Chapter 1530 - 1527: New Encounters

Ye Qiu spoke while placing a hand on Fang Wushang's shoulder. Although touching her so unreservedly risked being mistaken for sexual harassment, this wasn't the time to worry about that.

He gently pulled her closer, and a barely audible, faint sound reached Ye Qiu's right ear.

"I won't be returning to the clan for a while."

"N-No going back... Why?"

"...Didn't you say you would protect me... Have you forgotten?"

The moment he heard this sentence...

A strong longing arose deep within, surprising even Ye Qiu himself.

Ye Qiu, originally a loner, was someone who once lived stealthily to survive in this world. It all started two years ago, when he met a mysterious stranger on the day everything began.

Someone like him wasn't even worthy of having companions, let alone a relationship closer than companions.

Ye Qiu should have learned from irreversible painful experiences. He swore never to make the same mistake again, never to expect others' affection.

But...

Ye Qiu's stiff left hand just couldn't leave Fang Wushang's shoulder. He couldn't detach himself from the warmth exchanged through their touch.

Ye Qiu, holding onto a massive contradiction, hesitation, and another inexplicable emotion, answered briefly:

"...Alright then."

Upon hearing Ye Qiu's response, Fang Wushang, leaning on his shoulder, nodded.

Soon, it was the next day.

Ye Qiu hid himself on the second floor of a grocery store from the morning. This place could be considered Ye Qiu's secret base, as he was quite familiar with the store owner and often hid here.

Ye Qiu sank into a rocking chair, crossed his legs with an unpleasant mood, sipping odd-tasting tea. The tea was probably unsold inventory from the store.

The entire town—no, perhaps all of Aient City was discussing yesterday's events.

In addition to defeating the boss of the wave, topics of conversation included "the magical beast that wiped out a massive army" and "Profound Celestial Ice Sword's fifty consecutive strikes defeating the Demon alone," all exaggerated beyond measure.

Who knows where they got such news, but early in the morning, swordsmen and informants came to where Ye Qiu lived, forcing him to hide here.

"If I really have to move, I'll just move to some super remote place, like a village no one can find..."

The store owner smiled and approached Ye Qiu, who was constantly muttering.

"Ah, don't say that. Sometimes, it's nice to be a celebrity. Oh, how about hosting a speech? I'll handle the venue and tickets..."

"Who wants to do that!"

Ye Qiu shouted, tossed the cup in his right hand aiming fifty centimeters to the right of the store owner. But the habitual motion sent the cup flying at high speed, crashing against the wall with a loud noise.

Fortunately, the building itself was sturdy, so the wall remained undamaged. If the cup had hit the furniture, it would surely have shattered.

"Whoa, trying to kill me?"

The store owner shouted exaggeratedly. Ye Qiu raised his right hand apologetically and then sat back in the chair.

Besides selling sundries, the store owner was also a magical beast merchant, one who trades and acquires materials from magical beasts.

The store owner was currently appraising the materials from the magical beast Ye Qiu obtained in yesterday's battle. Judging by the strange noises he occasionally made, there were likely many valuable items among them.

Originally, Ye Qiu intended to split the proceeds from sales with Fang Wushang, but she hadn't appeared even after the agreed time passed. Ye Qiu had already contacted Fang Wushang in advance, so she should have known he was here...

Ye Qiu and Fang Wushang bid farewell yesterday at the forest entrance. Fang Wushang indicated she needed to handle some matters with her clan, probably apply for leave and deal with the matter of yesterday's protection, and then she headed in the direction of her clan.

Afraid of danger befalling Fang Wushang, Ye Qiu had initially suggested accompanying her, but she laughed and said it was fine, so Ye Qiu dropped the idea.

With Fang Wushang's strength, she shouldn't encounter any trouble, Ye Qiu reassured himself against his anxiety.

But now, two hours had passed beyond the agreed time. It's so late, shouldn't she have shown up? Could something have happened? He should have insisted on going with her. To suppress his inner unease, Ye Qiu gulped down the tea.

When Ye Qiu drank all the tea from the big teapot and expected the store owner to have finished the appraisal, footsteps finally sounded from the stairs below, and the door quickly swung open.

"Wushang..."

Ye Qiu swallowed the almost-spoken words, "Why so late."

Wearing her usual uniform, Fang Wushang's face was pale, her large eyes filled with unease. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, biting her lips two or three times, and spoke as if on the verge of tears:

"What should I do... Ye Qiu... Things seem to have gotten out of hand..."

After downing the freshly steeped tea, Fang Wushang's complexion finally regained some color, and she began to recount the events bit by bit. The store owner, understanding the situation, had already excused himself and gone to the shop downstairs.

"Yesterday, after I returned to the Lantian Clan headquarters, I reported everything that happened to the clan. When I finished reporting and wanted to suspend my clan duties, I went home... Originally thinking today's morning meeting would approve my application..."

Sitting opposite Ye Qiu, Fang Wushang lowered her head, clutching the teacup with both hands, saying:

"But the Clan Leader... he said I can be allowed to temporarily leave the clan, but there's a condition... the condition is... he wants to spar with you, Ye Qiu..."

"Wha..."

Ye Qiu was momentarily unable to comprehend Fang Wushang's words. Spar... meaning he wants to duel with him? Just for temporarily leaving the clan, why would it become a duel with him?

After Ye Qiu posed this question to Fang Wushang...

"I don't know either..."

Fang Wushang looked at the ground and shook her head.

"I tried hard to persuade him that there's no point in doing this... But he just won't listen at all..."

"However... this is rare. That man actually put forward such conditions..."

Ye Qiu's mind conjured his image and then spoke.

"Exactly. The Clan Leader, normally, wouldn't care even about the waves, not to mention the usual outings for our magical beast battles, he's never given orders. But why this time..."