Chapter 228 - 227: Going to an Appointment, Seizing the Opportunity to Extort

Receiving Ren Jie’s message so early, Li Jing was somewhat surprised.

He had thought they would at least have to wait until the afternoon, but she was quick, and things were going smoothly.

He glanced at the time on his cell phone.

It’s currently 8:30 a.m., still early.

After a little thought, Li Jing composed a message.

"You’ve made demands from the Demon Beast Union, right?"

"Of course, otherwise my submission would look suspicious, right? Setting a high initial price is the only appropriate move."

Ren Jie replied, and then sent another message.

"I demanded 30 billion from them, they said they’re willing to negotiate. I won’t take the money, it’ll leave traces. If you’re interested, you can negotiate it yourself, just give me some clean money afterwards."

Seeing this message, Li Jing smirked.

Ren Jie’s asking price was outrageous.

billion right off the bat, it’d be strange if they agreed.

This... it’s the equivalent of half of Mr. Zhang’s "net worth"!

A not-so-outstanding Sixth Realm great monster might not even be worth this much.

But you must say.

Ren Jie is worth this price.

Quite reasonable, this initial high asking price.

The Demon Beast Union is in a bad situation, with Ren Jie’s addition, the Jianghai branch will not carry as heavy a load.

Ren Jie didn’t dare to take this money, but he dared to.

Dirty or not, who from the Inspectorate would dare to approach him after he took it?

First, getting half of what Mr. Zhang is worth, this seems like a good deal!

He smirked maliciously, then composed a message.

"Understood, if I successfully get the money, I will give you 10% once everything is settled."

After replying to Ren Jie’s message, he sent a message to Yulian, telling her to come over at 9:30.

It was pointless to wait for Chen Yuran.

Unless there was a matter at hand, she would never get up early.

It wasn’t suitable for her to continue being involved in this.

Chen Yuran did have combat ability.

She had a level 5 spirit weapon in her hand. Even if she bumped into Fifth Boundary, she could handle it somewhat.

But after all she was still only in the early stage of the Four Realm.

Carrying both Yulian and Chen Yuran along, if we encounter the Sixth Realm, Li Jing might not be able to handle both.

Bringing her along could also lead to being monster snatched as an issue.

Not long after sending the message, Yulian sent back an OK emoji.

...

More than ten minutes later.

Liu Sisi came downstairs for breakfast, then went to the Management Bureau.

The work of the Management Bureau, there is no off day.

However, when there is no business, you can choose not to go.

Liu Sisi had been going every day mainly because she was going to retreat for training.

If she was to retreat for cultivation, why not go to the Management Bureau and earn some salary?

Remember, the Management Bureau didn’t pay salary in money but in merit.

In her position as Action Consultant, her daily salary is 10 merit points.

It sounds like a small amount, but if converted into money, it’s a sky-high salary of 100,000 per day.

Even though 300 merit points per month can’t be converted into something valuable, but accumulated over time, they could be exchanged for something.

A monthly salary of 3 million is at the director level in the Inspectorate.

If she had to cultivate anyway, wouldn’t there be no difference between doing it at home and at the Management Bureau?

Liu Sisi still chose to go today mainly because there were still some unfinished tasks.

...

In a blink of an eye, it was the appointed time of 9:30 for Li Jing and Yulian.

Yulian arrived on time.

When they met in the villa, Yulian asked, "You kept me here yesterday specifically for the Demon Beast Union?"

"Right."

As Li Jing responded, he glossed over Ren Jie’s true identity and explained the matter.

If he was going to work with Yulian today, he had to at least let her know what was going on.

After listening to the explanation, Yulian expressed surprise. "In this vast world, there really is nothing that doesn’t exist. I do know a few demons who have the talent for disguise. To a certain extent, they can also hide their presence from other demons, but that’s when they are not face-to-face. If they are face-to-face, they can still be easily sensed."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing agreed and nodded.

Ren Jie was indeed extraordinary.

If it wasn’t for seeing it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t readily believe that such a demon could exist in the world that could deceive even his own eyes.

However, this is not a big deal.

Something as special as Ren Jie is hard to find a second one.

And her health bar is only hidden, not non-existent.

When you slash her, you will get as much experience as you should.

Without thinking any further, Li Jing said.

"It’s getting late, we should head over. I’ll use Sky Control to take you near the target address, and we’ll take a car there, observing the surroundings in the process."

"Okay."

Yulian complied, then responded thoughtfully.

"You’ve arranged for the Great Demon from the dark alley to invite the people from the Demon Beast Union out. Will it be a problem if you go to the meeting alone or would I, going with you, raise their guard?"

"It won’t be a big problem."

Li Jing chuckled, answering.

