Just friends.

"What if we don't catch him?" Jie Fu Lian teasingly questioned, "What if my name can't be cleared and I'm once again the evil man who must be killed?"

Hua Tianshu lightly chuckled as he heard this question and replied, "Then together we'll run away to the demon realm. I'll make sure to protect you for the rest of your life. I'll never let you go through the same pain again. I would not let you be wronged."

Jie Fu Lian's lips curled up into a warm smile and he muttered out without thinking, "Hua Tianshu, sometimes you make me want to kiss you."

"..." Hua Tianshu's eyes widened and his body stiffened in shock.

He was certainly not the only one shocked. Even Jie Fu Lian was stunned at the words that he had impulsively spouted out.

"Because you are my best friend!" Jie Fu Lian panicked a little as he exclaimed, trying to defend himself, "You make me feel at ease and I love it. That's it. There is nothing more to it. Don't overthink it."