Chapter 524: Speak! Do You or Do You Not Like Him?
Yi Jiu remained in a nearby corner, observing and listening to every exchange between Men Shi and Bu Quan.
He had deliberately chosen a spot close to Men Shi and Bu Quan when passing through the wall.
“So, there's a hidden teleportation formation here after all.”
“Just as the intelligence reports stated, Bu Quan is weak in combat and specializes solely as an alchemist.”
“Dwarf Men Shi, his attack methods are unimpressive, posing minimal threat.”
"Sigh..."
“If I'd mastered the Penetration Force instead of the Piercing Force, this wall-crossing wouldn't have been detected.”
Yi Jiu had never intended to assassinate Bu Quan.
When Mei Lin devised this assault plan, she had spared Bu Quan as well. There was never any intent to harm her life; if possible, she was to be captured alive.
Bu Quan was never on Yi Jiu's assassination list. The dwarf Men Shi, however, was.
But Yi Jiu had little interest in striking a fully armed dwarf.
In truth, even if the employer had ordered Yi Jiu to kill Bu Quan, he wouldn't have done it.
The Thieves' Guild possessed formidable intelligence capabilities. Yi Jiu had gathered extensive information on Bu Quan and Shuang Lian, fully aware of Bu Quan's significance to Shuang Lian.
Assassinating Bu Quan and provoking Shuang Lian was a foolish move Yi Jiu would never make.
Unless... the employer offered an astronomical sum!
But clearly, Mei Lin would never do such a thing.
“In that case...” Yi Jiu murmured, abandoning his original plan. Based on the latest intelligence, he made an impromptu tactical shift.
He actively shed his stealth and charged directly at Bu Quan.
Battle skill - Wall Walking.
Battle skill - Rapid Movement.
The moment he materialized, he was detected by numerous alchemy orbs floating in midair.
The orbs swarmed like bees, closing in.
Some fired beams, others detonated on contact.
Yi Jiu offered no counterattack, relying solely on agility and evasion to navigate the barrage. He even skillfully used beams and walls as obstacles, causing the orbs to collide and detonate mid-air.
Within mere breaths, Yi Jiu closed the distance, charging toward Bu Quan.
“Bu Quan, retreat!” Dwarf Men Shi roared, charging toward Yi Jiu.
Yi Jiu smiled faintly.
Battle skill - Instant Flash.
The next moment, he vanished from his position, reappearing behind Bu Quan.
Battle skill - Throat Slash!
Yi Jiu's dagger pressed against Bu Quan's throat, drawing back with a light flick.
“No!” Men Shi roared, utterly unable to intervene in time, only managing to turn and stare in shock.
But Yi Jiu's dagger sliced through empty air.
Bu Quan's figure dissolved - it had been a lifelike illusion all along.
Yi Jiu remained expressionless. He had recognized the illusion from the start, deliberately allowing it to happen so Bu Quan would teleport away quickly, leaving him free to destroy the alchemy workshop.
But the next moment, Bu Quan's laughter echoed: “Hahahaha, you fell for it!”
Bu Quan's true form revealed itself, immediately activating the magic trap.
Yi Jiu was now standing directly on the magic trap.
In an instant, dense metal spikes formed a forest of spears, poised to pierce Yi Jiu.
Yi Jiu activated his headpiece with his mind, unleashing the arcane spell Counter Spell to nullify the spear forest.
“She actually revealed her true form?” He looked at Bu Quan in surprise and charged forward again.
Men Shi froze for a moment, then roared at Bu Quan, “Miss Bu Quan, hide yourself!”
Bu Quan flashed a proud, confident smile. “Relax. This is my turf.”
Yi Jiu's form abruptly froze. The surrounding space solidified, trapping him like an insect in amber.
“Tactics achieved!” Bu Quan snapped her fingers triumphantly. “Not too shabby in actual combat, huh?”
The dwarf was momentarily speechless.
But the next instant, Yi Jiu's deep voice echoed behind Bu Quan: “Is that so?”
Bu Quan shuddered!
The “enemy” she had trapped in her illusion dissolved into scattered light and vanished.
Bu Quan had used an illusion to “toy” with Yi Jiu, and Yi Jiu immediately returned the favor in kind.
“No, I still have resistance...” Bu Quan attempted to summon her magic power, but suddenly, Yi Jiu touched her waist with a finger, instantly sealing her spirit power.
Battle skill - Spirit Seal!
When a magician cast spells, they relied on spirit power to construct the spell's model. A magician's personal magic power was normally stored in their personal magic pool, and spirit power was also required to access it.
With Bu Quan's spirit power sealed, she instantly lost her combat capability.
“Now, you're my prisoner,” Yi Jiu revealed a triumphant smile. “My luck really is good this time.”
His earlier tactical shift to a direct assault had been intended to intimidate Bu Quan into fleeing the workshop via the teleportation formation.
After all, he couldn't locate the formation's position.
Moreover, operating within the city this time carried greater risks and tighter time constraints.
Unexpectedly, Bu Quan didn't teleport away but instead attempted to challenge him with laughably naive tactics!
Yi Jiu decisively played along with the scheme, actually capturing Bu Quan alive.
“Release her!” Men Shi rushed over, bellowing.
The dwarves also fell into a state of confusion.
