Chapter 176 - 175: The “Blacklisted” Great Demon, Visits

What’s most important when navigating the underworld?

Your reputation must shine.

Chen Jing, who stands atop the city as a formidable figure, might be a name known to many, but a face recognized by a few. But people like Wushu would never dare to claim they didn’t recognize him.

He’s a man of the dark web black market - forbidden from stepping into the light.

And right now, the one standing before him is the strongest figure within the law enforcement system of Jianghai City.

The brightest light.

Watching Li Jing walk over with Chen Jing, Wushu couldn’t help but swallow hard.

He wanted to run.

But he didn’t have the courage.

His proud Four Realm cultivation level was nothing in front of Chen Jing.

His mysterious special escape skills?

Ha, ha!

What good would they do in the face of absolute power?

Wushu was trembling with fear.

As Chen Jing and Li Jing walked closer, unable to clearly see the features of Wushu standing outside the door, Chen Jing spoke with great interest.

"Interesting. Quite a clever cognitive interference."

Li Jing raised an eyebrow at this statement.

He had thought that Wushu’s baseball cap was the secret that prevented others from clearly seeing his face.

However, Chen Jing’s words clearly told him that the hat was merely a facade - the real trick was cognitive interference.

On the other side, Wushu’s shivering intensified as he heard Chen Jing’s words.

Cognitive interference is achieved through high-order spiritual magic.

Such magic can be considered invincible as long as it isn’t detected.

However, once someone sees through it and their Primordial Soul strength exceeds that of the caster, breaking the magic only takes a single thought.

Chen Jing saw through the cognitive interference in one glance. How could Wushu not be nervous?

A Four Realm cultivator like him, could he ever match a Six Realm in terms of the strength of his Primordial Soul?

Right now, all it would take is one thought from Chen Jing, and his cognitive interference would be shattered.

At that time, he wouldn’t just reveal his true appearance, his magic ability would also be significantly damaged from the shattered spell.

Such is the biggest drawback of spiritual magic.

The casting of spells relies on his own Primordial Soul as a vessel.

If the spell gets forcibly destroyed, his Primordial Soul would endure the backlash.

Struggling to calm down, Wushu spoke in a respectful tone.

"It’s just a minor trick. I am sorry if it amused you, Director Chen."

Chen Jing laughed upon hearing this.

"Don’t be so nervous. You’re just here to deliver something. I won’t give you a hard time."

Seeing the way Wushu trembled in Chen Jing’s presence, Li Jing cleared his throat.

"Wushu, you have other deliveries to make, right? Just put the stuff down and leave. We would hate to delay your other tasks."

Nowadays, Wushu could be considered as Li Jing’s dedicated dark web courier, fully serving him alone.

To facilitate the task farming, most of his wealth was also held by Wushu at this point.

If Chen Jing scared Wushu into no longer cooperating with him, it would cause problems.

Over there, Wushu, who felt like he was pardoned after hearing Li Jing’s words, replied with a "yes", and meticulously took out a list and the corresponding goods after entering the door.

Times have changed.

All kinds of goods bought by xia’ ai for grinding were stored in his storage space, a messy pile of items.

Although it was not likely to make a mistake with the items in the storage space, his job didn’t allow for any mistakes.

There were no channels for rights protection and no refunds in the dark web black market, which values reputation above all.

Once a mistake is made, the consequences are severe.

It not only affects the reputation of the related merchants, as a delivery man, reputation is also part of the guarantee, glorified or condemned together.

And from a certain perspective, he is now both a delivery man and a shipping man for the merchant affiliated with Li Jing.

Being meticulous is essential.

After confirming the goods against the list and ensuring there were no errors, Wushu looked at Li Jing and Chen Jing.

"Patrol officer Li, Director Chen, all the items that you have requested are here. If there’s any discrepancy, please contact me separately."

Having said so, he couldn’t wait to vanish into a wisp of black smoke.

Chen Jing, being experienced and knowledgeable, paid no mind to his special way of escapes.

