Chapter 326 - 325: The Intricacies of Chaos, Forever 18 Years Old

Before they knew it, it was noon.

Li Jing spent an hour chatting with Liu Shi, which was somewhat uncomfortable.

Mostly because she kept throwing underhanded comments, leaving him in a rather awkward position.

Despite their limited interaction, it was only on this day that he discovered that his mother-in-law, who usually displayed indifference towards fame and fortune, actually had a tendency to be petty.

After this incident, all he could do was endure.

Seeing that it was lunchtime, Li Jing volunteered to enter the kitchen.

Liu Shi didn’t object to this at all, in fact, she enjoyed the free time.

She was never one to fuss over things.

If she were, she wouldn’t be holed up in the Liu family mansion all the time.

As the protector of the Liu family, there were too many details she had to pay attention to when appearing in public. She didn’t like it at all.

To her, things like hospitality were too trivial.

In fact.

The spiritual magic of the Silent Shadow, which interfered with people’s perception, was not something that Liu Shi developed to deal with enemies. She merely wanted to conveniently leave the house whenever she wished.

If Li Jing wanted to cook, then let him!

Although he rarely visited, he was her son-in-law, right?

Letting the mother-in-law rest and cooking a meal by himself should be taken for granted, should it not?

Returning to the topic.

As someone in the Six Realms, Liu Shi had already achieved complete fasting, without the need for eating or drinking.

On a normal day, she would occasionally make a meal herself just to satisfy her appetite.

The main reason to cook was that her daughter was here, and she would need a meal when she woke up.

As for her son-in-law, Li Jing.

If it weren’t for the incident with Chen Yuran, she would have been more than happy to treat him well.

However, with the incident, she had a grudge in her heart and not showing a gloomy face was already being quite restrained.

Liu Shi, who had upheld the entire Liu family on her own for many years, was not exactly the most broad-minded person. Today, she let Li Jing know, through her actions, that she was an annoyingly nagging woman at heart.

...

Not long after Li Jing ventured into the kitchen, Liu Sisi came downstairs, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

She saw her mother sitting comfortably in the living room, sipping tea, while there was a flurry of activity from the kitchen, which puzzled her and she peeked in.

"Mom, who is cooking in the kitchen?"

"Your husband."

Liu Shi responded casually.

Liu Sisi was slightly taken aback when she heard this, and she walked quickly to the kitchen door.

Seeing that it was indeed Li Jing in the kitchen, she expressed her surprise aloud.

"When did Li Jing come? Did he finish his work abroad?"

Seeing his wife finally awake, Li Jing let out a soft smile, as well as a silent sigh of relief.

Mamma mia!

She’s finally awake!

Now, he probably wouldn’t have to be alone with Liu Shi.

In response to Sisi’s inquiry, Li Jing replied.

"I came back from White Hawk early this morning, had to drop by the Research Institute for something. I arrived here around ten."

Afterwards, he added,

"I did send Brother Jiu a message in the morning, asking him to inform you when you woke up, but who would’ve thought you’d stay in bed till now."

Faced with his words, Liu Sisi coughed awkwardly and made a nonchalant face.

"Isn’t staying in bed my standard move? You should be used to it by now."

Li Jing chuckled when he heard this.

Indeed, he was used to it.

When Liu Sisi was still running her chicken shop, wasn’t she in bed every day until after ten and only opening the shop around eleven?

Shaking his head with a smile, Li Jing said,

"I just started cooking, so we’ll have to wait a bit for lunch."

Upon hearing this, Liu Sisi nodded in agreement, replying,

"Lunch isn’t urgent. I ordered a cake last night, it might arrive a bit later, and we can have our meal when it does."

"A cake?"

Li Jing furrowed his brow slightly.

A birthday cake was something the Liu family should have taken care of, shouldn’t they?

Why did Liu Sisi go out of her way to order one?

Observing Li Jing’s confused expression, Liu Sisi tilted her head.

"Didn’t mom tell you? We’re celebrating her birthday here at noon, by ourselves. She’ll show up for the dinner banquet tonight, we aren’t participating."

"We’re not attending?"

Li Jing was taken aback.

It was expected that Liu Shi would merely make a token appearance at the banquet.

The birthday banquet was not her idea, but something the people of Liu family insisted on having.

