Tap, tap, tap.

Le Yu lightly tapped the table after taking a shower. He wasn't doing anything or thinking about anything, just sitting at his desk in a daze, like an exhausted corporate worker catching his breath—in fact, his workload today was no different from that of a corporate worker. First, he was surrounded by a group of students at noon, spent a nerve-wracking afternoon in Yan Yi's lab, and in the evening went on an ambush with Niruo against Qianmian.

It was just an ordinary day, yet it felt like he had gone through dozens of chapters.

Ding.

When the hour and minute hands of the pocket watch formed a 120° angle, the metal badge on the table made a crisp sound. Le Yu tapped on the badge three times and said, "Good evening, Yin."

The badge emitted a metallic voice, "Good evening, Qin Le Yin. Congratulations, Shuiyun Palace is now in first place in points."

"There's nothing worth congratulating. I didn't expect the Sword Holder to actually publicize the points. Now I've become a target. Who knows, other scabbards might be plotting how to deal with me. Has any other scabbard approached you to discuss how to kick me out?"

"No, the only scabbard I've been in contact with is you."

"I'm honored to have the Instant Annihilator's approval," Le Yu said with a smile, "If I could be your last bullet victim, that would be even better."

"I'm not the perfect Instant Annihilator, nor are you an easy opponent. Pretending to be weak means nothing to me, Qin Le Yin. Why say such misleading lies?"

"What else? Should I say I'm number one in the world, and Yin, you should obediently be my tool, so I can use you to deal with the other scabbards and then discard you after I've succeeded?" Le Yu said, "If people could only tell the truth, this world would be too ugly."

The other side was silent for a moment before replying, "You're engaging in the logical fallacy of 'concept substitution' we talked about a few days ago. I'm just asking you not to speak so weakly. You've jumped to another extreme, speaking so aggressively. According to your logic, you're acting like a 'diode.'"

"Alright." Le Yu clapped his hands, "Although you probably won't be deceived by me, if I keep saying it every day, maybe you'll really believe I'm just a weak pendant clinging to you? It's just a casual remark anyway, and if it works, the benefits are tremendous."

"True," replied the other side, "I hope, Brother Qin, you'll be lenient in the future. I have no strength to resist even one move from you. When Shuiyun Palace takes the throne, for the sake of our days of idle chat, will you spare my life?"

"Hmm, it sounds like mutual flattery between a top student and a master student, but it's still not enough. Let me tell you, this time the Eye of Omniscience just got lucky. We definitely won't do well in the next competition. How could Shuiyun Palace possibly become the emperor? We might end up working together with Cha Huan at a construction site..."

"Alright, time is precious. Let's continue our previous topic, that tomb raiding story called Ghost Lantern..."

"Yin," Le Yu suddenly said, "I went to see Yan Yi today."

The metallic voice abruptly stopped, and all emotions from the other side converged into a single word, "Hmm."

"I can only confirm that this telepathic radio device indeed came from Yan Yi's lab. But Yan Yi did not reveal your existence, only said she sold it to a masked person—Yan Yi is under Cha Huan's protection, and the information I could obtain ends there."

"I don't know if you know about this, or whether that 'kid' you just mentioned was a slip of the tongue or a pit deliberately left for me to ponder. But I still freely tell you what I have done. I'm not one of those clever people who like playing word games. Our nightly chat at eight is one of my few entertainments, and I don't want work to tarnish my enjoyment."

"Unexpected." The metal badge replied, "I thought you, Qin Le Yin, enjoyed playing word games. Thanks to your boring jokes, I can no longer look at phrases like 'killing two birds with one stone,' 'dilemma,' 'three square meals a day,' and even 'butcher's knife cutting a cow' the same way."

"In short—" When Le Yu uses this phrase, it means he doesn't want to reason anymore, "I will stop investigating you unless you reveal more flaws in the future. Otherwise, I won't actively pursue you."

"A profoundly moving promise, I'll remember it well."

"I know this promise holds no real significance, but Yin, you also need to understand: I'm afraid of you," Le Yu said. "Among the seven scabbards, your lethality is the strongest. No one can withstand just one of your bullets. What's even more terrifying is that you are unknown to everyone."

"Mad-faced Niruo is not scary."

"The unknown you is the scariest."

"That's why I went to see Yan Yi, even if just to indirectly understand a little more about you, which is a great comfort to me."

Le Yu took a sip of honey Five-Flower Tea and leisurely said, "I actually have a few suspects in mind. According to the plan, I should use our nightly chats to probe your real information, to find out from my suspects who is most likely you."

"What made you change your mind?" the badge sounded.

"Laziness."

Le Yu said, "It's not that I can't do it, gathering information in verbal intel warfare, adjusting based on your reactions, and constructing your personality model—but it's all too troublesome. How did I, a dignified Silver Blood capitalist, end up working overtime at night? Is this the life I wanted? Am I alive just to be exploited by Shuiyun Palace?"

