Lin Fan sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled a dagger from her bag, which she always carried with her. Ouyang Yu retreated to the middle of the road, and the man stood in front of Lin Fan, saying, "Defying fate will bring divine retribution upon you, Ouyang Xiansheng."

Suddenly, the sound of sirens pierced the air, and in an instant, a cacophony of noise flooded her ears. Lin Fan quickly stepped forward to stand beside the man. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." His blind eyes remained fixed in Ouyang Yu's direction. Lin Fan looked up, but Ouyang Yu had disappeared. Goosebumps rose all over her body as she took a step forward and grabbed the man's arm. "Sir, what is he?"

"I don't know."

A police car screeched to a halt in front of them, and Qin Feng jumped out with his gun in hand. "Where is he?"

He immediately saw Lin Fan and the fortune teller. Qin Feng quickly walked over, pulled Lin Fan to him, and checked her over. Seeing she was unharmed, he relaxed.

"Sir."

The fortune teller looked in Qin Feng's direction. "I must take my leave now."

Qin Feng frowned and shielded Lin Fan behind him. "Sir."

"Yes?"

"Is he human?"

"He is and isn't." Qin Feng's face darkened. The man had said the same thing about Lin Fan before. He took a step forward. "May I have a word with you?"

"No, I was just passing by and happened to help. You should take care of yourselves."

"What is his purpose?"

"I don't know." The man tapped the ground with his blind cane and walked in the opposite direction.

"Sir?"

He didn't respond or look back, continuing straight ahead. Lin Fan tugged on Qin Feng's arm. People like this, if they didn't want to speak, there was nothing anyone could do.

Officer Wang ran over. "Captain Qin, what's going on?"

"Nothing. You head back. I'll take Lin Fan home."

They drove home in silence. Lin Fan recounted the events to Qin Feng. "Who exactly is that fortune teller? He's quite skilled. But who is Ouyang Yu? What does he want from me?"

"You said Ouyang Yu knows magic and can paralyze people?"

"Yes."

Qin Feng stood up and lit a cigarette, pacing the living room. After a while, he stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking outside. "Could Ouyang Yu be responsible for the heart-extraction cases? No surveillance footage, no signs of resistance." Lin Fan walked over. "Qin Da Ge." Seeing her approach, Qin Feng extinguished the cigarette. "I need to meet Ouyang Yu."

"Be careful."

Qin Feng turned to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head. "I firmly believe that evil can't triumph over good. Such malevolence can't last long."

"Yes." Lin Fan hugged his waist, burying her face in his chest. "Nothing is stronger than the law."

"Stay home. I'll bring you something to eat tonight."

"Thank you."

Lin Fan smiled up at him, and Qin Feng kissed her on the nose. He released her and headed to his room, returning quickly with a short sword, which he handed to Lin Fan. "This is a family heirloom from the Qin family. It has seen blood. Keep it for self-defense."

Home wasn't safe either, especially with Ouyang Yu possibly not being human.

Seeing the sword, Lin Fan felt her blood run cold. She looked up at Qin Feng, stunned. This sword was too familiar. In her dreams, he had carried such a short sword, with the same pattern.

"What are you staring at?"

Lin Fan took the sword and examined it closely. "This is a Qin family heirloom?"

"My dad gave it to me, so it should be. I haven't had it examined by an expert." Qin Feng walked to the table and drank some water. "I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything."

"Qin Feng," Lin Fan suddenly called out.

Qin Feng was already at the doorway. He turned. "Yes?"

"Do you believe in past lives?"

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Qin Feng looked into her eyes. "I only believe in this life."

He found Ouyang Yu's obsession with Lin Fan strange. Hearing her mention past lives just now made him jealous, wondering if there was some connection between Ouyang Yu and Lin Fan in a previous life, giving himself an imaginary rival.

"If I met you in this life, then it's you."

Lin Fan smiled, her eyes curving, hugging the sword tightly. "Okay."

"We only have these few decades. Once they're over, that's it."

Lin Fan said, "I dreamed of you. In a past life, you were a general, holding me in your arms. Amidst the chaos of war, you said, 'I'll protect you until the end.' Separated by life and death, we never saw each other again."

Lin Fan's smile grew brighter, and she lifted her chin. "I like you."

Qin Feng, who had already opened the door, stopped and turned to look at Lin Fan standing by the window, her smile childlike.

"If you don't want me to leave, I won't go."

"I'll wait for you."

Qin Feng smiled too. He raised his hand as if to say something, but in the end, he said, "I'll bring back something delicious for you."

"Okay."

The heart-extraction case was highly likely to be Ouyang Yu's doing. His magic was truly defying the natural order.

After Qin Feng left, Lin Fan sat in the living room, studying the sword. It was incredibly beautiful. She unsheathed it, revealing a sharp blade that exuded a chilling aura, filled with a murderous spirit, much like Qin Feng's presence.

Cold and imbued with a sense of lethal intent.

Lin Fan had never learned to use swords, but she had a particular fondness for them. She especially liked these cold weapons, which had a unique charm. Lin Fan was captivated by the sword, noticing the patterns on the hilt that looked like characters, though worn and faint from the passage of time.

She held the sword until nightfall, eventually dozing off with her head tilted to the side.

