Chapter 124, Chapter Twenty-Five: The Lost Manor

Footsteps echoed from the entrance staircase in the castle's basement.

The people gathered here gripped their weapons like startled birds.

"who!"

Upon seeing the three people walking down the building, Dean immediately rushed out from the crowd and took Song Xiaona from Li Yufei's hands.

Song Xiaona was carried back by Li Yufei. She fell off her horse and was dragged for more than ten meters by Poppy, suffering multiple abrasions.

The wound healed through prayer to the goddess, but the clothes and the mental state of someone who had narrowly escaped death were in a terrible state.

"Mr. Zheng and Miss Song are back." Seeing the three of them, the crowd breathed a sigh of relief and showed a hint of joy. "That's great, they're back." "Thank goodness."

Dean hugged Song Xiaona, "What happened? How did it get like this?"

"The situation is not optimistic." Song Xiaona said frankly to everyone, barely holding on, "There are intruders in the castle hall."

Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had been relieved by the return of their leader, immediately panicked. "Is it still safe here?"

“It’s safe for now, but this kind of safety is not our goal,” Cheng Yuzhou said. “There are only nine hours left until tomorrow. The Covenant says that ‘believers must do their utmost to defend the goddess’s territory until the goddess awakens.’ If we keep hiding and fail to win this ‘holy war,’ and the goddess is devoured by the demon, then every day from now on may be like this.”

The already uneasy crowd immediately erupted into chaos:

"How could this be?" "No way..."

"Given the situation outside, what can we ordinary people do?"

"Don't worry, everyone. I don't want you to fight demons hand-to-hand." Cheng Yuzhou took out his Eros Divine Card. "On the way back, we discovered how to use the Divine Card, and the effect is amazing."

He began to recount his experience to everyone.

Li Yufei has been silent since she came in.

She seemed to have stepped into some fairytale dream kingdom, where the colors of souls floated behind everyone like clouds—red, yellow, pink, purple…

The dark basement was filled with colorful lights, resembling a row of misty, fairy-tale-like scenes.

Oh no, will the world she sees always be like this, like something out of a children's play?

The key question is, what do these colors represent?

White and warm colors are likely to be good people, but Li Yufei also thought that this was Psyche's skill.

Psyche is a princess, the ruler of this territory—

Is it possible that the color the princess likes is the best?

As Li Yufei has observed so far, apart from Cheng Yuzhou, the souls of everyone else are a mixture of various colors.

Some of the soul colors were indeed well-mixed, and she thought they looked good, while others looked dirty and lacked aesthetic appeal.

She spotted Xiaowen in the crowd. Xiaowen waved frantically at her, clearly feeling guilty for running away first.

Li Yufei didn't take it to heart; on the contrary, she was the one who grabbed her, delaying her escape.

Xiaowen's soul color is light, a mixture of green, orange and pale yellow, like a refreshing summer fruit tea.

The color is the same as the feeling Xiaowen gave Li Yufei; she doesn't dislike it.

Only Cheng Yuzhou's soul was red from head to toe, not only red, but also bright, like carrying a human-shaped piece of pigeon blood on his body.

Why is Cheng Yuzhou the only one whose soul is pure color?

Li Yufei couldn't help but look at him frequently, one glance after another, each time lost in thought.

Cheng Yuzhou…it really was Cheng Yuzhou. The man who had been dead for six years was standing beside her again, talking to her and smiling at her.

She wasn't scared at all about something so terrifying.

Li Yufei couldn't help but glance at the young man beside her, looking at him again and again.

Apart from her, it seemed that no one else could see "Cheng Yuzhou"; they still called him "Mr. Zheng". Cheng Yuzhou himself did not react at all, as if he had not made it his own choice to let her see him.

Is this the effect of the Psyche card?

After listening to Song Xiaona and Cheng Yuzhou's explanation, people remained skeptical. "Even if the divine tablet is really that magical, how can we possibly eliminate all the demons outside?"

“There are many of them, and we can’t kill them all,” Song Xiaona reiterated. “Once injured, we can recover just by praying.”

Like Li Yufei, many people start thinking in their habitual way when they are scared, forgetting that this is not the real world.

"The more we cower, the smaller our chances of winning become!" Song Xiaona raised her voice. "While the outside hasn't been completely taken over by the demons yet, and we still have hope of taking it back, what will we do if we keep hiding here and wait until the demons block the door?"

