Chapter 223: Chapter 176: What Kind of Thanks Do You Want? I Will Thank You on Her Behalf

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’I don’t even have to think to know what he’s talking about.’

’These things had to be faced sooner or later, so she had no intention of running away.’

She obediently followed his steps, a few threads of anticipation and nervousness sprouting in her heart.

In the dim light, the tips of her ears quietly blushed a faint crimson.

They walked in silence.

When they returned to the villa, they saw a tall, upright figure standing by the main gate.

The man had fiery red hair and a devilishly handsome face, and he was dressed in a black combat uniform.

The high-end, custom-tailored uniform perfectly accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long, powerful legs, making him look like a walking mannequin.

He exuded a potent mix of hormones and power. Cool, handsome, wild, and charismatic—he was stylish and attractive in a way that was hard to describe.

’Feng Qianyan? What’s he doing here?’

Jiang Yunnuan frowned, an inexplicable unease settling in her heart. Just then, a cold and indifferent voice sounded in her ear.

"What are you doing here?"

Yan Chen looked at him emotionlessly, a hint of irritation and impatience surfacing in his eyes.

Feng Qianyan ignored him, his rebellious gaze landing on Jiang Yunnuan.

"I need to talk to you. Can we speak in private?"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’What could be so important that it can’t be said in front of Yan Chen?’

’Yan Chen despises him more than anyone, yet he came all this way just to find me and say something like that. I can’t help but wonder, is this guy really not doing this on purpose??’

She was about to refuse, but Yan Chen beat her to it, his voice filled with an undeniable disgust.

"No. Whatever you have to say, say it here."

However, Feng Qianyan seemed determined to ignore him, paying no mind to his words. His crimson eyes remained fixed on Jiang Yunnuan.

He adopted a look that said he wouldn’t back down until she spoke.

This posture only disgusted Yan Chen further. He suddenly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of her and completely blocking Feng Qianyan’s line of sight.

Looking at that cold, proud back—as steadfast as a pine tree, as pure as snow—Jiang Yunnuan frowned.

’This standoff won’t solve anything,’ she thought. ’The matter has to be resolved.’ So, she stepped out from behind Yan Chen, took his arm, and looked at the flamboyant, strikingly handsome man across from them.

"Admiral Feng, what Yan Chen said is what I mean as well. If you have something to say, just say it here. He’s my Contractor; there’s nothing he can’t hear."

"What? You two formed a contract?"

Hearing her words, a flash of disbelief crossed Feng Qianyan’s eyes, quickly followed by a frustrated and irritable aura gathering around his brow.

’Were they that impatient?’

’Just yesterday, they hadn’t formed a contract. It’s only been one night.’

"That’s right. So, Admiral Feng, what is it you wanted to see me about?"

Jiang Yunnuan admitted it freely.

She had no intention of getting involved with Feng Qianyan, and he surely hadn’t forgotten Yan Chen’s "it’s me or him" ultimatum from that day. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Therefore, she wanted to extinguish any ideas Feng Qianyan might have.

’Although, it’s possible I’m just being conceited and he has no such ideas about me at all.’

’But it’s better to nip some things in the bud before they spin out of control.’

"Heh. If we can’t speak alone, then there’s no need to speak at all."

Feng Qianyan sneered, his voice defiant and sullen.

There were some things he only wanted to tell her. He didn’t want a third person to hear, even if that person was her Contractor.

’It seems her bond with that guy is quite deep.’

For some reason, after witnessing this firsthand, his heart twinged with a strange pain, and an immense sadness enveloped him.

’Could it be because of the memories from a past life?’

He couldn’t stop images of their loving past from flashing through his mind.

"Oh. Fine, then don’t say it."

Jiang Yunnuan replied nonchalantly.

’It probably wasn’t anything important anyway. In that case, there’s no reason I absolutely have to hear it.’

"It’s getting late. If there’s nothing else, Admiral Feng, you should head back."

She wasn’t shy about asking him to leave.

Seeing this, Feng Qianyan let out a cold, angry laugh, his expression instantly darkening.

"I remember you said you were going to thank me. Where’s my thanks?"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

He had sorted out the matter with the foster center for her, and she had indeed said she would thank him another day. But who asks for thanks so directly?

She was completely unprepared.

’How on earth am I supposed to thank him now?’

A troubled look appeared on her face.

"What kind of thanks do you want? I’ll thank you on her behalf."

Yan Chen had been with her the whole time, so he knew she hadn’t prepared anything to thank him.

Seeing her in such a difficult position now, he couldn’t help but step in to help her out.

"Are you sure you want to thank me on her behalf?"

Feng Qianyan looked at him, a dark glint flashing in his eyes as the corners of his lips curved into a malicious smile.

Yan Chen nodded fearlessly. "Mm."

"What if I want you to do something for me?"

"You can tell me what it is."

Feng Qianyan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth between him and Jiang Yunnuan. After a moment, he let out a sneer.

"An Ultimate Venerable will never be a slave, so you must have an equal contract with her, right? With an equal contract, either party can initiate Contract Termination at any time. I want you to terminate your contract with her."

"In your dreams!"

Yan Chen’s expression instantly became terrifyingly cold. A biting killing intent emerged in his eyes as he stared at him.

He was always aloof; this was the first time Jiang Yunnuan had ever felt such intense killing intent from him.

Not even when he dealt with Fu Yuan.

"If you can’t do it, why make such a bold claim?"

"It’s not that I can’t do it. It’s that your paltry little favor isn’t worthy of such a condition."

Yan Chen responded coldly.

’We can just form a new contract after terminating the old one. I could completely terminate the contract with her first and then form it again.’

’I’d be doing it to help her, so I’m sure she would understand. It’s just... that guy isn’t worthy of me going through so much trouble.’

"Heh, you really are arrogant. I’ve lived this long and I’ve never met anyone more arrogant than me."

Feng Qianyan was so angry he laughed. With a wave of his hand, he pulled the two of them into the Void Realm again.

"Come on, let’s have another fight. I’d like to see if you, a Mutant Creature, have made any progress."

It was only after he returned that he’d investigated and found out Yan Chen wasn’t a Beastman, but a Mutant Creature, without a single trace of Human Clan genes in his entire body.

A Mutant Creature of this level was definitely extremely dangerous. He would be an immense potential threat to both humanity and the Empire.

Furthermore, in the history of the Empire, there was no precedent for a human to bond with a Mutant Creature.

That was why he had come looking for Jiang Yunnuan today. He wanted to tell her about this in private and see if she knew Yan Chen’s true identity and origin.

And to stop them from forming a contract.

But to his surprise, they already had.

Under the Power of Contract, she must already know his true identity. Or perhaps, she had known all along, yet still chose to form a contract with him.

This point particularly infuriated Feng Qianyan. He felt that she was being hopelessly stubborn.