Chapter 168 - 167: Liu Family in the Capital, Qingfeng’s Transformation

?

Li Jing slowly typed out a question mark.

The Liu family?

What Liu family?

Upon hearing Jiang Yini’s words, Liu Sisi’s expression stiffened for a moment and then she said sullenly.

"I am indeed from the Liu family, but it doesn’t matter now."

While speaking, she bit her red lips and glanced at Li Jing before turning to examine Jiang Yini.

"Director Jiang, have we met before?"

"No."

Jiang Yini shook her head and said lightly.

"However, I have met your mother. Just as the rumors suggest, you do greatly resemble her."

"..."

Liu Sisi remained silent.

Upon seeing her silence, Jiang Yini smiled and said.

"Miss Liu, you are to work at the Management Bureau as Counselor Li’s secretary. You can go to HR at the Management Bureau later or tomorrow to schedule an official start date. I have other matters to attend to so I won’t bother you here. Once you start work, we can communicate more."

Having said that, she looked at Li Jing with a seemingly playful smile.

"Is it inconvenient for you to see me off?"

"Alright."

Li Jing responded immediately, his eyes falling on Liu Sisi who remained silent without uttering a word, he spoke gently.

"I’ll be back shortly."

Upon hearing his words, Liu Sisi looked over at him and gently responded with a "Hmm".

...

Having seen Jiang Yini out of the villa, Li Jing stopped outside the front gate and turned his head to look back at his home.

In the meantime, Jiang Yini, who had also paused, said with an air of interest.

"It seems like you have no idea where Miss Liu comes from?"

"Is it important?"

Li Jing turned his head back as he asked.

"Have you heard of the Liu family from the Capital?"

Jiang Yini retorted with a question.

"I haven’t. But I’ve investigated the Jiang family of the Capital."

Li Jing responded indifferently.

"..."

Jiang Yini was silent.

Li Jing clearly did not know about Liu Sisi’s background, she had already noticed that in the house.

Upon seeing Liu Sisi, she was taken aback.

For some reasons, she specifically called Li Jing out to have a chat.

However, his unexpected responses left her speechless.

The underlying message in Li Jing’s words was very clear.

I have investigated you.

Even though Jiang Yini wanted to say a lot, she didn’t know where to start at that moment.

At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel stunned.

Not many people know about her origins from the Jiang family of the Capital.

As the director of the Jianghai Management Bureau, her personal file was top classified information.

Even Chen Jing didn’t have the authority to look at it.

Li Jing was just a new examiner in the bureau; he didn’t even have the clearance level to access her file, let alone view it.

She and Li Jing had only met two days ago. How did he find out about her origins from the Jiang family of the Capital?

How much did he know?

Looking back at it.

Li Jing’s attitude was indeed thought-provoking.

He investigated her and blatantly stated it.

What did he mean by this?

A threat?

After fixing her gaze on someone for a bit, Jiang Yini suppressed the smile that was perpetually on her face, speaking in a cold tone.

"Counselor Lee, I treat you as a friend, yet you..."

Before she could finish, Li Jing interrupted calmly.

"If you truly consider me as a friend, then don’t treat Sisi as a member of the Liu family."

"..."

This revelation left Jiang Yini speechless, a strange look appearing on her face.

Initially, she was uncertain of Li Jing’s intentions, but now she understood.

This guy was protective.

Understanding Li Jing’s intentions, Jiang Yini felt more at ease, a smile gracing her lips.

"Since you know about the Jiang family in Hua Country, you should also know that we’re not allied with the other six families, and that I personally don’t have much connection with the Jiang family. Miss Liu’s background has nothing to do with me, and I won’t make any remarks regarding her status. I just wanted to remind you that it is not easy to escape from a prestigious family, you need to be cautious."

"I’ll keep that in mind, thank you for your concern, Yini."

Li Jing nodded, heading towards the narrow path that led out of the residential area.

Jiang Yini quickly followed, speaking in a light, cheerful tone.

