Chapter 329 - 328: Black Butterfly, Sinister Gate

For women, going out can be a bit bothersome.

Tongyan said she was going upstairs to change clothes, and this process took over half an hour.

However, in this respect, Li Jing expressed understanding.

Firstly, he was somewhat of an "experienced person".

Secondly, after all, the two of them were going to meet someone.

What girl doesn’t pay attention to her appearance when she’s outside?

Moreover, there’s a third point.

If a girl dresses up properly when she goes out with you, it’s a good thing; even if it can’t prove how much she values you, at least she sees you as a man.

The day she stops making an effort, you should start considering where you went wrong.

Some might argue that the girl is just too lazy to dress up.

But then, here comes the question.

Why does she always dress up perfectly when she goes out alone, but becomes lazy when she’s with you?

Is it because of familiarity?

Perhaps, yes.

But more often than not, she just doesn’t see the necessity.

Away from all that.

The clothes Tongyan changed into were quite youthful and eye-catching.

The key is that her stature was clearly visible.

A single tight fitting T-shirt with a cartoon pattern on it seemed to be on the verge of bursting at any moment.

But that wasn’t the highlight.

The highlight was that the cartoon pattern on her T-shirt became incredibly 3D, creating a naked eye 3D effect.

Moreover, Tongyan had an alarmingly well-proportioned body.

Her slim waist could be circled with a hand.

She wore a pair of shorts that left a large space at the waistband.

Normally, she would need a belt for that.

Otherwise, the shorts might fall off while walking.

But Tongyan didn’t need to.

Because her hips were wider than her shoulders.

They could hold it up.

Then, because she was a bit overweight, Tongyan’s slender and round legs under her short shorts had a tactile appeal.

The combination of these factors could only be described with two words.

Incredible.

Purely in terms of figure, none of the women around Li Jing could compare to this girl.

This woman seemed to be a man’s dream.

The only flaw was that Tongyan looked too young and innocent. No matter how seductively she dressed, there was no trace of seduction, only the flavor of puberty.

This, for an adult man, was a downside.

If she could stand there like Yulian did, exuding danger, Tongyan could be "invincible" as a woman.

Tongyan, all dressed up, was quite a feast for the eyes, but Li Jing just took a closer look.

After all, he was a married man and knew to keep his desires in check.

Compared with other girls around him, Tongyan’s advantage was only that she was more enchanting.

In terms of being enchanting, aren’t the others the same?

Li Jing had gotten used to seeing such attractive figures and was tired of them.

As he left the mansion with Tongyan, Li Jing asked,

"Where exactly does your friend live?"

"Heart of the Island, at Longnan Lake."

Tongyan replied.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was slightly startled.

Heart of the Island at Longnan Lake.

This place was quite famous in the Capital.

Longnan Lake was a scenic lake far away from the Capital.

The so-called "Heart of the Island" was a villa park on an artificial island in the middle of Longnan Lake.

Without question, the villas in the Heart of the Island were extraordinarily pricey.

But even if you had the money, you couldn’t just move in.

To live on Heart of the Island, you had to have a certain level of fame in your field.

This field could be anywhere.

It could be science, finance, or even the internet.

Everything hinged on whether you were famous enough.

Plainly put, only celebrities were qualified to purchase and move into the Heart of the Island.

No one knew why the Heart of the Island had this unwritten rule, but since it was established, this marketing strategy had been very successful.

Almost all famous domestic stars and influencers had a mansion on the island.

In addition, there were also some financial moguls and enterprise leaders who lived there. The whole place had become a celebrity residence. As a result, the property prices kept going up.

Staring at Tongyan for a moment, Li Jing looked puzzled.

A demon disciple in the secular world has a house on Heart of the Island?

How did she manage that?

Demon disciples developing in the Capital should be restrained by the Longyu, so there was no reason they could achieve such a level of fame.

As Li Jing wore an expression of suspicion, Tongyan probably figured out what he was thinking. She said indifferently,

"That woman is skilled in sound-based attacks and has a very good voice. She joined the Cultural and Artistic Troupe in Longyu. If you have seen the Spring Festival Gala from five years ago, you should know about this internet sensation called Black Butterfly."

"..."

Li Jing was silent.

Of course, he wouldn’t know about the Spring Festival Gala from five years ago.

How long has he time-traveled to this world?

And he’s never learned anything about the Spring Festival Gala in this world.

Black Butterfly shot to fame five years ago; naturally, he would know nothing about her.

