Chapter 236 - 235: Big Secret Realm, The Ocean is Imminent

Li Jing’s intuition was not inaccurate.

In a blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Liu Sisi was still in meditation, not yet breaking through.

She only got out of bed three times in the whole month.

An average of once every ten days.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t sit still, she was simply too hungry to continue.

Only when one steps into the Fourth Realm, could she possess the ability to abstain from eating to a certain extent.

In the late phase of the Third Realm, she still needed to eat.

However, in the meditative state, her consumption was small, and her demand for food was much less than usual.

In the month Liu Sisi prepared for the breakthrough to the Fourth Realm, Li Jing had a tough time.

Having a beautiful wife, who was already within his grasp, untouchable, was torture, especially since he just tasted the sweetness of dual cultivation.

However, his month was still quite fulfilling.

He exposed the Demon Alliance’s Jianghai branch, which led to a lot of trouble.

Including the Wei family, the wide spread connections behind the three shareholders Yulian extracted from Wei Siyuan were being investigated, and all were family forces that crossed provinces and cities to develop in Jianghai, making the investigation difficult.

The Major Crime Unit sent a team to investigate in Tasu Province, while the remaining personnel cooperated with other departments to investigate the developments of the four known shareholders in Jianghai City, attempt to gather evidence and further follow up.

As a member of the Major Crime Unit, Li Jing was naturally involved.

After busying for more than half a month, different branches gathered enough evidence and confirmed that the case had no more connections, a large scale arrest operation was organized, mobilizing nearly three thousand elite patrolmen and several large management bureau teams to thoroughly clean up the Wei family, the other three shareholders and families and enterprises verified to be connected with the Demon Alliance.

The operation was completed in a day, arresting thousands of related personnel and destroying numerous illegal industries and hideouts.

Both Jianghai and Tasu Province were in turmoil because of this.

Especially in Tasu Province, where the foundations of the Wei family and the three shareholders were located, the uproars caused by the four wealthy local families weren’t much smaller than those in the national capital where two of the Seven Great Families fell.

Those families and forces that were originally quiet one by one jumped out, trying to fish in troubled waters and gain an advantage.

The situation in Jianghai wasn’t much better either.

After more than half a month of investigation, not only were the families in Tasu Province discovered, but also numerous business tycoons in Jianghai.

Those who should be arrested were arrested, and those who should be sealed were sealed.

The cake that these people originally had in their mouths was now up for grabs; who wouldn’t want to fight for it?

In short, that was it.

Li Jing followed along with it for half a month.

Every day he went out early and returned late to investigate, occasionally working overtime, and was kept busy.

The only thing that made him slightly upset was...

After he exposed the Demon Alliance’s branch, not only did the special envoy from the national capital not leave, but also became more active in the North City Branch.

Under his designation, everyone in the North City Branch was extremely busy, and all the members of the Major Crime Unit were thrown into investigating and gathering evidence on the relevant family forces.

The task of hunting down the remnants of the Demon Alliance was taken over by the special envoy, who requested a group of personnel from the Management Bureau, under the beautiful excuse that the North City Patrol Branch did not have enough strength to cope with such a situation and needed assistance.

The envoy’s move was obviously loaded, for anyone to see.

Without Chen Jing, the North City Patrol Branch did not have a Fifth Boundary power.

Without Chen Jing, the lack of power to handle complex situations was obvious.

As the lack of Chen Jing was being amplified, the person behind the special envoy could give all sorts of suggestions in the directorate in the future.

For example...

Assigning a Fifth Boundary deputy director to the North City Branch?

Li Jing had no interest in the underhanded schemes between the high-ranking people.

If people liked to jump, let them jump.

After all, Chen Jing had to come back sooner or later, and by then, his word would still be the final say.

What made Li Jing uncomfortable was...

Because of the ulterior motives of the special commissioner, he had to get involved in the investigation and evidence collection, instead of going after the demons of the Demon Beast Union.

Uncomfortable, yes, but...

