"What am I supposed to cut with if I don't have scissors?" came Ye Ruozai's voice from behind, but Pei Yan, experienced with body possession, knew that the body had already changed owners. He casually condensed a pair of hair-cutting scissors and handed them over with a chuckle, "My sister always said that to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools. You can't even find your tools; do you even know how to cut hair? I'll be in the spotlight in a few days."
"Alright, bow your head! I've done all sorts of things while wandering the world; you think I'm like you, leaving home and losing the ability to do anything, becoming a useless second-generation?" Lin Junzhao, controlling Ye Ruozai's body, pressed Pei Yan's head down and took the scissors, grumbling.
"I'm not some second-generation rich kid! If it weren't for this incident, I should be studying at university now; besides, even without supernatural powers, I could still join the army with my skills, right?" Pei Yan lowered his head but replied indignantly.
"Yes, yes, yes! You're amazing! The most amazing! After just one trip to the Hell Plane, you're daring to talk back to me! Seems like Ye Ruozai was right, you've gained quite a bit!" As she spoke, there was a snip-snip sound, and strands of hair fell past Pei Yan's ears, making him feel a chill at the back of his neck, causing him to instinctively want to shrink back, but a hand firmly pinched his neck, scolding, "Don't move!"
"I won't move, but go easy! It hurts!"
"You've survived life-and-death battles so many times; are you still afraid of a bit of pain?" Lin Junzhao said, but the force in her hand relaxed a bit. After carefully probing Pei Yan's internal condition, she exclaimed in shock, "You actually have the aura of seven Divine Artifacts in you? What did you do? That wastrel is so generous, tsk tsk tsk! Are you really his illegitimate child?"
"Wasn't this all arranged by you?" Pei Yan couldn't help but wriggle his body, breaking free from Lin Junzhao's restraint, rubbing his neck helplessly. Earlier, when explaining to everyone his experiences in the Hell Plane, he had concealed some dangerous situations to prevent his sister from worrying excessively, and thus also covered up the fact of absorbing multiple Divine Artifacts.
"I made arrangements, even risked your life to enhance your strength, but only after collaborating with Xiaocen and others to calculate that you'd emerge unscathed and gain greatly did I decide to proceed. However, I never imagined you'd absorb seven Divine Artifacts; it's beyond imagination!"
Knowing Pei Yan's temper and character well, Lin Junzhao understood that some things couldn't be hidden from him; the more concealed, the more skeptical he'd become. So, she decided to speak openly.
"Former Minister Cen's retirement really has to do with me! And Tana..."
Before Pei Yan finished speaking, his head was smacked hard. As he was about to burst in anger, Lin Junzhao leaned down to his ear, whispering, "Knowing is enough, keep it to yourself. Your former minister nearly lost his life calculating against that man, so now you must forget it altogether as if it never happened."
"Got it!" Pei Yan sensibly shut his mouth, and Lin Junzhao straightened up, continuing to cut his hair while speaking, "I really feel sorry for Xiaocen, after this, with his energy depleted, he probably won't live much longer."
"Was it necessary? Actually, if the four planes worked together, even without any schemes or methods, couldn't we subdue one plane?" Pei Yan wasn't deeply attached to the former minister, but hearing a senior fell because of it made him somewhat sorrowful.
"You don't understand! If it were possible to work together, such situations wouldn't happen; I found Xiaocen also for the hope that you young ones might have a better chance of survival in the upcoming war. He was willing to cooperate with me and Lin Ruxue for this push and you are a key component of it. As you said to Ye Ruozai, indeed, I've placed a big gamble on you all, because you are my last reliance. I must secure enough capital to join this final gamble."
"Haven't you thought we might lose?" Pei Yan finally couldn't help but question, "You've pulled us all onto the gaming table; if we lose, we'll be buried together."
"Of course I've thought about it, but is it useful?" Lin Junzhao maneuvered Ye Ruozai's body, stepped back a few steps, measuring Pei Yan's hair. Then she picked up the scissors, trimming excess parts, continuing, "Do you think without pulling you onto the gaming table you can avoid it? Can you continue your merry play-acting, hiding like an ostrich from the world's truths, keeping your so-called peace? Don't be naive; if we lose this game, lose qualification to fight, the future battles, regardless of who wins, won't let us live comfortably. If Bloodshed wins, I become a prisoner, your investigation agency will be purged, Candle Dragon will alter and transform based on its corresponding foundational plane. If the four planes win yet we haven't obtained enough speaking power, having experienced a Bloodshed attack, they'll only grow more suspicious of our two nascents planes; I and you supernaturals will face suppression, your investigation agency will rely on others to survive โ is this what you want? Aren't you most eager to protect your family and friends?"
"Alright, stop lecturing in my ear! I give up! You're so right! I'll win this game for you even if it means coughing up blood, okay?" One sentence triggered a long rebuttal from Lin Junzhao, Pei Yan raised his hands and surrendered.
"That's more like it; no need to cough up blood! Didn't I provide you with help? Now, tell me about your time on the Hell Plane!"
Thus, during Lin Junzhao's leisurely haircut process, Pei Yan recounted in detail his experience in the Holy Hall. Listening till the end, Lin Junzhao couldn't help but laugh, commenting, "That guy who loves to call himself a god wasn't wrong; you're indeed blessed with fortune. Unexpectedly, you've absorbed seven Divine Artifacts and lived, truly a case of fortune begetting fortune. I just probed your interior and found after absorbing the Power of the Origin of Fear, you've reached the critical point of breakthrough to the eighth stage of awakening. Aren't you preparing to break through?"
"I've sensed it too, but I feel the timing isn't ripe, so I've been suppressing the urge for ascension within me. Instead, observing Ye Ruozai, I've noticed his condition is similar; shouldn't you let him awaken before the competition?"
Lin Junzhao chuckled, "You two are surprisingly alike in this; he's suppressing his power, not feeling the time hasn't come, but to awaken during a potential confrontation with Flamel on the battlefield to make his opponent experience the same despair."
