Chapter 83: An Unreliable Backer

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Late at night, within a certain mansion in the inner city.

A soft, coquettish murmur sounded by the white pillow, followed by a rustling beneath the covers as a delicate figure turned over, seeking a more comfortable position.

Beside her, a man seemed to sense her movement and adjusted himself in perfect harmony.

He buried his face in her cascade of hair, his nose brushing her jade-like neck, and spoke gently:

“Was that just now a message from Ten Thousand Winds?”

“You rascal, you have such sharp ears. How did you know it was Ten Thousand Winds?” The woman’s voice was tender and alluring.

“With that raspy wind-blown voice of his, you can tell even without speakerphone.”

“Aren’t you worried he’s trying to seduce me in the middle of the night?” She leaned back, nestling into the man’s embrace.

“Tch, that’s exactly why I can’t be bothered to ask.” There was open disdain in the man’s tone.

“You’re so heartless, you don’t even ask what’s going on. Don’t you care about me at all?”

He kissed the nape of her neck mischievously. “So what was it about?”

“Ah! Don’t…” she protested.

“There was some trouble at the mine. Old Lu from the Outer City Patrol reported it to Ten Thousand Winds, and he called me directly.”

The man paused, frowning. “What kind of trouble?”

The woman laughed softly. “Now you’re worried, aren’t you?”

He pinched her waist sharply.

“Ouch, be gentle…”

She suddenly turned, her snow-white arms slipping from the covers to hook around his neck, her breath warm and fragrant as she whispered, half shy, half longing:

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. Just that good-for-nothing distant nephew of mine got himself into trouble.

“Sigh! That short-sighted brat secretly assembled a group, even hired wildlings, and tried to steal green crystal ore from the mine.

“I heard he nearly cost several patrol officers their lives. Of course Ten Thousand Winds is furious.”

Her tone was tinged with petulance, not the irritation of waking, but a hint of disgust.

“As for what to do, Ten Thousand Winds said he’ll handle it himself.”

The man’s eyes, which had been closed in contentment, suddenly opened, then shut again as he spoke with utter indifference:

“Who spoiled him?”

The woman’s delicate brows knitted, and her arms tightened around his neck.

Biting his ear, she said, “Who do you think?”

He stayed silent, eyes closed.

Suddenly—

He drew in a sharp breath, pain and pleasure mingling on his face, and yielded meekly:

“Alright… alright… I spoiled him, okay?”

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“Hmph, that’s more like it. I have leverage over you, so what do you think I should do?”

He stroked her hair, pleading, “If we can settle it with words, let’s not get physical!”

Her gaze turned sly and bewitching as she replied in a gentle voice, “The Grand Continental Trade Fair will begin soon. What do you propose?”

He responded eagerly, “I know, I know, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied!”

…

A few days later, in Chief Dai’s office.

At this moment, only Ye Chen and Chief Dai were in the room.

Ye Chen sat opposite Chief Dai, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea. He blew on the steam. “Mmm… smells wonderful.”

Morning tea, evening wine!

Today was not for work reports; their conversation was casual, like a chat between friends.

“Chen Bingfeng is still recuperating at home, and that rascal Xu Fan took the chance to ask for leave and rest too.

“You were the most seriously injured, so how did you recover so quickly? Are you sure you’re all right?”

Ye Chen grinned. “Completely fine now, back to my old self.”

“Being young is a blessing. By rights, you awakened an artifact system, so why do you act like a physical type? I just can’t figure you out!”

Ye Chen scratched his head in embarrassment, offering no explanation. To explain is to cover up, and to cover up is to admit the truth.

He’d only ever seen Scarface as a physical type awakener and wondered just how strong a truly powerful one could be.

If all of them were as weak and stinky as Scarface, what would be the point of awakening?

...In his mind, Ye Chen silently labeled Scarface’s kind as “weaklings.”

In fact, even among physical type awakeners, physical strength varied greatly, depending on which part of the body was enhanced.

Ye Chen’s balanced improvement through breath cultivation made him a rare exception, even among physical types.

Seeing Ye Chen just grinning foolishly and not answering, Chief Dai didn’t press the issue, assuming Ye Chen’s physique was honed through wild hunts.

Changing the subject, Chief Dai’s tone turned solemn:

“This time, on behalf of everyone in Team Two, I sincerely thank you.

“These days, our team has held its head high, not to mention you saved three lives.

“You’re quite popular in the office lately—even I’m a little envious, hah!”

Ye Chen blushed for once and hurried to respond modestly:

“Please, Chief, you’re giving me too much credit. My principle is always just to survive. How can life be treated so lightly?”

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“If I can’t even protect my comrades, then my awakening means nothing.”

Chief Dai nodded in satisfaction; this answer was indeed typical of Ye Chen’s character.

Then, with the deftness of a seasoned official, Chief Dai suddenly probed:

“The position of Team One’s leader is vacant. Any interest in competing for it? If you are, I’ll recommend you.”

“Cough… cough…” Ye Chen almost burned his mouth on his tea, stunned by the question.

Rubbing the tears from his eyes, he shook his head vigorously, refusing in panic:

“I have no interest, absolutely none. You couldn’t pay me to do it!

“Dear Chief, please think it over—don’t recommend me, you can’t set me up like that…”

Chief Dai took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and chuckled.

“I was only mentioning it. Look how nervous you are.”

How could he not be nervous? More than half of Team One had been beaten by him personally, and he’d even sent their old leader packing… Ye Chen grumbled inwardly.

He’d already drawn enough collective resentment; he had no desire to be the target of everyone’s ire. No, thank you.

“Oh, by the way, Chief—what happened to that Piglet in the end? Have you heard any news?” Ye Chen finally voiced his true concern, the reason he’d come for tea today.

Chief Dai pondered for a moment before answering slowly:

“Sigh. I’ve asked around the office, and the other chiefs don’t know much either.

“All that fuss, and in the end, I know more than anyone. After that night, he was taken away straight by an Inner City Patrol carriage.

“It was all very secretive.”

He grumbled in dissatisfaction, paused, then wiped his glasses and added,

“It’s possible he had relatives in the inner city who pulled some strings for him.”

Ye Chen pressed on, “Don’t you think Captain Lu might know something? After all, Piglet was directly under him. Have you asked?”

This time, Chief Dai gave an awkward laugh.

“You think I wouldn’t think of that? I haven’t seen him in days—he’s been busy in the inner city, I hear.

“I suspect he knows.

“But whether he’ll tell anyone is another matter.”

Damn, Lu Biao is a schemer too… Ye Chen cursed in his heart.