He was formally assigned to the task. As a front-line patrol, he had no choice but to comply.

He could raise objections, but only if he would do so from the standpoint of a Fifth Boundary being.

Once he did that, he would probably no longer be a minor patrolman, and he would end up being converted into a high-level desk jockey.

That was not what Li Jing desired.

Compared to the office, he preferred the front line.

Moreover, if he spoiled the "good deeds" of the special commissioner, those people behind him would probably try to trip him up.

He wasn’t afraid of that, but it would be troublesome.

He couldn’t possibly use this petty matter as an excuse to run to the capital and unleash a full-blown Forbidden Skill just to tell certain people not to mess with him, could he?

The Forbidden Skill was indeed a trump card.

But to stir up trouble, he had to have a sufficient reason.

If he was not truly pushed to the corner, and he pulled out the Forbidden Skill without a second thought, the top brass in the capital would certainly deem him a dangerous character, wouldn’t they?

If that happened, not only would it affect him, but it would also be a hassle for Chen Jing, who had granted him permission to learn the Forbidden Skill.

This wasn’t worth it just to deal with a few petty clowns.

Jiang Yini from the management bureau understood this as well.

She routinely dispatched personnel for assistance once the application was made.

Even though she knew that the North City Branch was secure with Li Jing still around after Chen Jing left, the former hadn’t taken center stage.

If Li Jing was reluctant to come forward, and Chen Jing also didn’t seem keen on showing off the former, how could she not take the hint?

Besides, in terms of maintaining city law and order, the management bureau and the patrol bureau share common responsibilities.

When requests for assistance were made, the necessary support must be provided, or else it would be seen as a problem with her leadership of the Management Bureau.

Setting these aside...

Cities all over Hua Country, for the most part, were in dire straits within the month.

With the Development of the Demon Beast Union being confirmed in various areas under the careful investigation by the patrol bureaus, dozens of bases had been identified.

Through the collaborative efforts of patrol bureaus and management bureaus across different regions, all the identified bases were subsequently destroyed.

The process was quite simple.

In the face of state power, a known monster base didn’t pose much trouble.

However, the verification process afterwards was somewhat troublesome.

The bases discovered in other places were properly investigated.

Their discoveries were a testament to the competence of the patrol bureau.

Discoveries were not merely down to borrowing the power of the monsters like Li Jing did, or by having a handy "great demon" like Yulian at your disposal, who could easily get people to spill the beans. Once a base was discovered, that’s essentially where the effort ended.

The crackdown certainly had effects.

Yet, until all the shareholders behind the scenes and the scattered members of the Union were discovered, the Union’s forces would resurge sooner or later, necessitating continuous follow-up work to keep them in check.

...

That evening...

Li Jing finished a day of work and, together with Chen Yuran, who was also posted in Major Crime Unit Six, completed their scheduled working hours and left the office on time.

The work of the Major Crime Unit did not end with the large-scale crackdown operation.

At the request of the special commissioner, they were still carrying out various investigations.

These investigations couldn’t be said to be a waste of effort, but they were not very meaningful.

But since it was formal work, including Li Jing and Chen Yuran, other members of Major Crime Unit Six had no choice but to come to work and keep busy.

After leaving the patrol bureau, Li Jing turned to look at the exceptionally busy North City Branch, then turned back to Chen Yuran.

"Any news from my uncle? It’s been over a month, when will he be able to return?"

"I’m not sure, but I assume it will be soon."

Chen Yuran shook his head.

"The chaos in the capital doesn’t stop every other day, in fact, it seems to be getting worse. They have no reason to keep my father in the capital. He’s been away for over a month now, and the special commissioner must have had enough. I guess in a few days, he should be coming back to North City, and the special commissioner should be out of here."

Having said that, she asked.

"How is Sisi progressing? Any signs of a breakthrough?"

"Not yet."

Li Jing sighed lightly.

"I used the Sky Eye Technique to check on her a few days ago. She hasn’t yet tried to break through, she must have been preparing this whole month."

