Qi Qing drove back to Duan Chen’s house to find Wu Suowei sitting on the sofa drinking tea with Xiao Jianjian on his lap.
“Duan Chen, you guys are fast… Yoho, quite unique taste, aren’t you?”
Wu Suowei first noticed Duan Chen’s reddened left eye, then shifted his gaze to Hai Ren behind him. The latter met his gaze and yawned lazily.
It had been a full day since they returned to Sucheng from the neighboring city, and Duan Chen could clearly feel the restrictions placed on the box by Moerben Si and Jin An gradually weakening.
Ignoring Wu Suowei’s teasing, Duan Chen recounted the entire sequence of events. Then, with a flash of blue light in his hand, a jet-black bronze box appeared.
“Are you serious?!”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Wu Suowei’s eyes suddenly turned serious. He quickly leaned forward and reinforced the restriction with his divine power.
Duan Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
“There’s… actually a dimensional gate inside!”
Even he couldn’t maintain his composure.
“That’s why I said, why would I lie to you?”
After a whole week of running around and exhaustion, where would they have the energy to play such a tasteless joke on Wu Suowei?
Duan Chen plopped onto the sofa and took a large gulp from a bottle of water on the table.
He divided the remaining half with Hai Ren.
“Duan Chen.”
Wu Suowei suddenly called out.
“What?”
Duan Chen noticed his expression seemed a bit off.
Wu Suowei slowly pulled a slip of paper from the seam of the box’s buttons.
Duan Chen forgot about resting and quickly leaned in to see what was written on the note.
[This item is of great importance, do not give it away casually.]
Below it was another line of text.
[Sucheng South District, Tongshun Residential Area, Unit 263, Apartment 1503]
It was an address.
Duan Chen was focused on the address, while Wu Suowei’s point of focus seemed to be different.
“Wu Suowei, what are you looking at?”
Wu Suowei’s doubt reached its peak at this moment.
Why was this handwriting so similar to that person’s?
Sea demons could imitate humans, but only in speech and mannerisms. To have not just the writing style but even the handwriting itself so identical, Wu Suowei had never seen anything like it.
Could it be…
He handed the note to Duan Chen and, holding the box, pondered for a long time.
“I’m going to find Chu Yue.”
“Why are you going to find her?”
Wu Suowei looked at Duan Chen’s sulky face, his eyes seeming to question: I can’t even see her often, why do you get to go whenever you want?
He was speechless.
“You’re coming with me, don’t dawdle!”
“Okay~”
If Duan Chen had a tail, it would likely be spinning like a propeller.
“The captain isn’t tired, why is he going there?”
Qi Qing sighed, lamenting, “Youth, truly beautiful.”
Following Wu Suowei all the way to Qu Yan’s residential area, he pushed Duan Chen forward.
“You open the door.”
“Hmph, without me, you wouldn’t even be able to open the door.”
Wu Suowei’s mouth twitched.
A faint pink light flickered in Duan Chen’s hand, and in a blink, a door appeared at the end of the alley.
Following the stone path, they arrived at Taohuatan.
This was Duan Chen’s second time here. Nothing had changed; the sky here was even bluer than outside.
Chu Yue was sitting by the edge of the pool.
“You’re here?”
The corners of her alluring eyes slightly curved, and a smile bloomed on her face, though it was directed at Duan Chen.
“Mmm…”
Meeting her face-to-face, he became a little shy.
“Wait here.”
“I have something important to do.”
Chu Yue nodded. “I know.”
Then, she gave Wu Suowei a meaningful look.
“…Alright.”
Helpless, Wu Suowei sat by the pool alone, playing with the bronze box in his hand.
…
In the room, Duan Chen was pressed against the wall by Chu Yue. Their lips met, and he felt an unusual softness.
“Mmm…”
Duan Chen wrapped an arm around her slender waist, intertwined his fingers with Chu Yue’s, and gently closed his eyes.
A flicker of a smile crossed Chu Yue’s eyes.
The deeper they kissed, the stiffer Duan Chen felt, as if all his strength had been drained.
Duan Chen suddenly realized Chu Yue was absorbing his spiritual energy. He immediately pulled away, protesting, “You can’t play me like this.”
“You took advantage of me, and I can’t take a little back?”
Chu Yue pouted, pointed to the edge of the nearby bed, and said with a light smile, “Sit for a while. We’ll handle the matter of the dimensional gate.”
Duan Chen spread his hands helplessly. “I couldn’t handle it anyway; my strength is still too weak.”
“You’ll get stronger, even though you’re already very powerful.”
Saying this, Chu Yue gave a playful smile and pointed at his left eye.
“Go on.”
Though Duan Chen was reluctant, he had to let her go.
Chu Yue composed herself and returned to the edge of Taohuatan.
“Done?”
“Mmm, I told him to wait over there.”
Wu Suowei was astonished. “I thought you would have made Duan Chen faint.”
Chu Yue frowned. “I wouldn’t bear to.”
Wu Suowei organized his thoughts.
“Mi Buwei… seems to be alive.”
Chu Yue glanced at him.
Wu Suowei didn’t know that Mi Buwei, whom he mentioned, was currently hiding within Taohuatan.
It wasn’t time yet; he couldn’t let him know.
Since Chu Yue had promised him she wouldn’t reveal anything, she would naturally keep her word.
“He’s dead.”
She said calmly, her tone decisive.
“But look at this note!”
“It’s fake. Sea demons can imitate handwriting and writing styles.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because I’ve secretly confirmed this matter. Mi Jun is indeed dead.”
This statement was like a heavy hammer, extinguishing the sliver of hope that had just risen in Wu Suowei’s heart.
“What about the dimensional gate?”
“Doesn’t the note have an address? Have Duan Chen go. The gatekeeper who can guard the dimensional gate is likely there.”
“Okay, should I go with him then?”
Chu Yue shook her head slightly. “No need. He can handle it himself. You just need to seal the dimensional gate properly, so those dogs don’t catch the scent and come sniffing.”
“Understood!”
Wu Suowei stood up and left Taohuatan without any lingering attachment.
After he left, a man emerged from the shadows.
“Saintess, I think I know what to do.”
“Then didn’t I help you keep it a secret in vain? Are you going to show yourself?”
Mi Jun nodded firmly.
“But not now. Before that, I hope you can help me regain my strength.”
Hearing this, Chu Yue’s expression changed.
She seemed to know what this guy was thinking.
Mi Jun met her gaze and nodded heavily.
“Please!”
“Have you decided?”
“Of course.”
Chu Yue nodded helplessly.