Chapter 163 - 162: The Intrigues between Two Bureau Chiefs

Leaving the Blue Sky and Ocean Bathhouse, Li Jing put on his Heavenly Saint Xuan Yi robe and set out for home.

He had to go home, and he certainly couldn’t do so bare-chested, let alone with a large patch of bloodstain on his chest that he hadn’t had time to wash away.

Hovering back home, Li Jing saw Liu Sisi leading Stinky Tofu out of the gate of his own villa before he landed.

Upon witnessing this scene, Li Jing was slightly surprised.

Why was Stinky Tofu with Liu Sisi?

Without further thought, Li Jing landed in the courtyard.

Just as Liu Sisi was about to step inside, she saw a figure descending and had to stop, raising her eyebrows.

Of course, it was Li Jing.

However, his current attire, an extravagant and antique robe, made her hesitate.

Is this... her Li Jing?

It just didn’t seem like it!

They say clothes make the man, just as gold makes the Buddha.

Li Jing’s usual wardrobe was very casual.

Typically, it was either a T-shirt with jeans or some sports attire.

In terms of looks, he was pretty standard.

At this moment, however, with a seemingly ordinary robe, his temperament got an impressive upgrade, making him a bit handsome.

How could Liu Sisi just blurt out that she recognized him?

Mistaking someone else is forgivable.

But mistaking your own boyfriend would truly be embarrassing.

In his Heavenly Saint Xuan Yi robe, Li Jing indeed looked quite different from usual.

Furthermore, the grandeur of advancing to the Fifth Boundary had also brought about many changes to his demeanor.

It wasn’t just Liu Sisi, even Stinky Tofu was a bit stunned upon setting eyes on him.

However, Stinky Tofu recognized people by scent, not by appearance.

With a joyful "woof", Stinky Tofu cheerfully ran over.

With its dash, Liu Sisi, who was holding the leash, was suddenly yanked towards the man.

Spiritual Beasts and Monsters are quite different, but both are on the path of Body Refining.

Stinky Tofu was very strong.

If it wasn’t obedient, walking the dog could quickly turn into the dog walking the person, and even Chen Yuran wouldn’t be able to hold it back.

Upon seeing Stinky Tofu wagging its tail as it put its big head under someone’s hand, Liu Sisi who had been forced to come over verified that it was indeed Li Jing.

After giving him a second look, Liu Sisi competently posed her question,

"Why did you suddenly come back from the Secret Realm? I thought it would take about a week?"

"Something came up unexpectedly, so I had to end my exploration of the Secret Realm early."

Li Jing smiled lightly, casually petting Stinky Tofu’s head, and asked,

"Why is the silly dog with you?"

"Yuran has been busy working overtime these past few days. She temporarily left Stinky Tofu with us."

Liu Sisi answered and curiously asked,

"Your robe is very special, where did you get it?"

"It is a type of Defense Law, not an actual item of clothing."

Li Jing replied truthfully.

"A Defense Law?"

Liu Sisi was surprised. She reached out to touch Li Jing’s chest, then cried out in amazement,

"Your chest muscles...seem to have gotten a lot sturdier?"

"..."

Li Jing.

Since he embarked on the Body Refining road by initiating the Second Origin, there had been a significant upgrade in his overall physical quality, his physique had also improved significantly.

When Liu Sisi touched him, she immediately noticed this. But that might have been a bit too... Was she keeping track of how solid his pecs were?

Seeing that he didn’t react to her comment, Liu Sisi realized that she seemed to have exposed something she shouldn’t. Her face went red and she quickly withdrew her hand.

"It’s getting late. Yuran isn’t coming back for supper today, so I didn’t rush to cook. Now since you are back, I will go and cook. You can take a bath and tidy up."

Having said this, she passed the dog leash to him and scampered into the house.

While finding the whole situation somewhat amusing, Li Jing subconsciously touched his chest,

The feeling...

