Chapter 197 - 196: Silent Shadow, Reversed Long Face

Seeing two Liu Sisis, Li Jing was rather flustered.

However, he soon realized what was happening.

The casual dresser was Liu Sisi’s mother, Liu Shi.

This one...

When did she arrive?

How did I not notice at all?

On the other hand, Liu Sisi and Jiang Yini, noticing Li Jing’s stunned gaze, subconsciously turned their heads.

Seeing an extra person next to them that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, both were taken aback.

Then, Liu Sisi’s eyes quickly welled up with tears.

Liu Shi, seeing this, gave a gentle smile and pulled her over.

The next second, their figures, like mirages, vanished and disappeared.

At the same time, a thrilling female voice rang in Li Jing’s ear.

"There are many eyes in the crowd, so I’ll take Sisi away first, and return her to you at the dinner later. This girl from the Jiang family is technically my younger sister, she holds an unusual status, please take good care of her for me. Know when to stop, don’t attract all the attention at the family head’s birthday banquet, at least preserve some face for me."

Having received this voice transmission, in surprised at Liu Shi’s vanishing technique, Li Jing nodded to show he understood, regardless of whether the quietly gone latter could see him.

He wouldn’t give face to other members of the Liu family.

But face to Liu Shi, he had to give.

Jiang Yini, seeing Liu Shi appear and disappear with no trace, glancing around, approached and hooked arms with Li Jing.

"It’s been more than ten years, Liu Shi has become more and more inscrutable. That was her self-created special escape method, Silent Shadow. Even if you’re in the same realm as her, unless your Primordial Soul Strength greatly outmatches hers, there’s no way to detect her. She’s able to hold up the Liu family with her own strength greatly due to this mysterious and unpredictable escape method."

She quietly made a comment, then Jiang Yini suggested.

"There are many people here, shall we go in first?"

"Yes."

Li Jing agreed, feeling astonished in his heart.

Liu Shi’s special escape method was actually self-created.

This, how is this just being awesome?

To have a chance at detecting her, one’s primordial soul strength must far surpass hers.

Within the same realm, primordial soul strength might vary in strength, but there typically wouldn’t be a huge gap, rarely one could say it greatly exceeds.

That is to say...

Within the Six Realm, Liu Shi can remain invincible with this escape method.

Absurd!

After glancing at the Liu family elders led by Liu Teng, Li Jing gave a vague smile and a slight nod as a gesture.

If his mother-in-law asked him to save some face, he would just make do.

Greeting Li Jing, Liu Teng and the other Liu family elders all responded with forced smiles.

Show off?

Who would dare to?

Li Jing had his back to them earlier, so he didn’t see it.

But they were facing him and clearly saw that Liu Shi arrived right after Li Jing had just stepped up to deal with the Fifth Boundary inspectors.

Throughout the process, Liu Shi was eyeing Li Jing, satisfaction filling her eyes.

Who still dare to be arrogant now?

Who was it that held up a sky for the Liu family? As members of the Liu family, how could they not know?

Looking back.

All those old people were also quite shrewd.

Li Jing came here so ostentatiously, obviously not to wish longevity but to give a stern warning to the Liu family. That he would give a nod as a response and did not make it too difficult for them to clearly save face for Liu Shi.

Bargain with him?

Who would dare?

What’s key is that Li Jing has not only got strength, he also has prestige.

The youngest of the Jiang family, Jiang Yini, a monster prodigy, was willingly playing second fiddle to him.

Such an off-the-rails attitude attracted the inspector’s question, but he easily dismissed it with a few words.

This...

Who can deal with that?

Without Liu Shi stepping in, no one in the Liu family would dare say they could.

Having gestured with Liu Teng and the Liu family elders, Li Jing left them and the onlookers behind and entered the Liu family residential area with Jiang Yini.

He had given face where he should, there was no need to stand outside being stared at like a panda.

The second Li Jing left, a group of onlookers from the crowd immediately found familiar elders from the Liu family. Those with some status went straight to Liu Teng.

"Family Head Liu, who was that young man just now...?"

Welcoming the inquiries, although feeling a little aggrieved, Liu Teng, as the birthday guest of honor, stood straight.

Anyone with clear sight could see that Li Jing was here to stir things up.

It was indeed a bit painful to get slapped in the face, but it was not all bad.

After all, Liu Sisi is the daughter of Liu Shi.

Her bringing her boyfriend home to the Liu family is akin to bringing a son-in-law to his in-laws!

Apart from being caught off guard and slapped, for the Liu family, Li Jing’s arrival was a matter of great face.

A prospective son-in-law who can command tens of thousands of spirit soldiers, easily resolve the Capital Inspection Headquarters’ accountability inquiries, and make the Jiang family’s monster willingly submit, isn’t that impressive?

Getting slapped in the face?

No big deal.

It’s just a bit of a loss of face.

Introducing Li Jing won’t make the guests laugh at the Liu family, but it will impress them!

Coughing to clear his throat, Liu Teng announced to the inquisitive guests.

