Chapter 127: Chapter 80: Can You Help Me Find Him in the Mist Forest?

Fu Yuan walked to her side, asking in confusion.

’If she’d just said the word, Jun Yao would have definitely stayed. She was clearly reluctant to see him go, yet she let him leave anyway.’ He didn’t understand why.

"What’s it to you?"

Having composed herself, Jiang Yunnuan turned and glared at him.

’I can’t give him what he wants, and he’s already decided to leave. Am I supposed to force him to stay? What would that make me?’

Fu Yuan was speechless.

’This woman is so ungrateful. I must have been out of my mind to feel sorry for her!’

The group waited where they were until dawn.

By the time the night was over, Jiang Yunnuan had soothed her heartache and forced her emotions back into order.

She took out milk and eggs, prepared a simple breakfast on the spot, and shared it with them. She even purposefully placed some fruit on the ground.

Time trickled by, but their surroundings remained eerily quiet.

She frowned. "That’s strange. How come we haven’t attracted any Mutant Creatures?"

She’d been suspicious since they were grilling last night. Logically, the Energy from the barbecue was just as potent as the fruit’s, yet they hadn’t encountered a single Mutant Creature since then.

’Could Jun Yao’s theory have been wrong?’

"Fu Yuan, I never asked. After you guys left last time, did you attract any Mutant Creatures?"

"We did. Quite a few, in fact."

Fu Yuan nodded, peeling an egg as he spoke, which only made Jiang Yunnuan more confused.

"Then what’s happening now? Could all the Mutant Creatures have been killed off?"

Hearing her muttering, Yan Chen, who was off to the side, remained silent for a moment before asking, "Why are you trying to attract Mutant Creatures?"

"To make money, of course. The Crystal Cores from Mutant Creatures are worth a lot."

Distracted, Jiang Yunnuan answered casually. The words had barely left her lips when she realized it was Yan Chen who had spoken. Her heart began to pound.

’Oh no,’ she thought. ’His true form is a Mutated Tree. Does that make those Mutant Creatures his kin?’

’If so, didn’t I just say something that would infuriate him?’

She whipped around to look at Yan Chen nervously. His eyes were downcast, his expression frosty and indifferent. It was impossible to tell if he was angry, but the ambiguity created an immense pressure.

"Oh, those things. They sensed my aura, so they don’t dare approach. Why? Do you need money?"

As her anxiety mounted, his voice drifted over. Jiang Yunnuan studied him for a long moment, but finding no signs of anger, she summoned her courage and gave a tentative nod.

"I do."

"The Level of those Mutant Creatures is too low, so their Crystal Cores aren’t very good. They need more time to mature. Take these instead."

With a slight twitch of his brow and a wave of his hand, a mountain of glittering, sparkling treasures instantly appeared on the ground. It was a massive pile of various Spirit Jades, Energy Ores, Medicinal Materials, and High Rank Crystal Cores.

The rich, pure Energy radiating from the pile made Ming Ye’s and Fu Yuan’s eyes go wide.

’How can there be so much?’

Truly befitting an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse—not only was his Cultivation profound, but he was also incredibly generous.

Jiang Yunnuan swallowed hard, forcing her eyes away from the small mountain of treasure to look at him in disbelief.

"For me?"

"Mhm."

"All of it?"

"Mhm."

Countless Beastmen would scramble for these treasures, but to someone of his Realm, they were of negligible use—far less valuable than her food or the Innate Spiritual Land.

They were like chicken ribs—not worth keeping, but a waste to throw away. Seeing that she needed them, Yan Chen handed them over without a second thought.

Hearing his confirmation, Jiang Yunnuan felt a tremor of shock. ’It must be my Golden Carp Luck kicking in,’ she thought, ’for me to have stumbled upon such a powerful patron.’

Suddenly, she felt that being his pet wasn’t so bad after all.

"Well, thank you then!"

She excitedly gathered everything up, determined to repay him properly.

She still had plenty of ingredients in her space, both meat and vegetables. She took them all out for a barbecue, then redeemed points for dozens of different drinks and alcoholic beverages, laying everything out before him to pick and choose.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, it was already noon.

Ming Ye and Fu Yuan helped Jiang Yunnuan clean up, while Yan Chen sat under a large, leafy tree.

He seemed to be in an excellent mood, sipping a fruit-flavored beer. Countless roots, invisible to the naked eye, stretched up to the heavens and deep into the earth, frantically Devouring Spiritual Power.

Not even the surrounding trees were spared, as a dense Life Force surged toward him in a constant stream.

Once everything was packed away, Jiang Yunnuan walked toward him. Even from a distance, she could feel that the Spiritual Power around him was exceptionally rich and dense.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to start her Cultivation. She opened her Light Brain, pulled up a photo of Si Xie, and presented it to Yan Chen.

"Yan Chen, you can communicate with plants, right? Could you help me look for him in the Mist Forest?"

Yan Chen glanced up and immediately recognized the man as one of her Contractors.

The man in the photo had been there when they first entered the Mist Forest. He had even been there that night, angrily chasing after her and that Tiger Beastman. But by the next day, he had vanished.

"Alright."

He agreed, and his consciousness radiated outward.

Every plant, bird, and beast in the entire forest sensed his presence. They all prostrated themselves on the ground, bowing to welcome their king.

"I never got to ask you—what exactly happened that day? Why did you decide that Jun Yao kicked Si Xie off the cliff, based on what a single fish said?"

Nearby, Ming Ye tore his gaze away from Yan Chen and Jiang Yunnuan to look at Fu Yuan with suspicion.

’This guy left with Jun Yao and Si Xie,’ Ming Ye thought. ’Logically, he should be the one who knows best what happened. Why would he need to get information from a fish later on?’

’Is it possible he’s deliberately framing Jun Yao?’

Ming Ye felt that while Jun Yao could be unhinged and was explosively possessive, Jiang Yunnuan and Si Xie hadn’t done anything inappropriate at the time, and the three-month deadline was still a long way off.

Even if Jun Yao wanted to get rid of Si Xie, he wouldn’t have struck so soon.

He felt the whole situation was riddled with inconsistencies.

Fu Yuan froze for a second, then sneered at him. "What are you trying to say? That I wrongly accused Jun Yao?"

He’d had his own doubts at the time, which was why he suggested Jiang Yunnuan look into Jun Yao’s memories. But the man had remained completely silent.

Jiang Yunnuan had said that if he just denied it, she would believe him. But he never offered a single word of defense from start to finish.

’If he really didn’t do it, why wouldn’t he defend himself?’

’But, on that day...’

Fu Yuan narrowed his eyes as the events of that day replayed in his mind.

After they split off from the main group, they headed south, eventually finding themselves at the edge of a cliff.

The fruit attracted a lot of Mutant Creatures, and he had been busy collecting Crystal Cores. Si Xie, being restless, had wandered off, spotted a cluster of flowers, and insisted on picking them for Jiang Yunnuan.

Before he had even finished collecting the Crystal Cores, Si Xie fell.

According to Jun Yao, two venomous snakes had been lying in wait at the cliff’s edge and had bitten Si Xie’s hand. After telling him that, Jun Yao had jumped down, telling him to wait on the clifftop to provide support.

Not long after, Jiang Yunnuan had arrived...

A sense of unease washed over Fu Yuan. ’Could it be... that I really did wrong Jun Yao?’

’Then why was he so afraid to let Jiang Yunnuan see his memories?’