Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Spirit-Suppressing Ring

"And how did you come to know about this thing called supernatural abilities?" Lu Shenchen once again cast a questioning gaze at Qin Sheng, then glanced at Song Qing'an, who was sipping his tea nearby, as if he had just understood something.

Qin Sheng herself didn't know how to answer Lu Shenchen's question. In her previous life, she had only heard people in the safe zone talk about such situations as an awakening of supernatural abilities, but as for the reason, she remained entirely in the dark.

"Just take out the things already, didn't you prepare them in advance?" Song Qing'an, seeing Lu Shenchen intent on continuing his questioning, interrupted impatiently.

Lu Shenchen silently rolled his eyes at Song Qing'an. This guy truly indulged Qin Sheng to an absurd degree.

And what did he mean by "prepared in advance"? In reality, it was Lu Shenchen himself who guessed Qin Sheng would come, and before nightfall, turned on all the lights in the Destiny Shop, eagerly hoping she'd arrive sooner.

Now, he was pushing all responsibility away, acting as if he had nothing to do with it.

Lu Qingyan had remained silent throughout, leisurely drinking his tea, the perfect spectator.

Lu Shenchen sighed helplessly, waving his hand as he turned to fetch the items, still grumbling, "Who was it that turned on all the lights before it even got dark? Pretending not to care at this moment..."

Qin Sheng heard Lu Shenchen's complaint and looked at Song Qing'an with a half-smile.

Song Qing'an quickly took a sip of tea to hide his embarrassment, pretending to brush it off, "This road gets dark early; lighting up helps others walk safely."

Even as he searched for things in the inner room, Lu Shenchen didn't forget to expose Song Qing'an. "Are there any others on this road besides us?"

Song Qing'an was even more awkward now, but he would rather die than admit he had prepared early, waiting for her arrival. Otherwise, she'd surely tease him about it.

"No one? Perhaps I remembered wrong..." Song Qing'an deliberately avoided Qin Sheng's gaze, turning to speak to Lu Qingyan, "This tea is excellent, isn't it? I brought it from another world..."

Qin Sheng immediately caught the key word in Song Qing'an's remark.

Another world?

She searched her memory, but whether in her previous life or this one, she had never heard of such a term.

Song Qing'an seemed to notice Qin Sheng's puzzled look and continued, "The tea from over there is indeed much better than here."

Lu Qingyan nodded in agreement.

Perhaps 'another world' was merely a place famed for its tea.

Qin Sheng didn't pay much attention, her focus on what Lu Shenchen was about to bring out from the inner room.

"Would you like to try some of this tea?" Song Qing'an found a clean cup and poured her a serving without waiting for her answer.

Qin Sheng couldn't refuse, so she accepted and took a sip.

It was indeed fragrant, but tea was never her favorite; it always tasted somewhat bitter to her.

Song Qing'an saw her lightly furrowed brows and guessed she didn't like tea.

"If you don't like it, just put it down. Nephew, bring her a cup of fruit tea." After speaking to Qin Sheng, Song Qing'an raised his chin at Lu Qingyan, full of swagger.

Though they were about the same age, because Song Qing'an was close to Lu Shenchen, Lu Qingyan had to address him as 'uncle'.

Lu Qingyan's eyes behind the golden-rimmed glasses grew noticeably colder, but facing Song Qing'an's shameless demeanor, he could only relent and stood up to pour a drink for Qin Sheng.

Qin Sheng felt embarrassed and quickly rose to decline, "No need, I'm not very thirsty."

Seeing her refusal, Lu Qingyan turned back to his seat.

Song Qing'an, seemingly intentional, still wore his roguish smile, and continued to instruct Lu Qingyan, "Nephew, even if she's not thirsty, you must serve her; that's proper etiquette."

Lu Qingyan glared at Song Qing'an, stood up again, and went directly to the inner room to find fruit tea, ignoring Qin Sheng's protest.

Qin Sheng could see right away that Song Qing'an was doing this on purpose.

She simply couldn't understand why Song Qing'an insisted Lu Qingyan pour her tea. Wasn't this deliberately stirring up trouble between her and Lu Qingyan?

Song Qing'an had anticipated Qin Sheng's confused expression, and with a sly smile, whispered to her, "You outrank him. Naturally, he should show you more respect."

Qin Sheng raised her eyebrows, finally grasping Song Qing'an's intention.

A warmth rose in her heart.

Song Qing'an must have known that the atmosphere between her and Lu Qingyan hadn't been very good, and with Lu Qingyan's high status in the safe zone, friction was inevitable.

Song Qing'an was warning Lu Qingyan.

Qin Sheng couldn't deny being moved; but this fox always acted on a whim, and sometimes she couldn't figure out his true motives.

Lu Qingyan returned with the tea, placing the cup beside Qin Sheng.

"Drink, you're the guest."