The badge retorted, "Aren't you?"

"Of course not! If living means being exploited, why would I benefit outsiders and not my fiancée?"

"Do you have a fiancée?" The other side seemed interested in this topic, "According to my investigation, aside from your intriguing relationship with Jing Zhengwei, there are no other women particularly close to you..."

"My relationship with Jing Zhengwei is pure and innocent. My body is spotless, and Jing Zhengwei is upright and just, don't smear us!"

"So who exactly is your fiancée?"

"Not telling you."

"When do you plan to get married? If by then we're still alive, maybe I could attend and have a drink at your wedding."

"Um..." Le Yu pondered for a moment, then had to admit, "Actually, if we want to be together, we still have many hurdles to overcome—like getting her to accept me."

Although keeping secrets wouldn't lead to feelings of depression, Le Yu still had a desire to confide in someone—and Yin was a good candidate, like a net friend, saving Le Yu even the subject 'I have a friend.'

Up until now, Le Yu still couldn't be sure of Qing Lan's attitude. Even though he had set the stage with Your Name, when she happily arrived in Yanjing, what awaited her was the red-haired Qin Le Yin. She might instantly imagine a tragic love story from "The Woman Who Loves the President."

Until they met, Le Yu didn't know if Qing Lan could accept that her future partner might have different dimensions.

The metal badge was silent for a while, "So you're only viewing her as your fiancée one-sidedly?"

"Not entirely one-sided. At least she didn't oppose it!" Le Yu encouraged himself, "It's just that there's a bit of distance now, but I'll work hard next!"

"Let me guess, did you two meet by accident?"

"Yes!" The wife sent by chance, of course, was an accident.

"Is she beautiful?"

"Of course!"

"Successful in her career?"

"Bullseye!" Le Yu raised an eyebrow, then relaxed, "Hmph, language-induced trickery. It's actually simple logic. A man as excellent as I am would naturally only like equally excellent women. This isn't guessing but simple deduction."

"Hmm..." Yin was silent for a moment, "You said you don't want to set verbal traps to extract my information, is that true?"

"It's true! Probing during conversations is brain-consuming, the costs are high, yields are low, and who knows when you, Yin, might expose yourself. Wouldn't that make all my probing beforehand a waste?" Le Yu shrugged, "In comparison, chatting with you is more important."

"Hmm?"

"For someone like me, it's actually hard to find someone to chat with. Either we don't click, or the other side just agrees with me, or both sides are trying to guess each other's thoughts. Instead of calling it small talk, it's more like socializing... But you're different, Yin. I don't have to guess because I know you'll eventually take me out. So, apart from the scabbard, the only other one I don't need to use my brain to chat with might be that chirping fat cicada..."

"And you're an intelligent and insightful person. You can absorb and learn everything I say quickly, even use my magic to defeat me. You are interested in the things I talk about, and the points you raise make me want to argue. There's always an endless amount of topics... Although I think this saying is a bit cliché, it really suits describing the two of us—"

"A beautiful facade is common, while an interesting soul is one in a million."

After Le Yu finished speaking, there was a long silence without a response.

He looked at the metal badge and thought, could it be that the badge hasn't had enough sun exposure today, so the energy is insufficient and it disconnected early?

Or was it that the words were too awkward, and 'Yin' was embarrassed by me?

"Hmm." At this moment, the badge suddenly sounded, "Something came up, talk later."

"Oh, see you tomorrow night then."

"Hmm, see you tomorrow night."

Le Yu returned the badge to the iron box and let out a gentle breath.

He actually set up a language trap.

Regarding information about Yan Yi, he disclosed too much. That information would only be known by Yan Yi, Lou Yin Hai, Shang Ling Yi, and Ning Xinyuan. If 'Yin' really went back to investigate, she would most likely think Shang Ling Yi was the spy sent by Qin Le Yin.

Aside from that, he spoke genuinely. But the reason he suddenly took the initiative to make a confession, besides laziness and not wanting to lose this silly internet friend, was also because after so many days of communication, Le Yu already knew 'Yin's preferences.

Simply put, 'Yin' values attitude more than results. For example, the trolley problem, whether to pull the lever to save one person or five, 'Yin' believes whichever side you choose, as long as you carefully considered and made a decision, it's fine; on the contrary, there's Le Yu's attitude, who refuses to admit he manipulated the lever, claiming he was just an innocent passerby with a plunger.

If 'Yin' were a teacher, she'd be the type who only asks you to admit your mistakes and correct them, then she'll let bygones be bygones.

Le Yu took the initiative to admit he investigated 'Yin', using this chance to further show vulnerability and simultaneously boost his favorability—I'm so honest for admitting my mistake, shouldn't you reward me with a little red flower?

