Chapter 418: Letting Go to Catch

Ye Linyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the newcomer.

The male before him wore the same model of combat suit as the girl who had just left. He didn’t need to guess to know this was the person she’d been talking to on the phone.

Judging by the scent, he was probably a fox.

The young white fox’s aura was unstable, likely because he had rushed over.

He glanced around and asked worriedly, "Why are you the only one here? Where’s Xiao Li?"

’Xiao Li?’

Ye Linyuan’s eyes narrowed again. He gestured with his gaze toward the laboratory.

"She went back to the lab?" Baili Jing frowned, taking out his terminal to contact the people there. At the same time, he sighed. "Why weren’t you with her?"

Ye Linyuan: "..."

’Why should I accompany her to find her Beast Husband?’

’Especially one like this...’

Ye Linyuan eyed the other man, an inexplicable sense of comparison welling up inside him. He started sizing him up.

From head to toe, from the strands of his hair to the heels of his shoes.

In the end, he gave Baili Jing a two-word evaluation: ’Average male.’

Just as Ye Linyuan reached his conclusion, Baili Jing had already used his terminal to confirm that Jiang Qingli had safely reunited with the others.

Baili Jing breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ye Linyuan. "Just now, Lü Xin released several Spiritual Mutant Beasts, causing a disturbance. It’s a good thing Xiao Li didn’t run into them. Marshal Yuan’s orders are to sweep this area today. Let’s head over now."

He raised his hand and tore open a spatial rift. As he stepped one foot inside, he suddenly realized the other man had been excessively quiet today.

Turning his head, he saw Ye Linyuan still standing in the same spot, his gaze unfriendly, as if he was displeased with him.

"I know you’re blaming me for not protecting Xiao Li properly. That’s my fault, but let’s go meet up with them first." Baili Jing sounded a little self-reproachful. "You also need to get checked out, and then you can explain to Xiao Li what’s happened these past few days."

For some reason, seeing Baili Jing’s patriarchal manner of arranging everything filled Ye Linyuan with intense irritation. He sneered, "She’s your female master. What is there for me to explain?"

Baili Jing: ?

After staring at him for a few seconds, Baili Jing suddenly realized something. "The way you’re acting... have you lost your memory?"

"That’s none of your business."

Without giving him a chance to reply, Ye Linyuan transformed into a black mist and vanished on the spot.

-

When Baili Jing returned to the first floor of the lab, the dilapidated building was brightly lit.

Marshal Sun was leading people on a search. When he saw Baili Jing, he jutted his chin toward the outside, indicating where she was.

Baili Jing walked over and heard Yuan Liang having a heart-to-heart with Jiang Qingli: "...Advisor Jiang, you certainly have the ability to solve problems, but the next time something like this happens, I hope you’ll notify us."

"Take just now, for example. Lü Xin suddenly released several Spiritual Mutant Beasts. What if you hadn’t left and were still inside? What if you got hurt? The truth is important, but your safety is more important."

"Think about it. You’re our special advisor, the sole heir of the Jiang Family, and the backbone of your household. If something happened to you, how could I answer to the Empire? How could I answer to my own conscience?"

Seeing Jiang Qingli safe and sound, Yuan Liang’s heart pounded with fear. The more he spoke, the more lingering terror he felt.

Jiang Qingli couldn’t very well mention that she had 030, so she could only nod silently. "Yes, you’re right. I’ll be more careful next time."

Yuan Liang clutched his chest. "...Let’s hope there isn’t a next time for something like this. I may not be old, but I can’t take this kind of scare."

Jiang Qingli put on a docile expression. "Mmm-hmm."

"But speaking of which, Advisor Jiang, this was all thanks to you!" Yuan Liang patted her shoulder and added, "I’m ashamed. I met with Lü Xin just yesterday and didn’t notice a single thing was off. Females really are more perceptive!"

He lowered his voice and wiggled his eyebrows at Jiang Qingli. "If you were to join the military district, I guarantee you’d get promoted even faster than Youchen."

Thinking of Xie Youchen’s relationship with Jiang Qingli, Yuan Liang sighed wistfully. "Ah, Youchen really is a lucky guy."

Jiang Qingli froze when she heard him mention Xie Youchen.

After getting the information, her mind had been completely preoccupied with how to capture her target, and she had totally forgotten about Xie Youchen’s existence.

She had even forgotten her promise to Xie Youchen to discuss any important matters with him first...

’Now I’ve done it. Once Xie Youchen finds out, he’s definitely going to nag me about this...’

Jiang Qingli sighed.

Just then, someone walked over and asked Yuan Liang to go take a look upstairs.

Yuan Liang had to cut his praise short and follow his subordinate. Before leaving, he worried that Jiang Qingli might go exploring, so he urged her not to wander off, as many Mutant Beasts were active in the forest during the day, which would be troublesome to encounter.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Qingli saw Baili Jing standing not far away. She winked at him, then nodded at Yuan Liang to show she understood.

As soon as Yuan Liang left, Jiang Qingli jogged over to Baili Jing’s side and whispered, "I’m taking off. Cover for me for a bit."

"Going to find Ye Linyuan?" Baili Jing wrapped an arm around the girl’s waist. "He left."

Jiang Qingli: "He ran off?"

Baili Jing recounted his earlier conversation with Ye Linyuan and apologized in a low voice, "Sorry, baby. It’s my fault I didn’t watch Linyuan properly. I’ve already sent people to look for him, but the forest is huge, so it might take some time."

"It’s fine." Jiang Qingli’s lips curled into a sly smile. "I knew he would run. I’ve already prepared a backup plan."

’As if she didn’t know Ye Linyuan. That guy hates being restrained more than anything. Now that he has amnesia, of course he’d bolt the moment his injuries healed.’

’When she was tying the rope earlier, she had already stuck a tracking beacon from 030 on Ye Linyuan’s clothes. Even if there was no signal, she would still be able to track his movements for three days.’

’If Ye Linyuan wanted to run, she’d let him run for a while. She had to deal with the aftermath of this incident anyway.’

’Once she was done, she would go and drag Ye Linyuan back.’

Seeing her confident expression, Baili Jing guessed she had another trick up her sleeve.

He raised a hand to stroke her cheek, praising her in a warm voice, "Our baby is so amazing."

But more than focusing on an irrelevant person, what Baili Jing really wanted to do was hug Jiang Qingli, tell her she’d worked hard, and rub her shoulders to help her relax for a bit.

And that’s exactly what he did.

In a dilapidated, unnoticed corner, the handsome young man hugged the girl, gently stroking her back and letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

Jiang Qingli was indeed a little tired, but after everything that had just happened, her mind couldn’t relax just yet. She pressed Baili Jing for details about what happened after they split up.

"After you left, I waited upstairs for a while before their people found me. A fight broke out. After I dealt with them, I sent a signal to Marshal Yuan..."

Baili Jing spoke in a gentle voice, keeping an eye on his surroundings in case of a surprise attack from a Mutant Beast.

Suddenly, he caught sight of a black figure in his peripheral vision.

Baili Jing froze, his gaze snapping in that direction.

Ye Linyuan was standing among the branches of a tree about a hundred meters from the window, staring intently at the girl leaning in the other young man’s arms.

His gaze was greedy and scorching, like a predator secretly stalking its prey.