"If a Fifth Boundary Big Monster like me, who has concealed his identity, wants to meet with the Demon Beast Union, wouldn’t it make sense for me to bring a Fifth Boundary demon beast friend as my bodyguard?"

"This..."

Yulian blinked, pondering that it made sense, and then asked.

"Once you get the money, do you plan to immediately trap them in the boundaries or...?"

"Take it slow, let’s see how it goes."

Li Jing responded, saying,

"The demon who will meet me must be influential, but considering the sensitive timing, the Demon Beast Union will surely be wary and have someone tailing from the shadows. Once we enter the subspace, those spying would be alerted immediately. The information we gathered wasn’t easy to come by and if we can’t identify the current location of the Demon Beast Union, it’ll be troublesome. Moreover, if we arouse their suspicion without knowing their location, finding them will be more difficult than reaching the heavens."

Having said that, Li Jing continued,

"The Demon Beast Union is not just associated with demons, but also human stockholders who are backing them and there might be cultivators assisting them. Once we reach the location, you should first sense the surrounding area to make sure there isn’t a problem. If there are no demons, it could mean cultivators are watching. Just to be safe, when we meet the person, subtly manipulate them to confuse. Not necessary to bewilder them completely, as long as we can gain their trust and draw out the important figures. Furthermore, getting the money won’t be easy, so we’ll have to play it by ear."

He spent great effort to just get the clues, so Li Jing’s consideration of the details was extensive, unlike the past when he just acted on received information.

After all, what he’s concerned with are not just a couple of demons, but the entire Demon Beast Union’s base in Jianghai.

If he wanted to act rashly, he still needed to find the organization.

Yulian, as an astute and clever fox demon, was well-versed in the art of tricks.

She knew that the Demon Beast Union was involved with the Lu family, one of The Seven Great Families, from news reports from the capital.

Seeking Immortal Winery was a property of the Lu family, so no one would believe that they had no connection with the Demon Beast Union.

But the fact that human cultivators were stockholders behind the Demon Beast Union had not yet been made public by the Management Bureau.

Upon learning the ins and outs from Li Jing, Yulian was not just surprised but also understood the need for extreme caution this time.

After a moment’s contemplation, Yulian waved her hand and pulled out two sheets of talisman paper.

Li Jing was slightly startled when he saw this.

He, of course, recognized the appearance changing Talisman.

Just as he was about to voice it out, Yulian gave a light laugh,

"The Demon Beast Union’s connections are complex, even involving high-ranking cultivators. To prevent any possible mishaps, why don’t we change our appearances before heading to the meeting?"

Having said that, she added,

"For myself, it doesn’t matter. The Demon Beast Union doesn’t know me, and it’s possible that the cultivators connected to them don’t recognize me either, but they might recognize you, Inspector Li."

Upon hearing this Li Jing frowned.

He hadn’t considered this aspect.

The Demon Beast Union has demons that recognize him, which didn’t need to be considered.

Those who had seen him were all dead.

But if humans recognized him, that was a different case.

Not many people in Jianghai knew him, but because of Chen Jing, many people were observing him, openly or in secret.

Who exactly, Li Jing didn’t know.

What he could confirm was,

These people all have power and a certain status.

If among them were stockholders of the Demon Beast Union...

How does the saying go?

Three cobblers with their wits combined equal a Zhuge Liang.

An individual can only consider so many perspectives. Having one more person to discuss with is always more thorough than a single planner.

He took one of the appearance changing Talismans from Yulian and said,

"I’ll reimburse you for the appearance changing Talisman later."

"It’s just a small amount of money, there’s no need to make it a big deal."

With a hint of a smile on her face, Yulian spoke and then activated the appearance changing Talisman first.

As Li Jing activated his appearance changing Talisman, he didn’t let the Talisman do the transformation on its own but consciously transformed himself to look like Li Qidao, an inspector from the Major Cases Sixth Team.

Before this, he used to disguise as Lu Yangcheng.

Having done it a few times, one more time didn’t matter.

However, after being reminded by Yulian, he took Chen Jing’s relationship into consideration.

Lu Yangcheng was in the Assistant Inspector Department with him and a member of the Heavenly King Group. They had directly cooperated to crack cases before, so there might already be some attention on him.

Keeping a distance would be safer.

Going back to the matter at hand,

The Demon Beast Union valued Ren Jie being a demon and working as an inspector, hence they tried to win her over. If after seeing him, the Union uses some resources to verify and doesn’t find anyone, it would be problematic.

Li Qidao was not only an identifiable person, but his identity was also appealing.

In addition, the Major Cases Sixth Team was currently on standby, each member staying at home, they could verify the person’s existence but wouldn’t be able to meet him at the inspector’s office.

Perfect!

Pulling out a mirror to look at his reflection, Li Jing puckered his lips.

This face of Li Qidao, the pretty boy vibes were rather strong.

