Chapter 99

Chapter 14: Free Transaction?

After driving for about half an hour, Ye Qi steered the SUV off the road in Sas Port and into the wilderness. The puddles left from last night's autumn rain splashed up with mud as the SUV passed, and within ten minutes, the windows on both sides were covered with spots of dirt. Fortunately, Ye Qi had chosen a well-performing SUV based on the road conditions described by the white-robed priest. If it were a private car, they might have had to get out and push.

The white-robed priest, who was still giving directions to Ye Qi, suddenly felt the car jolt and saw that Ye Qi had stopped the vehicle. Confused, he looked at the driver's seat with a puzzled expression.

"Someone is following us!" Ye Qi smirked and nodded toward the back. "And they've been following us since we left Sas Port. But this is the first time I've seen such an open and bold pursuit!"

Hearing Ye Qi's words, the white-robed priest immediately looked out the window. Indeed, about thirty meters behind them, a blue car was parked there. As Ye Qi said, the other party was indeed very open and bold, still slowly approaching them. As the distance closed, the white-robed priest could clearly see the driver's face.

Long black hair cascaded down to the shoulders, a thick fringe covering one eye, and a gentle smile on the lips. The other party even waved friendly to the white-robed priest, who was staring at them.

"They don't seem to be following us!" The white-robed priest was clearly misled by the other party's gentle demeanor. "Ye, did you make a mistake?"

Mistake?

Ye Qi sneered, too lazy to explain to the white-robed priest, and got out of the car. From leaving Sas Port to now, they had driven about forty kilometers, and the other party had been following the SUV all the way. Even if it was a coincidence, it was too much of one! Besides, Ye Qi never believed in coincidences!

Walking on the muddy path, Ye Qi approached the other party's car. The other party slowly rolled down the window and smiled at Ye Qi. "Can we talk?"

Talk?

Ye Qi was taken aback by the other party's words but nodded and opened the car door to sit inside. Of course, before entering the other party's car, Ye Qi had already cast "Bear's Endurance," "Enhance Resistance," "Mage Armor," and "Stone Skin" on himself.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Karas Ivan. Nice to meet you, Ye Qi." Seeing that Ye Qi didn't react, the other party smiled and continued, "Actually, we met last night, through my precious pets."

"Those venomous snakes were summoned by you?" Ye Qi narrowed his eyes, staring at the gentle young man in front of him. "And the Bishop of the Bay Area was also poisoned by you?"

"Oh, that's just a beautiful misunderstanding! After all, if someone kills with a kitchen knife, the murderer can't be the one who sold the knife, right?" The gentle young man waved his hands, explaining, "I'm just a poison supplier; the one who poisoned is the murderer! I'm innocent!"

"Innocent?" Ye Qi sneered, not denying the other party's words, but continued, "Then why are you following me today? Selling your poisons?"

"Poisons are just a small part of my business!" The other party looked at Ye Qi and smiled brightly. "I think you need to know the whereabouts of that little bat from last night or the location of their lair. That's why I'm here. Of course, to ensure our business thrives, the first transaction is free!"

"Here, take it! I wish us a pleasant first transaction!" The gentle young man took out a note, wrote down his contact information and the location of the vampire from last night, and handed it to Ye Qi with a smile. Ye Qi took the note and glanced at the address—having been in the Bay Area for less than two weeks, he didn't know where the address was. But he still took it and nodded at the other party, "I hope this is true!"

"Of course! I look forward to our next transaction!" After Ye Qi got out of the car, the gentle young man restarted the car and waved at Ye Qi from the window. Ye Qi frowned as he watched the other party's car disappear from sight, thinking about what the other party had just said.

Free transaction?

Ye Qi sneered in disdain—he never believed in free transactions, especially after spending a long time with cunning merchants and wolves. He knew that a free transaction was usually just a bait to lure you in. Once you bite, you would end up paying back with interest. He glanced at the address on the note one more time and casually threw it into a nearby mud puddle. As for the contact information, he didn't even look at it.

"What does the other party do?" Back in the car, facing the white-robed priest's question, Ye Qi didn't answer but recited the address he had memorized and asked, "Do you know where it is?"

"That's a valley not far from where the vipers are found!" Hearing the white-robed priest's words, Ye Qi nodded. "Okay, give me directions!"

...

As Ye Qi and the white-robed priest ventured deeper, the road conditions worsened. Even the SUV had difficulty navigating the ravines. Reluctantly, Ye Qi and the white-robed priest got out of the car and started walking toward their destination. With a Constitution of 20, Ye Qi had no problem, but the white-robed priest was struggling. He was not a physically robust person, spending most of his days praying in the church and handling missionary affairs. Even with his special powers, his physical condition was similar to that of an ordinary person, if not slightly worse.

"Here it is!" To maintain their speed, Ye Qi had to support the white-robed priest, but even so, the white-robed priest was exhausted by the time they reached the valley, speaking in short, labored breaths, "The valley ahead is it!"

Ye Qi nodded, left the white-robed priest on a relatively dry spot, and walked into the valley. Although the white-robed priest's abilities were good at suppressing dark or evil creatures, against the extremely fast vampires, he would only be a burden. It was better for Ye Qi to go alone.

One?

Feeling the波动 from the valley, Ye Qi frowned but carefully cast all his spells again. He stepped forward, and the bell on the handle of the Yama blade jingled in the quiet valley as he moved.

"Whoosh!"

About five meters from the treehouse, a black shadow suddenly jumped down from it. The massive weapon in the other party's hand created a fierce wind pressure, like a boulder from a catapult, aiming to crush the enemy to pieces. But Ye Qi didn't dodge; the Yama blade flashed out, rising from below, charging forward with great momentum, like a tiger ascending a mountain or a dragon ascending to the heavens.

"Clang!"

"It's you?!"

As the weapons clashed, sparks flew, and both parties retreated several steps. When they saw each other's faces, they both exclaimed in surprise.