When it came to asking someone for help, Ruan Tao first thought of Gao Yang.
Although this person was particularly annoying and didn’t think highly of her, seeing her as a little burden… it didn’t change the fact that he was a steady, reliable person.
At the very least, many of the tasks on Lu Yingzhu’s side were handled by him, and he did them quite well.
Plus, he could keep secrets…
Anyway, he was far better than that fool Ling Xing.
This time, Ruan Tao didn’t use her hamster form to sneak through the VIP passage. She transformed directly into a human and strutted through A3.
Medium and small teleportation devices were available on the market, but no one knew where Qian Bian had sourced his. He had access to teleportation devices from several Main Districts.
During her time in A9, whenever she had the chance, Ruan Tao had let him out, and over a few days, he had managed to get hold of the A9 teleportation device as well.
A3 was the largest Residential Area under Lu Yingzhu’s command, and Qian Bian had long since acquired a teleportation device there.
When Ruan Tao transformed into a human, Qian Bian could shrink to the size of a single District and sit on her shoulder like a Pikachu.
But he didn’t want to show himself in front of Lu Yingzhu yet. Before reaching the Administrative District’s entrance, he hid back in his exclusive beast stone.
Ruan Tao stood at the entrance, hands clasped behind her back, waving at the inspection device with a smiling face as she said, “Hello, is Lu Yingzhu here?”
Earlier, when Lu Yingzhu had sealed the Administrative District for a carpet-style search for a little girl, the guards assigned to hold the gate, who were the first to be notified, were naturally aware of the situation.
The guards exchanged glances, hesitant to open the door, and immediately called their captain, Ling Xing.
Ling Xing was currently the strongest in direct combat in all of A3. Rumor had it in the jianghu that his supernatural powers were extremely destructive and balanced in offense and defense. If he were just a little smarter, A3 wouldn’t even need Lu Yingzhu.
Everyone else was “beautiful, strong, and tragic,” but he was “beautiful, strong, and foolish”… which was also quite tragic.
Ruan Tao didn’t wait long at the door before the heavy metal gates of the Administrative District slowly opened.
As soon as a crack appeared, a slender figure emerged—a person dressed in a beautiful, flowing-sleeved kimono, wearing wooden clogs, two long swords strapped at the waist, charging out with full force.
One hand rested on a sword hilt, but when he saw Ruan Tao from a distance, he took his hand off the hilt.
The entire Administrative District was encased in thick, special metal, like an indestructible steel fortress.
The entrance had a layer of metal floor tiles made of the same material, and beyond that was a stretch of sharp, fine gravel.
The wooden clogs clicked against the gravel as Ling Xing stopped in front of Ruan Tao. Because he had run so fast, strands of his hair stuck to the sides of his face, almost going into his mouth. He used his hands to brush them away, muttering angrily, “You actually came back!”
Ruan Tao said nothing.
Ling Xing, a cross-dressing big shot, had delicate and handsome features.
Today he wore a black kimono with red flowers and gold patterns, giving him an even more commanding presence.
But he wasn’t wearing makeup. Barefaced and a little haggard… he looked just like a beautiful, strong woman left alone in her chamber, scolding her wayward husband who stayed out all night.
The scoundrel Ruan Tao scratched the back of his head and quietly asked, “Where’s my brother?”
“…He had something to attend to, he’s not here right now,” Ling Xing said angrily. “Do you know how worried he’s been about you these past few days?”
Ruan Tao felt guilty and spoke even softer, “Then where is he now? I’ll go find him.”
Ling Xing became even more angry. “That place is something you can go to?!”
Ruan Tao asked, “What place?”
Ling Xing started to say, “Se-”
He had barely said one word when he saw the little girl in front of him looking at him earnestly, blinking her round eyes.
Ling Xing froze. That was close—almost let it slip.
Seeing that he refused to continue, Ruan Tao had to settle for another option. “Alright then, I’ll find someone else. Is Gao Yang here?”
Ling Xing was puzzled.
He pointed to the steel fortress behind him. “They’re all not here. You go in and wait.”
