Chang Yulan's undisguised scrutiny fell upon her, cutting her inch by inch like a sharp blade.
Lu Zhaozhao's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged as she met his scrutinizing gaze: "Does Commander Changyu have any questions?"
"It's nothing, it's just that I had some contact with the Nuwa clan before, so I think Miss Guannan is really..." He paused deliberately and emphasized, "really very special."
“You flatter me, sir. Everyone is different.” Lu Zhaozhao remained in his eyes, unwavering.
"Perhaps." Chang Yulan Guan didn't press the matter further, but Lu Zhaozhao's palms were already damp with sweat. She wasn't sure if Chang Yulan Guan had just asked on a whim or if he had already sensed something, so she could only bite the bullet and go along with it, at least she couldn't afford to make any mistakes now.
At this moment, Lu Zhaozhao was somewhat absent-minded. After Wen Sheng announced the list of those who advanced, he glanced in her direction, and with just one glance, his brows furrowed again.
Cheng Sangji was still holding Lu Zhaozhao's hand. Apart from that, Changyu Languan, for some reason, did not go up to the high platform, but instead talked to Lu Zhaozhao.
From this angle, Wen Sheng couldn't see Lu Zhaozhao's expression, but she could see that Chang Yulan was smiling, looking quite content.
He suppressed his impatience and continued with the information for the third level.
After two days of rest, they gathered inside the Ming Palace.
After saying this, he was about to step over to Lu Zhaozhao's side when a message struck him like lightning.
Wen Sheng waved his hand, and the message containing powerful energy stopped, transforming into a soft whisper in his ear.
"The barrier is unstable, return immediately."
Upon hearing this news, Wen Sheng's pupils trembled almost imperceptibly. He looked in Lu Zhaozhao's direction, clenched his fist, and finally gritted his teeth, turning around and rushing off in another direction.
Changyu Languan glanced in the direction Wen Sheng had left, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, but his expression returned to normal as he turned around. He glanced at Changyu Lanshan, just in time to see him look at him and then immediately look away abruptly, and couldn't help but smile, before turning to look at Cheng Sangji.
"I am a foolish and unruly younger brother, please forgive me, Brother Chengsang. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
Cheng Sangjie smiled and nodded in agreement.
After Changyu Languan turned and left, Lu Zhaozhao saw that Cheng Sangji still didn't make a move, so she shook her wrist.
Cheng Sangji's gaze was drawn to her movements, and he looked at her.
"Aren't you going to let me go?" Lu Zhaozhao said irritably.
Cheng Sangji let go of her hand, feeling embarrassed.
He had gripped her wrist so tightly that a red mark was left on Lu Zhaozhao's wrist. Her skin was already fair, so the red mark looked even more glaring.
Seeing this, Cheng Sangji apologized to her somewhat flustered: "I was a bit too rough just now, I'm sorry."
Lu Zhaozhao shook her head. Right now, she just wanted to go back and rest to prepare for the next challenge, so she didn't linger. She said goodbye and left.
After Lu Zhaozhao left, Cheng Sangji stood there for a while, his hands still warm to the touch.
Nan Rongrui and Tudan Xixiang walked over and saw Cheng Sangji standing motionless, his expression unpredictable.
"Brother?" Nan Rongrui asked tentatively.
Cheng Sangji stopped what he was doing and looked at Nan Rongrui with a serious expression, which made her shrink back in fright.
"A-Rui, I remember that your Guhuoniao clan lives near Nüba?"
"Nüba is isolated and far from the dwelling places of all other tribes. Although our tribe is also far from them, we are the closest among all the tribes."
Cheng Sangjie understood, and Nan Rongrui asked curiously, "What's wrong, brother? Do you think there's something wrong with Guan Nan?"
Cheng Sangji did not answer her question, but instead stroked the safety buckle in his sleeve, his tone unquestionable: "Send a letter back to your clan immediately. I need all the information about Nüba."
