Chapter 92 (1/2): Full of Doubts

In the end, Hua Jian still didn’t feed the girl to the Giant Spider as a head-cleaving meal.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but with Linglong right there beside her, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“I let you live once—what a pity.”

While quietly muttering this, Hua Jian used an imaginary pair of handcuffs to bind the girl’s hands.

She did consider conjuring a Kun Ling Rope, but she didn’t know much about it.

Relying on imagination alone probably wouldn’t produce any results, so she ultimately settled for the simplest and most reliable handcuffs.

As for whether the handcuffs could truly restrain this girl… it was said these things were only meant to guard against honest people, not tricksters.

The Secret Realm’s rules were special; even if she used a Kun Ling Rope, it might not necessarily hold someone captive.

“You…” The girl’s face twisted as if she’d just eaten something foul. Is this how someone who saves a life should behave?

“Stop with the ‘you, you, you.’ Can’t you show a little respect to your savior?”

I want to treat you well, but did you ever give me that chance? The girl thought loudly in her mind. With Hua Jian’s attitude, who in their right mind would treat her well?

Hua Jian was nothing like a savior—she looked more like a passing bandit stopping to rob someone on the way!

“Name, place of origin, age, and why you’re here—spill it.” Hua Jian brought the girl a short distance away and pressed her down to sit, pulling out a little notebook to question her seriously.

Don’t ask where the notebook came from—that’s just imagination.

“My name’s A Meng. I’m sixteen—no, twenty-six this year. I’m from Tianbei City in the Central Continent. I saw such a big commotion and just came to take a look.”

“Sixteen?” Hua Jian jabbed a finger sharply against the girl’s forehead. “Do you take me for a fool?”

She was sixteen herself—if not for Linglong dragging her around, she’d probably still be ruling her small patch of land like a local tyrant.

Among young people in this world, Hua Jian was considered mature for her age, yet even she wouldn’t dare run around recklessly.

And this girl claiming to be A Meng, also sixteen, had the nerve to wander in such a dangerous northern mountain range and even dared to enter an unknown Secret Realm?

Wasn’t she scared of being captured by some strange, perverse cultivator to be used as a toy?

“I really am sixteen!” A Meng protested loudly, her appearance making her look several years younger than Hua Jian. “I’m not like this outside!”

“Oh, I almost forgot—that means your mental age is this young?”

“Yup, yup, yup!”

“Hey! I knew you were a demon. To have such a young mind and still dare come to such a dangerous place—there’s definitely something fishy!”

“Huh?!”

A Meng felt like she was completely out of sync with Hua Jian. She hadn’t said anything wrong, so why didn’t Hua Jian believe her?

And it wasn’t a reasonable disbelief either. If Hua Jian had a proper explanation, she could accept it, but this kind of wild accusation was utterly frustrating.

When you reason with her, she plays the fool—what can you do?

Fortunately, someone who could control Hua Jian finally approached, steering the conversation back on track.

After talking with Hua Jian, Linglong’s kind demeanor made A Meng so happy she was almost in tears.

Finally, a person who was easy to fool—or rather, a normal person. That woman just now was practically crazy!

When Linglong asked her questions, A Meng vividly recounted her story, even mentioning things from her childhood.

Hua Jian frowned deeply as she listened—the inconsistencies were glaring, a terrible patchwork.

One moment it was the life of a young lady; the next, a poor street waif. Yet Linglong listened intently, occasionally nodding with a sympathetic look.

When A Meng finished, Hua Jian pulled Linglong aside and asked sternly if she sensed anything off.

Linglong’s eyes first showed confusion, then she murmured hesitantly, “I feel something’s strange, but I can’t tell what exactly.”

“Really?” Hua Jian said nothing more. She suspected this wasn’t Linglong’s fault.

The Little Dragon Girl was usually quiet but still had a normal mind.

Anyone could detect such obvious narrative gaps, yet Linglong seemed veiled by a fog, unable to see the truth. That was very abnormal.

Something was interfering with Linglong’s judgment, and that filthy thing was definitely A Meng!

“Maybe I should just kill this one…” Hua Jian raised the gun in her hand.

“No!” Linglong immediately stopped her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

“I… don’t know, but I just feel it’s wrong.” Linglong’s eyes were still full of confusion.

Apart from stopping Hua Jian, she was dazed as if completely losing her ability to judge.

Hua Jian lowered her hand and looked thoughtfully at Linglong.

Under Hua Jian’s gaze, Linglong’s face flushed slightly, and she looked away embarrassed.

There was definitely something wrong. Linglong’s usually thick-skinned nature didn’t fit this shy reaction.

And the problem likely lay with A Meng; the girl’s presence unsettled Linglong.

Sigh, could the big BOSS of the Secret Realm be bored and come down to play? Hua Jian glanced at A Meng, who immediately looked up and flashed her a dazzling smile.

Well, if it really was the BOSS playing, then she didn’t have much choice… A Meng would be traveling with them now, giving Hua Jian plenty of chances to test her.

At least she needed to find out why A Meng wanted to approach them and not others.

As Hua Jian expected, Linglong decided to let A Meng accompany them, but at Hua Jian’s insistence, Linglong agreed to some security measures.

First, the original handcuffs remained. Then Hua Jian conjured a collar with a continuously flashing red bomb attached.

