"You little rascal, did you kill the Hall Master of the Ghost Medicine Sect's Tenth Hall?" the grandmaster asked bluntly.

Lin Xiao smiled and replied, "You sure are well-informed!"

"Kid, I wish I didn't know. But you've really gone and done it this time. The Sect Leader of the Ghost Medicine Sect is aware and has already issued a Yama's Decree to have you killed!"

Yama's Decree was an order exclusive to the Ghost Medicine Sect. Once issued, the target of the assassination was guaranteed to die. There were no exceptions.

Lin Xiao chuckled. "Well, then I'm truly honored they'd think me worthy of a Yama's Decree!"

"You're always so cavalier, but you can't afford to be completely indifferent about this. The Tenth Hall is the weakest of them all; the other nine are not to be underestimated. Be careful!"

"Understood!"

"If you still had your cultivation, I naturally wouldn't be worried. But unfortunately, your power is terribly weak right now. How are things progressing with Su Qingning?"

"There's mutual affection, I guess!" Lin Xiao said with a laugh.

As he said this, the image of Su Qingning acting cute with him during lunch suddenly came to mind.

The corners of Lin Xiao's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

"You've been married this long and you're only at 'mutual affection'? Kid, where did your charm go?"

"Charm, my ass. This is your fault. You're the one who tormented me until I looked like neither human nor ghost. The flush from the mountains hasn't even fully faded from my face yet," Lin Xiao complained.

The grandmaster burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

The grandmaster laughed and said, "Oh, I forgot about that. How's the search for the mystical map coming along?"

"Not great. I came across two maps made of sheepskin, but I don't know if they're the ones we're looking for!"

"You found two?" the grandmaster asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Yes, I found two. Unfortunately, the first one was stolen!"

"Stolen? By who? Why didn't you tell us sooner? Do you have any idea how important that map is?"

"Of course I know, but I have no idea who took it!"

The grandmaster fell silent.

Lin Xiao continued, "I suspect someone is secretly watching my every move. And this person must be a top-tier expert. Otherwise, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed!"

The grandmaster slowly nodded. "You're probably right. But don't worry, we'll investigate."

Lin Xiao grunted in acknowledgment.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up. And don't worry about me over here. My cultivation might be garbage, but I have a top-tier expert by my side!"

"Are you referring to Shen Jingzhe?"

"Exactly."

"Speaking of her, she's really strange!"

"How so?"

"Your Third Master used some resources from the Heavenly Machine Pavilion to investigate her, but strangely, there's been no progress. It's as if she just popped out of a stone. She's a complete mystery. We suspect there's more to her than meets the eye, so you shouldn't trust her completely."

"I wouldn't dare. After all, she's here to kill me!" Lin Xiao had already told them about that.

"Alright, I understand. We'll continue our investigation. You be careful with everything!"

"I know!"

He reluctantly hung up the phone just as he was arriving at the villa's entrance.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Su Qingning swimming laps in the pool. Her alluring figure made her look like a mermaid.

Lin Xiao was once again reminded of how she had clung to his neck and acted cute at lunch. Combined with the scene before him now, his heart suddenly softened and warmed.

He sat down under a sun umbrella, his eyes fixed on Su Qingning in the water. Even though her swimsuit was quite modest, a lot of her skin was still exposed. It was the first time he'd ever seen so much of her.

Looking at her long, slender, and perfectly straight legs, Lin Xiao felt a familiar playful impulse stir within him.

Su Qingning, who had just been about to climb out after a few laps, suddenly saw him. Startled, she let out a shriek.

"You pervert, you scared me to death!" she exclaimed, patting her chest.

Lin Xiao spoke softly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Su Qingning huffed. "When did you get back?"

"Just now!" Lin Xiao said with a smile.

"Then why didn't you make a sound?"

"What, am I a fool? This is the first time you've worn so little. If I had made a peep, you definitely wouldn't have let me keep looking," Lin Xiao said with a mischievous smile.

Su Qingning glared at him, annoyed. The next moment, she suddenly splashed a handful of pool water at him. Lin Xiao never dreamed Su Qingning had such a mischievous streak.

The lukewarm water hit his face and body, but he wasn't the least bit angry. In fact, he was intrigued.

He pretended to be angry and said, "Alright now, Su Qingning! How dare you splash your husband with your used bathwater? If that's how you want to play, then don't blame me for being rough!"

With that, Lin Xiao made a playful lunge toward her.

She was frightened out of her wits and, with a shriek, clumsily swam toward the center of the pool.

Lin Xiao watched her, his smile widening.

Between their lunch and this moment now, Lin Xiao suddenly realized that deep down, Su Qingning was still a young girl, full of playful innocence. It was just that the hardships of the past few years had forced her to hide that naive side of herself. Those difficult times had forced her to grow up. But that kind of growth was undoubtedly painful, even desperate.

Sometimes, Lin Xiao couldn't bear to imagine what would have happened if it wasn't him that Zhao Qingqing had encountered. If Su Qingning had been violated, she would have been forced to live a life worse than death.

Luckily, she had a Windstorm Physique, which naturally blessed her with extraordinary luck, sparing her from encountering such trash.

After swimming to the middle of the pool, Su Qingning finally stopped. When she saw Lin Xiao wasn't chasing her, she realized he had just been trying to scare her. At this realization, her playful side took over, and she once again splashed water at him.

Lin Xiao didn't dodge, letting the water hit him as his gaze on Su Qingning grew increasingly tender.

If her defending him time and again had been the spark, then living together day in and day out had allowed Lin Xiao to finally see his own heart clearly. He knew he was falling for Su Qingning.

Su Qingning saw the tenderness in his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she called out to Lin Xiao, "You pervert, look away for a second!"

"What's wrong?"

"I… I'm getting out!" Su Qingning said, her face blushing.

Lin Xiao knew she was just being shy, since she was wearing a swimsuit, after all. But he couldn't resist teasing her a little more.

"Why so shy? There isn't a single part of you I haven't already seen!"

Su Qingning's face turned crimson. She huffed, splashing water at him repeatedly.

After they had played for a while, Lin Xiao saw that she was getting tired. He smiled, picked up a bath towel from a nearby chair, and held his hand out to her.

Su Qingning hesitated for a moment, but then she placed her hand in his.

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