She found herself in a palace, now an outsider in this eerie place. The air was thick with the smell of traditional Chinese medicine. She walked closer to see a woman lying on a sickbed, pale and haggard.

"Princess?"

Kneeling by the bed was a young man in a guard's uniform. Lin Fan couldn't tell which dynasty this was, but she knew he was a guard. The woman on the bed coughed violently, blood flowing from her mouth and staining the bedding.

"Xiao Yuzi, stay well in the Jinyiwei, and don't cause trouble..."

"Princess..."

"Live, marry, and have children."

Lin Fan walked closer. The woman's voice grew weaker, large amounts of blood pouring from her mouth. Lin Fan thought, could this person have tuberculosis? Coughing up so much blood?

"My only regret, General Qin..." Her coughing grew more intense, she couldn't speak anymore, and the blood kept coming.

"Imperial physician! Fetch the imperial physician! The princess is not well!"

Lin Fan finally saw the woman's face clearly. It was herself! Lin Fan woke up with a start, her forehead drenched in sweat.

The door opened, and she quickly grabbed the sword from the table. "Who's there?"

"Lin Fan? Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Qin Feng turned on the light and entered, setting down a food container. Seeing Lin Fan holding the sword in a daze, he laughed, "What are you doing? Did you wake up groggy?"

Lin Fan put the short sword back and rubbed her hair. "I was groggy. I'll go wash my face."

"Sleep in your room. Don't catch a cold out here."

Qin Feng went to the kitchen to get utensils and came out to see Lin Fan with a wet face. Just seeing her lifted his spirits. This child was too endearing. He smoothed her bangs. "Come and eat."

Lin Fan pulled out a chair and sat down. Qin Feng served her some porridge. "This porridge is good. Try it."

Lin Fan took the bowl. "Did you meet Ouyang Yu?"

"I did."

"What did he say?" Lin Fan scooped a spoonful of porridge. It was indeed very fresh, soft, and slightly bland.

"He didn't say anything. The surveillance around the hospital just happened to be broken. What a coincidence." Qin Feng opened the dishes, including spring pancakes. "Do you want to roll them yourself, or should I help you?"

"I'll do it myself."

Qin Feng wasn't picky about food. He ate two pancakes in a row before drinking his porridge. "Our people have been tailing Ouyang Yu, but they lost him around noon today."

Lin Fan sipped her porridge, frowning.

"I just had a dream."

"What dream?"

Lin Fan put down her spoon and looked up at Qin Feng. “Is it possible that we knew each other in a past life?”

Qin Feng paused. “What kind of relationship did we have in the past life?”

“You were a general, and I was a princess.”

Qin Feng rolled a pancake and handed it to Lin Fan. “Eat.”

“Do you not believe me?”

“Were we together?”

Lin Fan shook her head. “You died, and I probably died soon after.”

“Why did we die?”

Lin Fan thought for a moment. “I’m not sure what happened in between, maybe an illness or something. You received orders to come and get me, and then you were killed by pursuing soldiers.”

Qin Feng was deep in thought. “What about you?”

“I think it was tuberculosis. I coughed up a lot of blood, so it might have been during a peaceful time.”

“Which dynasty?”

“It seemed like the Ming Dynasty. I saw someone wearing a flying fish robe.”

Qin Feng quickly checked his phone and then put it down. “Did you get married?”

“I don't think so.”

“Do you recognize Ouyang Yu?”

Lin Fan shuddered at the thought of his eyes. “He seems to have been my guard, not in this life, but maybe in the past.”

Qin Feng looked seriously into Lin Fan’s eyes. “This is too fantastical. And our ending wasn’t good. I don’t like it.”

Lin Fan didn't dare to look into his eyes anymore and buried her head in her food. “Maybe I’ve just been watching too much TV lately and had a jumbled dream.”

After dinner, Qin Feng was in the living room working on his laptop. Lin Fan, after her shower, saw him still working and walked over. “Why aren't you in the study?”

Qin Feng looked up at her and then put down his laptop. “Come here.”

Seeing his posture, Lin Fan thought he might want to hold her. Her mind instantly filled with countless unhealthy images, her thoughts a jumble of mosaics. She sat down on the sofa. “Brother Qin—”

Qin Feng put his arm around Lin Fan’s shoulders. The pajamas she was wearing were bought by his mother, in a light color, falling to her knees and showing a bit of her leg. Qin Feng lowered his head and kissed her.

Lin Fan was startled and didn’t know what to do. Qin Feng pulled back a little, his voice low and husky in her ear. “Close your eyes.”

Lin Fan quickly closed her eyes. Qin Feng lifted her onto his lap and kissed her gently. Lin Fan was extremely nervous, gripping Qin Feng’s shirt tightly, her mind blank. After a moment, she pushed him away and took a deep breath. Qin Feng laughed, looking into her eyes. “You’re supposed to breathe through your nose. You’ll suffocate kissing like that.”

His voice was rich and deep, with an ambiguous tone.

Lin Fan wanted to run but realized she was still lying on Qin Feng’s lap. Qin Feng studied her for a moment, then stood up with Lin Fan in his arms and headed for the master bedroom. She had just taken a shower, and her body still carried the scent of the shower gel.

Fragrant, enveloping him.

Lin Fan was very nervous, afraid Qin Feng might drop her. She clung to his shirt and protested softly, “Put me down.”

“No.”