Multiple barriers surrounded Wu when the smoke struck her, spreading on all lengths to somehow get inside, turning the inside completely dark.

Crack!

Wu heard the first barrier break immediately, causing her to stress a little but her team was already there.

Swoosh!

A wind blow smashed against the smoke, dispersing and pushing it back. Six figures in black appeared in front of her with a special man at the front, controlling the whole operation.

Darkin, the Secretary of Defense in the Fire Land.

"You are not the only one who likes to live in the Shadows," Darkin spoke as the smoke shaped back into the male figure. "We knew about you for a while already. It's good you finally showed yourself so we can finish you quickly."

"Hahaha," the smoke man laughed in ridicule. "Well, well, who do we have here? Darkin, the protector of this City. What a surprising visit. How long did you wait in here for me?"

"I'm not playing your games," Darkin muttered indifferently and threw a box on the floor. "Hop in."

The smoke man clearly panicked and swiftly retreated, diving towards the Secretary by the doors but it was too late for him.

"Ahhh!!" he screamed when a sudden suction force stopped him in place, sucking the smoke out of his body.

It wasn't even a second before his whole body disappeared in the box which closed right after. The silence filled the Treasury before Darkin walked up and picked up the box, storing it in his Storage Ring.

"Done," he reported to Wu before snapping his fingers as he pointed at the two unconscious guards. "Take care of them."

His men immediately moved, lifting the guards to wake them up. Everything that happened was part of the plan but Wu was still shocked at how smoothly it went.

"That's it? One box and the problem is over?" Wu questioned as she canceled the barriers around her.

"That's right Miss Wu. Our job here is done," Darkin replied casually.

"Wait, you said you knew about him already. Why didn't you tell me?" Wu questioned suspiciously.

She contacted him after a suggestion from her two bodyguards and surprisingly enough, he agreed to assist her without any payment. She naturally accepted the help since she needed someone strong to protect her but now it all didn't add up.

"There was no need to tell Miss Wu about it. Miss wanted us to take down the target and we did just that. Since there is no more danger, we will return back to our jobs," Darkin explained before glancing at the Secretary. "Oh, right, what about her? Should we take her down too?"

"Wait! I'm innocent!" the Secretary called out in defense. "I was being controlled by this monster. If I didn't do what he told me, he would hurt me and threaten to kill me. I had no choice."

"The decision depends on you Miss Wu," Darkin replied, ignoring the Secretary as if she had no say in it.

"It's okay, leave her. She is not strong enough to do anything on her own. I will supervise her for now. After all, she helped us bring that man to us," Wu decided and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you for the help again."

Darkin smiled. "You are welcome, Miss Wu."

He disappeared with his team right as he finished, leaving Wu with the aftermath alone. Thankfully, there wasn't much for her to do aside from having a long talk with the Secretary to figure out the situation.

On the other hand, Darkin reappeared on top of the Trade Union building like a ghost and pulled out a Communication Crystal together with the box from before. It connected a moment later and he reported immediately.

"Mission successful. Your granddaughter contacted us just as Sir thought and we set up an ambush for him. We caught the thief easily."

"Torture him and figure out who sent him and I will pay you double," President Wu's voice resounded from the Crystal.

"Roger that. Should we still keep a watch on Miss Wu?" Darkin questioned as he played with the box.

"Yes. Protect her till We return. It should take us a week or two to return," President Wu ordered.

"Got it," Darking nodded and cut the connection. He observed the box for a moment and finally smirked.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?"

———

"Alright, I just got news from my husband. He said he will be late as they are having a heated discussion outside the Capital."

Golden Queen spilled the news as soon as she entered Xuefeng's bedroom where everyone gathered. All the girls were sitting on the bed as they waited for the new information.

"It seems Master is having a fight over me," Xuefeng commented, imagining Sect Master Liu's explosive personality would for sure lead to a few clashes.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is having lots of fun. It has been a while since he fought as he was preparing for his breakthrough," Golden Queen replied casually. "Right now all we can do is wait for the situation to cool down before we move. It would be bad to leave in the current state."

