

Ling An quietly stashed the photos away. "Ahem. I'll be going, then."

"Wait." Jianxin stopped him.

"What is it?"

"This humble Daoist has excellent eyesight. I believe I've seen this person in the city over the past few days."

Naturally, Jianxin meant Yinlin.

With Yinlin's beauty and figure, unless she deliberately disguised herself, it really would be hard to forget her after seeing her once.

Ling An knew that wasn't what Jianxin actually wanted to ask, so he waited.

"This person struck me as very assertive. One glance was enough to tell she was extremely confident..."

"That's right." Ling An nodded. Yinlin fit Jianxin's description perfectly. He continued, "So?"

"So..."

Jianxin looked at Ling An, slowly walked up to him, and scooped him into her arms.

"Doing this... makes you confident, doesn't it?"

This zero-startup cat hug was remarkably practiced. Who knew how long she had been planning it in her head?

Ling An had intended to resist.

After all, he still hadn't managed to appease Tide Sis...

But the soft sensation against the top of his head instantly made him behave.

Big-headed son, small-headed dad. This was no longer a decision for the head on his shoulders.

Jianxin's Daoist robe fit so closely that Ling An felt as though he were pressed directly against her skin.

Looking up, he saw Jianxin's pure, clear eyes as she lowered her head and smiled at him.

For a moment, it cleared Ling An's head considerably.

When it came to innocence, this woman was probably the truly innocent one in all of Jinzhou.

Ling An understood now.

Jianxin simply wanted his body so she could pet a cat.

As a good cat and a good Tacet Discord, Ling An naturally had to give generously.

If I don't enter hell, who will?

Holding Ling An, Jianxin slowly shifted her gaze to the tips of his ears.

A trace of curiosity flashed through her eyes.

Ling An was enjoying himself with his eyes narrowed when he suddenly felt his feline body shudder.

A warm sensation spread over the tip of his ear.

Wait-

Jianxin, does your master know you're out here nibbling on a Crownless raw?

You're practicing some seriously unorthodox arts here!

A long while later, Ling An looked at his thoroughly disheveled fur, then at Jianxin, who stood across from him with her hands behind her back, looking embarrassed.

He felt as though a great deal of time had passed, and he was a little dazed.

"Feeling confident now?" he asked quietly.

Jianxin nodded emphatically and began setting up the pillars again. "Now you can trust this humble Daoist to keep her lips sealed!"

Ling An froze. So Jianxin had done all that to prove herself to him.

Seeing how full of energy she was, anyone who didn't know better might have thought she had replenished her mana through Ling An.

Jianxin operated her Terminal, and powerful music suddenly burst forth.

Experiencing the mortal world and honing her skills-she refused to waste a single moment.

She closed her eyes, raised her hands into her opening stance, and focused on channeling her energy.

Standing off to the side, Ling An suddenly felt that he might be a little too close.

He hurriedly lifted a paw to leave.

The next second, Jianxin called softly, "Lift off!"

Energy surged outward, and Ling An felt a familiar sensation of weightlessness.

"Again?!"