Gu Jianlin hadn't even had time to react before the car wheel had already rolled right over his face.

He cleared his throat and corrected himself, "No, what I meant was, based on the traces left on the rooftop of Peak City Second High's teaching building, the profile of that person matches you pretty closely. And that person is at least Fourth Letter Level."

"So now you're taking the long way around to ask about my figure?"

Moon Princess's eyes were deep and unfathomable as she said blandly, "Professor Gu Ci'an of the Ether Association Nightwatch Department, renowned for his hundred percent case closure rate and mastery of profiling, has caught numerous supernatural criminals over the years. And his son, it turns out, uses profiling to analyze a girl's private parts?"

She let out a chuckle. "Or… has the Mao Sheng Liquid already started to take effect? If you really can't hold it back, I can always turn around. Help yourself. Don't worry, I won't look back."

Goddamn *help yourself*.

Gu Jianlin was left speechless by her remark. Taking a deep breath, he countered, "In any case, whether you admit it or not, I still believe you're the one who's been protecting me in secret."

The thing is, that's not something you can easily verify with the naked eye.

If someone's binding their chest, it's actually really hard to tell.

Unless Gu Jianlin had chosen the Overlord Path back then. At Zero-tier, he would have gained a passive reconnaissance skill called the infamous *Eagle Eye*—a top-tier observational ability.

A single glance to settle the matter.

Moon Princess crossed her arms lazily and said, "Whatever you say. Either way, it's not me."

After saying that, she released her arms and got up from the small stool.

Gu Jianlin clearly noticed that as she let go, something faintly trembled.

His suspicions became even more certain.

"Could you not stare?"

Moon Princess said coldly.

Gu Jianlin, having undergone driving lessons from the ice-cold beauty back home, was no longer a greenhorn.

Since she refused to admit it, he decided to continue applying pressure.

"If you feel it's too tight and uncomfortable, you could just loosen it up."

He shrugged lightly. "I can turn around too, and I promise I won't look back."

Moon Princess wasn't buying it. She rolled her eyes and retorted, "A man's mouth is a liar's den."

Although she was usually cold and indifferent, that eye roll carried a hint of coquettish charm.

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a moment. "You remind me of my sister."

Moon Princess cast him a sidelong glance and said, "You have a sister, huh."

Gu Jianlin nodded. "She has a figure similar to yours, just way flatter."

Suddenly recalling that he hadn't replied to her messages, he quickly opened the chat box to type.

Su Youzhu's WeChat avatar was her own photo, but her nickname was a bit abstract:

— *This Lady is Cute and Adorable.*

Moon Princess leaned over to take a look, her eyes flashing with a hint of curiosity. "Your little sister's pretty cute."

"Yeah, she's really good-looking."

Gu Jianlin considered it for a moment. "By my standards, she's in the top three."

Unexpectedly, Moon Princess showed interest in this and asked, "Who are the other two?"

In Gu Jianlin's brief life, he hadn't interacted with many girls.

But in the past half-year, he'd repeatedly encountered top-tier beauties.

Chen Qing and Lin Wanqiu, the older sister types, needed no further mention.

Lu Zijin was an older woman acting young, but she was undeniably adorable.

Su Youzhu and Tang Ling ranked firmly among the top three by his standards of aesthetics.

The former was a quiet, three-no girl. The latter, a dashing older sister type.

As for number one, that could only be the terrifying Candle Dragon Venerable.

"You don't know them."

After sending a message, he pocketed his phone and frowned. "Why do you care?"

Moon Princess said faintly, "Just curious. She's not your real sister, is she? From how she treats you, she seems pretty fond of you. She even makes food for you at home and waits for you to come back. Does your sister do all the cooking at your house?"

Gu Jianlin nodded. "My mom and her dad are both really busy, and I've got an older sister who works outside."

Moon Princess's eyes gleamed as she teased, "A sister, a house, busy parents—classic setup."

Gu Jianlin's eye twitched.