Speaking, he wondered aloud.

"I can’t tell what the bottleneck that Sisi is encountering, but as of now, it seems like she needs to accumulate enough strength to break through. A whole month of accumulation, I think it should be almost enough. I don’t think it will be long before she tries a formal breakthrough."

"Well, hopefully she will succeed."

Chen Yuran said, waving her hand and drawing out her flying sword.

"Let’s go, let’s go home, I feel like having sweet and sour small ribs tonight."

Responding to the "meal order", Li Jing summoned his spiritual weapon, a flying sword.

Just as he was about to take off into the sky, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Pausing his movements, Li Jing took out his phone and frowned slightly.

Displayed on the phone screen, was a message from Jiang Yini.

What on earth could cause this woman to send him a message?

Opening the message, Li Jing was taken aback.

"Spatial fluctuations have been detected on the international waters at the border between Hua Country and Daohe, it is speculated that a large Secret Realm may be about to appear in the sea area. The situation is a bit complicated. Come to the Management Bureau when you have time, let’s talk in person."

This message from Jiang Yini was completely unexpected.

A Secret Realm, which Li Jing had been eagerly hoping for, had been anticipated for over two months.

And now it has finally appeared.

And what’s appeared is a large Secret Realm.

The Sixth Realm now seemed within his reach!

However, this situation is indeed a bit complicated.

The spatial fluctuations occurred in the open sea, so it cannot be said who the Secret Realm belongs to.

Not only Daohe sandwiching the Secret Realm with Hua Country, but neighboring countries will certainly want a piece of the pie, as well as other distant but more powerful countries probably wanting to force their way in."

A large Secret Realm, isn’t comparable to a small Secret Realm.

The resources within, everyone craves.

"I’ll be there right away, five minutes."

After sending a response to Jiang Yini, Li Jing turned towards Chen Yuran.

"Something came up at the Management Bureau, I won’t be able to cook for you tonight."

Hearing this, Chen Yuran frowned.

"What’s so urgent that you can’t even cook?"

"Spatial fluctuations have been detected in the Eastern international waters, it’s said that a large Secret Realm might be appearing. Jiang Yini called me over."

Li Jing responded truthfully.

"International waters? A large Secret Realm?"

Chen Yuran paused for a moment, then decisively said,

"Count me in for this!"

?

Li Jing typed out a question mark slowly.

"For such a big deal, having you as an action consultant won’t be useful."

Chen Yuran snorted and said.

"Not to mention you, even she herself doesn’t have that much power. She’s looking for you for this matter, obviously she’s had some sort of sordid deal with you in advance, promising a Secret Realm opportunity for you to discuss."

"..."

Li Jing was dumbfounded.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Chen Yuran’s conjecture.

He did indeed have a prior deal with Jiang Yini.

But the word "sordid"...

Looking at a certain person’s face full of speechlessness, Chen Yuran raised an eyebrow.

"Seems like I guessed correctly."

Saying so, she gently bit her red lip and said,

"My recent cultivation hasn’t been very efficient. If I continue this way, I’ll be caught up by Sisi. And I’m not that busy in Major Crime Unit, going to the Secret Realm might bring about different gains."

"This..."

Li Jing blinked and nodded,

"Understood. I’ll go see Jiang Yini first to understand the situation, then we’ll talk when I get back. If there’s a chance to go to the Secret Realm, I’ll take you."

Getting this response, a smile appeared on the corner of Chen Yuran’s mouth.

"Alright, I’m going to Ji Qing’s place for dinner, I’ll wait for you at home tonight."

With that, she took off on her sword.

After finding out Ji Qing’s human identity, Chen Yuran naturally discovered her hot pot restaurant and has become a regular customer.

Li Jing watched her leave, his expression a bit strange.

He wasn’t clear about Chen Yuran’s recent cultivation progress.

But judging from the current pace, solely on the realm aspect, she’s indeed about to be caught up by Liu Sisi.

