Qin Ze could tell from Duan Chen's eyes that things hadn't gone smoothly.
He scratched his chin, anxious but helpless.
Duan Chen hesitated, still unable to think of a good way to find out about Mi Xue'er's whereabouts.
All the clues had been cut off.
The other party had vanished without a trace.
At present, they could only conclude that this was likely the work of some anomaly or heresy.
Was it a sea monster?
Or some other strange, aberrant creature?
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Qin Ze asked from the side.
He had almost forgotten about him.
Duan Chen slapped his forehead and said, "You wait here and don't wander around. If you have time, you can try to hone your talent."
"The special agent assessment by the Spirit Hunter Guild here is not far off. If you want to join and become a special agent, you can only enter after passing the assessment."
Qin Ze's eyes immediately became firm.
He clenched his fists, "Don't worry, I will definitely succeed in getting a spot."
Duan Chen found it somewhat amusing and offered a word of caution, "Don't be so confident. I'm not trying to discourage you, but even with me teaching you, the people who want to qualify for the special agent spot this time are not simple."
After a few more words, he eagerly left.
There was no time to linger here.
He had to find information about Mi Xue'er's father as quickly as possible.
Perhaps he could get some news.
For now, he had to go back and ask Zhong Yu again.
Although Zhong Yu's expression back then seemed reluctant to bring it up, it concerned her only daughter, so she shouldn't be confused about this matter.
Duan Chen went straight to Zhong Yu without a word.
Upon seeing that it was Duan Chen, a flicker of hope appeared in Zhong Yu's eyes: "Have you found any information about Xue'er?"
Duan Chen shook his head, and the light in Zhong Yu's eyes dimmed instantly.
The next second, she heard two words she never wanted to hear in her life.
"Ms. Zhong, I'd like to ask about Xue'er's father."
Zhong Yu's expression changed.
Her fingers trembled for a moment, and she suddenly looked up at Duan Chen, instinctively wanting to resist. However, thinking of Xue'er, she forcefully suppressed her resistance.
Zhong Yu gritted her teeth and said, "So, this matter was caused by him?"
Duan Chen neither confirmed nor denied, merely watching Zhong Yu quietly.
She wiped her face and said in self-abandonment, "Forget it, it's not anything shameful. Since you want to hear it, I'll tell you."
Duan Chen immediately adopted an attentive posture.
To be honest, he was incredibly curious about the person Wu Suowei had once described as "a decent person."
Zhong Yu's gaze grew distant.
She came back to herself, sighed, and recounted a past event.
"I met him a long time ago... I was just an ordinary university student then, with a little money, a few houses, some land, and a company."
Duan Chen's lips twitched.
Key points.
Ordinary university student.
A little money, a few houses, some land, a company.
Truly ordinary.
"He was just an unremarkable man. I didn't know then that he belonged to the Spirit Hunter Guild, and was from headquarters. Your encounter with Xue'er is very similar to how I met him."
Zhong Yu gave a bitter smile. "I was saved by him, and then I fell deeply in love with him, my feelings becoming profound."
"Everything else followed suit naturally: dating, marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth, and then Xue'er."
"I never paid attention to his work. Even though I knew he was a hero who saved humanity, to me, it was just a dangerous job that kept him out late and returned late."
"Until one day, he disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Duan Chen asked in confusion, "Without leaving a word?"
"No."
Zhong Yu's expression turned cold at that moment.
"He vanished when Xue'er was three years old, disappearing without a trace. I went to headquarters to inquire, but no one told me anything. They only said he seemed to have taken on a mission, but that mission was later marked as completed."
"He disappeared, and I raised Xue'er alone. So many years have passed, and I don't know if he's alive or dead, nor what exactly happened back then."
"That's all there is to it, really. There's nothing much to say."
Duan Chen asked, "May I know his name?"
His name?
That name hadn't been spoken in a long time.
Zhong Yu uttered two words with difficulty: "Mi Jun. His name is Mi Jun. Mi from 'white rice,' Jun from 'gentleman.' He was known as the Sword Sage who never regretted, Mi Jun."
Mi Jun.
Duan Chen remembered the name.
Although it was of no use regarding Mi Xue'er's whereabouts,
He had a feeling this name might be useful one day.
He bid farewell to Zhong Yu. As he closed the door, he looked back. Zhong Yu's figure, bathed in the setting sun, seemed to exude a deep loneliness.
Duan Chen said nothing and left.
Matters of the heart ultimately required one to make their own decisions. Besides, so many years had passed. Whatever decision Zhong Yu made in the end was her own business.
He had no right to interfere.
However, when he returned to the Spirit Hunter Guild, he suddenly saw Qin Ze looking rather anxious.
Qin Ze visibly relaxed when he saw Duan Chen enter.
Duan Chen looked Qin Ze up and down, noticing that he had been waiting in the hall for quite some time.
"Did you need me for something?"
He inquired.
Qin Ze nodded frantically, his head almost shaking off.
He looked around nervously and quickly spoke to Duan Chen, "Yes, I did! Of course, I did!"
"Teacher, after you left, when I went home to get my luggage, I suddenly met someone on the road."
He gestured animatedly as he described.
"A person in a black robe handed me this."
A crumpled piece of paper was presented to Duan Chen.
Qin Ze leaned close to Duan Chen's ear and said, "That person said he wants to see you. If you also want to see him, come to this address at midnight, three days from now."
"No extensions."
Duan Chen had no inclination for such things.
He frowned slightly, about to say something, when he heard Qin Ze continue.
"He said he has information about Xue'er's whereabouts. If you don't go that day, Xue'er's life or death will be uncertain."