Given her character, she wouldn’t appease those nosy people to any extent.

She hadn’t expected that Liu Shi didn’t want both him and Liu Sisi to attend the banquet, which was completely surprising.

It wasn’t that Li Jing was being self-effacing.

For today’s birthday banquet, his presence and absence would produce completely different outcomes.

How much the Liu family could gain from today’s event depended on how well he did.

Was Liu Shi not hoping for the Liu family to do well, or what?

Talking about reason.

At this point, if Liu Shi asked for something, Li Jing would do his best to comply.

Especially since his mother-in-law was holding a grudge these days.

When a woman holds a grudge, shouldn’t she be placated?

Now, Li Jing has a fairly open attitude.

Although he was hiding his Seventh Realm cultivation level, the outside world generally knew from the incident at Chongyuan Holy Realm that he was a Six Realm cultivator.

Reaching the Sixth Realm at twenty-two years old, this was unprecedented.

Even within the hidden world sects, there’s probably no one who can match him.

In conclusion,

The current situation is not about whether he wants to keep a low profile or not.

His existence was too noticeable, he could only adapt.

Liu Shi didn’t intend for him to attend the birthday banquet, which frankly, took him by surprise.

So why would Liu Shi refuse something that was entirely beneficial and harmless to the Liu family?

If he didn’t show up, the guests probably wouldn’t be satisfied.

Not to mention the fact that Liu Shi herself was only going for appearances, she had no intention of being the birthday star, she just wanted to stay at home.

While he was feeling puzzled, Liu Shi’s calm voice echoed in Li Jing’s ear through mental communication.

"Don’t think too much, the reason I don’t want you to come to the birthday banquet is simply because I don’t want you to be used. To me, you’re family. But to the Liu family, you’re an outsider. It’s okay for me, as a guardian of the Liu family, to be used as a marketing tool, there’s no need for you, my son-in-law, to do the same. The Liu family hasn’t given Sisi a nurturing environment for many years, I remember it all, and I haven’t forgotten," she said.

After receiving this message, Li Jing was speechless.

In all honesty,

Sometimes he really didn’t understand his mother-in-law.

Everything he saw in her seemed to be only the surface.

She had contributed so much to the Liu family, even to the point of watching her daughter be wronged, which to Li Jing was unreasonable.

However, he could also understand.

Liu Shi’s status meant that she had to consider various things for the family head.

And Liu Sisi, who had been trapped in One Realm for twenty-six years, was bound to be unwelcome in a wealthy family like the Liu’s.

This was a realistic world.

Having a powerful mother does not change certain established things.

Liu Shi herself can’t protect Liu Sisi forever.

To avoid suffering, she must grow herself.

Just as what Jiang Jingxian told Li Jing before.

Liu Sisi could leave the Liu family not because Liu Shi turned a blind eye, but because she felt that it was better for her to leave, or even that she directly instructed her to do so.

It wasn’t that she didn’t hope for Liu Sisi to have a good living environment, but it was very difficult to change the environment in the Liu family.

If it can’t be changed, then it would be better to change the environment.

Li Jing understood all these truths.

And now, Liu Shi, who appeared to be contributing selflessly to the Liu family, seemed somewhat reluctant to see the Liu family doing better.

Even her words revealed a certain intent.

I, Liu Shi,

Hold grudges.

Frankly speaking, this was quite contradictory.

Maybe this is the so-called warmth and coldness of a great family?

I can give everything for the family, but it doesn’t mean that I will love my family.

Shaking his head silently, Li Jing said to Liu Sisi at the door.

"Sisi, you go to the living room and sit with mom first, I can handle the kitchen alone."

"Okay, you’re busy, I’ll go talk to mom."

Liu Sisi smiled, then turned and went to the living room.

...

There wasn’t much food in Liu Shi’s house.

After all, she only cooked occasionally.

But Li Jing had brought his own supplies.

Today was his mother-in-law’s birthday, and he had volunteered, so of course, he had to make it a bit more lavish.

All in all, Li Jing was busy for more than an hour.

After cooking, he gradually brought the prepared food to the dining table in the living room.

Liu Shi had never had Li Jing’s cooking before.

But she knew that he was a good cook.