Cheng Sangji's expression was unusually cold, and Nan Rongrui dared not ask any more questions, so she immediately agreed.
Tudan Xixiang looked at Cheng Sangji with some doubt. He seemed to have encountered some problem, and his face was very serious. But what Tudan Xixiang did not know was that his hand, which was holding the peace buckle hidden in his sleeve, was trembling slightly at this moment.
Lu Zhaozhao was unaware of the changes in Cheng Sangji after she left; she was currently troubled by something else.
The selection of the royal guards is a major event, and all demons, regardless of age or strength, pay close attention to it, as evidenced by the large number of applicants.
Today is the end of the second stage. The surrounding crowd was hushed and took a few steps outside. The once bustling street was now deserted.
Lu Zhaozhao sensed something was wrong; something major must have happened in the Demon Realm during the few days she was in the second round of the competition.
She jogged back to her temporary residence in the Demon Realm. The doors and windows around her were tightly shut, and the noisy arguments between Thirteen Sister and Tu San that used to be so loud were now nowhere to be heard.
There was a deathly silence everywhere.
Lu Zhaozhao slowed her breathing and took a light step, each step extremely cautious, extending her spiritual sense as much as possible to observe the surrounding rustling of leaves.
A very faint sound came from the distance, and Lu Zhaozhao immediately became alert. She held her sword horizontally in front of her and shouted, "Who's there!"
There was no response.
"boom--"
The sword energy was sharp and fierce, heading straight for the place where the sound came from.
"bump--"
The wooden door was shattered, sending up plumes of smoke.
As the smoke cleared, a graceful figure appeared behind the door, staring in astonishment at the broken wooden door.
"ah--"
The piercing scream made Lu Zhaozhao's eardrums tighten.
Thirteen-year-old Sister looked at the shattered pieces of wood on the ground with heartache, her high-pitched voice trembling slightly: "My door! My newly installed door! Just like that... it's broken?"
“…Thirteenth Sister?” Lu Zhaozhao murmured softly.
It would have been better if she hadn't made a sound, but as soon as she did, Thirteen Sister immediately identified the culprit who had broken into her door.
She swayed her slender waist and strode forward, grabbing Lu Zhaozhao's ear in astonishment.
"It hurts, it hurts, be gentle," Lu Zhaozhao cried out for mercy, but was pulled into the inner room by Thirteen Sister.
"Hiss..." After being pulled into the inner room, Thirteen Sister let go of her hand, and Lu Zhaozhao kept rubbing her reddened ears. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so angry?"
"You still dare to talk back!" Thirteen Sister raised her eyebrows in anger. "Why did you break down my door for no reason?"
"I asked earlier but no one answered, so I thought someone had set up an ambush here, that's why..." Lu Zhaozhao's voice grew softer and softer as she looked at Thirteen Sister with an innocent expression.
Although Thirteen Sister was angry, most of it had subsided when she saw Guan Nan. Now she was actually not angry at all, she was just pretending to scare her.
Lu Zhaozhao also noticed, and said with a smile, "Please don't be angry. I just finished a competition, and my subordinates didn't know their place. I apologize for that."
Thirteen Sister seized the opportunity to back down, raising an eyebrow and throwing a flirtatious wink, her gaze captivating: "I heard you advanced, quite capable indeed. But I heard it's dangerous up there, were you alright?"
"No, I'm fine. I've been dragged around by you the whole way and I'm still alright." Lu Zhaozhao said ingratiatingly, making Thirteen Sister giggle. She reached out and hooked Lu Zhaozhao's nose.
Seeing that she was in a good mood, Lu Zhaozhao quickly asked, "Has something happened in Ming Palace City? Why are there no fireworks on the streets?"
Thirteen Sister slapped her forehead, as if waking from a dream: "Oh, right, I forgot you just came out and don't know what happened yet."
Then, she moved closer to Lu Zhaozhao, pouted, and said with a hint of displeasure, "It's not just Minggong City that's in trouble, it's the entire Western Region."
"We've started fighting with the people to the east!"
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