"That kid, didn't he lie to us?"
"Master, did you read his mind?"
Duan Chen sighed, "I can't read anything at all."
Qi Qing shrugged, "Maybe it's because the people living in Peach Blossom Pool are all in between humans and aberrations, so their minds are empty?"
Qu Yan's commission was difficult to handle. The task was to help a rich woman catch her cheating husband.
"Ever since we got married, he's changed. He's not the husband I knew before. He started staying out all night, and even not coming home for three to five days became common. Not only that, he also... he also..."
The rich woman in front of them, Miss Jiang, sobbed as she recounted her life situation.
"He also... what?" Bai Ye couldn't help but ask.
"He also said he has no feelings for me anymore and wants to go find a mistress—!"
After saying that, Miss Jiang burst into tears.
"Calm down first, don't worry. Do you know where he is now?" Qi Qing asked.
Unexpectedly, Miss Jiang ignored him and instead placed her hands on Duan Chen and Bai Ye's thighs, stroking them back and forth. Even Sheng Chen didn't escape her clutches.
"No, I don't plan to win him back now."
"Then you plan to...?" Bai Ye braced himself and pushed away Miss Jiang's lascivious hands.
Miss Jiang looked at the three of them with a shy expression.
"I plan to be like him, living our own happy lives separately. It's quite good. The reason I called you detectives here is actually because I want to... would you be willing to be kept by me?"
Duan Chen's mouth twitched, and he quickly recoiled as if shot.
Zhong Yu had said the same thing to him, but Zhong Yu hadn't meant it that way. However, the Miss Jiang in front of him had made her intentions clear.
That's exactly what I mean! Do you want to be kept by me?!
"If possible, I hope these beautiful young ladies too..."
"I feel... it's not very suitable." Mi Xue'er was initially displeased with the other party's flirtatiousness towards Duan Chen, but now... only awkwardness remained.
"Ahem, we're here to get the job done."
"Ah! Miss Mi, Young Master Qin? You two are also..." Miss Jiang's face was full of shyness.
Yan Qiu Ren's face was a mixture of indescribable emotions.
[Master, are people in Suzhou always this open?]
[Don't generalize!]
"No, Miss Jiang, our purpose is not this. Let's talk properly about the commission." Duan Chen's face turned green, his expression as if he had eaten a fly. He seriously suspected that Qu Yan had played him.
"Alas... alright then, if I can get a divorce and my husband pays me a sum of money, that would be best. Let me think, should I take his ten apartments in the city, or..."
"That's far-fetched!" Bai Ye coughed dryly and shot Duan Chen a pleading look.
In the end, after much hardship, they managed to obtain the address and contact information of Mr. Zhuang, whom Qu Yan suspected to be an aberration.
As it turned out, Zhuang Xiong was indeed a Sea Monster.
Looking at the pool of Sea Monster's physical form on the ground, and Miss Jiang's messy dispute, Duan Chen directly called the police.
"Is the scope of business for you Spirit Hunters so wide now?" The policeman who came to collect the body chuckled and teased.
Duan Chen forced a smile.
But who would have thought that this was just the beginning? Who could have imagined that Qu Yan would be so shameless as to have them complete a total of eight commissions for him, each one so bizarre that Duan Chen's legs were worn out after a few days.
"I suspect that kid still had uncompleted commissions and used this opportunity to make us the big scapegoats!" Duan Chen cursed in his heart.
"But haven't you noticed? Each commission is about Sea Monsters. Logically, an ordinary detective wouldn't come into contact with so many Sea Monsters, and there's a Sea Monster in every commission. Don't you think this is abnormal?" Jia Yun Lian cut to the chase.
Yan Qiu Ren slapped his thigh.
"Ah! I know! That Qu Yan is using us to clear out the Sea Monsters near Peach Blossom Pool!"
Duan Chen thought about it carefully. Indeed, their commissions, with Peach Blossom Pool as the center, formed a complete circle.
"Damn it." Even Qin Ze, who had always been well-mannered, couldn't help but curse.
"That bastard, let's go find him!"
When they arrived at Qu Yan's house, he was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. Seeing Duan Chen and his group with grim faces, he immediately felt that something was wrong.
"Qu Yan! Are you using us to clear out the Sea Monsters near Peach Blossom Pool?" Duan Chen got straight to the point, blocking Qu Yan's path.
"Oh dear, officers, impulsiveness is the devil, the devil!" Qu Yan chuckled sheepishly. Duan Chen was still polite, but looking at Qi Qing, Bai Ye, and Qin Ze, their eyes seemed as if they wanted to devour him.
It's over. Miss Chu, I don't think I can protect you anymore. The person you fancy has discovered our purpose. Don't blame me for selling out my teammates! Qu Yan said silently in his heart.
"Ahem! I report, it was all Miss Chu Yue's doing!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Kid, do you really think we still believe you?" Qi Qing frowned.
"Exactly! Miss Chu should be at Peach Blossom Pool right now, so how could she be connected to you? Besides, we found you through Xu Xi. Is this also Miss Chu's arrangement?"
Exactly! Qu Yan was on the verge of tears. How did he end up implicating himself? These officers seemed quite shrewd, why couldn't they understand human language?
"Officers, listen to me, it's really..."
"Shifting the blame onto a woman? Are you even a man?!" Qin Ze's words completely silenced Qu Yan. He opened his mouth, but was so angry he couldn't utter a single word.
"Oh ho! You're still angry? We should be the ones who are angry!" Mi Xue'er wished she could strike him with a sword.
"You don't believe me? I'll call Xu Xi!" Qu Yan decisively dialed her number.
"Hello?" Xu Xi picked up the phone, still confused. Why would Qu Yan suddenly call her? Did the mission fail? But a few minutes later, Xu Xi knew what to do.
"Xu Xi? Are you listening?"
"Ah? I didn't understand what you were saying at all." Qu Yan was dumbfounded. He sold out his teammate, but Xu Xi was even better at selling him out!
"Xiao Xi, who are you talking to?"
"A friend, who's saying something I don't understand."
"Hang up."
"Okay." It was swift and decisive, without any hesitation.
Qu Yan listened to the "beep beep beep" sound and stood there dumbfounded. So, he was the one who was sold out? He had played himself into a corner!
There was nothing he could do. Under their murderous gazes, Qu Yan compromised and finally agreed to go to Peach Blossom Pool.
"Go now?"
"Mhm!" He nodded vigorously, no longer daring to play any tricks.
Duan Chen snorted coldly. That's more like it.