Chapter 210 - 209: Tension and Release
Chapter 210: Chapter 209: Tension and Release
Wu Chen hated it when his teammates wore such dazed expressions while watching him fight.
In the past, when everyone was at a lower realm, a little surprise would have been understandable.
’You’re a late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm Golden Eagle Captain. What’s with that look on your face? Did the aftershock from my attack scramble your brains?’
He wanted his teammates to witness his power firsthand and gain a clear understanding of his strength. That way, they wouldn’t go looking for trouble with him for no reason after returning to the Demon Suppression Bureau.
"You saw my fist technique just now, didn’t you?"
As Sun Yuting slowly came to her senses at the sound of his voice, Wu Chen crouched in front of her. "How do you feel?"
Fearing she was too dense to read between the lines, he spoke bluntly before she could answer:
"You’re not going to cause trouble for me when we get back to the Demon Suppression Bureau, are you?"
Sun Yuting looked at the young man crouching before her, looming over her. A flicker of fear crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity.
’While I was away from the city, when did the Demon Suppression Bureau get someone like this?’
But meeting his emotionless gaze, she could only offer a wry smile.
"For a colleague to possess such strength is a blessing for the Demon Suppression Bureau, and for the entire Great Yun nation!"
"Besides, this was all just a misunderstanding. In the heat of battle, one can’t be too careful."
"Why would I cause trouble for you afterward?"
"Even if I wanted to..."
At this, Sun Yuting couldn’t help but recall the scene: the barbarian, even after activating his barbarian pattern, had been completely powerless to fight back.
In fact, to say he handled the barbarian with ease would be an understatement. It was obvious he’d been holding back the entire time.
His goal wasn’t just to capture the barbarian, but also to intimidate her, a Golden Eagle Captain.
’He probably wouldn’t even be at a disadvantage against three barbarians of that caliber.’
’It might take five of them to fight him to a standstill!’
’And it’s not just his raw power, but that fist technique...’
Sun Yuting had watched Wu Chen use his fist technique, but she couldn’t comprehend it.
Still, she could sense its profoundness. Every strike landed precisely on the barbarian’s weak points, preventing him from unleashing his full power.
It was as if the barbarian had all the strength in the world but couldn’t use any of it.
She mulled it over for a few moments, then looked into Wu Chen’s eyes and finished her thought, her expression complex.
"Even if I wanted to cause you trouble—setting aside the fact that I’m just one Golden Eagle Captain—with your strength, you could probably take on five Cloud Pattern Captains."
"In that case, where would I even find five Cloud Pattern Captains to go up against you?"
"I don’t have that kind of pull in the Demon Suppression Bureau."
Wu Chen nodded. She was telling the truth.
Her words also proved that this Captain Sun wasn’t a complete idiot. She had some discernment, at least enough to recognize that his power completely overwhelmed others in the same realm.
However, saying five Cloud Pattern Captains was a bit of an exaggeration.
After all, a true life-and-death battle is about using every trick up your sleeve, not arrogantly relying on brute force and fisticuffs.
Besides, those Cloud Pattern Captains must have trump cards of their own. Maybe they even have something like the barbarian’s Secret Pattern to boost their power.
"Well, since you’ve put it that way, Captain Sun, I can rest easy. My apologies for my earlier actions."
Wu Chen reached out and untied the knot on Sun Yuting’s ankle.
He had changed his mind about taking her back to the Demon Suppression Bureau primarily because they would have inevitably been seen by other members on the way.
It wasn’t a huge deal to begin with, but parading her back like that would cause her to lose face and could easily create a mortal enemy.
That was a situation Wu Chen wanted to avoid.
’But after this little game of capture and release, she’ll probably end up feeling grateful to me!’
’Nailed it.’
Sun Yuting had been tied up for a long time. Even though the ropes binding her were loosened, the stagnant energy in her body still needed a moment to flow smoothly.
But she couldn’t be bothered with that. She immediately wanted to get up and leave this awkward place, so the moment the rope loosened, she staggered to her feet.
