"Alright, I understand."
A faint smile touched Mi Jun's face.
"Thank you."
...
"Why are you back so late?"
Duan Chen looked up, putting away his phone. He had been waiting in the room for a long time.
"Mm, I had a few things to deal with, took a bit of time."
"Is Mi Buwei really alive?"
Duan Chen voiced the doubt in his heart.
Chu Yue smiled, "Wouldn't you know if you went to find out yourself? By the way, how's his daughter doing lately?"
Duan Chen mentioned Bai Qi.
"This is no small matter, she'll definitely need to consider it carefully."
"If she refuses, there's nothing we can do about it."
Perhaps, she never even considered refusing?
Chu Yue chuckled helplessly, "After you get back, rest for a while, then you can go to the address written on the slip. If I'm not mistaken, the person living at that address might be qualified to be a Gatekeeper."
Duan Chen was surprised, "The person who sent the photo even considered this?"
Chu Yue shrugged, "Who knows?"
If that was the case, they indeed needed to set off quickly. Otherwise, the world gate would remain a significant threat, and it would be difficult to resolve if left unaddressed.
But they had come all this way...
Duan Chen sighed helplessly, stood up, and pulled Chu Yue into his embrace.
"I'll come visit again next time."
"You're always welcome."
Chu Yue nuzzled against him in his arms with a smile.
After leaving Peach Blossom Pool, he found Wu Suowei already waiting for him in the alley.
"You're out? Let's go, back."
"Did Chu Yue tell you everything?"
Duan Chen's gaze turned a little displeased. How dare you spend time alone with my girlfriend?
"Go away, love-struck fool."
Wu Suowei's expression was blank. Had Duan Chen forgotten he was a god? Gods had no worldly emotions.
"Heh heh..."
It was clear he was in a good mood. This little hum made Wu Suowei want him to leave even more.
Back at Duan Chen's residence, he found Yan Qiuren and Tian Qi, who had somehow arrived earlier, glaring with grim expressions at Hai Ren, who was lounging on the sofa watching television.
"Master, you..."
Upon seeing Duan Chen's left eye, Yan Qiuren's voice caught in her throat.
Hai Ren looked up at her, then calmly averted his gaze.
Duan Chen forced a dry laugh, "My sister, my sister."
"Duan Chen, your brain is just not right."
Tian Qi rolled her eyes.
Duan Chen truly felt that these adults were not as sensible as Ni Ya. Look at her, getting along harmoniously with Hai Ren, even watching TV together on the sofa.
"Master, I think you need to improve your quality of life."
"Forget it, I'm running around Suchen all day, where do I have the time?"
Duan Chen chuckled helplessly and sat down next to Hai Ren.
Unexpectedly, the little fellow gave him a look of disgust.
"Why do you smell of another woman? It's so pungent!"
Duan Chen's mouth twitched.
"Oh, Hai Ren's sense of smell is quite good," Wu Suowei mused.
"Never mind that, why are you guys here?"
Yan Qiuren coughed lightly, "Rent, Master. Didn't you forget? You promised Tian Qi and the others you'd help pay the rent."
Duan Chen finally remembered this. He glanced at Yan Qiuren, figuring that Tian Qi and the others couldn't find him, so they went to Yan Qiuren first, and Yan Qiuren, having no choice, brought them over to "collect their debt."
"Transferred."
"Duan Chen, we're all growing moss on ourselves. Are there any missions lately?"
Duan Chen shook his head, "We're full, maybe next time."
"Tch..."
Tian Qi and the other two left grumbling.
Seeing that he had already paid the rent, Yan Qiuren checked around the house and then left. Before departing, she didn't forget to toss a parting remark at Duan Chen.
"Master, remember to bring your secretary on the next mission."
"...We'll see."
Yan Qiuren snorted coldly.
"Captain, where do we go next?"
"To Tongshun Residential Area."
Duan Chen spread the slip out in front of the others.
...
Shortly after Duan Chen and his group left, Apostle No. 01, as if sensing something, arrived at the end of Pinghan Ridge, in front of this thick wall.
"Strange, it's not here?"
He ran his hand along the wall, and as he went further down, he distinctly saw an indentation on the wall.
"Could someone have beaten me to it?"
Who could it be?
He had been busy with the secret arts recently and hadn't had time to pay attention to Duan Chen and the others' movements. However, in his opinion, Duan Chen probably didn't know about this place at all, let alone come here.
If it wasn't them, could it be that god?
That also seemed unlikely. If it were Wu Suowei, he would probably be guarding this place directly, not allowing this apostle to get anywhere near.
But if it were neither party, then who could it be?
Apostle 01 was confused. He shook his head and punched through the wall.
"Boom!"
The wall shattered, and stones scattered on the ground.
There was nothing inside.
"How peculiar..."
Apostle 01 scratched the back of his head, shook his head, and turned to leave.
Compared to that ethereal wisp of energy, he believed that the more important matter now was the secret arts. Only with the success of the secret arts would they have a bit more leverage when fighting against the god faction.
After all, Duan Chen's abilities were not to be underestimated.
After Apostle 01 left, another person arrived at the scene.
The man was tall, with sword-like eyebrows and eagle-like sharp eyes. He exuded an aura like a drawn sword.
He surveyed the damaged wall, his brows furrowing slightly.
"It seems someone has already been here."
This man was none other than the seemingly deceased Sword Saint Bu Wei Xin, Mi Jun, Mi Buwei.
At this moment, Bai Qi within his body was emitting a gentle glow, having been completely healed by Chu Yue. His strength had also returned to its peak, making entering Pinghan Ridge effortless for him now.
"I can't delay any longer."
Mi Buwei sighed. The current situation no longer allowed him to hide his true self.
...
Tongshun Residential Area was located in the southern part of Suchen. Because the entire residential area was situated in a bustling city, it was inconvenient for Duan Chen to bring Hai Ren. In fact, he originally wanted her to form a contract with him, like Melbourne and Jin An, eventually forming an imprint. However, this fellow didn't seem to know how to operate it, so she could only be exposed.
Helplessly, Duan Chen had to leave her at home, entrusting Wu Suowei and Ni Ya to look after her.
After all, Hai Ren was an anomaly, and a shut-in at that. She usually just slept in the soil and knew very little about human affairs. It was hard to guarantee that nothing would go wrong.
"Little Duan, I did some asking around beforehand. I heard that the people living in Tongshun Residential Area are mostly wealthy, extremely rich. Do you think the Gatekeeper we're looking for is really that wealthy?"
Duan Chen smiled at this, "What if they are? It's not impossible."