"Isn't it, though? You're at the perfect age for a hormonal outburst, living under the same roof day in and day out. Feelings inevitably get stirred up, don't they? Especially since the two of you don't even share a drop of blood—heck, not even a legal familial tie. As far as the law is concerned, you're strangers."

Moon Princess spoke with subtle insinuation.

Gu Jianlin fell silent for a moment before saying blandly, "Have you heard of the Gu Family's Curse? Until I break it, I won't consider feelings or get close to her."

Moon Princess clearly knew about it and shot him a sidelong glance. "You're afraid you'll drag her into it?"

Gu Jianlin said nothing, but his silence was answer enough.

Moon Princess asked nonchalantly, "I heard the Gu Family's Curse isn't that simple. If you can't break it, you'll just keep avoiding her? Including your current family?"

Gu Jianlin's face remained expressionless as he said, "This is none of your concern. I have my plans."

With that, he sent a message to the girl back home, saying he'd find time to visit soon.

Yet, for some reason, probably a sense of déjà vu growing stronger, he initiated a video call.

A moment later, the call connected. The sound of water splashing could be heard.

"What's up?"

Su Youzhu's crisp, melodious voice came from the bathroom.

Through the mirror's reflection, Gu Jianlin vaguely glimpsed her slender figure in the bathtub.

He instantly said, "It's nothing. Just missed you."

Then he hung up immediately.

Putting his phone away, Gu Jianlin felt like his standards were hitting new lows.

At the moment, he was sure of one thing.

The person who had been protecting him all along was definitely Moon Princess.

Most likely, she was the one mentioned in his father's documents as a student.

Even Lu Zicheng had mentioned the existence of such a student.

But what intrigued him even more was the identity beneath Moon Princess's mask.

This was a secret nested inside another secret.

Layer upon layer.

Moon Princess had been watching him the whole time and was about to say something.

Boom.

The cave trembled, the deafening sounds of explosions faintly audible from outside.

Gu Jianlin immediately assumed the killers were back and snapped to high alert.

"Relax. It's probably just Third Master going at it with the Judgement Court again."

Moon Princess looked up and explained, "Third Master has had issues with the Judgement Court for a long time. This time, the Judgement Court issued a purge order, which is really just about clearing the way to Qilin Immortal Palace. The Ether Association is currently dominated by the Judgement Court's forces, so they want all the benefits for themselves."

Gu Jianlin nodded internally. So that's what it was about. "I thought they came because they sensed Divine Servant-level activity."

"That's part of it. The Judgement Court never moves without a reason. There must be something bigger at stake for them to intervene personally."

Moon Princess suddenly asked, "Do you know where the assassins targeting you came from?"

Gu Jianlin shook his head silently. "I'm not sure. Plenty of people have reasons to want me dead."

Moon Princess sighed. "Then stay here for now. If there's an ambush out there, we're dead meat in our current state. Besides, I have something to show you."

She walked to the end of the cave, took out a dagger, and casually swiped it.

Several jagged fissures erupted in the void, slicing through the solid rock. Countless stones lost their support and crumbled to the ground in a cascade of gravel.

Dust swirled, revealing a massive cavern hidden behind the shattered rock wall.

A chill wind swept through, almost as if something were sobbing.

Gu Jianlin was stunned. "Your secret base?"

Moon Princess shook her head. "No, this is actually a long-abandoned engineering site. From the late 19th to early 20th century, the De Federation invested huge resources in building an extensive sewer system in Peak City. The project continued for years and seemed successful on the surface, but if you compare it with the original blueprints, you'll find it was a botched job. It abruptly ended near the coastal line."

She paused briefly before continuing, "I heard from my men—err, an elder of mine—that during the construction, the workers kept encountering bizarre accidents near the coast. Eventually, they were too terrified to dig any deeper and had to halt the project."

Gu Jianlin frowned. "And so?"

Moon Princess said flatly, "That secret is tied to your Gu Family."

[PS: This book was first published on the Qidian Reading App. Next update at 8:30 PM tomorrow.]