"Running? Are you on your way back? Lu Luo's constitution isn't very good, so why is he breathing so heavily?"

Bai Yuetong looked at her phone with some confusion, but she didn't think too much about it.

"Alright then, come back soon after your run. I have something to tell you."

"HISS—OUCH! Okay, I'll come back as fast as I can!"

Lu Luo didn't ask Bai Yuetong what the matter was and just hung up the phone.

There was no helping it; Han Shiyu was truly being excessive. Unable to withstand it any longer, he glared at Han Shiyu, his face full of anger.

"You demoness, I am about to reveal my true form!"

Han Shiyu quietly looked up, the corners of her mouth glistening.

"Then come at me!"

「...」

After a long while, Lu Luo and Han Shiyu finally came out of the house.

Looking at Yuan Mian, who was lying on the chair in a state of collapse, their expressions were somewhat strange.

"What's wrong with this woman? And why is there a puddle of water here? Were our voices too loud?"

Lu Luo asked uncertainly, but Han Shiyu firmly denied it.

"No, it's just that her constitution is too weak, and she was overwhelmed by our voices. It must be that."

Han Shiyu had indeed changed a lot this time, being much more proactive.

Perhaps it was because she was much older than Lu Luo, and also older than Qi Xinzhu and Bai Yuetong.

She always felt an inexplicable sense of crisis when she was with Lu Luo.

To deal with this strange sense of crisis, Han Shiyu had let go of all her reservations.

Lu Luo could feel this change, but he couldn't speak about it.

Because saying it aloud would deal Han Shiyu an invisible blow. No woman is indifferent to her age.

All he could do was... do it a few more times!

Yes! That's right, a few more times. He would be more proactive towards Han Shiyu and express affection and love through actions, which were more effective than any sweet words.

As for what kind of actions, that depended on how many positions *he* had mastered.

As they were looking at Yuan Mian, she happened to wake up slowly.

She looked at Lu Luo and, with a very unnatural expression, began to scan him up and down, which left Lu Luo and Han Shiyu somewhat bewildered.

Yuan Mian's originally pale cheeks and neck had turned pink, and then she suddenly closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry! Please don't punish me like this again."

"I know you're both very formidable. I'm sorry."

Yuan Mian's repeated apologies left Lu Luo and Han Shiyu with embarrassed expressions. However, compared to Han Shiyu's awkwardness, Lu Luo was more composed.

He took the initiative to hug Han Shiyu, patting her back.

"Don't mind her. Let her stay here with you for now; you can keep an eye on her for a while."

"As for when you want to go back, just..."

Lu Luo whispered some intimate tips, meant for lovers, into Han Shiyu's ear, causing the professor's ears to turn red.

"I understand! Go on and get busy."

"Then I'm off."

Lu Luo nodded slightly and then turned to leave Han Shiyu's residence.

After he left, Han Shiyu silently watched his retreating figure. Her eyes were filled with happiness, yet there was also a tinge of regret.

"Miss Han! You couldn't be a Believer of Light, could you?"

Yuan Mian, who had opened her eyes, suddenly spoke up, startling Han Shiyu, who was standing there in a daze.

"Yes, I am a Believer of Light. Is there a problem?"

Yuan Mian moved her lips, but Han Shiyu's matter-of-fact attitude left her speechless.

A Believer of Light with a man in broad daylight—is that really not a problem?

"You're a Believer of Light. Aren't Believers of Light supposed to serve Li Ming all their lives?"

"I'm not very clear on the exact requirements for the Church's Believers of Light, but as far as I know, Believers of Light are supposed not to marry."

So this was what was troubling her? Han Shiyu simply shook her head.

"The Church has never mandated that Believers of Light cannot marry. Or rather, it has never restricted Believers of Light from doing anything apart from violating doctrine."

"The role of Believers of Light within the Church is actually not much different from that of regular Believers."

"All the service, restrictions, and supposed lovelessness are voluntary actions by the Believers of Light."

"Serving Li Ming is something I have always been doing. It's just that our understanding of it has some discrepancies, that's all."

After hearing Han Shiyu's words, Yuan Mian fell silent.

"Miss Han, do you like Lu Luo very much?"

"Yes, very much."

Han Shiyu's forthright admission of her feelings made Yuan Mian even more upset.

"Even a Believer of Light can boldly admit whom she likes. That's really impressive."

"Compared to you, I'm truly awful!"

"What do you mean, 'even a Believer of Light,' Miss Yuan? Your words are rather discriminatory towards professions."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Yuan Mian was still such a coward: timid, weak, afraid of pain, afraid of being scolded. Hardly a trace of courage could be found in her.

And because she lacked courage, she didn't even dare to loudly express whom she liked.

"Miss Han, you're older than Lu Luo, right? You're from the Inner Ring, and he's from the Fourth Ring. How did you two get together?"

Han Shiyu realized that Yuan Mian wasn't very emotionally intelligent; or rather, this woman was poor at communicating.

If it were before, Han Shiyu simply wouldn't have bothered with such a person.