The basement was silent.

Cheng Yuzhou sighed: "It is indeed asking too much of people to immediately accept such an absurd and bizarre situation."

Song Xiaona suddenly turned her head to look at him.

He got to play the good guy.

“I don’t think we need to rush into battle. Before engaging in combat, we should first understand each person’s skills,” he said. “This way, we can know how to cooperate, how to plan, and how to maximize efficiency. After everyone has witnessed the power of their own skills, they will have a better understanding of their abilities.”

“Mr. Zheng is right!” His gentle tone and suggestion immediately won him favor. “After all, we need to know what kind of gun we’re carrying before we start fighting.” “Let’s test it out internally first. That way, everyone will have a better understanding.”

“Okay, let’s go to the chapel. It can hold so many people, and we can see what’s going on outside.” Cheng Yuzhou said, then added, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll lead the way and make sure no one gets hurt.”

Song Xiaona suddenly realized a hidden danger:

If Cheng Yuzhou's popularity and prestige continue to grow, it will be difficult to expose him in the future.

She walked ahead of Cheng Yuzhou. "I'll lead the way too. It's only a few dozen meters from here to the chapel. If anyone needs help along the way, just call out, and we'll adjust immediately. Is that alright?"

When someone takes the lead, this approach is more acceptable to people.

The people gathered there agreed and rushed toward the chapel.

Li Yufei nervously grabbed Cheng Yuzhou's sleeve and frantically winked at him.

How do you test someone's skills?

What will happen if her skills are tested and revealed!

Li Yufei stared intently at Cheng Yuzhou. If he dared to make her a military prostitute and kiss everyone, she would immediately join the devil's ranks. Kissing pigeons and swans was better than kissing family.

The manicure dug deep into Cheng Yuzhou's skin. He sensed Li Yufei's urgency and quickly shook his head.

How could he possibly let that happen?

The group of fifty-odd people who had gathered at the castle left the basement.

Some demons did infiltrate the castle, but the combined power of over fifty believers was like a tank crushing everything.

This journey gave everyone a bit of confidence. It turned out that they didn't need any divine tokens; simply gathering together, their accumulated faith was enough to ignore all the demons.

Upon entering the chapel, Song Xiaona looked out the window, where birds and scallops were swimming about.

“Let’s go one by one.” Song Xiaona spoke up before Cheng Yuzhou could, “Starting with me, Dean, you take my phone and stand at different angles with these people, and record the conversation.”

Song Xiaona received the Zeus card.

Birds flitted about outside the window, and several scallops bumped against the castle's outer wall.

She kissed the card.

Suddenly, three bolts of lightning struck the ground from mid-air!

The purple lightning caused an attack with a diameter of ten meters. It was so fast that even agile birds and shelled scallops were turned into charred remains by the lightning.

Such powerful lightning only precisely damaged the demon, leaving the ground, houses, and vegetation untouched.

Three strikes followed by three more, three rounds of nine thunderbolts, and the entire outer wall was swept clean!

Witnessing the power of the divine tablet firsthand, the crowd erupted in astonishment.

Song Xiaona wasn't sure what the effects of the other cards would be, but compared to Cheng Yuzhou's Eroska, the effect was mediocre, which she could accept.

"Next, it's my turn!" Dean said eagerly, taking out his Hephaestus card.

He was the god of fire, and also the god of craftsmen. Although he was ugly, he was the one who forged the weapons of half of the gods on Mount Olympus.

What's even more special is that Hephaestus was Aphrodite's husband.

Song Xiaona pondered, Dean's card had too many possibilities; perhaps it was a fire-related ability, perhaps it was for creating a surprise attack, or perhaps—

A huge golden net suddenly descended from the sky.

It scattered towards two scallops and a few birds twenty meters away.

Beneath the delicate and beautiful golden mesh, the seashells and birds appear like melted cheese, instantly scalded by the mesh!

Song Xiaona narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself, "Golden Net."

"GoldenNet?"

Cheng Yuzhou explained to Li Yufei, "The Golden Net is an instrument created by Hephaestus."

"Legend has it that Aphrodite was forced to marry Hephaestus. She disliked the ugly Hephaestus and had an affair with his brother, the god of war. So Hephaestus made an exquisite golden net, caught the two lovers in their secret rendezvous, and dragged them to the banquet of the gods."

