Just a few days ago, he had given Xiao Wu some money. He hadn't expected to earn it back in the blink of an eye. Not bad at all.
Once the reward had been paid, it meant this Enforcement Team wouldn't be deployed again for quite some time.
The Enforcement Team was different from other departments of Spirit Hall. It didn't have to follow the continent's usual schedule of working four days and resting for three.
Instead, the Spirit Hall it belonged to assigned missions at irregular intervals, and the team was responsible for carrying them out. So no one could say exactly when the next mission would come. When there wasn't one, the team would temporarily disband and gather again when needed.
Therefore, barring any surprises, Qian Yun and Hu Liena wouldn't be sent on any missions for a while.
But they wouldn't be idle, either. Bibi Dong hadn't said when they would be called back, so until then, living well and cultivating diligently was most important.
In their room, Qian Yun and Hu Liena finished their regular cultivation. Ever since they had discovered that the Crown had the amazing ability to speed up Soul Power cultivation that night, they had often cultivated together. As a result, their Soul Power had improved rapidly.
"Knock, knock, knock."
They were discussing where to go for fun next when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
They exchanged a glance, and Hu Liena went to open it.
Standing outside was a black-haired girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen. She wore rimless crystal glasses, and her hands were clasped in front of her abdomen. She seemed rather uneasy.
"Who are you?" Hu Liena tilted her head. She recognized the black-haired girl in front of her as one of their team members, but she couldn't remember her name.
"Oh, h-hello. I... I'm Lina, hehe." The black-haired girl named Lina seemed not only nervous but also very shy. With Hu Liena and Qian Yun staring at her, she didn't dare meet their eyes.
Hu Liena nodded and stepped aside to usher her into the room. "Oh, hello, Lina. You're on our Enforcement Team, right? May I ask what you need?"
"Um. Well..." Lina opened her mouth, but whether from shyness or something else, she could only get half the words out. "Well, I... I..."
"You don't have to be nervous. Take your time and tell us what's wrong." Qian Yun stepped forward and looked up slightly at Lina. He noticed that her face was flushed, her eyes were red, and she looked flustered.
What a strange person, Qian Yun thought. Then he watched Lina turn her head and wipe her eyes.
Lina took a deep breath before speaking softly. "I'm from the Zuotuo Family in Fanhai City—the one that owns Zuotuo Mining."
"Oh, I've heard of it." Qian Yun had heard of Zuotuo Mining. Apparently, it monopolized the mining operations at several gold mines and was one of the wealthiest businesses in the area.
The Enforcement Team's work was unusual. It was dangerous, but also a good way to build up experience. Joining the team was like earning a golden seal of approval; no matter what line of work someone pursued afterward, they would be highly sought after.
So any Spirit Master family with even a little influence would try to get their children into the Enforcement Team.
Therefore, Lina's background didn't surprise Qian Yun.
Perhaps it was Qian Yun and Hu Liena's patience that helped Lina gradually regain her composure. "I took the liberty of bothering you both because I'd like to ask you to help me with something."
"What is it?"
Lina glanced at Qian Yun and Hu Liena, then quickly turned her head away. "I... I have a special friend. She was taken and held by someone not long ago. I'd like to ask you two to help me get her back."
"Huh?"
What kind of strange request was this? Get someone back—and they wanted them to step in?
Perhaps realizing how strange it sounded, Lina hurriedly explained. "My friend is actually a cat-eared slave my father bought for me. I didn't have many friends growing up... Everyone hated me... But! I really do think of her as my best friend. We eat together, play together..."
Lina lifted her head, a sweet smile appearing on her face. "Later..."
Seeing that the conversation was in danger of veering further and further off course, Qian Yun hurriedly cut her off. "So, how do you want us to rescue your, uh... cat-eared friend? If it involves a fight, we won't take the job."
They had just arrived, and it clearly wasn't wise to pick a fight with someone without first understanding the situation.
"Oh, you don't need to worry. I know you're both exceptionally talented and powerful. You can kill a third-ring Evil Spirit Master despite being only second-ring Spirit Masters." Lina waved her hands in a panic.
Lina's words were startling. Qian Yun frowned. "How do you know for sure that we were the ones who killed the Evil Spirit Master?"
At the same time, he gave Hu Liena a look, signaling her to be ready to close the door.
Ever since joining the team, their second-ring strength hadn't exactly been a secret, but they had reported their age as fifteen.
"But you won't need to fight for what I'm asking." Oblivious to what was happening around her, Lina continued blurting out startling details. "With your talent, I think you must be from Spirit City. So I want to use your special status to get my friend back."
After Lina finished speaking, she looked up and met Qian Yun's kindly gaze. Realizing she had said too much, she backed away again, only to bump straight into the closed door.
"N-no..."
Now she was completely panicked. Her Martial Soul was one of the least combat-oriented support types, and she had only three rings. There was no way she could beat Qian Yun and Hu Liena!
"Please don't misunderstand! My Martial Soul divined all of this! And I haven't told anyone about the situation!" Lina huddled in a corner and hurriedly explained.
Hearing this, Qian Yun became interested instead. "You're saying your Martial Soul divined all of this?"