Ruan Tao said, “Why should I go in and wait if they’re not here? I’ll go find them myself, faster that way.”
Ling Xing frowned.
The surrounding air seemed to shift slightly. Ruan Tao felt her breathing was a little uncomfortable, like on a rainy day with extremely low air pressure, making one’s mood irritable.
She frowned along with him but didn’t say anything.
From a distance, she saw a guard at the steel fortress’s entrance shout something in their direction.
Ling Xing finally relaxed his brow, sighed helplessly, and said, “Fine, I give in. Mr. Lu was right. You’re not a little sister—you’re an ancestor.”
Ruan Tao was speechless.
Ling Xing added, “I happen to be going there too. I’ll take you to find them.”
He touched the gem embedded in the sword at his waist and took out an extremely smooth and full beast stone.
Even beasts had supernatural abilities. The stronger a beast’s abilities, the better the beast stone it required. The beast stones that Qian Bian lived in were all his own. In his words, they were “exclusive mansions.”
A beast stone of insufficient level couldn’t contain him at all.
This was also why, no matter how many times he was captured, he could always slip away from Fang Shan Huai.
Qian Bian had said that there simply wasn’t a beast stone on the market worthy of him.
The one Ling Xing held now seemed extremely close to Qian Bian’s “exclusive mansion.”
Ling Xing touched the beast stone.
In an instant, streams of light burst forth like fireworks, as if a ball of flame had suddenly exploded.
Then, slowly, in the center of the fire, a small, feathered creature appeared.
The little creature had a fiery red, perfectly round belly. On either side of its belly were a pair of beautifully colored wings, and from behind, several proud, flamboyant tail feathers trailed. Its crimson feet pressed on the ground.
Its head was covered in orange-red feathers, with golden eyes that shone brightly.
On the top of its head, a single curled tuft of fluff poked up.
The little creature stretched its wings, gradually growing in size, its belly becoming rounder and plumper.
In short, its appearance could be summarized as: the plumage of a phoenix, the size of a sparrow, the dimensions of an ostrich.
Ugly-cute, in the most endearing way.
“Chirp chirp,” the little creature said in its own way.
Human-form Ruan Tao couldn’t understand.
“Your bird is so beautiful,” Ruan Tao said sincerely.
She had never seen a sparrow with such splendid plumage.
The vein at Ling Xing’s temple twitched. For the sake of his treasure’s dignity, he patiently explained, “Chi Dan is a phoenix, not an ordinary bird.”
Ruan Tao: “…”
The round little creature really did not look like a phoenix. The name Chi Dan didn’t seem quite right either. She might as well call it “Eat Egg.”
Truly, you can’t judge a bird by appearances.
Chi Dan: “Chirp!”
Ling Xing jumped onto Chi Dan’s back, kneeling down, then reached out to Ruan Tao and pulled her up.
Having grown up causing mischief with her Big Brother, Ruan Tao’s skills in climbing walls and the like hadn’t been lost. As Ling Xing gave a firm pull, she easily climbed onto Chi Dan’s back.
To her surprise, Ling Xing’s hands felt somewhat rough.
His skin looked tender and delicate, and his hands appeared fair and smooth. As a cross-dressing big shot, he had a small frame and slender, long fingers. She hadn’t expected them to feel so solid when held.
Chi Dan flapped her wings, ran a few steps using the ground for leverage, and took off.
Though plump, her flight was wobbly but surprisingly fast.
Ling Xing used a shield to protect the area on Chi Dan’s back, making the small space stable and quiet.
Both of them knelt steadily on Chi Dan’s back, but Ruan Tao soon felt her legs go numb. She quietly shifted her legs while tilting her head to look at Ling Xing ahead, asking, “Where are we going now?”
Ling Xing casually touched the gem, then handed Ruan Tao a coat. “We’re going to find your brother.”
Ruan Tao asked, “Where’s my brother?”
Ling Xing replied, “Where we’re going.”
Ruan Tao: “…”
Even fools could beat around the bush sometimes.
