Peeking cautiously from the inn window, Tang Yue pointed at a standard middle-aged uncle. Long black spiky hair, predatory yellow eyes. He wore an old, life-worn suit and cap.
"This is Chao He. Keep a close eye on him, try not to let him spot you. If he does notice you anyway, act natural. Go on, I believe in you. The main thing is to wait until he leaves the city before arresting him. Otherwise, the collateral damage and casualties will be huge. Got it?" the judge lady gave me a field briefing.
"Yes, Yue-er," I nodded, making Tang Yue blush. She's not used to me calling her by name yet.
"Get going!" she shooed me away.
I followed Chao He at a distance of about a hundred meters. Sometimes pulling back a bit, sometimes closing in a little. I also deliberately showed Pikachu around the city loudly and stopped at the stalls with goods along the way. In general, I played the noisy tourist to the hilt.
That's how I tailed the criminal for thirty minutes until he approached a couple of old farmers and started chatting with them. After jawing for about five minutes, Chao He headed up the mountain slope. Apparently, he'd asked about the riverbed.
When Chao He finally left the city, Tang Yue emerged from the shadows to my right.
"Besides him, two more groups are heading up the mountain. Let's hurry to the top; I think it'll be harder for us to be spotted in the chaos," Tang Yue whispered and quickly led me up the mountain road. I recalled Pikachu; it was too early for him to get involved in scraps like this.
When we were almost at the mountain's peak, Tang Yue clamped a hand over my mouth, pulled me into her soft embrace, and hid us behind a tree in the shadows.
"Be quiet," she whispered intimately in my ear. I'll have to get her back later for that unintentional tease. But I'm not struggling out of her arms—what, am I an idiot?
Soon, footsteps sounded, and a group of people emerged from the trees. Judging by their clothes, it was a Hunter Squad.
Leading them was a man with a scar on his face named Pan Xun, a Middle Tier mage. From their talk, they were dividing up each member's share of the profits after selling the Fire Spiritual Seed. Hmph, they've got no shortage of cockiness.
"Spiritual Seeds are a type of heaven-and-earth treasure..." Tang Yue started explaining the basics to me.
"No need. I'm not some empty-headed Mo Fan using theory textbooks as a table prop. I have my own Ice Spiritual Seed," I cut off her impromptu lesson.
"Ahem, you could have said so earlier," she blushed a little.
"In any case, Chao He must be after this seed too—his second element is fire. We can't let him get it, or he'll get even stronger," she led me after the group that had passed ahead.
By the time we reached the spot, Pan Xun's group of eight had run into another group of just four. But from their clothes and smug faces, they were clearly clan members.
"Pan Xun, my Dongfang family has taken a liking to this Spiritual Seed. Take your people and scram!" the leader of the second group tried to bully the hunters with his authority.
"Dongfang Jun, don't even think about it! If you want to fight, let's fight!" Pan Xun ignored his attempt.
"Shall we hide and let them fight it out? Then we can take the Fire Spiritual Seed from the exhausted winners," I whispered to Tang Yue.
"Why are you so cunning at your young age?" Tang Yue noted with a smile but retreated deeper into the forest with me.
"Don't forget, all harvested resources belong to me by contract," I reminded her with a grin.
"You sly rogue! You knew there was a Spiritual Seed here!" Tang Yue didn't ask; she stated it.
"Of course, why else would I ask for resources if I wasn't planning to take them?" After my question, Tang Yue's face fell a bit.
"Don't worry; compared to Mo Fan, I barely ripped you off," I tried to cheer her up a little. The two groups were still fighting anyway, so we had time to chat.
"I knew you deliberately gave Mo Fan that stardust tool! You knew he had an Evolving Magic Tool and set him up! What did you ask from the poor boy in return?" Tang Yue pitied the guy on one hand but was genuinely curious on the other.
"Nothing much... just his future cultivation time in the Three-Step Tower," I admitted modestly.
"...You're a monster," Tang Yue said blankly. After all, besides some village idiot clueless about theory, no one would trade a month of cultivation with a stardust tool for time in one of the country's best magical sources. Especially since she knew Mo Fan broke the tool right away.
"I just knew you'd help him for sure, Yue-er. By the way, want to sell me his debt?" I asked with a playful smile. Tang Yue demonstratively scooted away from me in response.
The battle didn't last long. Relying on artifacts, the clan members crushed the Hunter Squad, who lacked them, despite the hunters' numerical edge.
"Pan Xun, today I'll give the Hunters Alliance face—get lost!" Dongfang Jun panted heavily as he drove off the other group. They slunk away heads down in silence.
While Dongfang Jun gloated over his victory and discussed with his group what perks he'd give them after absorbing the Fire Spiritual Seed, our old acquaintance took the stage.
