Ink-Clad Creator

"Where are you going? It's pitch black outside, be careful of snake demons." Li Xian leaned against the door frame, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Where is the snake demon? I'll destroy it!" Superman responded immediately, his machine shaking excitedly.

Xiao Lingshan continued walking straight out without stopping.

"Stop her." Li Xian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable command.

As soon as he finished speaking, Batman and the Dark Knight swooped down from the sky and blocked the temple entrance. The red warning lights on the sides of the aircraft lit up simultaneously, making them particularly conspicuous in the night.

"Miss Xiao~ Please don't be angry~" Daya floated over in a sweet, drawn-out voice, "I was just joking, okay? I apologize, alright?"

Xiao Lingshan had no choice but to stop. When she turned around, her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her voice remained calm: "I drank too much water just now, so I went out to use the restroom. Is there a problem?"

The air was silent for two seconds.

"Ahem," Li coughed tactically, "Of course, no problem. Batman, Dark Knight, you two accompany Miss Xiao, keep a safe distance of three zhang."

"Yes."

"Oh, Mr. Li~" Da Ya's voice was sickeningly sweet, "Have you forgotten? They're boys! This is so inconvenient~ Let me go, we're all girls~"

Li Xian was taken aback for a moment, then revealed a look of sudden realization mixed with a slightly lewd expression: "Oh—right, right, it's inconvenient for boys... Da Ya, you go, Batman and the Dark Knight keep watch on the outside. Superman, you stay here and guard the temple entrance."

"I want to fight snakes too..." Superman muttered to himself.

"You stay here and guard the house!" Li Xian made the final decision.

Accompanied by Da Ya, Xiao Lingshan left the temple and turned left, walking about ten feet. Ahead was a sparse bamboo grove, the bamboo leaves rustling in the night breeze.

Batman and the Dark Knight, acting as scouts, silently slipped into the bamboo forest. The next second—

"Buzz!"

Two beams of blazing white light suddenly burst forth from the depths of the bamboo forest, illuminating the entire area as bright as day!

Under the beam of light, the bamboo shadows swayed, and at the same time, five or six figures were clearly illuminated—some squatting behind the bamboo roots, and some standing close to the bamboo stalks. At this moment, they were all blinded by the strong light and raised their hands to shield their eyes, exposed to the light in a disheveled state.

"Warning! Infiltrator detected!" Batman's electronic voice suddenly turned cold.

Almost simultaneously, the Dark Knight sounded a sharp, piercing alarm—"Woo-woo-woo—woo—!"

The sound of sirens ripped through the night sky!

"Run! It's that demon's flying artifact!" a voice shouted from within the figure.

Xiao Lingshan shuddered – it was her father's voice!

She saw her father, Elder Xiao, awkwardly raising his arm to shield his eyes from the beam of light, accompanied by Han Yunyang and four guards from Han Family Fortress. Clearly, they had followed the "Wood Soul Incense" all the way here, intending to lie in wait and observe, but unexpectedly they were caught red-handed by the drone.

"Target locked! Warning! Prepare to fire!" Batman's voice was as cold as ice.

A thin red laser beam shot out from its belly, precisely aimed at the ground in front of Elder Xiao's feet—

"laugh!"

A wisp of smoke rose from the ground, the soil scorched black.

"Daddy!" Xiao Lingshan's heart clenched, and she rushed over without thinking. "Don't hurt them! Batman, I beg you!"

In the bamboo forest, Elder Xiao and his group were desperately trying to escape into the shadows. But two searchlights followed them closely, illuminating their escape route clearly.

They weren't actually too afraid of these "magical artifacts"—although they had suffered losses in their previous encounters, it was mostly due to being caught off guard. What truly made them wary was Li Xian, the "little thief from the demonic sect" who wielded the artifacts.

"Uncle Xiao! I can't shake him off!" Han Yunyang shouted as he ran, his voice filled with anxiety.

Just then, he heard Xiao Lingshan calling out.

"Wait!" Han Yunyang stopped abruptly, turning to face the light source. "It's Ling Shan! She's calling us... Stop running! Fight them!"

