278: I am Night Owl's master!

Ye Chen's expression darkened.

The moment the black mist surged, he caught a whiff of a strange, fishy scent.

This mist was poisonous!

Moreover, the poison was potent and spread rapidly; it didn't just obscure vision, but could also corrode objects and erode life itself!

"Hmph!"

A cold light flashed in his eyes as his left hand darted into his robe like lightning, pulling out an acupuncture kit.

In the next instant.

His wrist jerked violently, and dozens of faint silver glints shot out in all directions like Pear Blossom Needles in a torrential rain!

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!"

The Silver Needles accurately sank into the acupoints of everyone nearby who hadn't yet fled.

As the needles entered their bodies, a stream of warm true qi followed, temporarily sealing their major acupoints and forming a protective layer that blocked the poisonous gas from invading their heart vessels and nerves.

Almost at the same time the Silver Needles were fired, Ye Chen raised his right foot again and stomped hard on the ground!

"Boom—!!!"

A violent wave of air exploded outward with him as the center, like a hurricane rising from flat ground!

The wind howled, instantly tearing apart and dispersing the pervasive black mist!

The remains of the Myriad-Devouring Gu insects on the ground were blown scattered, clattering against the walls.

Light returned to the restaurant.

However... the spot where Miao Sect Great Elder and the other two had been standing was now empty!

Only a pool of blood, a few torn scraps of clothing, and the shattered remains of a bead on the ground were left behind.

"They ran?"

Chu Niubi rubbed his Jianjing acupoint, which felt a bit numb after being pierced by a Silver Needle, and widened his eyes. "Holy crap! Throwing smoke bombs? These bug-tamers are way too shameless! They just run when they can't win?"

Yi Yue and Xiao Ya were still shaken, their faces pale, but under the protection of Ye Chen's Silver Needles, they were fine aside from a bit of dizziness.

The surrounding diners gradually came to their senses, followed by an uproar.

"Where are they? How did those three monsters disappear?"

"That black mist just now was terrifying! I almost thought I was going to die here!"

"It's Mr. Ye! Mr. Ye used needles to save us! I felt a surge of heat block my throat just now; otherwise, I definitely would have inhaled that poisonous gas!"

"Mr. Ye is mighty! If it weren't for you, we would have been in big trouble today!"

...Gratitude!

Lingering fear!

Anger!

Various discussions instantly filled the restaurant.

Ye Chen took a deep breath.

That black mist wasn't just poisonous; it also provided cover for those three. They had probably already fled beyond the range of Earth Vein Tracking by now.

But then again.

The Miao Sect's methods were indeed treacherous. Especially the black mist from that final bead—it didn't just obscure vision and contain potent poison, but it also seemed to briefly distort the surrounding aura, creating the conditions for their escape.

It seemed they had come prepared, even having planned their escape route.

"Master, what do we do now?"

Chu Niubi approached. "Are we really just going to let them run like that? That Li Mei and those two old geezers will definitely come back for revenge!"

Ye Chen glanced at him.

"The monk can run, but the temple can't."

"When you get back, have someone contact the Dragon Group's local branch and conduct a massive manhunt."

"I want to see how long those three lingering rats can hide."

Chu Niubi's eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly. "Alright, I'll definitely get it done!"

Master was actually giving him an assignment!

This was a good sign; it meant he, Chu Niubi, wasn't useless after all!

A-Chen didn't say anything more and turned toward Yi Yue.

"Yueyue, let's close for the night."

Yi Yue nodded, her eyes full of worry. "Ye Chen, will they come back?"

"Don't worry."

Ye Chen patted her head. "With me here, they won't be able to cause any trouble."

Yi Yue finally nodded in relief.

Ye Chen suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, where's Night Owl? Isn't she supposed to be protecting you? Why didn't she show up when things got so loud tonight?"

At the mention of Night Owl, Yi Yue's expression became somewhat hesitant.

A second later.

She bit her lower lip and whispered, "She asked me to keep it a secret..."

Ye Chen frowned, his tone deepening.

"You almost had an accident; what could be more important than your life?"

"What exactly is going on? If she's just messing around, I'll have to teach her a lesson!"

Seeing Ye Chen's serious expression, Yi Yue knew she couldn't hide it and explained, "She... said she was going to meet someone and would be away for two days. She'll be back as soon as she's done."

"Meet someone?" Ye Chen's eyes shifted. "Who?"

"She said... she's going to see her master," Yi Yue said softly.

"Master?" Ye Chen was stunned for a moment. "She has a master?"

"That's what she said."

Yi Yue nodded. "She didn't say much about the details, only that this meeting was very important."

