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

After Haojing left, Thirteen left Zhou Jinghuai alone.

Dark as ink.

Zhou Jinghuai sat in the chair, calmly meeting Thirteen's probing gaze. His dark green robes made him appear even more aloof and composed.

His peach blossom eyes seemed to be tinged with some inexplicable emotions, which made Thirteen feel somewhat uncomfortable being stared at.

She cleared her throat a few times.

"So you came here to find me just to remind me about the money?"

"Not entirely, it's just that you've been too high-profile along the way, and I'm afraid that those who are interested have already overheard most of it."

"What else could it be? It's better to speak frankly than to act like Shen Mu, always putting on an air of a cunning old fox, making people think you're unfathomable."

Thirteen felt that ever since Zhou Jinghuai rescued her from the Fourth Princess's residence, or even earlier, Zhou Jinghuai's attitude towards her had changed.

At least it's not that annoying.

"Then I'll be frank: where were you on the Emperor's birthday?"

Zhou Jinghuai's tone suddenly changed, becoming serious in an instant. Finding his old friend was a problem that had troubled him for over a hundred years.

He searched for everything, from the Haohai Cliff of yesteryear to the Four Kingdoms of Gods, and even the mortal and demonic realms.

Thirteen's heart sank, and he knew something was wrong. But he maintained an even calmer expression on his face.

"Sleep at home."

"Didn't go out?"

"No."

"The emperor invited you to the palace, and you didn't care at all?"

"I don't really like these kinds of occasions."

"Then how did you end up in the palace?" Zhou Jinghuai asked urgently, getting straight to the point in just a few sentences.

He observed carefully then, and the person looked almost exactly like the current Thirteen, only his identity had changed.

Seeing Zhou Jinghuai's serious expression, Thirteen crossed his arms, leaned back in his wheelchair, and said calmly...

"What? What evidence do you have to insist that I went to the palace that day?"

"Leave this arrow behind." Zhou Jinghuai took out an arrow from his pocket. The arrowhead was somewhat bluish-black, and the tip was obviously worn.

It was clearly left when the arrow was driven into the ground that day.

He had specifically stolen this from Shen Mu.

Thirteen took the arrow, seemed to examine it carefully, and then tossed it back to him.

"This is just an ordinary arrowhead. Don't you know my skill level? Do you think I can use this?"

She chuckled lightly, relieved that she had prepared in advance before leaving home. She had gone to a blacksmith shop in the east of the city and bought some ready-made arrowheads to use, just in case she was being watched.

"Is that so?" Zhou Jinghuai looked at Thirteen thoughtfully, but his eyes were full of doubt.

He didn't believe what Thirteen said. After all, finding someone in the world who looked almost exactly like her was harder than believing she could shoot arrows.

However, there's still plenty of time; he'll eventually find out.

"What? Did Shen Mu say that you set the fire that day and got arrested?" Thirteen leaned on the armrest with one hand, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Zhou Jinghuai raised an eyebrow, turned his head away to put the arrow away, and didn't respond to her question. Unlike Haojing, he wasn't easily swayed by a few words, which would only throw him off balance.

"Not going to talk? Then go back early, I'm tired too. Have someone make a receipt for all the food and drinks we had in the Dali Temple dungeon this time, and I'll pay you back."

Thirteen didn't indulge him and was about to go back to her room when Zhou Jinghuai grabbed her armrest with his big hand.

"what are you doing?"

Thirteen looked up and saw Zhou Jinghuai, whose eyes seemed to be shining with an inexplicable gleam in the moonlight, and her heart tightened.

To be fair, as long as he's not wearing bright red, he is indeed handsome.

Zhou Jinghuai looked at Thirteen, then pulled her wheelchair to his side and sighed deeply.

"Thirteen, I don't care whether you were the assassin that day or not, I just want to know one thing."

She subconsciously shifted back, trying to keep her distance from him, but he pulled her close, and she met his dark eyes, which were filled with a hint of anger.

"You in the end..."

"What exactly is it?"

Thirteen felt that the distance between them was offensive and tried to break free, but Zhou Jinghuai gripped her hand tighter and tighter, as if afraid that she would disappear at any moment.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Jinghuai suddenly realized something and changed the subject.

Have you ever been to a place called Haohai Cliff before?

"Haohai Cliff?"

Thirteen frowned. He felt like he had been to the place the other person mentioned, but he also felt like he hadn't.

Or rather

After she transmigrated here, she stayed on Mount Cangqiong.

She noticed a hint of anger in Zhou Jinghuai's eyes and quickly turned her head away.

"I haven `t been there."

She always felt that Zhou Jinghuai was too unfamiliar, as if she looked very similar to someone he knew. Where could that person be?

Could it be that time at Mingyue Palace?

Thirteen's heart sank. The reason he lost his true form that day was because he was afraid that his male form would not be able to defeat the Demon Lord, so he deliberately changed back to his female form three to five days in advance.

She was given some time to practice at home and regain her original martial arts skills. She was good at archery, which was her best skill when her divine power was suppressed in the mortal world.

As fate would have it, she didn't see clearly that day and mistook the person in the Bright Moon Palace for the Demon Lord Chongming. She fired several arrows without realizing his identity until she fought Zhou Jinghuai.

She only realized it was Zhou Jinghuai when the black cloth covering his face fell off, and then she stopped.

"You didn't lie to me?"

Zhou Jinghuai stared intently into Thirteen's eyes, trying to detect something amiss. He completely failed to notice the increasing pressure on his hand, which instead caused Thirteen to gasp in surprise.

"You hurt me!"

Hearing her words, Zhou Jinghuai looked down and saw that he had gripped her wrist so tightly that it was bright red. Looking somewhat flustered, he quickly released her hand.

"sorry!"

"You're such a strange person." Thirteen rubbed her wrist, the pain accompanied by a tingling sensation that made her tremble all over.

If it were the usual Zhou Jinghuai, she might have admitted it.

But after spending these days together, she suddenly felt that Zhou Jinghuai seemed to have changed, and that he seemed to care about her more.

She felt a strange sense of dread.

After all, he was still dressed as a man.

She took in Zhou Jinghuai's panic and said with a frown.

"I've already told you I've never been to the palace, nor to this Haohai Cliff you mentioned. Regardless of your motives, our most important task right now is to resolve the chaos in the mortal realm!"

Thirteen sounded anxious, and his voice betrayed his panic even more.

At this moment, Zhou Jinghuai did not notice her guilty conscience. He lowered his eyes and stared at Thirteen. He looked into Thirteen's clear eyes and was somewhat lost in thought.

He thought to himself, those eyes really do look just like those of his old friend.

Thirteen wanted to avoid Zhou Jinghuai's gaze and subconsciously tried to escape, but she didn't expect to see that Zhou Jinghuai had already firmly grasped her wheelchair and made her unable to move.

At that moment, a clear, cold voice broke the silence between the two.

"What are you doing?"