Simultaneous time travel: But our system is out of sync!

The night wind swept through the weeds beside the ruins of the Rose House, carrying the lingering smell of gunpowder and the damp, cold scent of the earth.

Broken bricks and twisted metal cast menacing shadows in the hazy moonlight. In the center of the chaos, the charred, human-shaped silhouette that once belonged to "Mikako" lay silently on the cold ground.

"He's not dead!"

Lin Bei's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, instantly shattering the eerie silence of the ruins.

"It...it's not dead yet?!"

Jasmine's gasp came out almost instinctively, her voice trembling with disbelief.

A tremendous fear gripped her, making her hair stand on end and almost causing her to jump up on the spot like a startled rabbit.

But just before her body sprang up, she suppressed her instinctive fear and sharply glanced to the side—Madame Rose was carefully poking at Mikako's charred, unrecognizable arm with a dry twig, as if studying a peculiar specimen.

"Rose! Danger!" Jasmine shouted, her movements as swift as lightning. She grabbed Lady Rose's wrist and yanked her several steps away from the "corpse," the force causing Lady Rose to stumble.

Then Jasmine began to lecture Lady Rose, like a helpless parent scolding their unruly child.

Almost in sync with Jasmine's movements, a clear, metallic scraping sound pierced the night sky: "Canglang—".

Jiro Ashina's long sword was already drawn from its sheath, its gleaming blade flashing a chilling light in the cold moonlight.

He lowered his body slightly, shifting his center of gravity, and assumed a standard fighting stance. His eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on the lifeless, charred body on the ground. All his muscles were tense, and he entered the highest level of alert.

Jasmine's horror and Jiro Ashina's drawing of his sword both stemmed from their profound understanding of the existence of "Mikako the Demon".

That was no ordinary evil spirit.

Lin Bei's casual "not dead" was nothing short of the most dangerous alarm for them.

Only Lady Rose, after being pulled away, blinked in confusion. She had never truly faced the terror of a demon and had no concept of Mikako's terrifying strength. She only found the charred thing quite novel.

He's a complete idiot roe deer.

However, the person named—Mikako—seemed completely oblivious to the sudden change in the tense atmosphere around her.

It remained motionless, like the most complete dead thing, without even the slightest breath, as if Lin Bei's words were just an insignificant gust of wind blowing across the ruins.

It did not die.

But this lack of reaction is not entirely a pretense.

It was so badly injured that even maintaining a semblance of disguise seemed like a luxury.

When the devastating explosives detonated in the confined space, she, like Lin Bei, was in the most intense purgatory of the explosion's power.

To this day, she still cannot understand what kind of inhuman methods Lin Bei used to emerge unscathed from the shockwaves and flames that were powerful enough to melt steel, and even... manage to protect her last remaining breath.

This sent a chill down her spine even deeper than the explosion itself. Why would he do this? Was it merely to prolong her suffering, or... was there a more terrifying purpose?

"Staying alive" is the greatest "mercy" Lin Bei has shown.

The moment the explosion occurred, the violent energy, like countless invisible giant hammers, instantly tore apart and carbonized most of her proud demonic body.

This charred body, barely maintaining its human form, was only forcibly glued together and reshaped in a very short time thanks to the almost abnormal self-healing ability of the demon bloodline. Beneath the charred skin, new flesh buds were wriggling and connecting with difficulty.

However, a meager repair of the body is far from a complete restoration.

Those internal organs that were completely pulverized and charred in the explosion—heart, lungs, liver… these core organs that sustain life are far less likely to regenerate than tough muscles and bones.

At this moment, her body felt like an empty shell, shattered and then barely pieced back together; every faint flow of energy brought excruciating, tearing pain. Forget fighting back or escaping, she couldn't even lift a single charred finger. The only proof that she still "existed" was perhaps her barely blinking eyelids and barely audible thought processes.

Therefore, when faced with Lin Beina's question, Mikako chose to completely ignore it—play dead.

She didn't want to speculate whether Lin Bei had truly seen through her disguise or was just casually testing her.

Every minute and every second was incredibly precious to her. She had to mobilize all her remaining ghostly power and frantically push her self-healing. Only by allowing her shattered internal organs to regenerate and reconnect, and at least regain basic mobility, could she have a slim chance of survival.

Otherwise, even if Lin Bei turned away now, convinced that she was dead, she could only lie there like a lump of mud, watching helplessly as the eastern sky turned a pale white, and then, under the first rays of sunlight, she would turn into nothingness, leaving not even ashes.

Therefore, regardless of whether Lin Bei's voice was mocking or cold, repetitive or threatening, Mikako's "corpse" remained absolutely still, carrying out her feigned death to the very end. Beneath her charred exterior lay a silent, desperate, race against time to heal herself.

Looking at Meijia's "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" attitude, Lin Bei was not annoyed at all. Instead, a playful smile appeared on his lips.

