"How can you say so?" Li Mei looked up at him from above, her eyes flashing with light as her fingers shone with purple hues.
Huang Shi thought about it for a few seconds, trying to find a way to explain his hunch, before he opened his mouth.
"No disguise is perfect. Even if my father hasn't yet figured out where you are going every night, he should at least have some suspicions…"
He remained quiet for a bit before continuing to speak.
"Not to mention the fact that I am suddenly extremely competent; he must have his doubts about me by now. And considering the fact that my father has always suspected that something was off about the both of us…"
Li Mei finally couldn't hold back the change in her expression, as her eyes showed hints of worry. She knew that if their relationship was exposed prematurely, given the level of their cultivation base, it would be over for both of them.
Seeing the look of anxiety in his lover's expression, he reached out with his hands and held hers within them as he spoke with conviction.
"Don't worry. The fact that my father hasn't yet sent the Disciplinary Hall to apprehend me openly means that what he has so far are just suspicions. If he were certain that there was something going on between the both of us, he would not have sent assassins; he would have just executed me on the spot."
Li Mei nodded her head, agreeing with his words, and yet the anxiety still didn't disappear from her expression as she looked toward him and spoke.
"The situation is going to be much more dangerous for you. Your father sent those assassins from the Disciplinary Hall to end your life, but you came back here safe and sound. Won't he investigate what happened there and figure out that you were the one who killed those elders?"
Huang Shi thought about this for a few seconds before shaking his head, his golden eyes flashing with a calculating light.
"No, I'm pretty sure Xinyue did something to make sure that people don't find out that it was me who killed those bastards. She might have done something that made it seem like those guys were killed by spiritual beasts instead."
Despite Li Mei thinking that this was a bit far-fetched, she tried her best to be more open-minded as she continued to ask, "How can you say so? Didn't you say that Bai Xinyue chose not to interfere in your fight?"
Huang Shi shook his head, replying with a decisive tone.
"Even though she said that, I know she was observing me from the shadows. If I faced anything that was beyond my capabilities, I know she would have intervened. Not only that, I let a few people escape during the ambush, and yet when I came back to the sect, nothing happened. This must mean that she did something to take care of it."
Li Mei's eyes flashed as the worry in them was reduced by a large margin; she then fell back down onto his chest, trying to calm her breathing.
"I'm not yet exactly sure how strong your father and his subordinates in the Disciplinary Hall are. Until we have enough strength to face them openly, we need to make sure to lie low for a while."
Huang Shi's mouth suddenly twitched as he looked toward the beautiful woman lying on him.
"Does that mean that you won't be meeting with me for a while after today?"
Li Mei paused her breathing for a few seconds, thinking to herself, before ultimately shaking her head.
"No. We just got reunited. If I know you are here and yet I can't be with you for external reasons, I might go crazy. So, let's just find some other way to do it."
Huang Shi's expression softened as his hands once again roamed all across his lover's body. Even though he had a few ideas for what to do to make sure that their relationship wasn't exposed in the short term, they all had their hints of risk.
This is probably the safest way to do it.
After thinking for a few more seconds, he took something out from his spatial ring. It was a plain white mask with crimson outlines that spiraled outward; that's right, the thing Huang Shi had in his hand at present was the Thousand Faces of Shame Mask!
Li Mei had a look of confusion on her face as she stared at the strange mask in her lover's hand, asking with doubt, "What is that? It feels a bit strange."
Huang Shi waved the mask in his hands, slightly moving his fingers across the crimson outlines as he replied, "This is called the Thousand Faces of Shame Mask. It's basically a way for a person to disguise their aura and appearance. With this, you won't have to worry about sneaking around here at night; you can just pretend to be some random girl that I bring over my night"
Despite his words, Li Mei didn't seem convinced. She held the mask in one of her dainty hands, sending a bit of spiritual energy into it. Suddenly, the mask shone with an eerie red and white light, bringing with it an aura of deception which caused her to gasp. Her eyes widened in shock before she let go and dropped the mask onto his chest.
"W-what is that thing?! Its spiritual energy aura feels extremely weird!"
Huang Shi saw her reaction and chuckled a bit before extending one of his hands to rub one of her cheeks with affection. "Don't worry, it's safe. It's what I used to escape from the beast tide brought about by the appearance of the Greenwood Sky Snake King."
Despite his words, inside of his mind, he asked the system a question.
Hey system, this thing is safe, right?
[Responding to host: as long as the owner of the scum item gives permission, the item can be used by anyone. If the host does not give permission, it will not have any effect.]