Not only Liu Sisi had mentioned it to her, Jiang Jingxian, whom she had reconnected with, had also often talked about it.

Even according to Jiang Jingxian, her daughter was moved by Li Jing’s cooking.

Liu Shi initially didn’t believe this.

But at this moment, seeing the delicious food Li Jing served, it made her, who had been fasting for a long time, feel hungry. She somewhat believed it now.

Once upon a time, when her cultivation level was low, wasn’t she also particularly fond of food?

Girls!

They liked to shop and eat.

Games?

In her time, girls didn’t play games, and there weren’t many games to play anyway.

Sitting at the table and looking at the full table of delicious food, Liu Shi glanced at Liu Sisi inadvertently and then looked at Li Jing, silently resisting the urge to start eating right away.

Both as an old mother and as a mother-in-law, she must maintain her dignity.

Neither Li Jing nor Liu Shi cared much about the ceremony, but Liu Sisi did.

No cake, no meal.

Of course, Li Jing went along with Liu Sisi.

Liu Shi, on the other hand, couldn’t bring herself to say let’s eat.

So, the three of them sat at the table and continued to chat.

Around half past twelve, a "ding dong" sounded from the doorbell.

Liu Sisi, who was sitting next to Liu Shi, seeming cheerful, perked up and quickly stood up.

"The cake I ordered should have arrived, I’ll go check."

She said and quickly went out.

Li Jing was just about to suggest that he go see it with her, but she was already gone in a flash.

Looking at Liu Shi who was sitting calmly, he could only give up and sit down properly.

After a brief silence at the table, Liu Shi spoke.

"Lately, the capital has been quite unstable. After today, you and Sisi should return to Jianghai earlier."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing frowned slightly and said subconsciously,

"It’s not a big deal if we stay a little longer since we’ve come all this way."

"No need to."

Liu Shi casually said.

"Frankly, you shouldn’t have come at all. Behind the turmoil in the capital, many unimaginable things are hidden from ordinary people. Some hidden world sects have their eyes on the cake that is The Seven Great Families."

?

Li Jing slowly typed out a question mark.

He certainly sees that the turmoil in the capital is not simple.

But Liu Shi mentioned the hidden world sects.

And clearly pointed out, some hidden world sects have their eyes on the cake that is The Seven Great Families.

Is this...

Possible?

The reason why The Seven Great Families are called as such is because they have a profound foundation.

But more than that, it’s because of their influence in the business circle of the capital.

Except for the Jiang family, which is a special case, which of The Seven Great Families doesn’t hold sway over a large amount of business in the capital’s Earth Realm?

Could the hidden world sects still want these things?

They’re called hidden world sects for a reason. If they’re interested in the business of the secular world, how can they still be considered hidden?

As if knowing what Li Jing was thinking, Liu Shi whispered.

"You should understand the simple truth that human nature is malicious. Hidden world sects are also made up of people. Just because they choose to hide in plain sight doesn’t mean they want to. In fact, their organizational structure isn’t even as well-established as that of The Seven Great Families."

As she spoke, she leisurely picked up her chopsticks, took a small piece of meat and continued.

"To us who live in normal society, although the idea of hidden world sects collectively avoiding the world seems high and mighty, it is actually just that. Infighting is common among the sects, and even fights within the same sect are frequent. Casualties are a daily occurrence, far worse than in The Seven Great Families."

Taking a pause to stuff a rib in her mouth, Liu Shi continued.

"Above the heads of The Seven Great Families, they dare not casually take someone’s life because we have the law of Longyu to restrain us. However, hidden world sects are not like this. To them who cultivate in hiding, the law has no meaning, and the patrol can’t control them. Their understanding of the law, at best, is knowing that murder is a crime."

Li Jing listened to Liu Shi’s narration, silent.

He understands the reasoning.

So...

Why did Liu Shi start eating midway through talking?

Can he, as her son-in-law, not see through her sneaky eating?

Ignoring Liu Shi’s sneaky eating, Li Jing frowned and spoke.

"Mom, I understand what you’re saying, but wouldn’t the official authorities of Longyu not allow the hidden world sects to reach so far?"

"This is not a matter of whether Longyu’s officials would allow it."

Liu Shi shook her head, continuing her secret eating while using the conversation as a cover.

