Just a few minutes before calling Yin Qi, Yuan Mian shakily walked out of the hospital. Although it didn't seem quite appropriate to describe her this way given her age, there was no helping it; she was just too weak.

Moreover, after this round of treatment, Yuan Mian confirmed one thing—this hospital had a problem! The medications they used on her had issues!

In the past, Yuan Mian often came to this hospital for health maintenance, a practice that had gone on for many years. But she had never felt it so acutely before. Previously, she never left the Inner Ring, and any physical decline and recovery, if any, were on a smaller scale. But this time she had left the Inner Ring, and she had been away for a not insignificant period! All in all, nearly a month.

During this month, Yuan Mian was with Han Shiyu every day. As Lu Luo's woman, Han Shiyu naturally took great care of Yuan Mian. Lu Luo had once said that Yuan Mian was the key to his safely reaching the Inner Ring. Although Han Shiyu couldn't fully understand what Lu Luo meant at the time, she was still capable of taking care of Yuan Mian.

Han Shiyu was a Fifth Tier Believer of Light, powerful and highly capable. Perhaps in terms of healing power, she couldn't compare with Qi Xinzhu. But Han Shiyu herself was a medical doctor. Her grasp of basic medicine was far beyond Qi Xinzhu's reach. For most people, even those from the Inner Ring, a doctor of Han Shiyu's caliber was as top-tier as they come. Looking after a patient like Yuan Mian was more than manageable for her, and she was meticulously careful. Moreover, with Han Shiyu's lengthy stationing in the Outer Ring over the past year, her clinical skills had greatly improved. She had made a preliminary judgment about Yuan Mian's condition.

After several diagnoses, Han Shiyu felt that Yuan Mian's physical condition wasn't a common illness. Due to the extreme weakness of her Constitution, Han Shiyu couldn't carry out a very thorough examination. However, she could judge from her heart rate, Dark Energy Level, and limb recovery, among other aspects. Yuan Mian's illness was possibly man-made and not the result of conventional medical procedures.

Lu Luo and Han Shiyu had both made a similar judgment—it was simply impossible for Yuan Mian's physical Constitution to break through to the Fourth Tier. This was the strangest aspect of her body. Since it wasn't conventional medicine, the most likely possibility was alchemy.

Han Shiyu had discussed this several times with Yuan Mian, and she had also told Lu Luo about it. Before departing, Lu Luo had reminded Yuan Mian, "Don't trust anyone!"

Yuan Mian had always kept this sentence in mind because Lu Luo was her lifesaver, and naturally, she needed to heed what her lifesaver said. However, at the time, she questioned Lu Luo's statement. In Yuan Mian's view, there was a problem with the sentence itself. If she couldn't trust anyone, wouldn't that mean she couldn't even trust Lu Luo?

And Lu Luo's answer to her was very straightforward, "Yes, I have always been deceiving you. The first step in not trusting anyone is not to trust me. You must first learn not to trust me, and then question others!"

Lu Luo's words had a profound impact on Yuan Mian. If she couldn't even trust her lifesaver Lu Luo, then she truly could not trust anyone else, including the man who grew up with her, Yin Wei!

Yuan Mian, having just returned to the Inner Ring, still could not grasp the meaning of Lu Luo's words. But at this moment, she understood why Lu Luo told her not to trust anyone. She had been fine before entering the hospital arranged by Yin Wei, but after the treatment and rest, upon waking, Yuan Mian discovered her body had become weaker. This feeling was very obvious! Extremely obvious.

When she first arrived at the Fourth Ring, Yuan Mian's Constitution, as detected by Lu Luo's Observer, was only 0.17. After nearly a month of recuperation in the Outer Ring, tended to by Han Shiyu, her Constitution had recovered to about 0.2. It was still very low, but it was 0.03 higher than before. This small amount was about one seven-thousandth of Lu Luo's total Constitution. Yet, for Yuan Mian, this 0.03 accounted for more than one-sixth of her total. After experiencing some form of medication or healing in the Inner Ring, Yuan Mian's Constitution had returned to 0.17. Many people might not notice a change of 0.03. But she was Yuan Mian! For her, an improvement of one-sixth was immense. And losing that one-sixth was incredibly obvious.

So Yuan Mian realized! She understood one thing: Yin Wei was harming her, even trying to find ways to control her. Yin Wei had never told her a single useful truth; he was just exploiting the power of her Shadow Spirit ability.