Looking at the pile of various parts in the courtyard that looked like a small hill, he waved his hand and collected all the parts then turned around to speak.

"I’ll keep the things first. After solving the current case in hand, invite you over to my house and assemble the supercomputer. It’s a good opportunity to introduce you to your aunt as well. Remember to bring Yuran, let’s have a meal together."

Li Jing was slightly stunned at the mention.

Auntie?

Chen Yuran’s mother?

Without further consideration, Li Jing nodded.

"Sure, Uncle let’s arrange a time after the case is over."

Seeing that someone agreed without any hesitation, Chen Jing gave a satisfied smile.

"You’ve set up a store on the dark web, remember not to let others know. The existence of the dark web is tacitly accepted to a certain extent, and I personally occasionally purchase some things that can’t be bought in the market. However, the dark web is not a legitimate channel after all. If someone finds out you’ve become a dark web merchant, you’ll inevitably become the target of gossip."

After giving his instructions, Chen Jing launched into the air, leaving a few words behind.

"Regarding the issue of the Fifth Boundary Big Monster, try to put forth some effort instead of just slacking off. Make sure to report any information immediately, don’t act recklessly. Once you do, don’t hold back at all, life and death are only separated by a fine line in confrontations above superhuman levels. You now not only care for yourself, but others as well."

Hearing Chen Jing’s advice, Li Jing was moved.

Put forth an effort, certainly.

Hold back, non-existent.

The above two points, even if Chen Jing didn’t mention, he would have done.

What touched him was...

He now had duties to others.

He glanced at his villa on the second floor and went back to his room.

Continue to slack off.

He had done everything he could, and it was pointless to wander around, right?

Moreover, strictly speaking, waiting for news can’t be considered slacking off.

...

The night deepened.

Around eleven o’clock in the evening, Li Jing was bored and watching television when the mobile phone on the coffee table vibrated.

Picking up his phone, he found that it was a message from Yue Lingling.

"Sorry, I just woke up. As for the Fifth Boundary Big Monster, I have seen one. She had contact with Meng Fanhao and seemed to be the head of an entertainment media company."

After reading the message, Li Jing frowned slightly.

If it had been before Chen Jing’s arrival and Yue Lingling said that she had seen a Fifth Boundary Monster, he would have been very surprised.

But with Chen Jing’s list already in place, he wasn’t too surprised.

There were 32 known Fifth Boundary Monsters in Jianghai City, even two from the Six Realm.

It wasn’t strange at all that Yue Lingling had seen one.

However, there was a problem...

According to the list Xiao Ai investigated at Chen Jing’s request, the 32 Fifth Boundary Monsters were all living ordinary lives, without any disputes businesses.

The one Yue Lingling had seen was the head of an entertainment media company.

In other words...

What Yue Lingling mentioned could be an "illegal resident" in Jianghai who hadn’t signed a peace treaty!

Sitting up straight, Li Jing quickly typed on his mobile phone.

"What’s the full name of this Fifth Boundary Big Monster you’ve seen?"

After sending the message, Yue Lingling replied quickly.

"I don’t know the full name, I just saw her once when I was with Meng Fanhao. I dare not offend such a being. Meng Fanhao refers to her as Manager Yu, so her surname should be Yu. Just like me, she is also a fox demon, I don’t know anything beyond that."

Upon receiving this reply, there was a gleam in Li Jing’s eyes.

Surname Yu?

Definitely an "illegal resident".

There wasn’t anyone with the surname Yu on Chen Jing’s list.

And this one was a fox demon.

A fox demon from Fifth Boundary, could command the Fox Fire.

Swiftly walking into the guest room, Li Jing spoke out loud.

"Xiao Ai, check all the entertainment media companies that have cooperated with Huan Yu Culture, see if there are any managers with the surname Yu."

While speaking, Li Jing typed a response to Yue Lingling.

"Thank you for the information, I will treat you to a meal."

"Inspector Li, you’re being too polite. If anyone should be treating anyone, it’s me treating you. All I have today is thanks to you, let’s make a date when we get the chance."

