On the Ark.

This trip to Longmen was completely different from the last one.

Last time, Lin Ye was with Swire, speeding along the highways of Lungmen in a supercar. This time, however, he was riding Chen's electric scooter, swaggering through the streets of Lungmen. Lin Ye couldn't remember the last time he had ridden an electric scooter, but it certainly wasn't in this lifetime.

Finally, Chen, riding his electric scooter, brought Lin Ye to a Western restaurant that looked quite upscale.

Lin Ye stared blankly at the Western restaurant: "We're having a late-night snack here?"

"Otherwise what?" Chen said impatiently, "Get off the bus."

"Oh, oh, oh." Lin Ye hurriedly got out of the car.

He just felt something was off. In his opinion, Chen should have been treating people to meals at street food stalls like the last time, places that Shi Huaiya frequented. Regardless of their wealth, simply judging from their personalities, Chen didn't seem like someone who cared about atmosphere or extravagance; she valued warmth and convenience more.

"Why are you making that face?" After parking the car, Chen frowned as he looked at Lin Ye's strange expression. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Lin Ye shook his head. "I just think it's a bit strange that we rode our electric scooters to a place like this to eat."

"Strange? What's strange about it? You always tend to overthink things." Chen shook his head. "Never mind, come in with me. I do have something I want to tell you, which is why I chose this place; it's quiet here."

Sure enough...

Lin Ye was also curious about what Chen wanted to see him about, so he followed him inside. The waiter at the restaurant entrance seemed to recognize Chen, and without Chen needing to say anything, he led the way. Walking behind the waiter, Lin Ye couldn't help but ask, "Do you come here often?"

Chen said, "I come occasionally, when we're discussing business."

"This store must be quite expensive, right?"

"Fortunately."

"Didn't you say you're a public official and have no money?"

Chen glanced at Lin Ye and said indifferently, "I don't have money, but Char Siu Cat does."

Lin Ye: "..."

"This restaurant was funded by Chashao Cat's family and is also where the Guard Bureau usually dine together. All the expenses are charged to the Guard Bureau's bill," Chen explained.

Lin Ye laughed: "So you're treating me to dinner on company money."

"How could that be? I can afford to pay this amount myself." Chen's voice was much colder. "I can't bring myself to use public funds to settle private accounts."

Well, I guess you could say that he's truly worthy of being called Commander Chen?

The waiter led Chen and Lin Ye to a quiet private room.

After ordering a few dishes casually, Chen asked the waiter to leave.

Lin Ye wasn't very hungry. He had already eaten quite a bit of street food before getting his haircut, and he was still somewhat full. So he asked directly, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Chen wasn't one to beat around the bush; he simply unfastened the Crimson Sky Sword from his waist and placed it on the table.

“My Chixiao has been having some problems lately,” Chen said slowly. “To be precise, it’s been having some problems ever since you left.”

……

……

Author's Note: I was out all day yesterday and didn't get home until late, so I adjusted my sleep schedule and will resume updates today. As for the book, it's resolved. It wasn't me who resolved it; I had just arrived at the editorial department when the book was taken down from the website. So, that's the end of it, and I don't want to pursue it any further (I'll also delete the images and individual chapters).

Please don't do anything outrageous. Getting that book taken down for rectification is enough to prove I was indeed plagiarized, and that I wasn't deliberately causing trouble or trying to ride on its coattails. After that, that book will have nothing to do with me anymore. Even if it resurfaces, they just need to correct the plagiarized chapters. Please don't do anything illegal like doxxing; that's incredibly stupid. I'm a victim, not a bad person. Let's stop here.

Thank you all for your support.

Chapter 420 It's Pulled Out (3K)

Lin Ye wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt like his professional skills were becoming more and more diverse.

From working as a veterinarian in Chernobog, specializing in artificial tranquilizers and becoming a professional sterilizer, to switching to a psychiatrist after joining Rhodes Island—though technically a psychiatrist, she essentially does the work of a daycare director caring for "children"—not only that, she's occasionally pulled in to act as a diplomat or a combat specialist. In her spare time, she searches for lost people, recruits new operators for Rhodes Island, and eventually even becomes a blood donor for experiments.