It really was quite different from before.

...

Seven o’clock in the evening.

In the office of the Director of North City Patrol Branch, Chen Jing sat at his desk reviewing a document.

As the director, working overtime was his daily routine.

Lately, there had indeed been more than a few issues.

As he was scrutinizing the document in his hand, two knocks – "tap, tap" – were heard at the door.

Chen Jing looked up at the sound.

"Come in."

Before his words fell, the office door was pushed open, and Jiang Yini entered with a sweet smile.

"Oh, Director Chen, are you busy?"

Upon seeing Jiang Yini, Chen Jing was slightly startled and asked in surprise.

"Director Jiang? Shouldn’t you be guarding your Small Secret Realm? Why are you here?"

"What? So, your son-in-law can sneak into the Secret Realm, but I’m not allowed to visit the Patrol Branch?"

Jiang Yini’s smile was ambiguous.

Son-in-law?

Chen Jing frowned, quickly realizing that Jiang Yini was referring to Li Jing.

Li Jing had taken leave to go to the Secret Realm, and Chen Yuran had informed him about it.

There should not be any problems.

Li Jing entered as an external member due to connections; it wasn’t against the rules.

Jiang Yini isn’t here to mention Li Jing unless he has caused some trouble, has he?

This...

Shouldn’t be the case, right?

For others, Chen Jing might not be certain.

But when it came to Li Jing, he always handled matters with a sense of propriety; he wouldn’t cause any trouble.

With these thoughts, Chen Jing had a stern look as he replied.

"I’m not sure what’s going on, but if you’re here for Li Jing, Director Jiang, I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong person. He went to the Secret Realm of his own accord, and not as a representative of the North City Patrol Branch. Furthermore, Li Jing is not my son-in-law, he is in a relationship with another woman, not my daughter Yuran. His personal actions are not related to me."

"Ah, Director Chen, don’t misunderstand. I’m not here to cause trouble."

Jiang Yini gave a small laugh.

She had plans to sit down on the sofa when she suddenly stopped.

What had Chen Jing just said?

Li Jing was in a relationship with another woman!?

She turned around, looking perplexed.

It’s understandable that Chen Jing would want to clear up any misconceptions.

But they wouldn’t disown their own son-in-law, would they?

In which case...

Is Li Jing’s partner really someone else?

Just as Jiang Yini was having these thoughts, Chen Jing spoke indifferently.

"Director Jiang, since you’re not here to cause trouble, please state your business directly. I still have a lot of work to do, I have no time to entertain you."

Faced with these words that almost felt like an eviction order, Jiang Yini clicked her tongue.

"Director Chen, I don’t like what you just said. You and I are practically old friends, and I rarely visit. You didn’t bother to offer me a seat, and you were ready to drive me away without any further communication. That’s really cold-hearted, don’t you think?"

As she spoke, she walked to the sofa and sat down. She stretched her long legs forward onto the coffee table, presenting an attitude that she insisted on staying awhile.

Chen Jing caught sight of this and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Indeed, he and Jiang Yini were old acquaintances.

But their relationship wasn’t particularly good.

Jiang Yini may be young, but she was notoriously difficult.

The Jianghai Management Bureau had never suffered at her hands.

If he could help it,

Chen Jing wouldn’t want too much interaction with this troublesome young woman.

Even for him, her background warranted a certain level of apprehension.

After a moment of silence, Chen Jing stood up and sat on another sofa.

"Let’s get to the point, don’t beat around the bush."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yini also stopped her playful demeanor. With a smile playing at her lips, she said,

"The main reason I came is for two things. First, Li Jing agreed to serve a term with the Management Bureau. I’ve offered him the position of action strategist. Given that he is originally from your North City Patrol Branch, I thought it necessary to inform you, Director Chen."

Chen Jing looked at her with a peculiar look on his face.

It was not a surprise that Jiang Yini would take an interest in Li Jing.