"The young man just now is called Li Jing, the boyfriend my daughter brought back home. I’m not clear about his cultivation level, but I heard he just turned twenty-two, and he is also an action advisor for the Jianghai Management Bureau while working at the North City Patrol Division of Jianghai City."

Li Jing’s background, if it could be investigated, had long been clarified by the Liu family.

Upon seeing Li Jing and Liu Sisi together, the Liu family’s elders already knew who he was.

But they never expected that what they knew was not even the tip of the iceberg.

Just revealing the information known now was enough to hold the scene.

After hearing about Li Jing, those inquiring guests who held some status gasped in unison.

The protector of the Liu family is Liu Shi.

Many people knew that Liu Shi had a daughter but had never seen her in person.

They had just seen her in person and most people had suspicions.

After all, the mother and daughter looked too alike.

But that’s not the crucial point.

The critical point was Li Jing, who came back with Liu Sisi.

The Fifth Boundary and Six Realm were not uncommon in the Capital.

Which of the Seven Great Families in the Capital did not have a Six Realm?

And who didn’t have an array of young disciples in the Fifth Boundary?

But finding another person who could achieve the Fifth Boundary at the age of just twenty-two was simply impossible.

And, Li Jing might not just be at the Fifth Boundary.

The provocation just now had the flavor of Six Realm, didn’t it?

The people from the Inspection Headquarters who came to hold him accountable simply let things slide, evident that they were wary!

This was very thought-provoking.

And then, Li Jing was also part of the North City Patrol Division of Jianghai City...

Who ran the other patrol divisions in distant Jianghai City might not be known to those present.

But no one present dared say they did not know about the North City Patrol Division.

Chen Jing!

The madman who once made everyone in the Capital tremble in fear!

At the mention of the name Chen Jing, the faces of many people present changed.

But more people were seeing a top-level monster coming to the Capital.

For a moment, the visiting guests’ attitudes towards Liu Teng and the other Liu family elders lit up, with an added bit of flattery.

Then, many people took out their phones quietly under the pretext of entering, and got in touch with their families or close friends.

All this was witnessed by Liu Teng and the Liu family.

After finishing the polite chit-chat with the guests who came to him, Liu Teng found a gap and walked over to Liu Ce.

"Give the order, tell our family’s youngsters to be careful, not to offend Li Jing. Find Liu Xiaoya, she is the adopted daughter of the protector and has a closer relationship, let her greet the guests."

"Understood."

Liu Ce responded, and asked.

"Father, should we ask for more food and drink to be prepared?"

"Yes."

Liu Teng nodded with a smile.

He had already leaked Li Jing’s information.

It wouldn’t take long before more influential figures from the other six families would come, trying to probe and tempt someone.

With Liu Sisi there, he was not worried about Li Jing being "coaxed" away.

The guests were coming, and they should be greeted.

Today, at this birthday celebration, he was the central figure.

The more distinguished the guests, the greater the honor for him. After today, the Liu family would also have more confidence when facing the other six families.

...

The residential area where the Liu family lived looked like a huge quadrangle courtyard not only from a distance, but also on the inside. Each courtyard was a true and genuine quadrangle courtyard.

Most of the courtyards were rather old.

But the value of each quadrangle courtyard was immeasurable.

Li Jing and Jiang Yini walked along the small path of the residential area, feeling sincerely awed in their hearts.

It is said that the hump of a starving camel is still bigger than a horse.

Despite the decline of the Liu family, they still own such a clan property in the capital which truly speaks of its profound and rich foundation.

Li Jing looked at Jiang Yini, who walked beside him as a petite and dependent woman while smiling sweetly at him, feeling a slight chill in his heart.

"Will it be a problem for you to come back to the capital?"

"Initially, it could have been an issue, but it doesn’t matter now."

Jiang Yini gave a meaningful chuckle, squeezed the arm in her hand, and said.

"You’ve thrown a punch line at the Liu family as soon as you showed up. You’ll soon be famous throughout the capital. But have you thought about how this move indirectly saves face for the Liu family?"

"I’ve thought about it, but I have no choice, right?"

Li Jing shrugged his shoulders and said.

"Since I’m coming anyway, I of course need to be direct about it. Otherwise, Sisi would unavoidably have to feel aggrieved when she comes back, and I’d have to face a lot of unfairness. It doesn’t matter if I indirectly give face to the Liu family. After all, aunt is looking after the Liu family, and I need to consider her feelings no matter what."

Hearing his words, Jiang Yini’s eyebrows slightly raised.

"So, you plan to stand with the Liu family?"

"Can we not ask irrelevant questions?"

Li Jing pursed his lips in response.

Jiang Yini clicked her tongue and said with a pretentious attitude.

"I just don’t know you enough and want to confirm your attitude."

While saying so, she didn’t let the conversation go on, and she giggled and said.

"Knowing the proclivity of the Seven Great Families, they’ll surely send higher status representatives and find an excuse to chat and extend their olive branches. Who knows, they might even send their daughters directly over."

"Then your Jiang family has gone ahead."

Li Jing said with a smile.

Jiang Yini was slightly startled, and then burst out laughing and scolding.

