Chapter 361: Chapter 360 City Folks are Tricky, Surrender

The rule he had mastered himself was the World Thunder Punishment, which Li Jing did not reveal.

Fu Yao also had the tact to not ask for details.

After Li Jing had learned some information from Fu Yao, he didn’t stay in Yun City for long and chose to say goodbye to her.

Nearing two in the morning, Li Jing and Yulian traveled nonstop back to the nation’s Earth Realm.

Just as they were heading to the mansion of Jiu Li’s family, Yulian spoke up.

"Li Jing, are you planning to see Sisi later?"

Li Jing seemed slightly stunned at the sound of her voice, and turned his head to respond.

"It’s late now and she should be resting. It is not appropriate for me to visit her at this late hour. Sisi is currently living with her mother, and there aren’t just two of them in the vast Liu family. Let’s wait until it’s daylight."

As he was speaking, Li Jing asked with a hint of confusion.

"What’s wrong? Do you have anything on your mind?"

"Ah, no."

Yulian shook her head, her eyes vaguely drifting, and she bit her red lips lightly as she spoke.

"Since you’re not planning on visiting Sisi, why don’t... we stroll through the night market in the nation’s capital?"

"Ah..."

Li Jing blinked.

He hurriedly returned to the capital, not intending to find Liu Sisi or attend to any other matters, but to deliberate on various aspects.

He had, after all, used a Forbidden Skill in the territories of the God Church Country.

All his powers that could have been exposed, were indeed exposed.

The World Thunder Punishment, the God’s Hidden Truth, even the Unnamed Taoist Tool were all brought out, he barely had anything left to hide.

He hardly doubted Yuliya’s reliability.

After all, she was the Guardian God of the Northern God Country.

As long as she was willing, helping him cover up wouldn’t be a problem.

However, Li Jing could not predict what exactly Yuliya would do.

The aftermath of the incident was something he had to pay attention to as well.

A Seventh Realm cultivator using a Forbidden Skill in a country’s Earth Realm was a major event in itself.

And the capture of two Guardian Gods of the God Church Country by the Northern God Country would be earthshattering news once it got out.

Even though it wouldn’t necessarily change the world’s geopolitical situation, it would surely attract a lot of attention.

Longyu, which was close to these two countries, would definitely pay close attention to this matter, even conducting covert investigations.

In this era, whose military satellites aren’t monitoring the globe?

Li Jing had been concealing his identity throughout, so he wasn’t worried about Longyu tracing it straight back to him.

But one must always consider the worst-case scenario.

Even though if Longyu did find out about him, all he could do was struggle a bit then calmly explain the situation, but being in the nation’s capital gave him some room to maneuver and he could conveniently receive all sorts of information.

Staying quietly in the capital was certainly better than being in a place like Yun City where there wasn’t even a cell phone signal.

Putting these matters aside.

At this moment, when Yulian suddenly invited him to go to the night market, Li Jing was honestly a little at a loss.

Yulian had always been thoughtful.

Seeing someone appear slightly flustered in the face of her invitation, she immediately realized that he was thinking too much into it.

For the sake of her integrity, she didn’t mean it that way.

But seeing Li Jing’s reaction, she admittedly felt a bit happy for no reason.

With a soft cough, Yulian stated.

"Don’t overthink it, I just have something to talk to you about and thought we might as well take a stroll."

Having said that, she threw him a charming glance.

"Also, don’t be too nervous, I don’t bite."

"..."

Li Jing.

For some reason.

When Yulian mentioned "bite", an uncontrollable image of the situation during the Primordial Spirit Leaving the Body phase emerged in his mind.

Maybe because...

He was indeed "bitten" at that time?

Silently dispelling the lingering images in his mind, Li Jing hesitated before nodding.

"Okay, I’ll accompany you."

Now that he was back in the Earth Realm, he essentially had nothing to do.

Whether he was idle or accompanying Yulian for a walk, it made no difference.

She had taken the initiative to invite him, he had no reason to refuse.

...