Enraged, Aphrodite retreated to her palace and refused to see him. To win his wife back, Hephaestus followed the advice of Hera, the queen of the gods, and crafted a unique rose ring for her, called 'The Fidelity of the Rose'.

"The ring is not only decorated with roses, which represent beauty and love, but also engraved with thorns, reminding Aphrodite not to forget the humiliation at the banquet and to remain faithful and devoted."

“When Aphrodite saw the ring, she understood her husband’s intention, so she put it on and reconciled with Hephaestus.”

"Huh?" Li Yufei was stunned. "Wait, what's the connection between the last two paragraphs?"

How did they make up? What's the logic behind it?

Song Xiaona said that Psyche's story in "The Covenant" is very twisted and strange, but Li Yufei didn't think so.

In her opinion, those Western myths are all outrageous; it's like the pot calling the kettle black.

"Don't you like Hephaestus's way of handling things?" Cheng Yuzhou asked.

“Ha,” Li Yufei sneered, arms crossed. “If I were Aphrodite, I would shove this ring up her brother’s ass right now.”

The excited crowd suddenly heard Li Yufei's words, and ten pairs of eyes looked over from all sides before quietly dispersing.

"Isn't that right?" Li Yufei asked. "Aphrodite only heard that Psyche was prettier than her, so she sent her son to assassinate him; in that era, she could also say no to arranged marriages and have an affair with her husband's brother. How could such a cold-blooded, ruthless, and audacious woman obediently wear thorns?" Clearly, her storyline was more in line with the character's personality.

“That’s true,” Cheng Yuzhou said with a smile. “Roman and Greek mythology are contradictory; they’re just stories, so don’t take them seriously.”

They chatted casually, while people in the chapel hid under the windows, taking turns trying out their card skills.

After the first Mass, when the rules regarding holy war and divine tablets were introduced, Cheng Yuzhou began to remind everyone of the importance of the divine tablets.

During yesterday's preparations, Song Xiaona and Cheng Yuzhou reminded everyone again to bring their cards.

Thanks to their emphasis, apart from five or six people who lost their talismans, everyone else carried them with them.

After witnessing the magical effects of these cards, everyone was greatly encouraged and instantly filled with confidence.

The somber and gloomy atmosphere vanished instantly, and everyone was eager to get started.

"Don't rush, wait a moment." After the last card holder released their skill, Song Xiaona said, "Based on my experience, Li Yufei's experience, Zheng Jianbin's experience, and the cards have a cooldown period of 15-30 minutes. During this time, I will organize everyone's skills and regroup them."

"15-30 minutes? It varies for each card?" someone asked. "Then how do we know how long the cooldown is?"

“Yes.” Song Xiaona went to gather information, and Cheng Yuzhou took charge of communicating with everyone. He said, “The cards cannot be used indefinitely. Miss Song and I have a cooldown time of 30 minutes, while my lover has a cooldown time of 15 minutes.”

Li Yufei looked at him in surprise.

When did Cheng Yuzhou become so capable that he can even say "lover"?

She looked at Cheng Yuzhou, but Cheng Yuzhou didn't look at her, staring seriously ahead. "I speculate that the cooldown time for attack-type cards might be longer."

"What are Madam Zheng's skills?" someone asked.

Cheng Yuzhou said, "My wife's surname is Li."

Li Yufei stared at him, noticing his Adam's apple bobbing frequently.

Without Zheng Jianbin's dark skin to conceal his movements, all his reactions became more obvious.

After staring at her for half a minute, Cheng Yuzhou turned slightly to the side, subtly turning his back to her, revealing his ear tips that were red as blood.

Tsk.

A silver-plated spearhead, still the same little white rabbit.

"Oh, what skill does Miss Li's card have?" "She seems to be the only Psyche card." "Is she the Goddess card? She must be very strong."

Li Yufei immediately glared at Cheng Yuzhou and warned him.

No! She doesn't want to be kissed!

"Yes, my lover's Goddess card can bless other cards, eliminating one cooldown period."

Li Yufei opened her eyes. What was he saying? She had already warned him like that, and he still kept it to himself?

Upon hearing this news, the others indeed became excited. "With Miss Li around, wouldn't our fighting strength double?"

"Well..." Cheng Yuzhou looked helpless and troubled, and put his arm around Li Yufei's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, everyone, her blessing needs to be achieved through a kiss."

"Oh, wow..." These words were like a bucket of cold water being poured on, and the atmosphere in the chapel instantly died down.