Outside the workshop, enemies still battered the walls, unable to breach the defenses.
But within, their general had been captured!
Yi Jiu smiled at Men Shi. “Want me to release her? Fine. Destroy every alchemy facility here!”
Men Shi froze.
Bu Quan snapped awake, shouting, "No! You absolutely cannot destroy these alchemy facilities! Otherwise, we won't be able to mass-produce potions in the short term!"
“Hey, if you want to kill us, just do it! Why toy with us like this?!”
“Even if I die, I won't let you destroy these alchemy facilities!”
Yi Jiu froze.
The intelligence reports didn't mention this. Bu Quan actually had this kind of temperament?
"You're a prisoner. Show some self-awareness! Otherwise, I'll make you regret it." Yi Jiu stepped forward to the right, circling around to Bu Quan's side, and swung his dagger fiercely.
The dagger sliced through the air with a cold gleam, cleaving one of the alchemy installations in two. The silver level apparatus was severed cleanly.
Witnessing this, Men Shi growled, “You're no ordinary silver level! Who are you?”
“Asking such nonsense, do you expect an answer? Get to work destroying everything, or I'll slice Bu Quan!" Yi Jiu waved the dagger beside Bu Quan, its cold gleam flashing once more.
This terrified Men Shi.
With no confidence he could save Bu Quan, he was forced to comply, using his two-handed war hammer to smash the surrounding alchemy devices.
“Now we're talking.” Yi Jiu chuckled, then turned with a vicious glare fixed on Bu Quan. “Speak up! Which alchemy device controls the defenses?”
Bu Quan's gaze, however, was even more fierce than his.
“You criminal! If you've got the guts, come at me! Not a single one of these devices will you destroy!”
"Men Shi, what are you afraid of? Don't give in to his threats! Even if we die, we shouldn't surrender!"
“My life is insignificant! Protect these alchemy devices!”
Men Shi's face twisted with agitation as he shouted his true feelings: “Miss Bu Quan, please stop provoking the criminal!”
Yi Jiu's face darkened, his eyes flashing coldly. Bu Quan's defiance deeply offended him. He swung his dagger, determined to teach her a bloody lesson, to make her understand her predicament and the proper attitude a captive should adopt toward their captor!
The dagger flashed coldly once more, slashing toward Bu Quan's face.
If it connected, Bu Quan's face would be slashed open, disfiguring her instantly.
Yet in the next instant, a spatial fluctuation erupted, sucking Yi Jiu into its vortex.
Yi Jiu's expression twisted in horror as he realized he'd been transported to a frozen wasteland!
Men Shi: ?
The dwarf was stunned. In an instant, he regarded Bu Quan with newfound respect: “Miss Bu Quan, so this was all part of your plan.”
Bu Quan shook her head blankly: “No, it wasn't me.”
The next moment, another spatial fluctuation appeared, sucking Bu Quan away as well.
At that moment, tens of thousands of meters above Snow Bird Harbor, the Honey Snow Tower stood abruptly in the sky.
Bu Quan's mentor, Shuang Lian, had arrived here long ago. She had not revealed herself immediately, instead arranging everything meticulously before treating this as a trial for Bu Quan.
The outcome of the trial left Shuang Lian both satisfied and dissatisfied.
“Teacher?!” Bu Quan materialized inside the mage tower. Upon seeing Shuang Lian, she instantly grasped the truth.
She threw herself into Shuang Lian's embrace: “Teacher, you came to help me personally?”
Shuang Lian had intended to maintain her dignity and deliver a stern lecture to Bu Quan, but the girl's actions completely disrupted her plans.
In an instant, Shuang Lian felt the entire world grow warm.
She slowly opened her arms, gently embracing Bu Quan. Her stern expression softened into tenderness: "Silly child, why did you act so foolishly? Your life is infinitely more precious than any alchemy artifact, do you understand?"
Bu Quan replied, “I thought I could defeat the enemy. I never imagined he'd be so cunning!”
“I was so close to victory.”
Shuang Lian sighed deeply, shaking her head repeatedly. "You lack real combat experience. You completely misjudged the gap between you. Now, watch carefully."
The embrace ended.
Shuang Lian summoned a magic projection, revealing Yi Jiu struggling in a blinding blizzard.
He was ambushed by Shuang Lian, who waited patiently for prey to stumble into her trap, capturing him within the demi-plane.
Faced with such a formidable assault, Yi Jiu had no choice but to unleash his true power. The gold level battle qi was unmistakable. Upon seeing it, Bu Quan's face instantly drained of color. “He... he's actually a gold level fighter?”
“It's worse than that,” Shuang Lian added. “His name is Yi Jiu, a highly successful assassin within the Thieves' Guild!”
“Do you finally grasp how perilous your situation was?”
“To taunt a formidable foe while imprisoned? Utterly reckless!”
Shuang Lian forced a stern expression.
Bu Quan lowered her head, her voice weak. “I was so worried the alchemy facilities would be destroyed. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to mass-produce potions.”
Hearing this, Shuang Lian grew even angrier, her brows furrowing deeply. “You've been used, you foolish child.”
"That Long Fu is a treacherous villain! He deceived you into joining his mercenary group, treating you as nothing more than a tool for alchemy! And all he gave you in return was a single gold coin?"
“Tell me honestly, do you like him or not?”