"So you’re not going to pretend with me anymore? You even dare to joke about me?"

Li Jing just smiled and didn’t respond. He looked around and asked.

"So, do you know where the birthday banquet is?"

"I came in with you, how would I know where the banquet is set up?"

Jiang Yini pursed her lips and said.

"This is my first time entering the Liu family territory as well, and if we wander around, we’ll eventually find the place."

"OK."

Li Jing nodded.

Sisi had been taken away by Liu Shi, and the mother and daughter must have a lot to talk about, so it would be some time before they could meet.

Since he was free anyway, it was fine to wander around with Jiang Yini.

...

After wandering around the residential area with Jiang Yini for a while, they finally arrived at the gate of a large quadrangle courtyard where an open-air banquet was set up and the courtyard was bustling.

Yourbanquet was held here.

As soon as the two of them arrived, they immediately drew a lot of attention.

Jiang Yini, dressed in a white fitted dress, was quite a sight.

However, nobody in the venue dared to approach her rashly.

One reason is her revered status and another is because of the scene that had just occurred outside the residential area, which had been thoroughly spread around. Everyone, whether present at the time or not, now knew that a young monster had come to the Liu family.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t know Li Jing.

With Jiang Yini as a ’reference’, it was clear.

If no one approached, Li Jing was naturally happy to have some leisure.

But Jiang Yini was not very willing.

She indeed came to be Li Jing’s companion.

But to truly become a background board was quite contrary.

Thinking back to the days when she, Jiang Yini, was hailed as a prodigy, wasn’t she the center of attention everywhere she went in the capital?

Now all the attention was focused on Li Jing.

She should have been the one with the largest market share, shouldn’t she?

Without thinking of her status, she was the youngest of the Jiang family.

As for talent and beauty, she has it all, her giftedness is at the monster level.

The key point is, she’s still single...

Letting out a breath, Jiang Yini pulled Li Jing to a vacant table and sat down.

"How long do you plan to stay in the capital?"

"Half a month."

Li Jing responded.

"Besides the Liu family, do you have any other plans?"

Jiang Yini slightly furrowed her brows.

"No other plans."

Li Jing shook his head and said.

"Sisi hasn’t been back for many years, I just want her to stay with her aunt for a while longer."

"You’re quite considerate."

Jiang Yini showed a look of understanding and said.

"I can’t stay for long this time, probably three or five days and I have to go back. Wang Chong is temporarily holding the fort in Jianghai for me, as the bureau superintendent, I can’t be away for too long."

"Hmm."

Li Jing nodded and said.

"I owe you a favor for today’s matter."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yini’s face beamed with a smile.

"Don’t mention the favor, I came here with no other purpose, just don’t want you to be inexplicably abducted. Your Fifth Boundary cultivation level has been exposed, I don’t worry about the Seven Great Families here, but I have to be careful about the Inspection Headquarters. You belong to Jianghai Management Bureau, if you got reassigned, I wouldn’t be able to count on you."

She said it in a nonchalant manner.

"The commissioner of the inspection bureau should approach you in a few days, just let me know when it happens, I’ll handle it for you."

Li Jing raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

He was quite troubled about how to deal with the relocation.

Jiang Yini’s volunteering was very genuine.

"With your status, can you dissuade the commissioner?"

"Just by myself, it would be a bit difficult."

Jiang Yini responded casually.

"But you have to know, I’m not just the superintendent of the Jianghai City Management Bureau."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing immediately understood.

Jiang Yini was planning to use the connections from the Jiang family.

"Then I must thank Director Jiang for your help."

Smiling, Li Jing peeled open a nut that resembled a pistachio, which was placed on the table for guests to snack on, and popped it into his mouth.

As the nut entered his mouth,

A different kind of fragrance spread, it was deeply satisfying.

Li Jing’s eyes brightened.

"Is this a type of Spirit Fruit?"

"It’s not a spirit fruit, it’s roughly similar to a product of infusing spirit, a kind of mutant nut cultivated in a special way."

Jiang Yini explained.

"I remember this thing is called Destiny Fruit, quite expensive, about two to three hundred thousand per kilo. But this thing is just really tasty, it doesn’t have any nourishing effects."

"Oh, is that so?"

Li Jing blinked.

From the outside, he suppressed any reactions, but deep down he felt it was quite extravagant.

These shelled nuts, usually the shells are heavier than the fruits.

A kilo, if you get half a kilo of the actual fruit, that would be good.

The issue here is not whether he can afford it, but rather whether it’s worth it.

With two to three hundred thousand, one could afford a low level monster meal with extremely high nutritional value, why bother buying these nuts that are only fragrant to taste but offer no practical uses?

While chatting with Jiang Yini, Liu Xiaoya suddenly popped out from nowhere, her eyebrows dancing as she sat down next to her.

"Brother-in-law! I’m here!"

Li Jing turned his head at the sound.

Facing Liu Xiaoya’s radiant smile, he grinned.

"You came at the right time, this Destiny Fruit tastes good, can you get me two or three hundred kilos?"

"..."

Liu Xiaoya.