Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Pei Suisui blushed and exclaimed in surprise.

"It can't be him, right?"

Before she could finish speaking, there was another untimely knock on the door.

"Mr. Thirteen, are you asleep?"

Hao Jing's somewhat hoarse voice came from outside the door. Thirteen and Zhou Jinghuai exchanged glances, clearly only just realizing that Hao Jing had returned.

Before they could react, Pei Suisui, her face flushed, grabbed the osmanthus candy and stepped forward to open the door.

"Did you give it to me?"

She glared at Haojing, who stood outside the door looking completely bewildered, her almond-shaped eyes wide.

"What...what? I gave it to you?"

Before Hao Jing could finish speaking, Pei Suisui shoved the oiled paper from her hand into her own clothes and roared at him.

"I don't care about what you give me, I don't want it!"

"what?"

Haojing hurriedly took the piece of oiled paper, and the greasy feel made him frown.

"I'll give it all back to you!"

Before leaving, Pei Suisui rolled her eyes at him, and then, without waiting for anyone to react, she picked up her robe, deliberately bumped into his shoulder, and ran downstairs.

Only Haojing, looking completely bewildered, stood there alone, holding the oil paper.

Hao Jing scratched the back of his head; covered in dust, he clearly had just returned from a mission. He looked into the house following the sound and saw Thirteen and Zhou Jinghuai, who were also standing inside, looking equally bewildered.

"What... happened?"

"Hmm...it's a long story. By the way, what brings you here now? Did Shen Mu send someone on your behalf?"

Thirteen let Haojing go inside first. The inn had already been booked by Zhou Jinghuai, and Shen Mu's men were patrolling outside, so Pei Suisui should be fine.

Pei Suisui had been sick the whole way, so this opportunity would be good for her to get away and relax.

"Lord Shen sent me to deliver a message to you. He is currently tied up in the army and cannot leave for the time being, so he specifically asked me to come and tell you about his next plans."

Haojing casually tucked the oiled paper into his hand and then took out a jade ring from his pocket.

The ring is crystal clear, with a tiger pattern engraved on the outer ring.

"This belongs to Shen Mu?"

Zhou Jinghuai, who had been standing silently to the side for a long time, spoke first. He immediately recognized the ring as something that Shen Mu often wore.

It must have been extremely important to him.

Why did he give this to me?

Thirteen frowned. Although she verbally refused, she obediently accepted the jade ring.

Hao Jing subtly took a half-step back, speaking while giving Zhou Jinghuai an extremely strange look.

"This is the master's token. He is going ahead to the Southern Barbarian territory and will lead three hundred soldiers to infiltrate their camp."

"Three hundred? But didn't the Southern Barbarians have more than forty thousand this time?"

Thirteen was speechless. Even though all her attention was drawn to Haojing, her fingers unconsciously curled as she fiddled with the ring in her hand.

Haojing nodded and continued.

"The lord said that leading troops to Philadelphia in such a grand manner would likely end in vain. So he secretly led the troops away this morning."

"Can he...can he...can he defeat three hundred men?" Thirteen asked hesitantly.

Perhaps it was the intense gaze emanating from her that made it impossible for her to ignore, or perhaps it was the growing concern she felt for Shen Mu that finally prompted her to speak hesitantly.

But this seemingly ordinary greeting was interpreted differently by the other two.

Zhou Jinghuai naturally spoke in an annoyed tone.

"What can he do? Who can kill our Lord Shen?"

He subtly moved to Thirteen's side, intending to take the jade ring from between her fingers.

Although others might not know, Zhou Jinghuai understood that this jade ring held great significance for Shen Mu; it was not simply an ordinary token.

The thought of the missing wooden hairpin he had entrusted Haojing to deliver to Thirteen caused a surge of inexplicable anger to rise in his heart.

"What are you doing?"

Thirteen turned her head and glared at him. Even Zhou Jinghuai didn't realize that his behavior was too flamboyant and was immediately noticed by the two of them.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, instantly concealing the displeasure in his eyes.

"It's nothing, I was just curious about Lord Shen's jade ring. I've asked him for it countless times, but he never let me see it. The fact that he's giving it to you now shows that he considers you a friend!"

Zhou Jinghuai said the word "friend" through gritted teeth.

He naturally didn't want to think of Shen Mu in that way.

"But he gave it to me to keep temporarily, so naturally I can't give it to you."

Thirteen subconsciously put the jade ring back into her bosom. Since Zhou Jinghuai said it was so important, she couldn't just lose it.

"..."

Zhou Jinghuai suppressed his anger, only slightly frowning on his face.

He naturally knew that Hao Jing was still in the way, and if he were to cause trouble in front of Hao Jing now, Shen Mu would probably come to question him within a day.

Zhou Jinghuai's heart sank.

He thought to himself that there was no rush, after all, Haojing would leave them temporarily one day, and then he would find an opportunity to take the jade ring from Thirteen's hands.

Hao Jing stood to the side, and although he didn't say anything, he was a seasoned player in the dating scene and naturally noticed the subtle changes between the two.

Thinking of the hesitant look on Shen Mu's face before he left, he slowly spoke.

"Young Master Zhou, Lord Shen has something else he wants to discuss with you privately. Would you like to speak to me in private?"

"What good could he possibly want from me? Can I just ignore him?"

Zhou Jinghuai was filled with anger and, having no outlet for it, naturally set his sights on Haojing, whom he couldn't beat.

"Well, I'm going to find Pei Suisui anyway. You two can talk here."

Thirteen hurriedly uttered a sentence and then left the room.

After the footsteps descending the stairs faded into the distance, Haojing spoke seriously.

“Young Master Zhou, Lord Shen asked me to remind you, don’t forget what promise you made to him by the lake.” Hao Jing subconsciously gripped the sword at his waist.

He could naturally tell that Zhou Jinghuai's expression wasn't very pleasant when he handed his master's keepsake to Thirteen.

In addition, there was the wooden hairpin that Zhou Jinghuai had previously asked him to give to Thirteen.

These two things are enough to prove

Zhou Jinghuai's attitude towards Thirteen!

It's probably comparable to one's own parents.

"What? You need to remind me?"

Zhou Jinghuai was naturally displeased. In an instant, a strange power rose around him, even though he usually acted like a spoiled brat.

But in the human world

His strength is second only to Shen Mu.

Seeing this, Hao Jing decided not to beat around the bush. He gripped the scabbard tightly with his right hand, as if he were ready to fight at any moment.

"Young Master Zhou, please remember that our most important task right now is to find the Demon Lord Chongming."