Lin Qinglan slowly drifted awake, her consciousness fuzzy.
Pain throbbed through her whole body, like she'd lost a fight…
Her eyes snapped open to the starry night. She shoved aside the blanket draped over her and sat up—then froze at the utterly bizarre scene ahead.
Su Yan sat on a log by a campfire a short distance away.
Opposite him, the crimson-haired woman who had knocked her out was… cooking with him?
The woman reached out, grabbed one of the wooden skewers, and took a bite—skewer and all—before promptly spitting it out.
"Ugh… that tasted terrible…"
"That's because it's burnt," Su Yan remarked.
The woman immediately snatched another skewer from the side and chomped down.
"Ahh, that one's better. Juicy, too."
Su Yan facepalmed.
"That one was completely raw. I just put it on. Can't you wait a bit longer, Nihilister?" he said, exasperated.
"I did wait like you said," Nihilister retorted. "And the first one was disgusting."
"Just wait, and I'll hand you the cooked ones, alright?"
"Fine. Just hurry up. I haven't had a meal in so damn long. Those Eden filth kept me barely fed, and now there are no Raptures for me to consume. I need to eat more to compensate."
Su Yan sighed and returned to tending the skewers.
Despite herself, Lin Qinglan let out a short, incredulous laugh.
Both Su Yan and Nihilister turned toward her.
Lin Qinglan tried to get up—but the moment she moved, pain lanced through her and she winced, freezing in place.
Su Yan was beside her in an instant, dropping to a knee to support her.
"Teacher Lin, don't move around so much. You're still hurt."
"Su Yan… are you alright?" Lin Qinglan asked, voice tight with worry. "Did that woman hurt you?"
Su Yan's expression turned complicated.
"She is… friendly," he said carefully. "She's on our side."
"But she attacked you. She attacked me." Lin Qinglan's voice rose, pleading now. "Please, Su Yan—tell me what is happening."
Su Yan drew a slow breath, as if bracing himself.
"Before I say anything, Teacher Lin… what I'm about to say needs to remain a complete secret. No one can know—not until I'm strong enough to protect myself."
Lin Qinglan tensed. A creeping suspicion formed as she remembered the bright light, Su Yan's Martial Soul swelling in size… and the humanoid outline she'd seen in front of him.
"It has to do with your Martial Soul, doesn't it?" she said quietly. "You summoned her, didn't you?"
Su Yan grimaced.
"I did. And since you've already figured it out, I won't hide it anymore." He met her eyes. "My Martial Soul is special. It can summon beings from places far from the Douluo Continent."
Lin Qinglan narrowed her brows.
"But isn't that a good thing? Why keep it a secret? You'd be welcomed by Spirit Hall and all sorts of sects… you might even catch the attention of the royal family."
"It is," Su Yan said, "if I wanted to join any of those factions. But I don't."
"And if my talent were revealed and I refused to join any of them…" His voice flattened. "Coercion would be the least of my worries."
Lin Qinglan thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"I still think Spirit Hall wouldn't do anything that crosses the line."
Su Yan rose from his kneeling position, looking down at her as he spoke—steady, not accusing, but firm.
"I've seen how people are, Teacher Lin. Think back to the nobles at the academy—think of how they acted at the beginning of the year, and what happened after Xiao Wu beat down the strongest of them."
"The academy is simply a microcosm of the wider world. I don't think people outside of it will behave any differently." His gaze didn't waver. "Spirit Hall has been in power a long time. They wouldn't allow a controllable variable to simply run wild."
He paused, choosing his next words with care.
"I have no powerful backing, Teacher Lin. Civility is a privilege of the strong, and I'm not there yet. I'm weak enough to be controlled—yet valuable enough to be hunted if I refuse."
Lin Qinglan saw a hint of sorrow in Su Yan's eyes.
"I understand." Her voice softened. "Your life is your own, and how you live it is up to you—which, in hindsight, is exactly why you don't want to join a faction."
Su Yan relaxed, a warm smile breaking through.
"I'm glad you understand, Teacher Lin." He held that smile a moment longer—then let it fade into something more serious. "Then… please promise me you'll keep my secret."
Lin Qinglan smiled back. Raising her right hand and placing her left over her heart, she vowed with solemn grandeur:
"I, Lin Qinglan, swear to keep Su Yan's secret till the day I die. If I break this vow, let the heavens strike me down."
Su Yan laughed out loud.
"You didn't have to go that far," he said, still chuckling, "but I thank you for doing so anyway. Now please—rest a little longer. I'll wake you again when there's enough food cooked."
"Hm. In that case," Lin Qinglan murmured, "we'll talk more after that."
She lay back down and closed her eyes, her breathing gradually growing rhythmic.
Su Yan made his way back to the campfire. Sitting on the log again, he continued to cook the meat skewers.
After a few moments, he felt it—staring.
He looked up to see Nihilister watching him.
"What is it?" Su Yan asked.
"I don't get you," Nihilister said. "You didn't even completely trust her, yet you still wasted so much breath on her."
Her expression sharpened.
"You should have just ended her."
Nihilister leaned closer, voice dropping into something heavier.
"Why… didn't… you?"
Su Yan stared back, not backing down.
"There are many reasons," he said evenly. "But she risked her life for me."
Nihilister snorted.
"You mean when she threw herself in front of me to defend you?" Her lips curled. "I wasn't even planning on hurting you."
"But she didn't know that," Su Yan shot back. "She was willing to lay down her life to let me escape in that moment."
His voice went quiet, immovable.
"And I won't repay kindness with enmity."
Nihilister held his gaze a moment longer. Then her grin turned sharp.
"Very well. If you trust her so much, Commander, I will respect your choice." She tilted her head slightly, amusement and menace melding together. "But if she leaks our little secret…"
Her smile widened and her eyes turned draconic.
"They will not find the body."