Jianghai City, also known as Longyu’s night city.

But actually, within the domains of Longyu, there wasn’t a city that was truly quiet.

The level of Longyu’s urban construction was among the top three in Blue Star.

It wasn’t just the first-tier cities.

Even small third-tier county towns had at least one or two bustling areas.

These bustling areas, staying awake through the night, was the norm.

This world where everyone was cultivating, pulling all-nighters was a trivial matter.

Even for the population stuck in One Realm, as long as they didn’t overwork themselves, they wouldn’t have any issues working the next day even if they stayed up all night.

When Yulian said she wanted to stroll through the night market, she didn’t have any particular preferences.

In the end, Li Jing accompanied her to a pedestrian street fairly close to Jiu Li’s home.

Around two in the morning, the pedestrian street was bustling with people.

Li Jing and Yulian landed in a somewhat inconspicuous corner of the street, blending into the crowd and moving onto the lively street.

Walking on the street.

Li Jing turned his head to see Yulian, who was acting coyly beside him, and spoke out.

"Xiaoyu, you said earlier that you wanted to discuss something, specifically..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Yulian interjected.

"Let’s just take a stroll first, I need some time to mull things over."

"..."

Li Jing.

Mull things over?

Wasn’t this just stringing him along?

However, since Yulian had already said this, he didn’t have a choice.

Just as he was hesitating whether to start a different topic, Yulian spoke up again.

"With you in the capital, I don’t think Sisi needs me or Jiu Li to accompany her anymore. Tomorrow morning, I’ll return to Jianghai with her."

She said, in a low voice.

"After returning, I plan to temporarily entrust the company to someone else, and spend more time on cultivation to reach the threshold of the Late Six Realm as soon as possible."

Li Jing was slightly surprised at hearing this.

Not that anything else mattered.

The main thing is, another person in his life has chosen to cultivate in solitude.

Before going into seclusion, the first person had left him with a thought.

Now, Yulian was following a similar ’routine’...

He could understand Yulian’s desire to enter the Seventh Realm as soon as possible after crossing over. But does she know he’s not feeling great about it?

Before, when they were busy, it was fine.

Now that they have some free time, he wants to seriously deal with their relationship.

He isn’t sure exactly how to do it yet.

But with Yulian saying she’s going to cultivate in solitude, where does that leave their relationship?

As if she knew what Li Jing was thinking, Yulian murmured.

"I know it may seem irresponsible of me to go cultivate in solitude all of a sudden . Our relationship..."

She paused and looked away.

"I’m not evading, I just think we should take some time apart to think things over rather than constantly worry about how to face each other."

Faced with Yulian’s rational words, Li Jing nodded in agreement.

He didn’t know exactly how to handle their relationship either, and he hadn’t seriously considered it before.

Yulian had already thought about it, and he had to respect her decision, both emotionally and rationally.

Expressing his agreement, Li Jing hesitated then said,

"Let’s do as you suggested, we should both take some time to reflect. I’ll wait for you to come back."

"Sure."

Yulian nodded, kept silent for a while, and then raised her eyes jokingly.

"Let’s make a deal. No matter what we decide, when I come back, you must accompany me through the trial, or else I’ll get mad at you."

Upon hearing her words, Li Jing laughed and naughtily asked.

"And how exactly would you express your anger?"

Yulian’s words were only intended to lighten the mood after serious talk.

Even putting aside their relationship, there’s no way Li Jing could ignore her.

That’s just how he was.

Li Jing is not a saint.

However, he believes in treating others how they treat him.

Even though her statement was offhand, he actually took it seriously and even responded with a cheeky remark.

Here.

After saying such a thing, Li Jing immediately regretted it.

They had agreed to take a break from each other, so why was he teasing her?

That wasn’t right.

He needed to change the subject.

Just as he was about to speak, Yulian glanced at him, pouted and turned her head.

"I must admit that I have underestimated you. You may appear to be straightforward, but you actually know how to play the ’bad boy’ card well."

Faced with Yulian’s counter teasing, Li Jing was speechless.