There is a type of person in this world, a gentleman, who can be deceived with straightforwardness. 'Yin' possesses this attribute.

If Le Yu guessed it correctly, the Instant Annihilator 'Yin' has been thoroughly won over by him.

Even if he exposes his future plans of stepping on five boats at once, as long as he is sincere, 'Yin' will most likely believe him once more.

As for why Le Yu cares so much about 'Yin', besides the fact that 'Yin' is indeed a great online friend, the more important reason is—she's strong!

If 'Yin' were also to ambush Thousand Faces, Thousand Faces wouldn't have so much time to chatter and would be directly shot down by 'Yin'!

In this Imperial Academy, 'Yin' is the strongest destructive force below the martial pillar; any Martial Artist unable to dodge within half a second is considered fodder in her eyes. Even those like Le Yu with swords in sheaths, if constrained, would still be shot by 'Yin'!

Clinging tightly to this golden leg, even if unable to win the sword-seeking competition, at least he can survive until the final round!

Suddenly, Le Yu's necklace vibrated, and several pieces of information were randomly transmitted to his mind through Spiritual Power:

"Junyue: Water of Mutation indeed exists, sheath of Thousand Faces leaves no trace."

"Attachment: Water of Mutation details"

"Extreme Divine Weapon · Water of Mutation"

"Effect ① · Dominating the Soul: For every wish you fulfill for others, you obtain soul fragments from them. The number of fragments from the same person is unlimited."

"Effect ② · Shadow Descend: By reading fragment information, you can transform into the appearance of the fragment's original owner, mimicking voice, expressions, and mannerisms. The more fragments you possess, the more natural the imitation, even gaining partial original memories."

"Effect ③ · Elegy of the Soul: By consuming soul fragments (irreversibly), you enter an absolute defense state where any incoming attack is automatically negated or dodged. The consumption rate of soul fragments is directly proportional to the intensity of the battle."

This is the advantage of being organized, Le Yu doesn't need to listen to Thousand Faces' random talk, just report to Hong Yao's four guardians, and Junyue sent over detailed information about the Water of Mutation.

Though Thousand Faces basically didn't lie; she indeed relied on fulfilling others' wishes to transform into them, but she didn't mention the dosage limit—it's not just a one-time help. If she wants to perfectly transform, she probably needs to help multiple times.

Before leaving, Thousand Faces even deceived them, causing Le Yu and Niruo to be wary of all kind-hearted people, trying to make them overly cautious, when in fact there's no need to be so concerned.

However, this Elegy of the Soul is indeed formidable, although it consumes soul fragments, before those fragments are depleted, Thousand Faces is invincible.

Le Yu replied with "Thanks, Junyue" through the Heart of Neser, then suddenly received another message.

"Junyue: Rumors are brewing."

Rumors? What rumors?

Le Yu paused slightly, then quickly realized something.

...

...

Meanwhile, in the female teacher's dormitory, Ning Xinyuan, wearing a nightdress, stuffed the metal badge back into the iron box, then hugged the box and rolled around on the bed, her legs clenched tightly, with rosy cheeks.

Does Qin Le Yin really think I'm 'Yin'?

If so, but I haven't exposed any flaws!

But if not...

Ning Xinyuan recalled Qin Le Yin's description of his fiancée: met by accident, beautiful, professionally successful, unilaterally regarded as his fiancée, but she hasn't accepted Qin Le Yin, the distance between them is a bit far...

No way!

Just because I helplessly acted out a scene in front of Ming Shuangli in the afternoon, did Qin Le Yin regard me as his fiancée by nighttime?

But this description, no matter how Ning Xinyuan thinks about it, fits herself!

According to the intelligence, there's no such person around Qin Le Yin!

Unless he's talking about Zhengwei.

So why did Qin Le Yin take the initiative to confess, and say he won't pursue 'Yin' any further?

Ning Xinyuan suddenly sat up—taking the initiative to confess isn't to say 'He couldn't find Yin', but rather 'He's already found her'; not pursuing 'Yin' anymore is actually setting the stage, Qin Le Yin indeed won't pursue 'Yin', but will pursue her openly!

It must be like this, he loves to play such boring word games!

What to do, what to do, should I reject him...

At this moment, while Ning Xinyuan's heart was in turmoil, there was a knock on the door. She went over and opened a crack, seeing the delicate Yan Yi standing at the door.

"Sis," Yan Yi said gracefully, "About the teaching issue we discussed this afternoon, I have another question I'd like to ask you..."

But Ning Xinyuan was in no mood for 'teaching' now, "I'm going to take a bath, let's talk tomorrow."

Looking at the closed door in front of her, Yan Yi froze.

Seconds later, perhaps from a woman's keen intuition, a thought inexplicably popped into her mind—

Sis is considering an affair.

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