CHAPTER 38
“I really am,” Meng Yunxi on the right said calmly.
"I really mean it." Meng Yunxi on the left didn't show much emotion.
However, who cares if it's true or false!
Without saying a word, Sheng Qing threw out a few fireballs haphazardly and ran away, not forgetting to throw out a few ice balls as he fled.
Where to run? To Montreal, of course.
If the trick hits Meng Yunxi, given his skills, it wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap. Conversely, if it hits the imposter Meng Yunxi, wouldn't that be exactly what he wants?
Sheng Qing felt increasingly clever as he thought about it. He had originally planned to use the unique fragrance to identify it, but it seemed there was no need for that at all.
But is Mengcheng really that far away? Judging by Sheng Qing's pace, he should at least have seen the shadow of Mengcheng by now, if not entered the city.
Just as Sheng Qing slowed down, Meng Yunxi's voice came from behind him.
Why are you running? I'm not going to eat you!
They caught up so quickly? Sheng Qing instantly accelerated without looking back.
It did sound like something Meng Yunxi would say, but Sheng Qing found it extremely strange and only wanted to return to Mengcheng.
However, things didn't go as planned. In just a few seconds, Sheng Qing was tackled to the ground by a figure.
Meng Yunxi would never do such a thing! Sheng Qing struggled desperately.
"Don't move." Sheng Qing was completely restrained, and then the other person freed one hand to wipe his eyes.
As if lifting a thin veil of mist, Sheng Qing opened her eyes again, turning to see Meng Yunxi's slightly furrowed brows. "Take a closer look at what's ahead?"
Sheng Qing was startled. What was once a flat road had suddenly turned into a steep cliff.
"Are you really Meng Yunxi?" Sheng Qing asked doubtfully, touching the other's face with her hand, feeling the soft touch of human skin on her fingertips. "Were you one of those two people just now?"
"Where did these two people come from?" Meng Yunxi's expression softened a bit, and she held onto Sheng Qing's hand tightly, afraid that she might rush off the cliff if she wasn't careful.
"When did I get infected? What caused this?" Sheng Qing asked blankly, pulling her hand back.
"You can't grab it directly with your hands."
It turns out that I had become complacent and lost my sense of self-importance.
Sheng Qing's walking speed had indeed improved, and it took the two of them nearly 20 minutes to return.
What happened during your absence?
The further they walked, the more something seemed amiss, until they returned to the location where the trap had been set to capture Qianmian, and only then did they confirm it.
What comes into view are broken branches and withered leaves, a mess on the ground, and a thousand black coal lumps lying on the side, barely alive and crushed, seemingly discarded without a trace.
This time, Sheng Qing did not rashly touch Qianmian directly, but waited for Meng Yunxi to take out a special storage bag and put the pitiful Qianmian into it.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, the two quickly collected enough Thousand Faces and left for the location of the conch.
Aside from this minor incident, the conch-catching went smoothly. Sheng Qing completely forgot about Qianmian's unusual behavior and returned home with a full catch.
"Captain, do you have any brothers or sisters?" As soon as they returned to the cabin, Meng Yunxi started busying herself again. Outside, there was bloodshed and violence, but at home she could still wash her hands and cook. Was this a habit she had developed since childhood as the eldest son? Sheng Qing couldn't help but ask.
"No." An unexpected answer.
"Then you mind a few more..." Sheng Qing was interrupted abruptly before she could finish speaking.
"I mind." The tone was very flat.
"But I haven't finished speaking yet," Sheng Qing wanted to ask further.
"I mind." Meng Yunxi gave the person in front of her a deep look, her tone seemingly carrying a strange emotion. "I'm not interested in any brother-sister tricks."
"What's wrong with you?" Sheng Qing pouted and stopped talking. She felt a mix of disappointment and relief. The former was because she felt embarrassed to freeload in the future, and as for the latter, she couldn't quite explain it.
"What's with that look? Did I say you couldn't come here to freeload?" Seeing Sheng Qing's sullen expression, she added, "Take the food to Xu Pei after you finish eating."
"Oh no, I forgot about that strange solution."
"I'll take you to pick some up on the way."
Are they here too?
“I happened to have stocked up on some before.”
"What exactly is that thing?"
“A mixture of some kind of monster’s feces and urine.” Meng Yunxi’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly as she said this.