Simply because he had been close with her lately was enough to trigger certain speculations.

However, the fact that Jiang Yini not only let Li Jing serve in the Management Bureau, but also offered him an action strategist role, was truly unexpected.

An action strategist, is a high-ranking position with real power.

If necessary, even ten thousand Management Bureau personnel can be commanded.

Such authority, even Chen Jing himself does not possess.

The entire North City Patrol Branch totals only a few thousand people.

So, the question arises.

What exactly did Li Jing do to earn the attention of Jiang Yini, a woman from a prominent family, who was willing to offer such enticing conditions to win him over?

Casually narrowing his eyes, Chen Jing whispered.

"The second matter?"

"I want to borrow money."

Jiang Yini, with a smile.

"Borrow money?"

Chen Jing was taken aback, a bit clueless about what this woman in front of him really wanted to do.

Is she, as the head of the Management Bureau, not richer than him, the head of the patrol branch?

She made a special trip here to borrow money, who would believe that?

Chen Jing was clearly skeptical of his own speculation, yet Jiang Yini waved his uncertainty away with a flip of her hand.

"Director Chen, don’t guess blindly, I really came here to borrow money."

As she spoke, she narrated Li Jing’s huge gains in the Secret Realm, incidentally bearing how someone had "extorted" her for five hundred million in cash.

After listening to the whole story, Chen Jing twitched the corners of his mouth slightly.

Li Jing was very capable, he knew that.

But what he never thought was that somebody had gained so much benefit from this visit to Secret Realm.

And then, just as it seemed like he was about to have the backing of the Management Bureau, he posed a difficult problem for his supporter.

What’s more outrageous was.

Jiang Yini actually chose to give in, and didn’t hesitate to lower her status to borrow money from the patrol branch.

For a moment, Chen Jing became more and more curious about what Li Jing had done in the Secret Realm.

The simple fact that Jiang Yini was going out of her way to win over Li Jing was utterly incredible to him.

It was not that Chen Jing was unfairly belittling himself.

To most of the well-known high-ranking personnel in Jianghai, Chen Jing was regarded as a plague.

Whoever came in contact with him, whatever matter related to him, those involved would avoid him at all costs.

Jiang Yini wouldn’t pull in Li Jing because of his relationship, but because of the latter’s personal reasons.

Looking at Jiang Yini, Chen Jing opened his mouth.

"Five hundred million in cash is a large amount. Our North City Branch does not have that much available in its accounts."

As he spoke, he continued.

"I can personally lend you the money, just pay me back when you have it. However, before that, I want to know why do you value Li Jing so much."

"Why I value him, doesn’t Director Chen have the slightest idea?"

Jiang Yini retorted and sneered.

"Let’s not talk about other things, wouldn’t anyone, if their mind is sane, want to win over a 21 year-old who reached the late stage of Four Realm?"

Four Realm late stage?

Chen Jing was stunned and astounded.

"As far as I know, Li Jing has just recently entered the Three Realm."

On hearing this, Jiang Yini rolled her eyes and said.

"We’ve already gone this far in our conversation, are you still trying to fool me? How is it possible that Li Jing..."

Halfway through, she realized something was not right, and quickly straightened up with furrowed brows.

"You didn’t know that Li Jing is in the late stage of Four Realm?"

"I did not."

Chen Jing shook his head, surprised and puzzled.

From the way Jiang Yini was talking, it didn’t seem like she was bluffing.

How did Li Jing reach the late stage of Four Realm?

Even if he encountered some unexpected opportunity in the Secret Realm, his progress wouldn’t be this drastic!

Could it be that...

This youngster had been hiding his cultivation level all along?

Come to think of it, Li Jing had only been tested for his cultivation level once when he first joined as an auxiliary investigator.

At that time, he was in the early Second Realm, but he had managed to break through Kong Wu’s defenses, who was in the late Third Realm, during the practical assessment.

After that, Li Jing participated in numerous major cases.

