Chapter 133: Forbidden Messengers

The sky gradually brightened.

The fireworks and firecrackers that had been echoing throughout the night seemed to show no signs of stopping. The buzzing cannon sounds reverberated, mixing with the dawn sky.

Creak.

Lin QiYe pushed open the door and walked out of the office. Behind him, the originally tidy "business consultation" hall had turned into a mess, with broken bottles scattered across the floor.

On the two couches meant for guests, Wen QiMo and Wu XiangNan were lying there, looking like dead dogs. Hong Ying was holding the last wine bottle, slouched over the dining table, mumbling in her sleep while giggling foolishly.

Si XiaoNan had gone back to the underground bedroom and fallen straight to sleep, while only Chen MuYe was casually washing dishes in the kitchen.

As for Leng Xuan... he had disappeared before Lin QiYe woke up.

Lin QiYe rubbed his temples. As a newly adult high school student, his tolerance for alcohol seemed pretty good. Even though he had drunk so much with these madmen the night before, he still felt reasonably clear-headed when he woke up.

He stepped outside the office and breathed in the fresh air of the peaceful HePing Bridge street.

Today was the first day of the New Year, and the air seemed to be filled with a festive atmosphere. The distant firecrackers continued to sound off, and as he looked at the street lined with Spring Festival couplets and "Fu" characters, it was clear that the streets were filled with the spirit of the New Year.

Lin QiYe reached behind the door and grabbed a broom, starting to sweep the snow.

As he swept, his brows furrowed slightly.

The training camp's holiday wasn't long. If everything went as planned, tomorrow, the second day of the New Year, would be the last day of the break. But so far, it seemed like the enemies hiding in the dark hadn't made any big moves.

Though he had encountered several attacks, most of them could be resolved with his own strength. But if he said that there wasn't a high-level enemy among the attackers this time, Lin QiYe certainly wouldn't believe it.

Moreover, the mysterious Medusa agent, the "Serpent Woman" of the Ancient God Church, still hadn't shown up.

Had the instructors secretly eliminated them? Or had they all gone to Bai Li Pangpang's place? Or... were they still waiting for the right moment?

He believed that the instructors must have made some moves by now, but he still had no idea what the situation had developed into.

It was clear that Cangnan City had become the eye of the storm, and yet Lin QiYe, as the eye, was living the most peaceful life.

Just as Lin QiYe finished sweeping the last bit of snow and was about to turn back into the house, a buzzing explosion sound came from the distance.

Blending in with the many firecracker sounds, it didn't seem too out of place. Had he not seen the thick smoke rising in the distance with his own eyes, he might have assumed it was just his imagination.

Lin QiYe squinted and looked toward the direction of the smoke.

"That's..."

...

Boom—!

Boom—!!

Boom—!!!

A series of fireballs exploded in the hotel, shattering the old building with its decades-old charm. Amidst the billowing smoke, three figures leapt down from the second-floor windows.

Two figures landed steadily on the ground, but only one small chubby figure tumbled awkwardly, landing with a thud before bouncing up, rubbing his behind and hopping away.

"You two... you two don't need to run so fast, wait for me!" Bai Li Pangpang called out loudly, a faint drunken flush on his face.

Shen QingZhu furrowed his brows and stretched out his hand to grip the air, instantly vacuuming the air from the second floor of the hotel. The burning flames vanished in an instant.

He then pointed his finger, and the compressed air bullet flicked away the shards of glass and other debris, ensuring Bai Li Pangpang's safety.

Cao Yuan gritted his teeth, threw Bai Li Pangpang over his shoulder, and trudged towards the other end of the alley.

"I told you last night to drink less. Now the enemies are here, and you're still drunk!" Cao Yuan said coldly.

Bai Li Pangpang burped, then chuckled. "My two loyal servants need not worry. I told you, my bodyguards have always been protecting me secretly. Nothing will happen... nothing at all... hiccup!"

As soon as Bai Li Pangpang finished speaking, four figures dashed out of the hotel, soaring through the sky and landing in front of Cao Yuan and the others.

Cao Yuan's footsteps abruptly halted, and he stopped where he was while carrying Bai Li Pangpang. His other hand reached for a black box, his expression serious.

Shen QingZhu remained silent as he walked in front of Bai Li Pangpang, his fingers conjuring a swirling wind. His eyes were as cold as an iceberg.

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Amidst this suffocating tension, Bai Li Pangpang burped again, smiling mischievously, and waved at the four figures in front of him.

"Hey~~"

"Earth, Fire, Wind, Water — Four Forbidden Messengers, greetings, Young Master!"

The four figures, exuding killing intent, suddenly knelt on one knee before Bai Li Pangpang and saluted respectfully.

Cao Yuan: ...

Shen QingZhu: ...

"Please rise, my loyal servants," Bai Li Pangpang said, hopping off Cao Yuan's back and patting the two men's shoulders. "Let me introduce, these are my Bai Li family's Four Great Forbidden Messengers, my personal bodyguard squad."

"Forbidden Messengers?" Shen QingZhu raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

"Some high-risk Forbidden Objects can't be used by just anyone," Bai Li Pangpang explained while rubbing his behind. "You need to find the right owner to unleash their full potential, and these people are called Forbidden Messengers."

"By the way, this term is mostly used by the Bai Li family because only our family has so many high-risk Forbidden Objects..."

Bai Li Pangpang continued, "Each of these Forbidden Messengers has peak-level power in the Chuan realm, and together they can fight against the Sea realm!

That's why I said we are perfectly safe..."

Bai Li Pangpang's words had barely finished when the leader of the Forbidden Messengers, the Fire Messenger, stepped forward, holding three heads in his hands. These were the three "Chuan" realm experts who had just attacked the hotel.

"Young Master, the enemies have all been eliminated. Please rest assured. Furthermore, as per your orders, we've already secured the entire hotel in advance, so no one was harmed."

"Good. Well done."

Bai Li Pangpang nodded slightly, adopting the posture of a rich young master.

At that moment, the Wind Messenger seemed to sense something. His brows furrowed, and he took a step forward.

"Young Master, there are still enemies approaching nearby. Please stay here while we go take care of it."

"Go ahead. Go ahead." Bai Li Pangpang waved his hand casually.

Whoosh—!

The four Forbidden Messengers disappeared instantly, leaving only the three of them standing in the now empty alley.

After a long pause, Cao Yuan murmured, "So this is what real money can buy..."

Shen QingZhu finally came back to his senses, turning to Bai Li Pangpang and speaking with a tone full of disbelief, "So... what do you need me for?"

Bai Li Pangpang pondered for a moment before replying,

"To complete the trio for a game of poker?"