Chapter 9 was so sweet! The rest of the time went on into the night, and Gu…

For the rest of the night, Gu Xiaozhu stayed obediently in her room.

During this time, at Jiang Zhihe's request, Shangguan You added another layer of defensive formation and another layer of illusion-breaking formation to her room. Both of these formations are capable of resisting attacks or intrusions from early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Wu Jiangxue gave her a bracelet-shaped defensive magic artifact, which was said to be able to withstand an attack from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Jiang Zhihe himself stayed by her door every step of the way, and fearing that she would be bored staying in the room, he even bought her storybooks to read.

Gu Xiaozhu herself had no objection to staying in the room; in fact, that was her initial intention. However, the actions of the three men still made her feel flattered and even somewhat uneasy.

But for her own safety, she accepted them all.

And so, time continued until the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM).

The night was deep and dark, without a single ray of light in the sky, giving it an inexplicably lifeless feel. Almost all the lights in the inn were off, as if the world had fallen into silence.

"Squeak—"

The wooden door was pushed open slightly, and soon a head peeked out.

"Xiaozhu? Is something the matter?"

A familiar voice came from her right. She turned her head and saw a young man in red holding a sword, leaning against the door.

He was tilting his head to look at her, his eyes filled with undisguised confusion.

Gu Xiaozhu: "You haven't left yet?"

Jiang Zhihe lowered his eyebrows slightly and said seriously, "Your danger is not over yet, so of course I can't leave."

Looking at him like this, Gu Xiaozhu couldn't help but wonder: "...You're not going to stand guard at the door all night, are you?"

Jiang Zhihe: "Of course!"

Gu Xiaozhu: "...?"

Gu Xiaozhu: "Don't you need to rest? I see everyone else has already gone back to their rooms to rest."

Although cultivators do have more energy than ordinary people, and some cultivators with high cultivation levels can even go for several days and nights without needing to rest.

However, maintaining a high level of concentration to guard this place for a whole night is extremely exhausting. Even Jiang Zhihe, who is already in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, would get tired.

They had only known each other for less than three days, and she didn't understand why Jiang Zhihe was so enthusiastic about her, even to the point of being overly protective.

Just because he "likes" it?

But he never responded to this, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly and unreservedly to a vague and illusory goal...

Aren't you tired?

Won't you...get tired of it?

"It's okay, I don't need to rest."

The boy's voice flowed gently past my ears like clear spring water.

Jiang Zhihe still wore her familiar, radiant smile.

"And...no way."

He seemed to see right through her and was assuring her something.

"Being able to stay by your side and ensure your safety makes me so happy, how could I possibly feel tired?"

"After all, you're the person I like."

He looked completely at ease, with a smile on his face, showing no signs of fatigue.

It was just as he said—

Staying by her side and ensuring her safety is a very happy and joyful thing.

...She still didn't quite understand.

Can such unrewarded dedication really last?

Past memories suddenly flooded her mind; the sounds of arguments she remembered, and the suffocating sense of oppression, caused her emotions to sink unconsciously.

A piece of candied fruit was suddenly pressed against her lips, and she instinctively opened her mouth, taking it into her mouth.

An intense sweetness exploded on her tongue, then swept through her entire mouth, causing her thoughts to pause for a moment.

Only then did she belatedly look up at the boy who had just withdrawn his hand.

Noticing her gaze, the boy in red simply smiled and asked, "Is it delicious?"

Savoring the lingering sweetness on her tongue, she paused for a moment, then nodded: "Delicious."

It's just a little too sweet.

Jiang Zhihe seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded: "I heard that eating sweets can improve your mood, so I specially bought a box of candied fruit from a shop in the city!"

He paused, then his tone became slightly cautious:

"...So how are you feeling now?"

Gu Xiaozhu was taken aback.

She hadn't expected that Jiang Zhihe had given her the candied fruit because he noticed she was feeling down and wanted to comfort her.

She suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken, and even the sound of it became louder, making her feel a little numb.

"Thank you, I feel much better now."

As she spoke, her eyebrows unconsciously curved upwards, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

But was she making it that obvious?

"My expression just now shouldn't have given anything away, right?" she asked herself with some suspicion.

[No! Host, you didn't even frown just now!]

That's strange. How did he figure that out?

Jiang Zhihe: "Are you wondering how I figured that out?"

Gu Xiaozhu: "!!!"

Do you have mind-reading abilities?!

Jiang Zhihe ignored Gu Xiaozhu's surprise, simply smiled and continued, "Actually, I didn't notice. I admit you have a great ability to control your expressions, but I still sensed it!"

Gu Xiaozhu was even more puzzled: "A feeling...?"

Jiang Zhihe nodded: "Yes!"

Gu Xiaozhu: "..."

This is truly beyond reproach.

"Alright, alright, it's really late, you should rest too," Jiang Zhihe said with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, if you encounter danger and I don't notice, remember to crush that communication bead." As he spoke, he pointed to a white bead about the size of a thumbnail that was strung on the thin rope around the girl's neck.

This was given to her by Jiang Zhihe along with the storybook during the day. As long as she crushes the bead, Jiang Zhihe will know immediately and come to her right away.

