# 1833
Chapter 1833: A Chance to Call Her Back
Hearing this, Lin Qiye nodded thoughtfully,
"Where's the safe passage?"
"I don't know. It only exists in theory, but its specific location within the maze—you'll have to find it yourself."
"...Alright."
An Qingyu slowly rose from beside the stone table. "Next, it's my turn."
"Where do you want to go?"
Lin Qiye certainly wouldn't go back on his word, but if An Qingyu wanted to go somewhere with heavy foot traffic or involving Night Watch secrets, he definitely wouldn't agree.
But An Qingyu's answer left him standing there in stunned silence.
"...Erhai Lake."
...
Mountain County Town.
In a small roadside restaurant, several tables had been pushed together, with more than a dozen people crowded around them. On the side, hundreds of plates were stacked high.
"Fang Mo big brother, I'm hungry~" One of the chubby ones licked the last drop of oil from his plate, turning around with pitiful eyes.
Fang Mo: ...
"Boss, another five plates of braised pork! Six plates of earth pot chicken! Abalone—make that seventeen... no, eighteen portions!" Fang Mo forced himself to shout.
"???"
The boss, apron-clad and drenched in sweat, walked out of the kitchen with a ghost-seeing expression:
"More? Nothing left... truly, nothing this time!"
"Braised pork or earth pot chicken?"
"Neither!" The boss clenched his teeth. "I've been stockpiling meat for days, and you guys bought it all. I've worn out three cooks alone! I really have nothing left to feed you! Please, just go... I'll give you an 80% discount, okay?"
Fang Mo glanced back at the chubby guy, who was patting his belly with an expression that clearly said he wasn't full yet... Helplessly, he could only pull out his phone to pay.
The members of the [Demon] squad sat to one side, staring at the terrifying number of empty plates before them, their eyes nearly falling out of their heads... Could humans really fit that much food in their stomachs?
Meanwhile, the other Golden Immortal agents seemed entirely accustomed to this.
"Don't mind him, everyone... The soul Old Five carries is that of a Taotie, so he's always like this." Luan Lie seemed to notice the odd expressions on their faces and explained with a chuckle.
"Does each of you carry a different Divine Beast?" Li Zhenzhen asked curiously.
"Yeah."
"Then... what Divine Beast does the girl in the corner carry?"
Everyone followed Li Zhenzhen's gaze to where a woman was crouching outside the door, curiously doing something.
"Oh, that's Xiao Jiu. She carries a Pixiu... Xiao Jiu, what are you doing over there?" While answering Li Zhenzhen's question, Luan Lie walked over to the woman and looked over in confusion.
A gray-furred mouse was cornered against the wall, its shadow completely shrouded by Old Nine, leaving no escape route.
But strangely, even cornered by humans, the mouse showed no fear at all. Instead, it lifted its head, as if studying them.
"Second Brother! Look at this big mouse—its eyes are red!" The woman looked up excitedly.
"So they are." Luan Lie squinted suspiciously. "And this mouse isn't scared off by your Pixiu aura... Could it have some strange bloodline too?"
While the two were talking, Fang Mo had finished paying and led everyone out of the restaurant.
Hearing Luan Lie's words, he glanced at the mouse in the corner out of the corner of his eye, not giving it much thought. Just as he was about to say something to the chubby guy, his entire body froze!
A mouse?
In his mind, the face of Instructor An Qingyu from training camp flashed instantly.
Fang Mo's pupils contracted sharply. It was as if he'd thought of something. He猛地 turned his head:
"Get away from i—"
Before the last word could fall, a low rumble of thunder exploded across the sky!
The lightning, imbued with terrifying divine power, slashed through the air in an instant, like a ferocious whip descending from the heavens, striking the earth with precision!
BOOM—!!!
...
Erhai Lake.
A black business car drove along the highway, eventually slowing to a stop at a certain section of roadside.
Lin Qiye pushed open the door and stepped out. The autumn wind brushed across the azure lake surface, carrying a hint of chill. He waved the driver away and walked toward the lakeside alone.
This was a relatively remote section of Erhai Lake. There weren't many residents nearby, and there was quite a distance from the highway. Apart from the sound of the lakeside vegetation swaying in the wind, the world was utterly silent.
Lin Qiye stopped at a certain spot by the lake. The next moment, a figure materialized from the emptiness beside him.
An Qingyu's gaze swept across the surroundings, his expression complex.
"Erhai Lake is so vast. How did you know I wanted to come here?"
"You and Jiang Er parted ways right here, didn't you?" Lin Qiye said calmly. "Don't forget, we were sitting on the Somersault Cloud back then, watching you from the sky."
"...I thought you guys would have the decency to look away."
"We originally planned to, but Cao Yuan said since we could watch without you knowing anyway, so..."
"...Was it Cao Yuan who said that, or you?"
Lin Qiye coughed lightly, his expression slightly awkward.
An Qingyu: "..."
An Qingyu's gaze turned to the other side. Under the dim daylight, the rippling lake surface reflected the shadows of rural self-built houses.
"I want to go over there and take a look." An Qingyu suddenly spoke.
Lin Qiye glanced in that direction, his brow furrowing slightly. "Are you... sure?"
"Mm."
An Qingyu walked toward those self-built houses. Lin Qiye followed closely beside him. Before long, they stopped in front of the gate of one of the houses.
The gate wasn't fully closed. Through the gap, a woman could be seen sweeping the courtyard. She looked no more than forty, her face almost wrinkle-free, her movements nimble and vigorous, her qi and blood robust.
She swept half the courtyard with ease, finally arriving at a corner of the wall. A dusty wheelchair, folded up, sat on the ground, as if abandoned for a long time.
Seeing this wheelchair, the woman seemed to recall something, letting out a desolate sigh.
"Xiao Er... that child hasn't posted any videos in so long. I wonder how she's doing in the mountains."
"Sigh, why do you worry so much? Your child's just in the mountains, not going to war. What could possibly happen?" A man's voice drifted out from inside the house.
"Can't I just think about my daughter?" The woman shot a glare back inside. "Think about it—Xiao Er should be at the age for marriage soon. I got someone to set her up a match a couple days ago. Let's have her come back when there's time and meet them."
"Xiao Er's all grown up. Do you still need to set her up with a matchmaker? Maybe she already has someone she likes."
"That young man with the colored contacts from back then? All these years, who knows where he's gone. Are you still hung up on him? The more I think about it, a blind date is more reliable—everyone knows each other's background..."
Outside the courtyard, An Qingyu listened silently to the conversation inside. In those quiet eyes, a ripple of emotion surfaced.
After a moment, he walked back toward Erhai Lake in silence.
"Actually, if you stayed in Great Xia... you could come visit the old folks often." Lin Qiye tried to persuade. "After all, to them, you're—"
Before Lin Qiye could finish, An Qingyu shook his head.
"...Thank you."
"What?"
An Qingyu came to a halt by the lakeside.
His eyes filled with a grayish hue. The next moment, an eerie aura suddenly spread from within his body!
"Thank you for bringing me here, giving me this chance...
This... chance to call her back."
...
...
I'll be home tonight. Three chapters daily starting tomorrow~