AZI Volume 5 Chapter 14

Towards Long Hua's explanation, Yu Ji and Qing Yue turns silent, whereas the former asks—

"So, what groups are taking part this time?"

"Much of the negotiations on who can participate have been completed. Various Guilds for one, but the notable few are the Long Yue family, the hall, and the military itself—who is providing the entire excavation group with a ship. The hall is in charge of granting them a storage device that can fit the ship."

Hearing the Long Yue family being included in this, Qing Yue thought—

(Mother should still be in the city. She'll probably be giving me a call after.)

"…"

Contemplating about a certain matter, Yu Ji remains silent, while Long Hua asks—

"Are we participating as a part of the military?"

"Not really. At this point, the entirety of the military doesn't know when an office might turn tail and head over to the hall's side. I think, we're closer to being hired mercs than a part of the military. Well, it's not a bad thing, since it means—we don't need to follow orders."

Saying this, Ye Chen shrugs his shoulders, and adds—

"…It also means that if you don't want to participate, you're free to stay back. I don't think I need to remind you all how dangerous a ruin is? There's no telling what may happen, and if we ended up being split apart, well… I don't think I need to say anything more, do I?"

Having said all this, Ye Chen rises from the sofa, and returns to his seat in front of the desk.

Giving everyone some time to absorb the information, Ye Chen eventually says—

"You're all free to head back early, and think about everything in a more comfortable environment. Li Xue and I will hold the office today—in case if anything does happen."

Hearing this, Qing Yue is the first to leave and Long Hua and Tian Cheng follow; however, just as Long Hua is about to head out the door—

"Surnamed Long, you mind coming with me to a certain place?"

"…?"

Turning around, Long Hua looks to Yu Ji, who has a solemn expression on her face.

"Hmm."

As he doesn't really have a place that he needs to be at, Long Hua shrugs his shoulders, and answers—

"Fine."

Stepping out of the office, Long Hua takes out the electric sports car from his storage pouch, to which, Yu Ji remarks—

"…You really did become the boss of a rich corporation, didn't you?"

"Can it."

As the dihedral doors of the sports car open, Tian Cheng moves in, and takes up one of the rear seats.

Taking the driver's seat, Long Hua opens the GPS interface, and asks—

"So, where to?"

Buckling her seatbelt, Yu Ji, who had taken the side passenger seat, answers—

"Dainsfield HQ."

Recognizing the aforementioned location, the computer automatically shows the optimal route to take.

As the car begins to move, Long Hua asks—

"Start talking. Why are we headed there?"

"I want to introduce you to my little sister. If something happens to me in these ruins, I want you to tell her, I won't be able to come visit her for a while."

Pausing for a brief instance, Yu Ji adds—

"…It'd be best to have someone that she has met at least once tell her that."

"…"

Being told to take care of something that sounds like a great hassle, Long Hua can't help but frown, and asks—

"Why me?"

"Because my instinct tells me, you have the highest odds of not dying in these ruins."

"Oh?"

Towards this compliment, Long Hua raises an eye as he makes a turn, and replies—

"Flattery aside, your request still sounds like a pain in the ass."

"Anyone can be made to do a certain task, so long as the pay is good. What's your price?"

"NWDs have no real value to me."

"I can see that…"

A sports car of this caliber cannot possibly be cheap. Although Yu Ji had managed to sell the treasures that she had collected from the ruins on the auction, a car of this level would still cost her a bit more than a quarter of her current bank account.

"…"

"…"

As silence looms between the two, Long Hua continues to focus on the road—seemingly waiting for something.

Eventually—

"What of my services then?"

Glancing at the passenger seat, Long Hua narrows his eyes.

Although the person speaking is Yu Ji, the voice that had come from their mouth isn't hers. It is the voice of a man. At the same time, Yu Ji's eyes that were a deep shade of blue have turned gold.

"What do I call you first of all?"

Setting the car on autopilot, and taking his hands off the wheel, Long Hua leans back in his seat, while the other person replies—

"Wēn Qíng, and you fellow Daoist?"

"Long Hua."

"Then, I shall call you Long-xiong."

Shrugging his shoulders, Long Hua asks—

"So, what can Wen-xiong offer me?"

The only reason Long Hua had bothered to agree to take a drive with Yu Ji was because of this individual.

Raising a subtle smile, Wen Qing answers—

"My cultivation base is in the Quasi-Heaven Manifestation realm. Even in the Everlasting Spirit Realm, I am an existence that most wouldn't dare to offend."

"Oh?"

"You wish to escape from the Leng Bing Realm, do you not? The necropolis will open sometime in the future—when it does, I can offer you aid. With your personality, you're bound to make plenty of enemies during the event. People will most definitely dig into your identity. However, if I simply say that you're a member of my Gu Yun Sect, they'll be forced to shut one eye to your unknown origins."