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Is there something outside?

Shen Yuan frowned as he looked outside. It was night, but with the bustling trade in Jiangnan, lights from boats were visible everywhere, creating a lively scene rather than a pitch-black void, providing a sense of security instead of fear.

The ’thing’ the little girl referred to was clearly not one of those reassuring presences...

"What are you referring to?" Shen Yuan asked in a low voice, looking at the girl whose face had turned pale.

"I don’t know..." the little girl lowered her head, covering it with her hands, "I dare not look in that direction, I don’t know what it is, but it’s watching me... always watching me!"

"Silly girl, are you talking nonsense again?" Yun Yuye immediately frowned. The child had always been babbling about spirits, and this time, when she was finally being regarded highly, she acted like this. What if she made a bad impression?

"It may not be nonsense..." Shen Yuan, however, took her seriously.

Because he remembered, Dean Chen had mentioned that people with the Spirit Eye were rare, not only because such a gift was hard to come by, but also because they were easily targeted by demons!

These individuals were sensitive and would often become acutely aware when a demon laid eyes upon them.

However, the issue was, some demons concealed within the human world didn’t necessarily harbor ill intentions towards people, but they would definitely hide their identities.

If discovered, even if they had no initial malice towards you, they would thereafter.

It’s like a hidden murderer being detected by you, who originally had no grudge against you, but would attack you just to silence you.

"Do you feel... there’s something with malicious intent towards you?" Shen Yuan asked softly and gently.

The girl’s eyes brightened at his words, and she nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at grain!

Yun Yuye was startled by his words, "Mister, what do you mean by that?"

"Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious," Shen Yuan quickly reassured her, "There are War God Army guards on this ship, and the leading General is none other than Huang Feihu, who recently won a great victory. With him here, nothing can harm the child."

Hearing the name Huang Feihu, Yun Yuye relaxed a little.

Being from Yunzhou, the reputation of Huang Feihu was, of course, legendary to them. Among the Warrior Generals of Yunzhou, General Feihu was the most distinguished and the one her daughter admired.

Indeed, upon hearing the name Huang Feihu, the girl’s pale complexion instantly improved significantly, and she cautiously asked, "Then... where... where is General Feihu? Can he... stay closer to me?"

"You girl, giving orders now?" Yun Yuye immediately glared at her.

"Alright, I’ll ask," Shen Yuan stood up at once.

"Really?" The girl’s eyes lit up, she had merely asked casually, not expecting him to agree so readily.

The thought of meeting General Feihu soon made the girl’s cheeks flush even more.

Yun Yuye noticed her behavior and grew suspicious. This child couldn’t possibly be pretending just to get close to General Huang Feihu, could she? That would not be good. She would have to have a serious talk with her later to make sure her daughter didn’t develop such an artificial personality.

Shen Yuan chuckled, "No worries, General Feihu has an honest nature; he’s easy to deal with. I’ll just ask him to come over."

The girl blushed and lowered her head, saying no more.

Seeing her shy demeanor, Shen Yuan shook his head with amusement and stood to walk outside, but his eyes betrayed a touch of unease.

Actually... he had also felt somewhat uneasy since a moment ago.

The girl’s fear made him increasingly suspect that their group might indeed be targeted.

Could it be a demon?

But in Jiangnan, there is the Gate God, and the various Lords of the Underworld keep watch. What kind of demon could enter?

With a heavy heart, Shen Yuan walked toward the front of the cabins and found Weichi Feihu chatting with an old man.

Shen Yuan glanced at him. He actually recognized the old man; it was Weichi Honglie, a famously old general from the Weichi Clan. It is said that in this campaign, he was thoroughly outdone by the younger members of his family.

"How’s it going, Uncle Si? The ship’s stable, isn’t it?" Shen Yuan placed a jar of wine in front of him, and despite the fast speed of the ship, the wine in their brimming cups didn’t spill at all, which made Weichi Honglie quite envious.

"Great ship, great ship indeed!" the old man exclaimed as he touched the ship’s wooden surroundings. For a ship this size, reportedly built with a steel keel, it was truly impressive and extremely practical—able to achieve such speed even against the current, while also being so stable?

"That’s nothing..." Weichi Feihu boasted proudly, "I’ve heard that in Yunzhou, there’s a Mister Wei who is building a huge ship entirely reinforced with steel girders, and its speed will be three times that of the current mainstream warships.

Hmph, when that time comes, our Jiangnan naval forces will be able to reach the Eastern Sea in less than half a month! "

Weichi Honglie was stunned, somewhat astonished, "All steel girders? Ships made of iron? Will they be able to float?"

