Chapter 66 – A Favor Not Yet Repaid

Thud…

Amidst the heavy impact, the four-meter-tall Fiend finally fell, collapsing before Su Ming.

“Hah… Hah…”

With one arm holding Xu Qianqian and the other still extended, Su Ming gasped heavily as if emerging from a harrowing nightmare.

“……”

Xu Qianqian continued clinging tightly to Su Ming, shielding him with her body. Only when the thud echoed behind them did she slowly turn her head to look back.

Maintaining their intimate embrace, both simultaneously fixed their gazes on Yi Junchuan, whose breathing gradually faded. They remained silent, their chests heaving violently.

Under these circumstances, Yi Junchuan slowly lost his life. The charred scales covering his body began to peel away, his monstrous form shrinking until it restored to its original appearance.

This transformation confirmed to both Su Ming and Xu Qianqian that the battle had truly ended.

Yet, having just survived such peril, neither dared let their guard down.

After a long silence, Xu Qianqian finally murmured in bewilderment:

“What just happened?”

Having shielded Su Ming with her back turned to Yi Junchuan, she hadn’t witnessed the events unfold.

Even Yi Junchuan might have remained unaware of what transpired, as the Ice Spear that descended from the sky struck his back, leaving him equally oblivious to the occurrence.

Only Su Ming had witnessed the entire abrupt transformation, compelling him to lift his head forcefully toward the sky.

There, he saw it.

Under the beautiful moonlit night, a figure enveloped in swirling mist hovered mid-air, quietly releasing ripples of aqueous vapor.

Miling—

Faintly, Su Ming seemed to hear that ethereal sound again—part song, part sob, delicate as wind chimes and melodious as celestial music.

Then, the mist-shrouded figure rippled like water, darting fish-like toward the horizon before gradually vanishing from Su Ming’s sight.

Su Ming gazed at this spectacle, remaining wordless for a long time.

“What exactly happened?” Xu Qianqian’s voice roused Su Ming, drawing his attention back to her.

Due to her mask, Su Ming couldn’t discern her current expression.

He could only shake his head, wanting to speak yet finding no words.

Ultimately, Su Ming could only state the outcome:

“Whatever happened, it’s truly over now.”

He spoke these words calmly.

“…Is that so?”

Xu Qianqian seemed to lack tangible relief but offered no further comment, nodding slowly after a prolonged pause.

Observing her reaction, Su Ming couldn’t restrain his curiosity.

“Why did you save me?” he couldn’t help asking. “You nearly died just now.”

This question plunged Xu Qianqian into silence.

But her silence didn’t last long.

“It was indeed dangerous,” Xu Qianqian replied impassively. “But if you ask why, I can’t explain it. My body just moved on its own in that moment.”

This response left Su Ming with complicated emotions.

He considered himself a pragmatic person.

Toward Xu Qianqian, he held no particular affection, viewing her merely as an underground collaborator.After all, their first meeting had been marked by conflict, and Xu Qianqian had consistently caused trouble for him afterward. If not for her entrusting him with a task and the long-term cooperation contract they had signed based on mutual interests, Su Ming would have certainly kept his distance from this Young Miss.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have repeatedly positioned himself as a bystander whenever Xu Qianqian was about to take action, making it explicitly clear that he had no intention of intervening.

Otherwise, when Xu Qianqian developed an interest in that Phantom Demon Cub, Su Ming wouldn’t have chosen to release it based on his own stance.

Even this time, when he intervened, Su Ming’s intention was to let the cub escape back to the Spirit Demon Abyss, preventing the potential major conflict surrounding the cub from erupting in Longyao City. His goal was to avoid disrupting the city’s dynamics and affecting his own development, as well as the safety of his family and friends residing in Longyao City—not to assist Xu Qianqian.

Given this, aside from the covert relationship of mutual interests, there was no other connection between him and Xu Qianqian.

Under such circumstances, Su Ming truly hadn’t expected that, in the face of the recent crisis, Xu Qianqian would choose to risk her life to protect him, even using her own body as a shield.

This made him want to ask her: Was it really necessary to go this far?

However, Su Ming ultimately refrained from voicing such thoughts.

He wasn’t a tactless straight man with zero emotional intelligence—what would be the point of saying something so inappropriate and dampening the mood at a time like this?

So, Su Ming could only let out a bitter laugh and say:

“It seems I owe you a debt I can never repay.”

This was his genuine feeling.

Xu Qianqian, however, offered no comment on his words. Instead, she lifted her head, glanced around, and then looked up at the sky.

“Has that cub escaped already?”

She changed the subject, though it was unclear whether intentionally or not.

“It’s gone,” Su Ming replied bluntly. “What? Do you regret it?”