"Don't worry, you can stay in the Palace as long as you want. I already have hundreds of Guards monitor the surroundings and we set an additional set of barriers just in case anyone tried to break in," Sir Liu assured as he stood up from his chair. "This whole floor will be yours to use so feel free to change rooms if you need some peace to Cultivate."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Since we will be here for a while, you can continue your training. With President Wu's help, I'm sure we can get everyone all the materials you need," Golden Queen concurred.

"Alright, thank you," Xuefeng nodded in gratitude before making an eye-contact with Lisa and Yiren. "We also didn't see each other for a while so it's a good time to catch up."

"Oh, really?" Golden Queen immediately questioned. "I think you forgot about something."

"Huh?" Xuefeng got confused for a moment before he recalled the deal. "Right, the curse. Don't worry, I didn't forget about it. Can Miss Golden give me a few minutes?"

Golden Queen smirked, wrapping her arms together.

"So we are giving our all in protecting you, even sacrificing our connections for it and you dare negotiate with me?"

Xuefeng froze, feeling stupid. They were indeed helping them a lot and he was demanding more. He was just about to get up and agree when Golden Queen turned around, walking towards the doors.

"You have one minute, I'm waiting outside for you."

Thud!

The doors closed with a bang, causing Xuefeng to scratch his head.

"She is always like this. Just go along with her and you will be good," Sir Liu suggested as he walked up to the balcony. "If you need anything just contact the servants. They will prepare it for you."

He zoomed outside as well, leaving the team and Xinyu alone.

"I guess I need to head out. I need to clear a curse from her soul in exchange for this help," Xuefeng explained as he crawled up to Yiren and Lisa to give them a warm hug. "I'm glad you two are back by my side. We will talk about your adventures once I'm back, okay?"

"Don't worry, we will have a lot of time together," Yiren assured while Lisa tempted, "We have a lot of interesting stories, so you better hurry or you will miss something."

"Hehe," Xuefeng chuckled as he kissed her deeply. "I will be back before you realize."

He pulled away and took out a Storage Ring with all the winnings from the Tournament.

"You can take the Upgrade Fragments and start training without me. We need to use this week and improve as much as we can. There is no time to slack anymore," Xuefeng said sternly but Lisa pushed his ring back, displaying her own.

"There is no need. You can keep yours. I have more than enough for us all."

Xuefeng couldn't help tilt his head in confusion but Lisa only smiled and suddenly multiple bags began spilling out on the bed. Not only Xuefeng but Nuwa and Tianshi's eyes widened.

"How did you get so much?" Xuefeng wondered dumbfounded, but Yiren and Lisa only shrugged.

"We told you a lot has happened," Lisa muttered. "By the way, your minute is already up."

"Fuck," Xuefeng cursed and jumped out from the bed. "You tell me later! I will be right back!"

"Wait!" As he stormed towards the door, Xinyu called out after him. "I'm going with you. I don't need to cultivate this much."

She grabbed onto his arm as he was leaving and they saw Golden Queen standing right outside, leaning against the corridor wall with her leg stomping impatiently.

"You are late," Golden Queen called out and reached forward, pulling him by the hand. "Follow me."

He had no choice but to listen to her commands. Her fingers were so soft to the touch

"Xinyu, get back to your room. It's just between me and Xuefeng," Golden Queen ordered on the way, ruining Xinyu's plan. She didn't argue with Golden Queen's stern tone.

"Ah, fine…" Xinyu agreed unhappily and left in the second direction. "See you later Xuefeng~"

She didn't forget to rub his hand affectionately, but maybe it was just his hallucination.

"Come in," Golden Queen invited him inside her room and closed the door behind her. "Let's start right away."

He didn't even have time to look around the room when he heard her dress slid to the ground.

"Wait, why are you stripping?!" Xuefeng called out in alarm, wanting to take it easy at first.

"What? Shouldn't I be naked so you can finish faster?"

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