Chapter 268 The Thirteenth Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel

Chapter 268: The Thirteenth Day in a Fantasy Novel

The color drained from Gan Feng's face at a visible speed, until it settled into sheer terror.

His pupils contracted, his mind went blank, and all that remained before his eyes were those two silent words—"System"—echoing on a loop.

(Gan Feng's inner scream erupted with unprecedented intensity: S-s-s-system!!! H-h-how does he know about you?! We're done for, done for, done for! We've been found out!)

(The system's normally steady hum suddenly turned shrill and piercing, its code on the verge of crashing: Aaaaaah! Impossible! This defies logic! My existence exists on a higher plane than this world's basic rules! My shielding is top-of-the-line! How could he possibly sense me?! How?! BUG! This has to be some unknown BUG! Damn it!)

(Gan Feng: No way! That can't be!)

An Yi watched Gan Feng's utterly petrified, swaying demeanor—like a man who'd just seen a ghost—and the faint mischievous gleam in his eyes seemed satisfied.

He even went out of his way, rather kindly, smiling at the nearly petrified Gan Feng and saying:

"Yes, I can."

Gan Feng: "..."

System: "..."

In an instant, all the chaotic inner voices and electrical sounds from the man and the system came to an abrupt halt, quiet as mice.

Could An Yi actually hear their inner thoughts too?!

Does this make any sense?! Is this even logical?!

Gan Feng froze for a moment—damn it!

This wasn't logical, but it was definitely supernatural!

So that made it reasonable... like hell it did?!

(Gan Feng: ...System, you're so lame!)

(System: You're the lame one!!)

An Yi watched Gan Feng's expression—eyes bulging as if they might pop out, looking like he was about to have a myocardial infarction and pass out at any second—and finally couldn't hold back, letting out a soft, amused breath from his throat.

The laugh was brief, yet it dispelled the too-perfect aloofness around him, bringing a spark of life.

Then, he withdrew the smile, as if that little mischievous exchange had never happened.

Gan Feng: ...

Was the big shot just messing with him?

Xie Xuandu, who had been observing all along, had caught every subtle, nearly imperceptible shift of An Yi's lips, every flicker of his gaze, and the dramatic change in Gan Feng's face—like he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight—the moment An Yi's silent lip movements had hit home.

Though he couldn't hear the system's or Gan Feng's inner voices, nor did he know exactly what An Yi had mouthed, his perception was razor-sharp, his insight uncanny. He understood at once.

This seemingly ordinary scholar must be hiding some secret no one else knew.

And An Yi, through some unknown method, had seen straight through this deeply buried secret at a single glance.

His gaze fell on Gan Feng once more, this time carrying a deeper scrutiny.

Yet no matter how he probed, the scholar before him remained mortal flesh and blood, his cultivation so weak it was almost beneath notice. There were no special seals or hidden treasures inside him, and even the talisman paper he'd used against the female ghost earlier was the crudest, lowest-grade stuff.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

And yet, An Yi saw through it in an instant.

The fire in Xie Xuandu's heart burned hotter.

His gaze on An Yi's back was filled with undisguised heat.

Not only could he trigger the half-month spiritual tide to manifest, possess the power of a mustard-seed dimension, and when that female ghost lunged, Xie Xuandu hadn't even sensed any obvious spiritual fluctuation before the specter was struck down by an invisible force...

And now, he could see through secrets even Xie Xuandu himself couldn't detect...

An Yi, just how many unexpected, tantalizing surprises are you still hiding?

Meanwhile, the comment section that only An Yi could hear exploded like a boiling pot over this sudden twist:

"Ahhhh! Holy crap! How the hell does this An Yi know about the system?!"

"It's over, it's over, the protagonist's cheat code is exposed! How are we supposed to play now? (Sweating emoji)"

"It's like having your pants pulled down—instant loss of security! Feels like the big shot could squash the protagonist at any moment! So annoying! (Poop emoji)"

"Heh... What novel exposes the protagonist's cheat code right from the start? The author's an idiot!! (Angry)(Angry)"

"Damn! Writing this character so overpowered, so high and mighty, why not just make him the MC?! Why even write a protagonist at all?! @Author! You dumba*s!"

"Anyone else annoyed? I think it's awesome! Now that's a real boss!"

"Isn't An Yi's character setting way too strong? I bet he's the combat ceiling of this novel!"

"Too bad he didn't take the protagonist as a disciple—then it'd be a max-level boss carrying a noob through the starting zone. How satisfying would that be!"

"The guy above is thinking too small. A big shot has standards. Why would they take on some rookie?"

"Shouldn't he have seen at a glance that the protagonist has amazing bone structure?!"

"Messing with him, huh—so doting. Ship them! Gorgeous boss × delicate rookie! (Lips)(Rose)"

"????? Are you sick?!"

"..."

The chaotic comment section scrolled by, but An Yi paid it no mind.

The old friends were as noisy as ever.

He lifted his gaze to look outside the temple door. The drizzling rain had stopped at some point, with only the eaves still dripping residual droplets.

The dark clouds had parted somewhat, revealing a cold crescent moon that cast hazy light, illuminating the muddy path and the damp grass.

There was nothing interesting here; it was time for him to leave.

He withdrew his gaze, turned to the still-spiritless Gan Feng beside him, and calmly extended his hand toward him. The hand was well-defined, fair and slender, seeming to carry its own soft glow in the dim light of the ruined temple:

"Get up."

Gan Feng saw the hand extended before him and reflexively swallowed, his throat dry and aching.

He reached out his own hand and placed it in An Yi's palm.

His touch was slightly cool, yet carried a steady strength.

Gan Feng used that strength to pull himself up, his legs weak, stealing a glance at An Yi's expression.

Seeing that An Yi's expression remained unchanged, with no sign of probing, menace, or any intention to haul him in, the knot in his stomach loosened just a bit.

So... it seemed the big shot had just casually dropped it, with no follow-up?

Was he really just messing with him?

However, what he failed to notice was that Xie Xuandu, who had been observing all along, had his flawless smile flicker almost imperceptibly the moment Gan Feng took An Yi's hand.

He lowered his gaze, letting it drift over their briefly clasped hands, then raised it again, shooting Gan Feng a loaded look.

That look was not sharp, still carrying its usual hint of a smile, yet it made Gan Feng shiver without warning, a cold shiver running from the base of his spine to the top of his skull—more terrifying than facing the female ghost moments ago!

What was going on?