Lin Ye felt that Kal'tsit was getting a great deal by only paying him three salaries. He was practically a brick in Rhodes Island's roster, ready to be moved wherever needed. However, he never imagined that this wasn't the limit; he was capable of even more, with nothing he couldn't do.

Seeing Lin Ye's strange expression, Chen frowned slightly in displeasure: "What, you don't want to help me with this?"

“That’s not the issue…” Lin Ye shook his head. “I’m just speechless. Why do they have to come to me with this kind of thing? I’m not some kind of swordsmith.”

Chen crossed his arms and slowly said, "If the swordsmith could solve this, I wouldn't need to come to you. In short, my Crimson Sky Sword started acting strangely after you touched it, and you need to take responsibility for that."

Lin Ye: "..."

Honestly, when a beautiful woman like Chen earnestly tells someone they need to take responsibility, most people would be willing. But Lin Ye didn't know why his script was different from others; the person he was responsible for wasn't a person, but a sword. Looking at the Crimson Sky sword on the table, Lin Ye really didn't know what to say.

However, he couldn't refuse, since he had impulsively touched something in the hospital that day.

"Alright." Lin Ye sighed and picked up Chi Xiao. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Chen said, "It has become more difficult to pull out and more uncontrollable."

"Really?" Lin Ye said casually, "Let me give it a try."

Then grasp the handle of the knife and apply slight force.

Clang.

A clear, crisp sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and the blade of Chixiao was thus exposed to Lin Ye and Chen.

List:"……"

"Isn't it quite easy?" Lin Ye put Chi Xiao away, then pulled it out again, then put it away again, then pulled it out again, repeating this several times without feeling any resistance. "There's no problem."

Chen took a deep breath and said, "Let me try."

Lin Ye nodded and handed the Crimson Blade back. Chen, after receiving it, had a serious expression, as if facing a formidable enemy. Lin Ye wanted to ask if it was really necessary. Wasn't the blade easy to pull out? However, he felt that if he actually asked, Chen would most likely hold a grudge, so he obediently kept quiet.

Chen placed his hand on the hilt of the knife and then slowly applied force.

However, Chixiao wasn't pulled out as easily as Lin Ye had done earlier. Under Lin Ye's gaze, the blade of Chixiao trembled slightly, as if resisting Chen. No matter how hard Chen exerted himself, it refused to be pulled out. Finally, after trying for about ten seconds, Chen still couldn't pull Chixiao out and had to give up.

"Is it really impossible to pull it out?" Lin Ye couldn't help but ask.

Chen shook his head: "I didn't use my full strength. If I had, I could have extracted it, but then the Crimson Sky would have been much harder to control. I don't want to destroy everything in this shop, so I'll just show it to you. As you can see, the Crimson Sky is somewhat... resistant to me now. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel that if it has a soul, it is indeed resisting me."

Although Chen tried her best to hide it, Lin Ye still saw a trace of loneliness in Chen's eyes. Thinking about it, it was understandable. After all, Chen valued Chi Xiao highly, yet the thing she valued rejected her; anyone would feel hurt. Especially after meeting Lin Ye, Chi Xiao was something almost no one but her could draw, so Chen believed she was the one chosen by Chi Xiao, and the obstacles she encountered when drawing the sword were merely tests from Chi Xiao. It wasn't until she saw Lin Ye sitting opposite her drawing and sheathing the sword as if it were child's play that she realized the tests were nothing but a deception.

"Who exactly are you?" Chen couldn't help but ask. "Why is Chixiao willing to accept you?"

"Well... I don't really know how to answer this question now that you've suddenly asked me," Lin Ye said with a wry smile. "You probably won't find any answers from me, because even I don't know what I am. Let's talk about you instead. Who gave you the Crimson Cloud?"

Chen was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I can't say."

“See, everyone has things they can’t talk about,” Lin Ye said. “Then we should focus on solving the problem.”

Chen looked up at Lin Ye: "Do you know how to solve this?"

Lin Ye thought, "How could I possibly know? I've treated cats, dogs, and people in my entire life, but this is the first time I've ever treated a sword. I don't even know the procedure. Should I take its pulse first?"

Even if you don't know, you have to pretend you do: "Could it be that you've done something recently that has offended Chi Xiao?"

Chen's lips twitched slightly: "Why do I feel like you're mediating between a couple having a fight?"