His natural look had subtly changed during his body refining process, gradually leaning towards that of a pretty boy.

But compared to Li Qidao who has been cultivating in this world since childhood, his base was a bit lacking.

Looking at Yulian, who despite using the appearance changing talisman still looked like an extraordinarily beautiful demon, Li Jing laughed with a shake of his head.

"From now on, I am called Li Qidao."

"Alright, I’ll remember."

Yulian smiled softly.

...

Two minutes later, Li Jing, piloting the Spirit Soldier and carrying Yulian, arrived near Zhongping Avenue and selected a not-so-conspicuous spot to land.

Having Li Qidao’s identity as a cover, they could technically fly directly to their destination.

The Demon Beast Union wouldn’t be suspicious.

Still, it would be too ostentatious to do so.

At the very least, this meeting was supposed to be private and low-profile.

They hailed a taxi off the main street and quickly arrived at 1926 Zhongping Avenue, finding the Shimajima Cafe.

After they had paid the fare and got off the cab, Li Jing glanced at Yulian.

"How’s it?"

"There’s a demon. One."

Yulian softly said. Hooking her arm around Li Jing’s, she casually whispered.

"Boundary Five, he is inside the cafe."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing silently nodded in acknowledgement.

As he expected, the Demon Beast Union was cautious.

However, the situation at hand was more complex than he’d imagined.

Inside Shimajima Cafe, the Fifth Boundary Big Monster is very likely someone from the Beast Union.

He had already arrived ahead of schedule.

Coming here alone?

That’s impossible.

Since there’s only one, it signifies that he brought assistants.

The guards he had anticipated would probably be human.

Glancing around, Li Jing spoke quietly.

"Let’s see what’s inside, and play it by ear."

"Understood."

Yulian responded, leaning onto Li Jing to make them appear more intimate.

In terms of acting, Yulian was undoubtedly proficient.

She was not only a fox demon but also involved in the entertainment industry.

Internet celebrities, singers, actors — she had all sorts of people under her control.

There’s a reason why she was able to build Tianhong Entertainment from the ground up.

Upon entering Shimajima Cafe, there was already a person at table number 8.

However, this man was not a demon.

The Fifth Boundary Big Monster that Yulian detected was on table number 10.

Without Yulian’s hint, Li Jing could see the health bar atop the head of the Fifth Boundary Big Monster at table 10.

7398.

He’s in his late Fifth Boundary, just one step away from the Sixth Realm.

This power level was quite substantial.

The Jianghai branch of the Demon Beast Union might not necessarily have a Sixth Realm member in charge, but for a meeting to allure a Fifth Boundary Big Monster, it isn’t necessary for the Sixth Realm to step in.

Dispatching a late Fifth Boundary creature just one step away from Sixth Realm is already respectable.

The only thing that surprised Li Jing was that

the Union had sent a male demon instead of a female demon to ease the conversation, regardless of gender.

This led to a conclusion.

The Jianghai branch of the Demon Beast Union either doesn’t have high-ranking female demons, or these females have a high position that they cannot risk.

As soon as Li Jing and Yulian walked in, the male demon at table 10 glanced their way.

After all, Yulian is a demon and stronger than this male demon.

As soon as she entered the store, the demon became aware.

Now that they’ve walked inside, he could no longer ignore their presence.

Seeing Li Jing and Yulian together, the demon at table 10 frowned slightly and remained seated.

Noticing this, Li Jing glanced at the person on table 8 and confidently walked towards table 10 with Yulian.

Clearly, the man at table 8 was with the male demon.

They arrived early and occupied a spot – would they have mixed up the agreed location?

It’s impossible, isn’t it?

And directly finding the person at table 8 wouldn’t work either.

The fact that human stakeholders backed the Demon Beast Union was not well-known.

Finding this man wasn’t appropriate.

Moreover, at this moment, Li Jing was both Li Qidao and a Fifth Boundary Big Monster.

Everyone in the café could tell who the monster was — if he chose the wrong person, wouldn’t he arouse suspicion?

Upon reaching table 10, Li Jing smiled.

"I trust you don’t mind that I’ve brought a friend?"

Li Jing and Yulian had both set their sights on this male demon as soon as they entered the café, causing him to suspect but remain in his seat, waiting to confirm if they were his meeting partners.

Just as Li Jing had mentioned in advance,

As a Fifth Boundary "Big Monster," it would be reasonable for him to bring a strong demon friend as a bodyguard to the Demon Beast Union meeting.

Seeing Li Jing addressing him in such a manner, the demon stood up amiably.

"Of course, I don’t mind."

Then extending his hand, he introduced himself:

"Zhao Leshan."

"Li Qidao."

Li Jing responded and lightly shook his hand.

