"Ye Feng, that person's clothes, though tattered and dirty, were made of unusual material. He wasn't just any beggar!"
Qiao Ying walked along, glancing back at the beggar in the distance before speaking to Ye Feng.
"Mm!"
Ye Feng nodded. "That person was afflicted with a unique Gu charm from the Huang family. He's likely an enemy of theirs. The Huang family caused me a lot of trouble before, and they were the ones who ambushed me yesterday. I'll cause them some trouble too!"
...
A considerable time after Ye Feng and his companions had left, the unconscious beggar on the ground slowly opened his eyes, which were almost entirely obscured by dark circles.
He scanned his surroundings with panic, coiling his body tighter. He knew the bone-deep agony was imminent. He even closed his eyes, bracing himself to endure it as usual...
After a while, the beggar slowly opened his eyes again, filled with astonishment.
The searing pain he remembered didn't surge through his body like a tidal wave, as it always had, bringing him to the brink of death...
"This... there's no pain... the Gu charm deep within my body is gone... I... I've recovered?"
The beggar was immensely shocked. He reached out and pinched his thigh hard. An intense pain shot through him, but the beggar was ecstatic.
"It's pain... I haven't lost all sensation... the Gu charm, like a persistent leech, is truly gone... I... I've really recovered..."
The beggar pinched himself in various places, muttering to himself.
"The slender arcane energy blade that young man conjured at the end... it wasn't meant to attack me... the pain that made me faint at the back of my head wasn't an attack... but rather... some kind of healing?"
"The Gu charm within my body... it was removed by him?!"
The beggar touched the back of his head, a realization dawning upon him.
"Hahaha~"
"I've recovered... Hahaha~... I met an angel... I met a celestial being, a fairy..."
After a thorough self-examination, the beggar shouted maniacally.
"Get lost, you damn beggar! Go be crazy somewhere else!"
"Beat it, don't disturb my business!"
"That beggar just now looked a little familiar..."
...
Meanwhile,
"Big Brother, is this the mixed-grain pancake you were talking about? It smells so good!"
Xiao Xiao happily ate a freshly bought mixed-grain pancake, occasionally scooping up some four-fruit soup to drink.
"Human food is so interesting. This four-fruit soup is delicious!"
Qiao Ying chimed in, a clear joy in her eyes.
"Qiao Ying, what did you angels eat before? Lingxi also doesn't know much about human food and drinks!"
Seeing this, Ye Feng asked curiously.
"Angels... in the early days, we generally ate fruits from Angel City and drank water. We could also go for long periods without eating... generally, life was rather monotonous..."
"Later, some unpleasant things happened... we were forced to leave Angel City... but we didn't have the time to enjoy delicacies like this; we were mostly busy..."
"Am I... am I not behaving properly?"
Towards the end, Qiao Ying thought of Lingxi and Leng Yue, a sense of guilt surfacing in her heart.
"Qiao Ying, you have to trust Lingxi and Leng Yue. If they did this, they must have their reasons," Ye Feng said to comfort her.
"Ye Feng?! You're here?"
Just then, a male voice Ye Feng recognized sounded out. It was Lei Jian.
"Oh, it's you! What a coincidence!"
Ye Feng casually greeted him.
"This... it is indeed quite a coincidence..."
Lei Jian was slightly taken aback. He realized it was true. He was just passing by and unexpectedly encountered Ye Feng, whom Wu Ye Lin was looking for.
"Oh, right, Ye Feng, the young lady is looking for you. She wants to invite you to dinner!"
"If you have time, please go to the Wu Ye Adventurers' Guild. She should be there!"
Remembering this, Lei Jian immediately spoke to Ye Feng.
"Mm... alright... we'll look around a bit more, then we'll head over."
Ye Feng glanced at the sun, which was almost directly overhead, and nodded.
"Lei Jian, you seem in a hurry. Did something happen?"
Ye Feng added after a pause.
"Sigh~!"
Lei Jian sighed helplessly. "A brother of mine, who was betrothed since childhood, has inexplicably run away from home... I'm looking for him!"
"Run away from home? Is he a child? Betrothed? Brother?"
Ye Feng looked at Lei Jian, quite bewildered.
"Uh... it's a long story. It's getting late, and I need to hurry and search! It's dark, and it's impossible to find anyone in this area!"
Looking at the crowded scene around him, Lei Jian felt a headache coming on.
"Alright!" Ye Feng moved aside, and Lei Jian quickly walked away.
"Big Brother, isn't a child betrothal when a boy and a girl get married after growing up? Why did Lei Jian say he had a brother who was betrothed?"
After Lei Jian left, Xiao Xiao's confused voice sounded.
"That Lei Jian... he wouldn't be gay, would he?"
Ye Feng had a good impression of Lei Jian earlier, but after hearing what he said, he felt goosebumps rise all over him.
"Let's go, we'll keep looking around."
...
In the evening,
Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying arrived at the entrance of a building with a plaque bearing the words "Wu Ye Adventurers' Guild."
"Young lady, please wait!"
Just as Ye Feng was contemplating how to find Wu Ye Lin, a steady male voice caught his attention.
He looked towards the entrance of the building. A man with a buzz cut, his hair a mix of gray and white, was walking out. Next to him was Wu Ye Lin.
Wu Ye Lin was holding a beautifully packaged box, seemingly a gift for someone.
"Then Elder Miao, please visit again!"
Wu Ye Lin escorted the gray-haired man to the door and spoke to him.
The buzz-cut man with graying hair nodded slightly and then strode away. A hint of disappointment was on Wu Ye Lin's face.
"Sister Lin~!"
At this moment, Xiao Xiao walked over and greeted Wu Ye Lin.
"Xiao Xiao, Ye Feng, Qiao Ying, you're here just in time. I was looking for you!"
Upon seeing the three, Wu Ye Lin's face lit up with a smile.
"Lin, your gift... was it for that elder just now, but he didn't accept it?"
Ye Feng glanced at the gift box in Wu Ye Lin's hand and, based on what he had just seen, understood somewhat.
"Mm!"
Wu Ye Lin nodded somewhat awkwardly. "That senior just now was named Miao Dao. He's the top expert of the Second Miao family and a highly respectable person!"
"He happened to be here on business today, and I wanted to give him a small gift... but he refused it... Normally, this wouldn't happen..."
Towards the end, Wu Ye Lin's expression became somewhat dejected.
...