After a moment, people began to speak again:

"In that case, she will have no choice but to stay with you, Mr. Zheng."

“Mr. Zheng’s skills are very strong, so it would be best for Mrs. Li to help him reset his skills.”

"Giving this power to Mr. Zheng will certainly not be a waste."

"Since they are a married couple, they should act together."

Li Yufei was stunned. Was everyone so kind and selfless? Shouldn't they be fighting over her? No one was criticizing Cheng Yuzhou for monopolizing her?

Her gaze was so astonished that Cheng Yuzhou looked back at her and gave her a shy smile.

He said that the kind of thing she was worried about would never happen.

No one will oppose them anymore, not even Song Xiaona.

Song Xiaona, who was sorting out intelligence and assigning tasks to the new team, looked up and glanced at Cheng Yuzhou.

After they grew up, due to their similar backgrounds, Song Xiaona had far more opportunities to meet Cheng Yuzhou than Li Yufei.

She knew all too well what kind of person Cheng Yuzhou was when Li Yufei wasn't around.

To put it bluntly, outside of work he's a corpse, a walking dead who has no interest in anyone or anything.

That lifeless, cold, and boring person immediately stepped forward to guide and encourage everyone after the abnormality occurred in the manor, fully demonstrating his gentle, friendly, and wise side. It turns out he was waiting for this all along.

Within this group, Cheng Yuzhou quickly rose through the ranks and became a leader recognized by everyone.

Having gained some influence, he used ambiguous wording to mislead people into believing that Li Yufei and he were legally married.

In this way, no one else will covet Li Yufei anymore.

Under the premise of being a legally married couple, Cheng Yuzhou, through Li Yufei's unique card skills, obtained a reason that he had to be bound to her.

Even though Song Xiaona still had the power to group the people, she had to put the two of them together. Both of them were of very high overall quality. With a limited number of people, adding more people to the group after they formed a team would result in an overflow of talent and a waste of resources.

All of Cheng Yuzhou's subsequent actions were able to legitimately keep him inseparable from Li Yufei.

It will become increasingly difficult for her to have a one-on-one conversation with Li Yufei.

Song Xiaona organized the information on the divine talismans in her hand.

All twelve Olympian gods are represented, with the most numerous being Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Hermes, the god of commerce.

This is not hard to understand.

Baptism happens very suddenly, and it suddenly forces people to repent. The first thing that comes to mind for most people is either pursuing education or seeking wealth.

Aside from Psyche, Hera is the least common card.

This famously pitiful wife spends her days either catching her husband cheating or dealing with his illegitimate child—if it weren't for Cheng Yuzhou interfering, Li Yufei might have gotten this card too.

If you let her confess on her own, she might actually say, "I have done nothing wrong. If I had to say something, it would only be that too many people like me, and I can't reciprocate so many feelings."

But Cheng Yuzhou got involved.

From the very first day he entered the manor, Cheng Yuzhou was meticulously planning to guide Li Yufei to obtain the Psyche cards and to win over the crowd to support him as their leader.

Was he truly an innocent victim?

Absolutely not.

Song Xiaona thought that even if Cheng Yuzhou wasn't the mastermind, he must have cooperated with the mastermind.

Her information was far too disparate from Cheng Yuzhou's, putting her at a significant disadvantage.

Looking at the Psyche card, Song Xiaona frowned deeply, sensing something amiss.

Compared to the other cards, the Psyche cards... seem rather unremarkable.

Was it Cheng Yuzhou's selfish desires that led to this, or was Li Yufei too stupid to discover its other functions?

She claims she can see the color of everyone's soul, but what good is that?

"It's almost time." Cheng Yuzhou glanced at his watch. He had promised Li Yufei not to talk to Song Xiaona, so he signaled the others to urge her.

"How's it going, Miss Song?" someone asked. "Have the groups been decided yet?"

Song Xiaona nodded. "After half a day, we have a rough estimate of the demon's tolerance level."

"The strength of a demon seems to be proportional to its size."

"Individually, sparrows are the weakest, while scallops are the strongest. Specific values ​​still need to be collected and supplemented by everyone. What is currently certain is that individuals and groups with a faith value below 10 cannot defend against demon attacks."

Song Xiaona said, "Therefore, the groups I've set up this time will be in rooms of 2-5 people, to ensure that the total faith power of each group is greater than 35. As for which groups will go to which places, I need to go to the rooftop again to observe the current situation."