Yue Lingling replied, and then immediately sent another message.

"I’ll be broadcast after getting washed and dressed. Please continue with your work, inspector Li. Contact me if you need anything."

Seeing this, Li Jing replied with a "Alright", and turned his eyes to the widescreen display.

While he was responding to Yue Lingling, Xiao Ai had already pulled up a list of names.

Yulian, thirty-seven years old.

A denizen of Luo City, settled in Jianghai for over ten years.

The executive CEO of Tianhong Entertainment, and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Having quickly glanced over the identity information, Li Jing narrows his eyes.

It is still uncertain whether Yulian is the ’Manager Yu’ mentioned by Yue Lingling.

But if it is her.

Her age can basically be ignored, it’s most likely a lie.

A Fifth Boundary Big Monster, its high age usually runs into the hundreds.

Even if it’s a little younger, it won’t be by much.

And as a Great Demon, she has been illegally settled in Jianghai as a "black resident" for over ten years.

This one needs a visit.

Pulling out his tablet, Li Jing accesses the Patrol System to retrieve her detailed identity information and soon confirms Yulian’s residence is in Kangcheng Manor in East City.

Being the head of an entertainment company, her residence is of considerable level.

Kangcheng Manor in East City is quite famous, and is one of the top luxury villa areas in Jianghai City.

Just considering the price of the villas alone, Kangcheng Manor is at least ten times that of Closed Moon Flower Garden.

Both East City and Shangcheng District are part of Jianghai City’s prime urban areas where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, much lower compared to the housing prices in North City.

With Yulian’s address, Li Jing leaves the guest room, goes straight out the door, and takes to the skies.

Tianhong Entertainment is a company in East City, and Yulian is the boss of the company, a formal visit is unlikely to meet her.

And considering Yulian may be a Fifth Boundary Big Monster, an unofficial visit is more reasonable.

Right now, it is the high pitch of moonless midnight, just perfect.

...

A few minutes later.

Li Jing traverses from North City to East City, locating the Kangcheng Manor with his mobile phone navigation, and goes directly to Yulian’s residence.

Under the dark night sky.

The lights are still on at Yulian’s house, apparently, she hasn’t retired for the night yet.

Seeing that she hasn’t gone to bed yet, Li Jing lands and rings the doorbell outside the villa’s wall.

Although it’s an informal visit, proper etiquette still needs to be maintained.

On one hand, he is not certain yet if Yulian is a "black resident" Great Demon, on the other hand, he is here to investigate a case, and even if a person is a "black resident" it does not necessarily mean they are a criminal.

The doorbell rings, and soon a pleasing female voice responds from the intercom.

"Who is it?"

Hearing this, Li Jing responds blandly.

"I apologize for dropping by at this late hour, I’m Li Jing from the North City Patrol Bureau Serious Case Six Group."

A blatantly straightforward self-introduction, causing a lingering silence from the female voice on the intercom.

After a good while, she speaks again.

"Officer Li, please come in, the gate is unlocked."

"Sorry to intrude."

With that, Li Jing pushes open the gate and enters the courtyard.

Simultaneously, a beautiful woman, wrapped in a white robe, comes out of the house.

At a slightly farther distance, Li Jing’s gaze shifts slightly towards the top of her head.

A Health Bar, with a numerical value as long as 7376, is displayed there.

A Fifth Boundary Big Monster...

And one who is about to step into the Six Realm towards the latter part of the Fifth Boundary!

Quite clearly, this must be the ’Manager Yu’ as mentioned by Yue Lingling.

Looking at Yulian’s appearance again.

The delicate features adorning an enchanting melon seed-shaped face appear poetic and picturesque.

Even wrapped in a generous robe, her curvaceous body silhouette is enchantingly appealing.

The combination of both makes her monster-like.

Beautiful women are not uncommon in this world.

Female demons, Li Jing has also seen quite a few.

But not even one, can be compared to Yulian.

