September 2nd, Ancient Pine Tower, clear skies.

As for whether it'll stay clear later, who knows.

Du Yu sat in the passenger seat of the jeep, gazing at the fast-flying forest outside the highway, his mind conjuring up scenes from his last entry into the tower.

That neon-lit, rainy night street—just the memory felt so cold. Not to mention the strange, misty figures drifting across the avenue.

"Ying~" Lin Shiwei was driving, and from the gap between her two coat buttons, a furry little head suddenly popped out, softly calling Du Yu.

Clearly, Xiaoyan sensed her master's heavy mood and tried to comfort her.

Both Lin Shiwei and Du Yu were dressed in black coats—maybe they should be called battle robes.

Their tall collars stood up, covering the lower half of their faces. Unlike the Beard Tree Coat, though, this "Black Rock Tree Coat" had no hood.

Both battle robes were made from processed leaves of the Black Rock Tree. Though the leaves are low-level demonic plant material, they offer better defense than the Beard Tree Coat.

Yang Qingqing had someone deliver them home last night—her gift to the two of them.

Since they were about to challenge the Demon Tamer Journeyman level Shadow Gu Tower, it was only natural to give her students as much protection as possible within the level restrictions.

"Nai?" In the back seat, Xiaobai finished the dried fruit between Master Qing's fingers, gently licking her fingertips, apparently wanting more.

Yang Qingqing smiled at the Little Immortal Deer, rubbing its antlers: "We're about to enter the camp—there are a lot of people there. Go back to my Acupoint Home."

Du Yu turned and looked over: "Xiaobai, go back and rest for a while. When we get home, I'll play with you again."

"Nai~" Xiaobai really was full of spirit. She blinked at Du Yu, acting especially well-behaved, and stretched her deer head toward Yang Qingqing's forehead.

Poof...

A soft wind swirled up, spiraling quickly into Yang Qingqing's Forehead Acupoint.

"Auntie, we're almost there." Lin Shiwei slowed down, steering the car onto a mountain road.

They passed through checkpoint after checkpoint, and at last, Du Yu returned to the base of the ancient, aromatic giant tower.

As their vehicle slowly pulled into the military camp, several soldiers came over. The middle-aged man in the lead looked especially surprised at the black-clad girl who stepped down from the driver's seat.

After all, a car like that was too conspicuous, and Master Qing was usually a very low-key person.

"Master Qing."

"Battalion Commander Liu." Yang Qingqing nodded in greeting, a hint of apology in her voice. "I've been away recently, leaving you in charge of everything. Thank you for your hard work."

"Nothing hard about it, just carrying out my duty," Battalion Commander Liu smiled. "But it's a real shame you didn't get to witness the Demon Taming Emperor reaching the top in person."

"I saw the recording. It was both dangerous and brilliant," Yang Qingqing's voice brimmed with admiration.

She was held in high regard here in the Ancient Pine Tower Territory, but she was only a Fourth Level·Great Demon Tamer.

The Demon Taming Emperor, though, was already Sixth Level—famous throughout Great Xia.

Especially that Demon Taming Emperor from the Southwest Mountain City, bringing along a giant panda—the Shadow Gu Tower shook three times from their battle!

That overwhelming aura nearly made the soldiers at the base think the entire mountain was about to be leveled to the ground...

"You're back again, kid! Haha, looking forward to your performance!" Liu Ying slapped Du Yu on the shoulder, recognition shining in his eyes.

"I'll do my best," Du Yu nodded repeatedly. He gestured to the girl beside him. "This is my teammate, Lin Shiwei."

"I know," Liu Ying nodded, leading them to the camp tent, and gave Lin Shiwei a few pointers. "After you enter the tower, you must follow orders. When acting as a squad, listen to Du Yu's advice—he has more experience than you."

"I'll defer to Du Yu," Lin Shiwei said.

"All right, get your gear on. There are a few others ahead of you."

Inside the camp tent, Du Yu expertly put on the micro camera, slipped in his invisible headphones, and quietly asked, "Since the Demon Taming Emperor already cleared the tower, does that mean only the Second Level and Fourth Level are left?"

"Right." Maybe because of Du Yu's identity, Liu Ying elaborated, "There's still some hope for the Second Level. Someone reached the fifth floor a week ago—just a little short."

Hearing this, Du Yu started to worry.

Good thing I came with Lin Shiwei now. If I'd waited until I advanced to Demon Tamer·Peak Stage, the Shadow Gu Tower might have been cleared already, and the Spiritual Qi would go to someone else!

"What about the Fourth Level?" Lin Shiwei asked, curious.

Liu Ying shook his head. "Maybe it's a problem with the special stage. From human to god—the Great Demon Tamer stage is basically hopeless. The difficulty spikes up. Let's see how Master Qing does today."

Yang Qingqing walked up to Du Yu, lifted her hand to adjust the camera by his temple, and pressed his earpiece as she did: "Don't think about me. Focus on your own mission."

Damn.

That move again—now I'm going to blush...

Feeling her breath brush across his face, Du Yu didn't dare move his head—he just looked aside awkwardly.

Just like last time, she never put any pressure on Du Yu. But for Lin Shiwei, Master Qing seemed to have other expectations.

Yang Qingqing stepped back two paces, looking over the two of them and nodding with satisfaction. "Wait here, both of you."

She glanced at Lin Shiwei: "Don't forget our agreement."

Lin Shiwei bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, Auntie."

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