What do you mean you also want to return to the world?

"This is it."

Tang Shi parked his car in front of an old villa.

"Here?" Shi Yan, still sitting in the back row, poked his head out and looked at the low wall covered with ivy in front of him, quite puzzled. "This place looks nice."

"Why would someone living in such a big villa need to steal and sell their elders' antiques to make money?" Shi Yan wondered.

"Hmm." Tang Shi nodded slightly. "Your classmate used to come from a well-off family."

"Before?" Shi Yan caught the key word.

"Yes." Tang Shi took out her phone, flipping through the information as she spoke to Shi Yan, "When I came here, I asked someone to check. Lin Xiaoyue's father is named Lin Anshan, a businessman with considerable wealth. However, his business ran into some trouble a few years ago, and now he owes the bank a large sum of money. This house has already been mortgaged. But it seems he has some connections and can still let his daughter stay here temporarily."

I see. That explains it. That explains it.

The classic storyline involves a wealthy young lady from a fallen family selling off her assets.

"As for the round mirror you mentioned, I haven't found any information about it yet." Tang Shi's phone showed a photo of the small round mirror, which Shi Yan had taken earlier. "It hasn't appeared in the antique market before. If nothing unexpected happens, it should have been in his house all along. And I haven't seen anything similar among the collateral items in the bank."

"I see."

"Um."

After a brief exchange, the two fell silent.

Shi Yan felt a little awkward. This was his first time being alone with Tang Shi, and he had no idea what to say. After only a short while, Shi Yan was already missing Qi Fei, who was always talking about big breasts and beautiful legs. He really didn't know how the two of them communicated when they were together.

"Qi Fei told me before I came here, 'I'm only playing an assisting role in this mission; if it's not necessary...'" Tang Shi suddenly spoke up.

"I understand, I understand!" Shi Yan nodded repeatedly. "You wouldn't take action unless it was absolutely necessary."

At this point, Shi Yan was still somewhat puzzled.

"But I passed the test, so why do I have to go it alone?"

"I'm not entirely sure either. I only know that he's definitely intentionally training you to be independent," Tang Shi said. "Perhaps it's related to your uncle."

Shi Yan roughly understood.

The fear is that he's too weak and will be taken away without any chance to fight back when his uncle finds him.

That's why we need to exercise more now.

Well, it took quite a lot of effort, didn't it?

"But when it comes to actual combat, you can leave it to me," Tang Shi added. "You don't necessarily have to take action."

Shi Yan was taken aback.

What does this mean? Why does it contradict what Qi Fei said?

Tang Shi noticed Shi Yan's confusion and explained, "You are different from us. The more a priest-type demon exorcist uses the power of demons, the deeper they will be affected by them, and in the end, it will be difficult to extricate themselves. So if possible, leave the combat matters to us as much as possible... As for your uncle, he can't cause much trouble in the Sword-Holding Bureau's territory."

Shi Yan opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

He naturally understood the meaning of Tang poetry.

If Qi Fei was a strict father figure, then Tang Shi was a loving mother. The former hoped Shi Yan would train more to prevent the worst-case scenario. The latter believed that Shi Yan's training was depleting his body, and that even setting aside the possibility of defending against that powerful demon in the Fusion stage, Shi Yan wouldn't be able to withstand the physical strain. Therefore, she suggested that Shi Yan simply stop training and accept their protection.

Well... how should I put it? Although the two had different positions, they both moved Shi Yan quite a bit, considering that he had no parents in both of his lives and had hardly experienced any family affection.

So seeing how much the two cared about him, Shi Yan was really moved, and even had the urge to call out to Tang Shi... uh, if he really did, he'd probably get beaten up, right?

"Mom?" Scarlet struggled to break free of the limiter's constraints, and upon hearing Shi Yan's inner thoughts, she suddenly realized, "Oh, so you don't have a mom. In that case, why don't you call me Mom? Anyway, I'm the right age..."

Suitable for you? My foot!

Shi Yan immediately pressed the upright crimson down again. This action attracted Tang Shi's attention. Seeing her looking at him with a questioning gaze, Shi Yan didn't know how to explain for a moment.

Fortunately, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye and immediately shouted, "Lin Xiaoyue is back!"

He met Lin Xiaoyue at noon today, and Lin Xiaoyue went back to school after the meeting and only just got out of school now.

Shi Yan was about to get out of the car to talk to Lin Xiaoyue again when he discovered that Lin Xiaoyue was not alone; there were several men following behind her.

……

"It's right here." Lin Xiaoyue stopped in front of her house and said to the men behind her, "Go inside and take whatever you like. Anything you can take is fine."

The men exchanged glances, and the leader chuckled, saying, "You think we haven't been here? Everyone knows you have nothing of value left in your house except this house that's already mortgaged to the bank. Do you expect us to move it?"

"What else is there to say?" Lin Xiaoyue said dismissively. "You can't move out, and you're blaming me?"

"Don't be so arrogant, you brat." The men immediately surrounded Lin Xiaoyue. "You don't really think that just because someone owes you money, they're the boss, do you?"

"That's what Mom and Dad owed."

"What your parents owe you is also what you owe." The leader narrowed his eyes. "And stop pretending. We know your grandmother gave you something very valuable... If I remember correctly, it was a mirror, right? Give me that mirror, and we'll leave right now."

"What mirror? I don't know," Lin Xiaoyue denied immediately. "Go look for it at my house."

"You don't have any at home."

"So you think I'd carry it with me?" Lin Xiaoyue threw her schoolbag on the ground, then pulled out her pocket. "Then look for it. If you find it, you can have it."

The man made no attempt to rummage through Lin Xiaoyue's bag. Whether he had prior knowledge or had other plans, it was unclear. His gaze gradually moved down from Lin Xiaoyue's face and landed on her chest.

A flicker of panic finally crossed Lin Xiaoyue's previously calm eyes: "What do you want to do?"

"What else could we be doing?" the man grinned. "Looking for a mirror, of course."

Lin Xiaoyue clenched her fists, preparing to fight back, when another man suddenly said, "Boss, we have cops!"

The debt collectors immediately turned their heads and saw that the police lights on a Hummer parked next to them were already on.

"Tsk, what bad luck."

With the police present, the man naturally didn't dare to lay a hand on Lin Xiaoyue. He just stared coldly at her, said "You wait," and then hurriedly left.

Lin Xiaoyue immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Shi Yan also got out of the car and came to her side.

He now understood why Lin Xiaoyue had hidden the mirror in that place and was in such a hurry to get rid of it.

It turns out they were being targeted by loan sharks.

"Are you alright, Lin Xiaoyue?" Shi Yan asked.

But to his surprise, Lin Xiaoyue raised her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Who are you?