"You've grown quite a bit."
The girl in front of him had blossomed into a graceful young woman, her hair tied back in a high ponytail, giving her a spirited look. Duan Chen couldn't help but marvel at how much could happen in just half a year.
"Oh my... isn't this Duan Chen?"
Duan Chen found the nasal voice unfamiliar. He looked behind Mi Xue'er and saw a man in drag. He wore a seductive red dress, sky-high heels, and had a very prominent Adam's apple on his fair neck.
This time, not only Duan Chen but also Sun Xiaoxiao and the others gasped.
"Mi Le?!"
That's right, the man before them was Mi Xue'er's biological brother, Mi Le.
It seemed a story had unfolded between them after Duan Chen left.
"Brother Duan Chen, you've been gone for so long, have you missed me?"
The young girl acted coy, her face flushed.
As expected, another romantic entanglement. Yan Qiuren watched his new master, contemplating how much effort it would take to clear away these romantic entanglements.
"Don't overthink things," Duan Chen glanced at her.
"And please don't read my mind at will," Yan Qiuren gritted her teeth.
"Brother Duan Chen, this is..."
"Yan Qiuren, my assistant."
"That Yan Qiuren?" Mi Xue'er exclaimed, then looked at Yan Qiuren, then at Jia Yunlian, then at Tian Qi, Ding Ding, and finally at Sun Xiaoxiao. Her eyes softened when she saw Sun Xiaoxiao, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"What are you sighing about?" Sun Xiaoxiao asked through gritted teeth.
"Yoho, isn't it obvious now?" Ding Ding puffed out her proud chest.
"I can't believe even the three of you couldn't escape?"
Mi Le giggled, covering his mouth, his smile laced with sarcasm.
"As if you escaped," Sun Xiaoxiao retorted without hesitation.
"Exactly, forming a contract with your own sister, is that something to be proud of?" Tian Qi and the other two had contracts with Duan Chen, and being of the same race as Mi Le, they could naturally sense the contract energy emanating from him.
"Xue'er."
Duan Chen also sensed it, his brow furrowed as he spoke softly.
Mi Xue'er took his hand, looking somewhat helpless.
"Brother Duan Chen, I have my own judgment. Besides, I'm a high-level agent now, just like you. And since you can form contracts with Sun Xiaoxiao and the others, why can't I form one with my own brother?"
"Exactly," Mi Le scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Alright, have you finished catching up? I'm starving," Bai Ye grumbled from the side.
"Let's go."
Duan Chen smiled. Of course, he was curious how Mi Xue'er had been promoted to a high-level agent in just half a year, but he couldn't ask. He needed Mi Xue'er to tell him herself.
"Instructor—!"
Good heavens, here we go again!
This time, Duan Chen smiled and nimbly dodged Lu Shui Shui's embrace.
"Cousin—!"
Xi Er was caught off guard by her pounce.
"Meow meow meow!"
Tu Fei Yuan's vision went black, and he instantly felt his breathing become difficult.
Duan Chen genuinely feared she would break her cousin's neck.
"Instructor."
Compared to them, Su Baiyi and Tian Xi Meng appeared much calmer.
"Yan... Assistant?"
Su Baiyi's expression changed, and Tian Xi Meng also showed a hint of fear in her eyes.
"What exactly did you do before?" Duan Chen sighed and introduced them again. Only then did their expressions improve, and they looked at Duan Chen with admiration.
As expected of the instructor!
Many people were already seated in the private room, even Ming Yan was there, glaring at him with displeasure.
Duan Chen's heart warmed.
"Don't worry, Sister Ming Yan, it won't happen again."
Ming Yan sighed softly, "Your mission this time was too dangerous. If it had failed, do you know what would have awaited you?"
It would have been Jun Wu Chen's relentless pursuit!
Duan Chen smiled. He understood, of course, he had understood from the very beginning. It was precisely because he didn't want to live his life hiding that he chose to go all in.
Thinking back now, confronting the leader of the Spirit Hunting Guild headquarters was indeed an extremely perilous undertaking, making one's blood run cold.
"Brother Duan Chen!"
Mi Xue'er snatched the seat next to Duan Chen.
"Can a child sit somewhere else?" Jia Yunlian looked like she was about to crack a whip.
Mi Xue'er was indeed a little afraid of her, but she still clung tightly to Duan Chen, finding a legitimate excuse, "I'm Brother Duan Chen's disciple, Sister, don't fight for a seat with a high school student like me, okay?"
Yes, a high school student, and already a high-level agent. Duan Chen felt as if he had aged several years in an instant.
Hearing this, Yan Qiuren's eyes lit up, and she grabbed the other seat next to Duan Chen. Enduring the murderous glares from Tian Qi and the others, she chuckled, "I'm the master's assistant."
"I told you, we should have thrown her off the plane back then!"
Tian Qi gritted her teeth.
"Sigh... Instructor is truly..."
"What is it? A male equivalent of a femme fatale?" Wang Zihao snickered.
The others weren't as fixated on seats and casually found places to sit.
"Meow meow meow!"
Tu Fei Yuan expressed his dissatisfaction at his lack of feline rights.
Xi Er was stunned and immediately pressed him onto her lap.
"What do you want to eat, I can feed it to you. Don't move around."
"Alright then."
"Yoho, cats can talk?" Bai Ye found it novel.
"I can do a backflip too!"
"Show us!" he said with interest.
Tu Fei Yuan gave him a disdainful look.
"Brother Duan Chen."
"Hmm?"
Duan Chen's eyes flickered, and he noticed a hint of grievance in the girl's gaze.
"What's wrong?" he found it amusing.
"You're not even asking me why my strength improved so quickly?"
"Because I'm waiting for you to tell me yourself. If you don't say it, I won't ask," Duan Chen smiled slightly.
Mi Xue'er was stunned, then puffed out her cheeks, seemingly still sulking.
Duan Chen was helpless.
"You're a high-level agent now, don't throw tantrums over every little thing, or people will laugh at you."
This remark was perfect for coaxing a child, and Mi Xue'er immediately withdrew her puffed cheeks, her expression turning somewhat cold.
Duan Chen couldn't help but chuckle.
Then, Mi Xue'er took out a pocket watch from her bag. When she opened the cover, Duan Chen saw three large characters.
No regrets.