But now, feeling completely content, she decided to generously chat with her.

"When you're still entangled with identity, social status, position, and age, you've already lost your courage."

"Liking someone is simply about liking them; there shouldn't be so many restrictions."

"If you like them, tell them, and then naturally be together. It's that simple."

"There are not so many complications between Lu Luo and me."

"I really like him, and I'm willing to express that. That's enough."

Han Shiyu appeared to be telling Yuan Mian, but it was also as if she were delivering a monologue to herself.

Yuan Mian listened, only half understanding. She wanted to say that it wasn't right, but because she was too cowardly, she didn't dare to speak up and could only sit there meekly on her chair.

The chair that was originally damp had gradually dried. Thinking it over, she couldn't come up with a reason to refute Han Shiyu.

Because she was, intrinsically, a loser.

"Miss Han, perhaps what you said is right."

「...」

Lu Luo returned to the base. The guards saluted as they opened the gates for him.

And, as it happened, Bai Yuetong was waiting for him on the first floor of the base.

"Lu Luo, do you have a moment?"

"Yes, let's talk at your place."

The two of them headed to Bai Yuetong's office. As soon as they entered, Dumb Hair voluntarily closed the door.

"Lu Luo, there's something I haven't told you."

Bai Yuetong appeared a bit hesitant, her gaze flickering, not daring to meet Lu Luo's eyes.

However, seeing Dumb Hair behaving like this, Lu Luo's eyes lit up. Could it be that the moment to treat everyone equally has arrived?

Oh well, even though I've used up a lot of energy, balancing the scales is still manageable.

I might not have a rich fortune or supreme power...

But I possess inexhaustible vigor!

"You being so proactive for the first time... I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"Really, I should be the one to make such things clear. Come on, I can still manage."

Bai Yuetong first looked puzzled, then surprised, before her expression shifted to anger.

"Lu Luo, are you out of your mind? I'm trying to talk to you about something important!"

She wasn't talking about *that*?

Seeing that Bai Yuetong wasn't referring to *that*, Lu Luo immediately felt embarrassed.

"Ah, sorry. Go ahead, what's the matter?"

Bai Yuetong, looking somewhat displeased, sat down on the steps, hugging her knees.

Lu Luo glanced over. At Bai Yuetong's level, even hugging her knees wouldn't squeeze much out.

Geez, she really makes it hard!

Bai Yuetong was somewhat dissatisfied with Lu Luo, feeling that he was rather distracted today.

"What's hard? What are you saying?"

"Nothing, nothing. Go on, what's the matter?"

"Lu Luo, you should know I'm somewhat different from ordinary people."

Lu Luo frowned slightly. Indeed, Bai Yuetong was different from ordinary people; he had known this since she joined Circular.

Although she had the strength level of an ordinary person and lacked the talent of a Transcendent, her very existence was special.

First of all, her intelligence was extremely high—the kind demonstrated through actual research performance.

Then there was the fact that Bai Yuetong, an ordinary person, could see Lu Mengna during their first meeting—someone who went unnoticed by Zhou Kai and Gu Fangyi.

Lu Mengna was a Third Tier Specter Species. If she didn't want to be seen, even Lu Luo at the time would have had difficulty perceiving her.

But Bai Yuetong was different: not only could she see Lu Mengna, but she could also communicate with her normally.

This in itself was a special trait.

"I know you're very special—smart, and able to communicate with Exotic Species. What's the problem with that?"

Bai Yuetong hesitated for a moment.

"On the day of the Dark Tide, I saw the battle between Captain Ludie and the Nightmare Demon."

Lu Luo was slightly surprised. What exactly had happened between Ludie and the Nightmare Demon was something even he wasn't quite clear about.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

As soon as Lu Luo spoke, there was a hint of blame in his voice.

However, he quickly realized the inappropriateness of his tone and hastily corrected himself.

"Sorry, that's not what I meant. What happened between Ludie and the Nightmare Demon is indeed very important."

"Bai Yuetong, what did you see that night?"

Bai Yuetong looked at Lu Luo, somewhat embarrassed, and said after an internal struggle, "You were too close to Qi Xinzhu, and I was jealous, so I didn't say anything."

"And now it feels like you're drifting further away from me, always running off to Qi Xinzhu's place for any little reason."

The host also wants to run to you, but there's just no chance!

Lu Luo stroked Dumb Hair's hair, letting her lean into his embrace.

Ever since Dumb Hair and Lu Luo had parted on Noah's beach, they hadn't shared such an intimate gesture in a long time.

Often, their relationship seemed close, but in reality, an invisible distance had grown between them.

Only at this moment did the distance between them revert to what it should be between lovers.

"Mmm, we're very close now. So, can you tell me?"

Dumb Hair rubbed her head against Lu Luo's chest, then took a sniff.

Her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"Lu Luo, I smell another woman on you. Why do you have another woman's scent on you?"

Lu Luo felt a bit helpless. How could I be so unlucky?