He wanted to argue, but those were his own words after all.

Watching Yulian’s "so this is what you’re really like" expression, Li Jing strangely felt like he didn’t want to back down.

"So, Xiaoyu, do you like it this way?"

"..."

Yulian.

Usually, there were some playful exchanges between the two of them.

But they usually stop at the right time.

But now, it seemed that Li Jing was quite enjoying it!

What did he mean by asking if she liked it this way?

Yes.

She liked it.

Was it wrong for a woman to like bad boys?

Who would find a goody-two-shoes interesting?

Even if life is hard, shouldn’t there be a little romance?

Even though encountering scumbags is a common occurrence, no woman wants a boring life with a partner.

In response to Li Jing’s words, Yulian huffed and said,

"What’s wrong with me liking it? Can you keep acting the bad boy to keep me interested?"

When it comes to being stubborn, Yulian wouldn’t lose to anyone.

She wasn’t a little girl who would blush at a few teases, she knew when to let loose.

However, allowing this dangerous topic to continue was not the right move.

In the past, it didn’t matter as much.

But now, it felt quite awkward.

Before Li Jing, who had been switched on, could reply, Yulian twisted his arm in annoyance.

"That’s enough, don’t overdo it. We’ve agreed to take a break, don’t make it harder than it already is."

Li Jing’s arm hurt a bit, and he grinned and stopped talking.

He didn’t want to continue this "dangerous" topic either.

But watching Yulian’s coquettish anger, he couldn’t help himself.

Though in this cultivation-filled world, beautiful women are everywhere and Yulian’s appearance can’t be considered exceptional.

Any attractive woman you pick from the street may not be much worse than her.

But as a fox demon who mainly employs charm, she indeed has the capital to cause trouble.

This woman’s deadly charm...

Seeing that Li Jing didn’t comment any further, Yulian smiled, tightened her grip on his arm and said,

"Alright, I just wanted to tell you about my decision to go into cultivation isolation. I have plenty of Six Realm monster blood and flesh, so it shouldn’t take long to reach the Seventh Realm from the late Six Realm. If I close off from the world, it should take no more than two or three months. If anything happens while I’m gone, you can discuss with Jiu Li."

"Understood."

Li Jing nodded.

With Yulian in isolation, if something comes up, he must resort to "making do" with Jiu Li.

Jiu Li’s Charming Ability may not be as strong as Yulian’s, but it can still be useful.

It can be put into use when necessary.

Just as he was thinking of discussing something else, Yulian suddenly spotted a jewelry store across the street and pulled Li Jing towards it with both hands.

"Let’s go over there and take a look."

Li Jing had a deep understanding of what women become when they go shopping on the streets.

He was dragged to the jewelry store, and he silently chose to play the companion role.

She said she was going shopping with Yulian, so of course, he would accompany her too.

...

In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

Just like Liu Sisi, Yulian was also an extremely enthusiastic shopper.

She dragged Li Jing up and down this not-so-long pedestrian street twice, not missing a single store.

All the purchases were paid by Li Jing.

Yulian didn’t refuse this.

The expenses on the pedestrian street, buying clothes, cosmetics, and jewelry, were nothing substantial for both of them.

If Li Jing is willing to spend, she will accept it gracefully.

To be nitpicky about it would seem too contrived.

They shopped until sunrise, and Yulian was still not satisfied.

However, it was time to part ways.

While they were out shopping earlier, she had already booked a return ticket to Jianghai for both of them, and had also messaged Jiu Li about it in advance.

In a little while, they would have to go to the airport to board their flight.

She halted at the exit of the shopping street, let go of Li Jing’s arm and smiled at him.

"Thank you for keeping me company all night. I need to leave now."

"Shall I accompany you?"

Li Jing asked.

"No need."

Yulian smiled and shook her head then said,

"After all, right now I am a person with a Management Bureau ID. Sky Control is still quite convenient."

Saying so, she glanced around.

?

Li Jing looked puzzled.

