Investigation, Mu Estate

Qin Yuan had lived two lives and experienced campus life twice—if he still couldn't see through this, then he truly had wasted his years.

He stared a moment longer at where Tang Yue had left, then withdrew his gaze and looked toward the distant training grounds, his thoughts drifting far away.

"A few months left until the Magic College Entrance Examination. The Black Vatican should be making their move soon. I can start laying some groundwork in advance."

"As for the underground tunnels in Bocheng... the City Demon Hunting Squad might have leads there."

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment, then turned and left.

The best way to minimize Bocheng's losses was to seal off as many of those tunnels as possible, delay the demons' entry into the city, and ensure most people could make it into the protective barrier.

That way, heavy casualties would be avoided, while the Black Vatican still achieved their experimental goals—there would be no next 'Bocheng Rehearsal.'

This was the safest and most balanced solution Qin Yuan could think of at the moment.

Hunter Alliance.

Qin Yuan stepped inside with practiced ease, explained the situation to the staff, and soon met familiar faces like Xu Dahuang.

Over the past half year or so, Xu Dahuang and his team had made quite a name for themselves, becoming a moderately well-known demon-hunting squad within the Hunter Alliance.

No surprise there—their squad had gained a rare Lightning Element mage, Fan Mo.

Though Qin Yuan knew 'Fan Mo's' true identity, he wasn't one to blab, so he certainly wouldn't tell Xu Dahuang and the others.

"Qin Yuan's here, have a seat, have a seat."

Xu Dahuang was very warm, calling out a greeting before leading Qin Yuan to the sofa.

Li Wenjie and Mu Caitang weren't around—only Xu Dahuang, Fei Shi, and Xiao Ke were present.

Xiao Ke poured Qin Yuan a cup of tea, then sat on the nearby sofa, her eyes occasionally landing on Qin Yuan before quickly darting away.

"Captain Xu, I came to ask you all something. Recently, demon appearances in the city have been frequent..."

Qin Yuan trailed off mid-sentence.

"Ah."

Xu Dahuang let out a sigh. "Yeah, Bocheng's been acting strange lately. Demons are showing up way too often—not just Giant-eyed Starry Rats, but also an advanced-stage One-eyed Demonic Wolf."

"Luckily, the Mage Association reinforcements arrived in time and killed that One-eyed Demonic Wolf, or there would have been heavy casualties..."

Qin Yuan listened quietly, not interrupting.

After Xu Dahuang finished his account, Qin Yuan asked, "Could you tell me the exact locations where these demons appeared?"

"Let me think..."

Considering Qin Yuan also held a Hunter status, Xu Dahuang didn't hide anything. After a moment's thought, he said, "One was the original Inscription Area, specifically Inscribed Girls Middle School—you already know that."

"Three more spots: Beiling Area, Guangshang Tianjie, and Lufeng Town."

"..."

Qin Yuan fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you, Captain Xu, for telling me."

"No problem." Xu Dahuang waved his hand, then shifted the topic. "But Qin Yuan, why are you asking?"

"Nothing much. A few friends kept hearing about demon incidents here and there, and I wanted to confirm if the rumors were true."

Qin Yuan smiled and made up an excuse.

"I see."

Xu Dahuang nodded. He knew full well this was Qin Yuan's excuse, but he didn't bother asking further.

After all, these matters weren't top secret—even if Qin Yuan didn't ask him, he could look them up in the Hunter Alliance database.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Qin Yuan left.

Stepping out of the Hunter Alliance, Qin Yuan got into his car, opened the moral map, and checked the locations Xu Dahuang had mentioned.

Then, he started the engine and drove toward the nearest spot, Guangshang Tianjie.

"I already know the tunnel location in the Inscription Area. These other three places... I've got my work cut out for me."

Qin Yuan muttered to himself as the car sped away.

A month later.

One luxury car after another wound along the curved path into the Mu Family Manor. Qin Yuan drove his own 'King of the Road,' following close behind the car ahead.

As soon as he parked, a Mu family maidservant walked over, smiling warmly. "You're Qin Yuan, right? Miss sent me to escort you."

"Mm, sorry for the trouble."

Qin Yuan smiled slightly and followed the maidservant's guidance toward the most opulent villa in the Mu Family Manor.

This sight surprised the others getting out of their cars.

Because the place Qin Yuan was heading to was already beyond the scope of this 'Coming-of-Age Ceremony'—it was the Mu family's residential area.

Soon, Qin Yuan rounded a corner and arrived beneath a lavishly extravagant 'castle.'

Standing here and looking at it, it really is like a dreamy castle from a fairy tale.

"Tsk, not just a castle—there's a princess too."

Qin Yuan spotted the stunning figure by the gate at once.

She was tall and slender, dressed in a simple yet elegant light gray skirt suit, with a long white coat swaying gently in the wind.

Her hair was a cascade of silver-white, strands carrying a hint of chill. Her features were delicate, her beautiful eyes holding both resolve and cool detachment, as if they could see through everything.

Snow for skin, ice for bones, a thousand silver strands—a beauty that could topple cities, too exquisite for words.

She radiated an air of aloofness that warned others to keep their distance, appearing extremely cold and distant.

But that coldness gradually melted when she saw the handsome young man walking toward her.

"Qin Yuan."

Mu Ning Xue stepped forward a few paces and called out.

Her voice carried its natural chill, but her tone held a trace of longing.

"Long time no see, little princess. You've gotten even prettier."

Qin Yuan gave a light smile and praised her.

Since their last parting, Mu Ning Xue had returned to the Imperial Capital Academy. Now that summer break had arrived, she hurried back just to see someone.

"I'm an adult now. I'm not little anymore." Mu Ning Xue glared at him.

She was happy that Qin Yuan called her a princess.

But when he called her little, she couldn't stand it—she was already an adult!

"In my eyes, you'll always be a little princess."

Qin Yuan smiled, taking her cool little hand with practiced ease.

"Hmph."

Mu Ning Xue let out a very soft snort.

She seemed annoyed, but was actually delighted.

Since Qin Yuan was so smooth with his words, she'd let him have his way.

"How did it go with Sister Yuer?" Qin Yuan looked straight into Mu Ning Xue's beautiful eyes and asked. "Did you learn anything substantial?"

At that, Mu Ning Xue nodded and replied, "Sister Yuer taught me a lot, but my cultivation is too low. For now, I can only improve on my 'use of ice.'"

Much of Qin Yuer's way with ice required the High Level and beyond, and even then, it had to be an ice-type High Level with a domain to be helpful.

For the Beginner and Intermediate Levels, aside from basic understanding, practical help was limited.

"Take it slow. I'm only at Intermediate Level too." Qin Yuan said with a faint smile.

"Mm."

Mu Ning Xue nodded slightly, then changed the subject. "Come with me. Dad wants to see you."

"Oh? Is my father-in-law ready to marry off the princess so soon?"

Qin Yuan said in surprise.

Mu Ning Xue: "..."

That one sentence from Qin Yuan left her unsure how to respond.

Father-in-law? Marry?

That was what she had dreamed of since childhood, and even after growing up, it hadn't changed—but... it still felt a bit too fast.