Ye Chen fell silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "I understand. Let's go. I'll take you and Xiao Ya back first."

"Okay."

Yi Yue replied obediently, then nervously pulled on Ye Chen's sleeve.

"Ye Chen, don't blame Night Owl. I agreed to let her go, and I was the one who told her not to tell you."

"I thought it wouldn't be a problem."

"She also said she wouldn't be gone for long. It's just that what happened just now was so sudden, I didn't have time to call her."

By the time you called and Night Owl got here, your body would probably already be cold.

But naturally, he wouldn't say that out loud.

Ye Chen felt a bit annoyed, but he smiled. "I'm not blaming her. You have your own judgment. Just let me know if something like this happens again. If something really goes wrong, I'll at least know which way to look."

Seeing that he really wasn't angry, Yi Yue breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll remember."

"Alright, let's close up."

Ye Chen turned around and helped clean up the messy restaurant.

Chu Niubi was also very observant and started helping.

Was he kidding?

If his master was cleaning up, how could he, as the disciple, just stand there?

At the same time, he also directed a few brave diners who hadn't left yet to move the unconscious bald man to the side, gave him some basic wound care, and called an ambulance for him.

Before long.

The restaurant was mostly cleaned up, and the doors and windows were locked.

Ye Chen drove, dropped Xiao Ya off at her place, and then took Chu Niubi and Yi Yue back to the residential complex.

As soon as they entered the house.

Aunt Zhang was peeling an orange for Yi Zhengtian.

When Yi Zhengtian and Aunt Zhang saw Ye Chen arrive, their old faces turned red.

So much so that...

It was as if some secret had been discovered, and they quickly moved apart.

Yi Zhengtian hurriedly grabbed the remote and started pressing buttons randomly on the TV, muttering, "A-Chen's here? Sit, sit! I... I'm watching TV, I'm busy. Sister Zhang just happened to be helping me peel an orange."

The three of them were speechless.

They hadn't even asked!

Was such a nervous explanation a self-exposure?

As it turned out... Aunt Zhang also hurriedly put the peeled orange segments onto a fruit plate, her face looking a bit unnatural as she chimed in, "Right, right. When serving a guest, you have to do it properly."

Holy crap!

Another self-exposure!

Ye Chen took in all their small movements and understood perfectly, but he laughed and pretended not to notice anything, following their lead.

"Uncle Yi, Aunt Zhang, you two just go about your business."

"I just came over suddenly without giving any notice."

He walked over to the sofa and sat down, his tone carrying a hint of apology. "Speaking of which, I haven't come to see you in a while. I've been busy with a lot of things lately; I'm a bit embarrassed."

Seeing that Ye Chen didn't press the matter, Yi Zhengtian's expression became much more natural. He pushed the fruit plate toward Ye Chen. "Oh, why say all that! You young people should prioritize your careers; being busy is good! Here, have an orange, they're sweet!"

He paused, and as if to ease the earlier awkwardness, he added enthusiastically, "Actually, don't leave tonight. Stay here for dinner! We won't stop until we're drunk!"

Chu Niubi popped out and shouted, "Count me in!"

"This little brother can drink too?" Yi Zhengtian looked over.

Chu Niubi said boastfully, "When I was in Yanjing, I never lost a drinking contest!"

"That's great then." Yi Zhengtian nodded warmly. "Then it's settled for tonight!"

Ye Chen looked at Yi Zhengtian's enthusiasm and thought back to the incident that had just occurred at the restaurant.

Although Yi Yue wasn't injured, she had certainly been frightened. It was only right for him to stay and keep them company.

He pondered for a moment and was about to nod in agreement when... "Vibrate... Vibrate..."

The phone in his pocket vibrated right at that moment.

Ye Chen paused, took out his phone, and glanced at the screen.

The caller ID was actually Night Owl's!

Oh boy!

He hadn't even looked for her yet, and she was already calling him?

With a look of displeasure, Ye Chen gestured for Yi Zhengtian to wait a moment, got up, walked into the bathroom, and pressed the answer button.

Then.

He immediately lashed out with a barrage of questions.

"Night Owl! You finally decided to call?"

"I told you to protect her, but you just slipped away to see your master? What kind of master is more important than Yueyue's life?!"

"Someone almost killed Yueyue just now! If I hadn't been there, you'd be coming back to collect a corpse!"

"I'm telling you, when you get back, I'm definitely going to spank your ass raw!"

After Ye Chen finished his tirade.

There was a moment of silence on the other end before a pleasant female voice came through: "I am not Night Owl."

Ye Chen froze, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"

The woman answered calmly.

"I am Night Owl's master."