“Alright, Feifei, Dean, and Brother Wang, please come with us to the rooftop first.” Cheng Yuzhou called out the people. “Anyone else who wants to observe the situation in the manor can come along. With more people, our faith points will be gathered, so going to the rooftop won’t be dangerous.”

The walk from the basement to the chapel had fully demonstrated what Cheng Yuzhou had said. Everyone had a concrete understanding of the role of faith points, and with a bit more confidence, they were no longer afraid and kept hiding. They all went upstairs to check.

The situation down there is indeed dire, with demons lurking everywhere.

The barrier has completely failed and can no longer serve as a barrier, so the area that needs to be cleaned is very large.

Song Xiaona quickly assigned tasks, with Cheng Yuzhou occasionally offering suggestions to supplement them.

When they set off again, everyone's spirits were noticeably different.

They already knew the specifics of the "holy war," knew that with sufficient faith they could be fearless against demons, and knew what kind of cards they held in their hands.

The fear brought by the unknown dissipated, and the people, having seen the light, launched their attack again according to plan.

A black-backed, white-bellied swallow descended from the sky and landed on the bow on Cheng Yuzhou's back.

It opened its mouth and said: "[I'm not rushing you, but have you forgotten your place?]"

Cheng Yuzhou glanced back at it and walked away from Li Yufei a little.

Swallow tilted her head: [You seem to prefer being the leader of humanity. You showed them hope of victory, telling them that demons aren't so scary. This isn't good for gathering energy.]

[Look.] The bird's beak pointed vaguely at the air, [and the negative emotions are much less than before.]

“I know,” Cheng Yuzhou said softly. “Don’t worry, I remember my position.”

Is that so?

"But about the Divine Cards..." Cheng Yuzhou pursed his lips, "Why are Psyche's cards like that?"

[What kind?]

"Other support cards don't require close contact, so why does the Psyche card do that?"

The swallow asked in confusion, "Are you not satisfied?"

The ghost stories are products automatically generated by the lord's consciousness and soul, not a newly created blank page where the lord has to write every setting and detail.

The moment the necromancer accepts the feather, the ghost story is born from the lord's thoughts, wisdom, and personal will.

Generally speaking, the ghost stories all suited the lord's wishes—could it be that Li Yufei's method of using card skills did not suit Cheng Yuzhou's wishes?

Swallow followed him all the way, and now Cheng Yuzhou's body was filled with a huge amount of negative energy, and black smoke completely covered him.

It couldn't see his inner thoughts, but just by looking at his reaction to being kissed, the swallow knew he was extremely happy.

Now you're asking it what to do?

Yanzi didn't take it to heart. [This is a place for weddings, and it's themed around the love story of Cupid. The 'goddess' bestows blessings through a 'kiss,' so I think the logic is sound. If you don't like it, you can change it; you have plenty of power now anyway.]

“I…” Cheng Yuzhou was speechless for a moment, unable to reply.

"What?" Li Yufei happened to turn around and heard his voice. "What did you say?"

"It's nothing." Cheng Yuzhou immediately returned to her side. "Let's go."

Yanzi glanced at him, and he never mentioned the topic of modifying his card skills again.

Cheng Yuzhou took the area with the highest density of demons.

On the way, he noticed Li Yufei constantly tapping on her phone and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"I'm setting an alarm." Li Yufei created another one.

"Alarm clock?"

“Every fifteen minutes,” she said, her foxy eyes lifting as she looked up at him, “to remind me to kiss you.”

Cheng Yuzhou was taken aback, then slowly lowered his eyes.

He acted as if he hadn't heard at all, but a large blush rose to the side of his neck and his eyelashes trembled incessantly.

Cheng Yuzhou's natural skin tone made him really bad at pretending to be calm.

Li Yufei was speechless for a moment.

After observing the whole day, it was clear that no one except her could see Cheng Yuzhou's original appearance.

Seeing that he didn't even realize his disguise had been exposed, Li Yufei felt embarrassed for him.

"Why are you shy again?" She poked him with her index finger, mimicking his tone, "Didn't you just say 'My lover's surname is Li'?"

"I just feel that a marital relationship is more protective than a romantic relationship." Cheng Yuzhou glanced back at her, then quickly looked away. "Do you think... that's inappropriate?"