"What’s there not to float?" Weichi Feihu rolled his eyes at him, "The magicians at the academy have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. It wouldn’t surprise me if one day they manage to create an iron ship that flies in the sky."

"Is it that miraculous?" Weichi Honglie’s eyes widened.

"If it’s really as this damn kid says, the Yin Yang Academy under Chen Qing’s control is way more useful than the one in the Capital City."

Shen Yuan, who was walking over, heard this and his face was streaked with dismay.

Although both of them belonged to the Weichi Clan, they were now in different camps, right?

Showing off one’s own intelligence so carelessly, was that really okay?

Shen Yuan felt that in the future he might have to strengthen the protection of those students. These blabbermouths were even carelessly revealing locations and names, weren’t they afraid of others sending people to snatch them!

"General Feihu!" Shen Yuan approached and said sternly, "You seem to be in good spirits, even drinking."

"Oh, Mister Shen?" Weichi Feihu immediately got up, chuckling, "This is Hongsen Wine from Daqing Mountain. Mister Shen, would you like a drink?"

The two of them could be considered old acquaintances from Lyuzhou.

Back in the day, they had taken different paths: one joined the War God Army, one went to the academy, and another to Daqing Mountain.

Now, two years later, after gaining fame from a battle, he became a well-known general, while Shen Yuan thrived in the academy and became one of the representatives of the Heavenly Institute.

This Nanming Prefecture’s grand formation was initiated by the other party with the idea of using Rune Stones to set up the formation.

It was said that Dean Chen had the intention to invite the other party to stay at the academy as a lecturer.

Then there was Wei Gongzhan, that damn kid, who became famous on Daqing Mountain because of the popularity of Hongshen Wine. Thinking back, it was really nostalgic. He remembered that at the beginning, the three of them were mixed in with the refugees, receiving relief together...

"I’ll pass on the drink..." Shen Yuan gave him a sidelong glance, "We’re on a mission right now. General Feihu, please take it seriously. Don’t let your recent victory be followed by capsizing on a minor mission."

"Joking..." Weichi Feihu immediately laughed, "Does anyone in Jiangnan dare to touch a military ship?"

Speaking of the internal security in Jiangnan, it was so good that one could say it was a place where people did not pick up lost property on the road.

Naturally, when everyone was living well, the moral standard also rose with the tide.

Nowadays, in Jiangnan, there were hardly any heard cases of river pirates.

"Things are different now..." Shen Yuan said gravely. "With the Emperor opening up Nanming Prefecture this time, I suspect quite a few inexplicable things have infiltrated. General, it’s better to be cautious."

"You’re really cautious," Weichi Feihu said, standing up. Although he spoke casually, his eyes were beginning to show seriousness, "Did you sense something?"

"That little girl seems to feel something has malicious intent towards her..."

"Really?" Weichi Feihu was taken aback and was about to tease him, wondering if the girl felt too watched by you and perhaps wanted you to stay away from her, or something like that.

But before he could speak, Weichi Feihu’s expression suddenly changed, turning somber in an instant!

"What’s wrong?" Shen Yuan immediately sensed ominous signs.

"Uncle Four!"

"Hm?" Weichi Honglie was startled, "What’s the matter?"

"Protect Mister Shen for me, remember, don’t leave his side, not even for a step!" He then looked at Shen Yuan, "Stay with my Uncle Four, don’t wander off. Remember, no matter what happens, do not leave this place!!"

"This..." Seeing the seriousness in his manner, even Weichi Honglie couldn’t help but stand up, "Tiger, what exactly happened?"

But Feihu had already vanished from the room, departing with such urgency.

"Feihu?" Shen Yuan couldn’t help but call out the name, "Be careful!"

He could sense that Weichi Feihu must have noticed something dreadfully serious. It looked like the little girl wasn’t joking!

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Damn it, what the hell is this, daring to mess with my people?

With a dark countenance, Weichi Feihu had his veins throbbing, his Divine Power coursing through his meridians without reservation, rushing at top speed toward the room where Yun Yuye and her daughter were!

He had just felt that his men had met with trouble!

The two guards stationed outside the mother and daughter’s cabin had vanished in an instant!

Those were his trusted subordinates, Fifth Rank warriors, the equivalent of Third Rank Warriors in terms of military status. In the Imperial Court, they could each lead a thousand soldiers as a Colonel!

But just now, without making a single noise, the men were gone!

If it weren’t for his divine seal’s intuition, he might not have even known they were dead...

"Oh, isn’t this the young general of the Weichi clan?"

A mocking voice almost whispered into his ear, causing Weichi Feihu to stiffen. He could feel those soft lips close to his earlobe!

In an instant, he felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit!