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Cui Ming stood guard for a while and said, "Little Lu hasn't let go of his hatred for Warden. Unlike you, Beiyue, who has transformed your hatred into a sense of duty, something that must be accomplished. Little Lu still harbors resentment; he just feels that he lacks the strength to confront Warden and isn't in the habit of calling for help, so he pretends not to care."
Beiyue replied, "Cui Ming, Little Lu's wife is a researcher and also a practitioner. Although her abilities are average, she is still a practitioner. Why did she encounter misfortune at sea?"
Cui Ming sat down and thought for a moment. "Although the Arctic has many large creatures, there are safe zones designated for research teams. The research teams should be well aware of this. Shadow Island? The people of Shadow Island do not attack those outside the island. Did you notice that today when we mentioned Warden, Little Lu wasn't surprised that Warden is still alive? According to Wandering, he concealed the news of Warden's return. A bold guess would be that Little Lu's wife discovered Warden's whereabouts and was killed while pursuing him, which also implicated the Research Vessel. Little Lu knows the whole story, so he has been hiding in the church, strengthening his abilities and biding his time because he knows he is no match for Warden."
Beiyue looked at Cui Ming and said, "You also said that Warden is your enemy. Can you lure him out, just like trapping a witch? After all, Warden is the right-hand man of Lich; eliminating him would be beneficial for you as well."
Cui Ming replied, "I have always wanted to lure Lich out, but what has happened on Shadow Island in recent years? Lich has most likely chosen his daughter as his successor and is in a weakened state, possibly nearing death. As for Warden, I don't believe he is a good person. It is rumored that Lich possesses two treasures: one called the Soul Stealing Scroll, which grows stronger with each person it kills; this doesn't mean much to ordinary human masters. Once the Force reaches a certain limit, it ultimately serves as protection because the body cannot withstand excessive Force fluctuations. However, Warden is not an ordinary person; it's hard to say whether he is even human. The other treasure is called the Death Hat. It is the treasure among treasures, using the name of death to attack enemies; on one hand, it has the ability to kill with a wound, and on the other hand, it greatly enhances spell power exponentially. Warden's domain is definitely a magical array; if he obtains the Death Hat, it would be extremely terrifying."
Beiyue added, "Along with the Soul Stealing Scroll—I've looked up some information—Warden can merge Force into souls. Perhaps it's not actually souls but rather the core Force captured after practitioners die; whatever it is, let's just call it souls for now. If Warden's Force increases, then naturally the power of these souls will also grow. Souls are not physical entities; they are spiritual. If both treasures fall into Warden's hands, I'm afraid even Wandering wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"Indeed," Cui Ming said. "Warden won't miss the opportunity presented by Lich's weakness and his daughter's growth. Although Lich is powerful and has profound knowledge of Force research, he isn't someone with experience or insight into human nature." Cui Ming continued, "Beiyue, you should contact Wandering again to see if there's any chance to investigate whether there have been changes on Shadow Island. If there haven't been any changes and Lich's daughter becomes the new Lich, then we should find an opportunity to lure her out. If Warden obtains both treasures, we need to find a way to trap him. Wait... if Warden rebels against Lich, then I have no grievances with him; why should I scheme against him?"
Beiyue placed her hand on Cui Ming's shoulder and said, "I have many reasons; which one do you want to hear?"
Cui Ming responded, "As long as you want to share it. That reason will suffice. Before that, let's focus on the witch."
...
Will the witch really come? Cui Ming believed his speculation was reasonable. From her attire, the shoes in her room, her clothing choices, and her concern for appearances—she would definitely come to Thunder Sound City. However, there was one prerequisite: that she had truly gone with Mundo to the Southwest of the Western Continent.
Does this premise hold? Cui Ming believes there is a 90% chance it does. First, Mundo has a vessel; regardless of the type, there must be a means of maritime transportation, while the witch does not. Witch Island has already collapsed, and neither Mundo nor the witch will remain on Witch Island. At this point, there are two possibilities. The first possibility is that Mundo and the witch went to the Three Continents first. In this scenario, they would inevitably return to the Southwest because Mundo's appearance is too peculiar, and as a Class A wanted criminal of the alliance, as soon as he shows his face, the Three Continents will respond accordingly. Dealing with Class A wanted criminals is taken very seriously since they directly threaten the survival of practitioners; it could be you or someone else.
The second possibility is that Mundo and the witch went to Silent City. The Arctic can be ruled out because traveling from Antarctica to the Arctic involves a long detour after reaching the Western Continent. Cui Ming does not believe that a witch from Antarctica would be welcomed in the Arctic. Therefore, they might have gone to Silent City. This possibility exists since witches are sorcerers and could easily find refuge in Silent City. However, Cui Ming insists that witches care deeply about their appearance and style; they have refined tastes and aspirations. Such individuals would not choose to mingle in the chaotic and disorderly environment of Silent City. From the tranquil Witch Island to the noisy Silent City, Cui Ming believes a witch would find it impossible.
Thus, the witch must appear; she will definitely appear in Thunder Sound City. The 10% chance Cui Ming considers is that the witch has arrived but Raefus's subordinates did not notice her, after all, witches are practitioners. However, this possibility is extremely low because there have been no reports of practitioners appearing in Thunder Sound City. No matter how intelligent the witch is, she would not anticipate that she has already set up an intricate web.
Place your bets; it's a done deal!
Six days have passed, and Cui Ming remains calm and composed. Beiyue trusts Cui Ming and feels no anxiety. Little Lu, as an assistant, is even more stable; there are only four days left until it concludes. These six days have not been easy for Cui Ming and Beiyue; they are staying in a small hotel room where the living area and bedroom are combined, leaving them with plenty of idle time. As they chatted more comfortably while avoiding sensitive topics, their understanding of each other deepened significantly.
The saying "time reveals a person's heart" holds true; everyone’s thoughts are complex and cannot be fully encapsulated by a single label. Sometimes Cui Ming behaves like a big boy, which surprises Beiyue—for instance, moving a mirror into the bathroom while Beiyue was asleep. When Beiyue woke up in the middle of the night to wash her face and saw a figure in the mirror, she nearly screamed in fright. Meanwhile, the instigator was hiding under the covers on the floor, stifling laughter as Beiyue kicked him in frustration for making her jump.
Beiyue has enjoyed these past few days; Cui Ming not only brings various surprises but also knows when to give her space. When she feels irritated, he quietly zones out; when she’s bored, he provides unexpected thrills and scares. Although these surprises aren’t extreme, they bring joy to Beiyue, who rarely indulges in fun. At the same time, Beiyue feels nervous because they have reached a point where they are just one thin layer of window paper apart from each other. Time tends to dilute everything; after years in a desert of separation, their feelings for each other may wane slightly, but upon reuniting, those feelings begin to warm again.
On the seventh day at four in the morning, Beiyue had already slept enough and was reading by her bedside—a consequence of several days of comfort—she had learned to enjoy sleeping in. Cui Ming was also waking up around the same time; he turned on the floor to look at Beiyue as she looked back at him: “This book was written by someone named Shrimp; he says that marriage may arise from love, but love cannot sustain marriage. Finding a suitable partner is the best starting point for a long marriage.”
Cui Ming nodded: “That makes some sense; Jayce mentioned on his show that when a young couple lives together before marriage, the man tends to cater to every whim of the woman during their sweet phase. However, shortly after getting married, he begins to feel bored with such an arrangement and thinks that she should contribute to household duties. Meanwhile, she feels that if things were like this before marriage, does it mean he tricked her into marrying him just to bully her? Jayce concluded that marriages where one partner is overly accommodating before marriage often do not end well. He supports cohabitation before marriage because it helps both parties understand each other better and benefits family building.”
Beiyue reclined back while reading: “It seems like you’ve always been accommodating towards me.”
“We could try living together.”
Beiyue replied: “Shrimp wrote here that anything not aimed at marriage is just playing around.”
Cui Ming fumed, "This guy is really annoying. I hope there are fewer female readers; otherwise, how can men deceive women?"
Beiyue suppressed a laugh and was about to say something when a knock came at the door. They exchanged glances; in the past few days, no one had disturbed them except for food deliveries. Cui Ming opened the door boldly, sensing only Little Lu and Beiyue's Force fluctuations. The server stepped inside and whispered, "Lishui Hotel, Rooms 905 and 907, checked in an hour ago. Room 905 is a male, masked, very tall and strong. Room 907 matches the target's physical characteristics."
"Get the watchers to back off," Cui Ming instructed as he sent the server away and closed the door. "Mundo is here as well. In my estimation, the likelihood of Mundo being involved is no more than 20%."
"What should we do?"
Cui Ming did not answer immediately. He paced back and forth for a moment before saying, "I am certain that Mundo will not be working with the witch. I’ll go set things up."
...
Mundo, with his unrefined appearance, had no interest in dressing up; he certainly wasn't there to accompany the witch on a shopping spree. Was he acting as her bodyguard? A bodyguard would hardly tolerate a woman shopping. Mundo had his own agenda in Thunder Sound City; he needed to gather some materials, and it was difficult to operate in a big city—his target was people from the suburbs.
The next morning, Mundo left his hotel room with the witch and got into two taxis: one heading to the suburbs and the other to the commercial center of Thunder Sound City. The driver transporting the witch had barely started when his radio crackled to life: "Brothers, South District Road is blocked."
The driver turned to the witch and said, "We need to take a detour; the fare..."
"Money is not an issue," she replied, wearing a women's lace hat with a black silk scarf covering her face. This wasn’t meant to hide her identity but rather to serve as decoration. One often sees women in TV dramas wearing masks that only reveal their eyes; many men would assume they must be very beautiful. Of course, since it’s television, ugly characters are rarely cast unless absolutely necessary. However, it does suggest that if a woman is unattractive, wearing a mask or covering her face on public transport guarantees that people will speculate about how pretty she might be—provided her eyes, hairstyle, and forehead are appealing. (To be continued.)
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