Let us become Daoist partners!

At this moment, Chen Yuan's large hand began to become restless again, no longer moving upwards, but gradually downwards.

"I haven't even agreed to be your Dao Companion, and you're already getting handsy again!" Qin Shuhan said, a little shyly.

"Cough, cough." Chen Yuan withdrew his hand, pretending to be serious, and asked, "Then are you willing to be my Dao Companion?"

"No!" Qin Shuhan shook her head. "Unless, you only love me."

Chen Yuan was dumbfounded. That's too difficult, friend!

"If I abandoned Ye Baixi and the others for you, what would that make me but a beast? Do you really want your future beloved to be someone who abandons others?"

"But..." Qin Shuhan fell silent, her heart conflicted. As a Prodigy, she had her pride; for her future partner, she only wanted one person for one lifetime, a single pair.

Seeing Chen Yuan's sad expression, Qin Shuhan felt a slight pang in her heart. Suddenly, she spoke, "Why do you like me?"

Chen Yuan looked at her with deep affection, his voice magnetic:

"Liking doesn't need a reason. If you must ask why I like you, actually... more than your appearance, I like your voice, your personality. Senior Sister, though you appear aloof, you're warm-hearted inside. I like the feeling you give me. No matter how many times I say it, it's always that supreme moment of heart-fluttering sensation.

What standard is there for liking you? Liking is simply liking. It's the helplessness of having my emotions swayed by you, the brightness of a clear sky after rain when I see you speak, the heart-wrenching gloom of continuous rain because of a single word from you. It's wanting to make you happy from the bottom of my heart."

After hearing this, Qin Shuhan's heart pounded, and her heart trembled slightly.

"Am I really... that good?"

Such touching words of love, Chen Yuan had just spoken them.

"You are very good, so good that I feel ashamed of myself, so good that I'm afraid I'm not worthy of you."

As his words fell, Qin Shuhan immediately wrapped her arms around Chen Yuan's neck. Their eyes met, and love filled the air.

Suddenly, Qin Shuhan became shy and sobered up for a moment, stopping her impulsive move to kiss him.

However, Chen Yuan wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity and kissed her directly.

The moment their lips touched, Qin Shuhan's mind went blank, and she tightly closed her beautiful eyes.

Chen Yuan gently used the tip of his tongue to part Qin Shuhan's teeth.

Feeling the warm, moist tip of his tongue, Qin Shuhan suddenly widened her beautiful eyes, withdrew her hands, and tried to push Chen Yuan away.

However, Chen Yuan held the back of her head.

Saliva flowed in their mouths,

Becoming more and more intoxicating,

That tingling sensation spread throughout Qin Shuhan's body.

She couldn't help but wrap her arms around Chen Yuan's neck again.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Yuan reluctantly released Qin Shuhan.

At this moment, she was breathing heavily, and for some reason, she just couldn't catch her breath. A surge of True Qi was mobilized, then instantly dispersed.

Chen Yuan looked at Qin Shuhan. He had kissed her, touched her; surely she would agree now!

"Senior Sister, have you agreed to be my Dao Companion?"

However, Qin Shuhan didn't hear him at all. She lowered her head, gently pursing her lips.

The lingering saliva was still there, making her unable to hear any sound, only the 'thump-thump-thump' of her own heartbeat.

After a long while, Qin Shuhan finally recovered.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan asked again, "Senior Sister, are you willing to be my Dao Companion?"

Qin Shuhan was genuinely shy. She wanted to say 'I do' several times, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"I gave you my first kiss..." she finally managed to stammer out.

Chen Yuan's face lit up with joy, "Senior Sister, you mean you agree?"

"Mm."

Qin Shuhan nodded.

"Then when can I give you a big investigation?"

"Wh-what?"

"Cough, cough, nothing, I'm just too excited, a little incoherent."

"How excited?" Qin Shuhan asked curiously.

"Extremely excited! I can't believe it, Senior Sister, you've actually become my Dao Companion!"

After a while of tender intimacy, Chen Yuan immediately got to the point, asking, "Senior Sister, why did you encounter a Yao Beast ambush during your inspection of Liuyun City? The other party was clearly targeting you. Have you found anything?"

At the mention of this, Qin Shuhan's expression immediately became extremely solemn. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"I was ordered to go to Liuyun City because I received a secret report suspecting that Yao Race spies were using Liuyun City as a springboard to secretly infiltrate our Great Thousand Domain."

"Liuyun City is a transportation hub, with complex traffic, making it a key area for investigation."

She continued to explain, "On the surface, I was using a routine inspection as a cover, but secretly I was investigating several suspicious locations and several small merchant associations and Cultivators whose behavior had been abnormal recently.

Just as I found some clues, pinpointed several highly suspicious targets, and was preparing to dig deeper, I sensed that I was being watched."

"I immediately realized that I might have alerted the enemy. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I decided to stop the investigation and immediately return to the Sect to report. However..."

Qin Shuhan's voice carried a hint of coldness and lingering fear, "The other party seemed to know my whereabouts like the back of their hand. Led by a Late Stage Soul Transformation Yao Venerable, it was a powerful lineup with a clear objective: to silence me here."

"Only fellow Disciples and high-ranking officials of Liuyun City could have such precise knowledge of my movements. Fellow Disciples have long been vetted by the Sect, so the leaker must be among the high-ranking officials of Liuyun City.

They knew I had found crucial clues, so they wanted to eliminate me at all costs before I returned to the Sect!

The Late Stage Soul Transformation Yao Venerable who pursued me was clearly very familiar with the terrain of Demon King Mountain. If I hadn't used the trump card my Revered Master gave me, I'm afraid I would have really fallen here this time."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp cold light: "That is to say, within Liuyun City, not only are there Yao Race spies lurking, but they are also connected with the Yao Beasts of Demon King Mountain."

Most of the Yao Beasts of Demon King Mountain are descendants of ancient times, and they had long since lost contact with the Yao Beasts of Northern Barbarian.

Now it seems that the two have probably established contact with Northern Barbarian through Liuyun City or other hubs.

"Yes." Qin Shuhan nodded with certainty. Then, a hint of doubt appeared on her face,

"But there's still one thing I can't figure out.

After leaving Liuyun City, I was clearly very careful, confirming that I had shaken off all overt tracking, but that feeling of being secretly watched always lingered, only disappearing after I was forced into Demon King Mountain..."

She looked up at Chen Yuan, her eyes filled with speculation:

"That feeling of being watched, its concealment technique and spiritual energy fluctuations... are very similar to a secret art within our Qin Family.

And an old confidant servant by my stepmother Song Wan's side happens to be proficient in this art!"

"Song Wan?" Chen Yuan remembered the name.

"Yes." Qin Shuhan's tone was complex. "Although she is my stepmother, our relationship has always been distant. I don't know why she would send someone to hunt me down, nor do I know what connection she has with Liuyun City."

Chen Yuan frowned. Qin Shuhan's suspicion of her stepmother was without hesitation, implying that there might be some hidden secret between them.

"Shuhan, can you tell me about your Qin Family and your stepmother?"

A trace of hesitation flashed across Qin Shuhan's face, but she ultimately spoke.