Chapter Fifteen: Coincidence and Necessity

The two sides drew closer and closer, until they nearly brushed past one another. In that fleeting instant, Tao Lu and the black-haired woman on the human side both froze, their expressions shifting ever so slightly.

But neither side lingered on the encounter. They returned to their own affairs: Tao Lu kept on plucking dolls from the machine, while Lan Xin and the black-haired woman continued walking ahead.

“What is it, Lady Tao Lu?” The winged woman immediately noticed the change in Tao Lu’s expression and asked at once.

“Just two human pawns. Still, that black-haired woman’s mental development is probably quite high. She may have come here for this auction.” Tao Lu narrowed her eyes, her disdain plain. “The human side wouldn’t be thinking of competing with us for the Chain of Purity, would they? That ornament is tied to our research on demons. We are determined to have it.”

“The human side, huh?” The winged woman frowned.

“They probably cannot beat us in the bidding, but accidents are always possible.” Tao Lu smiled, though killing intent glinted in her eyes. “Even if those fools somehow get their hands on the Chain of Purity, we may not be able to strike inside the Free Zone, but outside it is another matter entirely. When that time comes, we can simply wipe them out—and save ourselves a tidy sum besides.”

“Just so, my lady. Those insignificant humans have no right to compete with us for the Chain of Purity.” The winged woman nodded repeatedly.

Within the Free Zone, no one dared defy the rules. But outside it, things were very different. In the wilds beyond any zone, there was no law to obey.

“What’s wrong? You look unwell.” Lan Xin glanced at the black-haired woman.

The black-haired woman did indeed look pale. She said slowly, “A powerful psychic user. The moment our psychic powers clashed, I could feel it.”

“You couldn’t hold up against her?” Lan Xin said in surprise. This black-haired woman was a psychic user who stood infinitely close to being a five-star ability user.

“That’s not quite it.” The black-haired woman’s expression turned grave. “My abilities are more support-oriented. That girl, on the other hand, should possess the fiercest kind of offensive power.”

“Is that so?” Lan Xin became quite curious. She felt this place was full of hidden talents. That girl in the red dress looked even younger than she was.

In terms of this mission, Lan Xin’s strength could only be counted as a burden. Every member of the Fierce Fang Squad possessed overall ability on the level of Captain Feng Qiang, while she herself was still only at the level of a veteran guardian.

Yet among the Ninth District, she was a genius among geniuses. Here in the Free Zone, however, even a casually encountered girl could possess such terrifying strength.

“I wonder what race that girl belongs to. Her strength is truly formidable.” The black-haired woman was deeply wary. “For someone that young to be this strong, she surely cannot be an unknown nobody.”

She could vaguely sense that the young girl in the red dress was frighteningly powerful. If she were an enemy of the human side, or even a competitor at this auction, then should any conflict arise, their side would surely suffer grievously.

Xia Yan walked together with Qi Hao. For Xia Yan, if he was going to make a trip like this, then he ought to buy something to keep as a memento; otherwise, it was nothing more than an ordinary stroll.

Though he was not fond of shopping, he still patiently wandered around. As for Qi Hao behind him, her face was stiff and cold, clearly displeased.

Qi Hao had argued with Xia Yan at length about whether the diamond currency left in the hotel safe could truly be kept secure. She was torn between staying to guard the currency and following Xia Yan so she could keep him under surveillance.

What Qi Hao knew was that the order she had received from her superiors was chiefly for her to monitor Xia Yan, not to sit there guarding a pile of diamond currency.

So she had been swayed by Xia Yan’s words. He said that as long as neither of their identities had been exposed, the diamond currency could not possibly be stolen. In that case, for Qi Hao, monitoring him still came first.

“Well? Since we’re here, we might as well buy a few things. It’s all just embezzled funds anyway.” Xia Yan stopped and looked back at the girl behind him. Being watched so closely made him extremely uncomfortable.

Although the girl wore a cold expression that kept strangers at bay, she also seemed to have a somewhat obsessive, shopaholic streak. Her eyes flickered as if she were interested in the clothes in the nearby boutique, yet she remained where she was and studied Xia Yan seriously a few times. The warning in her gaze was unmistakable: it was telling Xia Yan not to wander off.

Thus the two of them strolled for quite a while. In Qi Hao’s hands were several shopping bags of various sizes, while Xia Yan still carried nothing at all. He had no interest in helping this woman carry her purchases.

Just when it seemed that today’s leisurely outing was about to end, Xia Yan suddenly stiffened, his face filling with disbelief. Among the two women ahead of him, one was actually Lan Xin.

He did not think this was a coincidence. Lan Xin had no reason to be here. What exactly was going on?

“What’s the matter?” Qi Hao seemed to notice Xia Yan’s odd reaction and asked.

“Nothing.” Xia Yan shook his head and moved out along another path. By now he was also using a human-skin disguise, one that bore no resemblance to his original appearance at all.

“Lan Xin, those two people just now were dressed in a really strange way.” The black-haired woman seemed to have found her voice and could not stop talking.

“Really?” Lan Xin glanced sideways and also saw the backs of the two figures. They were walking very close together, looking like an ordinary couple, nothing unusual at all.

She shook her head and let the matter go, turning her attention to other things. Those two were cast entirely out of her mind.

Coincidences were common enough. Even if Lan Xin appeared here, Xia Yan could only stubbornly treat it as an accident, because no matter what, he could not make contact with her.

But when Xia Yan saw the scene ahead, he could no longer cling to that belief. Because he knew the person there.

After joining the organization, that person had been the one who stayed with him the longest. They knew each other better than anyone else.

Xia Yan still vaguely remembered that, after sustaining severe injuries and nearly dying, when he woke in Emilia’s villa, the very first person he thought of was her.

Back in the ranking tournament among the members of the Fuxiang City organization, Xia Yan’s fight with Mei Mi had left him unconscious. The night he woke after that had remained unforgettable to him ever since.

Why was she here?

Xia Yan even felt a surge of irritation. The demon race had not provided him with this intelligence. Did they truly know nothing, or were they deliberately concealing it?

He sighed inwardly. He absolutely could not meet Tao Lu now.

So Xia Yan hurriedly turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Unlike his previous encounter with Lan Xin, Lan Xin would not recognize him as Xia Yan—but Tao Lu was a different matter entirely.

Even with three human-skin disguises on, Tao Lu would probably see through his true identity at a glance. She was absolutely not the same as Lan Xin.

Qi Hao, following behind Xia Yan, looked confused, but she did not ask any questions. She merely turned and followed him, since her duty was to keep watch over him.

Tao Lu, while she was not working, would occasionally turn her head to survey the surroundings. This time, however, when she cast a sidelong glance, she immediately felt that something was wrong. There was a figure that gave her a strangely familiar sensation...