This was a contradictory feeling, the kind of drunken aura usually associated with intoxication, yet Fan Qianqian showed no signs of being drunk at all.
"What do you want?"
"You still haven't told me your name."
The two were less than half a meter apart. Li Zhonglou instinctively sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to retreat, the other person pressed forward again.
"My name is Hua Dong. You can call me whatever you want. Also, can you stop getting so close?"
"Are you afraid of me? Do I look that scary?"
"No, you're very beautiful."
"Then why are you afraid of me?"
Seeing Fan Qianqian getting closer and closer, Li Zhonglou finally couldn't hold back.
He furrowed his brow, staring intently into Fan Qianqian's eyes.
Li Zhonglou didn't speak, and Fan Qianqian didn't speak either. They just stared at each other from less than half a meter away for about ten seconds.
Fan Qianqian had been staring at Li Zhonglou's eyes the entire time, and to her surprise, she discovered that he seemed to have absolutely no intentions towards her!
She had rarely seen such a gaze on a man, one devoid of any other emotion, not even from her closest relatives. They either couldn't meet her gaze, or they revealed an animalistic nature like beasts.
Except for one type of person.
Fan Qianqian suddenly retreated, her expression becoming peculiar.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to confirm your true thoughts."
Li Zhonglou sighed, "Then have you confirmed it? Can you tell me what we should do next?"
"Confirmed."
So you're gay!
Fan Qianqian sized up Li Zhonglou with a strange look, but the latter was still contemplating the upcoming events and didn't notice.
At this moment, Li Zhonglou was already looking for a way out for the upcoming events.
He had even prepared himself to abandon the identity of Hua Dong.
A cultivator who had reached a certain realm, even someone who had never driven before, could handle most situations with just half a day of familiarization. If that logic held, Fan Qianqian wouldn't need Li Zhonglou to drive for her at all!
Therefore, there was only one possible reason she approached him: to cover her tracks.
To put it less pleasantly, or more truthfully, she was looking for a scapegoat.
Whether it was the car incident, or something else she had done that couldn't be revealed yet, as long as she took Li Zhonglou back to Shangjing, Li Zhonglou would naturally become the primary person of interest for her adversaries!
This involved cultivators!
If someone were to discover his true identity, it would be all over. Li Zhonglou was well aware of the impact and enemies brought by the Yuan Bei incident. Before he could return to the cultivation world, if his identity was exposed...
He estimated that only four words could describe his situation: dire peril.
However, as the saying goes, one must yield when under someone else's roof. Given the current circumstances, he had no room to refuse.
Despite Fan Qianqian not having shown any real killing intent so far, it was only because Li Zhonglou had cooperated well.
For someone to have entered the ranks of cultivators and to claim he wouldn't dare to kill would be as absurd as a world boxing champion being gay.
After Fan Qianqian said "confirmed," Li Zhonglou waited for her to elaborate.
However, all he received was her retreating back.
Fan Qianqian simply said, "Let's go," and walked ahead.
What about the plan? What specific task do I need to do?
Li Zhonglou was stunned, and the sense of foreboding in his heart suddenly intensified.
Indeed, half an hour later, Li Zhonglou had come to understand Fan Qianqian's character.
She faced events as they came, reacting as the situation unfolded.
In simpler terms, she did everything according to her whims, with no plan whatsoever!
However, such people could sometimes remain hidden for longer.
This was because many of her actions were not connected, and those who tried to investigate her past to determine her identity were bound to fail.
But this also had its disadvantages.
On the highway back to Shangjing, Li Zhonglou glanced at the police car in the rearview mirror and felt utterly exasperated.
"You really have no connections in the police department?"
"Nonsense. If I did, wouldn't I have called?"
"Then you still dared to steal a car from right outside the police station?"
If he hadn't been outmatched, Li Zhonglou would have loved to whack Fan Qianqian on the head then and there, wanting to see how her mind worked!
An hour earlier, after they had crept out of the mountainside in the dark, they soon arrived at a small town.
Perhaps due to its remote location, very few people in the town owned cars. The few they saw on the streets were older models, which Fan Qianqian bypassed with a mere glance.
That was until they reached the town's police station and saw several police cars parked outside.
Li Zhonglou had warned her before she made her move, reminding her that police cars usually had tracking devices and that she shouldn't touch them if she didn't have someone in the police system.
Fan Qianqian had casually replied that she understood but proceeded to go for the police car anyway.
How could he have imagined that she would now claim not to know her?
Fortunately, Li Zhonglou had been a bit clever. He had worn a face mask before making his move, so even if the surveillance couldn't clearly see his face, it would be fine.
Moreover, Li Zhonglou vaguely guessed Fan Qianqian's intention. He could only grit his teeth, stop the car abruptly on the shoulder, leave a single word, "Run," and then dart into the nearby mountain forest.
But before he could run a few steps, Fan Qianqian was already ahead of him.
Damn it, I'm the one who needs protection! Aren't you afraid the angry police officers will draw their guns and shoot?
The highway was flanked by small hills. However, due to the guardrails and landslide prevention measures, climbing them directly was almost impossible.
Fan Qianqian could leap up easily, but with the authorities hot on her tail, she dared not reveal her abilities.
So, the moment Li Zhonglou saw a downhill section, he immediately stopped the car.
But this was a downhill road. If the people behind them started shooting, Fan Qianqian should be fine. After all, she was a cultivator, and if she moved quickly, ordinary people wouldn't be able to see what was happening.
But it was different for him!
If the enraged police officers behind them actually drew their guns, he would probably be finished!
In fact, Li Zhonglou's worries were well-founded, as three police cars had stopped in an emergency, with a total of eight officers. Six of them had directly drawn their guns.
However, they were ultimately stopped by the youngest officer.
"As long as the car is fine! Don't stir up any more trouble. Do you want others to know that our car was stolen from right in front of our station?"
What Li Zhonglou didn't know was that according to normal protocol, there should have been guards at the entrance.
But this police station had long developed a habit of laziness. As long as no leaders were visiting, they wouldn't stand guard at the entrance.
After all, who would have thought someone would dare to steal a car in broad daylight right in front of their station?
Because of this, the six officers ultimately did not fire, only managing to suppress their anger and put their guns away.
Every bullet had a serial number. If used, it would have to be reported. Even if they just wanted to fire a warning shot, the risk of their actions being exposed still existed.
Between venting their anger and continuing their laziness, they chose the latter.