Chapter Sixty-Four: Mo Chen's Troubles

Chapter Sixty-Four

The four of them spent most of the morning bustling about inside the room, and by the time they emerged, it was nearly noon.

“Oh? I thought you’d all gone out! Turns out you’re together!” Lin Shaojie was visibly surprised to see the four stepping out as a group. His astonishment didn’t last long, though; soon his gaze landed on Mei. “Mei, you look much better today! Are you all right now?”

“I’m fine!” Mei answered with a smile, greeting Lin Shaojie and the others in the room. She seemed perfectly back to her usual self.

However, the expressions of Mo Chen, Ye Jingxuan, and An Ziyou behind her were rather odd, which piqued Qu Wenjuan’s curiosity and made her cast a few extra glances their way.

Tsk tsk—those stiff faces definitely spelled trouble!

“Brother Ye, are we handing in the missions today? I can’t wait to see what rank our team will reach after completing these two tasks!” Lin Shaojie pressed eagerly once they sat down.

Mercenary missions offered not only contribution points to the base but also experience for leveling up the team. Although they’d taken only two missions, both were exceptionally rewarding—double rewards, in fact. The experience gained would surely suffice for a level-up, though how many levels was anyone’s guess.

Ye Jingxuan pondered for a moment. Since there were no omissions with the supplies, it was better to hand things in now and avoid any complications, so he nodded.

After a simple lunch, the six of them went together to the base’s mission hall.

Because both missions were quite special, their completion couldn’t be confirmed by ordinary staff. Upon hearing they were ready to hand in their tasks, the staff summoned the higher-ups.

When the four supervisors arrived, Mei noticed Ye Jingnan among them, and deduced that the other three must be representatives of the other families.

As Ye Jingxuan was the heir to the Ye family, even though Ye Jingnan was in charge of the base, he still greeted Ye Jingxuan respectfully with, “Young Master!” outside of formal settings.

The other supervisors, of equal status but from other families, didn’t need to show Ye Jingxuan special deference, yet they were noticeably less arrogant than when dealing with others.

After brief introductions, the supervisor from the Situ family, Situ Hai—a man in his forties awakened to fire abilities—stood out with his sharp gaze and posture, clearly a martial arts expert.

Liu Wenyu, the Liu family’s supervisor, was in his thirties, a wind ability user with a somewhat gloomy demeanor, making him seem hard to get along with.

Wang Kai, representing the Wang family, was the opposite: always courteous, wearing a polite smile, considerate but never too enthusiastic. He possessed earth abilities.

Because the matter involved the Ye family, neither Mei nor Mo Chen spoke, leaving Ye Jingxuan to handle everything.

Ye Jingxuan wasted no words, succinctly reporting on the first mission at the farm.

“So, you’re saying that aside from the vegetables in the fields and the thirty chicks you brought back, there’s nothing else of value at the farm? What about the other supplies?” Liu Wenyu was quick to challenge.

“We don’t know. Our job was reconnaissance, not tracking the whereabouts of goods.”

“It’s said there was plenty of grain at that farm. Now it’s mysteriously vanished—that’s a bit questionable, isn’t it?” Wang Kai chimed in.

“You said it yourself: ‘it’s said.’ No one’s seen it with their own eyes, so how can we be sure there was ever any grain? Besides, who says there isn’t any? Didn’t our Young Master mention that all the grain is growing in the fields? Once it’s ripe, the base can send people to harvest it!” Ye Jingnan countered, taking over the argument from Ye Jingxuan and Wang Kai.

His words left the other two speechless. None of those present knew for certain how much material was there. Moreover, the spies sent by each family to monitor them hadn’t returned, leaving them with even less to say. In the end, they could only accept Ye Jingxuan’s report and consider the mission complete.

For the second task, Ye Jingxuan didn’t need to elaborate—just hand over the goods.

Mo Chen, holding Mei’s hand, led her to the warehouse where the base stored supplies. With a casual wave, massive containers were stacked neatly inside.

Retrieving items from the spatial dimension was actually Mei’s doing. Mo Chen’s gestures were merely a cover. Since they’d entered holding hands, Mo Chen continued to do so without drawing attention; everyone simply assumed he was concerned for Mei.

They unloaded everything meant for the base. The load was so vast that it overflowed the warehouse, with many containers temporarily stacked outside.

