Chapter 220: My Family

It could be said that this one-on-one fight with Fujimi Yūkō was the most difficult PvP Jia Ji had faced since arriving in the Eastern World.

Even after mastering the mechanics, Jia Ji barely defeated her only with the help of Yagumo Shiki.

Infinite resurrection with no death penalty, combined with Hell War God and Infinite Firepower, far surpasses any undead or colorless who lose souls or runes—had Jia Ji not himself received the blessing of half-health lock and rapid Qi recovery under the gaze of 【Ursa Major】, he would have had no chance at all.

Previous battles against the Witch, the Ghost King, and the Tengu, while intense, lacked the nail-biting tension of life-or-death stakes; they were simply fight, move to the next location, fight again—Yagumo Shiki mockingly called it "formulaic combat."

And most importantly, leveling doesn't come from fighting monsters, and fighting monsters doesn't grant levels—you gain zero progress after every battle!

Jia Ji found this deeply frustrating; if defeating opponents granted experience, he'd have long since become the Ten-Li Slope Fist God in Beidou.

But this time was different.

A tribute to the legendary mad judge, Fujimi Yūkō: high stats, high stability, high recovery, and an infinite health bar!

As the embodiment of nature, Fujimi Yūkō was indeed brutally resilient; not only was her fighting style similar, her stats surpassed Jia Ji's—had he not ultimately used mechanics to counter her, it might have come to pass that "when Yagumo Shiki finally found her among hundreds of thousands of sunflowers, she was already charred to nine-tenths done."

After reaching the Fierce rank, any change in Jia Ji's stats became negligible, for the leap from Brutal to Fierce isn't a cultivation realm where one breakthrough multiplies power fiftyfold—it's merely a rating threshold.

"Since you've also reached Fierce rank, this war against the Moon people just got a little more promising…"

Yagumo Shiki waved her folding fan with confidence, radiating an air of commanding the world and directing the course of events.

Seeing her so assured, Jia Ji didn't have the heart to dash her spirits now—he enjoyed seeing Yagumo Shiki in this inexplicably confident state.

Worst case, he'd teach her the Tiger Landing Slide-Knee Technique; the kind-hearted Moon people would surely punish her by exiling her back to Earth (genius move).

"But… why did you capture Fujimi Yūkō?"

A hint of curiosity appeared on Yagumo Shiki's face; though she didn't know Fujimi Yūkō as well as Jia Ji did, she knew this creature would never willingly be imprisoned.

"Grab her and instantly subdue her?"

Not to mention whether Jia Ji's newly awakened acupoint technique could truly control Fujimi Yūkō—given her pride, she'd rather kill herself on the spot than be controlled, which directly contradicts their original plan to have her join them.

"Of course, because the S-er will eventually be S-ed, and the pervert will eventually be perverted… cough, uh, I've got my own rhythm."

Jia Ji felt two sharp gazes pierce his back like needles—he quickly corrected himself.

One gaze was naturally Yagumo Shiki's; the other came from the half-dead Fujimi Yūkō beside them.

Their entire conversation had been heard by Fujimi Yūkō, bound like a roasted duck, her body reduced to half—though they never intended to hide it from her.

Suppressing the urge to laugh, Jia Ji cast a mischievous gaze toward Fujimi Yūkō, who had given him so much trouble, and extended a visible hand toward the struggling Flower Tyrant.

"Stand still!"

…………

Saiminji Residence.

The black-haired, kimono-clad Saiminji heiress and her white-haired, senior swordswoman sighed helplessly at the two guests who had come to mooch food.

The odd duo of the Demon Sage and the Fist Master seemed to have turned their home into their headquarters.

Mostly because the Soul Spirit Witch's reaction was the strongest—after all, she prepared all the meals here, and Yūyūzi's appetite, as everyone knows, is insatiable.

Add these two to the mix, and the bottomless pressure they placed on the poor gardener was no less than when she first drew her blade against Jia Ji.

Moreover, whether it was her imagination or not, as the cherry tree neared its bloom, Yūyūzi's appetite seemed to grow even larger.

"Don't rush—we've brought gifts this time!"

Jia Ji showed not the slightest embarrassment.

"Huh? ~" Yūyūzi tilted her head, looking puzzled, her face brimming with curiosity.

"Jia Ji fermented tofu, Fujimi Yūkō—step forward!"

Hearing this, Yagumo Shiki, though visibly perplexed, still complied, tossing out from a gap a small girl with a cold expression.

Wait… a little girl?

Yes—it was Fujimi Yūkō (child)!

When first thrown in, her body was riddled with gaps from Beidou's Explosive Fist—her torso blown apart, white ribs jutting through her chest, shattered spine bones visible through the ruin, her face reduced to barely half—she was a walking wreck.

Trapped in Yagumo Shiki's gap, she had no access to materials to restore her body, so even after the restraint was lifted, she could only use her remaining fragments to generate a miniature version of herself.

"So cute!"

Yūyūzi caught the tossed child and pulled her tiny head into her ample bosom, inhaling deeply, eyes half-closing in pleasure, "Such a lovely scent."

Mmm, so soft—like a giant pillow.

Struggling desperately, the little girl with green hair, appearing no older than eleven or twelve, sensed from this human a power that made her feel terrible… an overwhelming, dense death energy.

She should have begun regenerating the moment she exited the gap—but beside this human-like woman, little Yūkō absorbed not a single ounce of life energy.

It was as if… as if all life was being drained by this 【monster】 wearing human skin.

Had she not glimpsed the clear sky above, Fujimi Yūkō might have believed she'd been thrown into one of hell's layers.

Had she been at full strength, she'd have feared nothing—she could have drowned Yūyūzi's death energy in endless natural power.

But now?

Total counter.

"How's the feel? Good, right?"

Jia Ji walked over, pinching the now-rounder, shrunken face of Yūkō like dough, grinning.

"Jia Ji, you bastard…"

The tone was full of fury, but the childlike voice rendered it utterly harmless.

"Oh? Isn't this the peerless Flower Tyrant? Just seconds apart, how did you get so weak?"

Yagumo Shiki's face lit up with a smug, vengeful grin.

"Stop laughing! Yagumo Shiki, and you too!"

Jia Ji's tone turned unusually serious—he called her by name.

"W-what now?"

The Demon Sage suddenly felt a creeping unease.

"Shi, you don't want Yūyūzi to die because of the Saiminji Tree, do you?"

"What… did you say?!"

(End of Chapter)