"I'm talking to you! Did you get it!?"

Seeing Qin Ling frozen in shock, Pang Cheng shouted again.

"Huh!?" Qin Ling snapped out of it, his face twisting in disgust as he glared at Pang Cheng. "Damn it! Is that how the mutt treats his savior!? That's heartless—no, wolf-less!"

Pang Cheng watched the furious Qin Ling and sighed. "Don't blame him for being ungrateful. I met that Werewolf at the scene. I subdued him, but your assistant Little Green kept urging me to kill him."

"I know you wanted to bury this, keep it quiet."

"But your approach really wounded him. Him spilling the truth? He owes you nothing for that."

"So..." Qin Ling scanned the small courtyard with weary resignation. "Guess it's my fault after all."

"Obviously," Pang Cheng snapped. "He pledged loyalty to you—a Heaven Tier Peak powerhouse, no less—and you tossed him aside like trash. That he didn't betray you outright is already generous."

"Not betrayal!? Not selling me out!?" Qin Ling gaped at Pang Cheng in disbelief. "If that's not betrayal, I'll gut him myself!"

Pang Cheng just shrugged. "Not my problem. Roast him, steam him, fry him—I don't care. But you'll have to wait until he's released."

"Also," he added sharply, "where did you get that Western Divine Gene? Do you realize how many people are watching you now?"

"Found it!" Qin Ling replied curtly.

Pang Cheng shot him an exasperated glare. "You little brat! If I hadn't checked your background, I'd think you were a foreign spy."

"You're the spy! Your whole family are spies!" Qin Ling shot back. As Pang Cheng raised a hand to strike, Qin Ling grinned. "But you dug into my past? Clean record, right?"

"..." Pang Cheng fell silent.

It was true. Qin Ling came from a remote village—verified identity, documented life, alibis. All solid. Sure, the kid had secrets, but at eighteen or nineteen? Just teenage privacy. Once convinced Qin Ling wasn't a foreign agent, Pang Cheng stopped prying. But this Divine Gene... it gnawed at him.

He turned serious, facing Qin Ling's silly grimace. "Qin Ling, I mean it. If you're ever in over your head, come to me. I'll help you with everything I've got."

"Help me?" Qin Ling's playful expression froze. He met Pang Cheng's eyes. "Seriously? No joke?"

"Hmm." The terse reply confirmed the owner of Yuyu Express Delivery Shop wasn't joking.

"..." Qin Ling paused, studying Pang Cheng. They'd only known each other a few months, yet this man cared deeply for his subordinates.

"Alright, fine." He sighed, stepping back with a laugh. "But I'll only call when trouble hits, haha! Plenty of time till then!"

"You—"

"No need, I get it. Old Pang's a good guy." Qin Ling cut him off before Pang Cheng could react.

"No, I meant—"

"Relax, relax! Tiny issue." Qin Ling waved dismissively, still backing away with a grin. "Truth is, bro's seriously overpowered!"

"No! I was trying to—"

*Thud!*

"Ow... damn..."

Qin Ling halted mid-step, his eyes flickering as a familiar groan sounded behind him.

"Finally." Pang Cheng shrugged at the stunned Qin Ling. "I was about to warn you. One grinning while ignoring me, the other rushing head-down... not colliding would've been weird."

Qin Ling gave Pang Cheng an awkward smile. Feeling softness against his back, he quickly straightened his expression and turned. He placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting the startled gaze of the girl rubbing her forehead.