71: Chapter 71 Lin Yin's Determination

After eating a few bites, Lin Yin remembered the morning's arrangements. Curious, she asked softly, "Brother Tian, did you specifically ask me, Lin Feng, and two thousand brothers to stay behind today because there's something special planned?"

As she spoke, she raised her eyes to look at Lin Tian, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids.

"Oh, that." Lin Tian quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and took a sip of soup to wash it down, explaining casually,

"Last night, I reached an agreement with another lord named Lord Su Wan and signed an alliance contract. She has a 'secret realm challenge token' and invited me to form a team to explore it together. There is no real risk of death inside that Secret Realm, it's a rare opportunity, and the rewards should be good. So, I plan to take you, Lin Feng, and two thousand elites along. It will provide mutual support, and we can also see what other territories are like."

His tone was ordinary, as if he were discussing the most natural piece of official business. However, to Lin Yin, it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.

"Another lord, Lord Su Wan?" Lin Yin's chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly. "An alliance contract?" "Discussed and agreed upon while chatting last night?"

These keywords were like needle tips, pricking her gently. She keenly grasped the implicit information in Lin Tian's words: the other party was female, and Lin Tian had been in private contact with her last night, even reaching an alliance that required a certain foundation of trust.

An inexplicable emotion, one that she herself had not yet fully understood, quietly spread in her heart, carrying a trace of faint bitterness and an indescribable sense of vigilance.

Pretending to continue picking up food casually, her voice was a fraction lighter than before, carrying a hint of imperceptible probing: "Lord Su Wan... is she a female lord? Brother Tian, do you... talk with her... every night?"

Lin Tian was currently buried in tackling a piece of perfectly roasted pork and completely failed to notice the subtle changes in Lin Yin's tone and expression. Upon hearing this, he replied offhandedly without thinking:

"Judging by the name, she should be a woman, but I haven't met the Immortal Master in person. We just chat a few times when trading supplies, and we talked a bit more last night while discussing the cooperation."

He spoke openly and honestly, with the attitude of a purely commercial partner and ally.

However, hearing these words, Lin Yin automatically filled in a different meaning.

"Chatting every night while trading," "talked a bit more last night while discussing cooperation," "signed an alliance contract"... These pieces of information connected rapidly in her mind, outlining a blurry but vaguely unsettling image—a stranger, a female lord who could converse with "Brother Tian" in the dead of night and reach an important cooperation.

"Hum..." Lin Yin felt as if a string in her mind had lightly resonated, and her fingers holding the chopsticks tightened slightly. A surge of indescribable panic and a trace of an extremely faint, yet real, sense of crisis welled up in her heart.

Brother Tian is so outstanding, so powerful, and treats people so well... Could that female lord named Lord Su Wan also feel something for Brother Tian...? Even if Brother Tian doesn't have any ideas right now, what if the other party does? Chatting every single night...

She didn't dare to think any further, only feeling a tightness in her chest, and her appetite seemed to have dissipated quite a bit.

Although she tried hard to maintain a calm expression on her face, a shallow, unnatural flush quietly crept up to her ears and cheeks. She lowered her head, staring at the rice in her bowl as if it were some profound rune.

"Lin Yin? What's wrong? Why are you spacing out? Eat quickly, the food is going to get cold."

Lin Tian finally noticed her abnormality. Seeing her holding her chopsticks without moving for a long time, her eyes drifting, and her cheeks flushed, he couldn't help but find it funny. He reached out and waved his hand in front of her, "Is there a grain of rice on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Ah? No, nothing!" Startled by his voice and movement, Lin Yin jerked her head up. The flush on her face deepened, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes. She quickly found an excuse, "I, I was just thinking about the details of last night's battle, and I got a bit distracted. Sorry, Brother Tian." As she spoke, she hurriedly shoveled a couple of bites of rice into her mouth to cover up her loss of composure.

"Oh, so that's what you were thinking about." Lin Tian didn't suspect anything, thinking she was affected by the lingering effects of last night's terrifying roar, so he softened his voice to comfort her:

"Don't be afraid. The Secret Realm challenge is said to be very safe, nothing will actually go wrong. As for that ghost thing from last night... together, we'll figure it out sooner or later, and then solve it! Don't worry, you have Brother Tian here." He then patted his chest, displaying a reliable demeanor.

"Mm, I believe in Brother Tian." Lin Yin replied softly, but in her heart, she secretly made up her mind: that "sooner or later" must happen faster!

She wanted to become stronger, stronger than anyone else! Strong enough to clear away all obstacles on Brother Tian's path forward, including... anyone or anything that might have improper thoughts about Brother Tian or bring him danger! Brother Tian's safety and... his heart, can only be guarded by her!

Once this thought arose, it quickly took root. When she looked up at Lin Tian again, the confusion and panic in her eyes had been replaced by a deeper, firmer tenderness.

As if having made up her mind about something, she began to incessantly use serving chopsticks to put food into Lin Tian's bowl—braised pork, pan-fried meat patties, tender vegetable hearts... In a short while, Lin Tian's rice bowl was piled into a small "mountain of food."

"Hey? That's enough, that's enough, Lin Yin. You should eat too, don't just focus on me." Lin Tian looked at the rice bowl that had instantly crested over, feeling somewhat amused yet warm inside. This girl was exceptionally thoughtful today.

He also reciprocated by putting a few pieces of meat into her bowl, "You should eat more too. We might have a tough battle to fight today, so we need to conserve our strength."

"Mm, thank you, Brother Tian." Lin Yin looked at the extra food in her bowl, her cheeks slightly flushed, and the inexplicable bitterness in her heart seemed to be diluted, turning into a softer warmth.

The two of them continued to "comically" pick up food for each other like this. Although they didn't say much more, the atmosphere strangely became warm and harmonious again.

Ten minutes later, breakfast ended. Lin Yin deftly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and Lin Tian also straightened his robes.

The morning light was like a golden veil, gently spreading over the wide square in front of the Lords Mansion. When Lin Tian and Lin Yin walked out side by side, the scene before them was one of solemnity and order.

Two thousand elite veterans had already assembled under Lin Feng's orders.

They were not standing in their usual formations but were divided into four compact squads of five hundred, separated by several meters, standing in perfect unison.

These soldiers were true hardened veterans who had experienced the extermination of the Goblin tribe, multiple night battles, and especially the baptism of fighting the Rotting Skeleton Giant Bear last night. Although they stood silently, the fierce toughness and Killing Intent that had been rolled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood rippled through the air like invisible waves.

Their armor gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the morning light, their long spears standing like a forest, and an aura of readiness and sharp energy rushed toward them.

Lin Feng stood at the very front of the four squads like a javelin. He had changed into a full set of Red Sun battle armor. Even without activating any skills, the dark gold armor naturally flowed with a layer of faint, warm radiance, reflecting the morning light and appearing even more majestic.