# 1371
Chapter 1372: Bai Ze
Encountering Yiyu here was something Lin Qiye never expected.
As one of the three oldest "gods" of the Church of the Ancient Gods, Yiyu had left the deepest impression on Lin Qiye and the others. Whether it was the existence of the Believers, stealing Brother Zhuaig, the jailbreak at the Purification Chamber, or the direct cause of the Necropolis altar incident during the exodus from Anta County—he had been one of the greatest adversaries the Night Watch squad had faced throughout their growth.
However, the Yiyu before Lin Qiye's eyes was clearly much more immature than what they had encountered before. He looked barely over twenty, yet every gesture already carried an elegant temperament that didn't match his age.
In this era, Yiyu already appeared to be in his twenties... which meant the Yiyu they had met was already at least sixty years old?
Lin Qiye's mind once again recalled that elegant young man in a tailcoat...
No wonder—he was indeed one of the three "gods" of the Church of the Ancient Gods, an absolute monster.
"Enjoy your meal."
The steaming bowl of noodles was placed before Lin Qiye, who nodded and began eating as if nothing had happened.
Though Lin Qiye kept his head down eating his noodles and didn't look at Yiyu at the opposite table, he could sense the other party's gaze lingering on him quietly.
Lin Qiye's earlier stare had made Yiyu feel a hint of unease, but the immature Yiyu didn't take it too seriously. After all, he had just joined the Church of the Ancient Gods, had participated in only a few operations, had never had any direct conflicts with the Night Watch, and hadn't even made it onto the Night Watch's wanted list...
He was just an ordinary person coming to eat noodles at a noodle shop. How could anyone possibly see through his identity?
Besides, he had long memorized the appearances of every member of Squad 007. This young man in front of him clearly wasn't one of them.
With that thought, Yiyu felt reassured, and the sound of him eating his noodles grew louder.
In the old-fashioned little noodle shop, separated by just one table, Lin Qiye and Yiyu both quietly kept their heads down eating their noodles, each with ulterior motives.
Finally, Yiyu finished every strand of noodles in his bowl. He took several coins from his pocket and placed them neatly on the table.
"Keep the change." Yiyu wiped the corner of his mouth with a snow-white handkerchief and spoke淡淡地, as if he weren't in a noodle shop but at an upscale, elegant Western restaurant.
Yiyu picked up the black handbag by the table and stood up to leave.
After Yiyu left, Lin Qiye also rose immediately. He pointed at the few coins on the opposite table:
"He's a friend of mine. Add his bowl to my tab."
Without waiting for the shopkeeper to say more, Lin Qiye pushed through the door and left, following in Yiyu's footsteps.
...
Yiyu walked through several streets in succession and stopped in front of a small convenience store at a factory entrance.
"Making a phone call." Yiyu's gaze fell on the desk phone, and he casually picked up the receiver, dialing with clicks and taps.
A few seconds later, the call connected, but instead of speaking, Yiyu hung the receiver back down.
In the shopkeeper's confused gaze, Yiyu took out two dimes from his pocket, placed them on the table, then turned and walked away.
"...Weirdo." The shopkeeper stared oddly at the departing Yiyu and silently pocketed the two dimes.
At that moment, a young man in a lake-blue worker's uniform arrived at the desk phone.
"Sorry, need to make a call." Lin Qiye smiled, scrolled to the historical call log, and a string of numbers popped up on the screen. His eyes narrowed slightly.
A moment later, he released the receiver.
"Forget it, not making the call." Waving his hand, Lin Qiye walked away under the shopkeeper's nearly cussing gaze.
While tracking Yiyu from a distance, Lin Qiye reached out and gently patted the radio at his waist.
"Jiang Er, you there?"
Static and interference crackled from the radio. "Sssshhhh... here."
"I'm giving you a landline number. Go check it." Lin Qiye rapidly recited the string of numbers he had just memorized.
"Got it, I'll go right now."
"Sssshhhh... Qiye?" An Qingyu's voice came through the radio.
"Qingyu, how are things on your end?"
"I went through all the Night Watch squad archives for Huanghai City over the past twenty years and found something interesting..."
Lin Qiye's eyebrows rose. "What?"
"Do you know about【Bai Ze】?"
"【Bai Ze】?" Lin Qiye contemplated briefly. "You mean that Divine Beast from Great Xia mythology?"
"That's right." An Qingyu continued, "Legend has it that Bai Ze is a Divine Beast symbolizing auspicious fortune, with a gentle and kind disposition. It understands all things and their principles, dedicating itself to punishing the world's evils. Therefore, whenever Bai Ze appears, it foretells a period of peace and tranquility..."
"What's that got to do with this operation?"
"According to the Huanghai City Night Watch archives, five years ago, they discovered a 'Mystery' on the banks of the Huangpu River, suspected to be Bai Ze."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye was slightly stunned. "A 'Mystery' born from Great Xia mythology? That's quite rare..."
According to Great Xia's exploratory analysis, the "Mysteries" born around the world mostly originated from rural legends or folk rumors of different places. The more widely spread these rumors and legends, the stronger the corresponding "Mystery"—for example, the Pen Xian and Snow Girl currently in Lin Qiye's asylum both came from relatively widespread legends.
Divine Beasts originating from Great Xia legends may have indeed appeared throughout history, but so far, Lin Qiye hadn't seen any.
"However, the strange thing is that this file about Bai Ze only records the encounter with Bai Ze. There's no record of what happened afterward... It feels like part of it was erased." An Qingyu paused. "Though I don't know if this is connected to this disaster, it's still a breakthrough. I'll go ask Squad 007's members later.
If they really don't trust me... I'll have to resort to some special methods."
"...Don't go overboard." Lin Qiye couldn't help but remind.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
The radio connection cut off. Lin Qiye hooked it back onto his belt when, in the distance, Yiyu's figure vanished into a maze of intricate alleyways.
Spotted?
Lin Qiye's eyes narrowed, and he quickly followed.
...
Dressed in a suit, Yiyu moved like a specter through the deserted alleyways.
His gaze flicked toward his back from time to time, his brow furrowing slightly.
From the moment he'd left the noodle shop, he'd sensed someone following behind him... Though each time he turned around to check, he found nothing unusual, his instincts told him things might not be so simple.
Regardless, he needed to first make certain no one was following before continuing!
As Yiyu continued weaving through the alleys, still no figure appeared behind him. Just as he was about to conclude he was being paranoid and prepared to leave, a figure suddenly appeared in the alley ahead!
Lin Qiye in his lake-blue worker's uniform leaned against the gray-white wall, smiling as he looked at him:
"Running? Where exactly do you think you're running to... Yiyu?"