Chapter 28: Ancient Ruins

“…”

Lin Yuhe fell silent for a moment, as if resigned, letting out a breath before pushing off the ground with force, lunging swiftly at Shen Mu!

“Guess, my foot!”

Shen Mu deftly dodged her pounce with a nimble movement, chuckling, “Hah! Looks like you’re really fine—such energy.”

“You jerk…”

Lin Yuhe turned and swung a palm infused with intertwined red and green spiritual energy!

But Shen Mu, as if he had auto-dodge activated, swiftly sidestepped her attack, landing smoothly three zhang away on flat ground.

“I’m going to keep exploring. Don’t go touching weird stuff again.”

Whoosh!

After the warning, Shen Mu leaped away again, continuing to investigate other parts of the lake.

“…”

“What a mean guy…” Lin Yuhe muttered under her breath, watching his rapidly departing figure.

But… thank you.

She tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, her once-dour face blooming into a radiant smile like spring flowers.

Her thoughts no longer lingered on those unwanted past memories.

“Master, were you just teasing her with those words?”

As Shen Mu returned to the broken stone pillar, the Golden Toad poked its head out of his robe and hopped onto his shoulder.

“Know it, don’t say it,” Shen Mu replied calmly, crouching on the pillar.

In truth, aside from the exposed skin of her chest to help expel the water, he hadn’t looked at anything else.

He wasn’t some lecherous creep, after all.

Besides, what was there to see on a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl’s body?

He was a fan of mature, curvaceous women—like his master, with her perfect figure.

“Master’s really good at caring for girls’ feelings. You’ll definitely be a great figure with a harem of thousands in the future.”

“Heh, your flattery’s getting better every day.”

“I’m just stating facts.”

Shen Mu said no more, gently running his palm along the pillar’s edge, covering its surface with spiritual energy…

Then, using a secret technique, he imprinted the ancient carvings into his mind, studying them closely.

Some of the carvings seemed to be text, but it was hard to determine their era.

The strange symbols and patterns were unlike anything he’d seen in ancient texts, making it impossible to pinpoint their origin or age.

But he was certain this was an extraordinary ruin.

As a seasoned gamer with a knack for hidden side quests, Shen Mu had a sharp nose for secrets in special locations like this.

Such ancient, unique places were bound to hide mysteries and surprises.

He just hadn’t found the right trigger yet.

“Let’s check the other pillars…”

Near dusk.

Lin Yuhe used a small array to light a campfire by the lake, quietly waiting for someone’s return.

But after about an hour, with the bright full moon hanging in the cloudless sky, she still hadn’t seen him.

“Yawn~~”

Lin Yuhe let out a heavy yawn, a trace of worry in her eyes, murmuring to herself, “That guy… he didn’t run into trouble, did he?”

“Don’t worry, he’s almost back.”

A girl’s voice sounded silently behind her, making Lin Yuhe’s petite frame tremble. She quietly glanced at the red-clad girl sitting cross-legged beside her.

“Where did Sister Chi Ying go today?” she asked, already forced to address the red-clad girl as “sister.”

“Just wandered around within a ten-thousand-mile radius.”

“Any discoveries?”

Chi Ying shook her head slightly. “Nope. I roamed for half a day and only saw some demonic beasts fighting over common fire spiritual items. Nothing I was looking for.”

“I see. Looks like Sister Chi Ying’s luck isn’t great.”

“Sigh~ Maybe.”

Soon after.

A black-clad figure leaped from the lake’s edge, landing heavily by the campfire.

“Any surprising finds?” Chi Ying raised an eyebrow.

Whoosh!

Without a word, Shen Mu waved his hand, displaying the carvings from all the lake’s pillars before the two girls.

“These are the carvings from the lake’s pillars—thirty-six in total, six of which are broken, so some carvings are incomplete.”

“Take a look. See if you recognize any of the text or patterns.”

“…”

The two girls studied the carvings, their faces thoughtful.

“By the way, if my guess is correct, there’s likely an ancient suppression array at the lake’s bottom.”

“And these pillars are probably the array’s anchor points.”

“The resentful spirits causing chaos in the lake today likely escaped because the broken pillars weakened the array, creating gaps.”

“But since the array’s sealing power still exists, though diminished, they can only move within a certain range and can’t fully escape.”

Lin Yuhe’s eyes lit up with realization. “No wonder they didn’t follow me out of the lake. So that’s why.”

Qingshuang, is that true?

[His guess is about seventy to eighty percent correct.]

Qingshuang couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for Shen Mu’s reasoning.

“This is just my initial theory. Whether it’s really as I said depends on the specific meanings of these carvings.”

As his words trailed off, Shen Mu’s gaze inadvertently fell on Lin Yuhe’s chest…

[Yuhe, he seems to have noticed me.]

Qingshuang sensed his gaze and alerted Lin Yuhe.

“Senior Brother~ Where are you looking?” Lin Yuhe guess, her tone carrying a hint of menace.

“Sorry, I must’ve been visually stimulated or something, so my eyes keep wandering to other places when I see you. It’ll pass in a few days.”

Shen Mu averted his gaze, spouting nonsense without a draft, casually tossing out an excuse.

“You’re at that hot-blooded age, Senior Brother~ It’s fine… I understand.”

You’re overthinking it!

[…”

[Sigh… Too bad we’re bound by a contract and can’t switch.]

Qingshuang lamented her lack of other options back then.

If only…

Hey, what did you mean by that?

[Nothing. Just listen to your Senior Brother. At least he’s a good man who cares about you.]

“…”

Riddling people are so annoying…

Lin Yuhe grumbled inwardly, then stopped communicating with Qingshuang.

Moments later.

After examining all the carvings, Chi Ying looked up and asked calmly, “How many resentful spirits are at the lake’s bottom?”

“A lot. The lakebed is basically covered in their resentful yin energy—you can’t even see clearly.”

Chi Ying stood slowly, asking further, “If we could eliminate all those resentful spirits, would we get a clear view of the lake’s full structure?”

“Theoretically, yes, but it’d be quite difficult to pull off.”

“Don’t forget the kind of environment we’re in.”

Her words sparked a realization in Shen Mu, who immediately understood her next move. “Sister, are you planning to…”

“Exactly. Since the lakebed is filled with resentful spirits, if I ignite the entire lake with my Blazing Sun Power, wouldn’t that wipe them out completely?”