"Don't hurt me." The man parted his thin lips slightly, uttering words that were completely at odds with his devilishly handsome appearance.

His phoenix eyes widened as he stared blankly at her, looking as pitiful as a fawn.

After saying this, he suddenly collapsed, and the hand that was gripping Tu Longjian's ankle abruptly let go.

Tu Longjian squatted down to examine the man closely and found that his clothes were torn, his pale skin was exposed, his body was covered with long-standing wounds, and he was curled up on the ground weakly and helplessly.

Tu Longjian stood up again, politely walked past him, returned to the original path, and continued on his way.

She wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, and besides, who knew what might happen in this abyss? The frail-looking person before her might very well be some kind of evil spirit.

He walked forward for a long time with his head covered. The spiritual energy in this abyss was thin. In order to conserve spiritual energy, Tu Longjian put away the Dry Spirit Lamp and steadily moved forward with the insensitivity he had become accustomed to in the darkness.

Suddenly, a person rushed out from the shadows and bumped into her back, but was caught by Tu Longjian.

Her voice was icy, and she mercilessly pinned the man's hands behind his back. "Who are you?"

The man let out a weak groan, and after breathing heavily for a moment, he spoke, "I did not mean to be presumptuous, please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

His voice was soft and slightly weak, clearly that of Lin Fengmian.

Tu Longjian raised an eyebrow and released him.

Although the scholar almost ruined her plans, he was ultimately obedient and cooperative, so her impression of him wasn't too bad.

Lin Fengmian lit a tinderbox, coughed lightly, looked at her, and his eyes suddenly lit up with a starlight of surprise.

"Is this Fellow Daoist Chun?"

"Hmm." Tu Longjian replied with a cold tone, then turned to leave, but heard Lin Fengmian's somewhat embarrassed voice, which made her stiffen slightly.

Lin Fengmian hesitated slightly before speaking, "Um... it seems you've forgotten something of mine."

Tu Longjian then remembered that the array detector was still in his hands. His face turned slightly red with embarrassment, and he returned the magic artifact to Lin Fengmian.

"Sorry, I forgot."

"It's alright, distinguished guests are often forgetful. It's also my fault for not reminding you, fellow Daoist."

Lin Fengmian was so focused on the mission that he forgot about Tu Longjian borrowing the array detector and left in a hurry. Only now, having met him again, did he remember.

"Then, farewell." Tu Longjian was impatient to say more; it was not appropriate to reveal the matter of obtaining the inheritance to others.

However, Lin Fengmian followed along eagerly.

He spoke gently, his voice clear and without a trace of wickedness, "How did you come to this place, fellow Daoist? This place is in a remote location, with no entrance on the ground except for the sky."

"Fellow Daoist should also be able to see that the spiritual energy here is suppressed, making it impossible to fly on a sword."

"So, how did she get in?" Lin Fengmian asked, a question lingering in his eyes.

Tu Longjian avoided the main point and instead asked, "Then how did Fellow Daoist Lin get in?"

"It seems you are hiding your true abilities, fellow Daoist."

"Could it be that you've come for something, or perhaps for a mission?" Tu Longjian stared at him meaningfully.

Lin Fengmian wiped the sweat from his brow, met her gaze without saying a word, and said, "Isn't Fellow Daoist Chun the same?" A strange light flickered in his eyes.

"Likewise. I think since we both have our own agendas, it's best to go our separate ways." Tu Longjian forced a smile.

"Hey, we don't know how deep it is underground. Why don't we travel together and look out for each other?"

"No need." Tu Longjian turned to leave impatiently, but Lin Fengmian stopped him again.

He seemed quite calculating, and said with a smile, "How long has Fellow Daoist Chun been gone? Have you been wandering around in the dark the whole time?"

Tu Longjian realized that he had indeed walked a long way and had only encountered that strange man.

She was clearly following the guidance in her heart, but she didn't get any closer.

So she stood with her arms crossed, "What is the explanation? Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Lin."

Lin Fengmian straightened his slightly disheveled collar before calmly saying, "There is a formation here."

Tu Longjian's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not show any surprise on his face. Instead, he tilted his head in confusion, signaling him to continue.

Why didn't she sense the formation? It seems that although Lin Fengmian claims to be unrelated to a family specializing in formations, he actually has a deep connection with them.

"As luck would have it, I happen to know a secret technique for breaking formations, but it requires the cooperation of two people. Fellow Daoist Chun, could you help me?"

Tu Longjian looked at him expressionlessly, inwardly thinking, "What bad luck again, what a bad luck."

However, after seeing Lin Fengmian demonstrate, she readily agreed.

It's not good to keep going around in circles here; we should use his help to leave as soon as possible.

Lin Fengmian and Tu Longjian stood back to back, simultaneously reciting a long incantation. As the complex spell ended, the two fell to the ground through a gap in the formation.

This was a dark cave, and Tu Longjian's feelings grew stronger. She sensed that she was not far from inheriting the mantle.

Thinking of this, she felt a genuine sense of gratitude towards Lin Fengmian and took the initiative to help him up.

Lin Fengmian was somewhat flattered as she pulled him up from the ground.

Seeing that his collar was disheveled again, Tu Longjian recalled Lin Fengmian's actions earlier, paused, and kindly straightened it for him, saying, "Thank you."

Lin Fengmian's heart raced for a moment, feeling both amused and exasperated. He could sense her previous politeness, and now he was finally getting a sincere thank you from her.

His lips curled into a slight smile, but he abruptly stopped when he saw the attacking bats. "Watch out!"

As he shouted, he pulled Tu Longjian aside to dodge, but accidentally twisted his ankle. The two of them rolled together, their figures intertwined, following the momentum of the cave.

The man's handsome face was visible even with his breathing. Tu Longjian used his hands to support his upper body, but the rest of their bodies remained pressed tightly together.

Lin Fengmian opened his eyes despite the pain and saw Tu Longjian's gleaming gaze. As if he understood the unspoken emotions, his face flushed red, and he stammered, "I didn't mean to."

Tu Longjian slowly got up, straightened her disheveled clothes, and after Lin Fengmian had been suffering from wild guesses for a while, she teased, "I didn't say anything, what were you thinking?"

"Oh, oh." Lin Fengmian responded somewhat awkwardly, at a loss for words, and silently maintained a distance between them.

He despised himself in his heart, feeling that he had offended others too much.

The two traveled side by side, encountering many monsters along the way. With their backs to each other, they developed a bond of camaraderie in battle.

As they drew closer to the location of the inheritance, Tu Longjian gazed at Lin Fengmian's relaxed profile and calmly asked, "Fengmian, what are you looking for?"

Lin Fengmian trusted her more, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "Ah Xiang, before you met me, did you meet anyone?"

Tu Longjian did not answer, but asked in confusion, "Are you looking for someone?"

"No. I'm not looking for a person."