"Captain Lin Ling!"

"Captain Lin Ling."

The crowd parted to make way, and Lin Ling walked up to Fang Yue, holding a small wooden box in his hands.

"Here."

With a light toss, the small wooden box landed in Fang Yue's hands.

"What is it?" Fang Yue weighed it in his hand; it wasn't heavy at all.

"Qing Si sent it over. Inside is the official captain's proof of identity, and some other things. Take your time to look through it."

Only then did Fang Yue notice that his name was engraved on the box: Nightless Dawn.

The artisans responsible for repairing the earth's core, in cooperation with the villagers, were unloading the stone materials, along with a pile of supplies. The entire Gu Yue Village was a hive of activity.

With Lin Ling around, Fang Yue didn't need to direct such trivial matters, which was a rare moment of relaxation.

The other two items in the small wooden box were just a wooden identity tag, the material of which felt very comfortable to the touch. According to Lin Ling, it was resistant to high and low temperatures, and wouldn't be easily damaged, so he could just keep it on his person.

The last item was a document issued by the Qing Si County's Qing Si, officially appointing Fang Yue as the captain of Gu Yue Village, effective immediately.

It also stated that he had to report to Qing Si once a year, but it didn't specify a specific time, so he could probably go anytime within the year.

"Don't just keep looking at that. Tell me what happened along the way. The escort team is clearly missing a lot of people. Did they stay in Mo Village, or did they die on the road..."

Lin Ling said it as if it were an afterthought, but the corner of his eye was constantly observing Fang Yue.

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but did Fang Yue's aura seem stronger after this trip?

No, no, that's impossible. How could he have broken through again in just over ten days? It must be his imagination!

"My experiences along the way are rather complicated. We can talk about it in detail later. First, call up the guard team; we're going to arrest someone."

Fang Yue looked across the busy scene, toward the depths of Gu Yue Village.

The blacksmith Ma's smithy was in that direction.

Other matters, Fang Yue could talk about later.

But arresting the blacksmith Ma was of utmost importance.

"Arrest someone? Arrest who… Ah, Hua Wuye's here. She was on night duty last night and slept like the dead. I barely managed to wake her up, and she spent quite a while washing up and getting ready, so she's only arriving now. You don't know, in the days you were gone, she and I took turns doing the day and night shifts. We had to be on duty every day; it was so tiring. Lord Han has also been in seclusion the whole time. He hasn't come out since you left the village."

Lin Ling complained from the side.

In the distance, Fang Yue could already see Hua Wuye's figure rushing toward them.

Fang Yue waved at her, and she quickly caught up to the two of them.

The three captains of Gu Yue Village had finally reunited.

"Vice Captain Ye… no, Captain Ye, welcome back to the village!"

Unlike Lin Ling's somewhat cocky attitude, Hua Wuye's tone was much more sincere.

After all, Fang Yue was the one who helped her find the real culprit behind the extermination of her family.

After a brief reunion, Hua Wuye tiptoed and scanned the team, then her face showed disappointment.

"Hua Qiuqiu… none of the Hua family members from Mo Village came to Gu Yue Village with you?"

Fang Yue was stunned, feeling somewhat baffled by Hua Wuye's question.

He didn't know what exactly Hua Wuye had written in that letter, but judging from this, it seemed like the Hua family from Mo Village should have sent someone to return to the village with him?

Seeing Fang Yue's reaction, Hua Wuye's expression dimmed slightly: "…It's nothing. It's fine if they don't come."

Despite her words, Hua Wuye's quietly clenched fist clearly showed that her mood was not calm.

Fang Yue quickly took out the iron box with the carved "Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens" pattern that Hua Qiuqiu had given him and handed it to Hua Wuye.

"What's this?" Hua Wuye was slightly taken aback, but when she clearly saw the shape of the iron box, her pupils suddenly contracted: "How could this thing be with you? Is Hua Qiuqiu dead?"

Fang Yue: ???

How did she jump to that conclusion?

Fang Yue quickly patiently explained the cause and effect in simple terms.

"She… is actually willing to let me keep this thing…" Hua Wuye's expression was dazed, her thoughts seemingly drifting to the distant past.

It wasn't until Fang Yue placed the [Heavy Water Shoes] in front of her that she was stunned.

"What's this again? Did Hua Qiuqiu give it to me too?"

"No, no, no. This is a small gadget I bought in Mo Village. You wear it on your feet, and when you step in the water, it increases the weight and strengthens the training effect. I specially bought it for you."

"Give… it to me? A gift you bought?"

Hua Wuye looked up at Fang Yue, then at Lin Ling, who was expressionless beside her, and scratched her slightly flushed cheeks with her finger: "I, I have someone I like."

"Ah?"

"So I can't accept your gift, thank you!"

"…You misunderstood. You gave me the Wumu fruit before, and I didn't know its value at the time. I found out later, but I didn't have much money, so I bought this thing as a return gift. So don't be polite with me, just take it. It's just a small gadget."