"That's not what I want," Mingyu said softly.
"That's like my good girl. Now stop crying. We have more things to do now," Long Chen said, but he didn't move. He kept hugging her. Even though he told her to hurry, he didn't wish to force her. She deserved the time she needed.
"I am fine. Thank you," Mingyu professed.
"Are you sure?" Long Chen inquired.
"Yeah. You can send me back," Mingyu answered.
"Alright."
"Why aren't you sending me back?" She asked after two minutes when Long Chen still didn't send her back.
"It feels good to hug you. I don't want to be separated. Let me stay like that for longer," Long Chen whispered in Mingyu's ears.
"You... You will never change," Mingyu let out as she rolled her eyes. She placed her hand over his hand and let him hug her for however long he wished.
After about five minutes, Long Chen freed her. "I'm fine now."
"I thought you'll keep hugging me for hours," Mingyu let out jokingly. Long Chen's shenanigans had managed to divert her head from the serious atmosphere around this place. This was what he intended to do as well.
"I would have if I didn't have time constraints," Long Chen answered.
"Maybe next time when you are out," he continued in a low voice.
"Hmm, what did you say?"
Mingyu heard her first sentence, but she failed to hear his second sentence.
"Me? I said nothing," Long Chen answered innocently as he raised both his hands.
Mingyu knew he said something, but he wasn't confessing. She looked at him suspiciously.
"Alright. Give good news to the others as well after you go back. Also, I should be in your world in a few days or longer. Look forward to it," Long Chen affirmed to Mingyu once before he sent her back.
After sending her back, he took care of the body. He also took the ring of the man.
Sending his consciousness inside the storage ring, he saw what was inside. Not bad.
He found the ring to be filled with various treasures. There was one thing that he was most interested in. It was the wine bottle that was inside the ring.
It was something that Pei Zen told him about. According to Long Chen, it was going to help him in comprehending the Law of Destiny when he attempted that after drinking the wine. This was worth more than any other treasure for Long Chen because of that reason alone.
He wore the ring on the same finger in which Pei Zen was wearing before he changed his clothes with the ones he found inside Pei Zen's ring.
Pei Zen was slightly shorter than him. That was why Mask of Mischief decreased his height after he used it to impersonate Pei Zen.
After he finished everything, he stepped out of the room. He started walking back.
He had studied the behavior of the man, and he knew how to act like that. All he needed to do was act like an arrogant scheming aristocrat, and he was going to be fine.
The intersection he had with Pei Zen and reading his thoughts gave Long Chen even more confidence to pull it off.
He had seen the room where Pei Zen was staying when he was coming here. So he didn't need to waste time searching either.
He walked through the long corridors before he reached the place where he had seen Pei Zen. He reached near the hall where Pei Zen had barged in to fight the candidates from the lightning world.
Unfortunately, this happened to be the time when the lightning world candidates were coming out of the hall as well. They had just finished their training. Now they were going back to their rooms.
All of them seemed tired. The girl Bing Lui seemed perfectly fine, though. It was evident that the other two people on the team were pushed to the limits, but the girl's limits weren't challenged.
"You!" Bing Lui exclaimed as she saw Long Chen.
Long Chen would have reached normally if he was himself, but he was Pei Zen now. He needed to act the part if he didn't wish to bring suspicions.
"Yeah, me? Did you already forget about the guy who thrashed you? Why don't you thank the guard who saved you? He's the only reason you're still walking on your feet after all!" Long Chen exhorted.
"You bastard! He saved you, not me! Come back and fight against if you dare!" Bing Lui replied strongly.
"Do you really believe that? Ask your friends. They should be able to help you if you're blind enough not to know about such basic things. You seem to be the only one who still doesn't realize how you were about to be defeated," Long Chen argued as he rolled his eyes.
"You! You! You!" Bing Lui was so furious that she didn't even know how to react. Anger had filled her head.
"What me? Do you wish to say I should take you as my disciple? I'm sorry, I don't take waste." Long Chen retorted.
Bing Lui felt like coughing out the blood at his response. Even the other two people were surprised. Was it their misconception? This guy's ability to insult seemed better now. Or was it that he wasn't using his full insulting capabilities last time?
" Fight me right now!" Bing Lui thundered as she pulled her sword out and aimed at Long Chen.
'This girl is really like a kid. She gets offended so fast,' Long Chen thought as he watched her pull her sword out.
"Don't think I don't want to fight you. If I could, you would be lying on your knees apologizing to me now. Unfortunately, I know the rules now. I don't want to be disqualified," Long Chen told the girl as he rolled his eyes.
"You don't have a chance of getting the top rank, so you don't care. I, on the other hand, would lose much more if I'm disqualified," he continued as he ignored the girl and started walking away.
"Now, don't waste my time. Face me in the trial if you get the opportunity."
Bing Lui watched Long Chen leave. She fumed in rage. She took a step to walk after him.
"Wait!"
The red-haired man of her team stopped her.
"He is right in a way. It's a waste to fight him now. You would only be disqualified even if you win. And without you, we would have even worse ranks. So don't do it. If it's in your destiny to fight him, you'll definitely get the opportunity soon," he continued. "In any case, there is not long left before the trial starts."