A member of the Demon Gate made a name for herself by performing in the Spring Festival Gala and even managed to live in the Heart of the Island.

Li Jing didn’t know what he should feel about this.

But he had to admit.

Some sect disciples apparently knew how to have fun.

Those skilled in sound-based attack would join the Cultural and Artistic Troupe, performed in the Spring Festival Gala, and even managed to become an internet sensation.

Shaking his head silently, Li Jing took out a spirit soldier shaped like a door plank.

"Longnan Lake is diametrically opposite to your location, we’ll need to cross the entire Capital. Since you’re not part of the Patrol Bureau or Management Bureau and thus don’t have the permission to fly inside the city, I’ll take you there."

"Hmm."

Tongyan nodded.

...

A few minutes later, Li Jing, maneuvering his spirit soldier, brought Tongyan to the sky above Longnan Lake.

After following her directions, they landed at the entrance of a luxury mansion on the outskirts of the Heart of the Island.

Upon landing, Tongyan looked at the super luxury mansion in front of her and couldn’t help but comment.

"Damn, all of us are from the same sect but the disparity is just so great. My senior sister and I can only afford a shoddy apartment in the Capital but she lives in this super luxury mansion. If I had a yard this size, how many vegetables could I grow?"

"..."

Li Jing was speechless.

He understood the principle.

But still.

She’s living in a super luxury mansion and she’s still thinking about growing vegetables? Isn’t it better to plant flowers and plants?

Suppressing a bitter smile, Li Jing asked for confirmation.

"Is this mansion Black Butterfly’s house?"

"Yes, she should be home like me at this moment."

Tongyan answered, adding.

"The Cultural and Artistic Troupe is only busy during some specific periods; normally there’s no business."

While speaking, she raised her hand and slapped the doorbell.

The doorbell rang, and a melodious female voice responded from the intercom.

"Who is it?"

Even through the intercom, the sweet voice was captivating.

Upon hearing the female voice, Tongyan made herself heard.

"Butterfly, it’s me. Hurry up and open the door."

This voice made the woman silent for three seconds.

Then she pretended to be an automated answering machine.

"Hello, the user you are calling is out of service range. Please call again later."

"..."

Li Jing thought that Black Butterfly certainly had a distinct personality.

Tongyan frowned and said.

"I rang your doorbell, not a call."

The intercom went silent again before the woman’s indifferent voice came out.

"It seems that our relationship is not good enough to warrant uninvited visits."

"Who cares about visiting you?"

The disdainful response came from Tongyan.

"Hurry up and come out, I have urgent business with you. I’ve brought a detective from the Serious Crime Unit."

"Serious Crime Unit?"

The woman’s voice showed some surprise.

Shortly thereafter.

The external gate went "click", the lock automatically opening.

"Please come in."

She added.

"If you don’t mind, only the detective should come in; the other person can wait outside."

Upon seeing the gate opening, Tongyan was about to stride forward when she heard the woman’s words. She rolled her eyes and without responding to the woman, she walked through the open gate.

Following her into the compound, Li Jing had an odd expression on his face.

He couldn’t tell if the relationship between Tongyan and Black Butterfly was as bad as it seemed. He did notice that they were quite familiar with each other.

After walking a few steps into the mansion’s courtyard, the mansion door opened and a stunning beauty, who could rival Xu Jiayi, came into the view.

Upon seeing her from afar, Tongyan provocatively puffed out her chest.

The stunning woman, not sure if she was reminded of something or felt offended, twitched her lips, huffed, and turned her gaze towards a certain someone.

Seeing the two’s silent interaction from afar, Li Jing could only shake his head and laugh. He confirmed that the two were indeed very familiar with each other, but their relationship was definitely not bad, just that they didn’t see eye to eye with each other.

In all fairness, Tongyan was quite the character as well.

Rubbing salt into someone’s wounds straight upon meeting, how ruthless can she be?

One is naturally flatter than the other; can one blame her for that?

Seeing the stunning woman turned her gaze towards him, Li Jing gave her a friendly nod and took the opportunity to observe her.

In terms of beauty, this woman was far more attractive than Tongyan.

That angelic face was like a work of art. Even beset by irritability that shrouded her like a cloud, her pretty face radiated a lethal allure.

That allure alone was even surpassing Yulian’s.

However, its seductiveness seemed a bit deliberate.

Unlike Yulian, who was naturally charming and could even be captivating when spacing out.

Her allure stemmed from her mastery over micro-expressions.

Once Li Jing understood this, he instantly realized that the woman was a practitioner of charms, with sound attacks being just one of her skills outside of her main cultivation.

