Dharma Source Barrier

It had only been a few days since I gave Xiao Wu a sum of money, and to think I'd already earned it back in the blink of an eye—truly not bad at all.

After paying the reward, it meant that this Enforcement Team wouldn't be deployed for a long time to come.

The Enforcement Team was different from other departments in Martial Soul Hall; they didn't follow the continent's routine of working four days and resting for three.

Instead, they were dispatched on missions at irregular intervals by Martial Soul Hall. The squad was responsible for executing these tasks, so no one could say for sure when the next mission would be. Consequently, the squad would temporarily disband when there were no missions, only to reassemble when needed.

Therefore, barring any accidents, Qian Yun and Hu Liena wouldn't be going on any missions for a while.

However, they wouldn't be idle either. After all, Bibi Dong hadn't specified when she would summon them back, so living well and cultivating diligently until then was the most important thing.

Inside the room, Qian Yun and Hu Liena finished their routine cultivation. Ever since they discovered that the Crown had the miraculous function of accelerating soul power cultivation that night, they often practiced together. As a result, their soul power was progressing rapidly.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just as they were discussing where to go for fun next, the door was suddenly knocked upon.

The two exchanged a glance, and Hu Liena stepped forward to open the door.

Standing before the door was a black-haired girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. She wore rimless crystal glasses, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, looking somewhat restless and uneasy.

"Who are you?" Hu Liena tilted her head. She had an impression of this black-haired girl; she should be a member of their squad. However, she couldn't remember her name.

"Oh, you... hello. My name is... Lina, heh." The black-haired girl named Lina looked anxious and seemed very shy; she didn't even dare to look them in the eye while being stared at by the two.

Hu Liena nodded, stepped aside, and brought her into the room. "Oh, hello. Sister Lina, you must be a member of our Enforcement Team, right? May I ask what you need from us?"

"Uh. This." Lina opened her mouth, but whether it was out of shyness or something else, the words stopped halfway. "This, I... I."

"You don't need to be nervous. Just take your time and tell us what's wrong." Qian Yun stepped forward and looked slightly up at Lina, noticing her face was flushed, her eyes were red, and her expression was flustered.

What a strange person. Qian Yun thought to himself, then watched as Lina turned her head away to wipe her eyes.

Only after taking a deep breath did Lina whisper, "I am from the Zuotuo Family in Fanhai City, the one that owns Zuotuo Mining."

"Oh, I've heard of it." Zuotuo Mining—Qian Yun had heard of them too. It was said they monopolized several gold mining operations and were considered quite wealthy in the local area.

The nature of the Enforcement Team's work was rather special; it was dangerous, but it was also a great way to gain credentials. Joining the Enforcement Team was like getting a gold-plated resume, making one a hot commodity in any industry later on.

Therefore, any soul master family with a bit of capability would try to find ways to get their children into the Enforcement Team.

Thus, Qian Yun wasn't surprised by Lina's identity.

Perhaps due to the patience of Qian Yun and Hu Liena, Lina's speech gradually became more normal. "I'm bothering you both today because I want to ask for your help with a favor."

"What is it?"

Lina glanced at Qian Yun and Hu Liena, then quickly looked away again. "I... I have a special friend who was recently detained by someone. I want to ask the two of you to step in and help me get her back."

"Huh?"

What kind of strange request was this? Asking for a person, and wanting us to step in?

Perhaps realizing that this was a strange matter, Lina quickly explained, "That friend of mine is actually a cat-eared slave my father bought for me. Because I haven't had any friends since I was little... everyone hates me... but! I really treat her as my best friend. We eat together, play together..."

Lina looked up, a hint of sweetness appearing on her face. "Later..."

Seeing that the topic was veering far off course, Qian Yun quickly interrupted, "So, how do you want us to save your, uh... cat-eared friend? If it involves fighting, we won't take the job."

Being newcomers, it was clearly unwise to rashly get into a fight without knowing the situation.

"Ah, you don't have to worry. I know that the two of you have extraordinary strength and innate talent, being able to kill a three-ring Evil Spirit Master while only at the second ring." Lina waved her hands in a panic.

Lina's words were shocking. 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 at any moment.

Since joining the team, their second-ring strength wasn't a secret, but they had reported their age as fifteen.

"But for what I need to do, you two don't need to fight." Still oblivious to everything happening around her, Lina continued to drop bombshells. "With your talent, I think you must come from Martial Soul City. So, I want to borrow your special status to rescue my detained friend."

After Lina finished speaking, she looked up and met Qian Yun's "kind" gaze. Realizing she had said too much, Lina backed away repeatedly, only to bump into the closed door.

"No... don't."

Now she was completely panicked. One had to know that her martial soul was a support-type, the least suited for combat, and she was only at the third ring. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't beat Qian Yun and Hu Liena!

"Don't misunderstand, all of this was divined by my martial soul! And I haven't told anyone else about the situation." Lina huddled in the corner, quickly explaining.

Hearing her say this, Qian Yun became interested instead. "You're saying all of this was divined by your martial soul?"

