Ye Fan knew Fire Phoenix was waiting for his call; he was afraid to make this call, yet he had to.

No pleasantries, no greetings, their conversation seemed a bit dry, cautious, and timid.

Clearly, this was a call both were waiting for, but truly getting in touch also meant they were likely to become enemies, such complex emotions dominated, making their minds unsettled.

"We parted in Ba Country hastily; I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Ye Fan said, slowing his tone.

He knew Mengyao and the others would be fine, as Fire Phoenix was coming for him, so he wasn't worried about Mengyao and the others' safety.

"Indeed, we're meeting again so soon." Fire Phoenix smiled bitterly, with a look of reminiscence, saying, "I thought I'd never see you after you left, but it's a small world, we finally met. Honestly, I've been searching for you but didn't find you. Unexpectedly, in Ba Country, I ran into you by chance. At that time, you abandoned all restraints, even threw away your personal phone; I knew you were determined not to let anyone find you, including me and the Butcher."

"So, I was quite heartless," Ye Fan said flatly.

"You were heartless by nature, but it can be understood," Fire Phoenix affirmed, then shifted her tone, and said, "Do you remember who gave me this phone? It has no number displayed, and can only connect three numbers among themselves."

"I gave it to you. I encrypted it with hacker technology; ordinary people can't reach it. Back then, I also gave the Butcher one so that the three of us could contact each other privately," Ye Fan said.

"Yet you remember, but you threw away your own phone," Fire Phoenix said with an unmistakable tone of reproach.

"I had unavoidable reasons and had to do so," Ye Fan explained.

Fire Phoenix rationally replied, "You always make sound decisions. I have no right to intervene, nor can I."

"Think as you wish," Ye Fan heard the resentment in Fire Phoenix's tone and chose not to explain further.

"Alright, enough reminiscing, since you don't want to tear faces, I'll do it," Fire Phoenix decisively said, "Come to find me; I've been waiting for quite some time."

With that, she gave an address.

"Do I really have to do this? Is there no room for turning back?" Ye Fan asked, with a very clear implication.

"At this point, do you think I have a choice?" Fire Phoenix countered.

Ye Fan didn't reply, sinking into silence. He feared confronting Fire Phoenix, but also feared Fire Phoenix choosing an alternative path.

"Don't worry, Mengyao and the others will be fine; I won't harm them," Fire Phoenix proactively assured.

"I know," Ye Fan concurred.

"Well, since that's the case, I'll wait for your arrival. Based on my guess, you can find me quicker following the clues left by Leng Mei. I didn't expect you'd still be quite late; seems your insight has declined, too worried about Mengyao's safety, disrupting your mindset, and ignoring the clues I left." Fire Phoenix smiled bitterly, although her words carried a different meaning, revealing Ye Fan's deep concern for Mengyao. Yet, discussing how long it took Ye Fan to find her, it's actually not late, possibly faster than she anticipated.

Only Ye Fan could clearly discern the hint of jealousy in Fire Phoenix's words.

They had been together for too long, seventeen years of companionship, experienced too many things.

Fire Phoenix's feelings for Ye Fan, previously, Ye Fan was well-aware; his vengeance hadn't been fulfilled, so he hadn't responded or made any promises, nearly feigning ignorance, which made Fire Phoenix secretly disappointed many times.

Previously, Fire Phoenix didn't understand why she was rejected, but now, she's found some reasons.

Ye Fan didn't say anything about this matter, deliberately avoiding the topic, "It's a half-hour journey. I'm already on the road."

After saying this, Ye Fan took the initiative to hang up the phone. He was currently on his way to Fire Phoenix's location.

Ye Fan's mood was naturally heavy, but the things he had to face still needed to be faced.

There was no escape, nor could he escape.

Ye Fan drove, controlling the steering wheel, thinking about past bits and pieces.

At the same time, he also thought about the imminent events; he had already decided what to do, knowing well in his mind.

Fire Phoenix put away the phone, revealing a mysterious expression, muttering softly, "Half an hour left. Before that, let me meet Mengyao; after all, she can be considered an old acquaintance."

In a room, the Shadow Guard was heavily guarded, Han Bihong and ten women were bound, and Chu Mengyao and Chu Biyao were sitting slightly uneasily, although their movement was unrestricted, they absolutely couldn't leave the room.

The sisters also knew the prowess of these people in black, so they didn't play tricks. When captured, Han Bihong and ten women were all seized. In the black-clad den, the sisters knew even if Han Bihong and ten women moved freely, escape was impossible, so they didn't think of ways to escape, as it was unrealistic. In the face of absolute strength, any idea they had was futile.

"Hey, hey, deaf ears? I'm talking to you; didn't you hear? What's your purpose in capturing us? Seeking wealth or revenge? Not a word about your intent. Where's your leader? Why not meet us? Is it cowardice or fear? Prepared good food and drink for us, but leaving us aside, no response, what's the meaning of this?" Chu Biyao persisted, enduring her smoking throat, chattering in front of one of the black-clad men.

This was because Chu Biyao had said similar things to several black-clad men before, but none of them responded.

The black-clad man stood like a statue, seemingly oblivious to Chu Biyao's words, not even blinking.

Chu Biyao's boldness in the enemy's den, fearlessly, stems from recognizing the lack of murderous intent from the black-clad men, hinting at a special purpose, a courteous vibe; thus, her fearlessness. Otherwise, she wouldn't dare to blabber relentlessly in front of them.

"Sister, save your energy, stop talking nonsense, wait patiently," Chu Mengyao said helplessly.

She couldn't fathom the captor's origins and purpose, but deep concern lingered in her heart.

"One by one, they're all iron-blood killers." Han Bihong and ten women judged the black-clad men's identity as such.

"Dear brothers and sisters, please check if there are any votes left in the warehouse; if so, vote for me. They're about to expire and get moldy"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.