Chapter 373: Don't Let Him Know I'm Here

The evening afterglow tinged the river water a warm golden hue.

Luoer gazed at the gently flowing river not far away, then suddenly turned his head and curiously asked Yu Lin:

"Yu Lin, why do you think fish can live in water? The longer I stay in it, the more I feel I'm about to die."

Yu Lin was casually watching the distant scenery; hearing that, he withdrew his gaze and replied offhand, "Fish probably also wonder why you can survive on land for so long."

"It has things you lack, you have things it lacks; each has its own way of living—completely normal."

"Indeed," Luoer thought for a moment, found it reasonable, and nodded.

Then, a solemn expression appeared on their face; they untied the heavy sack hanging from their waist and placed it on the wooden table before Yu Lin: "Here, back to you."

Yu Lin raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised: "Hm? Why?"

Luoer shook their head, speaking seriously: "You don't need my protection."

"Therefore I can't accept this money."

Yu Lin looked at their earnest demeanor, smiled faintly, and pushed the money sack back:

"But you forgot to count the cost of accompanying me to find someone."

Luoer again firmly pushed the sack back: "No, even accompanying you to find someone, I can't take money."

They paused, a sincere smile appearing, and repeated Yu Lin's earlier words:

"You just said we're friends, didn't you?"

Yu Lin stared at the sack before him, then at Luoer's serious expression, fell silent for a moment, then reached out to take the sack back, laughing:

"Yes. Luoer, I really am liking you more and more."

Luoer felt a bit embarrassed by his words, scratched their head, hadn't figured out how to respond, when Bei, who had been listening attentively nearby, suddenly interjected, tone tinged with anticipation and a barely perceptible hint of sourness:

"What about me? If I also stay by your side all the time, could you like me more as well?"

Her use of "like" clearly carried a different meaning.

Yu Lin: "........"

He helplessly pressed his forehead, almost forgetting the persistent master beside him.

He looked at Bei and patiently explained, "Bei, the 'like' I speak of is the appreciation between friends, not the kind you mean."

Seeing her eyes dim, Yu Lin softened his tone and added:

"Anyway, Bei, just now in front of Lamai, you tried to stand in front of me; that intention moved me deeply."

He paused, then asked, "Is there anything you want? Perhaps I can help fulfill it."

Bei's eyes lit up at his words, instinctively about to blurt out "I want you," but as the words reached her lips she realized it was impossible, so she shifted tone and said:

"Really? Then I want... to keep staying by your side!" She made that request, then couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Um... why exactly are you looking for that person named Noah? Is he important?"

Yu Lin gave no further explanation, merely smiled mysteriously and offered a vague answer: "In time, you'll find out on your own."

He stood up, glanced at the sunset already sunk completely below the horizon, as the sky darkened rapidly.

He nodded at the two, and headed toward his own room in the temporary dwelling.

"See you tomorrow, sweet dreams."

The night was as black as ink, enveloping Enoch City.

A building in the city stood out conspicuously, far more magnificent and ornate than the surrounding rugged stone houses; its walls of stacked boulders were even carved with intricate patterns that glimmered with a cold, hard sheen under the thin moonlight.

In front of the door, two towering guards stood like statues, their eyes vigilantly scanning the darkness‑swallowed street, strictly forbidding any unnecessary approach.

Here is the City Lord Lamai's residence.

Late at night, when everyone should be asleep, Lamai paced anxiously in the great hall lined with beast skins.

His towering silhouette cast wavering shadows on the wall, his heavy brows tightly knit, his gaze occasionally flicking to the tightly shut, massive Wooden Door, as if awaiting some impending presence.

Time passed in dead silence; the darkness outside the window was so dense it wouldn't dissolve, and even the bright glow emitted by the burning sunlight tree branches at the doorway seemed unable to pierce the profound night—light, shortly after leaving its source, was swallowed by the invisible darkness, barely illuminating a small patch before the door.

All sounds fell silent; even the wind seemed to have halted.

At that moment—

Step.

A sound exceedingly faint, yet clear as if footsteps struck directly upon the soul, rang out abruptly.

The sound did not come from outside the door; it seemed to emanate from the darkness itself.

Immediately, a heart‑pounding change occurred.

The boundless darkness beyond the doors and windows seemed to gain life, spreading and seeping into the house like viscous tide!

The steady halo of light from the sunlight tree branches was forcibly suppressed and driven back by this invisible dark force; the light's area shrank dramatically, eventually pitifully clinging to a tiny spot at the core of the source, as if fearing something.

The entire hall was swiftly filled with a deeper, older shadow, and the temperature seemed to drop suddenly.

A figure silently appeared in the densest part of the hall's shadow, as if he were part of the darkness itself.

He did not deliberately exude aura, yet the whole space stilled because of his arrival.

It was not the oppressive force Lamai wielded through size and violence, but a solitude and coldness emanating from the very essence of existence, chilling the soul.

He stood there, like the source of all shadows, the core of all silence.

Then a deep male voice sounded, devoid of any emotion yet carrying a sense of age and authority, piercing Lamai's eardrums and imprinting his consciousness:

"Lamai, you summoned me..."

The voice paused briefly, the pressure suddenly doubling.

"It'd be best if you have something that interests me."

Lamai, upon seeing the ancestor emerging from the shadows, instantly wore an expression of overwhelming joy, as if clutching a lifeline.

However, Gai Yin's cold, bone‑chilling words, devoid of any warmth, fell like a bucket of ice water, making his heart shiver; he quickly bowed, his tone trembling with fear and urgency:

"Yes, ancestor! I would never dare disturb your peace over trivial matters!"

He briskly walked to the side, cupped a pre‑prepared stone slab in both hands, and on the slab a rough yet clear line drawing of a portrait was etched.

It was the likeness of Yu Lin that he had painstakingly reconstructed from memory.

Though only vaguely similar and the subtle aura between the brows was hard to capture fully, anyone who knows Yu Lin could generally recognize who was depicted.

"Oh?" Gai Yin had originally glanced offhand, as if sweeping away a speck of dust.

He had long seen too many "great events" in Lamai's eyes, most of which were merely boring power squabbles or violent conflicts.

Yet at the instant his casual glance was about to shift away, his gaze suddenly locked onto the portrait on the slab!

The ancient, weary and indifferent expression on his face instantly melted away, replaced by an extremely complex, indescribable shock, even tinged with a hint… of an incredulous dread?

In the next instant, without giving Lamai any time to react or explain, Gai Yin's figure, together with the suffocating deep shadow that filled the hall—was erased as if by an invisible giant hand, vanishing without a trace!

Only a low growl, laced with frantic fury, lingered in the hall's stagnant air like a cold arrow, hammering into Lamai's mind:

"You damned fool! Don't let him know I'm here!"