Then, under Mo Chen’s cover, Mei produced the thirty chicks and handed them over to the base supervisors, finally completing the transfer.

The shock in the eyes of the other three supervisors, when confronted with such a bounty, was impossible to hide. After the task was marked complete, Mei and her companions went to find the staff and claim their mission rewards. As for how the supplies would be handled and what the other families thought, that was no longer their concern.

Back in the mission hall, Mei took out the team’s mercenary card and handed it to the staff, wondering if she should swing by the market afterward. Just then, she felt a light tap on her arm.

Looking up, she saw Qu Wenjuan winking at her. Following her gaze, Mei spotted a striking girl in a red skirt staring at them—or rather, at Mo Chen.

Mo Chen stood with arms crossed, leaning lazily against the wall, his eyes slightly lifted at the corners. That air of carefree, almost wild arrogance, coupled with his fair skin, handsome features, and slightly shadowed gaze, gave him a dangerously alluring charm.

Mei arched her brow—the girl had good taste; Mo Chen was indeed a top-tier heartthrob!

Seeing Mei’s eyes sparkle with meaning, Qu Wenjuan realized her hint had gone over Mei’s head. She was about to say something when the girl strode over.

The girl’s wrist was wrapped with a dark red whip, and seven or eight people followed behind her. Their gait showed they were all trained fighters. Noting how bystanders cleared a path for her, Mei quickly guessed her identity.

“Handsome, what’s your name?” The girl walked straight up to Mo Chen and asked.

Mo Chen glanced at her briefly, then looked away as if she didn’t exist.

“How dare you be so rude to my lady! She is—” Someone behind the girl leapt forward to protest, but she silenced him with a raised hand.

Rather than being offended by Mo Chen’s indifference, her eyes lit up even more.

“I am Situ Qing, eldest daughter of the Situ family. May I know your name?” Situ Qing introduced herself and asked again.

“No, you may not.” Mo Chen replied bluntly, ignoring her hopeful expression.

“Why not?” For perhaps the first time, Situ Qing’s face darkened, a hint of anger in her voice.

“I don’t like you. Is that reason enough?” Mo Chen finally deigned to meet her gaze, but his impatience was laid bare.

“You—!” Situ Qing was so furious she couldn’t speak.

Her followers, seeing her upset, stepped forward to teach Mo Chen a lesson, but Situ Qing lashed them back with her whip. “Who told you to act? Get back!”

After driving her men away, Situ Qing fixed her gaze on Mo Chen again, about to speak—when a familiar voice called her from the entrance.

“Qingqing, how come you’re here so early?”

The sweet voice had most of the hall turning to look. Mei did as well, though her mood soured.

Why did she always run into her every time she went out?

The girl at the door was none other than Xiao Keran, who had traveled with them and fought over the same item.

“Keran, you’re here!” Situ Qing greeted her friend and had to temporarily abandon Mo Chen to go meet her.

“Qingqing, did you find a suitable mission yet?” Xiao Keran entwined her arm with Situ Qing’s and asked affectionately.

“I haven’t looked yet. I wanted to wait for you and choose together!” Situ Qing shook her head.

“What were you just doing then?” Xiao Keran had seen her talking to someone when she entered, but the hall was crowded and she hadn’t seen who it was.

At this, Situ Qing blushed, lowering her voice to confide, “Keran, I have to tell you—I finally met a man who makes my heart race! Look, he’s right over there!”

Following her gaze, Xiao Keran realized she recognized everyone in that group.

“Weren’t they out on a mission? How are they here? When did they return?” Her eyes locked onto her own idol, An Ziyou, and she muttered to herself.

“Keran, you know them?” Situ Qing perked up at her words.

“Yes, my brother and I traveled with them before coming to the base. But…” Before Xiao Keran could finish, Situ Qing interrupted, “That’s wonderful! Keran, quickly tell me the name of the man leaning against the wall with that devilish aura!”

Xiao Keran followed her cue and replied, “His name is Mo Chen, a thunder ability user!”

“Mo Chen? What a lovely name! It’s decided—I must make him my boyfriend! Keran, since you know them, you must help me get acquainted!” Situ Qing insisted.

Since Situ Qing wasn’t after her own idol, Xiao Keran nodded without concern.

With her agreement, Situ Qing immediately dragged her over to Mo Chen again.

Mei, who had been watching since Xiao Keran entered, turned to Mo Chen with a mischievous glint.

His troubles were about to begin.