After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Yu Linzhou was terrified when Li Hanshan arrested Lin Zhixu.

If Lin Zhixu hadn't been quick-witted, and if he and Yan Lingcang hadn't arrived so quickly, who knows what the outcome would have been.

He would never allow this to happen again.

So he personally went to the Wolf Eater Clan's territory and brought Little Black back.

As for what the people in the clan were thinking, one could roughly guess from their sharp, piercing glances.

Yu Linzhou pretended not to see it and rode Xiao Hei back to Qiyue Peak.

Lin Zhixu was watering the half-dead spirit herb in the yard when he heard the noise and turned around. A dark shadow pounced over in a flash.

Before he could even see clearly, he was knocked off balance and stumbled, his face being licked several times by a wet, hot tongue.

He instinctively leaned back, laughing as he dodged, and exclaimed in surprise, "Little Black? Why are you back? Shouldn't you be cultivating properly in the clan?"

Xiao Hei has grown quite a bit taller now.

The puppy that used to be so small you could fit it in your arms has now grown to be half a person's height, with glossy black fur and a tail that wags like a windmill.

It excitedly nuzzled against Lin Zhixu, making soft "whimpering" sounds, as if it were being affectionate or complaining.

Yu Linzhou stood at the gate, leaning lazily against the doorframe, a smile playing on his lips: "Those old wolves in its clan force it to fight every day. When I got there, it was being chased all over the mountain by three wolves. Poor thing, if we hadn't brought it back soon, it would have become emaciated."

Lin Zhixu slapped away Xiao Hei's big head, which was leaning in again, and looked up at Yu Linzhou: "Didn't we say it would be more suitable for it to stay in the clan to cultivate?"

Yu Linzhou approached and casually rubbed the back of Xiao Hei's neck: "Cultivation is important, but we can't forget about you, our master."

"Things have been turbulent lately, and you've been targeted by Li Hanshan again. I'd feel more at ease having it with you."

As if it understood, Little Black immediately raised its head, let out two soft whimpers, and adopted a "I'm very powerful" attitude.

Lin Zhixu chuckled, put his arm around Xiao Hei's neck, and gently rubbed its ears. "I know you're very capable."

Xiao Hei was overjoyed and stuck out its tongue to lick his chin hard again.

Yu Linzhou stood aside, watching the two of them frolicking around. He reached out and pulled Xiao Hei off Lin Zhixu, pretending to be serious: "Alright, you're a big kid now, you can't act like a spoiled child anymore."

Xiao Hei whimpered pitifully and looked at Lin Zhixu with pleading eyes.

Lin Zhixu smiled and waved at it, "Ignore him, come here, let's go play somewhere else."

So a black wolf, half a person's height, followed behind him like a little dog, its tail wagging.

Yu Linzhou sighed.

He knew that he would lose his status once Xiao Hei returned.

……

Lin Zhixu rested at Qiyue Peak for a few days, and once his complexion had improved somewhat, he prepared to return to the palace.

His disappearance was so sudden; Liu Shuyan and Jiang Chen must have been worried sick.

He had to go and let them know he was safe in person.

As soon as he stepped out, Yu Linzhou followed him, walking slowly beside him without saying a word, his face clearly saying, "I want to go too."

Lin Zhixu stopped and looked at him: "Your injuries haven't healed yet, what are you doing following me?"

Yu Linzhou replied matter-of-factly, "I'm worried. What if Li Hanshan goes crazy again and you get kidnapped again?"

Lin Zhixu: "Little Black is with me."

Yu Linzhou said matter-of-factly, "Anyway, I'm going."

Lin Zhixu couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had no choice but to let him have his way.

Upon arriving at the palace, Liu Shuyan and Jiang Chen, having received the news, hurriedly came out to greet them.

They looked Lin Zhixu up and down several times to make sure he wasn't missing any limbs, and then they breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did the two notice Yu Linzhou beside them, and they were startled, quickly bowing in greeting.

Yu Linzhou nodded to them as a greeting.

Jiang Chen said to Lin Zhixu, "It's so good that you're alright. You have no idea how worried we were."

Lin Zhixu said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Liu Shuyan shook her head: "It's good that you're alright, nothing else matters."

Lin Zhixu: "How's the palace? Nothing happened, right?"

Jiang Chen said, "It's nothing, everything is fine. Are you planning to stay or go back?"

Lin Zhixu hesitated for a moment before replying, "I plan to return to the sect. This time was too dangerous, and the elders forbid me from coming out again."

Liu Shuyan nodded: "You've just escaped danger, so you should take good care of yourself. Don't worry about the palace. If there's anything unusual, we'll send a message back to the sect."

The three exchanged a few words before Lin Zhixu parted ways with them.

After returning to Qiyue Peak, Lin Zhixu began his seclusion.

It wasn't really a true retreat.

He had just escaped from the Demon Palace and was very weak. His spiritual power had not fully recovered, so he could only recuperate slowly.

However, the cultivation world is currently in turmoil, and Lin Zhixu has just suffered a misfortune, so it is not advisable for him to make any moves.

He simply closed the door, focusing on healing his injuries while also trying to calm the restless demonic energy within his body.

After parting ways with Lin Zhixu, Yu Linzhou also plunged into his own secret room.

He had to deal with the "gift" that Li Hanshan had left inside him.

On the surface, he had the upper hand in that battle, but in reality, both sides were injured.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, and casually lit the stone lamps on the four walls, casting a dim yellow light that made the secret room flicker.

He closed his eyes, circulated his spiritual energy, and gradually smoothed out the disordered energy in his meridians.

But the quieter it was, the clearer those sounds became.

During the day, he was alright; he could distract himself with his injuries and trivial matters.

But once night falls and all is quiet, inner demons begin to lurk.

It will become the voice he is most familiar with.

Sometimes it was his own, tinged with sarcasm.

Sometimes it was Lin Zhixu's voice, tinged with tears.

More often than not, it was a chaotic whisper that densely penetrated his mind, saying things he tried his best to avoid.

You can't save him.

"You can't even save yourself, so what right do you have to protect him?"

"Give up, it's useless, you can't do anything."

Yu Linzhou's forehead veins throbbed, and his palms slowly tightened on his knees.

He knew these were the seductive words of his inner demons, yet every single one of them seemed to strike at his most painful spot.

In the past, he had no worries and his inner demons could not harm him.

But now he has a weakness and has been seriously injured, so his psychological defenses are no longer as strong as they used to be.

Li Hanshan's move was undeniably vicious.

"Shut up," he hissed, his voice echoing in the empty, secret room.

The inner demon laughed even more wildly, as if it were just waiting for him to speak.

A fierce glint flashed in Yu Linzhou's eyes. He ignored it and directly activated the remaining dragon breath in his body to suppress the surging black energy inch by inch.

The excruciating pain surged like a tidal wave, but he gritted his teeth and endured it, large beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

After an unknown amount of time, the tormenting sound finally subsided and slowly retreated into the depths of the mind.

He opened his eyes, and the lingering redness in them still remained.

He lowered his head, his chest heaving violently, and it took him a long time to calm down.

Such forceful pressure can only provide temporary relief.

The demonic seed left behind by Li Hanshan will remain a hidden danger sooner or later if it is not eliminated.

The demonic energy within Lin Zhixu's body is also a problem.

Thinking about this, Yu Linzhou felt a headache coming on.

We still need to find a way to get rid of him completely.

The simplest and most permanent solution is to reseal Li Hanshan.

Or find a way to eliminate him.

Unfortunately, this bastard is too good at hiding, and there's really no way to deal with him for the time being.