# 389
**Chapter 389: Team 017**
"Why do I have to be Zhu Bajie?" Baili Pangpang drooped his head, his chubby face full of resentment beneath the grinning pig mask.
Cao Yuan, wearing the Sha Wujing mask, patted his shoulder and consoled him, "They didn’t give you Li Kui—count your blessings!"
Beside them, Jialan’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"Ahem." Baili Pangpang scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, Zhu Bajie doesn’t seem so bad… at least he’s paler than Li Kui."
At that moment, the three of them were walking along a path opposite to Lin Qiye and the others, skirting the shore of a massive lake shaped like a golden rooster in the heart of Gusu City. They moved deeper into the mist. Not far away, the Ferris wheel by the lake sparkled with brilliant lights, but its cabins were empty—not a soul in sight.
"Old Cao, what do you think I should get my dad for his birthday in a few days?" Baili Pangpang asked, suddenly troubled.
"What does he like?"
"Nothing, really… He’s the type who’s always stone-faced, obsessed with the corporation and forbidden artifacts. A total workaholic. Doesn’t seem interested in anything else. I’ve never seen him smile in my entire life."
"Never? Not even at you?"
"Nope." Baili Pangpang sighed. "I think my existence is just a beautiful accident from his youth..."
Cao Yuan gave him a once-over. "Accident, sure. Beautiful, though…"
"…"
"With your dad’s status, anything money can buy probably isn’t special enough. After all, he’s the richest man in all of Great Xia," Cao Yuan mused.
"What *can’t* money buy?" Baili Pangpang scratched his head.
Cao Yuan thought for a moment. "How about this—after the mission, go to a temple and get him a protective talisman."
"A talisman?"
"A safety charm personally blessed by your child—there’s nothing else like it in the world," Cao Yuan said. "And it carries your good wishes for him. He’ll probably like it… What father doesn’t want their child to be filial?"
Baili Pangpang’s eyes lit up.
"That’s a great idea! Gusu has plenty of temples. After the cleanup mission, I’ll go get one."
The two chatted casually as they walked, while Jialan listened quietly beside them, a faint smile occasionally tugging at her lips.
*Claaang—!*
Under the dark sky, the sudden sound of a guzheng rang out.
All three froze.
A slit tore across the calm lake surface, as if an invisible blade had skimmed across it. In an instant, it shattered the stone railing along the shore and slashed straight toward them!
Jialan’s pupils contracted. She stepped forward, raising her fair hand to grasp the invisible blade!
The blade struck her palm without fanfare. Wind whipped her wide blue hanfu sleeves and black hair into the air. Jialan frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on the center of Silver Rooster Lake.
There, on a lantern-laden boat, sat a graceful figure in a dark red cloak. Before her rested an ornate guzheng, her fingertips poised above the strings.
"That’s…" Baili Pangpang’s eyes widened.
"That’s Team 017’s…" Before Cao Yuan could finish, Baili Pangpang blurted excitedly:
"It’s a beauty!!"
"…" Cao Yuan shut his mouth in defeat.
"Such grace… They say Gusu is full of beauties—turns out it’s true," Baili Pangpang marveled.
Jialan shot him a fierce glare.
Baili Pangpang cleared his throat, dropping the admiring tone. "If I’m not mistaken, she’s probably been corrupted by that so-called Prince Beile. Let this young hero rescue her from peril!"
Cao Yuan rolled his eyes. "That wasn’t your deduction—it was An Qingyu’s!"
"Don’t care!" A golden flash burst from the necklace on Baili Pangpang’s chest, transforming into a golden flying sword. He stepped onto it and shot toward the boat like a streak of light.
"Fear not, fair maiden—your hero is here!"
He’d only flown halfway across the lake when several more guzheng notes rang out!
*Claaang-claaang-claaang—!!*
Each pluck of the strings sent a razor-sharp sound blade screaming through the air.
Baili Pangpang’s face was full of confidence. He whipped out a dry wooden broom from his pocket and swept it fiercely at the incoming blades!
A storm of wind and lightning surged from the end of the [Wind-Thunder Scroll], colliding with the sound blades. A shockwave exploded between them, blasting a ring-shaped wave across the lake.
Broom in hand, riding his sword, Baili Pangpang burst through the spray, charging straight for the boat!
"Such puny attacks can’t stop me!" he declared proudly.
On the boat, the cloaked figure paused—then switched instruments.
*BANG—!!*
A harsh gong blast erupted from the center of the lake. A terrifying storm of sound blades tore the water apart, instantly knocking Baili Pangpang off his sword. He went flying backward across the surface, then *splash*—vanished beneath the waves in a huge ripple.
On shore, Cao Yuan’s face darkened. He ducked behind a stone wall just as a barrage of sound blades slashed into it, leaving deep gouges.
"How’s she even using a gong? Doesn’t match the aesthetic at all!" he muttered.
Jialan stood firm in the storm of blades, frowning—debating whether to help the little fatty.
Suddenly, she felt something *nip* her shoulder.
She blinked, brushed it off, and kept watching.
Then it happened again.
This time she turned quickly and caught a nearly invisible thread between her fingers, puzzled.
What *is* this?
"Huh?"
Beside her, Cao Yuan’s body jolted. His arm began to tremble, lifting on its own.
He gritted his teeth, fighting for control, but his body moved as if pulled by strings.
"Damn it!" he growled.
He jerked his head toward a rooftop nearby. There stood a gaunt young man in a dark red cloak, fingers crooked as if manipulating invisible threads.
Cao Yuan’s hand was forced toward the hilt at his waist. He turned to Jialan, shouting:
"Grab Baili Pangpang and *go!*"