After Captain Zhang left, Yu Mingwei cursed inwardly. He thought Yu Juntao was utterly useless—always ruining things more than he succeeded.
He had ordered Yu Juntao to eliminate Ying Li, that unstable element. But Yu Juntao’s first attempt had failed spectacularly. The men he sent were shaken off by Ying Li and couldn’t even find his camp.
Failing once wasn’t the end of the world; they could simply wait for another chance. But Yu Juntao had to leave the city, stubbornly insisting on leading the Hunting Team into an extremely dangerous area!
Ever since this Hunting Team had been handed over to him, many original members had followed their previous leader elsewhere. Now, the team was severely understaffed, and its strength had plummeted.
That A-level Mutant Beast had appeared suddenly. It wasn’t something they had actively ambushed—it charged directly into their ranks the moment it appeared.
This made it impossible for them to use their large-scale destructive weapons. The powerful firearms would have hurt their own people!
In such a dire situation, having a powerful Sentinel help kill the beast was a blessing. Yu Juntao should have tried to befriend him, but instead, he ended up offending the man!
The more Yu Mingwei thought about it, the more irritable he became, a faint unease creeping into his heart.
Captain Zhang suspected the Sentinel who helped the Hunting Team kill the A-level Mutant Beast was Ding Hua.
Ding Hua’s temper was notoriously bad. Yu Juntao had separated from the main force… surely she hadn’t killed him, had she?
Right… Wu Nian was reborn. Did he know anything about Ding Hua?
During this period, Yu Mingwei talked with Wu Nian about the future every single day, carefully memorizing everything Wu Nian revealed about things to come.
But after chatting for a while, he gradually grew tired of Wu Nian.
Wu Nian knew far less than he had anticipated. He couldn’t even remember many details clearly.
Guides really were useless!
However, Yu Mingwei had no intention of discarding him yet. First, Wu Nian might still be hiding some things. Second… according to Wu Nian, he would eventually rise to B-Rank.
A B-Rank Guide was still extremely valuable.
Returning to his residence in the Upper City District, Yu Mingwei found Wu Nian training his Mental Power.
He smiled warmly at him, bringing out the Lotus Seeds he’d gotten from Captain Zhang—items beneficial for improving a Guide’s strength. He raised his hand, showing them off. “Wu Nian! Look what I’ve brought back for you!”
Wu Nian saw the Lotus Seeds, and a hint of surprise flickered across his face.
He recognized this stuff. In his previous life, Ying Li had given it to him to eat.
The Lotus Seeds were slightly bitter, not exactly delicious, but Ying Li had forbidden him from wasting any.
At the time, Ying Li had claimed the stuff could enhance a Guide’s power, saying he’d gone through considerable trouble to obtain it.
But from what Wu Nian knew, these Lotus Seeds had been found jointly by the Yu Family’s Hunting Team. Ying Li just said that to embellish his own reputation.
“You recognize this?” Yu Mingwei asked with a smile.
Wu Nian nodded. “I do. In my last life, you brought me some too.”
Yu Mingwei didn’t think much about it and added, “This is extremely precious. Even as the second young master of the Yu Family, it isn’t easy for me to get.”
He exaggerated the value of the Lotus Seeds repeatedly, clearly trying to claim credit and win Wu Nian’s favor.
But Wu Nian listened, mentally grumbling. Was this stuff really that precious? Back then, Ying Li had given him far, far more than what Yu Mingwei had just brought back!
Wu Nian didn’t show any delighted surprise, which made Yu Mingwei feel a bit put out.
But then he reconsidered. Perhaps Wu Nian was acting this way because he’d seen too many good things in his past life. He let it go. Swerving topics, he began probing Wu Nian about matters concerning Freedom City and Ding Hua.
Wu Nian had heard many rumors about Freedom City while living in the Upper District. After entering the Central District, the Sentinels and Guides from the Great Families he met all regarded Freedom City with utter loathing.
Fortunately, this City of Sin would vanish in just a few years!
