Everyone has secrets.

Whether they are ordinary people or important figures, their secrets are the same. But what's different is that the secrets of the former are worthless.

...

...

Gu Shen stood quietly in Madam's dream.

There was nothing here, no pain or joy, no fantasies or memories. All there was, was a long and deep corridor, and iron doors.

Gu Shen suddenly understood why Lu Nanzhi could take off her earrings without any defense... because even if he really entered the dream, he couldn't see anything.

Every door was locked.

The secrets of important figures were all locked.

The thin thread that delved deep into the dream tried to crash into the iron door, but it was mercilessly bounced back. After several attempts, it was the same. When it tried to drill into Madam's dream, it never expected that this place would be so deadly.

"Madam's dream is as solid as a rock."

Gu Shen didn't know what method this was... but what he could be sure of was that with the existence of these "mental locks," no one could hypnotize Lu Nanzhi and extract information from her dream.

"Stop here."

He walked slowly towards the depths of the corridor. The thin thread had nowhere to go and fled all the way to the end.

The last iron door in Madam's dream was different from the previous ones... This door seemed to be unlocked, but it was blood red, and the surrounding walls were also rendered red.

Something strange happened.

Find the original at "pawread.com".

After fleeing here, the thin thread suddenly stopped. It was clear that the remaining spiritual imprint was struggling. The only way to survive was to jump into that blood-red door. But it resisted desperately... It would rather be caught up by Gu Shen than touch that blood-red door.

So Gu Shen... easily grabbed it.

A burst of fire instantly swept out, giving the other party no chance to react.

"Chi."

In an instant, the thin thread was burned to ashes!

After completing this, Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief. This mission was considered successfully completed... but he didn't immediately withdraw his spiritual power. Instead, he frowned and carefully observed Lu Nanzhi's dream.

There was no intention of prying.

In fact, there was nothing to pry into.

It was just that the "blood-red door" in front of him, which was within reach, made Gu Shen curious. He didn't understand why the thin thread that desperately fled had come here. Was there anything more terrifying than being burned by himself?

Why was it so afraid?

Standing at such a close distance, carefully observing, in the blood color of this iron door, there seemed to be ancient characters floating up and down. He didn't know what era these characters were from, and he couldn't understand their meaning, but he had a vague feeling of being attracted.

"Or... touch it."

This thought emerged in Gu Shen's mind.

No!

Gu Shen was startled by this thought. When he came back to his senses, his hand was already reaching into the air. He quickly took two steps back, far away from this blood-red ancient door...

What was wrong with him?

"This door... is a bit eerie."

Gu Shen looked at the red door with some wariness and suppressed the urge to touch it again.

Fortunately, his willpower was strong enough. He almost fell for the temptation. No one knew what would happen if he really touched it.

He quickly dissipated his spiritual power.

...

...

Song Ci stood quietly in front of the door.

He stared at the clock on the wall, and every second felt like a year.

Perhaps because he had just seen Gu Shen, the impression of this kid in Song Ci's mind was still stuck in the scene where they were running together in the old city district like ostriches.

However, this impression was not very reliable... Song Ci had made a lot of effort, but he still couldn't match up "Gu Shen" with the genius boy mentioned by Cui Zhongcheng.

This kid wouldn't mess things up, right?

Madam must not have any accidents!

He anxiously waited and waited...

Finally, with a creak, the door opened.

Song Ci looked at Gu Shen's calm face, held his breath, and didn't dare to breathe.

"It's been resolved."

Gu Shen looked at Song Ci's hesitant face and couldn't help but smile. "What, don't you believe me?"

"Madam is sleeping inside... see for yourself."

What even the transcendent of the tenth floor of the Deep Sea couldn't do, this kid did it?

Song Ci looked skeptical, leaned over to peek through the crack of the door, and carefully looked inside. After seeing Madam's peaceful sleeping face, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Crow gently closed the door, and he pulled Gu Shen downstairs. He lit a cigarette and respectfully handed it to him.

Gu Shen smiled and shook his head, refusing.

Of course, the Crow was just putting on a show. He took a deep drag, and in that breath, complex emotions were contained. He finally mumbled unclearly, "You... are something."

Whether he should admire Gu Shen or Cui Zhongcheng, he didn't know.

In any case, this kid indeed had some skills.

He was a genius.

"It's not that I'm amazing, it's just that Arche is special." Gu Shen didn't take credit and said lightly, "It's also fortunate that Madam found the right person."

Removing the spiritual imprint this time... Gu Shen felt the power of his own fire.