[Host, it's already past midnight. Staying up too late isn't good for your health.]

[Besides, let Jiang Zhihe guard it if he wants; you won't lose anything anyway.]

This isn't about whether you're at a disadvantage or not!

She silently refuted this in her heart.

But in the end, she glanced at the still energetic boy, nodded, and went back inside.

“Clatter.”

The door closed, and silence returned to the area in front of it.

Before long, the candlelight in the room behind them was also extinguished, and it seemed that the owner of the room was finally going to rest.

The smile on Jiang Zhihe's face gradually faded. He thought for a moment, then took out a wooden box from his storage bag, took out a piece of candied fruit from it, and popped it into his mouth.

The moment he put it in his mouth and chewed it, his expression twisted for a split second.

He hesitated, but still managed to swallow the cloyingly sweet candied fruit.

"My God... how did she say the word 'delicious'?"

He drank a few more sips of water, and after a while, the lingering sweetness in his mouth finally began to fade.

Speaking of which... she can praise such sweet candied fruit, is she only doing so because of me?

That rounding up means she has feelings for me, doesn't it?!

Thinking this, a sweet feeling welled up in my heart, and the corners of my mouth that had just been lowered instantly turned up, and I couldn't suppress it.

real……

It's so sweet.

… …

Inside the room, Gu Xiaozhu had already turned off the lights and was lying on the bed, but her eyes were perfectly clear.

I can't sleep.

After turning off the lights, she tossed and turned for a long time, but just couldn't fall asleep.

Does she have trouble sleeping in a particular bed?

"System, what time is it now?"

[Host, it is now midnight.]

Oh, it's already midnight.

Gu Xiaozhu silently translated the message in her mind.

[Host, can't you sleep?]

The system suddenly asked.

"Um."

Do you want to chat with me? We can talk about anything!

Gu Xiaozhu became somewhat interested in this and began to chat with Him in her mind.

"Then... weren't you able to detect Jiang Zhihe's spiritual root before? Can you detect others' spiritual roots too?"

[Because the male protagonist, Jiang Zhihe, is the chosen one of this world and has the closest connection to it, I was able to detect his specific situation.]

As for other people... I can only judge their cultivation level by their spiritual energy fluctuations. And if they have cultivated some kind of aura-concealing spell, or are carrying a similar magical artifact, then I can't help them.

[However, once you complete the mission, host, and I gain system energy, I will not only be able to detect the specific situations of others, but also help you in many more ways!]

Gu Xiaozhu understood, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

"By the way... do you think the destruction of the teleportation array was a coincidence?" Gu Xiaozhu suddenly asked.

【Huh? This... I don't know.】

[I only know the plot that the host wrote; as for the rest... I know nothing.]

Gu Xiaozhu nodded slightly: "Didn't you say before that because of that disaster that shouldn't have happened, the plot of this world would be slightly out of sync?"

"Then do you think it's possible that the Illusionary Demon, who should have been in Jade City... came to Spirit Eternity City because of me?"

【ah? 】

“After all, you said before that the demonic cultivator shouldn’t have come to our village. And didn’t I also fall into an illusion on the street before? This ability corresponds perfectly to the illusion demon.”

"In the original story, this illusionary demon had already cultivated its own consciousness and could be called a demon cultivator. Besides, its greatest strengths were illusions and formations, weren't they?"

"This also corresponds perfectly to the current situation."

"What a coincidence."

[But...but didn't Shangguan You say that the Spirit Law Division had already caught the culprit?]

Gu Xiaozhu: "Hmm... then recall the plot of the book. Do you think the Spirit Law Division is reliable?"

The system paused, quickly reviewed the plot of the book, and suddenly felt somewhat speechless.

Um...it really is...unreliable.

According to the plot described in the book, although the Spirit Law Division is the entity that maintains the balance between cultivators and mortals, it is quite uneven in quality.

The headquarters of the Spirit Law Division, located near the First Sword Sect, boasts the highest quality personnel and the best efficiency and quality in handling cases. However, the further outward the branch expands, the lower the quality of personnel and case handling becomes.

Sometimes, even branches far from headquarters can have nine out of ten cases that are wrong.

That's absolutely outrageous.

As for Lingyong City, coincidentally, it is neither too far nor too close to the headquarters, so the quality of cases handled by the Lingfa Division here should be able to reach the level of five out of ten cases being wrong.

Gu Xiaozhu tugged at the blanket: "Well... so, I really don't quite believe in the Spirit Law Bureau."

[Alright! Host, then I'll trust your judgment!]

However, if the Illusionary Demon that should have appeared in Jade City has indeed appeared in Spirit Eternity City, then it only possesses the cultivation level of the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. Given your current state of being almost fully armed, it cannot harm you!

Suddenly, in the darkness, Gu Xiaozhu's expression froze.

"system……"

[What's wrong, host?]

"Do you think... that phantom demon's cultivation level might... increase because of the plot's inconsistencies?" Her voice trembled slightly, and even the system noticed something was wrong.

【…Host, do you feel anything?】

"I feel... someone is watching me."

Gu Xiaozhu swallowed hard.

"And...it's right inside the house."