From the perspective of the Young Miss of the Xu Family, letting such a treasure slip away—the Bloodline of a Nightmare Species, an opportunity to elevate her family to a Super Hunter Family, even a direct ticket to the Seven-Star rank—should have left her feeling deeply regretful, if not outright resentful, right?

Yet, no such emotions could be detected in Xu Qianqian’s tone.

“If it’s gone, then it’s gone. After all, it wasn’t a true Nightmare Species Cub—just one with the potential to evolve into a Nightmare Species.”

Her tone remained calm, and it didn’t seem like she was being insincere.

The cub was indeed only likely to evolve into a Nightmare Species, not an actual Nightmare Species Cub.

Even with the potential to evolve into a Nightmare Species, it was still just potential. Whether it could successfully evolve remained uncertain.

Of course, even so, many major Families and influential forces would undoubtedly be interested in that cub.

Wishful thinking is something everyone indulges in, even those in positions of power.

Thus, the cub would inevitably become the center of a conflict.

Su Ming’s choice to let it escape wasn’t necessarily wrong.

At the very least, from the perspective of the Base City as a whole, many would likely support his decision—except for those who stood to gain tangible benefits from the cub.Since the other party had seemingly just saved him and Xu Qianqian, Su Ming genuinely hoped it could escape back to the Spirit Demon Abyss.

That was all he could do.

He couldn’t do anything more.

“Let’s go,” Su Ming said to Xu Qianqian. “It’s time to leave this place, or we’ll really attract attention.”

As he spoke, Su Ming pointed toward the distant night sky.

Xu Qianqian glanced over and noticed several armed helicopters flying in their direction.

The commotion here had ultimately drawn the attention of the Base City authorities.

“Then let’s go.”

Not wanting to be caught in such a situation either, Xu Qianqian directly grabbed Su Ming’s hand and left the area.

Su Ming allowed himself to be pulled along, his gaze falling on their joined hands as his emotions grew increasingly complicated.

“Is this the aftermath of a ‘beauty saves the hero’ scenario?”

Su Ming sighed softly.

“What?”

Xu Qianqian seemed to have caught his muttering and instinctively asked.

“Nothing.”

Su Ming shook his head and fell silent, prompting Xu Qianqian to drop the subject as well.

Together, they left Warehouse Street, abandoning the chaotic battlefield behind.

Before long, several armed helicopters arrived at the location.

……

Academy District.

When Su Ming and Xu Qianqian returned by off-road vehicle, all the lights in the area had already been extinguished.

Their return went completely unnoticed—whether because Xu Qianqian had made prior arrangements or for some other reason, the two managed to reenter the district without incident.

Before parting ways, Su Ming asked Xu Qianqian a question.

“Are you planning to report everything that happened tonight to the Base City higher-ups?”

Su Ming posed this question while facing away from Xu Qianqian, who was removing her black clothes and mask.

Investigating intelligence related to the Suspicious Group was originally a task delegated by certain Base City higher-ups. Given that, Xu Qianqian should logically report the entire incident to her superiors.

Otherwise, the events at Warehouse Street tonight might trigger an investigation by the Base City authorities.

Considering this, Xu Qianqian would likely file a report.

As expected…

“This matter is too significant. Someone among the Base City higher-ups is scheming to obtain Nightmare Species Bloodline—I have to report it,” Xu Qianqian replied while adjusting her clothes and looking at Su Ming. “Don’t worry, I won’t reveal anything about you.”

“That’s not what I’m concerned about,” Su Ming said without hesitation.

With the contract’s terms in place, even if Xu Qianqian felt compelled to disclose information, she would be unable to do so.

Su Ming’s worry wasn’t about his own exposure, but rather about the cub.

“Are you sure that if you report this, those above won’t set their sights on that cub?”

This was Su Ming’s real concern.

He didn’t believe all the Base City higher-ups were noble heroes.

If anything, within that circle of influential figures from various major factions, there were likely plenty of ambitious schemers.

A priceless treasure like Nightmare Species Bloodline—capable of bringing long-term immense benefits to a Family or even an individual—would rarely fail to tempt people.

Su Ming didn’t want to see the cub, which he had worked so hard to release, become the center of internal strife and contention within the Base City.What he needed now was a relatively stable environment where he could develop peacefully. Naturally, Su Ming did not want to encounter the kind of turmoil that would sweep through the entire Base City.

Moreover, Su Ming vaguely sensed that there were other schemes and peculiarities behind this matter.

For various reasons, Su Ming had no choice but to pay some attention to the development of this situation.

Xu Qianqian seemed to have somewhat detected Su Ming’s thoughts, which made her turn around and speak up.

“Even if they really intend to do something, there won’t be enough time.”

This was Xu Qianqian’s opinion.

(End of Chapter)