Preparations for Investigating Tingyun's Whereabouts / I Finally Get to See Tingyun Again!

How did he do it?

Even he himself did not know.

Clenching her fists, Phantylia grew even more interested, and the desire for destruction in her heart continued to rise.

I want to destroy Ji Yuan so badly. I want to see him despair until he finally destroys himself.

Phantylia began considering how she should do it.

"This Lord of Destruction is way too curious."

Ji Yuan thought to himself as he rubbed his fist.

Still, this was not bad either.

You viciously beat up the Buli Ren in the face of a Lord of Destruction's obstruction. To reward your courage, you have been granted a complete set of swordsmanship.

His strength had increased a little more.

At that moment, he saw Phantylia patting her chest as she said with lingering fear, "These Buli Ren disguises are truly impossible to guard against. If a little lady like me encountered one, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to tell at all."

"Yes, you need to be careful when you go out on official business. It would be far too dangerous if you encountered an enemy in disguise."

Ji Yuan nodded.

Though your disguise is much better than theirs.

"Yes, so the next time I go out on official business, could you protect me, Ji Yuan?"

Phantylia said pitifully.

Normally, you would not dare go somewhere dangerous with me. If I act a little more wronged, make you feel guilty, then...

"Alright. From now on, I'll be your bodyguard."

Ji Yuan thought for a moment before nodding.

Phantylia's eyes widened slightly in astonishment.

You're actually going?

By Tingyun's usual way of thinking, you should not be going, right?

Could it be that he recognized me?

No. If that were the case, he definitely would not do this for safety reasons.

So was it because of Ji Yuan's actions just now?

Phantylia recalled the pain in her breasts from when he had grabbed them.

Ji Yuan looked at the astonished Phantylia and nodded seriously.

Come on. If we go out together, I can find out where exactly you hid Tingyun.

Destruction Lord Phantylia has invited you to be her bodyguard. To help you better perform your bodyguard duties, you have been specially granted real-time location sharing for Phantylia.

A map of the surrounding structure appeared in Ji Yuan's mind after a brief recollection. A red dot appeared on the map.

Looking at that red dot, Ji Yuan knew it marked Phantylia's location.

Prelude to Investigating Tingyun's Location

"I've lived my entire life as though walking on thin ice. I can only survive by using cheats."

Looking at the newly acquired skill, Ji Yuan felt it was enough for him even if it was only temporary.

He believed that if he went out with Phantylia this time, she would definitely make a move. Since she had not dealt with Tingyun yet, she was surely waiting for an opportunity to obtain information from her.

There were not many opportunities, whether for Ji Yuan or Phantylia.

Meanwhile, when Phantylia heard that Ji Yuan had actually agreed to be her bodyguard, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction amidst her surprise.

All my effort wasn't wasted. I finally got to see you take a step forward.

In order to imitate Tingyun, she had been actively putting herself in Tingyun's shoes.

However...

She still gave Ji Yuan a reminder.

"Ji Yuan, Yanqing probably has his own mission. You can't bring him along."

She could not help recalling how Tingyun had invited Ji Yuan before, so she reminded him.

If he pulled that bringing-a-little-brother-on-a-date stunt again, Phantylia truly felt the urge to revert to her true form and give Ji Yuan a beating.

Hearing Phantylia say this, Yanqing nodded in agreement. "Yes. Lord Genyi still wants me to clear out some battlefields where Buli Ren may remain. I can't spare the time to go with you, Brother."

"Is that so? Alright, then."

Ji Yuan hesitated for a moment before ultimately agreeing.

If he really brought Yanqing along, Ji Yuan would not be at ease. Staying with a Lord of Destruction was dangerous, and he feared others might get hurt. If possible, he would try not to let anyone else come into contact with him.

Seeing his expression, the corners of Phantylia's lips curled up involuntarily. Her delicate lips parted slightly as she silently mouthed at Ji Yuan.

You can't escape.

As if afraid that Ji Yuan might react somehow, Phantylia directly grabbed his hand and headed outside.

"Come on. I need to register some assets that need to be brought back to the Xianzhou. Let's set off now."

Only Yanqing remained behind to clean up the battlefield.

Phantylia held Ji Yuan's hand all the way. She walked ahead while Ji Yuan followed directly behind her. Her tail swayed along with her legs, brushing repeatedly against Ji Yuan's body, making his expression freeze slightly.

Even knowing she was Phantylia, the sensations on his body were completely real and could not be faked.

This was the same body as Tingyun's. This was the same body as Tingyun's...

Ji Yuan could not help thinking that over and over.

His gaze drifted downward.

Her fluffy, soft tail; her delicate calves; her small feet wrapped in footwear and perched atop high heels.