Indeed, just as Mr. Lu Luo said, I can't trust anyone, can I? Even a childhood friend is just deception. If it hadn't been for Mr. Lu Luo's repeated emphasis and reminders, I would probably still think this was just physical fatigue, right? Haha, who would have thought that the only person in this world I can trust turns out to be an Outer Ring person? What irony.

Yuan Mian was actually very panicked when she realized this, but her panic didn't last too long because the wise Mr. Lu Luo had said that staying calm allows for the most correct decisions. Aside from Mr. Lu Luo, I don't have anyone I can trust anymore. So, what I should do now is to get in contact with Mr. Lu Luo!

Yuan Mian's mind had never been clearer; she knew what she needed to do. For instance, she needed to find a way to reach Lu Luo. Unfortunately, she didn't have Lu Luo's number, but it didn't matter; she had other ways!

Yuan Mian knew that Yin Wei had sent Yin Qi to find Lu Luo. When they were in the hospital room, she had actually been awake but hadn't let on. During this period, there was a high probability that Yin Qi had gone to find Lu Luo. This was her opportunity. She was going to do something she had never done before, something very bold!

"Hello, Yin Qi? It's Yuan Mian."

On the other end of the phone, Yin Qi responded doubtfully, "Yuan Mian? What do you want with me?"

Yuan Mian adjusted her breathing and said in a very cold tone, "How did the task he gave you go?"

If it had been before, Yin Qi would have definitely responded to Yuan Mian with arrogance. But this time, his encounter with Lu Luo had yielded no results. He hadn't accomplished any of the tasks Yin Wei had given him and had even been subtly brainwashed by Lu Luo. So, he subconsciously didn't want to answer this question.

"That's my business. What's it to you?"

"Judging by your tone, you didn't do a good job, did you? Since you messed up, why are you acting so arrogant with me?" In fact, as Yuan Mian said this, her own tone was rather arrogant.

Yin Qi sensed the difference in Yuan Mian this time, but he was feeling vulnerable. "Like I said, Lu Luo is my business. It has nothing to do with you. Why is a sick person like you meddling?"

Yin Qi's attitude wasn't very good, but Yuan Mian became even more certain that Yin Qi had definitely not completed the task assigned by Yin Wei. This was her chance!

"You're not planning to just come back like this, are you? Where are you now? I'll come find you."

Yin Qi looked even more astonished. Why had Yuan Mian suddenly taken an interest in these matters? "What are you planning to do?"

"Mr. Lu Luo is a very rational man. He taught me many things, and I'm particularly grateful to him. Moreover, when I was returning to the Inner Ring, I spoke highly of him. If you want to get information on him, I might be able to help you. Consider it completing the mission I didn't finish in the Outer Ring."

Yuan Mian used a kind of double-layered goading tactic, expressing her interest in Lu Luo with a challenging tone. This way, Yin Qi wouldn't suspect her real purpose, but she didn't know if he would take the bait.

When she finished speaking, Yuan Mian was very nervous. She had never engaged in such psychological games, like dancing on a knife's edge! But this time, she had clearly gambled correctly.

"Well... okay. I'm at Commercial Street No. 13. Come find me!"

"Okay, wait for me."

After hanging up, Yuan Mian gasped for air as if she had collapsed, her back soaked with cold sweat. But it didn't matter! It was all worth it. This was just her first step in dancing on the edge of blades. I must find Mr. Lu Luo.

On the other side, Yin Qi looked at his phone with a complex expression. However, he soon found his justification. Just Yin Wei's female lapdog, pah!

He thought Yuan Mian had come to help him deal with Lu Luo as a way to curry favor with Yin Wei. This had been the case for the past twenty years. Yuan Mian was indeed Yin Wei's female lapdog. Yuan Mian's Constitution was so weak that she was unable to engage in any strenuous activities. Otherwise, she would have been slept with by Yin Wei long ago.

But the Yin Qi of today, deep down, was somewhat reluctant to confront Lu Luo. Lu Luo's words kept echoing in his head. As long as I am useless enough, no one can use me! If everyone can become useless, why can't I? Why should I be Yin Wei's dog? Why not be useless? Useless people are still people, even if they're useless!

Yin Qi felt like he had realized many truths today, but he wasn't yet able to put them into action. He still lacked the courage to stand up to Yin Wei. Forget it, I'll just wait for Yuan Mian to come!

