" Laoda, aren't you overthinking this?"
The man following Shen Yuan was named Dong Fang. He was a chatterbox. To be honest, Shen Yuan didn't like him very much, but hearing his words made him feel a little better. He hoped that he was just overthinking things.
But reality often differs from expectations. Sometimes he feels that the more he thinks about bad things, the more likely they are to happen.
"Huh?" Dong Fang was taken aback, looking at the now empty gathering place, and was stunned for a moment. "They've really disappeared?"
Shen Yuan's face darkened. He turned and said, "Do you believe me now? I told you to go and inform Courtyard Chen, but you didn't go. How much time did you waste? Go now."
"Oh, oh." Dong Fang nodded repeatedly and was about to leave when a weak voice came from afar. "Is that Brother Shen?"
Shen Yuan tensed up, secretly activating a spell as he looked over.
It was Chen Yun. He still looked extremely weak and had great difficulty walking, but Shen Yuan didn't let his guard down at all. From a distance, he said, "Brother Chen, instead of resting and recuperating, where have you been?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun gave a pale, bitter smile, "I was terribly thirsty just now, so I asked Brother Su to fetch me some water, but that kid didn't come back for ages, so I couldn't resist going to fetch some myself."
He gestured with the kettle in his hand as he spoke.
Where did you get your water, Brother Chen?
"It's in the southeast. Brother Su was heading northwest. Since he hasn't been back for so long, I guessed the water source must be quite far away, so I thought I'd try going in the opposite direction. Hey, I actually guessed right! I only walked a few hundred meters before I saw a well."
Shen Yuan nodded slightly. He had surveyed the terrain and confirmed that there was indeed a water source in that area, and that the water source was indeed far away to the northwest.
The other party's explanation is at least temporarily sound.
"Cough cough." Chen Yun coughed and said, "Brother Shen, could you help me boil some water? My chest was frozen before, and I still feel very cold. I can't drink cold water."
"Why don't you sit down and rest first? I'll boil some water for you." Dong Fang tried to step forward enthusiastically, but Shen Yuan grabbed her arm.
"Um?"
Dong Fang looked at Shen Yuan curiously, but Shen Yuan ignored him and instead looked calmly at Chen Yun: "I'll do it."
As they spoke, they walked towards each other step by step.
Dong Fang was taken aback upon seeing this, and immediately became wary. Could it be that Shen Laoda still suspected something was wrong with the other party?
He quietly observed Chen Yun and realized that Chen Yun did indeed look extremely weak; he didn't seem like someone who could cause trouble.
Besides, wasn't that insect already sealed away by Yun Ke'er?
Why make things so tense?
"Brother Chen, you've recovered remarkably well. You looked so weak and about to fall asleep just a moment ago, but as soon as we left, you were able to get up and fetch water by yourself," Shen Yuan said with a smile as he approached.
"I was so thirsty, I had no choice but to be forced to," Chen Yun said with a smile as he slowly approached.
The two walked closer and closer, but the atmosphere became increasingly strange. Dong Fang suddenly felt an odd sense of unease, and upon hearing their conversation, he immediately realized what was going on.
Yes, when they left, Chen Yun was so weak he couldn't even reply, but after they left, he was able to fetch water by himself?
Moreover, given his half-dead state, he returned from fetching water. Su Changqing is, after all, a sorcerer; even over a long distance, he shouldn't be slower than a sick man, right?
Thinking of this, Dong Fang felt a chill run down his spine. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but Chen Yun's lips suddenly seemed much brighter than before, an unnatural red. Could it be...?
"Hey? Why are you guys back?"
Just as the situation was about to erupt, a familiar voice suddenly rang out!
This startled both Shen Yuan and Dong Fang, who looked over in astonishment.
The voice belonged to Su Changqing. At this moment, the other party brought over a large bucket of water, indicating that he had really gone to fetch water and had returned safely.
The imagined horror did not occur.
"What's wrong with you three?" Su Changqing looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression, sensing that something was off about the atmosphere.
Shen Yuan frowned, wanting to say something.
Am I just overthinking things?
But the moment his expression faltered, the unexpected happened!
Chen Ying, who was originally three zhang away, suddenly appeared in front of him, moving with a speed that seemed to have skipped through time. Before the horrified eyes of the other two, she pierced directly through Shen Yuan's heart!
"This"
At this moment, not only Dong Fang and his companion were caught off guard, but the onlookers were also surprised!
From their perspective, Shen Yuan was overthinking things.
After Su Changqing left to fetch water, Chen Yun slowly got up after a while and headed in another direction. He did indeed obediently go to fetch water, stumbling and weak all the way, completely different from the blood-red monster in front of him.
If everything was a pretense, then who was he pretending to be when he was fetching water, by feigning weakness?
The group of people couldn't figure it out at all, but Chen Qing and Chen Baifeng were the first to understand.
"That thing is very intelligent!" Chen Baifeng's voice was extremely cold.
Chen Qing nodded slightly. The Ancient Demon was putting on a show for them. He was taking precautions against outsiders transmitting information. Although there were few secret artifacts for transmitting information over long distances, those who came were all scions of powerful forces, and it was possible that every family had one, especially those from Jiangnan.
This Ancient Demon is merely a newly born larva, yet its cunning rivals that of the most seasoned hunter; it is truly a troublesome creature.
Unfortunately, he encountered Shen Yuan!
"Go!" The moment Su Changqing saw Shen Yuan being stabbed, he immediately grabbed Dong Fang and started to run.
He knew very well that if Chen Yun was still under the monster's control, staying would only mean waiting to die. As for the kid next to Shen Yuan, he was obviously just a follower and probably wouldn't be of much use either. The only way now was to find the little girl named Yun Ke'er or Chen Ying!
"Pretty smoothly, huh?" Chen Yun licked his bright red lips, a familiar sneer appearing on his face.
He had thought about it. It was impossible for every young man from Jiangnan to be as skilled as that little girl; otherwise, there wouldn't have been talk of many people being unable to keep an eye on her.
Judging from the looks of it, there are only three people capable of subduing him: the little girl, the dean named Chen Ying, and Shen Yuan, who looks a bit like a senior brother!
For some reason, Shen Yuan was the most wary of him, which is why he chose Shen Yuan as his first target. He believed that once he possessed Shen Yuan's body, he could also master his techniques. Given Shen Yuan's demeanor, his strength should not be much weaker than that of the little girl.
With the same technique, he would have a much better chance of winning against that little girl and White Plain again.
Kill them all, absorb them, and the contract between myself and that guy will be complete. They won't make things difficult for me then, and I will be the one to start the great task of reviving the Ancient Demon Temple!
That idiot!!
The real Chen Yun inside the Ancient Demon's body was furious. Wasn't Shen Yuan usually quite clever? Why didn't he realize it was a fake when it was so obvious?
Idiot, idiot!!
If nothing unexpected happens, I'm afraid I'm really doomed.
But an unexpected incident still occurred!
"Do all you demons like to laugh like that?"
"Um?"
Chen Yun was stunned, and looked up in astonishment. The one who spoke was none other than the guy whose heart had just been crushed!