196: The Shi Yuan Duo (Part 1)

"Little Sister Shi, it's not like your Big Brother here is lecturing you, but I thought I was already good enough at Slacking Off. I didn't expect you to be so lacking in ambition too."

"Although Wang Yao and the others haven't set off yet, at least they are doing something."

"But look at us two, just squatting here without a plan. What's the point of this?"

The burst of enthusiasm Yuan Chenling had finally managed to ignite was almost entirely worn down by Shi Suiyan.

Their area of operation was within the Kaifeng, so they departed early.

Their mission was to get ahead and intercept the Flood Dragon body that might be delivered into the Kaifeng.

Yuan Chenling originally wanted to borrow a few hands, but Shi Suiyan flatly refused, dragging him instead to squat on the street for an entire morning.

"Do you need a plan?"

"Then listen carefully."

"Our plan is simple: everything that happens next, you listen to me. No matter how strange things get, do exactly as I say. Understand?"

Yuan Chenling wanted to retort, but was suppressed by a single look from her.

How is this person so strange?

Even when she was in Qi Refining, she instinctively made me feel threatened, and now that she has reached Foundation Establishment, her Aura is even stronger.

It wasn't that Yuan Chenling hadn't considered resisting.

Back when Shi Suiyan was still in the Qi Refinement Stage, he had already sensed danger and, following the instinct of a Loose Cultivator to seek gain and avoid harm, he was unwilling to clash with her directly.

After that banquet, when she successfully reached Foundation Establishment in one go, that sense of threat transformed into instinctive fear.

But since he had agreed to help, and based on the principles of conduct for a Loose Cultivator, he still stubbornly grumbled a few words.

"Even if we're staking out a spot, we should be by the main gate. What's the meaning of squatting here?"

Shi Suiyan ignored his complaints, because the person she was waiting for had arrived.

"Yao Race, Little Beauty, looks like you two are the ones?"

A young man, looking rather handsome but with a rogue-like air, swaggered up to them.

Shi Suiyan immediately showed a shy smile.

"You must be Big Brother Zhao? We are here to pick you up."

Yuan Chenling was a little confused.

He remembered that Shi Suiyan liked their boss, didn't she?

Then who was this man? And why were they picking him up?

However, he soon received a Divine Sense Message from Shi Suiyan, reminding him to proceed according to plan.

Remembering her previous instructions, Yuan Chenling said nothing more and simply watched quietly.

After the two exchanged a few words, Shi Suiyan led them toward the Outer City.

After they had left for a while, a small, masked mouse slowly walked over from the other direction.

Seeing no one around, she snorted disdainfully.

"It's one thing for me to be late, but you're late too? You better be as handsome as they said, or you'll regret it!"

The Little Mouse clenched her fists and swung them a few times at the air.

Just then, she suddenly saw an indescribably handsome Young Man in Black walking over from a distance.

The Little Mouse blushed, her heart racing.

"So... so handsome..."

But after watching for a moment, she noticed the other party holding a familiar token in his hand.

Recalling the description of the Contact Person's appearance, she immediately confirmed that he was the one she was looking for.

After confirming, she quickly ran over, waving her paw and shouting.

"Big Brother Zhao, Big Brother Zhao, I'm here!"

Outside the Kaifeng.

"Big Brother Zhao, the destination is just ahead."

Shi Suiyan looked back and smiled slightly, causing the young man to be stunned, his carefree heart suddenly pounding wildly.

"Ah, is that... is that so? Thank you for the trouble..."

He scratched his head awkwardly, his face slightly flushed.

After chatting along the way, he felt that this girl was cute and articulate, and seemed to be somewhat interested in him.

This was normal, however. Although he traveled under the guise of "Labor Dispatch," he actually came from a large Family, and was only out gaining experience to become known, making it easier to choose a faction to join later.

Given his talent and background, he was often courted by various parties, so he naturally assumed Shi Suiyan was someone sent by the Lianxing Pavilion to recruit him.

He knew this might be a Honey Trap.

But, but Shi Suiyan was different!

