I can rewind time to prevent death

Good Character Bookstore.

In front of the window between two bookshelves, Zhang Di and Yuan Dingzhou were perched there, craning their necks to look outside.

After a moment, Yuan Dingzhou turned around with a face full of astonishment, looking at Zhang Xiaomo and Fang Zun, he said, "I suspect that the man with the Lantern Woman is here for revenge against us?"

"Why do you say that?" Fang Zun asked in surprise.

Standing at the window, Zhang Di also turned back, incredulously saying, "That man talked with the Lantern Woman in front of the house we were just in, without entering. It seemed like the Lantern Woman pointed in this direction, and then, both of them started walking over here."

"Ah!" Zhang Xiaomo and Fang Zun exchanged looks of alarm.

"Let's be honest, did any of you run off with that guy's wife?" Yuan Dingzhou asked.

Fang Zun let Zhang Di come down, and he also leaned on the window to look for a moment before shaking his head, "I don't recognize him, I've never seen this person before."

But Zhang Di said, "I feel like I've seen him somewhere, but the distance is too far, I can't see clearly."

"There, it's settled then, he's here for you," Yuan Dingzhou said angrily. "Look at the mess you've made with your antics! Now look at you, just for a few seconds of pleasure, now the retribution is here, dragging us all down with you!"

"Pfft!" Zhang Xiaomo immediately bent over, covering her mouth with her hand.

"You're laughing, but the Lantern Woman is already approaching, and there's that eerie coffin outside. With danger ahead and behind, our only choice seems to be a hard fight," Yuan Dingzhou said, huffing with anger.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a hard fight," Fang Zun said, peering through the door crack, earnestly observing for a while, "The coffin has disappeared; it seems capable of moving by itself, it's already gone toward the street corner. We can leave now."

"Really? Then let's go!" Yuan Dingzhou said joyfully, rushing towards the door.

"Eh!" Zhang Di, still standing on the small box beneath the window, suddenly turned his gaze to Zhang Xiaomo, "I think I know who that person is now, Xiaomo, come and take a look to confirm."

Zhang Xiaomo hesitated, not speaking, and stood on the small box, her gaze passing through the window and outward.

She soon found the two figures approaching Good Character Bookstore, one was the Lantern Woman in white, fluttering clothes holding a lantern, the other was a man in black.

Initially, when inside Mo Zhengping's house, Zhang Xiaomo had seen this man from a great distance, but he was just a vague figure, at most she could tell if it was a man or a woman, unable to discern his features clearly.

But now it was different, due to the closer distance, Zhang Xiaomo recognized him at a glance.

"Ah, Yan Junze! What is he doing here?" Zhang Xiaomo turned and looked at Zhang Di.

Zhang Di just shrugged, "The guy's got guts, that's for sure. That's the Lantern Woman, and he's been dealing with her all along."

"But why is Yan Junze always walking under the eaves?" Zhang Xiaomo said, puzzled.

If it hadn't been for the light from the Lantern Woman's lantern, she might not have recognized Yan Junze at first glance.

"Is he a colleague?" Fang Zun asked.

"What does it matter if he's a colleague? That person next to him is a ticking time bomb!" Yuan Dingzhou had already pulled open the door of the bookstore and asked the people inside, "Are you coming or not? If we delay, once the Lantern Woman blocks the door, no one will be able to leave."

"I'm not leaving," Zhang Xiaomo said almost without thinking, shaking her head.

"Are you sure?" Zhang Di asked.

"Yes," Zhang Xiaomo jumped down from the box, stood to one side with her arms crossed over her chest, showing no intention of leaving.

"If we delay any longer, it will be too late," Yuan Dingzhou said, heading out while adding, "The Lantern Woman is at least capable of creating a Level B event effortlessly. Once she enters the red lantern state, none of us will stand a chance..." Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire

Before he could finish, Fang Zun looked back at Zhang Xiaomo and the others, and also spoke up, "Then let's split up. We'll find a place outside to wait for you, and we'll play it by ear."

With that, he quickly left with Yuan Dingzhou.

"You're not going," Zhang Xiaomo said, turning to Zhang Di.

Zhang Di shook his head, hopped off the small crate, sighed, and then sat on it.

As Yan Junze approached the Good Character Bookstore, he sighed inwardly, feeling fortunate; along the way, the eaves of the houses on this side of the street were all very wide and connected in a row.

The west side of the village was small with only one street, but the houses were densely packed, and even where there were gaps between them, he was able to dash across quickly.

The moonlight only illuminated him for a second or two before Yan Junze's body once again took refuge in the shadows.

Although his walking style was odd, the lantern woman following him said nothing at all.

Soon, he arrived under the eaves of the Good Character Bookstore and when he stepped up to the door, which he intended to push open, Yan Junze was startled to find it ajar.

After a moment's hesitation, he peered in and seemed to see someone inside.

However, the lantern woman didn't pause; she stepped forward with her lantern and entered the bookstore.

Yan Junze had no choice but to follow her, cautiously scanning the surroundings.

As the lantern woman entered, the light from her lantern brightened the pitch-dark room, and Yan Junze immediately noticed Zhang Xiaomo and Zhang Di, who were not hiding.

"Zhang Xiaomo!!!"

Yan Junze was overjoyed; he had never expected to stumble upon Zhang Xiaomo in the bookstore before even finding the lantern woman's husband.

He quickly glanced over Zhang Xiaomo and sensed nothing amiss; she didn't seem like a victim of Spirit-Splitting, and she looked to be in good spirits—at least now, showing a face full of shock.

The man not far from her was also familiar to Yan Junze; it was Zhang Di, who had once taken a cup of cappuccino from him without so much as a thank you—a fellow Exorcist with a Semi-Spirit Body.

But when Zhang Xiaomo saw Yan Junze, she didn't show any hint of happiness. In fact, she was panicking inside; if it were not for her concern for Yan Junze's safety, she would have left long before.

Zhang Xiaomo's attention was entirely on the lantern woman. With just a glance at Yan Junze, she immediately signaled him with her eyes.

Yan Junze saw clearly that Zhang Xiaomo's intention was for him to stay put and let them handle the lantern woman.

The lantern woman was also looking at the two newcomers. After a moment, she asked, "Excuse me, have you seen my husband?"

At that moment, an ominous feeling arose in Yan Junze.

He knew all too well how fickle the lantern woman could be; one second she might seem quite normal, even somewhat friendly, but the next second she could turn hostile and attack anyone in sight.

At least Yan Junze himself, fully aware of her temper, had still managed to anger her more than once after a Rewind.

The Exorcists seemed to realize the lantern woman was dangerous, but it was unclear whether they had accurately gauged her temperament.

If they angered her, Yan Junze couldn't just stand by; he would definitely need to help, and the best, most thorough way to do so was to Rewind.

Using Rewind wasn't a big deal, but it meant consuming Different Dimension Energy.

If Zhang Xiaomo and the others carelessly kept offending the lantern woman turning her into the red lantern state, wouldn't that mean his energy was being needlessly depleted?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Zhang Xiaomo responded, "No, we haven't seen your husband. What is your husband's name?"

"His name is Jia Sheng," replied the lantern woman.

"Jia Sheng?" Zhang Di seemed to ponder for a moment, then pointed toward the end of the street outside the bookstore, "I think I saw him; he went that way down the street."

"Damn, this guy..." Yan Junze was momentarily speechless.

He knew too well the consequences of being caught lying by the lantern woman, yet Zhang Di's first words had already committed a grave offense.

"If you still have your lives when you leave here, split half of your payment with me and treat me to a big meal," he said.