Just as he was confused about what Yulian was looking at, she suddenly turned around and stared straight into his eyes.

Suddenly encountering her gaze, Li Jing’s heart skipped a beat.

The next second,

Yulian got up on her toes and pressed her attractive red lips against his.

Her movements were neither too fast nor too slow.

Although he is human, his physical strength and sensibility, as of now, were certainly more intense than a Seventh Realm monster.

But in terms of senses, he was far more sensitive than an average person.

Yulian’s action, not too fast nor too slow, was like a slow-motion replay.

He had the complete ability to avoid it.

But as those red lips approached, his feet felt like they were nailed to the ground and he couldn’t move a bit.

Their lips met briefly before parting.

Yulian looked at Li Jing from up close, and when she saw him stare right back at her, she bit her lower lip, raised her hand to his neck, and leaned in for another kiss.

This time, it was a real kiss.

Not just a simple peck.

When Li Jing was kissed, he was quite taken aback.

What happened to cooling down?

Does Yulian look calm to anyone?

Rather than saying she had calmed down.

It was more like she had tested the waters, and then made her intentions clear...

A woman’s lips can indeed deceive.

When it comes to taking the initiative,

Yulian was much more direct than either Liu Sisi or Chen Yuran...

Li Jing didn’t know what to do.

Under normal circumstances,

He should reject her.

But he couldn’t refuse Yulian.

Otherwise, he would have done that earlier...

Bearing Yulian’s enthusiasm, Li Jing hesitated before finally raising his hand and wrapping his arm around her delicate waist.

Just as he began to feel confident, Yulian, who was throwing herself at him just a moment ago, suddenly wriggled free.

?

Li Jing.

What does this mean?

He was almost ready to accept...

Before he could react to the situation, Yulian, with a blushing face and a beautiful smile, said,

"I’m leaving, don’t miss me."

Having said that, she hovered in mid-air and, like a shooting star, disappeared in a flash.

"..."

Li Jing.

Some people say that city people are full of tricks.

Li Jing thought that he had seen a lot of these tricks and wouldn’t normally be affected by them, but now...

After staring in the direction of Yulian’s departure for a while, Li Jing glanced at some middle-aged women who were out shopping early in the morning and were now pointing and laughing at him and quietly walked away with his Silent Shadow.

...

No doubt, Yulian’s schemes were successful.

So successful that Li Jing just couldn’t get her out of his mind.

He even had a sudden urge to go to Jiu Li’s house and stop her.

Yulian said one thing and did another, which forced him to ponder deeply.

After spending the night together,

Yulian suddenly made a move on him, leaving him caught off guard.

It was a done deal. He couldn’t deny it after the fact.

Although the cooling-off period mentioned by Yulian still existed, there was basically no turning back at this stage.

How to handle their relationship no longer mattered.

What mattered was.

How he should deal with...

After walking a considerable distance along the street, Li Jing exhaled a sigh filled with turmoil, and with a step forward his body turned into a raging thunderbolt.

A moment later.

He arrived at the Liu Mansion and landed in front of Liu Shi’s private house.

Upon landing, Li Jing was about to knock on the door.

The door was suddenly opened from inside, and Liu Sisi stepped out, yawning.

Facing each other all of a sudden, both of them were slightly taken aback.

Liu Sisi didn’t expect Li Jing to return so abruptly.

Li Jing didn’t expect Liu Sisi, who usually doesn’t get up until noon, to rise so early.

Standing face to face, both of them were looking at each other in wonder.

Liu Sisi greeted him with a sweet smile.

"Have you finished your tasks?"

"Yes."

Li Jing returned her smile gently, glanced into her backyard behind her, and asked out loud.

"Is your mother not home?"

"The whole kingdom is in chaos these days. For some unknown reason, the assets of both the Wang and Lu families have been disposed of faster than expected. Today is the day of the public auction, and she was summoned early in the morning to oversee the bidding."

After saying this, Liu Sisi looked at him with her big, watery eyes with a tilt of her head, expressing her doubt.

"You seem... like you have something on your mind?"