The reliable "Mr. Zheng" aura vanished completely. Li Yufei shrugged, "No, as long as I don't have to kiss all those old and young men, I'm fine with anything."

She continued setting her kiss alarm, when suddenly a hand appeared on the screen.

Li Yufei looked up at Cheng Yuzhou, who was stopping her.

“No need for that,” he said.

"Hmm?"

“Feifei, I want to save your skills for a critical moment,” Cheng Yuzhou explained. “From an efficiency standpoint, it’s indeed more cost-effective to use skills immediately after the cooldown ends, but if you and I have just used a skill and suddenly encounter danger, then we won’t be able to cope.”

"I'll be in charge of outputting the cards every half hour. You can keep your cards for emergencies."

"But how many times will I be able to use my skills this way?" Li Yufei was a little reluctant.

"Safety is the top priority." Cheng Yuzhou shook his head. "Besides, the divine tokens aren't our most effective weapon. Do you remember what Father Ant said when he explained the rules of the 'holy war'?"

"While divine tokens imbued with the blessings of the goddess can certainly offer assistance, it is our own hearts that can truly overcome evil. The Covenant records our actions and evaluates our faith."

"I think that the talisman is just icing on the cake; what matters is our own faith."

That's absolutely right.

Cheng Yuzhou alone had a faith value of 60. When Li Yufei walked beside him, it was like a fire blaze was lit, and demons rushed over in waves, burning to death and falling one after another.

Li Yufei felt a sense of tragic grandeur watching it.

"Okay, whatever you say." Li Yufei deleted the alarms one by one, but stopped abruptly after deleting half of them.

She frowned, then frowned again.

Cheng Yuzhou stopped. "What's wrong?"

Li Yufei looked up at him, her expression unreadable.

After a moment, she took a deep breath, beckoned to him, and her shimmering rose crystal nail polish swayed gently in the air.

Cheng Yuzhou, not understanding why, obediently bent down towards her.

A warm breath suddenly brushed past his lips and touched his cheek.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he froze on the spot. After a long while, he looked at Li Yufei in a daze.

Did she kiss him first?

Why?

After kissing her, Li Yufei pulled away and strode forward, saying, "Okay, let's go."

How stupid of you! You blockhead! Couldn't you wait until she finished kissing him before saying anything? She set 23 alarms for him to kiss her!

He didn't take advantage of such a great opportunity; even Cupid's arrow, wrapped in red thread, couldn't hit him.

Li Yufei walked a few meters away, then turned around and saw him still standing there, touching the corner of his lips that had been kissed, looking bewildered and at a loss.

He didn't even have time to react with shyness; he stared at her blankly, his pupils moist as if ink had melted into oil.

This posture, when applied to Zheng Jianbin's face, makes him look completely dumbfounded, but when applied to Cheng Yuzhou's appearance, it becomes a kind of flustered elegance, like someone trying to chase the moon with outstretched hands but accidentally shattering the reflection in the water.

Li Yufei suddenly felt guilty.

That kiss was purely out of pity for Cheng Yuzhou, because he seemed too honest. That's why I gave him one of the 23 ringtones.

But she forgot that Cheng Yuzhou was different from Zheng Jianbin and all the boyfriends she had ever dated.

For him, a kiss was not like eating or drinking, but a solemn vow before God.

His overly serious attitude made Li Yufei feel embarrassed. She coughed twice, turned her back, and said, "What are you standing there for? Let's go."

How pathetic! You're such a grown-up, yet you react like a 15-year-old when you get kissed.

Cheng Yuzhou trembled slightly, then slowly lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.

"Hmm, hmm..." He quickly followed, his gaze fixed on his feet, curling up like a mimosa.

Three minutes had passed when Li Yufei heard a voice barely audible: "I...we can walk hand in hand..."

She recognized him and was even willing to kiss him—did that mean their relationship could take things further? Could he then push his luck and make some demands, like holding hands...?

Li Yufei suddenly turned around, her eyes widening in surprise.

Her reaction brought Cheng Yuzhou back to reality, and he immediately panicked: "I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought it was safer this way, less likely to get distracted, if you don't like it..."

He was so embarrassed that he was sweating slightly, and his ears and neck were completely red. Li Yufei simply couldn't bear to watch.

She grabbed Cheng Yuzhou's hand and placed it on her hip, saying, "Please, we're not elementary school students. You can rub my butt if you want, but what do you mean by holding hands?"

Wait, will this work?