After nodding, the demon looked at Yulian who was clinging onto Li Jing.

"May I ask, who is this lady...?"

"You needn’t know her name."

Li Jing said indifferently, hugged Yulian and sat down, speaking coldly.

"This meeting is somewhat different from what we initially agreed upon. I don’t think I gave permission for you to bring someone else. Though it was unexpected, your style displeases me."

At this point, Yulian was willing to play second fiddle.

Seeing that someone was trying to assert dominance and stressing the word "human", she instantly realized that it was aimed at the person at table number 8.

Without any hesitation, Yulian threw a coquettish glance at him.

The man at table 8 was currently frowning at Li Jing’s words.

Encountering Yulian’s alluring gaze head-on, the man sitting at table 8 trembled, instantly collapsing dumbfounded onto the floor, a wet spot gradually appearing on his crotch area.

Zhao Leshan’s face kept changing at this sight.

Li Jing could tell that the man at table 8 was the same kind as him. It was not surprising.

If someone couldn’t figure it out, he was not worthy of being wooed by the Demon Beast Union.

What they valued was not only Li Jing’s talent for disguise and his patrol agent status, but his wisdom to infiltrate the Inspection Bureau and conceal his true identity.

To infiltrate the Inspection Bureau wasn’t something achievable just by pretending to be human.

It’s understandable that he is unhappy.

As demons, it is natural for them to guard against humans.

Li Jing came here as a demon, yet he brought a human. No wonder the former is upset.

However, Zhao Leshan hadn’t expected Li Jing to be so audacious in the least.

Nor could he have anticipated how eerie Yulian’s methods were!

The person accompanying him was from the Fifth Boundary!

He’s been rendered useless just by a gaze!

Looking at the wet spot gradually spreading below him, it was clearly not an accident but a continued emission of his vitality. Zhao Leshan was terrified, rapidly pleading,

"Mr. Li, please show mercy. My friend here has a distinguished identity! Please spare him! I apologize for any rudeness!"

Yulian’s "assist" perfectly demonstrated seizing the moment.

Li Jing was also taken aback.

This woman is somewhat fearsome.

She’s much more real than his verbal displeasure.

Seeing Zhao Leshan in a panic, repeatedly asserting the distinguished identity of the man at table 8, Li Jing was outwardly unimpressed, but inwardly delighted.

Could this guy be a shareholder?

Even if he’s not a shareholder, he is probably someone close to the shareholders and is very important to the Demon Beast Union.

Excellent!

"Apologies are insincere, aren’t they?"

Li Jing spoke lightly, glancing at the waitress in the cafe who was about to check on the man collapsed at table 8. He lowered his voice,

"Sixty billion, take it or leave it. Besides, your ’distinguished’ friend has to die here. I don’t like surprises, let alone threats to my woman."

Yulian was slightly surprised at his words, and stealthily shot him a glance.

Whose woman? There’s not much point in caring about that.

It’s only lip service.

Coming here might yield thirty billion, a fact that Li Jing had told her earlier.

Now, he was asking for double the amount...

Just like that?

This was too ruthless even for a shakedown!

That’s ruthless!

But she likes it very much!

The more Li Jing earns, the more she can get as an "accomplice".

In this regard, Li Jing has always been fair.

Should she intensify her efforts?

She did hold back just now. The man at table 8 looked pretty miserable, but his life force hadn’t completely dissipated.

On the other hand, Zhao Leshan looked pale upon hearing Li Jing’s domineering words.

This was an unreasonable markup on the spot!

Sixty billion!

How much could he get even if he killed himself and sold his body?

But with his life in the hands of others, would he dare to refuse?

He couldn’t bear such a responsibility!

Would Li Jing dare to kill?

There was no doubt about it.

Li Jing is a demon, Yulian is also a demon, and the person he brought poses a threat to their identities.

If they can’t agree, this person doesn’t need to live anymore.

Should he appeal to the Demon Beast Union?

Would Li Jing dare to make a move if he seemed to ignore the Demon Beast Union?

Yulian’s methods are not only "brutal" but also leave no trace.

If he really brought it up, perhaps even he won’t be able to leave today...

Seeing the man at table 8 starting to foam at the mouth, and the waitress who had turned pale and was dialling the ambulance, Zhao Leshan gritted his teeth in desperation and said lowly,

"Fine, sixty billion it is. I implore this lady to stop her divine power."

"Can you make this decision?"

Li Jing voiced out leisurely.

Seeing that he was in no hurry to stop Yulian, Zhao Leshan was infuriated, but dared not express it. He quickly reassured,

"Mr Li, I can give you the initially agreed amount of thirty billion. The other thirty billion is for the life of my friend, which we’ll have to discuss with the stakeholders. You can rest assured, my friend is worth much more than this. If he dies, we really cannot carry on the negotiations."