"This kind of restriction has been in place since the founding of Longyu. If not, why do those so-called sects still stay hidden? But you need to understand, Longyu has been founded for thousands of years, and these hidden world sects have been living outside the secular world, with no one to limit their growth. If you take The Seven Great Families as a reference, if no one limited them, God alone would know what Longyu would look like now."

After that, she went on to say.

"In the process of Longyu’s development, not only the Jiang family from The Seven Great Families have made contributions. The past few hundred years in Longyu have been relatively peaceful, but in the past there were many who silently contributed to maintain the stability within the realm. In the past, The Seven Great Families have sacrificed many outstanding talents and ancestors during Longyu’s turbulent times, with the Jiang family suffering the most, and the Liu family coming next."

"The Liu family?"

Li Jing frowned.

"You think the decline of the Liu family to this point is just due to poor management?"

Liu Shi’s face betrayed a hint of sarcasm. She said,

"Lets not talk about the things concerning the Liu family. Discussing the past doesn’t have much meaning. The present Liu family is already not doing well in society. It’s not the road’s fault if people can’t make it."

"Among The Seven Great Families, only the Jiang family still maintains its original intention. As for the Lu and Wang families, which are at the center of the current storm, despite being merchants from the beginning, they have made many contributions to Longyu’s development. The ancestors of the two families had this sincere passion to give everything for Longyu. If they knew that their descendants were colluding with the Demon Beast Union, harming both humans and demons, the ancestors of both families would probably roll in their graves."

"Aside from these, you must understand, those things none of the hidden world sects participated in at all. Only in the recent decades, have some of them started to step out into the positions arranged by Longyu to ’intern’. The nicer term would be ’worldly cultivation’, the more unpleasant term would suggest that they are clueless about the state of human society and want to understand it better. The hidden world sects have spent over a thousand years hidden from public view, allowing them to grow on a large scale. As the scale grows, so do their ambitions."

After talking for a while, Liu Shi added.

"In addition, there’s a crucial point. There is never only one or two hidden world sects, they are divided into good and evil, law and chaos, the internal workings are very complex. While some people peacefully pursue the path of enlightenment, there are also those who are discontented with their lot and want to join the secular world to gain more."

Li Jing listened to so much of Liu Shi’s narration, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

Apart from the Jiang family, the other six families among The Seven Great Families have all contributed to the development of Longyu.

This was something he had never heard of before.

There was no such information on the internet.

How could he possibly digest all this information?

But upon a moment of reflection, he was relieved.

The internet is a product of the last few decades.

Public service families like the Jiang family, with their ancestors shedding blood, sweat, and tears for Longyu, would be hard to forget.

But the rest of the families, including the Liu family, all came from a merchant background.

The things that merchants do, in an era without internet and limited communication, whether they would be widely known is uncertain, let alone being remembered.

Then moving on to the hidden world sects.

Li Jing knows that there’s more than one or two hidden world sects.

Just from his own knowledge, there’s the Canglan Holy Land that people like Qi Chen are from, the Tianyi Taoist School that Chen Jing is from, and of course, other sects.

But from Liu Shi’s tone, it seems like there is a large number of hidden world sects.

Longyu is vast and abundant, but the population is also large.

There shouldn’t be that much space available for so many hidden world sects to cultivate in seclusion?

If there are so many hidden world sects, where have they been cultivating in seclusion all these years?

Li Jing was puzzled.

Just as he was hesitating whether to ask or not, Liu Sisi suddenly came in from outside the door with a cake.

Then, under his speechless gaze, Liu Shi quietly handed her chopsticks to him, took his away, and sat back down calmly.

"..."

Li Jing.

Mother-in-law, this...

What does it mean?

Stealing food and then shifting the blame onto him?

Before he could react, a subtle force acted upon him and the chopsticks contaminated with oil on his side rolled off the table.

"Your chopsticks fell. Go wash them."

Liu Shi looked over.

"..."

Li Jing.

Staring silently at his mother-in-law, he abruptly stood up to pick up the chopsticks he had accidentally dropped and headed towards the kitchen.

The elegant image of his mother-in-law, Liu Shi, that he held in his heart had begun to crumble ever since he came to the capital.

Truthfully, he was growing numb to it.

If he had to pinpoint a reason, he could understand a bit.

