Bai Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Lead the way."
The other party's words were somewhat circuitous, but Bai Ye interpreted them as the other party not particularly wanting to see him, yet willing to meet if Bai Ye insisted.
What else was there to consider?
Of course, he had to meet!
It was like walking down the street and someone suddenly ran out to stuff ten thousand yuan into your hand, then told you: "Take it, it's for you to spend. You don't need to give anything in return, I'm not after your body, nor do I want to harvest your organs."
Could you believe that?
Anyone with even a modicum of intelligence wouldn't immediately cheer and celebrate their windfall. Instead, they would ponder the other party's ulterior motives.
The woman nodded and directly extended her hand, "Please follow me."
The woman led the way, quickly guiding Bai Ye into a teahouse and then into a private room.
"Mr. Bai, please wait a moment."
The private room was empty. After nodding, Bai Ye sat down on the sofa. Watching the woman close the door, Bai Ye leaned back into the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.
Who would be looking for him?
Gao Ming?
That was unlikely. If Gao Ming wanted to support him, he would have done so directly. Gao Ming knew he was coming to the Beast Taming Area and also knew he was going out to sea.
Besides, Gao Ming was an old acquaintance; there was no need for such mystery.
Someone from the Hidden Dragon Society?
That was possible, but Bai Ye quickly dismissed it.
Xue Cheng had tried to recruit Bai Ye. Bai Ye felt it was normal for his skills to be sought after. The problem was that he had killed Xue Cheng.
He had also killed all the members of the Hidden Dragon Society who were with Xue Cheng, leaving no survivors.
In other words, the Hidden Dragon Society should have received news of their failure in the virtual game's restricted zone, but since all of Xue Cheng's men were dead, the Hidden Dragon Society shouldn't have known about Bai Ye's existence.
At most, they would only know that a powerful individual from the Evil Spirit Group had killed all their people. They might not even know what Bai Ye looked like.
They wouldn't know how strong Bai Ye was, only that he was capable of defeating Xue Cheng and Wang Ling.
If that was the case, how could they possibly find Bai Ye?
But besides these two factions, who else would be looking for Bai Ye?
Yimi?
That guy was a possibility. Bai Ye wondered how Yimi was doing within the Hidden Dragon Society.
Bai Ye was quite looking forward to Yimi proving useful as a pawn.
At this moment, the door was opened, and Bai Ye heard the clinking of porcelain.
Bai Ye didn't pay much attention, assuming it was a server bringing tea utensils, and continued his thoughts.
However, Bai Ye soon realized that the person had no intention of leaving the room. They directly began washing tea bowls, boiling water, and preparing to brew tea.
Bai Ye couldn't help but sit up, bringing his head down from its tilted position.
"Hm?"
It was a woman, but not dressed as a server. She was wearing a red robe and kneeling by his feet, arranging the tea utensils on the coffee table.
Then, as if sensing Bai Ye's gaze, the woman slowly turned her head.
A very beautiful face, incredibly beautiful.
She had a pure aura, with delicate and small features, yet her eyes held a captivating charm.
Was this the legendary "pure and seductive"?
Among the women Bai Ye knew, only one seemed to fit this description, and only one could be this beautiful.
Bai Ye looked at Hua Zhixiao and said, "I really didn't expect it to be you."
Hua Zhixiao picked up the teapot and poured Bai Ye some tea, smiling, "Thanks to you, I was able to leave the Flower Street."
Bai Ye said, "It seems it wasn't just about leaving Flower Street."
Hua Zhixiao said, "There are some unfortunate sisters in Flower Street. Since I can help them, I will. And they can also help me."
Bai Ye nodded and said, "So, the reason you're appearing before me now is that you feel you have something to repay me with besides your body?"
"No, I wouldn't dare." Hua Zhixiao hesitated for a moment, "Perhaps I can help a little."
Bai Ye asked, "Do you think I need a little help?"
Hua Zhixiao replied, "Then what do you need?"
Bai Ye picked up his teacup and said, "The Hidden Dragon Society and the Evil Spirit Group."
Hua Zhixiao paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I understand what you mean."
Huh?
What do you understand?
Bai Ye had blurted out his words after Hua Zhixiao asked what he needed, recalling the escalating conflict between the Hidden Dragon Society and the Evil Spirit Group and wondering when a war might break out.
So, Bai Ye himself didn't know what he meant by his statement. What did she understand?
But Hua Zhixiao looked very demure, neither pressing for details nor offering an explanation, leaving Bai Ye unsure how to ask.
Hua Zhixiao asked, "Are you going out to sea?"
Bai Ye nodded, "Yes. Are you familiar with the maritime areas?"
"A little," Hua Zhixiao replied. "I've been in this area recently, and more than half of the dangerous zones and restricted areas in this region are at sea.
"Moreover, I have some people at my disposal now, so I generally know what's happening in this area."
"Oh?" Bai Ye asked, "Was the Hidden Dragon Society always capturing beasts here?"
Hua Zhixiao said, "Are you asking about Liu Shiyue? He was indeed here some time ago, but he left about ten days ago. He left by sea, passing through the Sand Kingdom, and entered a region with anomalous abilities, heading towards Impel Down.
"If things go as expected, Liu Shiyue will likely lead a jailbreak to rescue a native pirate named Ace from the Impel Down prison. However, Ace isn't with the pirates; he's with the Navy, or he might have people on both sides.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Shiyue's target is a Devil Fruit called the Mera Mera no Mi. The so-called Devil Fruits are produced in a region with anomalous abilities. The Mera Mera no Mi is a very high-grade Devil Fruit, reaching golden quality.
"But this might just be the minimum objective. The pirate named Ace belongs to the Whitebeard Pirates. Whitebeard is the captain of one of the four major pirate groups in that area, and his Gura Gura no Mi is even more powerful."
"Of course, if Liu Shiyue has people on both sides, he might also be after the Devil Fruits of the Navy's three admirals. The Pika Pika no Mi, the Magu Magu no Mi, and the Hie Hie no Mi are also extremely powerful Devil Fruits..."
As Hua Zhixiao spoke, she suddenly became shy, a blush appearing on her face, and she involuntarily lowered her head.
"What are you looking at?"
"Looking at you!"
Hua Zhixiao, perhaps misunderstanding Bai Ye's words, blushed even more.
Of course, Bai Ye was indeed looking at Hua Zhixiao.
This woman...
She truly surprised Bai Ye!
Even Gao Ming didn't know the details that Hua Zhixiao was providing.
Gao Ming's side was only focused on watching Liu Shiyue, completely unaware of the specifics.
For a moment, a thought flashed through Bai Ye's mind: As expected of the madam of Flower Street.
...