An incredibly sensitive perception.

That thin thread could deceive the transcendent of the tenth floor of the Deep Sea, but it couldn't deceive him!

He was confident that if he went to the Deep Sea for the transcendent trial again, he would definitely pass the first level.

...

...

"Sorry about what happened at noon."

The Crow leaned against the wall of the alley, with one hand in his pocket, his face covered in smoke. His voice was low, "I owe you a meal... and a favor. This time, I'm serious."

"It has nothing to do with me if Madam is cured. You don't owe me any favors for this." Gu Shen shrugged and said, "The Sleeptalker is here to solve illnesses... even if it wasn't Madam who came today, I would still treat her. Besides, she paid."

The Crow narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised.

"But you do owe me a meal."

Gu Shen smiled, "It's not ethical to run away halfway through a meal, right? I heard later that the name Crow is notorious in the old city district."

Song Ci felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Next time for sure!" He patted his chest, promising earnestly, "You're dealing with the Crow of the Sincere Society, my reputation on the streets is well-known, my word is as good as gold! If I owe you a meal, I'll repay it tenfold, a hundredfold!"

"Alright, alright..."

Gu Shen waved his hand, laughing, "You're making it sound like I saved your life."

However, Song Ci's face showed no trace of jest. He said seriously, "My lady is very important to me... You saving her is even more important than saving me."

"..."

Gu Shen sighed, shaking his head, "There's another important matter, I think it's better to tell you."

Song Ci narrowed his eyes.

"Someone has planted a spiritual imprint on the lady's forehead."

Gu Shen stated bluntly, "You can pay more attention in the future, see who usually gets close to the lady... This spiritual imprint can only be planted when she takes off her earrings."

"The spiritual imprint can only be planted when she takes off her earrings..." Crow frowned and said coldly, "Who else could do such a thing?"

Almost instantly, a person came to his mind.

Zhao Qi.

This so-called "heir" to the vast Zhao family was in reality a talentless wastrel, who knew nothing but indulgence, squandering the family fortune. Yet, this laughingstock of a second-generation rich kid was fortunate enough to marry Lu Nanzhi, a woman seen by all as near perfect... Many joked that it was a case of a handsome man and a rich woman, but Crow knew that the lady had more than just looks.

A certain Zhao council member, whose days were numbered, could barely hang on even with the use of the most precious life-saving artifacts... The Zhao family, with its vast assets, was like a setting sun. Everyone could foresee its fall from the peak, but it was still holding on, half thanks to Mr. Cui who prided himself as the "keeper of the gold mountain".

The other half was due to Lu Nanzhi, who outsiders said "clung to the Zhao family".

This woman had perfect looks, a cool head, an iron fist, and courage and determination surpassing most men... In Crow's heart, this benefactor who pulled him out of the mire of fate was a sacred existence.

If he hadn't known that this marriage was only a nominal one, a show for the public, he might have shot Zhao Qi at the wedding.

After the wedding, Lu Nanzhi and Zhao Qi, apart from appearing together in public, hardly ever met. They lived in two separate worlds... one indulging in debauchery day and night, the other treading on thin ice among a pack of wolves, walking through thorny mud.

But if one were to find someone who had the opportunity to plant a spiritual imprint when the lady took off her earrings.

The easiest one would definitely be Zhao Qi.

Knowing that the lady's insomnia was due to someone "close to her"... Crow's forehead veins were already bulging, but remembering the lady's instructions on the rooftop, the veins subsided.

He clenched his fist silently, asking in a low voice, "Who is that guy, do you know?"

"I don't know."

Gu Shen shook his head, calmly saying, "From that spiritual imprint... I can't see any other information. I'm just reminding you as a friend, this time it's just a probe, next time it might not be so simple."

"I understand... I'll keep an eye out."

Song Ci sighed softly.

In the end, it was just a suspicion, without evidence.

Acting impulsively would only bring trouble to the lady.

However... with the lady's wisdom, she must have already had a suspect in mind. Suddenly, he paused, Gu Shen's words echoing in his mind.

In that sentence, two words struck him.

Friend.

Perhaps it was just a casual remark from Gu Shen, but this unfamiliar word... gave Crow a feeling of being in a different world.

"Hey..."

The man's cheek was shrouded in smoke, Song Ci, Song Yingji, Crow, slowly discarded his pipe, stamped it out, and said softly, "If we're friends, if you need any help in the future, just say it."

Upon hearing these words, the young man in the distant alley waved his hand.

His thumb and index finger hooked up, forming a circle.