Volume One: Entering the City Chapter Thirty-Six: Cunning

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Sensing Lu Yi’s anxiety, the Demon Eye released a faint aura. The Demon Hunter, which had vanished somewhere, immediately soared up and darted toward Lu Yi. A black beam shot from the Demon Eye, knocking the Demon Hunter off course. Perhaps because the Demon Eye had absorbed new energy, the intelligence within the Demon Hunter failed to react in time. The blade sliced along Lu Yi’s chest, and only when it reached the point where it touched both Katerina’s arm and Lu Yi did the Demon Hunter finally respond, bursting forth with a flash of white light.

The phantom behind Katerina erupted at that moment. Since the Demon Hunter severed the link between them and shielded Lu Yi from some of the power, the two safely separated.

Seeing the Demon Hunter about to fly toward Lu Yi’s left eye again, Katerina hurriedly grabbed it, muttering an incantation. She let the Demon Hunter graze her arm, and the previous wound vanished without a trace.

After completing this, Katerina glanced at Lu Yi, slid the Demon Hunter back into her dagger’s sheath, then quickly tapped several points on his body. Blood-drawn symbols appeared one by one and seeped into Lu Yi’s body.

With everything done, Katerina exhaled in relief, her body weakened as she knelt to the ground.

Only then did Lu Yi notice that the Purifying Night, which radiated white light, had somehow returned to the ground, plunging the surroundings into darkness again.

“It’s all right. It’s gone,” Katerina said, swaying as she tried to stand. Lu Yi hurried to support her, and after a moment’s thought, simply picked her up. “Where do you want to go?”

“Take me to the rooftop.” Katerina, surprised at first, quickly regained her composure.

“The rooftop?” Lu Yi was taken aback. “What for?”

“My senior is coming to pick me up,” Katerina smiled faintly. “You’re rather lucky, you know. If you’d come looking for me tomorrow, I wouldn’t be here anymore.”

“Has something happened?” Lu Yi asked absently, remembering the city’s mention of a looming major event. “Is something big about to take place?”

“Oh?” Katerina sized him up. “Who told you that?”

Lu Yi chuckled awkwardly. Now, carrying Katerina to the staircase, he noticed the cracks along the steps and remembered Li Xinran still unconscious on the other side. He hesitated, “Is this building safe?”

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“Don’t worry, it won’t collapse anytime soon,” Katerina said plainly. “As for the two over there, you don’t need to worry either. With my wards protecting them, nothing strange will attack.”

Lu Yi, reassured by her words, continued upstairs with Katerina in his arms.

They climbed in silence until they reached the seventh floor. Suddenly, Katerina turned and hooked her arm around Lu Yi’s neck, lightly brushing her lips against his. Lu Yi was stunned—what was this?

“I’ve realized you’re the one who’s taken the most liberties with me. Think of this as your reward,” Katerina said with a mischievous smile.

Lu Yi was baffled, but then sensed something within him slowly dispersing. An uneasy feeling crept over him. “What does it actually do?” he asked, pushing open the door to the rooftop.

Katerina looked at him with surprise, then understanding. “It seems you’ve absorbed so much of my blood that you can feel the spell I cast.”

Seeing his curious expression, Katerina leaned in and whispered, “Honestly, I never thought you’d come to find me again. I’m not ordinary, and though others don’t know it, I’ve heard rumors about you. So during our first meeting, I placed an enchantment on you. If you ever did certain things I forbid, or—”

She whispered a few unsavory words in his ear, and Lu Yi’s face turned helpless. Katerina laughed melodiously. “If you did any of those, you’d go boom and spread out in all directions,” she said, making an explosive gesture with her hands.

Cold sweat broke out on Lu Yi’s forehead, and he silently thanked his luck that nothing happened between him and Li Xinran—otherwise, he’d be dead already.

Seeing his reaction, Katerina laughed again and reached out to wipe his sweat. “Because you didn’t trigger my spell, when you came to find me, I was surprised but chose to protect you.

But I never expected you’d come to ask me to protect someone else. Your actions really surprised me,” Katerina said, her beautiful eyes gazing at Lu Yi with a hint of admiration.

Lu Yi felt secretly ashamed; he hadn’t originally intended to ask Katerina to help Xu Anxuan.

Katerina continued, “Once here, I noticed you have a close relationship with one of the girls, but the other was actually the one attacked. So when I started healing her and sensed It’s arrival, I told you directly.

I did this to test you—I wanted to see if you’d do as that man said, and kill the girl to guarantee your own safety.”

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“In reality, you tried your best to save her, restored her breathing, and followed my instructions even in crisis, without ever considering such thoughts. That’s why I decided to grant you a protective charm,” Katerina said, giving Lu Yi a sidelong glance. “Though, you certainly took advantage of me in the process.”

Lu Yi found Katerina’s gaze hard to endure; her words made him feel genuinely embarrassed.

Katerina glanced at the sky and quickly slipped a black postcard into Lu Yi’s pocket. “Every city has a visible guardian, but most are sent later, following orders from institutions similar to the Demon Hunter organization.

But some places have native powerful figures, born and raised there, acting as another kind of guardian. This person is of the latter sort. If you have something worthy, you can seek his help, but money won’t move him. Also, he’s a black sorcerer, so don’t bother trading Demon Hunters for protection.”

With that, Katerina jumped from Lu Yi’s embrace. He was concerned for her health, but she seemed almost completely recovered.

“You—” Lu Yi pointed at Katerina.

She flashed a sly smile. “You didn’t think I was so fragile, did you? I was only weak at first; I recover quickly.”

“Uh, when is that?” Lu Yi immediately regretted asking.

Katerina gave him a playful glance. “How could you take so many liberties with me, carry me upstairs, and still hesitate?”

“I’m willing, I’m willing,” Lu Yi replied, feeling indebted after all the benefits he’d received from her. He couldn’t muster a strong answer now.

“That’s more like it. By the way, with all the blood you’ve absorbed from me, your body’s been strengthened a lot. I watched you carry me up here without panting or sweating, so I’d say you’re still taking advantage of me,” Katerina said, nudging him with her elbow.