He understood well enough that Chen Yuran was competitive.

But it was somewhat unexpected that Chen Yuran, who usually was straightforward and calm, cared so much about this, and even hoped that adventuring in the Secret Realm might bring different gains.

Agreeing to take Chen Yuran to the Secret Realm wasn’t a problem.

Just like when Xiu Qiong had taken him, an extra person, into the Secret Realm, he can do the same now.

But once in the Secret Realm, Chen Yuran might be disappointed.

Chen Yuran was not like him, she couldn’t level up by killing monsters.

What she was hoping for, was a true serendipity.

Such a thing couldn’t be encountered just by casually entering the Secret Realm...

Li Jing had been in the Secret Realm thrice, and although there had been a bit of serendipity, it was basically just finding a coffin that hasn’t been figured out yet, with a stele inside it.

...

In no time, Li Jing arrived at the Management Bureau using his Spirit Soldier.

Upon arrival, a prompt sounded in his ears.

"The training progression of Flying Sword Blue Edge is 100%, resulting in an increase in quality to the Seventh Level Spirit weapon."

Having received the prompt, Li Jing paused, opening up the panel.

Host: Li Jing

Experience Points: 41248/96327

Level: 64

Skill points: 0

Spiritual Power Intensity: 4160

Lifebound Magic Instruments: Linglong (Spiritual Weapon, Seventh Level 1%), Qingfeng (Spiritual Weapon, Seventh Level 0%)

Equipment: None

Passive skills: Momentary Space

Active skills: Sky Sword Technique (5/5), Sky Eye Technique (5/5)

Limit Breakthrough (passive): Key Points of Thunder Skill, Divine Origin Unification, Divine Might, Silent Shadow (3/15)

Limit Breakthrough (active): Wind King Mysterious Clothing, Thunderbolt Walk, Spirit Soldier Break

Forbidden Skill: World Thunder Punishment (25/25)

Glancing over the Lifebound Magic Instruments column, Li Jing mustered his spirit and entered the main gate of the Management Bureau.

Not long after he became the third origin, the Flying Sword Blue Edge had metamorphosed into a level six spiritual weapon under the bonus of double efficiency.

About five days ago, the Linglong Tower, which had metamorphosed into a level six spiritual weapon, completed its promotion first after being nurtured for twenty-five days.

Just as he had anticipated.

At the point of reaching the seventh level of Spiritual Weapons, he wasn’t even able to benefit from the basic 1% efficiency.

Even with the double bonus of his Lifebound Magic Instruments, there was only a 1% progress after five days, averaging to only 0.2% per day.

To effectively improve efficiency, he needed to achieve an advancement in the Great Boundary, which would further change the density of the spiritual power within his body.

Now, the Flying Sword Blue Edge had caught up, and the upgrade of both spiritual weapons had reached a bottleneck.

The news from Jiang Yini could not have come at a better time.

...

In a moment, Li Jing arrived at the door of Director Jiang Yini’s office and gently knocked.

As soon as he knocked, Jiang Yini’s voice rang out.

"Come in."

Li Jing pushed open the door upon hearing her voice.

Jiang Yini was sitting at her desk in the office, looking at a file. When she looked up and saw him entering, she voiced her displeasure.

"We agreed on five minutes, and you’re late."

"You can’t blame me for that, the Bureau has a no-fly rule, and your office is in the heart of the compound. It takes quite a while to walk in."

Shrugging, Li Jing sat down in front of the desk.

"What’s the verdict on the Secret Realm?"

"There’s no verdict for the time being, it’s still under survey."

Jiang Yini responded lightly.

"However, according to the current spatial fluctuation data captured by the Research Institute, it can be completely verified that a Secret Realm Passage is about to open. Whether it’s a Big Secret Realm or not, we will have to wait for the passage to open and analyze the spatial data to estimate its potential stability. The Research Institute forecasts that the Spatial Passage will officially open and stabilize within a week."

As she spoke, she handed over the file in her hand.