He began to explain with a serious face, "When I went to the Security Bureau earlier, I got into a fight with some people from the Inner Ring."

"And I captured a woman from the Inner Ring named Yuan Mian."

"During the entire battle, we had some physical contact."

"The scent you mentioned might be from that."

Bai Yuetong looked at Lu Luo, who appeared earnest and serious, not seeming to lie, and then nodded.

"You had a conflict with the Inner Ring? Then what should we do?"

"It's fine. It was all a misunderstanding, and it's been cleared up now."

"Those things aren't important. Let's get back to what happened between the Nightmare Demon and Ludie."

Lu Luo urged her, and Bai Yuetong returned to the previous topic.

"During the Dark Tide, although the Nightmare Demon and Ludie were engaged in a sky-shrouding battle,"

"I also saw Ludie and a little girl sitting on the rooftop of the Red and White Castle, watching the fight."

Lu Luo frowned slightly. A little girl? Was it Lu Xiaotian?

"Can your vision really reach that far?"

"It's not about vision. When I looked in that direction, the image of them just appeared before my eyes."

"At the time, Ludie and that little girl even waved at me."

Ludie and Lu Xiaotian noticed Bai Yuetong and even greeted her?

"What did the little girl look like?"

"She was wearing a purple-black dress, about seven or eight years old, I guess."

"She was nestled in Captain Ludie's arms, much like we are now."

"But there was a moon then, and now there isn't! Hehe."

Bai Yuetong was still immersed in the warmth between herself and Lu Luo, but Lu Luo was already completely distracted.

Lu Xiaotian and Ludie had indeed recognized each other before the battle.

That's why Lu Xiaotian was clinging to Ludie during the Twilight Ceremony, just like a little daughter.

"What else happened between them?"

Bai Yuetong didn't answer immediately, lowering her head in thought before saying, "Lu Luo... that little girl... she's the Nightmare Demon, right?"

Looking at Dumb Hair in his arms, Lu Luo found he couldn't lie to her at this moment.

"Yes, that little girl is the Nightmare Demon."

"You mean the Nightmare Demon is Lord Ludie's daughter? That's unbelievable!"

"Don't worry. I understand the gravity of the situation and won't speak carelessly, even without you telling me to."

"Lord Ludie died for the Alliance."

"He was a hero of the Fourth Ring and a hero of the entire Wasteland Alliance."

"I will never do anything to shame a hero."

Bai Yuetong's values could be a bit skewed at times.

But at this moment, her values and understanding impressed Lu Luo, making him see her in a new light.

Indeed, people do grow up!

Lu Luo patted Dumb Hair on the head.

"It's good that you think this way. So, what happened between them after that? Anything else?"

"After that, their behavior became rather strange; Captain Ludie's actions, in particular, were odd."

"He pointed his finger towards the moon, and as his finger moved, similar patterns began to appear on the moon."

"Well, not exactly patterns; they were more like some kind of runes."

"But they weren't Alchemical Runes. Anyway, I've never seen anything like them before."

Lu Luo was startled. Runes appeared on the moon following Ludie's finger movements?

He immediately urged Bai Yuetong, "What did those runes look like? Do you remember?"

At this point, Bai Yuetong sneaked a kiss on Lu Luo's cheek.

Although she was angry with Lu Luo because of the issue with Qi Xinzhu, she was always thinking about him.

And Bai Yuetong's mind was always clear; she knew when to act coy and when to be serious.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to evacuate everyone from Circular safely.

She understood that the matter between Ludie and the Nightmare Demon might be very important to Lu Luo.

Therefore, upon seeing the runes on the moon, she had immediately memorized them and then sketched them on paper.

However, at this moment, she still wanted to tease Lu Luo a bit.

"Of course, I don't remember!"

"You don't remember?" Lu Luo felt somewhat disappointed.

"Yes, it's been such a long time. Although I have a good memory,"

"those runes were too complicated; I definitely couldn't remember them."

Having already reproached Dumb Hair once before, Lu Luo couldn't bring himself to say anything more at this moment.

He just hugged Dumb Hair closer.

"It's okay if you don't remember. No worries!"

Dumb Hair, seeing Lu Luo's disappointed face, suddenly laughed.

"Although I don't remember them, I did sketch them down, hehe!"

Only then did Lu Luo realize that Dumb Hair was teasing him. Oh, how wily!

"You brat, you've gotten quite bold!"

Lu Luo pinned Bai Yuetong down, pressing her to the ground, the two of them lying together intimately.

The distance was already very close, but due to Bai Yuetong's small chest, Lu Luo didn't even feel it against him, which was quite embarrassing.

Bai Yuetong blushed and pushed Lu Luo away, speaking softly, "Do you still want those drawings or not?"

Lu Luo took a deep breath, pulling Bai Yuetong up.

"Why did you think of sketching those things down?"

"Did you know if they'd be useful?"

"I didn't know what the runes were for, but I thought you might find them useful."

"At that time, I was afraid I would forget the runes, so I drew them on paper."

"The sketches are here. Come with me."