Only those who cultivate charms would unwittingly control their own micro-expressions.

Even if they didn’t intentionally do something to someone, their habits still lingered.

Approaching the entrance of the villa alongside the woman, Li Jing pulled out his credentials from his pocket.

"Miss Black Butterfly, hello. I am Li Jing, attached to the North City Patrol Division of Jianghai City Serious Case Six Group. I am currently investigating a serious case as instructed by Jin Ruixin, the team leader of the Bureau Serious Case Group at Capital Inspection Headquarters."

Upon hearing his introduction, Black Butterfly faintly furrowed her brows and glanced towards the woman.

Seeing this, the woman shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes, that’s him."

?

Li Jing turned his head to the side.

Meeting his gaze, the woman began to explain.

"Although the Sinister Gate, where Black Butterfly comes from, and the Demon Gate belong to the same Taoism, the two major Taoist schools are at odds with each other. By the way, the Demon Gate and the Sinister Gate have been living in seclusion in the same place, and there have been many conflicts between the two factions over the past thousand years."

After speaking, she added.

"Since you’ve been close with Chen Jing, they’ve naturally been keeping tabs on you."

"..."

Li Jing.

Other than that, it’s nothing special.

He hadn’t expected the Demon Gate to belong to Taoism.

But if one must insist, it’s not a big deal.

Longyu’s acceptance of the disciples from the Demon Gate and even entrusting them with important tasks like Chen Jing, implies that the Demon Gate is not all evil as depicted in novels. They’re just extreme in their actions.

She told Li Jing, looking at Black Butterfly.

"Don’t be nervous, it’s true that Li Jing is close to Chen Jing, but he has no connection to the Demon Gate."

Hearing this, Black Butterfly raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing a certain individual with interest, and stepped aside.

"Detective Li, please come in to talk."

"I’m sorry to intrude."

Li Jing nodded and stepped forward.

She followed him and didn’t forget to hum.

"I’m also sorry to intrude."

Black Butterfly pouted and didn’t respond.

...

Upon entering the house, the three of them settled down in the living room.

Black Butterfly was very particular.

As soon as Li Jing took his seat, she took a teapot and other items out from the storage space and arranged them on the coffee table to make tea.

It’s worth noting that she only brought out two teacups.

One was hers, and the other belonged to Li Jing.

Apparently used to such situations, she didn’t change her expression, fetched a cup with cartoon patterns, placed it in front of her, extended a jade-like finger to tap on the edge of the cup, signaling it to be filled.

As for her behavior, Black Butterfly almost rolled her eyes to the sky.

But in the end, she poured the tea she should have poured.

As an onlooker, Li Jing looked at these two girls, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

It’s clear that they are at odds with each other.

But if you say that their relationship is bad, it doesn’t look like it.

Instead, when they are together, it gives the impression of love and killing...

Yet, their opposition is really strong.

If it were somebody else, under the premise that there is an "outsider" present, wouldn’t they at least show some harmony?

These two aren’t even putting up a pretense.

Li Jing, holding his tongue in check, saw Black Butterfly finish with the tea and got straight to the point.

"Miss Black Butterfly, hearing from Miss Tong, you are well-informed. I mainly came to seek your help this time."

Having said that, he directly recounted the ins and outs of the matter faithfully.

Unlike Miss Tong.

Upon learning of the attempt by the disciples of the sect to seize some assets of the declining Wang and Lu families among the Seven Great Families, Black Butterfly didn’t show any surprise, as if she was well aware of this.

However, when she heard that three people had already gone missing, Black Butterfly’s complexion changed.

Obviously.

Having been mixing in the mortal world for several years, she understood how serious the crime of attacking a patrol was.

After a bit of silence, Black Butterfly said.

"As for the death of a patroller, I was not aware of it, but indeed there were suspects of the disciples of the sect operating secretly within the Capital in the past month, attempting to take over part of the assets of the Wang and Lu families. I don’t know which sect or faction they belong to. They are very cautious and hardly have any contact with other disciples of the sect. I knew about this because our hidden troops from Sinister Gate were carrying out tasks for the Inspection Department of the Capital Inspection Headquarters."

Inspection Department?

Li Jing was slightly stunned.

This department is not found in all patrolling bureaus.

It is only set up in the National Capital and several other areas with severe smuggling situations.

The investigations of the Inspection Department are usually done secretly, and even the people inside the patrol bureau may not be aware of it.

