Lin Xiangyi had actually lied.
Back when he had carried Shen Ye into the house, he had already performed some simple examinations on her to confirm her identity.
And after extending his Spiritual Power into Shen Ye’s body to assess her condition, Lin Xiangyi was stunned.
How was she even alive?
The Spiritual Consciousness within this young woman’s body—the symbol of her spiritual world—remained intact.
But her Spiritual Power Circuits were snapped in multiple places, nearly all of them in disarray. Her Spirit Body was covered in cracks, like porcelain on the verge of shattering.
With injuries like these, an ordinary person would have died from Spirit Dispersion long ago.
So, after discovering the severity of the wounds inside Shen Ye’s body, he took the liberty of making a small adjustment—
Using his Life Spirit System ability, he repaired several of her most critical circuits, stabilizing the trend of her Spirit Body Collapse.
Though it only treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, at least it would keep her alive.
And during the process of clearing her pathways, Shen Ye*’s own self-regulation was also taking effect. Her Spiritual Power seemed tempered through countless trials—even without its owner’*s consciousness, it continued circulating on its own, working for her body.
As a result, Shen Ye recovered some strength while asleep, which was why she could no longer hide her ears and tail, exposing her identity.
Lin Xiangyi glanced at Shen Ye’s back. A pitch-black, nimble cat tail swished restlessly.
That was a part that should never appear on a human body, yet now it grew on a human, adding a touch of charm to this lovely young woman.
—A Spirit Being.
Lin Xiangyi didn*’t know much about this race, but he could actually understand Shen Ye’*s decision to hide it.
Whether in the city or the countryside, many Spirit Beings lived in human society while concealing their identities.
Most of them stayed out of trouble. They wouldn*’t, or didn’*t like to, reveal themselves as Spirit Beings, hoping to live peaceful, stable lives.
Because the appearance of a Spirit Being didn’t just mean a massive amount of public relations cleanup.
It also symbolized, on another level, that an uncontrollable factor possessing supernatural power had entered the public eye.
And that was why a special profession existed—the Executor.
A special law enforcement officer certified by the Spirit Control Association, authorized to use Spirit Control Arts in public spaces and to pass judgment on any person or Spirit Being who violated the rules of Spiritual Power usage.
So Spirit Beings living in the city never willingly exposed themselves.
Only this way could they survive in a world dominated by humans.
And forcing a Spirit Being who actively hid their identity to be exposed…
Lin Xiangyi’s movements paused, his gaze beneath his bangs obscure and unreadable.
He could only say it was fortunate that he counted as someone “in the industry.”
Otherwise, a Spirit Being barging into a human’s home would be arrested and interrogated by Law Enforcers.
But he knew this was his fault, and he wanted to apologize for it.
However, since it involved Senior Brother, he had no choice but to put on a tough front to pry information out of her mouth.
Now that everything was cleared up—
All was well. As long as nothing was wrong, that was fine.
Senior Brother trusted me enough to entrust such an important friend to my care. I can’t betray that trust.
Lin Xiangyi let out a soft sigh and focused his concentration, continuing to treat Shen Ye.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Shen Ye was fidgeting uneasily.
She squirmed in place, her small bottom shifting restlessly.
Her other hand, the one not being held, was squeezed tightly between her knees, as if she were enduring something.
Wh-what is this!?
When Junior Brother had begun treating her, she had relaxed her body and accepted his Spiritual Power guidance with ease.
But the moment that gentle force slowly entered her Spiritual Power Circuits, everything changed.
When she had first transformed, Master had already stabilized most of the conditions within her body.
But the newly born Spiritual Power Circuits inside her remained fragile, like tender new sprouts—delicate beyond compare.
And now, this sprout was exposed bare and defenseless to a foreign Spiritual Power.
That power, though gentle, carried a strange tingling sensation, like a feather gently teasing the most sensitive spot within her body.
Every path the Spiritual Power flowed through stirred up an indescribable itch, spreading from the depths of her Spiritual Power Circuits to every limb and bone, making her body tremble involuntarily.
She wanted to speak, to ask Junior Brother to slow down.
