Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng showed great patience when teaching them the basic techniques. Just like when she taught dahlias, she explained each section separately, making sure they practiced each step until they were proficient before moving on to the next section.

Niannian watched with curiosity. It wasn't like this when Yu Meng taught her. Thinking about it, she realized how clever she was back then. Yu Meng only needed to explain something for her to understand, and then she could create new moves to practice. Her fourth sister didn't care how she practiced at all, as long as she practiced.

Jingchuan Hall.

Xiao Wen and Lao Chen stood in front of Secretary Wu.

"Secretary Wu, please explain clearly where Yu Meng and Niannian went?"

Secretary Wu spread his hands in front of him. "Captain Xiao, it's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I really don't know. Tell me, how could a mere secretary like me stop the schedule of a bone painter?"

"You should know when they're coming back, right?" Xiao Wen asked in a deep voice.

Secretary Wu shook his head. "I really don't know."

Old Chen tugged at Xiao Wen's sleeve, "Don't worry, she'll come back eventually. We'll just wait."

Xiao Wen paced around in frustration. "Secretary Wu, you know I've never hidden my feelings. Please let me know when Teacher Yu returns."

Secretary Wu nodded repeatedly, "Definitely, definitely."

Xiao Wen and Lao Chen left. Secretary Wu wiped away imaginary sweat. She was inwardly grumbling, "You've got the idea to be with Yu Meng, why didn't you just say so? We've had so many opportunities to meet, why didn't you just say it? Serves you right for being so impatient."

For some reason, Xiao Wen suddenly remembered the mysterious force that had appeared on the battlefield yesterday.

Xiao Wen shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off certain thoughts. But the more he did so, the clearer those thoughts became.

Xiao Wen didn't go to his own rest room. Instead, he turned a corner and went directly to Qingyuan's experimental garden.

"Aunt Qing, I brought you back some materials. Do you think they're worth anything?"

Xiao Wen placed his backpack on a small table. "Some of the things here are things I found, and some were given to me by Hua Shulang."

Qingyuan washed her hands clean and went to a small rest room next to the experimental garden.

"I thought you'd be waiting a few days to come." Qingyuan skillfully moved the boxes aside and put them away.

"Aunt Qing, I came back today to see Teacher Yu. I wanted to sign a formal supplementary contract with her, but I couldn't find her. Aunt Qing, do you know where she went?"

"They left yesterday. They said they were going to train a group of mask revealers," Qingyuan said casually.

"Oh, who has such influence to be able to persuade Teacher Yu?" Xiao Wen was surprised to hear this result.

Qingyuan glanced at Xiao Wen. "Didn't you say you weren't in a hurry? What happened?"

Xiao Wen smiled wryly, "I was originally waiting for Hua Shulang to come along, but he's been hesitant to make up his mind. I'm getting a little anxious. Aunt Qing, this is Old Chen from the Seventh Base. We've been through thick and thin together, and he also wants to go with Yu Meng."

"Xiao Wen, listen to Aunt Qing. Once Yu Meng comes back to life, quickly sign the supplementary agreement. All three of us bone painters have signed this agreement with her. Yu Meng is so powerful that you never know where her bottom line is."

Xiao Wen was stunned and stammered, "Aunt Qing, what did you say? The three of you signed too?"

"Not only us, Secretary Wu signed it too. You know what kind of person Secretary Wu is; there aren't many things that can make him so eager."

Xiao Wen sighed regretfully, "Aunt Qing, when Teacher Yu comes back, you must put in a good word for me. I'll make the decision for everyone in my team to sign."

Old Chen coughed from the side, "Aunt Qing, and Old Chen and his team too," Xiao Wen quickly added.

"Aunt Qing can put in a good word for you, but I can't decide whether Yu Meng will sign you or not." Qing Yuan didn't hide the fact that she couldn't make the decision for Yu Meng.

Xiao Wen glanced at Qingyuan in surprise. He knew perfectly well that Yu Meng had never had her own power base. They had practically come to her door; how could Yu Meng possibly refuse to sign them?

Qingyuan couldn't very well tell Xiao Wen that Yu Meng wasn't short of people right now, and that their loyalty was far higher than that of Xiao Wen and his ilk.

After hearing Qingyuan's words, Xiao Wen's heart not only didn't settle down, but instead became anxious. There must be something going on with Yu Meng that he hadn't noticed.

Old Chen looked at Xiao Wen without speaking, and slowly asked, "What are you thinking about? Aren't you confident about this?"

"I was quite confident at first, but after what Aunt Qing said, I'm a little worried." Xiao Wen didn't hide anything.

Old Chen remained silent for a long time before speaking in a low voice, "I'm not saying this to sow discord. There's a big difference between you and Hua Shulang. Your team doesn't have a Bone Painter. But Hua Shulang's team has a Bone Painter who can already peel off the alien's skin. To put it bluntly, he has more choices than you. Because even if he doesn't choose Teacher Yu, he still has a way out."

Xiao Wen nodded. "I know what you mean. Back then, I thought we were good brothers, and with such a good thing happening, I couldn't forget my brother, could I? But his repeated tests made me wary. What I said yesterday was just to give him a chance. But I didn't expect that I wouldn't even be sure if my own chance still existed."

"You know, if we could peel off the dough ourselves, wouldn't we be much freer?" Old Chen sighed.

"You really dare to dream."

"The resources we risked our lives to find were mostly taken by the Bone Painters. Some of the better items were just things they ordered us to find, but we didn't know their value. When Teacher Yu rescued Peng Fei so decisively the first time, I decided to follow her. Later, she told me, a complete stranger, about the special nature of the withered branch. I knew she was a good person. You know, the higher the level, the fewer resources there are. Nobody wants to see someone of the same level fighting over limited resources. But she didn't hide it. Either she's stupid, or she doesn't care. I'm more inclined to believe the latter."

"You went to investigate her?"

Old Chen nodded, "Of course I need to find out the character of the bone-drawing master I'm going to rely on."

"Are you satisfied with the result?" Xiao Wen asked curiously.

"She's just an ordinary person. In the town, she's not even as famous as her older sister. Many people don't even know her name," Old Chen replied honestly.

"But the skills she displayed when she saved Peng Fei were definitely not those of an unknown person. In the eyes of many, she was mediocre, but in the eyes of some, she was unattainable. She was a very contradictory person."

Xiao Wen smiled bitterly. He was the first to know all this, yet now he was the most clueless. He kept wanting to wait, but he didn't even know what he was waiting for.

In the Alien Battlefield, the Bone Painter is crucial for acquiring resources. Furthermore, it is precisely because of the Alien Battlefield that the third level of the Unmasker—the Bone Painter—exists. It exists because of the Alien Battlefield.

In the ordinary world, a master craftsman who can create top-grade medicinal stones is already at the highest level.