He was experienced and had many methods for dealing with such cunning, stubborn, and unscrupulous evil spirits.

The night was still dark, and there was still a long time before dawn. He had plenty of patience to play with this "coke" who was pretending to be dead.

He strolled leisurely a couple of steps, found a relatively flat spot on the still-warm wreckage of the explosion, and sat down. His gaze swept over the wary Ashina Jiro, the bewildered Jasmine, and the still curious Lady Rose. He cleared his throat and spoke in a calm tone, as if imparting knowledge:

"Evil spirits are cunning by nature, and have no morals or bottom line whatsoever."

His voice was exceptionally clear amidst the silent ruins, "Look at it now, it looks completely dead. No matter how we shout or poke it, it doesn't react at all, it's just like a real corpse. But!"

Lin Bei changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat warning, "This is very likely the evil spirit's favorite trick—playing dead! The purpose is simply to lull us into a false sense of security, to make us lower our guard, and then, when we think everything is fine and turn our backs on it or get close to it, it will suddenly pounce like a venomous snake and launch a deadly sneak attack!"

He paused, then his gaze returned to Mikako with a hint of regret:

"What a pity, it didn't react at all when I tested it just now. Now even I can't figure out if this guy is really dead, or if his acting is just too good."

Lin Bei shrugged, making a helpless expression. "So, in order to completely determine whether this evil spirit is real or not, I have four ancestral... cough, reliable methods that have been verified."

He held up one finger, a confident look on his face that seemed to say, "This first trick is the simplest, easiest, and most effective—feed it wild vegetables!"

"Huh?" Lady Rose and Jiro Ashina both exclaimed in surprise, and even Jasmine frowned slightly.

Lin Bei seemed oblivious to their reactions, continuing his explanation: "Because evil spirits are bloodthirsty monsters through and through! Their diet consists of only one thing—human flesh and blood! Anything else is poisonous, filthy, and an unbearable torment to them! Especially..."

He emphasized his words, his gaze sweeping across the overgrown wasteland around him. "These wild vegetables and mushrooms that grow in the soil are things they absolutely despise! As long as this evil spirit has a breath left, it will absolutely not tolerate this kind of 'food.' If you force it into its mouth, it will instinctively and uncontrollably spit it out on the very first bite! This reaction is impossible to fake."

As soon as Lin Bei finished speaking, the three reacted in completely different ways.

Lady Rose had an almost blind adoration and trust in Lin Bei. In her eyes, Lin Bei's words were the truth, and his methods were the most effective! She didn't even have the slightest doubt, and her beautiful eyes immediately shone with the light of "completing the mission."

"Wild vegetables? Great! I'll go find the freshest ones right now!"

Like a cheerful, silly roe deer, she twirled her skirt and excitedly ran towards the weeds at the edge of the ruins, bending down to search carefully, as if picking some precious ingredients.

Ashina Jiro frowned, his grip on the hilt of his sword remaining firm.

He had indeed seen the twisted monsters known as "Eye-Ear Ghosts," but they were more like the failed product of some forbidden experiment, fundamentally different from the pure, man-eating demons of legend.

He had no experience in determining whether a real evil spirit was dead.

Is the test just about "eating grass"?

This method sounded... far too childish, far too absurd! It was practically a trick to fool children. He was filled with doubt; could this really work? Were the habits of demons truly so strange?

However, his profound understanding of Lin Bei's formidable strength and the trust he had built up over time ultimately overwhelmed his doubts. He glanced at Lin Bei's calm yet unquestionable gaze, then at the charred "corpse" on the ground, took a deep breath, and slowly sheathed his long sword.

Well, Lord Lin Bei's thoughts are hard to fathom; perhaps there's a deeper meaning behind this seemingly absurd method. He chose to obey and started walking towards the wilderness in the opposite direction from Lady Rose, beginning his search for "wild vegetables" that met Lin Bei's requirements. However, his gaze was more discerning; he seemed to be looking for more than just grass and leaves.

As for Jasmine, as a former orthodox demon hunter, she possessed the most crucial knowledge—that demons, once completely dead, would quickly turn to ashes and could never leave behind such a well-preserved charred corpse.

She was absolutely certain that Mikako was still alive, and that her heart (if that charred lump of flesh could still be called a heart) was still beating extremely slowly and weakly.

She was equally certain that with Lin Bei's demonstrated insight, it was impossible for him not to see through this clumsy disguise.

So here's the question: Since Lord Lin Bei clearly knew the evil spirit wasn't dead, why didn't he just finish it off with a final blow and completely purify it?

Instead, they're conducting this strange "feeding wild vegetables" test here? What's really going on here? Jasmine was filled with confusion. She looked at Lin Bei's playful smile, trying to find the answer, but to no avail.

Ultimately, the hunter's discipline and reverence for the strong prevailed.

She knew that Lin Bei's strength was unfathomable, and that he must have his reasons for acting this way.