But the moment she looked over, she was frozen by Lin Xiangyi’s intensity.
The young man*’s gaze was earnest and serious, his brows furrowed tightly together, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He was clearly fully devoted to the treatment, with no spare attention for the young woman’*s discomfort.
At the point where their hands connected, a steady stream of Spiritual Power was being channeled into Shen Ye*’s body, guiding her chaotic flow. And as that delicate Spiritual Power delved deeper into Shen Ye’*s body, the difficulty of control grew ever greater.
This forced Lin Xiangyi to concentrate with everything he had.
Shen Ye stared at the Junior Brother before her, her flushed face momentarily frozen. The little bit of shyness she felt was washed away by a surge of guilt, dissipating like smoke.
She averted her gaze.
Junior Brother is working so hard. What am I even thinking?
She took a deep breath, using sheer willpower to suppress that strange sensation within her.
When she looked back at Lin Xiangyi, a trace of relief flickered in her eyes.
With this level of Spiritual Power control, it seemed Junior Brother hadn’t neglected his Cultivation. Though he had failed the Law Enforcer Examination last time, this time around…
She felt the Spiritual Power within her.
As Lin Xiangyi slowly cleared her Spiritual Power Circuits, that familiar strength from before was gradually returning.
But at this rate, she had no idea how long it would take to reach the level needed to return to her Original Form.
And besides…
The possibility of regaining her Original Form was still unknown.
If this dragged on too long, and the Association discovered that she—the First Enforcer who had always advocated for harmony between Spirit Beings and humans—had disappeared, the situation for Spirit Beings would likely become even worse.
Shen Ye’s gaze dimmed, the deep black in her clear eyes dispersing like ink in water.
She had already discussed it with Master. Once she inherited the sect, she would be allowed to start from Azure Cloud Sect, building bridges between Spirit Beings and humans step by step, to ease the awkward relationship between the two.
After all, the influence of the First Enforcer should be beyond anyone’s control.
But now, transformed into a Spirit Being and stripped of my identity, what can I even do?
The right to speak for humans can only be held by humans.
She sighed softly, her dejected eyes turning toward Lin Xiangyi.
As her gaze swept over him, Shen Ye*’s eyes reflected the man’*s focused expression. Her slowly sinking heart felt as though it were being lifted by a strong, steady hand, the darkness at the edges of her pupils gradually dispelled.
A thought occurred to her.
Perhaps… having Junior Brother become the Sect Master instead would be a viable option?
The melancholy in her heart scattered, and a gentle smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
If it ever came to that path, you would definitely help me.
Right? Xiangyi.
After a while, Lin Xiangyi withdrew his hand.
Shen Ye noticed that the warm sensation within her body slowly faded along with it.
She flexed her fingers, then looked at Lin Xiangyi again. The young man’s forehead was beaded with sweat, and weariness lingered at the corners of his eyes.
“Sorry, this is all I can treat for today.”
Lin Xiangyi wiped the sweat from his brow. This was the first time he had performed such a difficult Spiritual Power Guidance.
How come you’re not lasting very long at all, Junior Brother?
Though she was complaining inwardly, seeing how hard Junior Brother had worked, Shen Ye smiled and spoke up to comfort him:
“Mhm, thank you for your hard work.”
She stood up, walked over to Lin Xiangyi’s side, and sat down. She took his still-slightly-trembling hand, then tried channeling Spiritual Power through her fingertips.
A faint golden light flowed out naturally, then she snuffed it out.
Mhm, I’ve recovered quite a bit of power. Should be enough for some simple assistance.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Faced with Shen Ye’s sudden approach, Lin Xiangyi was a little frightened.
He scooted away to put some distance between them, but the headache from expending too much energy still forced him to clutch his forehead.
Damn it, this is my first time doing such delicate Spiritual Power Guidance. I didn’t expect it to be this draining.
Seeing the man*’s retreat, Shen Ye wasn’*t bothered. She spoke slowly:
“You just output too much Spiritual Power. Right now, the one who needs to recuperate is you.”
Her voice was soft, like a feather tickling Lin Xiangyi’s ears, making his heart itch.
“Come, listen to me. Relax.”