"Why isn't that fellow Gu Sang back yet?"
Apostle No. 07 and Niya couldn't see what was happening above, they only felt that too much time had passed. Dealing with a mere Peach Blossom Pool shouldn't have taken much effort, right?
"Perhaps he's cleaning up the battlefield. After all, the people in Peach Blossom Pool are more human-like, and the blood that flows out is probably red. Cleaning up isn't simple, and maybe Peach Blossom Pool can become a small base for us in Suzhou."
Niya answered him.
"Hmph… I advise you not to think about Jia Yunlian anymore. She has already defected to Duan Chen, and from now on, she is our enemy!"
Apostle No. 07 glanced at him and snorted coldly.
"I don't need you to tell me that. Are you going to fight me before Gu Sang gets back?"
Gallo couldn't stand his attitude towards Niya, so he spoke up, his voice icy.
"You're quite protective… Never mind, now is not the time for infighting."
"Boom!"
A loud bang startled the two of them.
A figure shot out like a cannonball from a black hole that suddenly opened above, smashing directly onto the ground and creating a deep pit.
"Holy shit!"
Apostle No. 07 jumped up in fright, clearly not expecting such a development.
"Cough… cough…"
The passage closed, and Gu Sang, covered in blood and with a gaping hole in his abdomen, struggled to climb out of the pit, meeting their astonished gazes.
"03…?"
"03… you damn… idiot—!"
Apostle No. 07's furious roar echoed around the altar. He lunged forward, grabbed Gu Sang by the collar. He hadn't expected Gu Sang to be so useless, unable to even defeat the saintess of a mere Peach Blossom Pool.
Even more unexpectedly, Gu Sang was even angrier than him and grabbed his collar back.
"07! You set me up!"
"How did I set you up?!"
07's eyes widened, surprised that this person was turning the tables on him.
"Damn you… why was that woman using Duan Chen's moves?"
"...Huh?"
07's mind seemed to short-circuit, and he didn't react for a long time.
Gu Sang understood; he didn't know what was going on either.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and then explained the whole story.
07 and Niya stood frozen, as if they had seen some rare species.
"That damn… is a female version of Duan Chen!"
Gu Sang's gums bled by the time he finished speaking.
…
Meanwhile, Duan Chen was also confused. He was having dinner with Qin Ze, Liu Gang, and others in a private room when suddenly, the spiritual energy in his body dropped by a noticeable amount.
Duan Chen froze, and the sweet and sour pork he was holding with his chopsticks fell onto the table.
"Duan Chen?"
Jia Yunlian was taken aback.
Yan Qiuren's absolute sense kicked in. She grabbed Duan Chen's wrist and suddenly exclaimed, "Master's spiritual energy is continuously draining!"
"What?"
Jia Yunlian frowned and put down her chopsticks.
Qi Qing and Sheng Chen also leaned in, placing their hands on Duan Chen's shoulders, one on each side.
"Holy cow! It really is?"
Qi Qing frowned.
"It's draining so fast!"
"Buzz!"
Duan Chen was still in a daze when his palm suddenly felt hot. He opened his hand and saw the lotus imprint left by Chu Yue glowing faintly.
"Officers, what is this…"
Liu Gang couldn't understand any of it, so he just continued eating his meal.
Xu Xi seemed to have discovered something and leaned in to observe.
Not only that, but Chu Yue's voice echoed in Duan Chen's mind.
"Nightfall!"
"Star Shine!"
"Moon Descend!"
"Sun Rise!"
"Sequence 012: [Pseudo-·Railgun!]"
"Sequence 021: [All Fists Unite!]"
"Sequence 035: [Raven Swarm!]"
Duan Chen's eyes widened.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Yan Qiuren cautiously withdrew her hand.
She felt Duan Chen's expression was not good.
Xu Xi opened her mouth, surprised that Chu Yue would do this.
"Oh dear… could this be that woman's doing?" Qi Qing slapped his thigh.
"Uh… I think I know the other effects of this imprint."
"What?" Mi Xue'er stared at Duan Chen with concern.
Xu Xi gave an embarrassed smile.
"Ability Sharing."
"Xiao Xi, do you also understand police matters?"
Oops, almost forgot Liu Gang was here. Xu Xi fumbled, "Yes, I did some research before."
Liu Gang didn't suspect anything and happily thought: My wife is so amazing.
Well, Duan Chen also understood the situation's trajectory.
Perhaps the apostles had made a move, and Chu Yue, to protect Peach Blossom Pool, had activated ability sharing and used his abilities.
But… it wasn't supposed to be used like this!
In just three minutes, Duan Chen's spiritual energy was depleted. He seemed to be able to sense Chu Yue's emotions; she still seemed dissatisfied.
What was this?
Duan Chen felt heartbroken.
You are noble, you are great, you protect your people.
What about me?!
That was all my spiritual energy!
He usually used these moves with extreme caution, carefully calculating his spiritual energy!
Over there, Chu Yue also sensed Duan Chen's sadness, anger, and a mixture of other emotions. Enjoying the support of her clansmen, she popped a grape into her mouth.
Don't be angry.
A cool sensation washed over Duan Chen's heart, but he still couldn't calm his grief and indignation.
"Uh… Little Duan, I think… she might have had no choice but to do it. Don't be angry, don't be angry."
Qi Qing wanted to laugh but dared not looking at Duan Chen's face. He could only pinch his thigh, almost suffocating himself from holding back laughter.
"Pfft… I, I think so too," Xu Xi chimed in.
"So, Chu Yue used Duan Chen's abilities and spiritual energy through ability sharing?"
Jia Yunlian and the others were stunned.
They had never heard of such a thing!
Duan Chen directly snapped the chopsticks in his hand.
"Crack!"
Silence fell over the entire room.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and gave Qi Qing a sunny smile.
"Brother Qi, after we finish eating, shall we head to Peach Blossom Pool?"
"Uh… okay, okay, whatever you say."
Qi Qing chuckled awkwardly. Sheng Chen's face was red with suppressed laughter.
Even Jia Yunlian and Mi Xue'er couldn't help but chuckle.
There's actually this kind of operation…
Chu Yue sensed that Duan Chen's emotions had not calmed down. She spat out the grape seed and twitched her lips.
No way? So angry?
Will he come to Peach Blossom Pool to seek revenge?
For her future safety, she sent a few words of appeasement to Duan Chen in her heart, unsure if he received them.
Alright, alright, I'll compensate you.
This time, Duan Chen used his ancient script ability to directly transform that appeasing emotion into words, establishing a mental link with Chu Yue.
How will you compensate?
Chu Yue was startled, then thought, it made sense, after all, Duan Chen was someone who possessed so many abilities.
Uh… how about I compensate myself to you?
Duan Chen's face turned black, completely and utterly black!