"Huh?" Sheng Qing's expression froze. Had she actually been soaking in there for so long?
He sniffed frantically, seemingly able to detect a strange odor. "They actually like to eat this?"
"You'd better not mention this in front of him."
"Mmm." As expected, she still cares a lot about eating someone else's excrement.
It was indeed on the way, but is this really just a small amount that I stocked up on?
Meng Yunxi led Sheng Qing through a recessed area, which was a place resembling a warehouse.
Meng Yunxi must have a hoarding habit, otherwise why would she have secretly hidden so many things here? A dazzling array of items, yet arranged in perfect order.
Sheng Qing couldn't help but walk into the rows of shelves, which were filled with strange and unusual items, most of which she had never seen before.
Sheng Qing pushed open the iron gate to the side, and what came into view was a huge barrel. Hmm? This fluorescent liquid looked more and more familiar.
"Is this the rations Xu Pei mentioned?" Sheng Qing, who had no intention of hearing an answer, turned around and met Meng Yunxi's slightly raised eyebrows. He was silently following behind her.
"That's right."
"So much?" This Boss Meng is really stingy. He secretly hid so much, but only agreed to give so little.
"Would you like to go in for a soak? It's good for your recovery."
"No, no," Sheng Qing politely declined. She had no intention of taking a bath in a mixture of feces and urine.
"You don't still have Thousand Faces and Conch Shell here, do you?" Sheng Qing glanced at a few shelves outside the aisle, and the items on them looked somewhat familiar.
“They also have an expiration date. It’s enough to exchange some of our existing stock for Xu Pei.”
Sheng Qing's lips twitched slightly.
"What, you have a problem with that?" Meng Yunxi raised an eyebrow.
"No, no, I will keep my mouth shut," Sheng Qing quickly pledged his loyalty.
After the two were ready, they went to Xu Pei's place to complete the handover.
In just one day, Xu Pei got what he wanted. Judging from his expression, he seemed to regret not asking for more, but when he glanced at Meng Yunxi, who had no expression on her face, he gave an embarrassed smile.
They even gave her two return gifts, supposedly admission tickets to a night market trade fair. Sheng Qing was quite curious, but unfortunately, Meng Yunxi kept them all.
After finishing my business here, I returned to Montreal, and it was already late.
Sheng Qing was preoccupied with what to have for dinner. Just as he was about to invite Meng Yunxi to have dinner together, he caught a glimpse of Jian Fei, a member of Team Zero, running over anxiously.
"Captain, something's happened!" Jian Fei glanced at Sheng Qing with a hint of confusion, nodded slightly, and then turned his gaze to Meng Yunxi.
"What's wrong?" Meng Yunxi stopped in her tracks.
"Qin Feiyu and Qin Feiyan are in trouble!" Jian Fei took a breath and then said, "Captain Ning wants you to come over."
"What does this have to do with Ning Xianyu?" Meng Yunxi asked, glancing at Sheng Qing. "Shall we go take a look together?"
Sheng Qing nodded hurriedly. He'd heard the Qin siblings mention taking on a commission before; could it be such a coincidence that something like this happened?
"Let's talk as we walk."
Jian Fei led the way, and judging by the direction, it was the location of the treatment room.
As expected, the Qin siblings encountered an accident while handling a commission, and happened to run into Team Thirteen, who were investigating the recent disappearances of girls in Mengcheng, at the scene of their operation.
The suspect not only escaped the scene successfully but also took several victims with him, including Qin Feiyan, an investigator. Qin Feiyu, who narrowly escaped, was also in bad shape and was currently lying unconscious on a bed in the treatment room.
Since the investigator is involved, the danger level of this incident has been raised from ordinary to level two.
Upon receiving the news, Ning Xuanyu immediately notified Team Zero and personally reviewed the entire incident.
"This is a very serious incident and a provocation against the official anomaly investigation team." Ning Xuanyu seemed like a completely different person when she was working, with none of the delicate and charming demeanor she had when they first met.
"Based on the examination of the items left at the scene, it can be determined that the suspect is someone who is proficient in using elemental power and is very familiar with the modus operandi of the Alter Team." Ning Xuanyu raised the report in his hand and handed it to Meng Yunxi.