Perhaps it was some kind of special sealing method? Or perhaps... some kind of crueler punishment? In any case, obeying orders was her duty. Jasmine pursed her lips, suppressing the questions in her heart, and silently turned around, heading towards an area further away from the ruins where the light was dimmer and the vegetation was more lush, to begin searching for her "experimental materials."

For a moment, only Lin Bei and the charred corpse on the ground remained in the center of the ruins.

Lin Bei shifted to a more comfortable sitting position; the brick beneath him was a bit uncomfortable. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed, almost tangible, on Mikako's charred head. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a cold, penetrating quality, clearly reaching Mikako's remaining, highly tense auditory nerves:

"Hey, you on the ground."

His tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Are you really sure? Are you sure you want to keep up this dead-end act in front of me?"

He paused, as if giving the other person one last chance, his voice carrying a chilling undertone:

"Right now, I'm just going to feed you some wild vegetables as a small punishment. If you continue to be so ungrateful..."

Lin Bei's lips curled into a cruel smile. "What I 'feed' you later is not up to you or me. You only get one chance."

This blatant threat pierced Mikako's remaining consciousness like an ice pick. She felt a chill that ran deep into her soul.

But she was still gambling! Gambling that Lin Bei was just bluffing, gambling that he wasn't entirely sure she was still alive! If she could just hold on a little longer, buy a little more time... the repair of her internal organs seemed to have accelerated slightly?

She mustered all her willpower to suppress any physiological fluctuations caused by fear, even forcibly stopping the slightest tremors in her eyeballs, maintaining the "corpse" state even more perfectly.

Seeing that the other party had no reaction, Lin Bei chuckled softly and said nothing more. He simply adjusted his posture leisurely, as if waiting for a good show to begin. The night wind ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead. Above the ruins, only the chirping of insects and the rustling sounds of three people searching through the grass in the distance could be heard.

Time passed slowly amidst the anxious wait. Not long after, the three people who had been searching for the "experimental materials" returned one after another.

Mrs. Rose was the first to run back excitedly, presenting Lin Bei with a small bunch of plants she was holding, her face beaming with expectant praise.

"Lord Lin Bei! How about these? I picked out the ones that look so green and fresh!"

Lin Bei looked down and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly: This wasn't wild vegetables at all; it was clearly a hodgepodge of weeds! A few fuzzy foxtail grasses, a few clumps of "gray lady grass" with tiny gray tufts, a few slender and tough "ground vine grass"... and Lin Bei even spotted one or two leaves with finely serrated edges mixed in—those were nettles that would cause redness and stinging to the skin!

He glanced helplessly at the innocent-looking Mrs. Rose, thinking: Does this lady think all "green leaves" are wild vegetables? Doesn't she know that these things can "bite"?

Immediately afterward, Jiro Ashina returned. The "wild vegetables" he was carrying were clearly of a higher quality; at least most of them looked like edible plants.

But upon closer inspection, Lin Bei raised an eyebrow: there were indeed common wild vegetables such as purslane and dandelion leaves, but mixed in there was also a small handful of cilantro with a strong, exotic aroma, a few white, tender stems of houttuynia cordata with a strong fishy smell, and a few bright red chili peppers that looked quite spicy!

Lin Bei gave Ashina Jiro's serious and resolute face a meaningful look, silently thinking to himself, "Ashina-kun with thick eyebrows and big eyes, I never expected your taste to be so unique and heavy! Did you choose this based on your own standards for snacks to accompany your drinks?"

Last to return was Jasmine. Even Lin Bei was stunned when she showed him her "harvest." Unlike the previous two, Jasmine didn't bring back any "vegetables" in the traditional sense, but rather a small pile of mushrooms of various shapes!

There were "red umbrellas" with bright red stems and snow-white caps, "purple mushrooms" with a dull color but an ominous purple hue, small yellow spotted mushrooms the size of beans, and a few relatively "plain" grayish-brown mushrooms... all sorts of colorful mushrooms, exuding an eerie beauty under the moonlight.

Lin Bei couldn't even imagine how she could have collected so many different kinds of mushrooms in such a short time, in such a dark night near the ruins after the explosion!

This efficiency, this professionalism… Lin Bei had only one thought in his mind: 'Good heavens, was this girl a professional mushroom hunter from Yunnan Province in her past life?'

The three of them didn't find much "wild vegetables," since Rose House was located in the suburbs rather than deep in the mountains, and the lighting was poor at night, so finding these was already quite an achievement.

However, although the quantity is small, the varieties are all "distinctive", fully reflecting the picker's personality and understanding.

Lin Bei looked at the three piles of "experimental materials" with different styles in front of him, and then glanced at Mikako who was still "lying on the ground". His smile became more playful, as if a unique and unpredictable feeding show was about to begin.

Beneath the charred, demonic shell, the desperately activated self-healing power seemed to be experiencing a slight, disordered fluctuation due to the impending "feast."