"Sorry, but this Spiritual Seed belongs to me, Chao He. As for your perks, I'll let you die quick and painless... well, almost," the killer said, stepping from the tree shadows. He removed his cap, revealing the Magic Tribunal brand on his forehead. It meant anyone bearing it could be killed on sight.
The Dongfang family members paled instantly. They knew this guy. Not only a killer, but a cannibal too. Plenty would rather die than be eaten.
"Actually, I got here before you and prepared a gift," Chao He smirked and activated his pre-set Curse element spell.
"It's the Evil Spider Trap! Run!" Dongfang Jun ordered everyone to scatter and bolted first himself, but black threads already ensnared all four. The evil black spider condensed above them, devouring their spiritual and life forces.
"Damn, it's the Evil Spider Trap! Now I can't save them!" Tang Yue's face went pale. As a Magic Tribunal member, she had to save people, but Curse element skills could only be dispelled by light or spirit elements. She was helpless here.
"I'll save them; you immobilize Chao He," I ordered her and burst from the trees, drawing attention.
While prepping a Middle Tier first-tier Ice element spell, I summoned a light-element dagger from my spiritual world and hurled it at the evil spider.
After the dagger hit, the spider hissed and dispersed, the artifact returning to my spiritual world drained. The spellbound people collapsed unconscious from magical and mental exhaustion.
"Well, well, who's this..." Chao He started his villain monologue, but Tang Yue appeared behind him and pinned his shadow with a Middle Tier Shadow element "Shadow Thorn," stopping him cold.
Seeing that, I unleashed the Middle Tier second-tier Ice element spell "Crushed Bones."
As far as I remembered, Chao He had another Evil Spider Trap prepped nearby, and I couldn't give him time to trigger it. Otherwise, I'd have to burn my light or spirit element, which I didn't want.
An ice chain condensed from the air, empowered by my Spiritual Seed to Middle Tier fourth-tier strength. And that's without mentioning the second tier was reached via star enhancement. Money really is a superpower.
The ice chain wrapped Chao He, shredding his weak artifact armor like paper and flash-freezing his body to the bone, turning him into a dead ice statue.
"I wanted to take him alive..." Tang Yue said reproachfully, staring at Chao He's corpse in shock.
"Yue-er, let me share the secret to good work. Never go all out, and when you do, the bosses praise your 'high productivity' instead of chewing you out. Why take him alive with a deathmark brand? Then they'd hound you about live death row inmates—want that headache?" I asked lazily.
"...With that attitude, they might kick you out of the clan soon," she warned with a sigh. Foolish girl; they kicked me out ages ago.
Suddenly, Tang Yue clutched her stomach and blushed furiously. Her breathing grew heavy, her gaze on me turning odd.
"Something's... wrong... with me," she panted. Clearly, the aphrodisiac Chao He had slipped her earlier was kicking in.
"Yue-er, as it happens, I know a bit about drugs. Your symptoms look like a potent aphrodisiac," I made a sympathetic face.
"Looks like Chao He spotted you in the city after all and poisoned you ahead of time. Scary to think what would've happened if you were alone," I approached and knelt beside her.
"Don't... come closer," Tang Yue swallowed thickly, eyeing me like prey. She feared I'd take advantage.
"Don't worry; I'm not so morally bankrupt I'd exploit your state to get you in bed," I reassured her.
"...But I'm not saintly enough to not use you another way," I grinned slyly. Tang Yue looked at me in fear, wondering what I had in mind.
"See, I'm a very cautious boy with high self-esteem," I pulled a small vial from my spatial ring.
"So I didn't rule out some lady lusting after my body slipping me an aphrodisiac and prepped an antidote." Tang Yue's gaze glued to the vial in my hand.
"...What... do you... want?" she fought the lust to ask.
"Simple: be my sugar mommy," I smiled.
"What!?" she gaped.
"Don't get me wrong; I won't drain you for resources," I hurried to calm her.
"It's just, I found a stash with a couple artifacts and don't want to explain their true origins. So I'll just say my sugar mommy Tang Yue gifted them. Sound good?" I flashed a bright smile.
"...Agreed," Tang Yue gave me a weird look. Other guys would be embarrassed taking handouts from a "sugar mommy," but I want to shout it from the rooftops.
Naive girl; she doesn't know yet that the origins of all my artifacts bought in another world and the resources looted there will be explained as support from my new "sugar mommy."
I'm already curious how her colleagues will eye her once they learn she's blowing hundreds of millions of yuan on her "toy boy."
Wonder what her face will look like when she realizes how badly she got played? A foxy grin crept onto my face. Tang Yue shuddered. Gotta calm down; can't lose my shiny new "sugar mommy."
After she took the antidote, Tang Yue called the tribunal and reported the mission success. She also summoned a healer team for the injured Dongfang family mages.
Then I collected the Fire Spiritual Seed into a special container for later sale, and we parted ways.
Can't wait for our next meeting. Heh-heh.