Upon hearing about the sudden acceleration of the disposal of the Wang and Lu family’s assets, Li Jing subconsciously wanted to ask about it.

When Liu Sisi asked him such a question, he was slightly stunned, touched his cheek, and gave a wry smile.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You’re underestimating how well your wife knows you?"

Liu Sisi hummed playfully, took his hand, and led him inside.

"Come, sit inside and tell me what’s been bothering you."

Li Jing laughed at her words.

It seemed that Liu Sisi had quite enjoyed herself while he was away, her mood was exceptionally bright.

Led by Liu Sisi into the house, Li Jing couldn’t help but notice her radiant face, unsure of how to broach the subject.

He had wandered the streets for so long, for no other reason than to deliberate on how to explain things to Liu Sisi.

The reality of what occurred— he had never planned on deliberately concealing it.

In such matters, hiding them would only complicate things further.

As Li Jing fell silent, trying to put words to his thoughts, Liu Sisi looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

"Have you... gotten involved with another woman outside?"

"..."

Li Jing.

Oh, hell!

Did she have to be so spot-on?

Before he could respond, Liu Sisi continued in a strangely defensive tone.

"I won’t make assumptions about anyone else, but I know you better than anyone. Unless it’s an emotional issue, including me, you wouldn’t be this hesitant."

Li Jing was at a loss for words.

What should he say?

Liu Sisi really knew him too well.

Letting out a sigh, Li Jing mustered up some courage.

"Well, aren’t you... mad at me?"

"We did make a ’deal’ before we got married, didn’t we?"

Liu Sisi shrugged, then continued with a look of disapproval.

"Though I have to admit, it’s a bit much that you suddenly brought back another woman. We agreed that there couldn’t be another one before we’ve settled things with Yuran. That’s not even close to being done yet, and your actions are quite disturbing."

"..."

Li Jing fell silent.

He had given a lot of thought to how to explain things to Liu Sisi.

But it seemed that his deliberations were useless now.

Just when he didn’t know how to carry on the conversation, Liu Sisi quickly surmised the truth.

"Given what I know about you, you wouldn’t casually get involved with anyone. It has to be someone we’re both familiar with, right? Ji Qing is currently not in the capital, so it can only be Yulian or Jiu Li. Judging by their personalities, Yulian is more your type."

"..."

Li Jing.

He hadn’t even properly broached the subject yet, and Liu Sisi already "deduced" who it was?

Why was she considering Ji Qing, who was far away in Jianghai, in the first place?

Seeing Li Jing’s baffled expression, Liu Sisi raised an eyebrow.

"Seems like I hit the nail on the head."

With that, she pursed her lips.

"If it’s Yulian, I don’t mind. We’re all quite familiar with each other, there’s no need to establish new relationships. Besides, peace in the family is vital—if you got involved with someone who’s quite cunning, it would be hard to maintain harmony in this house. Moreover, Yulian, being a fox demon, is quite... ahem, physically strong. With her around, the pressure on Yuran and myself will be much less in the future."

"..."

Li Jing was at a loss for words.

This was Liu Sisi’s stance on the matter.

Things didn’t seem as difficult as he had assumed.

She didn’t even seem to mind that Yulian was a fox demon...

But something about Liu Sisi’s words didn’t sit right with Li Jing.

What did she mean by "with Yulian around, the pressure on her and the future Chen Yuran would be much less"?

Where’s the logic in that?

He massaged his temples, looking at Liu Sisi, who appeared nonchalant, and hesitated in his response.

"Sisi, I’m sorry, I..."

Before he could finish, Liu Sisi interrupted him.

"Don’t apologize. It’s unnecessary. I’ll admit, I’m slightly bothered. But I won’t go back on my own words."

With this, she managed to control any hint of emotion in her voice, and enthusiastically pulled him to sit down next to her.

"Come, tell me exactly what happened. What’s going on between you and Yulian? Given both of your personalities, the chances of sparks flying are about as slim as an iron tree blooming. How did you two suddenly end up together?"