"Uh..."
Qi Qing scratched his head, "Was I interrupting?"
"Wow—!" Sheng Chen made an exaggerated sound.
"Master!" Yan Qiu was genuinely contemplating whether to purge all the women around Duan Chen.
It was too chaotic, he could barely tell them apart!
The posture of Duan Chen and Chu Yue was indeed somewhat ambiguous in the eyes of outsiders. He leaned back against the table, while Chu Yue leaned forward, her entire body slung in Duan Chen's arms. Their faces were so close that if not for Duan Chen's hand held between them, they might have kissed.
Chu Yue's delicate eyebrows furrowed, her canines protruding as she bit down on Duan Chen's palm.
"Hiss!"
Duan Chen pulled out the Thousand Illusions Pandora and aimed it directly at Chu Yue's forehead.
Unexpectedly, not only was this woman not panicked, but she licked her lips and gave him a flirtatious wink.
"Duan Chen, is it? Sister remembers your taste. You owe me a wedding night. We'll settle it next time we meet!"
"Bang!"
A bullet was fired, piercing a hole in Chu Yue's forehead, yet she was unharmed, pouting, "You truly have no idea how to cherish a lady."
With that, she abruptly leaped out of the nearby window.
"Oh no!"
"Don't chase her, you won't catch up."
Qi Qing sat on a chair and lit a cigarette.
"You are..."
Yan Qiu explained to him.
"Brother Duan Chen!"
Mi Xue'er, her face flushed, walked forward with her long sword. Duan Chen suspected the girl might actually cleave him in two.
Watching her retreating back, a trace of horror still lingered in Qi Qing's eyes.
How could this girl's swordsmanship be so terrifying?
"Did you really... spend the wedding night with her?"
"How is that possible..."
Duan Chen recounted his entire experience since arriving in the room, and only then did Mi Xue'er relax. Her long sword dissolved into paper fragments, scattering with the wind.
"Capable. Not bad," Sheng Chen mumbled, chewing on a chicken drumstick and nodding.
"Are you also Spirit Users? Investigating here?"
Duan Chen sat on the table and sighed helplessly.
"To be precise, we're here to investigate that woman."
Qi Qing puffed on his cigarette, exhaling smoke.
"Actually, that woman, strictly speaking, isn't an aberration. She's a species caught between human and aberration. She has no specific name. I only know her, and her companions, live in a place called 'Taohua Tan' (Peach Blossom Pool)."
Sheng Chen nodded, the chicken meat in his mouth.
"She's too powerful. My master knew he couldn't defeat her, so he sent out a commission, hoping the Spirit Hunter Guild could assist."
"So, you two are also Spirit Users?"
"Mm. My ability is to determine the rank of other people's abilities. My master's ability is much more formidable, it's invisibility."
"Invisibility?"
Qi Qing's expression was a little awkward. "It can indeed be invisibility, but you have to take off all your clothes."
Duan Chen twitched his mouth, imagining the sacrifice this guy must have made to track Chu Yue.
"Her purpose for coming to Ander District was actually to nest. Yes, she turned this place into her personal paradise. However, Taohua Tan has strict rules that prevent her from acting outside those rules. Otherwise, do you think you'd still be sitting here in one piece? You'd have been devoured long ago!"
Qi Qing let out a cold laugh and shook his head.
"Rules?"
"Yes. Every time she sets out, she has to draw lots to ask her ancestors whether it's a white or red day. If it's white, she has to drive her subordinates, the residents of Ander District, to hold a white event. The banquet for the white event is absolutely proper. She will randomly select a man to serve as the blood chalice."
"What is that?"
"It's an object from which vital energy is continuously drawn. Hey, don't misunderstand, it's not the kind of vital energy you're thinking of. The vital energy here refers to people's spirit and energy. Moreover, their ancestors have a rule that they must never let the person whose vital energy is drawn die. So, she has no choice but to perform such a ritual every night."
"And if she draws red, does that mean it's a red event?"
"Clever. Red events are what they dislike the most, because they must choose a groom they find pleasing. Whether they can absorb vital energy depends on the groom's consent. In such a situation, if there's no suitable candidate present, then what's served on the table won't be normal food, but..."
"People?"
Qi Qing chuckled, "Illusions."
Illusions again?
Duan Chen got a headache just hearing the word now.
"It's just to scare people. As I said, the ancestors of Taohua Tan do not permit them to kill people. And red and white events are rules that cannot be broken. Otherwise, with her speed, she would be invincible."
Mi Xue'er was somewhat speechless.
"Why does it sound so much like how demons cultivate?"
"Well, it's pretty much like that."
As he spoke, Qi Qing kicked the floor. It was unexpectedly hollow. He lifted the carpet and pried open a few floorboards, revealing a small space of over twenty square meters. Inside lay men of various appearances, most of them dazed, with vacant eyes.
"Unless they encounter a particularly desirable prey and choose to kiss, they will opt for the simplest way to absorb vital energy, such as simple physical contact."
Saying this, Qi Qing looked at Duan Chen.
"After all this time, you're the first one she's taken a liking to during a red event."
Duan Chen gave a dry laugh.
Thank you, but he didn't want such an honor.
"Now that she's gone, she probably won't be back for a while. Oh, and you should be careful."
"Careful of what?"
Duan Chen blinked.
Qi Qing gestured with his chin towards Duan Chen's palm. Duan Chen then saw that the wound from where he had been bitten had already healed, and a pink pattern resembling a lotus had appeared on his palm.
"This is her mark, signifying that a... "
"Bond?" Sheng Chen finished the sentence.
"Ah, yes, yes, that's the word. It seems this woman is truly fond of you. In short, you've been targeted by her. Through this, she can lock onto your location at any time, and the mark cannot be removed."
"Why? It feels unfair." Duan Chen protested.
Qi Qing chuckled, "By the way, since you're a Spirit Hunter Agent, you must know about Mirror City, right? I can tell you clearly that there's an altar located beneath Taohua Tan. They've been troubled by this recently."
"How do you know so much?"
"What's there to know? My master and I have been staking out Ander District for a full year! We've been here since that woman arrived!"
Sheng Chen rolled his eyes, casually wiping his greasy hands on his clothes.
"You've gone from Taohua Tan to an altar. You probably want us to help destroy the altar, right? Or perhaps... your original target wasn't Chu Yue at all, but the altar!"
He stared at Qi Qing, his gaze intense.