The words had already slipped out when Li Yufei realized what she had said—

Although she broke up with Zheng Jianbin on her first day at the manor, what kind of relationship did she have with Cheng Yuzhou?

We're not complete strangers, but... is it a relationship where we can rub each other's butts...?

She had just begun to regret her outspokenness when she saw Cheng Yuzhou's pupils contract and tremble, his skin visibly turning red, and the hand she had forcibly placed on his hip stiffening and trembling.

Oh my god, so cute.

She has never been in a relationship since she became an adult—she is engaged, but has never dated.

Cheng Yuzhou eventually withdrew his hand.

He gripped the wrist of that hand tightly, as if suppressing some dark power within his palm. His pupils were unfocused, and he walked behind Li Yufei with his head down, like a new bride, without uttering another word.

Li Yufei wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she noticed his reddened eyes and couldn't bear to say anything more.

What are they doing? What is their relationship? He's an innocent young wife, and she's a scoundrel?

She was a little resentful. He acted like he was in a funeral when she touched his butt. Didn't he think her butt was perky? Zheng Jianbin liked it so much... Zheng Jianbin?

With her memory slightly hazy, Li Yufei suddenly felt uncertain: had Zheng Jianbin touched her?

He couldn't possibly not have touched her, but why couldn't she remember the specifics...?

As she pondered further, even her memories of sleeping with Zheng Jianbin became hazy and indistinct, as if blurred by a mosaic.

The two walked along, each lost in their own thoughts, the atmosphere slightly awkward, but fortunately, countless demons eased the tension and warmed up the atmosphere.

Birds flying in the sky, shells bobbing on the ground, and poppies lurking in the shadows—it was quite a lively scene.

It was less of a war and more of a stroll.

Most of the time, Li Yufei and Cheng Yuzhou were relaxed, except for one time when Song Xiaona called them over the loudspeaker to go to other places to provide support and clean up a huge devil's nest made up of eight flower balls.

After clarifying the enemy and friendly forces' numerical values, the situation quickly became clear.

A group of 35 faith points is enough to burn most demons to death.

People gathered in small groups, relying on their faith and their respective shrines, and like a gluttonous snake, they swept the manor clean.

The demons are not as endless as one might imagine. After 10 p.m., there are hardly any demons to be seen in the manor, and you have to search carefully to find a few.

In the last two hours, people conducted a thorough search, fearing they might miss something.

It had been a long time since they had seen a demon, and Li Yufei was anxious. "What if some sparrow is hiding in some corner? Wouldn't we be wrongly accused?"

Cheng Yuzhou pondered for a moment: "I think it's time to end this."

"Why?" Where did he get his confidence? Who knows, there might be a poppy lurking in the grass.

“Feifei, I’ve carefully reviewed the rules.” Cheng Yuzhou opened the Covenant. “There are no specific requirements for determining victory or defeat. The only sentence is that [believers must do their utmost to defend the goddess’s territory until the goddess awakens]. I think everyone has done their best and achieved a relatively good outcome.”

"Are you sure?" Li Yufei asked, still somewhat doubtful.

“There is always shadow under the sun.” Cheng Yuzhou nodded. “I think it’s unrealistic to completely eliminate the dark side; we should allow some shadows in the corners.”

“I hope the goddess thinks the same way you do.” Li Yufei rubbed her sore calves, still feeling uneasy. “Even so, we can’t waste the remaining time. Let’s keep looking.”

“I’ll carry you on my back,” Cheng Yuzhou said.

"No." Li Yufei brushed him away. "I'll walk by myself."

It was fine when he was wearing Zheng Jianbin's skin, but now with this rich young master skin, he looks like a fragile jasmine flower, and Li Yufei is afraid he'll drop her.

Not only Li Yufei, but all the tourists were anxiously searching for her.

To speed things up, Song Xiaona planned a carpet search, thoroughly cleaning up the entire manor.

Time ticked by, and suddenly, a bell rang.

The weary and anxious people looked up and saw a sliver of silver light fall from the sky.

The moon peeked out from the dark purple sky.

The eerie darkness faded, revealing a clear, pristine night sky.

The stars and moon shone brightly in the sky again, bathing the sky in their clear light, and the chirping of insects and the gentle breeze gradually returned.

Under the tranquil moonlight, the fragrance of roses returned to the manor.

The goddess, having finished her rest, opened her eyes and cast a gazing glance at her devout followers.