It seems that it’s not just the asset struggle of the Wang and Lu families that is brewing in the capital, but something else was also happening secretly.

Keeping this in mind, Li Jing asked.

"Aside from the things mentioned above, do you have any more specific information, Miss Black Butterfly?"

"If Detective Li needs, I can contact the secret operatives to conduct a deeper investigation."

Black Butterfly spoke.

"The undercover agent in the Inspection Department has just wrapped up an operation a few days ago, and is currently on standby without any assignments. But before that, I have a question."

As she spoke, she tilted her head to glance at the young-looking face holding a cup of tea, before fixing her gaze back on the others.

"What benefits did Tongyan bring you here for?"

"Ah...this..."

Li Jing was left speechless.

Black Butterfly’s words couldn’t be clearer.

I can help you.

But if there’s no gain, I’m not interested.

At least, you need to give me the same benefits as Tongyan.

Tongyan and Black Butterfly, who have been "lovingly" knowing each other for many years, understand each other very well.

By hearing her tone, they knew that she must be fed up with her idleness in the capital, just like herself.

Before Li Jing could figure out how to respond to Black Butterfly, Tongyan said in a casual tone.

"Li Jing didn’t provide me with anything special, just promised me a chance to transfer to the Bureau Serious Case Group."

"Serious Case Group?"

Black Butterfly frowned, thought for a moment, and fixed her gaze.

"Inspector Li, can you also help me to fight for it?"

"..."

Li Jing.

He didn’t respond immediately, fearing this exact situation.

Everything else wasn’t a concern.

The problem was that there was already a Tongyan. If he pushed another Black Butterfly to Jin Ruixin, he may not be happy.

The two of them, after all, are sensitive sect disciples.

If Jin Ruixin took one, there might not be any issue. But if he had two who worked in different departments, it would inevitably cause trouble.

Looking at the talkative Tongyan, Li Jing was speechless.

Tongyan, meeting his gaze, playfully helped herself to Li Jing. She twisted her body to lean against him, making cute faces to please him.

How could Li Jing fall for it?

You want to move closer without giving any benefits?

Are you underestimating him?

By this point, Li Jing had figured it out.

Tongyan wasn’t just being talkative, she was subtly helping Black Butterfly.

This teammate, quite unreliable.

It was supposed to be them two as a team.

Tongyan verbally clashed with Black Butterfly, but she sided with her when it really mattered.

What could he say?

Letting out a heavy sigh, Li Jing lifted his eyes.

"I can try to help, but you have to assure me you can get valuable information."

In response, Black Butterfly checked her phone for the time and said,

"Give me one hour. I won’t disappoint you."

With that, she pocketed her phone and walked away without a word.

Li Jing watched, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back against the couch.

He could wait an hour.

He didn’t have any clear leads at the moment, and since Black Butterfly offered to help, he could at least see how capable the Sinister Gate’s undercover agent was.

Seeing Li Jing looking like he was going to sit and wait, Tongyan curled up her legs, pulled out her phone, and started playing a familiar game called Immortal King Glory.

...

It didn’t take long for Black Butterfly to return.

Seeing Tongyan playing a game beside Li Jing, Black Butterfly didn’t show any sign of concern as she sat down and spoke.

"I’ve contacted the undercover agent, and now we just need to wait for the message."

Then she added,

"If nothing unexpected happens, the message will soon arrive."

No doubt about it.

Black Butterfly’s words revealed a strong confidence and assurance.

Her confidence told Li Jing one thing very clearly.

The Sinister Gate’s undercover agent was very skilled in investigating news and was extremely efficient.

No wonder she got employed by a department like the Inspection Department...

Thinking he had some spare time, Li Jing asked,

"Miss Black Butterfly, you seem to have a good time in the Cultural and Artistic Troupe, why do you suddenly want to join the Serious Case Group?"

"I do have a good life in the Troupe, but that’s just a leisurely post,"

Black Butterfly replied, saying,

"And more importantly, if only the one with the overly developed front end by your side becomes a detective, she will trouble me."

"..."

Li Jing.

The in-game Tongyan glanced over when she heard this, shifting to a more comfortable position on the couch without denying or even trying to argue.

Seeing this situation, Li Jing opened his mouth in astonishment.

He seriously suspected:

These two, are they together?

But he also understood something.

Why the sect children, who could hold important positions outside, were mostly idle in the capital, with essentially no significant power.

Longyu was wary of them, that’s one thing.

But the main reason seemed to be to prevent them from abusing their power to oppress other sect children.

...