More importantly.

There’s an elusive charming quality about Yulian that merely by looking at her, one can feel an impulse to push her to the ground and rub against her.

Having this feeling, Li Jing can’t help but inwardly praise her abilities.

From head to toe, this person seems to epitomize what’s called a fox spirit.

Compared to her, female fox demons like Yue Lingling and Zhou Xuan are simply innocent little girls.

As Li Jing was sizing up Yulian, Yulian was doing the same to him.

Seeing Li Jing slowly approaching, she found herself feeling strangely panicked, even though his face didn’t betray any emotions.

As a late-stage Fifth Boundary Great Demon, such emotions should not be affecting her.

Yes, she was considered a "black market" outlier who had not signed the peace treaty, but the worst they could do to her was force her to leave. There was no violence involved.

The outbreak of a war in the Fifth Boundary was not a laughing matter.

Capturing her would not be an easy task.

However, she didn’t know why.

Facing Li Jing, she felt a strong unease in her heart.

As if any slight movement would land her on the dissection table in an appraisal shop the very next day.

Yulian was very perplexed.

In all her years of cultivation, she had never encountered such a situation.

Was this an illusion?

Yulian did not think it was that simple.

As a successful Great Demon, she trusted her intuition.

The young inspector in front of her was not to be messed with.

Greeting Li Jing, Yulian asked in a low voice,

"Inspector Li, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night visit...?"

"For a case."

Li Jing replied, his eyes falling on Yulian who seemed somewhat intimidated by him, his brows furrowing slightly.

An encounter with a patrol inspector should make her realize that her identity as a Fifth Boundary Great Demon had been exposed.

But wasn’t Yulian, a late-stage Fifth Boundary Great Demon, appearing a bit too timid?

Could a Fifth Boundary demon really be this timid?

It seemed that she was not the one who attacked the Examination Institute’s prison vehicle.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Jing glanced into the house and asked,

"It’s not convenient to talk out here, can we talk inside?"

"Of course, please come in."

Yulian stepped aside.

Li Jing walked through the door.

Yulian followed him into the house and closed the front door.

"Please sit, Inspector Li. Would you like a drink, or...?"

"Not necessary. I’ll just ask a few questions and leave."

Li Jing waved his hand and sat down on the living room sofa.

Yulian followed suit and settled on the other couch, nibbling her lower lip with an amiable demeanor.

She couldn’t remember the last time she acted like this.

But she felt that perhaps this was the best attitude to have when dealing with Li Jing.

Li Jing lifted his eyes and found Yulian’s demeanor rather strange.

As a "black market" Great Demon who hadn’t signed the peace treaty, Yulian’s submission seemed a bit outrageous. It was as if she didn’t understand the rules. Perhaps she intentionally avoided registration?

Giving Yulian a scrutinized look, Li Jing spoke.

"Miss Yu, before we talk about the case, I think we need to clear something up. I know you are a late-stage Fifth Boundary fox demon, but you can rest assured, as long as you cooperate, I won’t hurt you."

Upon hearing this, Yulian’s expression changed slightly.

This guy, really is not simple!

It was understandable for him to know that she was a Fifth Boundary demon, but knowing that she was a late-stage demon, even a Six Realm being couldn’t do that.

Straightening her posture, Yulian replied,

"If I have the information you need, I will definitely tell you everything I know, Inspector Li. I can guarantee that even though I didn’t sign the peace treaty with the Patrol Branch, I haven’t harmed anyone in all my years in Jianghai."

Saying this, she hesitated for a moment, and then whispered,

"At most... when I first arrived and wasn’t well, I bewitched over a thousand youngsters and absorbed a bit of their energy to heal. It didn’t harm them in any way. They are all perfectly healthy."

"..."

Li Jing fell silent.

He hadn’t asked anything yet, and Yulian had already started confessing her deeds.

Truth be told, this woman was a bit confusing.

Then another question arose.

Was absorbing energy illegal?

It didn’t seem to be mentioned in the public security management law?