The demon stopped—not just the Red Demon, but also the Guard Captain who was about to self-destruct.
After that voice sounded, the two demons froze in unison, as if they had been immobilized. But it was definitely not freezing; it was some other method that had halted them.
Bai Shuanglian wasn’t sure how it was done, but it was clearly something she couldn’t manage yet.
She lifted her gaze to see Team Leader Lin, who had appeared at some unknown time, and nodded at her.
Then, she sat down cross-legged and began to eliminate the curse that had been eroding her body.
Seeing this, Team Leader Lin, who had been about to say something, opened her mouth, then sighed helplessly as she looked at Su Taosheng.
“Do you need me to heal you?”
Leaning against the broken wall, Su Taosheng sat down, pulled a jade bottle from her spatial artifact, took out some alchemy pills, tossed a portion to Bai Shuanglian, and replied in a low, hoarse voice.
“No need.”
Then, she swallowed the rest herself.
Bai Shuanglian caught the pills casually, didn’t examine them much, and downed them.
After several battles, she had built considerable trust in Su Taosheng, and she was willing to take the pills she gave.
Seeing the two of them sit down and begin recovering, Team Leader Lin didn’t say anything else.
Instead, she turned to her subordinates who had just arrived and ordered, “Go clean up the remaining demons. Try to salvage these documents as well. Then, go release the spirits locked up here…”
Before she could finish, a slightly youthful but light and pleasant voice interrupted.
“No need, Lin. We’ve already rescued those imprisoned spirits.”
Lin froze and looked toward the source of the voice, where she saw Ling Xiaoyou and Su Lihua walking over.
“Sister!”
Su Lihua exclaimed in shock as she spotted Su Taosheng’s miserable state.
She rushed over to check her injuries.
Su Taosheng nodded slightly.
Hearing her sister’s voice, she opened her eyes to glance at her, then resumed her recovery.
Ling Xiaoyou also noticed Bai Shuanglian’s pale complexion and hurried to her side to check on her condition.
Seeing both of them prioritize checking on their companions’ injuries, Lin said nothing—it was only right.
Instead, she continued assigning her subordinates to clear the remaining demons and salvage the archive room.
“Bai Shuanglian, where are you hurt? Let me heal you!”
Ling Xiaoyou said, reaching out her small hand and placing it on Bai Shuanglian, treating the wounds on her body.
“Thanks, but there’s a curse inside me. It can’t be healed directly. It has to be dispelled with magic arts,” Bai Shuanglian said with a smile, seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s flustered state.
She gently ruffled her head.
“A curse?”
Ling Xiaoyou was taken aback.
That was something she had no way to handle.
Her water could at most heal injuries and restore spirit power, but it couldn’t remove curses—at least not yet.
Realizing she couldn’t help, Ling Xiaoyou’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“Sorry, if I had come back earlier…”
Before she could finish, Bai Shuanglian covered her mouth with her hand.
Ling Xiaoyou stared blankly at Bai Shuanglian, whose expression was serious.
“It’s not your fault, Xiaoyou. Don’t apologize.”
Bai Shuanglian looked at her earnestly.
“You did your very best, so why blame yourself? You’ve done more than enough!”
“Bai Shuanglian…”
Hearing those words, Ling Xiaoyou was stunned, as if she hadn’t expected her to say that.
But soon, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
She nodded vigorously.
“Yeah! I’ve done enough. Thank you, Bai Shuanglian!”
Then, she wrapped her arms around Bai Shuanglian’s neck and nuzzled her soft cheek against Bai Shuanglian’s, expressing her emotions.
Just then, a light cough came from beside them.
Ling Xiaoyou froze and looked up to see Lin watching them with an awkward and helpless expression.
“Should I leave?”
“Ah… this…”
Ling Xiaoyou’s face instantly turned red.
She realized she had completely forgotten that there were others around.
She quickly stood up and coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment.
“No, Lin, just stay here. I’ll tell you about what we found.”
“Mm.”
Lin nodded and listened carefully as Ling Xiaoyou spoke, occasionally asking questions.
“That’s pretty much it. We don’t know more than that.”
Soon, Ling Xiaoyou recounted the night’s events, of course excluding the part where she went shopping with Bai Shuanglian.
“So that’s how it is…”
Lin found it hard to believe.
Rubbing her forehead, she frowned.
“I never thought these demons were researching something like this. This is trouble.”
“If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn’t have listened to the old fools at the Association. I’d have captured Demon Grand Duke Weisasi directly.”
“The Association’s obstruction?”
Ling Xiaoyou was surprised.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just some old stubborn people who hold power but refuse to adapt.”
Lin waved her hand, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
Seeing that, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t press further.
Instead, she said, “By the way, you should look for other pathogen samples. Maybe the demon only took one, and there might be more left.”
“If you find them, you might be able to develop an antidote.”
Ling Xiaoyou had kept a copy of the “Bomb Disease” research data, but she wasn’t sure if it was complete—some parts might have been deleted.
But either way, finding samples would be safer.
“Mm, I’ve already sent people to search the research institute,” Lin nodded.
“Then I’ll hand over those spirits to you.”
With that, Ling Xiaoyou took out a spatial artifact, transferred all the soul cans from her space ring into it, and handed the artifact to Lin.
She added, “Oh, and there’s a copy of the ‘Bomb Disease’ research data I saved earlier. I hope it helps.”
Lin nodded solemnly.
“Thank you. We really owe this to you. Without you, by the time we arrived, the research institute and these documents would have been completely destroyed, and we’d have lost all clues.”
“No worries. It’s what any concerned citizen should do,” Ling Xiaoyou said, waving her hand casually.
“But a concerned citizen deserves a reward, doesn’t she?”
Lin smiled and handed a bracelet to Ling Xiaoyou.
“This is?”
Ling Xiaoyou was surprised as she took the bracelet and examined it carefully.
The bracelet was jade, with a warm, smooth luster.
It was carved with intricate, mystical patterns and runes—clearly no ordinary item.
It was a space bracelet.
Ling Xiaoyou extended her spiritual sense into it and immediately looked astonished.
Inside were piles of spirit stones, natural treasures, and various formation plates, each emitting a faint glow.
None of them were common items.
“This is just a small token. I’ll apply for more rewards later,” Lin said.