Elder Xiao stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, panting as he looked in the direction his daughter had come from.

Batman and the Dark Knight hovered in mid-air, their searchlights still locked on the group, but they ceased their pursuit and attacks, maintaining a menacing circling flight.

"Father! Brother Yunyang!" Xiao Lingshan ran up breathlessly, with Daya following closely behind her.

"Shan'er!" Elder Xiao looked his daughter up and down. Seeing that she was neatly dressed and, although her expression was tense, she was not afraid, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Are you alright? Did that boy... do anything to you?"

"Lingshan!" Han Yunyang interjected anxiously, his eyes filled with worry, "That little thief...did he bully you?"

Xiao Lingshan shook her head, about to speak—

"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter came from afar.

Li Xian walked slowly from outside the bamboo forest, with Superman and Er Ya on his left and right sides, respectively. He crossed his arms, a mocking smile on his lips, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Elder Xiao and Han Yunyang.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Li Xian walked to the edge of the spotlight, letting himself be bathed in its glow. "Is it 'The Father-in-Law Visits His Son-in-Law at Night'? Or 'The Passionate Young Master Chases His Wife Across a Thousand Miles'?"

He paused, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his smile: "Could this have been rehearsed beforehand? Did you coordinate an inside job to give me a surprise?"

"Li Xian!" Han Yunyang stepped forward, blocking Xiao Lingshan's path. "You swore an oath to the Holy Spirit! If you dare harm Lingshan, the Holy Spirit will surely punish you!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Li Xian strolled around slowly, and the lights from Batman and The Dark Knight obediently followed his movements, keeping him in the "center stage" at all times.

"Then I shall ask the Holy Spirit—" He stopped, his gaze suddenly turning cold, "Some people took my 'Holy Elixir,' their injuries healed, their power increased, and then they turned around and led men to follow them in the dark, trying to play the game of capturing the leader first... What do you call that?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear:

"That's called ingratitude."

"That's called repaying kindness with enmity."

"That's called being heartless and cruel."

Elder Xiao's face flushed red and then turned pale, his lips trembled a few times, but he couldn't utter a word. Li Xian's words hit the nail on the head.

"We didn't!" Xiao Lingshan couldn't help but argue.

"No?" Li raised an eyebrow, pointing to the surrounding bamboo forest. "Then how did they find this place? Coincidence? Fate? Or does your Wood Sect have some kind of tracking technique that allows you to pinpoint your location from miles away?"

Xiao Lingshan was speechless, and subconsciously touched her cuff—the "Wood Soul Incense" in that hidden pocket had been used up.

Seeing that she remained silent, Li Xian snorted coldly, "I'm too lazy to pursue this. I'll say it again—Miss Xiao, once you've done what I'm supposed to do, you two leave immediately, and we'll be even."

Elder Xiao's eyes darted around, and he suddenly adopted a sincere tone: "Young Master Li... if I may be so bold as to ask, your magical artifacts are truly far too profound and mysterious. Although my daughter has some talent, her knowledge is ultimately limited, and I'm afraid... she might not be up to the task. Wouldn't it be a terrible sin to delay your important matters?"

"It should have been done a long time ago," Li Xian glanced at him sideways, "If it weren't for all the trouble you guys caused along the way, following and ambushing me..."

He waved his hand: "Forget it, it's too late today, we'll talk about it tomorrow. You all—disappear now, immediately."

Elder Xiao and Han Yunyang exchanged a glance, but neither of them moved.

"What's wrong?" Li Xian laughed. "Reluctant to leave? That's fine too. If Elder Xiao is willing to stay and be my father-in-law, I might consider it..."

"Uncle Xiao!" Han Yunyang exclaimed anxiously.

"Shameless!" Xiao Lingshan stomped her foot in anger. "Brother Yunyang, don't listen to him!"

Just then—

"Miss Xiao~" Daya's sweet voice suddenly interrupted, "I think you should seriously consider Young Master Li's suggestion~"

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Everyone in Hanjiabao turned to look at the pink drone, their faces filled with shock.

"A demon...a monster..." A young guard's voice trembled, and his legs shook.