She took the coat from Ling Xing and draped it over her legs, no longer worrying about her skirt riding up. She was finally free to sit however she liked.
“What did my brother go to do?” Ruan Tao asked, touching her nose. “Can’t you tell me?”
Ling Xing’s movements stiffened for a moment, then after a long pause, he slowly said two words: “Cannot.”
“Then let’s talk about other people’s secrets,” Ruan Tao, not noticing anything unusual, continued probing. “Do you know Fang Shan Huai?”
Ling Xing turned his head, giving her a wary glance. “I know him.”
Ruan Tao: “Does he have some big plan?”
“What big plan?” Ling Xing scoffed. “He just wants to learn how to control beasts. That doesn’t exist. Even if such a method really existed, it wouldn’t necessarily be able to control their family’s monster.”
Ruan Tao: “What monster?”
“You don’t know?” Ling Xing raised an eyebrow and was about to continue when he suddenly stopped.
“Mr. Lu was right,” he lowered his gaze, looking a bit disappointed. “I shouldn’t be learning how to talk, I should be learning how to shut up.”
Ruan Tao: “Don’t listen to my brother. He just likes to bully people.”
Ling Xing obviously didn’t believe her. “What nonsense are you talking?”
Chi Dan’s back was perfectly still. Not a single breeze, not a hint of lift or drop could be felt.
Ruan Tao was busy adjusting the coat over her legs, folding the edges neatly, and didn’t notice they had already landed somewhere.
She was fussing with the coat while continuing to badmouth her Big Brother.
“I’m not lying. He always bullies me,” Ruan Tao muttered. “He probably bullies you too, calling you foolish.”
Ling Xing retorted, “He doesn’t…”
Ruan Tao spoke of her brother’s faults, but her mind remembered all the good things Lu Yingzhu had done for her.
She absentmindedly touched a decorative pattern on Ling Xing’s coat. “Really, don’t hang around him. Come with me. He’s… that kind of person…”
Before she could finish, a voice came from behind.
“What kind of person am I?”
Ruan Tao: “…”
“Ruan Tao, didn’t our father teach you? When you speak ill of someone, that person stands right behind you.”
Ruan Tao: “…”
She had heard it, just hadn’t remembered. Now she would never forget.
Lu Yingzhu, the one being badmouthed, stepped out from behind them.
His District Chief uniform hung open over his shoulders, ripped in many places. His white shirt beneath was also tattered, yet every inch of exposed skin was flawless.
“Speak,” he raised an eyebrow, his expression dark. “What kind of person am I?”
Ruan Tao: “…”
“I’m a sick person,” he tore off his damaged coat and threw it to the ground. “And I was damn worried, looking for you everywhere!”
“D-Don’t be angry,” Ruan Tao hurriedly jumped down from Chi Dan’s back, picked up Lu Yingzhu’s coat, dusted it off, hugged it to her chest, and approached him. “I just had some things to do, that’s why I couldn’t tell you. And… and you…”
She gathered courage and added softly, “You’re also doing a lot you can’t tell me, right?”
Lu Yingzhu: “Stop trying to confuse me. Every excuse you make—I taught you that trick.”
Ruan Tao: “…”
He rubbed his temple, his voice hoarse. “At the very least… tell me you’re safe.”
Ruan Tao’s heart softened completely. She lowered her voice and said sincerely, “I’m sorry. I’ll find a way to report in every day from now on. Please don’t be angry… Big Brother.”
That heartfelt “Big Brother” left him powerless.
Lu Yingzhu’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He turned to Ling Xing beside him, displeased. “Why did you bring her here?”
Ruan Tao quickly positioned herself in front of the dazed Ling Xing. “Don’t blame him. I insisted he bring me.”
Lu Yingzhu snorted, then suddenly recalled something, warily looking at Ling Xing.
Then he glanced at little Ruan Tao, who was protected by Ling Xing.
…And looked at Ling Xing again.
He couldn’t help but uncontrollably recall one thing: the first day he discovered Ruan Tao, what had Ling Xing said then…?