Sitting in the car, Zhang Yifan looked at Lu Luo with some curiosity. "Yin Qi coming to look for you probably doesn't bode well, eh? How come you two could still have a pleasant conversation?"

Although Zhang Yifan's tone was very normal at this moment, Lu Luo always felt that his words carried a guiding and instigating meaning.

Perhaps you are overthinking it?

Heh, perhaps! "Whether or not you can have a pleasant conversation with someone depends on the conversationalists' level," Lu Luo said. "If my level of conversation is much higher than his, then I really can have a more pleasant talk with him. That's called downward compatibility."

Lu Luo steered away from the topic, but Zhang Yifan did not stop trying to guide Lu Luo's thoughts.

"Hahaha! I think I get what you mean. You're saying that Yin Qi is too stupid, not up to your standard, and that's why you feel that way."

"I did not say that." Lu Luo pursed his lips. Although he hadn't said it, that's indeed what he had done.

Yin Qi should belong to the Yin Family of the Council of Thirteen. My impression of the Yin Family is essentially limited to the information from Yuan Mian. The person who's dealing with me... is it Yin Wei?

"Mr. Zhang Yifan, do you know anything about Yin Wei?"

Zhang Yifan paused briefly, a fleeting and inexplicable expression crossing his eyes, but Lu Luo was an Observer. Often, Lu Luo didn't need to stare into Zhang Yifan's eyes to spot concealed behaviors.

This Zhang Yifan... it's hard to say about him.

Lu Luo narrowed his eyes, waiting for Zhang Yifan's answer.

Zhang Yifan, propping up his chin, thought for a moment before beginning to share what he knew about Yin Wei, "Yin Wei is different from Luo Shan and the others. This guy is a sneaky one, often acting against the rules. Many people are annoyed by him. Why, do you have news? Was Yin Qi sent by Yin Wei?"

Lu Luo shook his head, "No, I don't understand the Inner Ring at all; I just wanted to ask. Is there any other information about Yin Wei?"

"Yin Wei, how should I put it... he's competent, but not well-liked, and he's rather calculative. The Yin Family, in the context of the Council of Thirteen families, is just considered a middle-tier family. Yin Wei once pursued the young lady, but she didn't even bother with him. After being rejected by her, Yin Wei didn't give up. Instead, he took a different approach and sought an audience with the Family Head alone. His purpose was to seek a personal strategic marriage, but the Family Head declined."

A personal strategic marriage? It seems this Yin Wei's ambitions are not small. "Why seek a personal marriage alliance? Isn't he the eldest son or heir in the family?"

"He's the eldest son, but, well, the situation in the Yin Family is different from ours in the Luo Family. Their Family Head, if nothing unexpected happens, should be able to live for a very long time. Moreover, he has no intention of delegating power. So Yin Wei can't wait; he's always trying to build up his own influence."

An old relic who can live a really long time? Like the Pope who lived over 200 years? Lu Luo nodded. If that's the case, then Yin Wei seeking his own development is somewhat understandable. But for him to provoke me is somewhat unreasonable. Because of Bai Yuetong? Even if Bai Yuetong doesn't end up with me, that doesn't mean she would go with Yin Wei, right? There's still something fishy about this situation. A scion who wants to align with the Luo Family? Without the support of a council family, could his reach really extend that far? Sigh, being in an unfamiliar environment really is complex.

"Thanks. I'm not familiar with the situation in the Inner Ring, so I might have to trouble you with many questions."

"No trouble. Maybe it won't be long before we're on the same side."

Zhang Yifan showed a hearty smile, but Lu Luo did not respond to his words. It was necessary to maintain the requisite politeness with Zhang Yifan. To some extent, he wasn't as amiable as he appeared. Moreover, whether Lu Luo would become one of them with the Luo Family was still up for debate. Though his relationship with Bai Yuetong was basically confirmed, Bai Yuetong couldn't represent the Luo Family, nor could he represent the Circular. Rather than becoming one family, Lu Luo felt that equal cooperation between the two parties was more ideal. Worst comes to worst, I could snatch Dumb Hair back and make her my captive bride!

"Heh, maybe."

Zhang Yifan, seeing that Lu Luo had seen through his probing, wasn't angry and continued to joke, "What are your plans for coming to the Inner Ring this time? If you have any, you can tell me, and I can give you a heads-up in advance."

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