"Old Li and Yu Lu, why haven't they returned yet?" Bai Qi frowned. This wasn't right!
"They must have been delayed on the road! Perhaps the town mayor was prepared too. It's normal for them to take more time," Fei Lirong, Bai Qi's assistant, replied immediately.
"That makes sense!" Bai Qi nodded, agreeing with his statement. He pointed ahead, "It's open space up there, let's go wait there!"
After everyone sat down to rest, Bai Qi called out, "Lu Yuan, you lost!"
"Yes! I lost. What are your orders, Captain Bai?" After this battle, Lu Yuan was greatly impressed by Bai Qi and willingly accepted the bet.
"Come help me bandage my wound!" Bai Qi didn't intend to make things difficult for him.
"You're injured?" Surprise flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes. He hadn't noticed anything at all during their journey!
"Just a minor injury, it's nothing!" Bai Qi said dismissively.
"Captain Bai, you need to be careful. Major injuries often stem from minor ones. And what injured you wasn't ordinary; it could have been fatal," Lu Yuan said disapprovingly, but he quickly applied the medicine to Bai Qi's wound.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Bai Qi hated it when people lectured him. His grandfather could say it, and he'd respect his elders, but now a newcomer was trying to lecture him?
Seeing Bai Qi's impatient look, Lu Yuan remembered the bet and didn't say anything further. He would keep a closer eye on him in the future.
"Boss, they got away!" Yu Lu ran over breathlessly from a distance.
"What?" Bai Qi was skeptical. "You didn't deliberately let them go, did you?"
"How could we? That guy deliberately led us into the woods. The woods were full of traps, and Old Li was injured too. He rushed me to come report!" Yu Lu explained the whole story.
Bai Qi stood up and walked towards the woods, the others quickly following. After confirming that Old Li's injuries were not severe, Bai Qi carefully scouted the woods. There were indeed many traps, and they clearly hadn't been set up overnight. It was evident that the town mayor had put in considerable effort.
However, given the strange creature's weakened state, it would struggle even in sunlight. How did the town mayor have the courage to take her away?
"Let's go back to the department! Fei Lirong, you're in charge of preparing the wanted posters for these two. One by one, they're all tired of living." Bai Qi ran a hand through his hair in frustration. If they escaped, who knew how much trouble they would cause!
The Ghost Extermination Department handled many cases daily, but ordinary cases didn't require experts. Even ordinary people could easily resolve them with talismans and magical artifacts. Only the dangerous areas designated by the department required individuals with some cultivation.
"You're saying a sea beast was discovered in the waters of Zone A?" Su Yue frowned. "Didn't the department just clear that area?"
"It must have sneaked in from outside! We don't know if this creature is wild or privately cultivated," Hu Bing speculated. "The order is for us to go and investigate!"
Su Yue nodded. This was in line with the department's usual practices.
"Alright! Who's going with me this time?" Su Yue surveyed everyone, intending to train them.
"Me, me, me!" Hu Bing reacted reflexively. "My abilities are perfect for communicating with all sorts of strange creatures. For a sea beast like this, I might be able to help!"
"Okay! Yuan Li, do you want to come along?" Su Yue's gaze fell on her assistant.
"Mm!" Yuan Li nodded vigorously. She didn't come here just to organize documents.
"Then you two go pack your things, bring your tools, and come with me to assess the situation! You have ten minutes!" Su Yue said, checking her watch before turning back to her room to get her own tools.
Zone A was quite far, so Su Yue took the driver's seat and drove the two of them towards Zone A.
Meanwhile, in Zone A, Wen An was leisurely playing in the water. Ever since it entered this area, it had driven away all other creatures. As the overlord of the sea, it wouldn't allow others to share its territory.
"An An, aren't we supposed to be looking for someone?" Ah Xuan, after being taught by Wen An, could now speak human language with relative fluency.
"No rush! Hasn't she found quite a few people? Besides, we can't enter the city right now. It would be troublesome if we scared someone. We can just look along the coast! If we don't find her, it's not our fault, right?" Wen An said lazily. The sea was so comfortable; it didn't want to leave at all!
"Is that so?" Ah Xuan pondered it with his not-so-bright mind and finally agreed with Wen An. An An was so smart; what she said must be right.
Su Yue gazed calmly at the sea before her, a hint of sadness filling her heart. Once upon a time, this place had been filled with the laughter of humans. Now, doors were tightly shut in every household, and no one dared to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.
Wen An didn't deliberately hide its presence. In its mind, there was little in the current world that could threaten it, so there was no need to be cautious.
"Captain Su, look over there. Is that the sea beast people were talking about?" Hu Bing suddenly pointed to the distant sea surface. The other two followed her gaze.
"That thing looks a bit like a turtle!" Yuan Li exclaimed.
"It's not a turtle, it's a Xuan Gui! The Ghost Extermination Department has records! Xuan Gui are benevolent, fond of water, and fear humans! But this is the first time I've seen one in person," Su Yue said, her eyes thoughtful as she looked into the distance. Why would it appear now?
"Does this creature also have resentment?" Hu Bing asked in surprise. Could anything turn into a ghost these days?
"I've seen some in the old texts. It seems this Xuan Gui appeared during the Ming Dynasty. It was considered a monster then and was beaten to death. Could this be the one that was beaten to death!" Yuan Li analyzed logically.
"We'll know when we go take a look. Be careful. We don't know its strength or temperament. Don't provoke it," Su Yue warned.
As the group approached Wen An, Wen An sensed a faint residual black thread in its spiritual consciousness stir. "Ah Xuan, did you see that? The black mist seems to be reacting."
"Yes! Could the person that esteemed adult is looking for be nearby, which is why it's reacting so strongly!" Ah Xuan was also a little surprised. He hadn't expected the person the esteemed adult was looking for to show up on their doorstep.
Wen An immediately maneuvered its body towards the shore and soon made eye contact with the three people on the shore.
Su Yue and her group were worried that the Xuan Gui might suddenly attack them, while Wen An was wondering which of these people was the one it was looking for.
As the two parties faced each other, a giant, completely black eagle swooped down from the sky and landed between them.