So Old Lin chimed in at this moment.
"Xiao Li, don't misunderstand Old An. After so many years together, don't we know his character?"
Hearing this, Li Zhonglou finally let out a slight breath of relief and then apologized to Old An.
"Sorry, I was being too sensitive."
"It's alright. Actually, you're right to be suspicious of me saying this. But as the person involved, I just wanted to clarify things."
And so, the matter passed, and both of them tacitly did not bring it up again. As for whether Li Zhonglou truly felt at ease, or whether Old An truly harbored no ill intentions, only they themselves knew.
Li Zhonglou then proceeded to walk back the way he came, as Stone had instructed.
Before long, he noticed that a woman had joined Ya Lili. It was at this moment that Stone's voice echoed in his mind again.
And this time, it was clearly filled with excitement.
"I sense it! It's ahead! Directly in front of you!"
Li Zhonglou's expression froze for a moment. Directly in front of me? Isn't that Ya Lili?
No, could it be!
Li Zhonglou's gaze fell upon Hua Yin. As he approached the two women, Stone's voice in his mind grew more and more agitated, confirming to him that the person Stone was looking for was Hua Yin!
Moreover, seeing how familiar they seemed, Li Zhonglou couldn't help but feel the wonder of the world. To think they would meet like this! But this also saved him a lot of trouble.
After all, if she were a stranger, he wouldn't know how to approach her and might have to spend considerable effort and time getting to know her before he could arrange for them to meet.
"Lili, who is this?"
Li Zhonglou, having returned, blocked their path and instinctively asked Ya Lili.
However, before Ya Lili could speak, Hua Yin's expression suddenly changed, and she asked with a hint of seriousness,
"Xiao Li, who is he?"
Li Zhonglou remembered his role as a bodyguard and took the initiative to explain, "Hello, I'm Lili's bodyguard."
"Presumptuous! As a bodyguard, you can address your employer like that? Don't you know about the boundaries between men and women!"
Hua Yin's sudden outburst stunned both of them. After a few seconds, Ya Lili reacted and quickly tugged on Hua Yin's arm, saying,
"Sister Yin, Brother Li is my friend. I asked him to pretend to be my bodyguard to accompany me."
"Friend?"
Hua Yin frowned as she stared at Li Zhonglou, a hint of hostility deep within her eyes.
"Stone, there seems to be a problem with this junior of yours."
"Ah?"
"She seems to be deliberately getting close to my friend, and for some reason, she also seems to be hostile towards me."
Li Zhonglou maintained a calm and composed exterior, reverting to his bodyguard persona and standing beside Ya Lili, but inwardly, he had already formed a rough guess.
Upon hearing his words, Stone fell silent.
As an old hand, he understood Li Zhonglou's implication perfectly. This was a heads-up; if this junior proved to be an enemy, he would not hesitate to eliminate her.
For a moment, both of them were lost in their own thoughts and fell silent. Only Ya Lili, thinking the situation had temporarily been resolved, let out a sigh of relief.
Just then, a staff member walked onto the distant stage, holding a microphone.
"Everyone, the first 'Strongest Bodyguard Competition' is about to begin. We invite all interested individuals to come forward and register."
The entire hall erupted in excitement, with everyone surging towards the stage.
Perhaps because it was the first of its kind, the rules for this Strongest Bodyguard Competition were extremely simple: anyone who registered was eligible to participate, and then they could proceed to the stage to compete.
There was no drawing of lots; it was all about personal strength to defend one's position. As long as one person could conquer all the bodyguards present, they would be crowned the Strongest Bodyguard of this session.
It was that simple and brutal.
However, it was also the rule that everyone present liked the most.
"Now that's a competition! Those random draws and ranking systems are fake, relying too much on luck."
"Exactly! If you want the title of the strongest, you must conquer all of us. How can a victory based solely on rankings convince everyone!"
"Let's get started already, I can't wait."
The bodyguards who had come to compete were flexing their muscles and eager to prove themselves. Li Zhonglou watched their reactions with some curiosity and muttered to himself,
"It's just a title, why get so excited?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hua Yin beside him curiously asked Ya Lili,
"Xiao Li, haven't you told your bodyguard?"
"Ah?"
Seeing Ya Lili also looking bewildered, Hua Yin smacked her forehead.
"Don't tell me you don't even know the significance of this competition?"
Ya Lili said somewhat awkwardly, "Sister Yin, I honestly don't know. I only came today because someone invited me."
"Who?"
"Liu Qiang."
As soon as the name Liu Qiang was spoken, his voice was heard from nearby.
"It's me, Sister Hua Yin. Long time no see."
All three turned their heads to see Liu Qiang approaching with Shen Yi and Shen Er.
However, Liu Qiang's expression looked somewhat unnatural at the moment.
"Is that you, kid?"
Hua Yin clearly recognized the other party as well, but her gaze was not initially on Liu Qiang, but on Shen Yi and Shen Er behind him.
Only then did her gaze land on Liu Qiang.
"I say, kid, you don't have any improper intentions towards my Xiao Li, do you?"
Liu Qiang said with a wry smile, "I wouldn't dare now. With Sister Hua Yin here, I wouldn't dare even if you gave me three more guts."
"Hmph, you know what's good for you!"
After saying that, Hua Yin arrogantly shifted her gaze and confidently told Ya Lili, "Don't worry, Xiao Li, with me here, he won't dare to do anything to you."
"Thank you, Sister Yin!"
Ya Lili's thanks were from the bottom of her heart. She never imagined that a friend she had casually made could help her escape trouble.
Only Li Zhonglou, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly catching a glimpse of something.
However, he remained silent and instead focused his gaze on Shen Er, Yan Bao.
"Senior Stone, there's no rush to unseal later. I also want to test my current limit strength."
"Alright."
Ever since being afflicted by the curse, Li Zhonglou had not had a chance to fight at his full strength. Therefore, he didn't know how much his power had actually been weakened.
With the trump card of soul possession, he could now boldly experiment. If it didn't work out, he could then use the unsealing opportunity.
Liu Qiang's approach seemed to be just to greet Hua Yin or express his stance. After speaking, he led his men to another spot.