Wu Nian revealed the future event—Ding Hua’s death and Freedom City’s disappearance a few years later. But he only knew what had appeared in the news; he had no internal details. Naturally, the information Yu Mingwei could extract was minimal.
Yu Mingwei didn’t even know that Freedom City had undercover agents planted by Starlight City, let alone that those agents would later strike it rich!
Frustrated and disappointed, he nonetheless arranged for men to go to Freedom City to investigate Yu Juntao’s disappearance.
Meanwhile, Ying Li and Xiang Ye were at home, hosting Luo Qiming and the others.
Low-rank Sentinels, chronically exposed to Corrosive Energy environments and constantly battling the creatures, often suffered damage to their Mental Seas.
Thus, every month, Luo Qiming’s group would hire a Guide for a single Mental Combing session.
But this month, they hadn’t booked anyone—Xiang Ye had contacted them, saying he wanted to treat them to a meal and help them tidy up their Mental Seas on the side.
The four couldn’t have wished for anything better. Xiang Ye was a B-Rank Guide! Having a B-Rank Guide personally comb their Mental Seas? Pure heaven-sent luck!
Knowing Ying Li and Xiang Ye had no shortage of meat, the four simply bought some fresh vegetables and headed to Ying Li’s home.
Ying Li’s rented place wasn’t large. With four Sentinels suddenly piling in, the dining room immediately felt packed.
But from Luo Qiming and the others’ perspective, this house was already enormous. The places they lived… couldn’t even compare to the bed inside Yu Mingwei’s RV.
“Captain Ying, your place is really nice!”
“Man, I wonder when I’ll ever be able to live in a house like this.”
“There’s even a kitchen here!”
“Xiang Ye, you actually know how to cook?!”
Cooking wasn’t inherently difficult, but in today’s Upper City District, those who could cook were few and far between.
The way Luo Qiming and others looked at Xiang Ye instantly filled with worship.
Xiang Ye just felt helpless.
With so many people today, he couldn’t be bothered to prepare complicated dishes. He simply prepared a broth and set it on the table, letting everyone dip and cook the ingredients themselves. The vegetables they’d bought were all pre-washed; they needed no extra handling.
Was this really worth all the gasps of awe?
But this was only the beginning. Throughout the rest of the meal, Xiang Ye was bombarded with endless heartfelt praise:
“This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”
“Xiang Ye, your cooking is just too amazing!”
“Xiang Ye, you’re the most brilliant, most capable Guide I’ve ever met!”
Xiang Ye grew thoroughly embarrassed listening to it all. Ying Li, watching from the side, couldn’t help but want to laugh.
By the end of the meal, Luo Qiming and the others all had round, bulging bellies. Yet even so, loath to waste anything, they drained the remaining broth from the pot until it was spotless.
Then, the four sprawled back in their chairs, accepting Xiang Ye’s Mental Combing.
Since these four were already aware of his true rank, Xiang Ye didn’t bother holding back.
His Mental Power, which seemed vast to Luo Qiming’s group, swiftly cleaned out their four Mental Seas.
Luo Qiming and the others began heaping praise on Xiang Ye all over again. In the past, whenever they’d paid for a Mental Combing, the effect had never been anywhere near this good. Now, they felt their Mental Seas were impossibly healthy!
“Alright. Since your Mental Seas are all cleaned, hurry up and get out of here,” Ying Li said, seeing Xiang Ye’s face full of awkwardness. He promptly issued the eviction order.
The four immediately clammed up and scrambled out.
After they’d left, Xiang Ye asked Ying Li, “Big Brother Ying, did you chase them off because you were jealous?”
Ying Li could only sigh. “Kids shouldn’t let their imaginations run wild. Go take a shower and sleep early if you want to grow taller.”
Xiang Ye: “…” Just when would he finally be considered a real adult?!
He took a dejected shower, but emerged fully revived. Ying Li hadn’t answered directly, sure… but there was nobody else around him, was there?
“Ying Li, there’s something I want to discuss with you,” Xiang Ye said, facing him with a serious expression.