"Yes, yes! Look!" Lina held out her hand. A crystal-ball-like orb appeared in it, and three hundred-year Spirit Rings rose beneath her feet.
"This is our family's inherited Martial Soul, the Treasure Seeking Orb. It originally only had an affinity for minerals. I don't know why, but when it came to me, it gained some divination abilities."
"Divination..." Qian Yun folded his arms, unsure whether to believe her.
Hu Liena looked at the glittering orb in Lina's hand, thought for a moment, then asked an odd question. "If the Treasure Seeking Orb can find treasures, doesn't that mean you can never be poor? I wonder, though, how does its ability compare to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?"
Lina shook her head awkwardly. "My Martial Soul naturally can't compare to the strongest support Martial Soul on the continent. And what people call treasure hunting is only the ability to locate minerals. It can't handle anything more complicated."
"What about the divination ability?" Qian Yun asked, arms still folded.
Lina held the Treasure Seeking Orb out in both hands, her expression conflicted. "Divination is hard to explain. I'll demonstrate it for you."
With that, Lina closed her eyes without another word. Qian Yun and Hu Liena exchanged a glance and waited for the result.
Then Qian Yun saw the crystal orb flash a few times. Lina opened her eyes, looking confident, and turned to him. "Amiga, you haven't checked the money pouch at your waist carefully, have you?"
Qian Yun instinctively grabbed his money pouch, but said, "No, I've counted it."
Lina shook her head as if certain. "That's not true. You haven't counted it carefully. If you had, you'd have noticed that three of the silver coins inside are counterfeit."
Seeing how confident she was, Qian Yun began to believe her. Without wasting time, he opened the pouch, reached in, and grabbed a handful of silver coins.
"Which three?"
Lina summoned her courage and picked out three coins. "These three. There's a thin layer of silver on either side, with a piece of steel sandwiched in the middle. It's a simple counterfeit, but people fall for it every day."
Qian Yun finally believed Lina's earlier explanation. He put away his money pouch and asked, "How do you want us to help you?"
At that, Lina happily clapped her hands together. "You'll help? That's wonderful!"
Qian Yun shook a finger at her, emphasizing, "Miss Lina, we haven't agreed yet. And you haven't mentioned the reward."
"Uh... All right. I was too hasty." Lina continued, "The person holding my friend is named Suo Jie. He's the son of Fanhai City's lord. A typical spoiled brat, he likes to act mysterious and trick naive young women, and he does all sorts of wicked things behind the scenes!"
Lina's face twisted with disgust as she spoke. It seemed she truly hated Suo Jie's usual behavior.
"Not long ago, my friend and I went out, and I took my eyes off her for a moment. When I looked again, she was gone. Suo Jie denies it, but I'm sure he did it! He's openly harassed my friend more than once, after all. And he's the only one bold enough to do something like this!" Lina clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white, tears glimmering in her eyes.
Lina looked truly pitiful, but Qian Yun still frowned and asked, "What does this have to do with our status in Spirit City?"
Lina replied, "Suo Jie dares to throw his weight around in Fanhai City not just because he's the lord's son, but also because he has close ties to Spirit City."
A glint flashed in Lina's eyes as she looked at Qian Yun. "But that's exactly why he'd never dare provoke anyone from Spirit City."
"So... a villain needs a worse villain to deal with him!" Qian Yun understood now. It seemed they wouldn't need to fight after all. They could simply reveal their status once they arrived, and the rest would fall into place.
It wasn't a difficult task, but it still wasn't worth exposing their identities for.
Lina seemed to see the hesitation in Qian Yun's heart.
She said earnestly, "Don't worry. Once this is done, I'll offer you ten thousand gold coins. And if either of you ever needs help in the future, you can turn to the Zuotuo Family. We absolutely won't refuse."
"Ten thousand!" Hu Liena exclaimed, genuinely startled by the Zuotuo Family's wealth.
Faced with Lina's hopeful gaze, Qian Yun finally shook his head. "No."
Lina looked as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her face went as pale as paper, and she cried out, "Why?"
That was the best offer she could possibly make!
Hu Liena also pursed her lips, looking regretful.
Qian Yun sighed, feeling a little sorry for her. Lina's offer was certainly good, and he had a way to make Suo Jie keep quiet, but it still wasn't enough to make him risk the unknown dangers that could follow if he exposed their identities.
Seeing the helpless look on Qian Yun's face, Lina clenched her fingers until they creaked. After a moment, she sighed and slowly let go.
"Amiga, I never thought even an offer like that wouldn't sway you," Lina said calmly.
Qian Yun replied helplessly, "Lina, you come from a powerful family too. I think you understand that sometimes we can't consider only ourselves."
"I understand." Lina looked up again, a glint of resolve in her eyes. "If those worldly possessions can't sway you, then I have no choice but to..."
As she spoke, Lina began undoing the buttons at her chest, revealing a strip of white undergarment. She showed no sign of stopping.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" After her mind briefly went blank, Hu Liena finally snapped out of it and shouted.
"You're not allowed to look anymore!"
Before you continue