Seeing Chen Tan's dazed expression, Jie Chong couldn't help but smile brightly and gently pulled her into his arms.
Jie Chong: "I said, Xiao Tan, I like you, and you like me too, right?"
Chen Tan nestled in Xie Chong's arms and gave a muffled "hmm".
Jie Chong hugged him and patted his head: "What did Bai Hao say to you? Why did you suddenly think of bringing this up?"
Chen Tan paused, then said softly, "He said you're concerned about Shan You..."
Upon hearing this, Xie Chong gritted his teeth in anger. To actually instigate behind someone's back was truly outrageous!
He was concerned about Shan You because the Shan Gao clan had very few members left and was prone to offending people and beasts; he feared they might one day be wiped out without a trace.
Jie Chong: "I don't have those feelings for Shan You. It's just that the Shan Gao clan is really rare, so I have to be considerate of them. Besides, he already has a partner. There's really nothing between us."
Chen Tan nodded: "Yes, I know, Brother Anan said the same thing to me."
Jie Chong: "Yeah, don't believe Bai Hao. He's got a lot of bad intentions."
Chen Tan chuckled softly, "Mmm, okay."
Qin Nan watched as Jie Chong and Shen Tan went behind the tree, and they could no longer hear each other from a distance. Bai Hao beside her became inexplicably quiet for a while.
Jie Xuan and the other two were sitting around the table watching E Ning. They were there when Jie Chong brought back a litter of E's beasts. They knew E Ning, and they had even raised a few baby E's beasts when they were very young.
E Ning was obedient as they hugged and patted him. He couldn't speak to his saviors; he was destined to be mute today.
After a while, Xie Chong led Chen Tan over, and the two intertwined their fingers.
The three of them, including Jie Xuan, were dumbfounded, completely unaware of what they had missed.
Jie Xuan: "No, Brother Chong, when did you guys...?"
Jie Ziang: "Tsk tsk, no way, bro, you actually seduced Tan Tan!"
Jie Fan: "There's really not a trace of it. You two are together, how could you have been apart for so long?"
Jie Chong: "What business is it of the three of you if I'm looking for a partner? Do I have to tell you every single detail? Is it too late to tell you now?"
Jie Xuan: "Alright, alright, it's not too late. It's just that the damage to single people is maximized, along with the taunt and hatred points!"
Jie Zi'ang: "+1, this is too sudden!"
Jie Fan: "Although I don't want to join, +1!"
Jie Chong: "You can't find a partner yourself, is that my fault?"
Jie Xuan, Jie Zi'ang, and Jie Fan: "..."
To be honest, Jie Chong was extremely irritating at that moment.
In fact, Jie Xuan and the other two also took action, safely escorting Tan Tan out, and the four of them laughed and joked together.
Qin Nan walked over and patted Chen Tan on the shoulder: "How is it? Is everything alright?"
Shen Tan nodded with a smile: "Yes, although I don't know why, Brother A Chong guessed what I wanted to say, but Brother Anan, you're right!"
Qin Nan: "That's good."
Amidst the playful banter, Meng Zhang also finalized the arrangements with the Xie Zhi clan chief. Although it was only morning, to ensure thorough preparation, they needed to make arrangements in advance, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Jie Chong and the others left with the clan leader first, and would come back to pick up Shen Tan in the evening. Shen Yan and Geng Chen were not sure whether they would go or not, so they would not worry about them for the time being. With Geng Chen there, Shen Yan would be fine.
After seeing off the Xie Zhi clan, Qin Nan ate lunch at a restaurant that Meng Zhang and Chi Ran had managed to mooch off the village.
Chen Tan returned to the world within the Water Mirror to wait, while Bai Hao slept on the soft couch under the banyan tree.
After returning to the Mountain and Sea Realm, Bai Hao hadn't really stopped working. He hadn't had a proper rest in a long time, and now that he had the chance, he was determined not to miss it.
The Mirage was bustling with activity in the afternoon, with many beasts preparing things to sell. To avoid letting the scent of the brocade taint other beasts, Qin Nan didn't join in the fun, but instead sat on the island in the middle of the lake playing chess.
The previous game was set up by Meng Zhang himself, and the outcome was already decided.
Qin Nan's grandfather, Qin Hai, could play chess, and Qin Nan had learned a little from him, but he hadn't touched it since starting school.
Qin Nan tried it for a while, then decisively switched to Gomoku (Five in a Row), as she hadn't played it in a long time and had forgotten how.
Although it was boring to play alone, there really wasn't anything to do to pass the time. His phone on his wristband had long since run out of battery, and there was no signal here.
Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen the kids at home. When I left, it was only shortly after the Lunar New Year, and it was still winter. Now, it should be springtime.
Bai Hao: "Is it too boring?"
Qin Nan: "Hmm, I miss Chi Wei and the others a bit. I wonder how they've been doing lately?"
Bai Hao: "Want to ask?"
Qin Nan turned around in surprise: "Is it okay?"
Bai Hao: "Not really."
Qin Nan: "..."
Bai Hao: "We'll see each other when we get home after everything is over."
Qin Nan: "...Yeah, I'll see him when I get home."
The two fell silent in tacit agreement. In the quiet afternoon, sunlight scattered across the lake, creating shimmering waves. The banyan tree was lush and verdant, and a cool breeze blew under its shade.
As the sun set, Chen Tan emerged from the water mirror, and Bai Hao stood up and gave him a pendant.
Chen Tan took it and put it around her neck. Her originally snow-white hair turned jet black, her amber pupils turned dark brown, and her aura changed drastically.
Qin Nan couldn't sense anything; he wasn't in beast form now, so his sense of smell wasn't as sharp.
Jie Chong arrived as promised. Unlike the loose and casual clothes he wore during the day, Jie Chong had changed into a uniform black outfit, without any extra embellishments, looking very clean and neat.
Jie Chong led Chen Tan away. Before leaving, Chen Tan told Qin Nan that the Mirage City Scroll had been repaired and they could go and pick it up.
After seeing the two off, Bai Hao and Qin Nan entered the Water Mirror Space again, where a mirage beast was already waiting to return the scroll to Qin Nan.
He informed Qin Nan that the scroll had been restored and even further repaired. Of course, this was not Qin Nan's request, but rather a request left by Su Kun. Naturally, he had also paid the reward.
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