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

Zhou Jinghuai did not rush to respond; he simply turned his head to look at the girl sitting at the table.

The girl's hands rested on the table, tapping lightly. Her brows and eyes looked tired, and her beautiful face showed no other emotion.

His heart suddenly sank.

Yup

She is who she is.

But she is not herself.

Seeing that the other person remained silent and instead quietly observed her, a crack finally appeared on Thirteen's feigned calm face.

She awkwardly avoided his gaze and said...

"Is there anything else you want to ask me? There's no one else around right now, so feel free to ask."

Zhou Jinghuai naturally noticed her unease. His burning gaze slowly descended from her to the teacup he was toying with, and he slowly spoke.

"Then how did you realize that you would forget me...forget about the past?"

He had finally lost his confidence.

Do you remember the time you set fire to the Bright Moon Palace?

"You almost hit me with an arrow?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinghuai raised his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Thirteen nodded, as if he had finally made up his mind, and said calmly.

"When you saw me in my female form, you called out my original name from the God Realm. At that time, I thought that if you didn't know me before, then I must look like one of your old friends."

"You mean your real name is Shi Wanyan?"

Zhou Jinghuai's breathing quickened slightly. He gripped the teacup tightly, his gaze gradually hardening.

Thirteen's lips curled into a cool smile.

"Ever since I temporarily lost my divine powers and could no longer maintain my male appearance, your attitude towards me has made me even more certain that you must have known me before, but... I don't remember anything."

She still had some reservations about Zhou Jinghuai after all.

After all, if she hadn't read novels about time travel in modern times, she probably wouldn't have been able to understand such a bizarre thing, given Zhou Jinghuai's personality.

Zhou Jinghuai frowned slightly, holding his breath and concentrating.

"Then... then where did you come from before you came to the mortal realm?"

The question had been lingering in his mind for a long time: who was Thirteen's true identity? He had consulted many people, but none of them could tell him the complete truth.

Is Thirteen really from the demon realm?

Thirteen slowly raised his head, finally meeting his burning gaze, and slowly began to speak.

"I am from Cangqiong Mountain, the thirteenth disciple of Cangqiong Mountain Lord, and my real name is Shi Wanyan."

Her gaze was unwavering and genuine, so much so that Zhou Jinghuai couldn't help but catch his breath.

The name is correct.

But their identities don't match.

He frowned, as if trying to prove something further.

“Zhou Jinghuai, I think you must have confused me with that person, so I hope we can prioritize the big picture, deal with the Demon Lord first, and then discuss other matters.”

Actually, she hadn't initially decided whether to reveal her true identity to Zhou Jinghuai.

But ever since she came to Philadelphia

I have a vague premonition

I had a feeling something was going to happen to her soon.

She felt fear for the first time.

She wasn't afraid of death.

Rather, she feared that if she failed to kill the Demon Lord, he would wreak havoc on the mortal realm, and as Shen Mu had said, the entire mortal world would fall.

She didn't want to see that happen, so she hoped that her friends could focus all their energy on dealing with the Demon Lord, instead of paying attention to her.

Thirteen withdrew his hand from the table and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

“Zhou Jinghuai, the battle is going to continue for a while now. I’m sure Aunt Qin is urging you on. If you can find Sui Sui on Xie Qiao’s side, you should deal with your Xi Chen matter as soon as possible.”

She thought about it carefully, and realized that being able to stay in Philadelphia alone for so long...

It must be because Zhou Jinghuai disobeyed Aunt Qin's orders that he has remained in the mortal realm.

Zhou Jinghuai's expression stiffened upon hearing this.

"Aunt Qin? How do you know her?"

“I met her once before, in the outskirts of the capital. But what she said made me even more certain that I might be the person you were looking for.”

Thirteen's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"I don't know yet that my divine power has recovered. I didn't get the slightest advantage in the battle with Sun Youzhi. I imagine that the remaining two are also extremely difficult to deal with."

"Then I should stay and help you even more."

Zhou Jinghuai's tone was extremely firm.

Thirteen shook his head and said...

"This battle is not something that can be decided in a short time. If you can go and return quickly, you will surely be able to fight us. Rather than staying here in a stalemate, it is better to return to Xichen as soon as possible."

Her gaze toward Zhou Jinghuai was somewhat cold.

He suddenly felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Zhou Jinghuai suddenly stood up, somewhat displeased.

"Did Aunt Qin come looking for you? I've already told her I need to stay for a while longer..."

"She didn't come looking for me; I just happened to run into Qingfeng."

Thirteen also stood up, her small hands clenched tightly in her sleeves.

She had originally come today to ask Zhou Jinghuai for help in rescuing Pei Suisui. But she never expected to encounter the long-lost Qingfeng outside the Gu residence.

At that moment, Qingfeng's delicate face was filled with worry.

What good things could he possibly say to you?

Zhou Jinghuai scoffed, saying that the kid was just a fence-sitter, always switching sides whenever Aunt Qin appeared.

"Qingfeng said that the important matter in Xichen cannot be delayed any longer. It seems that the Crown Prince's party will launch a surprise attack on the Southern Barbarian vanguard tomorrow morning, which will definitely prolong the battle line. You might as well go and come back quickly."

Thirteen straightened her skirt and turned her head away from him.

"Since he pleaded with me so earnestly, I couldn't refuse. Zhou Jinghuai, you stayed in the mortal realm at my request, and now I hope you can return to Xichen as soon as possible and take care of your own affairs."

“I’m worried about leaving you here alone; it’s dangerous here after all. I haven’t found the two thugs who infiltrated Philadelphia yet.”

Zhou Jinghuai wanted to refuse her verbally.

But Thirteen interrupted him directly.

“I know your concerns, but I still have Xie Qiao and the others by my side. If I hide my identity, I can buy some time.”

She was naturally aware that Sun Youzhi harbored a secret grudge against her.

If Sun Youzhi finds her first, it will inevitably lead to a fierce battle.

But at that time, she was still a man with divine power.

Right now, she's just a mortal woman with no strength whatsoever.

If she were to actually run into Sun Youzhi, it's hard to say whether he would even recognize her.

"Then... I'll leave Qingfeng here to help you."

Zhou Jinghuai naturally knew that the other party's attitude was firm, and his matter in Xichen could not be delayed any longer.

Rather than wasting time here on both sides, it would be better to do as Thirteen suggested.

Go quickly and come back quickly.

"He... that's fine too. If he can help me, I'm sure you'll feel at ease. There's one more thing I need to ask of you."

"you say"

"What happened today must be kept secret from everyone. I don't want... I don't want a third person to know my identity. Until I regain my memories, I don't want anyone to know this secret."

Okay, I'll do as you say.

Thank you, Zhou Jinghuai.

"..."

"..."