"Yes, yes, look!" As she spoke, Lina reached out her hand, and a crystal ball-like orb appeared in her palm, with three hundred-year soul rings appearing beneath her feet.

"This is our family's inherited martial soul, the Treasure Seeking Orb. It was originally a martial soul that only had a sense for minerals, but for some reason, it gained some divination effects when it reached me."

"Divination..." Qian Yun crossed his arms, half-doubting Lina's words.

Hu Liena looked at the shining orb in Lina's hand, thought for a moment, and asked a bizarre question, "This Treasure Seeking Orb has treasure-hunting capabilities, so wouldn't that mean you couldn't be poor even if you wanted to?! I just don't know how this function compares 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 the so-called treasure hunting can only detect minerals; it can't do anything more complex."

"What about the divination function?" Qian Yun asked, arms still crossed.

Lina held the Treasure Seeking Orb up with both hands, her face showing some hesitation. "Divination is a bit hard to explain. I'll just demonstrate it for you."

After saying this, Lina closed her eyes on her own. Qian Yun and Hu Liena exchanged glances, waiting for Lina's result.

A moment later, Qian Yun saw the crystal flash a few times. Lina opened her eyes, a sense of confidence on her face as she looked at Qian Yun. "Amiga, you haven't checked the money pouch at your waist carefully yet, have you?"

Qian Yun instinctively grabbed the money bag, though he said, "No, I've already counted it."

Lina seemed certain of something, shaking her head. "That's not true. You didn't count it at all. If you had actually checked it carefully, you would have realized there are three fake silver coins inside."

Seeing her look so confident, Qian Yun began to believe her a little. Without further hesitation, he opened the bag and reached in to grab a handful of silver coins.

"Which three are you talking about?"

Lina gathered her courage, reached out, and picked out three silver coins. She whispered, "It's these three. Two thin layers of silver skin sandwiching a piece of steel. It's a very simple forgery, but people fall for it every day."

Qian Yun finally believed Lina's previous explanation. He put the money bag away and asked, "How do you want us to help you?"

Hearing this, Lina clapped her hands together joyfully. "You agreed? That's wonderful!"

Qian Yun wagged his finger, emphasizing, "Miss Lina, we haven't agreed yet. Besides, you haven't mentioned the reward."

"Uh... right. I was too rash." Lina continued, "The person holding my friend is Suo Jie, the son of the Fanhai City lord. He's a typical playboy who likes to act profound to deceive innocent girls, while doing all sorts of evil in the shadows!"

Lina's face was filled with disgust as she spoke; it was clear she despised Suo Jie's usual behavior.

"Not long ago, my friend and I went out, and before I knew it, she had vanished. Although Suo Jie denies it, I am certain he is the one who did it! Because he has teased my friend in public more than once. Besides, he is the only one with the guts to do something like this!" At this point, Lina's knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists, her eyes brimming with tears.

Although Lina looked truly pitiful, Qian Yun still frowned and asked, "What does that have to do with our status from Martial Soul City?"

Lina said, "The reason Suo Jie dares to act like a tyrant in Fanhai City isn't just because he is the lord's son; it's because he has deep ties to Martial Soul City."

A sharp glint flashed in Lina's eyes as she looked at Qian Yun. "But precisely because of that, he would never dare to provoke anyone from Martial Soul City."

"So... it takes a villain to deal with a villain!" Qian Yun realized the situation. Put that way, there was no need to actually fight; once they arrived and revealed their identities, everything would fall into place.

The task wasn't difficult, but it wasn't worth exposing their identities over.

Seeming to see through the hesitation in Qian Yun's heart.

Lina said with a sincere expression, "Please, rest assured. Once the task is complete, I will offer ten thousand gold coins. Furthermore, if you two ever need help in the future, you can come to the Zuotuo Family, and we will never refuse."

"Ten thousand!" Hu Liena exclaimed, truly shocked by the Zuotuo Family's immense wealth.

Facing Lina's hopeful gaze, Qian Yun ultimately shook his head. "No."

Lina looked as if she had been struck by lightning, her face turning pale as paper. She asked loudly, "Why?"

She knew that these terms were the absolute limit of what she could offer!

Hu Liena also moved her lips, looking regretful.

Qian Yun sighed, feeling a bit helpless. The conditions Lina offered were certainly good, and he had ways to make Suo Jie shut up, but it wasn't enough to make him face the unknown risks that would follow if their identities were exposed.

Watching Qian Yun's helpless expression, Lina's fingers clicked as she clenched them, but after a moment, she let out a sigh and slowly released them.

"Amiga, I didn't expect that even these terms wouldn't move you." Lina said calmly.

Qian Yun said helplessly, "Lina, you are also someone from a powerful family. I think you should understand that sometimes, we cannot just consider ourselves."

"I understand." After Lina raised her eyes again, a flash of determination crossed them. "Since those worldly goods cannot move you, then this young lady has no choice but to..."

As she spoke, Lina unbuttoned the front of her shirt, revealing a glimpse of a snow-white camisole underneath, and she showed no signs of stopping.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" After a brief moment of mental shock, Hu Liena finally reacted and shouted sharply.

"You are not allowed to look anymore!"