Li Jing took the file and glanced at it, immediately losing interest.

The file contained records of spatial fluctuations.

He couldn’t understand it.

He quietly placed the file on Jiang Yini’s desk and asked a question.

"You specifically asked me over here to see you, do you have any instructions?"

"Not really instructions, but there are some things I need to explain to you in advance."

Jiang Yini said in a calm tone.

"I made a promise to you that you would be given priority to enter any Secret Realm that comes up. I am a woman of my word. You came here so quickly after I gave you the news, which tells me that you’re quite interested in this Big Secret Realm."

"Sure, the Big Secret Realm is dangerous and the risk is unknown. Everyone who challenges the Secret Realm risks a lot. However, this Secret Realm is unusual as it is located at sea and does not belong to any one place. As soon as the passage opens, no matter the size of the realm, numerous nations and peculiar forces will try to barge in. The exploration teams from these other nations and powers will be more treacherous compares to the unknown dangers within the Secret Realm."

"As soon as news of the Big Secret Realm came out, the higher-ups placed high emphasis on it. Over twenty-five cities along the Eastern Coast, including our Jianghai Management Bureau, received orders. Each Management Bureau is to send out a contingent of 10,000 personnel along with Research Institute staff to accompany the ocean fleet and standby at sea."

After all these statements, Jiang Yini looked serious.

"We have an agreement. I can let your Heavenly King Group handle it on behalf of the Jianghai Management Bureau. But before that, I hope you can promise me that you won’t only look out for your own adventures, but also take care of the rest of your team. I don’t ask that you bring back the same number of people as you took out, but I do ask that you ensure the safety of your people as much as possible while still gaining something from this. Also, one more important point, you must prioritize the national interest on this trip."

After hearing this, Li Jing fell silent and spoke seriously.

"You can rest assured on that matter. Since I am the one leading the team, I will naturally take good care of my squad. As for the complicated situation, I have anticipated it after receiving your message. It involves multi-national conflicts, and of course, I will prioritize national interests."

Upon hearing this response, Jiang Yini nodded in approval and gave a satisfied smile.

"I’m relieved to hear you say that. With someone as proficient in investigating cases and who has studied forbidden skills leading the team, our Jianghai Management Bureau couldn’t dispatch a more reliable candidate. Among the action participants dispatched by the other twenty-four city management bureaus, I doubt there’s anyone more capable than you."

Being so heavily complimented, Li Jing laughed bitterly.

"You’re overestimating me. My capabilities might not even be impressive in the Secret Realm, let alone the fact that we might be up against other countries and foreign powers..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yini interrupted by shaking her head.

"Be more confident. Remove the ’maybe’."

She then continued to explain.

"I have experience in this. Usually, everyone gets along peacefully at the beginning of entering the Secret Realm. However, once someone discovers some gain, then it all comes down to individual abilities. Whether you can keep your gain depends on how capable you are. In the Secret Realm, a strong nation can’t back you up. You need to be mentally prepared to handle all possible situations."

Li Jing remained silent after hearing this.

He would definitely go into this Big Secret Realm.

But the situation made it a bit difficult for him.

Manipulative tactics were not his strong suit.

Compared to that, he preferred direct confrontation.

He is not afraid of straightforward matters, but of people playing dirty tricks.

As if she knew what Li Jing was thinking, Jiang Yini said.

"You are overcomplicating things. In the Secret Realm, scheming is just part of the game, real power is always the trump card. If someone insults you, or you suspect someone is scheming against you, just attack them."

"Is it really that simple?"

Li Jing looked baffled.

"It’s not about being simple or not, but about ’better kill wrongly than let go’."

Jiang Yini shrugged and said while tapping on the table.

"But don’t just pick fights for no reason, cause an international dispute, and ruin the mission. When you do attack, remember to leave no survivors and no witnesses. During the scavenging process, accidents happen, that’s another story."

After saying this, she added.

