Chapter 224 - 177: You Call Him a Danger and a Hidden Threat, Is That Fair to Him?

’In those memories, Yan Chen had never appeared. He wasn’t one of her Contractors. But why was everything different now?’

’What exactly had gone wrong?’

Feng Qianyan was completely baffled.

Yan Chen wasn’t the least bit surprised that the man knew his identity.

He lacked the aura of the Human Clan. No matter how well he disguised himself, he could only fool Beastmen whose Cultivation was lower than his.

This Phoenix’s Realm was a sliver higher than his own, so deceiving him was impossible.

’But it didn’t matter. Jiang Yunnuan had known my identity from the very beginning.’

’She accepted me, perhaps because of that ’conquest’ mission of hers, perhaps because she liked me, at least a little, or perhaps because my Cultivation was powerful enough.’

’In any case, whatever the reason, she would never hold my identity as a Mutant against me.’

’As for what anyone else thought of me after learning my identity... I couldn’t care less.’

As the two were lost in thought, Jiang Yunnuan’s voice suddenly rang in their ears.

She frowned at Feng Qianyan, her voice laced with exasperation.

"Sigh. Didn’t you and Yan Chen just fight yesterday? Why do you want to go at it again? Don’t you ever get tired?"

’Why do these guys love fighting so much?’

’The point is, even when they fight, it’s always a draw. I really don’t get it. What’s the purpose, aside from wasting energy?’

"So, you’ve known all along that he’s a Mutant Creature?"

Feng Qianyan frowned at her. Flames danced in his crimson pupils, which burned with rage and accusation.

Jiang Yunnuan was taken aback. She didn’t understand his question or why he was so furious, but she nodded anyway.

"Yeah, I’ve known the whole time."

"You knew, and you still formed a contract with him?"

Feng Qianyan found it unbelievable.

’The Human Clan either exterminates Mutant Creatures or gives them a wide berth. How could she actively choose to align herself with one?’

"Why couldn’t I form a contract with him? I like him, and he likes me. Isn’t it perfectly natural for us to be together?"

’Why is he reacting this way to Yan Chen’s identity?’

’Could it be that some law in the Empire forbids forming a contract with a Mutant Creature?’

Jiang Yunnuan frowned, searching her memory for the relevant laws, but she couldn’t recall a single one that explicitly forbade it.

’So what on earth is he so angry about?’

"Why? Hah. ’Those not of our kind are sure to have a different heart.’ Don’t you understand that?"

Feng Qianyan sneered. He’d never been this angry before.

Although, even he wasn’t sure if his anger was for the public good or for personal reasons.

"Mutant Creatures have no Human Clan genes and not a shred of humanity. They are extremely unstable beings."

"Do you know how many of them the Alliance has to hunt down each year to prevent them from maturing and threatening the safety of the Human Clan?"

"I wonder how this one managed to escape the Alliance’s hunts and reach such a stage."

"The Human Clan and Mutant Creatures cannot coexist. You’re a member of the Human Clan, so how could you form a contract with a Mutant Creature, let alone bring him into a human living area?"

"Don’t you know that by doing this, you’ve created an enormous danger, a hidden threat to the entire Human Clan?"

Every word he spoke was righteous and severe, as if he were a god defending justice on earth.

But Yan Chen simply stood there with his lips pressed thin, not saying a word in his own defense or rebuttal.

Her heart ached seeing him like this.

She had personally hunted many low-level Mutant Creatures, so she was well aware that the Alliance and the Empire issued countless missions to hunt them every day.

Every day, the Crystal Cores of innumerable Mutant Creatures were dug out.

’When his Cultivation was low, he must have faced such hunts constantly, right?’

’Only he could know the bitterness and hardship he must have endured to reach his current level of power.’

’But since he came to Central City with me, he hasn’t hurt a single person aside from Fu Yuan.’

’Even when Jun Yao and I first encountered him in the Mist Forest and offended him, he never tried to retaliate.’

’Later, when I stumbled into his Domain by mistake, he had no intention of killing me whatsoever.’

’And now, with Feng Qianyan saying all this, he doesn’t offer a single word of defense.’

"That’s enough! The Human Clan and Mutant Creatures may be enemies, but so what? Yan Chen has the Cultivation of an Ultimate Venerable Peak. He’s practically a god!"

"He’s like you. You’ve both transcended the category of ’human.’ Can you please stop comparing him to ordinary Mutant Creatures?"

"He hasn’t killed a single person since I’ve known him, nor has he caused any trouble for the Human Clan. Do you think it’s fair to call him a danger and a hidden threat?"

"If you ask me, I think it’s more likely he’ll become a guardian of the Human Clan."

"Your power could threaten the entire Human Clan. Why don’t you call yourself a danger and a threat?"

"What about the countless wanted criminals, exiles, and bandit gangs? Are they all Mutant Creatures?"

Jiang Yunnuan was furious.

’You can’t choose who you are when you’re born. Everything Yan Chen has, he earned through his own hard work. And yet Feng Qianyan is prejudiced against him simply because of his identity.’

’Is every single member of the Human Clan a good person? Are there no bad ones?’

’What century are we in? Still judging people based on their race.’

"If you came here today just to say all this, then I’m sorry, but I don’t want to hear it. You can stop talking now."

"You... you’re utterly incorrigible..."

Feng Qianyan was so angry he trembled. His fiery-red hair whipped about, and his entire body seemed to be on the verge of erupting in flames.

Not to be outdone, Jiang Yunnuan scoffed and said, "The way I see it, you’re the one who can’t tell right from wrong and is being completely unreasonable."

"You..."

This made Feng Qianyan even angrier. No one had ever dared to speak to him like that before.

’This woman. She’s taking advantage of my inexplicable tolerance for her to treat me with such disrespect. How infuriating!’

Jiang Yunnuan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore.

There was no getting through to someone so paranoid and pig-headed. She turned her head to look at Yan Chen.

"He’s saying all that about you, and you’re not going to talk back? Since when did you become a mute?"

Hearing this, Yan Chen raised an eyebrow. A captivating smile appeared in his moon-cool eyes, and he reached out to gently pat her head.

"I have you here to protect me, don’t I? You defended me so well, why would I need to waste my breath?"

He wasn’t afraid of any slander.

Although he was sure she wouldn’t abandon him because of this, he couldn’t help but want to see if a few words from someone else would create a rift between them or cause her to reject him.

The result was very satisfying.

She had stood firmly on his side and spoken out to defend him. After hearing her words, he felt it was all worth it.

"My protecting you is one thing, but you can’t let yourself get pushed around. In the future, if anyone speaks ill of you, beat them to death if you can win. If you can’t, then curse them out. Got it?"

"Mm, I understand."

Yan Chen’s lips curled as he responded in an excellent mood. Beside them, Feng Qianyan’s face was as black as soot.

’He had a nagging feeling she’d said that specifically for him to hear.’