Elder Xiao and Han Yunyang's pupils constricted as they stared intently at Daya—a magic artifact could speak?! And its tone was so human-like, even mocking?!

This has completely gone beyond the scope of "ritual implements"!

"What are you looking at?" Daya gracefully twirled in the air. "Never heard of a spirit that can talk? You country bumpkin~"

Li Xian suppressed a laugh and cleared his throat: "Alright. Miss Xiao, come back with me, and tonight we'll pretend nothing happened. As for you two—"

He pointed at Elder Xiao and the people from Han Family Fortress: "Go back to where you came from. If I spot you approaching again, don't blame my 'spirits' for being impolite."

As he spoke, he waved his hand. Batman and the Dark Knight lowered their altitude, making a shooing gesture.

The instant Li Xian turned around, Elder Xiao swiftly made a subtle gesture to his daughter—bending his index finger and tapping it three times lightly on his side.

Xiao Lingshan's pupils contracted slightly, and she nodded almost imperceptibly, while secretly making a hand gesture behind her back with her right hand.

Li Xian had Batman check on the guards at Han Family Fortress—only one had a laser graze on his arm, but the injury wasn't serious. He tossed over a small fragment of "Sacred Pill": "Apply it, he'll be fine tomorrow."

After saying that, he led Xiao Lingshan away, surrounded by five drones, and walked towards the dilapidated temple without looking back.

In the bamboo forest, Han Yunyang watched the fading light and shadow in the distance, gritting his teeth: "Those magical artifacts... they can actually talk! He must be a reincarnation of a demon! I must report to my father, summon the elders of all sects, and we must kill this fiend!"

"Yunyang," Elder Xiao pressed his shoulder, his gaze deep, "this matter is not so simple. Those 'spirits'... are probably not the methods of ordinary demons. Besides, Shan'er is still in his hands."

He looked southeast: "Let's first go to that cave three miles away to settle down. Everything... will become clear."

Back in the dilapidated temple, Li Xian took out the silver silk rope he had brought from the cave from his pocket—extremely thin and extremely tough, gleaming coldly under the lamplight.

He held the rope, looking at Xiao Lingshan with a half-smile: "You can never be too careful... Tell me, when were you and your daughter originally planning to make your move?"

Xiao Lingshan's face paled, and she shook her head repeatedly, "No! Really no! Tonight... tonight was just a coincidence!"

"You think you're kidding me?" Li Xian sneered. "What a coincidence that you guys just happened to be staking out the dilapidated temple I found? What a coincidence that your father and your Yunyang brother, along with four thugs, were hiding in the bamboo forest in the dark?"

He shook the rope: "I think it's better to tie you up. First, to prevent you from sneaking away in the middle of the night, and second... in case your old father wants to play any more tricks, you'll be a bargaining chip."

"No! Don't!" Xiao Lingshan cried out anxiously, "I won't run away! I swear to the Holy Spirit, I will definitely help you finish that thing tomorrow! You can start now too!"

"Now?" Li yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Never mind, I'm sleepy. That's a matter for the brain. We'll talk about it when he gets back."

"Young Master Li, you're mistaken," Da Ya suddenly spoke up, her tone unusually serious. "The Boltzmann brain issue is your issue, and it's all our issue."

"Yes," Batman agreed.

"That's right," the Dark Knight replied.

"Brain will definitely come back!" Superman is the most enthusiastic.

Li gave a vague "hmm," but a thought flashed through his mind: if his brain doesn't come back by tomorrow... it might really never come back.

Should I be happy, or... disappointed?

Xiao Lingshan sat silently in the corner, watching Li Xian talk to those "spirits," her heart filled with complex emotions.

He's just a little devil.

That "Boltzmann brain"... is the real devil.

I absolutely cannot... fall into the hands of that great demon.

The night wind whistled softly through the windows of the dilapidated temple.

Outside the temple, five drones hovered silently, and warning lights flashed rhythmically in the darkness.

Inside the temple, the two men each harbored their own thoughts, each believing themselves to be the chess player.

Little did they know, there were other players outside the chessboard.

And the player himself—

At this moment, in some distant dimension, a silent and dangerous struggle is taking place with another "self".