Qin Sheng nodded, still polite, "Thank you."

Lu Qingyan maintained his cold demeanor, striding back to his seat, and as he drank his tea, shot a glare at Song Qing'an.

Soon, Lu Shenchen had gathered the items Qin Sheng needed.

He placed several boxes in front of her.

"These are Spirit Suppressing Rings; they can conceal supernatural abilities."

Qin Sheng nodded in delight, carefully examining the rings in each box.

They were exquisite and dainty, not much different from jewelry in the world before the apocalypse, but noticeably finer.

"The Spirit Suppressing Ring will transform according to its owner's needs, taking on any form desired. Once worn, no one can tell whether you possess supernatural abilities, and all devices will fail to detect them," Lu Shenchen explained.

Qin Sheng quickly understood how to use them, but hesitated over how many to take.

Currently, it was known that Chu Xingyu, Lin Xing, and herself all had supernatural fluctuations, but who could say whether Jiang Miaomiao or A Ti might awaken abilities in the future.

Qin Sheng shook her head, deciding not to worry about that for now; Lin Xing was the one who needed it most at the moment.

After taking two rings, she reached for a third when Lu Shenchen noticed the obsidian ring on her left hand.

He glanced at Song Qing'an, as if realizing something.

He smiled and stopped her hand.

"You don't need to take another."

Qin Sheng raised her brows in puzzlement, following Lu Shenchen's gaze to her own ring.

Song Qing'an had previously worn it on his little finger, but since it was loose on Qin Sheng's, she wore it on her left ring finger.

A woman's right ring finger was for a wedding ring, so she avoided that by wearing it on the left.

Lu Shenchen gave a meaningful smile, "Your abilities won't be discovered. But it's fine to take more; I have plenty."

Qin Sheng trusted Lu Shenchen, though his smile seemed less than convincing.

But since he wasn't short on them, she might as well take a few more.

At worst, she'd wear one herself.

Qin Sheng quickly packed up all the Spirit Suppressing Rings Lu Shenchen had given her.

"Thank you. If you ever need my help, I will do my utmost," Qin Sheng said, deeply grateful for the generous supply.

Lu Shenchen smiled, "No need to be so formal. Next time, just bring me more of those self-heating hotpots and whatever oden you can find."

Qin Sheng couldn't help but laugh at his request; evidently, he'd already eaten up the supplies she'd left him last time.

"Alright, I'll be sure to bring more next time."

Since her time was limited, she didn't linger after collecting the rings.

"No need to see me off; I'll bring you some rare things next time."

At the doorway of the Destiny Shop, only Song Qing'an and Lu Shenchen came to see her off.

Qin Sheng walked quite a distance, still waving back at them.

Lu Shenchen waved in return, and in the next moment, Qin Sheng disappeared from sight.

Song Qing'an folded his arms, leaning lazily against the doorframe, watching Qin Sheng's silhouette recede into the distance. He curled his lips gently, his lowered eyes making his emotions unreadable.

"You just gave her the Spirit Ring your mother left you?" Lu Shenchen had clearly recognized the ring Qin Sheng wore on her left hand as the one Song Qing'an had worn before.

Song Qing'an yawned, his face utterly unconcerned, clearly not caring about the matter.

"A ring that conceals supernatural abilities suits her perfectly. I don't need to hide mine."

His explanation was impeccable, leaving Lu Shenchen no room for objection.

Of course, he knew the ring wasn't of much practical use, but it was a keepsake from Song Qing'an's mother.

It was the only thing Song Qing'an had to remember her by.

Though its practical value was slight, it was a vessel for emotion.

Song Qing'an waved it off casually and strode back into the house.

Lu Shenchen watched Song Qing'an's back, feeling a complicated tangle of emotions.

But ultimately, it was Song Qing'an's own affair; he couldn't interfere.

Lu Shenchen stopped pondering, closed the Destiny Shop's door, and switched off the lights outside.

In the next moment, darkness enveloped the entrance, and nothing could be seen.

The light that was deliberately left on tonight, perhaps, had been reserved for only one person.

Song Qing'an went upstairs straight to his own room.

Lu Qingyan wanted to invite him for another game of chess, but Song Qing'an's steps were swift, giving him no chance to intercept.

Lu Shenchen soon entered as well.

He glanced at Lu Qingyan, who was holding a teacup and heading upstairs.

He sighed softly, "Nephew, let's play another round together."

Lu Qingyan nodded and followed him to sit and play chess.

"Uncle, is Qin Sheng very important to Song Qing'an?" Lu Qingyan set down a chess piece, asking quietly.

Lu Shenchen stared at the chessboard, seemingly calculating his next move.

Lu Qingyan expected no answer and shook his head as he placed his piece, but then heard Lu Shenchen reply.

"Very important. Perhaps he would even risk his life for her."