"If you have any questions, ask them now. But I won’t be able to assist you much as it has been quite some time since I left Hua Country."

"I don’t care about the Liu family."

Li Jing answered, then posed his question.

"Can you tell me about Sisi’s mother?"

He had a basic understanding of the seven great families of Hua Country from last night, and was not as ignorant of the Liu family as he led on.

Jiang Yini recognized Liu Sisi and revealed that she was part of the Liu family.

Frankly, Li Jing was finding it hard to believe.

But with the facts before him, he had no choice but to accept the truth.

He didn’t care about Liu Sisi’s past.

Why she left the Liu family to come to Jianghai, he didn’t care.

However, when Jiang Yini mentioned Liu Sisi’s mother and Liu Sisi’s reaction took a turn for the worse, he couldn’t help but become concerned.

Seeing that Li Jing expressed disinterest in the Liu family but asked about Liu Sisi’s mother, Jiang Yini gave him an odd look, but softly replied,

"Miss Liu’s mother is known as Liu Shi, and is a cultivator in the Late Six Realm. She’s a great figure whose individual efforts are largely responsible for the Liu family’s prosperity in the last fifty years. If she were not a woman, she’d likely be the current head of the Liu family. Without her, the Liu family might have fallen out of the ranks of the seven great families."

"The seven great families have histories spanning at least hundreds of years. A century ago, the Liu family fell into decline. Liu Shi’s generation could be characterized as lacking talent. As for the specifics of the Liu family’s ordeal, you can investigate if you’re interested. Since you were able to find out about my background, these details shouldn’t be hard for you to uncover."

"Nevertheless, the current Liu family relies heavily on Liu Shi. The current family head is not without his strengths, but he pales in comparison to Liu Shi in terms of influence."

After a lengthy explanation, Jiang Yini continued,

"Liu Shi only has one daughter, your girlfriend, I presume. To be honest, I didn’t expect to see her in Jianghai, much less her having left the Liu family. There must be some story behind it."

As she spoke, she looked over at Li Jing.

"What surprised me the most was that Miss Liu actually has a special constitution. It’s common knowledge among the seven great families that while Liu Shi has high cultivation, her biological daughter lacks any talent for cultivation. The Liu family regards this as a mark of shame and secludes her as a result. Few among the seven families have met her, but those who have know she bears a strong resemblance to Liu Shi from her youth. Now that Miss Liu has awakened to her special physique and made a breakthrough, news will inevitably reach the Liu family and they’ll come looking."

"Hmm."

Li Jing nodded, then asked pensively,

"How many cultivators in the Six Realm does the Liu family have?"

"If the Liu family had several Six Realm cultivators, would they be in decline?"

Jiang Yini asked with a smile.

"In that case, it doesn’t matter. Let them come if they want."

Li Jing nonchalantly responded.

This slightly furrowed Jiang Yini’s brows.

Only one Six Realm cultivator and that was not an issue?

Where did Li Jing get his confidence?

Even if he were to reach the Fifth Boundary, if the Liu family insisted on taking their member back, he wouldn’t be able to stop them!

No matter how talented, one should not be so arrogant, right?

On second thought, Jiang Yini understood.

Behind Li Jing was the influential figure Chen Jing.

Should anything happen, Chen Jing would definitely intervene.

Furthermore, Li Jing was a current inspector.

As the saying goes,

No matter if it’s the literary circle, business circle, or entertainment circle, when faced with the state-designated circle, whether you’re a dragon or tiger, you must behave.

No one in the Liu family dared to touch him.

Attacking a patrol was an unforgivable crime with no room for negotiation.

Thinking of Li Jing’s reliance, Jiang Yini said.