She managed to get up, but before she could find her balance, her numb legs gave out. She started to fall, only to be caught by a pair of strong hands.
"Thank you!"
Sun Yuting looked up and met a pair of gentle eyes and a warm smile. A look of gratitude subconsciously appeared in her eyes.
’How can one person be so completely different from one moment to the next?’ she grumbled internally.
’But then she realized something was off. Where is this inexplicable feeling of gratitude coming from?’
She had heard stories of noble ladies playing heroines in the martial world. They’d get captured by some villain, who would do all sorts of unspeakable things to them, and after a while, they’d find themselves falling hopelessly in love with their captor.
’Don’t tell me I’m...?’
Sun Yuting didn’t dare to think further. She leaned against a tree, rubbing her wrists and resting for a moment. Seeing Wu Chen untie the other Demon Suppression Guards one by one, she immediately took her group and fled the forest.
"..."
Wu Chen then naturally moved on to checking the barbarian spy’s storage pouch. A quick look revealed nothing of value, and it was the same for the other captives.
"Dirt poor," Wu Chen muttered, grimacing. He then settled down to wait patiently.
A short while later, Zhou Hu arrived, leading the belated ox cart.
Seeing that half the people in the forest were gone, Zhou Hu knew Lord Wu must have sorted out who was who. The ones belonging to the Demon Suppression Guard had surely been untied and sent on their way.
Without a word, he tossed the barbarian spy and the internal collaborators onto the flatbed, then efficiently packed up the campsite.
The two of them then began the leisurely journey back to Cangwu City.
「Demon Suppression Bureau.」
With a veteran like Zhou Hu at his side, the process of handing over the barbarian and collecting the reward became much simpler.
Otherwise, Wu Chen, on only his second visit to the Demon Suppression Bureau, would have been running around like a headless chicken, completely lost.
"Since you two captured the barbarian together, you can decide how to divide the merits."
After confirming the barbarian’s identity, the Captain—dressed in a brocade uniform embroidered with unfamiliar flowers, red lips curled into a grin—looked at Wu Chen with a smile in her eyes.
’What the...?’
Looking at the vaguely familiar face, Wu Chen raised an eyebrow as a series of question marks went off in his head.
That oval face, that delicate nose, and the sly glint in her eyes... despite the slight changes, he recognized her instantly. Who else could it be but Captain Sun, the very woman he’d just released outside the city?
She had merely traded her rough clothes for a form-fitting brocade uniform that revealed her figure, transforming her into a rare beauty.
’This woman’s background is anything but ordinary!’
Wu Chen’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at Sun Yuting.
On the way here, he had heard from Zhou Hu that the Demon Suppression Bureau was divided into inner and outer camps.
The Outer Camp’s duty was, naturally, to hunt down villains in life-or-death combat. The Inner Camp... was for retirement.
It was a place where young masters from influential families were given cushy, idle posts.
All they had to do was tally merits and hand out rewards. It was a piece of cake.
But for someone to be in the Outer Camp one moment and the Inner Camp the next... that spoke volumes.
’Her influence is so great she can treat the Demon Suppression Bureau like her own house!’
’So it’s true... the prettier the woman, the better the liar...’
’Just a moment ago she was saying she couldn’t command five Cloud Pattern Captains. Now, I’m not so sure that’s true.’
’And before I let her go, she looked so docile. Now she’s clearly up to no good.’
Wu Chen’s brows furrowed unconsciously.
"Hey! I’m really just asking how you want to split the merits, that’s all!"
Seeing Wu Chen’s gradually cooling eyes, Sun Yuting had thought she could startle him, and that he would soften up for the sake of the merits he was about to receive.
’I wasn’t asking for much, just for him to call me ’Big Sis’ would have been enough.’
But now it seemed the situation was about to get out of control...
’He looks like he’s about to punch me!’
The moment this thought appeared, Sun Yuting tensed up and said hurriedly:
"I just reported to my superior! I said I was injured, so I got transferred to a less demanding post. They happened to be short-staffed here, so I came!"