Phantylia felt the same way. Since she was immersing herself in Tingyun's role, her physical sensations were identical as well. Even the sensations transmitted through her tail were clearly conveyed to her body.

For Tingyun, her tail was an especially sensitive spot. Thus, Phantylia's senses toward it were equally keen.

Then she noticed Ji Yuan looking at her tail, calves, and feet. That scorching gaze made her body burn as well.

Both of them knew they should not be attracted to the other, yet their bodies naturally reacted as they should.

At the entrance to headquarters, Phantylia quickly pulled in her tail and looked at Ji Yuan pitifully.

"The outside is still a battlefield. Ji Yuan, you have to protect me properly."

"Don't worry. Of course I will." Ji Yuan nodded, then silently released Phantylia's hand and took out his Sky Dome Longsword. The longsword shifted into whip mode and began swaying back and forth around Ji Yuan and Phantylia.

Since he was a bodyguard, he had to look the part.

"Come on, let's move quickly. The longer we stay on the road, the more danger there will be."

Ji Yuan wore a cold expression, putting on an unruffled face.

"Alright."

Phantylia pouted and nodded as she looked at the alert, indifferent Ji Yuan.

He had clearly looked tempted just now. Why had he suddenly changed?

When Ji Yuan had been attracted to her earlier, she had felt uncomfortable. Yet now that he had become cold, she cared about it just as much.

After only two steps, Ji Yuan stopped her.

"Wait. Let me observe carefully first. What if we run into an ambush?"

Phantylia's eyes widened.

We just left headquarters. No one would be lying in ambush here, would they?

Aren't you being way too cautious?

Ji Yuan shot Phantylia a look. Didn't she understand the principle of hiding in plain sight? What if someone was waiting here to launch a surprise attack?

If he had enough firepower, Ji Yuan would have loved to blow up every place nearby where someone could hide.

The two headed toward their destination.

Ji Yuan constantly watched the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over every ruined building by the roadside as he worried whether enemies might emerge from them.

His eyes did not rest on Phantylia for even a moment.

His movements were also extremely slow. Phantylia felt that she was moving even more slowly than a heavily armored infantryman from the classical era.

"Um, there probably aren't that many enemies lying in wait, right?"

Phantylia said to Ji Yuan.

"What if there are? Can you guarantee that some enemy won't suddenly decide to hide somewhere?"

Of course I can guarantee it. There are no enemies on the road ahead of me.

Phantylia thought to herself.

But she could not say that aloud.

Seeing Phantylia growing a little anxious, Ji Yuan felt secretly delighted. Whether her anger was genuine or merely part of her disguise, her angry appearance combined with her identity as a Lord of Destruction was truly exciting.

After proceeding with such caution all the way, they finally reached their destination.

This was where the spoils were inventoried, settled, and transferred. Everything here had already been checked by Ji Yuan, and Cloud Knights stood guard nearby. It was very safe.

Upon arriving, Ji Yuan and Phantylia both let out a sigh of relief.

"That was truly exhausting~"

Phantylia felt somewhat wronged inside.

She was starting to regret disguising herself as Tingyun. She had thought Tingyun would be an easy person to imitate, but it had instead become even more troublesome.

I should find more opportunities to imitate Tingyun and see why she enjoys it so much.

Phantylia thought to herself.

Then she said to Ji Yuan, "Ji Yuan, wait here for a moment. I'll handle the work. I'll be out very soon."

Phantylia tapped the corner of Ji Yuan's lips with a finger and gave him a charming smile before stepping inside.

Ji Yuan could not help touching the place Phantylia had touched.

He then sat down on a sofa in the lobby by the entrance to rest, while keeping his eyes fixed on Phantylia's location.

He did not believe Phantylia would obediently stay here.

Very soon,

just as Ji Yuan had expected, although the Tingyun Phantylia had transformed into was still inside, the red dot marking Phantylia's location had already left.

Finally Seeing Tingyun Again!

Watching the red dot depart, Ji Yuan worried about Tingyun's situation and impatiently wanted to follow it to rescue her.

But he knew very well that following now would only alert Phantylia and completely ruin his plan. Not only would he and Tingyun be in danger, but the entire fleet might be destroyed.

This was a Lord of Destruction. She was absolutely not someone their small unit could fight.

Carefully observing the path of her movements, Ji Yuan silently committed it to memory.

At that moment, Ji Yuan saw her stop.

"This should be where Tingyun is, right?"

He thought to himself.

Looking at the location, it was not too far from headquarters. If he simply walked there, it would take Ji Yuan less than an hour at his speed. However, it was well concealed. There was not much enemy resistance there, so the area had not been cleared very thoroughly.

It was only natural for Phantylia to stash Tingyun there.