Chapter Twenty-Nine: Reunion with an Old Friend

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Encountering Old Friends Again

Mu Linqiu spoke with a lazy tone, as if she wasn't worried at all about being discovered.

Shen An had a feeling—he was familiar with this woman. Her presence seemed to echo something he'd encountered before.

But for the moment, Shen An couldn't recall where, so he decided not to dwell on it.

"Why are you following me?" Shen An asked.

"That's not quite right. We arrived first. How could you say we're following you?" The woman shook her head, amused by his words.

"Hmm?" Shen An's heart skipped a beat.

"Are you the archaeologist?"

"No, don't mistake me for one. I'm not familiar with him," she replied.

As expected, this woman had accomplices. Clearly, the situation was more complicated than Shen An had anticipated. He hadn't realized how quickly these people had caught wind of the changes here, already investigating ahead of time.

"The person before me doesn't seem to be an official. If she were, she wouldn't appear in such a manner. I wonder if Bai Weiwei will come here as well," Shen An thought.

Even before things began, various factions were arriving in advance. Just as the future warnings had said, this place was fraught with danger; caution was needed.

Shen An made up his mind.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave," he said, quickly excusing himself.

His opponent had teammates, while he was alone; he couldn't afford to let them corner him. Besides, he sensed this woman was unfathomable.

He had a subtle intuition: among everyone he'd met so far, this woman was the most powerful.

It was his instinct.

Shen An left, and the woman made no move to stop him, nor did she call him back. It was as if she didn't care at all where he went.

He found shelter in a farmer’s home, paid two hundred yuan for a night's stay, and at dawn, entered the inner space to practice his swordsmanship with his mind.

He discovered that cultivation within the space was just as effective. What’s more, his insights seemed much stronger inside than outside.

Now, an hour of training in the space was equivalent to two hours in the real world.

However, given his current mental strength, Shen An could only manage an hour in the space; any longer, and his mind would be overwhelmed.

One hour was just right, costing him no vitality and leaving him energetic for the challenges ahead.

He took out some meat from the space and began to eat.

It was the flesh of mutated beasts, which he had never finished consuming.

Chewing the meat, Shen An kept watch on his surroundings.

His senses had already spread out, monitoring every movement nearby.

A group entered his field of vision.

They all carried travel backpacks—obviously outsiders—and their movements were directed toward Wanyuan Mountain.

Clearly, they too had received the news.

Shen An sat on the rooftop, watching them walk away. With a leap, he followed them, his senses sweeping outward as he saw one of the group disappear from view.

Just as he was about to pursue, Shen An’s face turned grim.

He stopped in his tracks.

"Up so early, sneaking around like a thief?" A woman's voice sounded in his ear.

Shen An looked ahead, seeing nothing, but knew she was there.

"The subterranean disturbance—you shouldn't have been able to know about it in advance. But I won't ask. You must have your own sources to be here," came the voice from the empty space.

"Our goals may be the same. I think we can work together."

Hearing this, Shen An gazed ahead with confidence that she was right where he looked.

"Work together?"

"What do you mean by cooperation?"

Suddenly, the woman materialized, smiled, snapped her fingers at Shen An, and said, "Follow me."

She led the way to another location.

Curious, Shen An followed, unafraid of any tricks. The woman didn't mind him trailing her either; after all, if Shen An launched a sudden attack, she would find it hard to defend.

Both had their own plans.

Soon, the woman entered a courtyard.

Shen An paused, sensing a familiar, searing presence within.

He stopped, a realization dawning, then strode inside.

Upon seeing the man in the courtyard, Shen An said, "So it’s you."

The man before him was Wang Yuan—the fire-wielding man who had sold him out and fled alone in that derelict, unfinished building.

"I knew you'd work with me sooner or later," Wang Yuan said, stepping forward with a heat radiating from him even stronger than before.

Shen An observed his skin; it was flushed red, the fire-element power in him intense enough that approaching him felt like walking into a wave of heat.

"The flame inside me is getting harder to control. This time, I’m looking for a chance to suppress it," Wang Yuan said without reservation.

"Can't control it?" Though Shen An disliked him, he was curious.

"Don’t you feel the same? An Awakened's ability must be used regularly. If you suppress it, eventually it will backlash. It's best to practice daily, or else, over time, the energy becomes uncontrollable and strange things happen."

"I’m having trouble now," Wang Yuan said, raising his hand. Flames erupted around him.

"Releasing fire makes me feel better, but you know how wild Awakened like us are easily discovered. So I’ve always been careful. Now, I’m starting to lose control..."

Shen An glanced at the woman, whose form began to fade and then vanished.

"I’m the same. Always using my ability," she laughed.

So that was it.

Shen An understood now—no wonder the woman was constantly invisible. She never had to worry about excess energy, always using her power.

"You don’t feel like this?" Wang Yuan suddenly asked.

He noticed Shen An seemed unaffected, and grew curious.

"My ability is a bit different, but I can suppress it," Shen An replied, not wanting to elaborate.

Wang Yuan had questions but held his tongue.

Some abilities could indeed be suppressed; Mu Linqiu’s, for instance, required no suppression—she simply remained invisible.

He didn’t know what Shen An’s ability was, but since Shen An was willing to cooperate, Wang Yuan felt he would eventually find out.

"I’ve heard that around noon today, there will be an underground disturbance, possibly producing elemental oxygen. We don’t have much time and need to prepare."

She asked Shen An, "Do you have any information?"

Cooperation goes both ways; they had shown their sincerity—now it was Shen An’s turn.

After a moment of thought, Shen An said, "Wanyuan Mountain, southwest side."

His words lit up their eyes.

"Are you sure?"