Whether in the Second Realm or the Third Realm, he had effortlessly annihilated his enemies.

He had also killed in the Four Realm.

Leaving Liu Yushan aside, he had single-handedly killed Jiang Guanwen.

Although Li Jing had a Spirit Weapon at the time, possessing a Spirit Weapon did not necessarily mean that one could kill enemies above one’s realm.

Thinking deeper.

When the incident about Jiang Guanwen happened, Li Jing should have just started learning the Control Objects Skill, and there was no way he could have killed the former so easily.

The more Chen Jing thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

He realized that he had been underestimating Li Jing all along.

This guy, he was hiding quite deep.

Even he was fooled by him...

Convinced that Li Jing had always been hiding something, Chen Jing started to question his background.

Li Jing’s background was a mystery.

His identity information was only registered in Jianghai five months ago, vouched for by Liu Sisi.

The ID was actually prefabricated by Chen Jing himself.

Connecting all of these together, Chen Jing was certain.

Li Jing wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

He might belong to a hidden family or be a disciple of a sect.

With this speculation in mind, Chen Jing couldn’t help but feel regretful.

He didn’t care about Li Jing’s background, to be honest.

What he regretted was...

Chen Yuran managed to miss out on Li Jing, the monster son-in-law who was almost within her grasp!

A twenty-one-year-old at the advanced stage of the Fourth Boundary!

You might not find a second one in the whole Dragon Nation!

Silly girl...

Seeing the always composed Chen Jing changing expressions, Jiang Yini was taken aback, her big eyes spinning around in surprise.

Chen Jing was unaware of Li Jing’s real cultivation level.

His romantic interest was not Chen Yuran.

This meant that Li Jing wasn’t really one of Chen Jing’s people, right?

How wonderful!

As long as she played her cards right, she would not only avoid having to have a relationship with Chen Jing but also manage to rope in the monster Li Jing.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Yini reached out her hand with a smile.

"I told you why I value Li Jing. Isn’t it time for you to lend me the money, Director Chen?"

"I said I would lend you the money, I won’t go back on my words."

Chen Jing raised his eyes and spoke indifferently.

"I’ll transfer it to Li Jing for you. I have his Immortal Message number, to save you the trouble. Transferring five hundred million in one go could be deemed as money laundering."

Jiang Yini twitched her lips upon hearing this, blandly responded.

"Director Chen, can you have some shame?"

"I’m saving you trouble. How is that shameless?"

Chen Jing tilted his head, took out his phone, and quickly finished the operation, he said,

"Done, I’ve transferred the money for you. Remember to pay me back when you have money."

"..."

Jiang Yini moved her lips, huffed, and stood up.

"I’ll take my leave, no need to send me."

After saying that, she rolled up a gust of fragrance and quickly walked out of the office.

Watching her leave, Chen Jing smiled teasingly, holding his phone and quickly started to type a message.

...

Meanwhile,

Closed Moon Flower Garden.

Li Jing had just had dinner with Liu Sisi and was busy cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen.

While he was at it, his pocket vibrated suddenly.

Before he could reach for it, his phone made a sound.

"Immortal Message contact person Chen Jing has transferred five hundred million."

Hearing the announcement, Li Jing was taken aback for a bit.

Why did Chen Jing suddenly transfer five hundred million to him?

Immediately after, he realized.

It seemed Jiang Yini went directly to Chen Jing to borrow money.

Just as he had figured it out, his phone vibrated again and it spoke.

"Immortal Message contact person Chen Jing sent a message: Jiang Yini is no ordinary woman, you better keep your distance from her. The trouble with her is not less than mine. If you get too close, you might be targeted by the forces behind her."

Before the voice message could finish, his phone vibrated again and continued to speak.

"Immortal Message contact person Jiang Yini sent a message: You should have received the money. Do you have time to come out for supper tonight? Bring your girlfriend, let’s meet."