Xu Lan was silent for a moment, then continued, "Keep a close eye on her for me. If anything happens, tell me immediately."
"What for?"
"Don't ask, just do as I say."
"Alright," the little boy agreed, glancing at Gu An again. "If you come down this time, your master will definitely find out. Are you sure you want to?"
"Mind your own business!"
The little boy... Although he hadn't interacted much with Xu Lan, it was Xu Lan who had given him his second life. Naturally, he should also consider Xu Lan's well-being.
But after Xu Lan said that, he truly... didn't know what to say?
Hearing the little boy fall silent, Xu Lan emphasized, "If you don't tell me, I'll destroy you."
The little boy understood Xu Lan's character, so he responded, "Got it."
Hearing the little boy's agreement, Xu Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
Early morning.
Gu An woke up, turned her head to look at the little boy sleeping against her shoulder, then surveyed their surroundings. She yawned and said, "Get up." She nudged the little boy's head.
However, the little boy showed no signs of waking. Instead, he hugged Gu An's arm.
Gu An frowned, "Don't push your luck."
...The little boy pretended to snore.
Hearing his fake snores, Gu An helplessly said, "I'll count to three. If you continue to waste my time like this, I'll beat you back to your original form."
Upon hearing 'original form', the little boy woke up abruptly and said, "I'm awake." He let go.
Subsequently, Gu An stretched her arm. ... She stood up.
Seeing Gu An ignoring him, the little boy quickly stood up too and asked, "Where are you going?"
"It's none of your business!" Gu An glared at the little boy.
The little boy... He remembered Xu Lan's instructions and looked up, saying, "Can you take me to find the sachet?"
"No time," Gu An replied, looking up at the rows of lanterns. "Take care of yourselves."
Clearly, these blood lanterns were accustomed to Gu An's farewells. They swayed a couple of times and then became still.
Gu An smiled faintly, considering the danger of catching monsters, and said, "You are not allowed to follow me."
"Me?"
"If you dare to follow me, I'll turn you back into your original form," Gu An threatened.
The little boy's eyes darkened. "Got it."
Then, Gu An left.
After she walked out of the ghost cave, the little boy still quietly followed her.
In the blink of an eye, Gu An arrived outside the Demon Tower.
Today was different from yesterday. Yan Bian was already waiting for her outside the Demon Tower.
"I'm going now," Gu An said as she approached Yan Bian.
Yan Bian asked, "How did you sleep last night?"
"I slept as soon as I got back. It was fine."
"That's good." Yan Bian said, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "Um, I think... I should go with you."
Gu An looked at Yan Bian's haggard face and her slightly trembling legs, saying, "If you come with me, you might just be a burden."
"I can..."
"Alright, I just came to tell you that I will return."
"You..."
"I'm leaving." Gu An patted Yan Bian's shoulder and turned to leave.
Yan Bian watched Gu An's retreating back with reluctance, thinking that after she returned, she would definitely take the World-Relief Pill in front of her and introduce herself.
Not long after.
Gu An stopped before the Demon Forest.
"I can definitely... catch the monster," Gu An said, running swiftly into the forest.
At the same time, the little boy stopped behind a tree, cautiously watching Gu An's figure. He pondered her words before she entered the forest and wondered if he should tell Xu Lan.
After a few seconds of thought, he mumbled, "Forget it, I won't tell him for now." Saying this, he followed.
Gu An weaved through the forest, glancing back a few times.
Then, she deliberately looked behind her, then at the sides, and deliberately shouted, "Monsters, I know you're here, come out." She held out her hand and conjured a long sword.
The little boy stood behind a tree not far from her, then followed her gaze around. He still thought it would be best to tell Xu Lan.
Thinking this, he tried to call out mentally, "Xu Lan!"
Heavenly Realm.
Xu Lan, who was sleeping soundly against the immortal tree, suddenly opened his eyes the moment the little boy's call reached him. He then bit his finger again and responded mentally, "I'm here. What's happening?"
"She's gone to the Demon Forest to find monsters."
"Monsters?"
Xu Lan knew nothing about the Demon Realm, let alone... the monsters in the Demon Forest. Hearing the little boy say this suddenly, he was truly a bit confused.
Hearing Xu Lan's confused tone, the little boy patiently explained, "Monsters are monsters from the Demon Realm. Their inner cores can be spent as silver in the Demon Realm, but I don't know..." He peeked at Gu An, who was still standing there shouting, and frowned slightly. "What is she looking for those monsters for?"
"Are they powerful?"
"They aren't particularly powerful, but given the owner's current situation, it's likely dangerous."
"You must help her."
"That's for sure, she's my master."
"Alright, wait for me."
"You're coming down?"
"Yes, I'm coming to help you."
From the moment he heard Shen Yan had driven Gu An away, Xu Lan had been worried that Gu An might do something foolish in the Demon Realm.
Therefore, after this conversation with the little boy, he made up his mind to go down and see.
"I..."
"You're just a blood lantern. It's better if I go. Stop wasting time," Xu Lan said, quickly standing up and heading towards the expanse of sky leading to the mortal realm.
Demon Realm.
Hearing Xu Lan's anxious tone and sensing the eerie demonic aura around him, the little boy thought... perhaps Xu Lan coming was the right decision.
"Little brother, what are you doing?"
Hearing the voice, the little boy's body stiffened, and then he slowly turned his head to look at the monster standing behind him, his eyes widening. "You..."
Before he could even utter the first word, the monster reached out with its claw and covered his mouth.
At this time, most monsters acted alone, but even so, their hearts were united.
Now, the little boy deeply felt the crisis.
"I think you should say less," the monster said, looking up at the monsters lurking on the trees, a smirk on its lips.
Immediately, the eyes of those monsters lit up with red light.
In the next moment, they jumped down in unison.
The wind stirred.
Gu An swiftly looked up, her eyes widening.
Before coming here, Gu An thought they would appear one by one in different locations.
To her surprise, she was wrong.
She hadn't expected these monsters to become so united all of a sudden?
"Little girl, you're truly seeking death." The future monster leader landed in front of Gu An.
Gu An had never seen a monster before. Looking at the face of the monster leader in front of her, she was also terrified.
However, her overall demeanor remained calm. "You came out, and you're seeking death." With that, she raised her sword and thrust it towards the monster leader.