After all, he was now firmly seated on the "pirate ship" of their daughter.

They had already obtained their marriage certificate, and now they only needed to have a child. There was no longer any need for pretences.

How was it said?

Like mother, like daughter.

Thinking about how Liu Sisi’s temperament became more restrained after their relationship was confirmed, only to gradually "relapse" after they received their marriage certificate, it all makes sense now.

What was there to say?

Nothing really.

Even if there were, Li Jing would not dare to say it.

Liu Sisi did not notice Liu Shi’s sleight of hand, assuming that Li Jing had merely dropped his chopsticks and was going to wash them.

Liu Shi’s nibbling was also done skillfully.

She took a little of each dish on the table.

Despite tasting everything, unless one had a clear memory of what was originally on each plate, one would not be able to tell.

Could Liu Sisi be bothered to remember what each plate looked like?

Seeing Li Jing carrying a pair of chopsticks to the kitchen, Liu Sisi did not think much of it and cheerily carried the cake to the table and opened it. She then took out two candles shaped like the numbers "one" and "eight" and inserted them into the cake.

After lighting them, she said with a sweet smile.

"Mom, happy birthday."

Liu Shi smiled serenely upon hearing this and shifted over to make room at her side.

Seeing this, Liu Sisi blinked her eyes and quietly glanced towards the kitchen before whispering.

"Li Jing is here, Mom, should we..."

"We’re all family now, why bother about such details? We have plenty of time ahead; are we going to keep this up forever?"

Liu Shi replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Liu Sisi thought for a moment, feeling that it made sense, and laughed as she scooted over to Liu Shi’s side.

At that very moment, Li Jing came out of the kitchen.

Seeing the mother and daughter pair squeezed together on a bench, looking like twin sisters, he paused and furrowed his brows in confusion.

Then, looking at the cake on the table with the numbers "one" and "eight", Li Jing’s mouth twitched.

Liu Shi was the same age as Jiang Jingxian, currently in her fifties.

So, these two candles, were meant to represent eighteen years old.

Really now.

Forever eighteen, is it?

However, he was used to Liu Sisi’s antics.

A sigh escaped from his lips as Li Jing sat down at the table.

"Mom, happy birthday."

"Thank you."

Liu Shi nodded.

Before he finished speaking, Liu Sisi could hardly wait to interject.

"Mom, hurry up and make a wish and blow out the candles. I haven’t eaten since morning and I’m starving right now."

"Mm."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shi closed her bright eyes and wrapped one arm around her daughter’s waist.

It was unclear whether she really made a wish or not, but after a moment, she opened her eyes and blew out the two candles on the cake.

...

Liu Shi and her daughter thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

Li Jing, acting as sideshow, was also relatively relaxed.

With just the three of them at the table, Liu Shi had let down her guard and was no longer pretending. Although it was awkward, it made it easier for conversation.

Previously, Li Jing was quite uneasy in her presence.

Among those around him, there were only a few who were completely normal.

Without a doubt, Liu Shi was the most decent among them.

The next would be Chen Jing.

Was Chen Jing decent?

He was.

But when he was not, Li Jing simply couldn’t handle him.

At this point, Li Jing had come to accept it.

Those around him weren’t really all that decent, each of them had their quirks to some degree.

After a satisfying meal, Li Jing took on the task of cleaning up the "battlefield".

Just as he began cleaning up, the doorbell chimed again.

In the living room, the sound of Liu Sisi going to open the door could be heard.

In a short while, she walked into the kitchen with a puzzled expression.

"Li Jing, someone’s looking for you—it’s from the Patrol Headquarters."

???

Li Jing.

The fact that people from the Patrol Headquarters knew he was here was not strange.

To facilitate movement in the city, he always carried his patrol certificate with him, which had a chip that could be used for tracking.

So, the question was, why would someone from the Patrol Headquarters suddenly locate him?

With a puzzled expression, he walked out of the kitchen.

Upon seeing Li Jing, an unfamiliar male patrol officer stood politely outside the living room door.

Recognizing him from afar, the patrol officer took out his own certificate.

"Li Jing, sorry for the intrusion. I am Zhu Xiangyang from the Bureau Serious Case Group of the headquarters. Leader Jin instructed me to find you and seek your assistance."