Chapter 232: Chapter 232

Jiang Ye thought to himself: Well thank you very much, little girl. Your prestige is truly impressive.

Just as he was mentally rolling his eyes, the brat tugged at his sleeve again, mysteriously curling her finger to beckon him closer with a "I've got a big secret to tell you" expression.

With the young miss offering confidential information, Jiang Ye naturally had to oblige. As he bent down to listen, he cursed internally: Bratty sis! Tiny gremlin!

Then the ankle-biter stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear with saccharine innocence:

"I really wanna see big sis slap you flying through the air. That'd be soooo cool and handsome... heehee (#^.^#)"

This little demon? This picture of innocence?!

Malicious inspiration struck Jiang Ye as he roughly ruffled her hair. Before her impending tantrum, he casually unwrapped a lollipop and shoved it into her mouth.

The candy naturally came from Zhang Minghan's personal stash.

The veteran sugar daddy kept them specifically to placate the young miss.

No wonder the guy could live off soft riches.

This profession wasn't just about having a pretty face.

First you needed no shame.

Second you needed dedication—memorizing preferences, understanding temperaments, perfectly pushing all the right buttons.

Zhang Minghan excelled at both, hence his current success. Couldn't that be considered genuine effort?

Jiang Ye almost felt he should study this "effort."

What he didn't realize was—

Despite mimicking Zhang Minghan's remembered behaviors almost perfectly—

Yuan Qiu's sharp instincts had already picked up discrepancies...

The way "Old Zhang" ruffled her hair and force-fed her candy felt different from usual!

Even his reactions to her teasing seemed altered.

The hair ruffling didn't feel affectionate—just malicious payback.

The candy shoving lacked doting warmth, carrying more "shut the hell up" energy.

These nuances differed starkly from the original Zhang Minghan.

The differences were glaringly obvious!

This couldn't just be facial stiffness from wearing disguise masks!

Speaking of disguises...

Yuan Qiu couldn't help suspecting—

Was "Old Zhang" actually someone wearing a disguise mask? Fresh chapters posted on novel(ꜰ)ire.net

However, because her father considered her naive and feared she'd be deceived,

He'd long ago specially prepared her with [Truth-Seeking Eyes] capable of seeing through advanced disguises.

The contact lens-like artifact could be concealed within her eyes.

Not just [Disguise Masks], even higher-grade [Masks of Deceit] couldn't escape its detection.

The moment Zhang Minghan felt "off," she'd already checked with [Truth-Seeking Eyes]—

This was undeniably the real Zhang Minghan.

Even his talent skills remained unchanged!

Besides, any impersonator probably wouldn't dare come here, right?

If combat situations arose later and he couldn't replicate Zhang Minghan's abilities, wouldn't that expose him?

Moreover, Big Sis Lin Ling's power even surpassed her father Yuan Yihong's!

Among both new players and veteran players in this cycle, nobody could possibly deceive Lin Ling's perception.

Considering all this.

She must be... overthinking things?

Logically, everything confirmed this was Zhang Minghan.

But Yuan Qiu was inherently intuitive.

She trusted her uncanny gut feelings more...

Of course, personal belief was one thing.

She couldn't expect others to blindly accept her intuition.

(Her father excepted—unfortunately he wasn't present.)

Without evidence and lacking her father's support,

She couldn't publicly insist her intuition trumped others' logic.

Besides, this "Zhang Minghan" didn't seem malicious toward her.

Worst case, if this imposter followed them back to Doomsday Apartment...

She'd have her father investigate properly.

After careful consideration, Yuan Qiu congratulated herself on being such a clever, discreet child!

With her adaptability and foresight, she'd definitely survive to a drama's finale!

Channeling palace intrigue heroines, she shot "Zhang Minghan" a loaded look:

"Fool! You think your pathetic acting can deceive this mistress?"

"Just wait until I return to the palace—my imperial father will... hmph!"

Jiang Ye naturally noticed the brat's meaningful... facial twitch.

Truly a child. A little candy and she seems even fonder of me :)

This sugar daddy life isn't so hard.