"Really? That's just your imagination."

"How could it be a misperception? Mediation of marital conflicts is part of the Royal Guard's job!" Chen said through gritted teeth. "Besides, if I had to say, my Crimson Blade started acting strangely after you touched it!"

Lin Ye: "..."

Wait a minute, according to this analogy, wouldn't he be the third party who destroys someone else's happy family? That doesn't make sense.

Lin Ye coughed twice quickly, skipping the topic: "Let me take another look at the knife."

Chen handed Chixiao to Lin Ye again, but Lin Ye still didn't know what to do. Even if Chixiao really had a soul, it couldn't speak. How could they communicate if it couldn't speak? He couldn't possibly enter Chixiao's dream, could he? That idea was even more absurd!

After fiddling with it for a while, Chixiao, which had resisted so fiercely in Chen's hands, showed no reaction at all, making Lin Ye even more clueless. After struggling for a long time, he could only try to grasp the blade and then point the hilt towards Chen: "Try it."

"what?"

"Draw your sword," Lin Ye said. "I'll hold the hilt, and you draw it."

Chen frowned, feeling that something was off about this method, but she had no better options at the moment, so she reluctantly reached out and gripped the hilt of the Crimson Sky Blade again. Then, Lin Ye and Chen simultaneously felt the blade tremble, though the tremor was much less intense than before.

There is a play!

Lin Ye was overjoyed.

However, reality slapped him in the face again. When Chen tried to draw his sword, Chi Xiao reacted even more strongly, and she still couldn't pull the sword out.

"It's no use."

Chen Song released his hand, looking somewhat dejected, and at that very moment, Chi Xiao also regained his "calm".

This put Lin Ye in a difficult position. He then tried having Chen hold the blade while he drew the sword. This time, the result was completely different; Lin Ye easily drew the Crimson Sky Sword.

"It seems the key lies in the blade, not the scabbard." Lin Ye came to this conclusion, then looked at Chen's hand, then at his own, and suddenly an idea popped into his head, "We can try this."

Exhausted and heartbroken from Chi Xiao's torment, Chen looked up at Lin Ye and asked, "What?"

Lin Ye sheathed Chixiao again and handed it to Chen: "Try again, draw your sword."

Chen frowned: "I've tried it several times already."

"The outcome this time might be different." Lin Ye coughed twice. "Of course, I said 'might,' not 'guaranteed.'"

Chen had no idea what Lin Ye was up to, but she decided to give it a try. She tried it many times every day, even though the feedback was always the same.

And this time, the result was exactly as she had expected. Chi Xiao still refused to be easily pulled out. The more force she used, the stronger Chi Xiao's resistance became. This made Chen, whose patience was already running out, even angrier. She wanted to pull Chi Xiao out at all costs, even if it was uncontrollable, she didn't want to continue like this.

However, at that moment, Lin Ye, who was sitting opposite Chen, suddenly stood up. Before Chen could react, Lin Ye reached out and gently placed his hand on the back of Chen's hand.

Chen was stunned.

She was completely taken aback by Lin Ye's audacity. Just as she was about to shout angrily, she looked up and saw Lin Ye gesturing for her to be quiet, then gesturing for her to look down. She paused, then suddenly realized something, and immediately lowered her head, finding that the Crimson Cloud sword in her hand had suddenly "quieted down."

"Give it a try," Lin Ye said to her. "Push your strength."

Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the tension in his heart, and then slowly exerted his strength.

Then something unexpected happened.

Despite resisting her countless times, the Crimson Sky Blade was quietly pulled out a small section. As the blade left its sheath, and the light from above reflected Chen's astonished face, Lin Ye released her grip.

"Is this alright?" Lin Ye asked Chen. "Don't stop. Try to pull the knife out completely."

Without Lin Ye's prompting, Chen knew what to do. Lin Ye had already released his grip, and Chi Xiao was now solely in her hand, showing no resistance whatsoever. She then exerted her strength again, slowly, bit by bit, pulling Chi Xiao out. She didn't even dare to blink until Chi Xiao was completely removed.

Looking at the complete Crimson Sky in his hand, Chen was at a loss for words.

Lin Ye smiled and said, "Congratulations, you succeeded."