The latter frowned, glancing at the person whose hair and beard were all white, and whose skin was wrinkled and huddled together. If it weren't for the identification by those present, no one would have guessed that this was actually Qin Feiyu.
“I have never seen elemental power cause a person to age so rapidly.” Meng Yunxi’s voice was low, but the scene was so quiet that you could almost hear a heartbeat. Everyone heard what he said clearly.
“It is indeed rare, and we have had our doubts, but who would be bold enough to use forbidden techniques in Mengcheng?” Ning Xuanyu paused. “I am somewhat qualified to speak on this, as there are a few forbidden techniques that can indeed cause similar situations.”
“Although I haven’t encountered it before, according to the description in the book, the person who uses such a forbidden technique will urgently need something in a short period of time.” Meng Yunxi nodded and added, “We will split into two groups, one group will be responsible for searching in and around Meng City, and the other group will investigate according to the forbidden technique.”
As she said this, Meng Yunxi glanced at Sheng Qing for some reason.
“Then our people will be responsible for issuing a search warrant and mobilizing all registered investigators to conduct a large-scale search,” Ning Xianyu decided immediately.
"Thank you, Team Leader Ning," Meng Yunxi said calmly.
"It's my fault, and to be honest, it was my negligence; I underestimated the seriousness of the situation." Ning Xuanyu said with a slightly apologetic expression as he led the members of Team Thirteen out of the treatment room.
The people from Team Zero did not leave. Once the people from Team Thirteen had completely disappeared from sight, Meng Yunxi signaled Sheng Qing to close the ward door and stand guard outside.
What are you doing so mysteriously, and why can't people see?
Sheng Qing curiously peered through the window in the door. Meng Yunxi was facing Qin Feiyu, so he couldn't see what she was doing. A moment later, she walked towards the door.
"Let's go." Meng Yunxi glanced at Sheng Qing, who looked puzzled, without offering any explanation for her earlier actions.
"Is Qin Feiyu alright?" Sheng Qing glanced into the ward again, hesitating whether to transfer some spiritual energy to him, perhaps it would have a miraculous effect.
"Don't worry, this is only temporary. Once the suspect is found, the problem will be solved."
Sheng Qing nodded and followed.
While Meng Yunxi and Ning Xianyu were talking, Jian Fei had already gathered the members of Team Zero downstairs at the treatment room. Upon seeing Meng Yunxi and Sheng Qing emerge, the group greeted them.
“According to the records, performing forbidden techniques requires a strict time and place, and that place has a high probability of being the place where it is performed.” Meng Yunxi took out the yellowed paper that Xu Pei had given her, which looked like admission tickets, and distributed them to everyone.
Sheng Qing took the paper, looked at it, and found it to be like scribbles, completely incomprehensible.
Just as she was about to ask where the entrance was, Meng Yunxi paused for a moment while her obscure syllables were being uttered, and an antique-style gate that could accommodate many people at the same time appeared out of thin air.
Sheng Qing was about to step through the gate when Meng Yunxi stopped her.
"Put this on."
Meng Yunxi conjured a veiled cloak from who-knows-where and put it directly on Sheng Qing's head, then put one on herself as well.
Strangely enough, the seemingly thin veil completely covered Meng Yunxi's face when she wore it. Or rather, only a vague outline could be seen through the veil, making it impossible to even distinguish whether she was male or female.
Stepping through the gate, the scene changed abruptly. The street was instantly brightly lit and bustling with people. Various small shops appeared along the street, their vendors calling out their wares. It looked no different from an ordinary market, except for the oddly shaped shop assistants.
The Zero Team members dispersed, and Meng Yunxi reached out and smeared something on Sheng Qing's eyebrows and eyes. Then, a few faint rays of light floated in the air, which were the thread marks drawn from Qin Feiyu's blood.
The two followed the silk thread's trail, winding their way through several shops and alleyways, but at a certain intersection, the thread suddenly split in two, extending in opposite directions.
Why are there two different directions?
The two exchanged a glance, and a terrifying thought surfaced in their minds.
"Let's split up." Meng Yunxi briefly explained how to leave this place, and then she and Sheng Qing each chased after the silk thread marks in different directions.
The mark flickered in and out of focus, like Sheng Qing's heartbeat, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. If it gets too late, what she might see is...
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