“I knew it.”
After hearing Yan Qi’s answer and finally understanding what that strange green liquid had been, Yan Yu’s face lit up with realization. Quietly, she thought to herself: So that’s what it was.
Snapping back to the present, she looked at Yan Qi with gratitude.
“Thank you, Yao’er—for stopping that abyssal beast and for healing me with your powers. If you hadn’t, I’d be in serious trouble right now.”
“It’s nothing, Sis. I just did what I had to.”
Yan Qi scratched her head sheepishly, her fox tail swaying behind her.
Remembering Wen Ning—still restrained by her doppelganger—she quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, Sis, now that the abyssal beast’s dealt with, we should hurry over to Daoyan. That Plague Lord bishop who tried to escape from you earlier is with her now.”
“He’s with Daoyan? Got it. Let’s go.”
Realizing that Wen Ning—the bishop who had resorted to desperate measures to flee—was now under the control of Yan Qi’s doppelganger, Yan Yu immediately agreed.
The two of them quickly made their way to where the Daoist Empress stood.
Glancing down at Wen Ning—now too weak to even stand, let alone pose a threat—Yan Yu recalled Yan Qi’s earlier words through the doppelganger and asked with concern:
“Daoyan, how are you holding up?”
Recognizing her sister’s worry, Yan Qi answered through the doppelganger:
“I’m doing better. At least I’m not as weak as before.”
Yan Yu let out a relieved sigh—but then frowned.
“That’s good… but wait, we were both hit by that green beam. After treatment, I’m fine, but you’re still weak?”
Not letting her doppelganger answer this time, Yan Qi stepped in directly.
“Daoyan was exposed to the beam for much longer than you. Even after my healing, some weakness was unavoidable.”
Yan Yu nodded. “Right, she was hit way earlier than me.”
Seeing her sister accept the explanation, Yan Qi exhaled internally.
“Thank goodness I came up with that excuse. Who knows what she might’ve figured out otherwise.”
Before the conversation could linger, she directed her doppelganger to speak again.
“Enough about the details. Yan Yu, I’ll go burn that Fleshbloom over there. You call the Anomaly Bureau—tell them we’ve caught a big fish and need them to send someone for extraction.”
“Got it. I’ll call right away.”
With their tasks divided, the two sprang into action.
Yan Qi controlled her doppelganger as it moved toward the distant Fleshbloom, preparing to incinerate it. Meanwhile, Yan Yu—hearing the creature’s dying shrieks—pulled out her phone and dialed the Anomaly Bureau with practiced ease, reporting their situation.
With both her doppelganger and sister occupied, Yan Qi turned her attention to Wen Ning.
“If this guy’s a bishop of the Plague Lord’s cult, he must be carrying something valuable.”
Kneeling beside him, she began rifling through his pockets.
Feeling small hands patting him down, Wen Ning—conscious but powerless—lifted his head weakly.
“Wh-What are you doing?”
Without even glancing at him, Yan Qi kept searching.
“What’s it look like?”
Soon, she pulled out a wallet—and inside, several identification cards.
“A doctor? You’re a surgeon on top of being a cult leader? Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Clicking her tongue at the hypocrisy, she tossed the IDs aside and resumed her search.
Watching his precious credentials being discarded, Wen Ning seethed silently—but in his current state, there was nothing he could do.
After several more minutes of rummaging, Yan Qi’s fingers brushed against something round.
“This feels important.”
Pulling it out, she found herself holding an ornate compass.
Tilting her head, she muttered:
“Huh? What’s this thing for?”
Without bothering to ask Wen Ning, she channeled a trace of supernatural energy into the device.
Instantly, the compass lit up—displaying a map of Ninghang City, dotted with over a dozen small red markers.
Recalling the intel she’d recently provided the Anomaly Bureau about Fleshbloom locations, Yan Qi’s eyes widened.
“No way… This compass tracks Fleshblooms?”
She turned it over in her hands, fascinated.
“I wonder how far its detection range goes…”