Even if it was a scheme, he accepted it!

Watching the young man in front of him being so easily manipulated, Yuan Chenling was speechless.

Are humans all this naive? Just a few words of chat and they lose their bearings.

Too bad I'm not a Female Yao; otherwise, if I had learned the Transformation Art earlier, I might have reached Nascent Soul by now.

After walking a bit further, they arrived beneath a Large Banyan Tree.

"Little Sister, why are we back here? Shouldn't we be going to Prince Kangs Residence?"

The young man had been so engrossed in conversation that he only now realized he had been brought back to a Truth Cult Stronghold. He had just left after completing a task here; why was he back?

Shi Suiyan merely smiled sweetly and pointed to his waist.

"Big Brother Zhao, were you careless? Did you happen to lose your token?"

The other party was stunned and quickly patted himself down. Sure enough, he searched all over but couldn't find the token.

"Oh no, my token!"

Realizing the token might be lost, he hurriedly wanted to go back and search, but Shi Suiyan stopped him.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Zhao."

"If the item fell on the road, it would take too much time to search for it, and we have important business that we shouldn't delay."

"That's why I brought you back here on the way. Let's return to the Stronghold first to get a Work Certificate, allowing them to confirm your identity and work history, and then we'll go to the Residence for the handover."

"If there's still time, we can go back and look for the token."

"If we really can't find it, we can always apply for a replacement later."

Hearing this, the young man felt it made sense.

Searching for something was indeed time-consuming, and it would be even more troublesome if someone picked it up. Given the urgency of the current situation, they should prioritize the handover.

"Little Sister is right, we'll do as you say."

Anxious about losing the token, he didn't wait for Shi Suiyan to act. He quickly stepped forward and pushed open the large entrance door under the banyan tree.

Just as he was stepping halfway inside, he remembered the others outside and quickly turned back to say.

"Little Sister, you two come in too. It's sunny outside."

After speaking, he gentlemanly stepped aside and made a gesture to invite them in.

Shi Suiyan responded with a sweet smile and led Yuan Chenling into the Truth Cult Stronghold.

"Little Sister Shi, ah no, Sister Shi! How exactly did you do that? How did you know..."

"Shut up."

"Don't forget what I told you."

Shi Suiyan was in a bad mood; bringing an inexperienced Loose Cultivator was truly troublesome. If she didn't need him, she would have preferred to act alone.

This Base was massive, appearing much more high-end than the place Yuan Chenling had previously been captured in. If the previous location focused on research, this one resembled a Military Fortress.

After entering the Base, the young man took the lead.

He first searched along the path to see if the token had fallen within the Base.

He then asked the staff if they had seen it, and finally checked the surveillance footage before finding out.

When he left the Base, the token was still on him, proving that he lost it outside.

After giving up completely, he took the Shi-Yuan Duo to a Person in Charge at the Stronghold to process the relevant documents.

The young man sat at the desk, picked up a pen, and filled out the information. Although everyone knew his identity and background, the necessary procedures could not be skipped.

At this moment, the Person in Charge next to him looked at Shi Suiyan and Yuan Chenling with a strange expression.

"Little Zhao, who are these two? Are they also from the Lianxing Pavilion?"

The young man replied casually.

"They are the ones who are supposed to escort me next."

"I lost my token, and I didn't want them waiting outside, so I brought them in to rest their feet."

After speaking, he grinned, put down his pen, and looked at the Person in Charge.

"Since we're back anyway, you don't mind treating us to lunch, right?"

But as he looked up, he saw the Person in Charge's face turn ashen, and he roared at him.

"You scoundrel! The escort I spoke of was a Female Yao Race Member! What have you brought into our Base now!"

Seeing that the Person in Charge had adopted a Fighting Stance, the young man trembled all over and frantically looked at the "Little Sister" who had accompanied him the entire way.

The other party was currently staring at him coldly.

"I'm afraid your mission ends here."

The next second, he felt dizzy as his vision spun.

When he focused his eyes again, he saw a headless body still sitting in the position he had just occupied.