"You still need to be vigilant about what you should be. Even though I don’t know why Miss Liu left the Liu household, as Liu Shi’s daughter, there is no chance she was driven out. Even if she was hidden away, she would not have suffered much. Most likely, she ran away on her own. Liu Shi’s indulgence towards her played a part; otherwise, she would have been retrieved. With a daughter who had no aptitude for cultivation, the Liu family still turned a blind eye, primarily due to Liu Shi’s indulgence. Once they learned she had special physique that enabled breakthrough, the Liu family would inevitably harbor ulterior motives. Infighting is not uncommon among cultivation families, and even the Jiang family is no exception."

After a long explanation, she whispered.

"This matter, you have indeed handed me a big trouble. It is not without reason that only my Jiang family members serve within the system among the seven great families. If Miss Liu wants to join the Management Bureau, I have to smooth things over from top to bottom. Otherwise, if the news leaks out, things could get messy. I can keep Miss Liu’s affairs hidden for you temporarily, but I can’t say how long I can keep it hidden."

Without waiting for Li Jing to speak, she smiled meaningfully.

"You owe me for this."

"Okay."

Li Jing promptly responded and stopped.

"I’ll accompany you up to here, I’ll take Sisi to the Management Bureau to handle her admission later."

"Alright, then I’ll go back and make arrangements first."

Jiang Yini smiled, called her flying sword, and rose into the sky.

Li Jing stood still, watching her depart, and then let out a long sigh.

Just as he was about to walk back, a notification sounded in his ear.

"Care of the Flying Sword Blue Edge is 100% complete, quality has improved, Spirit weapon level one."

Li Jing wasn’t surprised by the sudden notification.

About the progress of nurturing the weapon, he had been paying close attention since the morning.

Even before going to the underground cavern for exploration, he had estimated that in a few days the Flying Sword Blue Edge would be fully nurtured, and transformed into a Spirit weapon.

His spiritual power intensity skyrocketed to 2550 after he explored all the way to level 50.

The progress of nurturing the weapon would be bizarre if it didn’t soar.

In the morning, the progress of nurturing the Flying Sword Blue Edge had already soared from 46% to over 80%.

According to the time when he reached level 50, he should increase by about 60% per day.

This afternoon, the nurturing progress must be perfect.

Host: Li Jing

Experience points: 38521/42813

Level: 50

Skill Points: 0

Spiritual Power Intensity: 2550

Lifebound Magic Instrument: Linglong (Spirit Weapon Level 1, 84%)

Equipment: Qingfeng (Spirit Weapon Level 1, 0%)

Passive Skills: Momentary Space

Active Skills: Heavenly Sword Jue (5/5), Sky Eye Technique (5/5)

Limit Breakthrough (passive): Thunder Skill Compendium, Divine Origin Unification, Divine Might

Limit Breakthrough (active): Wind King Mysterious Clothing, Surprise Thunder Row, Spirit Soldier Break

Li Jing invoked the panel and glanced at it, paying attention to the nurturing progress of the Linglong Tower.

When he reached level 50 yesterday afternoon, the nurturing progress of the Linglong Tower was 46%, but now it had reached 84%.

If it’s about the nurturing efficiency, it’s at 38% per day.

Without the double boost from the lifebound magic instrument, a normal level one Spirit weapon should have a 19% nurturing efficiency.

This is quite comfortable.

The quality of Linglong Tower will be improved to a level two Spirit Weapon tonight.

With the effect of double efficiency, it won’t take many days to advance to a level three Spirit weapon.

The Flying Sword Blue Edge, which has just transformed into a Spirit Weapon, will also achieve a level two Spirit Weapon in just six days.

With a flick of his mind, Li Jing summoned the Flying Sword Blue Edge.

As soon as the Blue Edge came into his hand, the newly born Spirit Weapon immediately conveyed a feeling of joy to his heart.

After saying hello to the Spirit weapon with his mind, Li Jing looked down for inspection.

The transformation of the Flying Sword Blue Edge into a Spirit Weapon saw significant changes.

The tip of the sword sparkled with a chilling glow.

Simply holding it in his hand, he can feel that its edge is entirely different from the past.

What made Li Jing looked peculiar was.