“If she acts up, I’ll blow her to bits.” Hua Jian strapped the detonator bracelet on her wrist, saying seriously.

While speaking, she glanced at A Meng, who showed no fear, only curiosity as she touched the collar around her neck.

That was not a normal reaction; Hua Jian felt she might be right in her suspicions.

This A Meng was definitely no ordinary being.

“All right, let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time on her.” Having finished preparations, Hua Jian stood and said to Linglong.

By now, Linglong’s eyes had cleared a bit. She glanced subtly at Hua Jian and A Meng before nodding in agreement.

“The Heaven and Earth Phenomenon is becoming more obvious. Our time is running out.”

“Heaven and Earth Phenomenon? There are so many monsters gathered over there. Are you really going?”

Hearing their conversation, A Meng bounced excitedly.

Her eyes sparkled as if eager to hear their answer.

Hua Jian said nothing, just patted the back of A Meng’s head. “You can’t keep wandering around outside. You have to face it eventually.”

That was a solid reason, leaving A Meng at a loss for words.

It wasn’t greed or anything else—it was simply a place they had to check out.

She stared seriously at Hua Jian, searching for any sign of deception but found none.

What Hua Jian said was her most sincere thought.

Such a strange person, both cruel and kind.

The three of them moved through the dense forest. A Meng’s stamina surprised Hua Jian—after walking most of the day, she still wasn’t out of breath.

Hua Jian’s feet were nearly worn raw, almost unable to walk. Were it not for the strange rules of the Secret Realm, she would have left a bloody trail behind.

Bare feet were fine for posing indoors but walking outside like this was pure torture.

“I can’t go on. I have to rest. Why can’t this Secret Realm give me a pair of shoes?” Finally, Hua Jian gave up, leaning against a large tree and rubbing her aching feet.

Her feet remained as white and delicate as at the start, but they felt like they’d been sliced to bits, bleeding constantly.

Linglong looked worried and wanted to help, but inside the Secret Realm, she had no way to ease Hua Jian’s plight.

Outside, a pair of shoes and socks would solve everything easily, but here, that option was gone.

Hua Jian tried to conjure shoes but failed. Her form was fixed; no decorations could be added.

She had to stay as the barefoot colorful-skirted enchantress she was.

“That’s your truest self. Unless you change your subconscious, there’s no way to alter it.” A Meng suddenly said.

Hua Jian thought it was nonsense. She had no problem with Linglong being a Little Dragon Girl deep down, but how could she, Hua Jian, be such a lewd enchantress?

She was a transmigrator—no matter how much life forced her to accept reality, she would never degenerate into this appearance.

She was even more feminine than Linglong, a girl among girls. She refused to believe she was like this.

“I think the Secret Realm is malfunctioning. There’s no way my subconscious is like this.” Hua Jian curled her lips, pointing at her feet. “I’m a little bit of a neat freak. How could I like walking barefoot?”

Yes, Hua Jian hated dirt and even more so hated contact with dirty things.

But her definition of dirt was broad—at least beast blood didn’t count. After all, she had to make money.

“Hmm, maybe that’s just what you think. Actually, you’ve always been looking forward to becoming this way?”

My wish is to become such an enchantress? Hua Jian’s lips twitched.

Even more absurdly, Linglong seemed to take that seriously, nervously looking at her.

“Hua Jian, you’re very pretty like this, but it is indeed indecent.”

Linglong’s eyes were clear now, no longer dazed—this was her honest thought.

It wasn’t Linglong’s fault. If Hua Jian really showed up like this, others would surely mistake her for someone from Wan Hua Valley. The style was just too similar.

If Hua Jian went to Wan Hua Valley like this, the disciples at the gate would be shocked and respectfully welcome her as a direct disciple.

Such a cultivator couldn’t be an outsider—it had to be one of theirs!

“I told you I never wanted to be like this! By that logic, you must be a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl inside?” Hua Jian scowled at Linglong, then shifted the focus to A Meng.

Linglong was consistent inside and out, but A Meng definitely was not.

She claimed to be a mature sixteen-year-old, yet looked like a little girl. That was the real target.

“Well, I’m just a little young at heart, what’s wrong with that?” A Meng tilted her head and smiled, admitting she really was a child inside.

Both were consistent inside and out, so the problem must lie with Hua Jian.

The simplest explanation was that Hua Jian was just being stubborn.

“Lying isn’t good, Hua Jian.”

“Don’t call me sister, it scares me.” Hua Jian shuddered. The thought of A Meng being some ancient demon made her skin crawl.

If a proper young girl like Cai Die called her sister, she’d gladly accept it, but from an ancient demon? Taking that title would shorten her life.

“Why?”

“You know why.”

“No, I don’t~” A Meng rested her bound hands under her chin, her big eyes full of innocent confusion.

From the start, Hua Jian had been on guard against her, an unreasoned suspicion that no amount of effort could dispel.

That made A Meng curious. Hua Jian must be hiding some secret, and it was this secret that allowed her to stay so clear-headed here.

Sha, sha…

The soft sounds echoed in the forest.

The three girls, still chatting a moment ago, simultaneously fell silent and held their breath.

The next instant, Linglong suddenly drew her Ling Sword and slashed at Hua Jian.

At the last moment before the thunderbolt struck, Hua Jian scattered like flying petals.