This meal, Duan Chen ate with resentment. Chu Yue, sensing his ill mood, said no more, but left him with a parting remark.
"If you come to Peach Blossom Pool, I welcome you with open arms. Don't forget, you still owe me a wedding night."
"Are we heading to Peach Blossom Pool later? I still remember the way."
Duan Chen nodded. He needed to resolve the issue of Chu Yue's mark as soon as possible. Otherwise, if a crisis were to occur in the future and she were also using spirit energy, it would cause a spirit energy shortage for Duan Chen.
A spirit energy shortage was extremely fatal for any Spirit Hunter agent.
"To be honest, from my observation, that girl Chu Yue could completely defeat the Apostle with her own abilities. The reason she used yours... might be for novelty, or perhaps to conserve her own strength."
Qi Qing, enjoying the drama, analyzed the situation with surprising coherence.
Duan Chen snorted, ignoring him.
Coming back to his senses, he wasn't as angry anymore. Although Chu Yue's actions were a bit underhanded, it was ultimately to defeat the Apostle and provide herself with an extra layer of security, thus better protecting her clansmen.
He understood, but Duan Chen had already decided that if he truly saw her, he would punish her severely!
Who asked her to use spirit energy so recklessly?!
"Thank you for the treat, Officer. Then Xiaoxi and I will be heading back! If you need anything in the future, just ask. I might not be able to handle big things, but I can definitely handle small matters for you!"
Liu Gang, carrying Xu Xi, walked away into the distance.
After they left, Qi Qing finally smiled.
"Honestly, at first, I also thought you wouldn't be able to tolerate humans and deviants living together, and that you'd try to eliminate Xu Xi."
Duan Chen lowered his gaze.
"You're overthinking it. As you said, she can't harm anyone. Why would I do that? Besides being a Spirit Hunter agent, I am also a human with flesh and blood and emotions, not a cold-blooded machine that only knows how to kill."
Sheng Chen gave him a thumbs up.
"Awesome!"
"Then, are we now..."
"Ring ring!"
It was a message from Bai Ye. Duan Chen remembered he was also on a mission near the outskirts of Su City, so why did he have time to message him?
Unexpectedly, the moment he opened his phone, three letters met his eyes.
SOS!
"Calling for help?"
Duan Chen's eyes narrowed.
"Your friend? Are we still going to Peach Blossom Pool, or should we go rescue him first?"
"Rescue him first!"
Duan Chen didn't hesitate at all.
He called Xiaoli, asking her to quickly pinpoint Bai Ye's location.
"He's in a forest on the outskirts of Su City. The forest isn't large. I've already sent you the location, but his signal is bad, so I can't get a precise fix!"
"Okay, I got it!"
"I have a car, let's go together. After rescuing your friend, we can go to Peach Blossom Pool, it's not too late!"
Qi Qing, having lost friends before, knew Duan Chen must be anxious. He took out his car keys. Although the car looked dilapidated, its speed was not slow at all. In just ten minutes, they arrived at the roadside outside the small forest.
"The gaps between the trees here are too narrow, my car can't get through. Let's go on foot."
"Okay."
Duan Chen recalled the words of warning from Melbourne S.
The Hanged Man represented sacrifice.
As they entered the forest, despite it being daytime, the surrounding green leaves inexplicably appeared exceptionally sinister. The surroundings were silent, and the air was filled with the fragrant aroma of the earth.
"Brother Chen, which way?"
"Yan Qiuren, try using your absolute perception. Haven't you met Bai Ye before?"
"Will that work?"
Yan Qiuren was quite doubtful. Her focus in the Spirit Hunter Guild wasn't on abilities, and her abilities weren't strong. Absolute perception wasn't always accurate, so she always doubted herself when using it. Even when she was with Jun Wuchen, she didn't use her abilities often. She didn't understand why Duan Chen valued her perception so highly.
"Don't worry, it will work!"
Yan Qiuren closed her eyes, recalling Bai Ye's appearance in her mind, and the non-existent "aura" that surrounded him. This ethereal aura was actually the basis for Yan Qiuren's perception.
"Over there."
"Your ability... can barely be rated A-class," Sheng Chen mused, stroking his chin.
"Don't tell me the lowest rank is A."
"That's not true. The lowest rank is C, and the highest is SSS+. From my observation, Duan Chen uses your ability very well, so it can be considered A-class. Michelle's ability is SS, and with her terrifying swordsmanship, she can be ranked SSS. I haven't seen other people's abilities, so I can't arbitrarily grade them."
"You're quite objective, and you consider everything."
Sheng Chen chuckled, "Naturally."
Qin Ze secretly clenched his fists, silently encouraging himself. He absolutely could not lose to Michelle.
"That way."
"Uh... to the left?"
"Didn't we just go left?"
Qin Ze couldn't help but question.
"Shh... this path is correct. Sense it carefully."
Rustle!
The surrounding leaves suddenly rustled.
"There's spirit energy in these leaves...?"
Jia Yunlian was slightly astonished. If that were the case, wouldn't it mean this entire forest was controlled by someone?
Then their current situation wasn't very good.
"Let's find Bai Ye first."
"Okay!"
Following Yan Qiuren's "navigation," Duan Chen soon saw a small wooden house at the end of the forest. The house was not large, with no windows, standing quietly there.
"Bai Ye is inside."
Yan Qiuren stated with certainty.
"Okay, let's go."
Duan Chen led everyone cautiously closer. In these few minutes, he had rehearsed all possible scenarios and countermeasures in his mind. For example, Bai Ye being tied up inside, or severely injured with profuse bleeding and unconscious. He had even considered the worst-case scenario.
Duan Chen quickly reached the wooden house and smelled a meaty aroma wafting from inside.
Someone was here.
He mouthed the words, and everyone immediately understood.
Duan Chen took out the Thousand Illusions Pandora and slowly pushed open the small wooden door.
Creak!
"Die—!"
A crow carrying a piece of meat flew towards Duan Chen. He immediately raised his gun, about to pull the trigger, but quickly reacted.
Isn't this Bai Ye's crow?!
At this moment, the crow also stared at him with its two round, innocent eyes, looking adorably stunned.
"Stop!"
Duan Chen raised his hand, and Jia Yunlian and Mi Xue'er, who were ready to act, immediately halted.
"It's me."
Duan Chen walked into the wooden house, and Bai Ye directly pounced into his arms.
"You scared me to death—! Do you know your teammate has gone crazy?!"