Thank you.
Cheng Xiao smiled and reached out, rubbing Ye Xin Xia's hair.
The latter's cheeks were visibly red, like a shy little girl who had received approval from her neighbor's older brother, very cute.
"I, I heard Mo Fan Gege say that Cheng Xiao Gege also joined the cleanup mission. If Cheng Xiao Gege is injured, you must come find me immediately."
The blush on Ye Xin Xia's face hadn't faded yet, but her tone was very serious.
"I know, Xin Xia is a beloved Healing Mage. If I were really injured, the first person I'd think of would definitely be Xin Xia," Cheng Xiao replied with a smile.
"Eh? How did Cheng Xiao Gege know that I'm a Healing Mage?" Ye Xin Xia asked back, puzzled.
Huh? I didn't know? Cheng Xiao's smile remained, and he lied without batting an eye:
"Of course, it's because I've always been paying attention to Xin Xia."
Hearing this, Ye Xin Xia was startled at first, then subconsciously lowered her head, her beautiful eyes darting around in a panic.
Cheng Xiao Gege had actually been paying attention to her all along.
It was no wonder that Cheng Xiao Gege could find her and save her immediately during the disaster.
When she was little, Cheng Xiao Gege also took good care of her. This feeling, it turned out, had always been buried in Cheng Xiao's heart.
But saying something like this in the current situation, isn't it a bit against the rules?
This should be considered a blatant confession, right?
"Cheng Xiao Gege, actually, I also..."
"Alright, it's getting late. Go rest quickly. The cleanup mission will begin early tomorrow morning."
Cheng Xiao didn't hear Ye Xin Xia's voice, which was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. He raised his hand and rubbed her hair.
Ye Xin Xia nodded blankly, then was pushed away by Cheng Xiao.
"So Cheng Xiao Gege didn't mean that?"
Only then did she understand that she had overthought things.
But she felt a strange sense of loss, as if something was missing in her heart.
"Cheng Xiao Gege, whether you're injured tomorrow or not, you must come find me after returning to the Safe Zone, okay?"
Before parting, Ye Xin Xia's beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation as she asked this question.
"Okay."
Cheng Xiao readily agreed to this small request.
Hearing the answer, Ye Xin Xia's face again wore a sweet smile.
Late at night.
Safe Zone barrier.
By the bonfire.
"King, that girl likes you," Yegret said without hesitation.
Yegret's tall figure didn't appear; his voice came from the shadows, directly echoing in Cheng Xiao's mind.
"I couldn't tell, Yegret, you're quite gossipy," Cheng Xiao said with a laugh.
Yegret gave two awkward dry coughs. Liking gossip was a trait shared by many beings, and even the Corps Commander of the Shadow Soldiers was no exception.
"It is my duty to share the King's worries," Yegret found an excuse for himself.
"It's normal for a young girl to have her first crush, but now is not the time to waste time on such things. We must first clear out the demons in Bo City before talking about love," Cheng Xiao said.
To say that he wasn't moved by such a beautiful younger sister like Ye Xin Xia was impossible.
Ye Xin Xia's small actions naturally didn't escape his eyes.
But he knew what he should and shouldn't do at the moment.
"The King is wise," Yegret said sincerely.
...
The next morning.
Dawn, representing the light of hope, pierced through the muddy and bloody earth.
Many Skyhawk Mage Corps transferred from the military also descended upon Bo City!
The main purpose of the Skyhawk Mage Corps was to kill the War General Level creatures within Bo City.
As for the Servant-level ones, they were led by the Bo City Military Mages and the Bo City Mage Corps to carry out the cleanup.
Mages who joined this cleanup, aside from official personnel, would receive a large and generous commission.
Cheng Xiao and Mo Fan, who had just broken through to Middle-Rank not long ago, both joined this cleanup mission.
The mission to clear out the demons in the city lasted for a full week.
Residential areas, streets, sewers, and underground tunnels were hunted repeatedly, finally being completely cleared.
Cheng Xiao stood in the city that had turned into ruins, seeing only desolation everywhere he looked.
Only after confirming that all the demons in the city were eliminated did Cheng Xiao feel relieved enough to let the Shadow Legion return to the shadows.
The seven-day battle was a great harvest.
The sixteen Shadow Magic Wolves of the Shadow Legion, and even the three Giant-Eyed Blood Rats, had all broken through to the Servant-level Advanced Stage!
Coupled with Yegret, this incredibly powerful Corps Commander, even War General Level creatures could be easily killed by the Shadow Legion.
Cheng Xiao's own cultivation didn't break through, but his physique improved significantly.
Just relying on the strength of his physical body, Cheng Xiao could beat a One-Eyed Magic Wolf to death.
This allowed Cheng Xiao to experience the aesthetics of power, a complete human-shaped body cultivation demon!
In addition, quite a few Essence Souls and Remnant Souls were collected, hundreds in total!
Among them were two War General Level Essence Souls and fifteen Servant-level Essence Souls!
This amount of resources was enough to buy a high-quality Galaxy Vein.
Although Cheng Xiao was only a Novice Mage now, with enough resources and strength to support him, it was not difficult to improve his cultivation.
"Brother Cheng Xiao, so you're here," Xu Dahuang walked over with large strides.
"Is something wrong?" Cheng Xiao asked.
"Nothing major, just that Boss Zhan Kong said to find him once you return to the Safe Zone," Xu Dahuang said.
"Okay, got it."
...
Returning to the Safe Zone with the cleanup team, Cheng Xiao immediately found Zhan Kong.
"Brother Cheng Xiao, come, come, quickly sit down."
Zhan Kong invited him very enthusiastically, not minding Cheng Xiao's blood-covered state.
"Commander, just say what you need to say," Cheng Xiao said.
"What Commander, calling me so formally," Zhan Kong complained, then continued:
"For this cleanup mission, if it weren't for Brother Cheng Xiao, our army wouldn't have been so smooth. I wonder if Brother Cheng Xiao is interested in joining our Military Mages.
"In terms of treatment, we can definitely give Brother Cheng Xiao the best. With your ability, you will surely make a name for yourself in the military!"
Cheng Xiao's background was very clean, which reassured Zhan Kong.
As for Cheng Xiao's Undead Element, it was explained away as Self-Awakening and innate talent.
Regarding this, Zhan Kong knew how talented Self-Awakened Mages were, so he had the idea of bringing Cheng Xiao into the military a long time ago.
So he wanted to recruit me.
Cheng Xiao shook his head, refusing the olive branch offered by Zhan Kong:
"Sorry, I don't have plans to join the Military Mages for now. I already have plans for my future arrangements."
Zhan Kong invited him repeatedly, but Cheng Xiao refused each time.
This inevitably made Zhan Kong feel regretful, but he couldn't force others.
After going back and forth and finally being rejected, Zhan Kong completely gave up.
Zhan Kong took out two Mage Badges and several Mage certificates, handing them to Cheng Xiao and saying:
"Your Hunter points settlement after the cleanup mission is complete. Congratulations, you have become a High-Level Hunter!
"These two are your Mage Badges as a Necromancer and a High-Level Hunter, and the commission for the cleanup mission has also been deposited into your Hunter account.