"Additionally, keep in mind that your team and the squads from the other twenty-four cities are initially only responsible for exploration. Once you report back some of the exploration data, the Management Bureau will send in reinforcements. You only need to hold out for the first few days, don’t go all out unless necessary, just collect as much information as possible."

"In the initial stage of exploration, you don’t need to worry about the possibility of teams from other countries having Sixth Boundary or Seventh Boundary members. No one can afford the loss of a Sixth or Seventh Boundary in an entirely unknown Secret Realm."

"Some non-national entities, however, may be different. These people are usually desperadoes, no one knows what they are capable of. But you don’t need to worry too much about them, they usually don’t provoke national-level exploration teams and keep a low profile."

After finishing her explanation, Jiang Yini turned around in her seat, threw her long legs onto the side coffee table, and picked up her tablet.

"That’s all I had to say. You can go ahead. I have to start a video conference with the directors of the other twenty-four city management bureaus immediately. We need to discuss how to set up defenses along the border of the eastern sea area. The situation in the open sea is chaos, so we have to send a fleet for defense against any opportunists."

"Is that all you’re going to brief me on?"

Li Jing looked puzzled and asked.

"A total of twenty-five city management bureaus will be sending out teams for initial exploration. How will the bureau teams cooperate with each other?"

"No cooperation, everyone minds their own business."

Jiang Yini looked at him and said.

"There will be multiple forces involved in the Secret Realm, and the situation will be complex. Gathering together might make it easier to defend, but it also makes one an easy target. Individual actions are more convenient for each team. All you need to understand is who are your people, and lend a helping hand when they are in trouble."

"Got it."

Li Jing nodded, and then spoke again.

"Would you mind if I find some help for this mission?"

"The decisions of the Heavenly King Group are up to you. You can handle things as you see fit, no need to ask me."

Jiang Yini lazily agreed, with a smile on her face.

"If your team can obtain significant gains, it will be beneficial to our Jianghai Management Bureau, so feel free to get the help you need."

"Alright, you get on with your work, I’ll get going."

Li Jing smiled, turned around, and left.

Jiang Yini watched him leave, calling out.

"With Sisi not here and you washing your hands of everything, I’m afraid I can’t rely on you. I’ll let Wang Chong issue orders to the Heavenly King Group to pick up their supplies separately. They’ll all meet on the Eastern coast of North City tomorrow evening at six. All you need to do is to join them and board the ship for the voyage."

Upon hearing her words, Li Jing paused his steps and turned his head, nodding with a smile.

Without Liu Sisi, things were indeed a tad troublesome.

He had never been involved with the Heavenly King Group.

As he was going to set out with his team tomorrow evening, the only ones he could possibly approach were a few team leaders, leaving it to them to make arrangements.

Jiang Yini had thoughtfully settled this, saving him the trouble.

...

After leaving the Management Bureau, Li Jing decided not to go home but to head to Ji Qing’s hot pot restaurant.

The communication with Jiang Yini was much simpler than he had anticipated.

What Director Jiang was primarily concerned with was him getting carried away with his own affairs once inside the Secret Realm and becoming clueless about the situation, hence the special admonition.

There was nothing else.

He had only parted ways with Chen Yuran half an hour ago, so she must still be at Ji Qing’s place having a meal.

Going home to cook would be too much trouble.

It would be more convenient to join Chen Yuran for a meal and discuss the matters of the Secret Realm with her.

Soon after, Li Jing arrived at the hot pot restaurant.

As he had guessed, Chen Yuran had just started eating.

Ji Qing was sitting beside her, participating as a dining companion.

Thanks to Little Ai being such a strong "teammate," Ji Qing’s obsession with games had greatly subsided.

Over the past month, with Little Ai’s assistance, she had successfully climbed to Strongest King Level.

Since she was now at the king level, naturally she didn’t have much to pursue.

Even though she still teamed up with Little Ai for matches every day, she spent significantly less time on games and begrudgingly began to pick up cultivation again.

This was something Li Jing hadn’t expected in the beginning.