“What is it?” Ying Li asked, finding some amusement in his heart. A dead-serious Xiang Ye looked incredibly cute.
Xiang Ye said, “Next time we head out of the city to hunt, I want to stay in Freedom City.”
“Fine. When the time comes, I’ll have Ding Hua protect you well,” Ying Li agreed without hesitation. The living conditions in Freedom City were indeed far better than those at a wilderness camp. It would be a good place for him to stay.
“I also want to help the Sentinels in Freedom City by combing their Mental Seas,” Xiang Ye added.
Ying Li thought for a moment, then voiced his concern. “If you do that, you’ll exhaust yourself.”
Freedom City had no Guides. Most of its Sentinels had severe problems with their Mental Seas. People descended into madness there constantly.
In truth, Ying Li had long ago considered having Xiang Ye help comb the Mental Seas of those in Freedom City. But he feared exhausting him, and more than that, feared Xiang Ye encountering danger.
Most importantly, Xiang Ye always listened to him. Ying Li feared that Xiang Ye might be unwilling deep down, yet agree solely for his sake.
“I’m not afraid of hardship!” Xiang Ye said, his gaze resolute. “Helping them comb their Mental Seas won’t just train my Mental Power; it will also let me practice controlling Sentinels. It benefits me.”
Ying Li looked at him, and for a moment, saw a reflection of his younger self. Once, his own thoughts had been almost exactly the same as Xiang Ye’s right now.
He reached out, ruffling Xiang Ye’s hair. “Xiang Ye, someday, you’ll become the greatest Guide Starlight City has ever seen.”
After speaking with Ying Li, Xiang Ye was filled with eager anticipation for their next expedition.
But Ying Li wasn’t in a rush to arrange another hunt. Both he and Luo Qiming’s group needed rest.
After ten days of recovery, Ying Li finally led the Hunting Team out of the city again.
Yu Mingwei received word that Ying Li had left the city. He initially wanted to have people tail him, but reconsidered and gave up. His trusted men had all vanished along with Yu Juntao. Even if he learned Ying Li’s hunting location, he had nobody left to send to kill him.
As for going himself? With Yu Juntao going missing out in the wilds, Yu Mingwei absolutely refused to leave the city now, no matter what.
Yu Juntao and the others had been missing for far too long. No matter how much food the RV had carried, it should be long gone by now—yet they still hadn’t returned.
Yu Mingwei knew full well in his heart: the chances were grim.
And this meant a catastrophic loss for him. Whether it was Yu Juntao, or the Sentinels Yu Juntao had taken on that mission, they were all registered under his Hunting Team. They had even exited the city under his team’s banner.
Now, with these people vanishing in the wilderness, the compensation he would have to pay alone would be a massive sum.
Recruiting new members for the Hunting Team would cost money and time too.
He’d also lost an RV.
Tallying everything up, Yu Mingwei realized he might very well go bankrupt!
That evening, he went to find Wu Nian again, hoping to get some money-making schemes out of him.
But what avenues for profit did Wu Nian know? He only knew that some shops in the Central District ran extremely well and made lots of money.
But opening a shop required capital, and Yu Mingwei had no guarantee he could replicate that same success.
He could only think of other solutions.
On Ying Li’s side, upon discovering that no one was tailing them this trip out of the city, he relaxed.
First, he led Luo Qiming and the others to a relatively standard hunting ground, letting them hunt on their own. Taking Xiang Ye, who was armed to the teeth, he rode directly toward Freedom City.
Before leaving this time, Ying Li had commissioned Boss Lin to craft a full set of gear for Xiang Ye. Even the Combat Suit was custom-made.
A Combat Suit made from A-level Mutant Beast hide wasn’t merely incredibly durable; it could even regulate temperature.
Ying Li had also equipped him with all kinds of close-combat weaponry. Xiang Ye’s wrist guards alone could fire poison darts and bullets.
And to conceal it all, Ying Li had Xiang Ye wear a cloak made from a precious, rare fabric, completely enveloping him.
At this moment, Xiang Ye did indeed carry a bit of that fearsome Dark Guide aura.