Growing bolder, he pinched her twitching eyelid—

Only for her to jerk away, accidentally yanking her eyelashes.

"Fuck!! What the hell?!" the gremlin hissed through clenched teeth.

Jiang Ye sheepishly withdrew his hand before laughing: "At least they're real lashes..." That'd have been awkward otherwise!

"Hah? Hah your ass!" The tiny tyrant stomped his foot hard enough to nearly steam from the ears.

Jiang Ye just found it amusing—

Who knew the brat had such long lashes?

Looked fake but were genuine.

Chuckling, he reminded: "Sent you the info. Check your messages."

Yuan Qiu glared: Check your ass! You're an ass!

Seriously? This quick to anger?

Or was his face really too stiff, killing the charm?

No reply about Lin Ling's intel.

Reformulating, he asked aloud:

"Any estimate how much longer this assembly will take?"

"I need to pick up masks from Mask Master's Shop later."

Yuan Qiu kept sucking her lollipop in silence, but tilted her chin toward a hunched old woman beside her.

The crone had an extremely peculiar appearance that Zhang Minghan had seen before.

She truly looked elderly—

Gray-white hair, hunched like a dwarf.

Her cane-supported posture suggested a miniature mountain perched on her back.

From afar, she appeared decrepit and frail.

Her skin remained surprisingly smooth, not leathery with age.

Her gray hair maintained healthy luster.

The wrinkles seemed unnatural, more like carved sigils than aging.

Her clear, bright eyes contrasted sharply with typical elderly cloudiness.

The overall effect resembled a young actor in elaborate old-age makeup.

Her movements proved equally spry.

Yuan Qiu usually addressed her as "sis" rather than "granny."

Now receiving the silent cue, the "elder sis" answered Jiang Ye's question in a voice like a fairytale witch:

"The exact gathering size remains unclear, but speculation suggests awaiting one specific individual."

Jiang Ye instinctively adopted respectful terms: "Might you know what purpose this specific person serves?"

The crone felt subtle dissonance too.

Less intuitive than Yuan Qiu, she glanced at the girl for guidance before continuing:

"Presumably to retrieve an artifact from the Abyssal Depths."

This distinctive location wasn't new to Jiang Ye.

Both Wan Xin's guides and Wu Ying's intel confirmed—

That place was forbidden ground for light-aligned players.

But for dark entities? Sacred land!

The Abyssal Depths spanned vast treacherous darkness.

Veterans reported finding numerous resurrection-related artifacts there.

Particularly for Reincarnation Ghost's cycle in Novice Apartment—many materials came from the Depths.

Thus light-aligned reincarnators likely needed Abyssal materials too.

However, the Depths counter light.

Light players couldn't reasonably explore it themselves.

Hence defenders assisting made sense.

Since Lin Ling spearheaded this...

Perhaps the Depths contained crucial materials for her jade flask resurrection.

According to Zhang Minghan's investigations—

The Depths contained one unexplored forbidden zone.

Mainly because it radiated aura that terrified dark entities.

Suspected to be... light energy.

Light signatures in a light-suppressing realm?

Many veterans attempted exploration—most never returned.

The few retreaters cited unbearable light emanations.

Naturally, dark beings feared the zone's implications.

Rumors suggested apartment higher-ups heavily sealed the perimeter.

Even veterans accessing the Depths couldn't approach the forbidden area.

But for defenders? The restriction apparently didn't apply.

Neither light nor dark—

The dual restrictions bypassed them.

Thus defenders could potentially access the zone.

Whether alliance leaders secured permission from apartment authorities remained unclear.

Otherwise breaching the seals might prove difficult.

Zhang Minghan only knew superficial details, unaware of higher-level dealings.

After consideration, he asked:

"Are we targeting the forbidden zone? Did alliance leaders obtain access rights?"

The crone's perpetually drooping eyelids lifted slightly at his query.

Just as she prepared to respond—

An unusual arrival in the Black Ice Domain abruptly drew everyone's attention!