He hadn’t thought of any way to convince this hopeless kitten.

But surprisingly, it turned out to be quite simple...

As of now, Ji Qing had successfully stepped into the Four Realm with a health bar reaching 4617.

Compared to before, she had made encouraging progress.

Ji Qing no longer lacked meat to eat. All that mattered now was whether she could be diligent in the future.

From the last minion-killing mission Chen Yuran took Yulian on, piles of demon meat were saved to give to Ji Qing for her to consume.

Eighteen Third-realm monsters and four Fourth-realm monsters, which made for a pretty large quantity.

Even if these monsters were smaller in size, they easily weighed several thousand pounds.

The Third Realm demons’ meat wasn’t particularly significant to Ji Qing now, eating it only added a few more points of Power. The Four Realm demons’ meat could serve her well.

As soon as Li Jing entered the restaurant, Ji Qing noticed immediately and looked up at him.

Chen Yuran, who was enjoying her meal, took notice as well.

Upon seeing Li Jing approaching, she blinked in surprise and asked.

"Did you finish so quickly?"

"Yes."

Li Jing nodded, sitting down and saying,

"Director Jiang didn’t have much to tell me, she just emphasized to put national interests first."

"Is that all?"

Chen Yuran uttered in surprise, staring at the man who was making himself comfortable on the opposite side and using chopsticks, she said,

"Seems... quite necessary to me."

"..."

Li Jing was speechless, murmuring,

"Do you think I’m that useless?"

"Not to that extent."

Chen Yuran placed a piece of meat in her mouth, saying,

"On the grand scheme of things, I don’t feel there’s a need to worry about you. But personally, I feel you’re a loner and not suitable for leading a team."

"Cough,"

Li Jing coughed.

Chen Yuran’s words hit the nail on the head.

He was good at seeing the big picture, indeed.

However, his penchant for solitude made him unsuitable to lead a team.

Caught by Chen Yuran’s comment leading to an awkward cough from a certain someone, Ji Qing glanced confusedly and curiously asked.

"What’s with all this whispering? ’National interests,’ ’leading a team,’ are you two playing some online game?"

Li Jing smiled playfully upon hearing her words.

Ji Qing at her finest, all she could think of was gaming.

As Li Jing glanced in disbelief at the bewildered Ji Qing, he said,

"Ji Qing, I would like to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

Ji Qing tilted her head.

"The Management Bureau gave me a task and I’ll be leaving with Yuran for a voyage tomorrow."

As Li Jing was providing details, he said,

"Sisi is still on her critical advancement phase at home. Could you stay at my place for a while and watch over her for me?"

"Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do anyway."

Ji Qing readily agreed, then quickly asked,

"Will Little Ai be there?"

"Of course."

Li Jing nodded.

"That’s fine then. Go ahead with your trip, I’ll take good care of your wife."

Ji Qing was elated.

Chen Yuran, on the other hand, interjected suspiciously,

"I thought the Secret Realm’s appearance hasn’t been confirmed yet? You’re setting out tomorrow?"

Upon hearing the words "Secret Realm," Ji Qing’s ears moved slightly. However, she lost interest immediately and went back to her meal.

A Secret realm? It wasn’t as fun as playing online games face-to-face.

Li Jing looked at Chen Yuran’s puzzled expression, telling her the truth.

"According to the Research Institute, the passage will open within a week. You know that the entrance to the Secret Realm is in a rather awkward place, so heading there early will secure a good spot."

After saying that, he added,

"Later, contact your father and inform him of our situation, asking him to return earlier. The special envoy from the capital is still at North City Branch and hasn’t made any significant moves. It would be troublesome if they plan any moves when both of us aren’t there and your father is far away in the capital."

"That won’t be a problem."

Chen Yuran waved her hand, saying,

"Without my father around, everyone at the bureau understands the situation. Various department heads and group leaders are watching over the bureau, it won’t easily fall into chaos. Comparatively, we will need to officially apply for leave from Captain Dai."

...