In his perception, the awakened attribute of the Blue Edge was neither Yin and Yang nor the standard five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, but the rather rare wind attribute.

The wind attribute is a variant of the wood element attribute, tending more towards the Yang element.

From a certain perspective, the awakening attribute of Qingfeng fits Li Jing’s expectations for a Yang attributed spirit weapon.

But any attribute that mutates has little to do with the Yin and Yang elements.

Features of Yin and Yang are assuredly present.

However, the influence of these traits is as insignificant as it gets.

More of the influence comes from the mutated heterogeneous attributes.

That’s a bit embarrassing...

The key is that a spirit weapon with a variant attribute can’t be fed indiscriminately. It can only be fed with nurturing spiritual materials of the corresponding attribute. Feeding it with purely Yin and Yang attributed nurturing spiritual materials will only make the variant attribute muddled.

Any spirit weapon with common attributes just needs to fit the characteristics of the Yin and Yang elements, and can be fed with whatever.

Take Linglong Tower for example.

For a long time, Li Jing fed it nurturing spiritual materials of the Yin attribute.

But in reality, Linglong Tower can not only consume gold attributed nurturing spiritual materials, it can eat water attributed ones without any mistakes.

For the Flying Sword Blue Edge, which awakened the wind attribute through mutation, can only consume wind attributed nurturing spiritual materials.

Even crystalized Yin energy, a pure Yin attribute "universal dog food" with a ’from Yin emerges Yang’ effect, is untouchable.

In short...

After the ’foodie’ Linglong Tower, who welcomes all, Li Jing has gained another ’pick eater’ bottomless pit.

The price for nurturing materials corresponding to variant attributes is generally about fifty percent more than that of common attributes.

The uses of spiritual materials for nurturing are not limited to just nurturing.

The variant attribute spiritual materials themselves, are a relatively rare type.

Li Jing gently stroked the blade of the Flying Sword Blue Edge and then put it away.

Nurturing a wind attribute is a bit tricky.

But he isn’t about to discard the Flying Sword Blue Edge due to this.

The variant attributes of an object are generally quite powerful and not restricted by the five elements.

Like the wind attribute awakened by Qingfeng, it works extremely well with a flying sword.

Under the influence of the wind attribute, its sword light will multiply, and its sharpness will be unmatched.

The only downside is that it’s too pricey to nurture.

From that perspective, Li Jing doesn’t see it as an issue.

Today is different from the past. Now he has 420,000 merit points, and he’s more confident.

On returning to his villa wall gate, Li Jing saw Liu Sisi waiting for him at the door.

Entering the courtyard, Li Jing smiled.

"I was only gone for a moment. Why are you like a wife waiting for her husband’s return from war? Afraid I’d run off with someone?"

Meeting his teasing tone, Liu Sisi twitched the corner of her mouth, hesitating to speak.

"You... aren’t you going to ask me about my family?"

"Why would I?"

Li Jing tilted his head, replying.

"You said it yourself. You have nothing to do with the Liu family anymore. What does what happens to the Liu family have to do with me?"

Then he softly added.

"Director Jiang has already informed me about the general situation at the Liu family. Don’t think too much about it. If anyone from the Liu family comes to give you trouble, notify me immediately. I will have your back."

Upon hearing this, Liu Sisi’s expression faltered and she whispered.

"If they really come, you had better not get involved. You wouldn’t be able to beat them."

"How would you know that I wouldn’t be able to if I never tried?"

Li Jing shook his head, thought for a moment, and said,

"I am currently in the Fifth Boundary."

?

Looking up in confusion, Liu Sisi met Li Jing’s gaze.

Li Jing has never lied to her.

So...

He really is in the Fifth Boundary.

How...how did he get to the Fifth Boundary?

At the age of twenty-one being at the Fifth Boundary, isn’t this defying the heavens?

If this level of cultivation at such a young age were to spread out, I’m afraid it would alarm the top officials in Hua Country.