Chapter 330 - 329: Dark Street, Making a Comeback

Black Butterfly is not a chatty person, she only talks when Li Jing initiates the conversation.

Childlike, engrossed in her game, not uttering a word, Li Jing exchanged a few words with Black Butterfly as things quickly quieted down.

It wasn’t that Li Jing didn’t want to chat with Black Butterfly, but he simply ran out of things to say.

He was very interested in the Sinister Gate behind Black Butterfly.

However, it was their first meeting and neither of them knew much about the other. He can’t just ask questions randomly.

Furthermore, the topic of the Hidden World Sect was sensitive, as an outsider, he’d rather not ask if possible, to avoid any misunderstanding.

Barring such topics, Li Jing didn’t know what else to talk about.

Conversely,

Communication indeed depends on both parties.

With Black Butterfly moving less than still water, how could he find a conversational topic?

Black Butterfly seemed to realize her problem too.

To avoid the awkwardness, she quietly took out her phone.

Seeing this, Li Jing understood and took out his own phone.

And so,

The situation turned into childlike playing her game, and Li Jing with Black Butterfly surfing the internet on their phones.

You have to admit,

Phones are a lifesaver in awkward situations.

Once you pick it up, you can ignore everyone else.

All of a sudden, it looked like everyone had something to do, relieving them from the torment of not knowing a good conversation starter.

...

In a flash, half an hour passed.

Li Jing was idly playing a casual game when Black Butterfly, who was also holding a phone across from him, suddenly looked up.

"There’s a message."

At her words, Li Jing perked up and inquired.

"What does it say?"

"The forces trying to interfere with the Wang and Lu family assets are divided into two groups: there are those who had never held positions in the Capital, namely scattered offspring of various sects. The exact sect, however, remains uncertain."

Black Butterfly began to narrate.

Just as she was about to continue, Childlike bizarrely looked up.

"Without knowing exactly which sect, isn’t your investigation the same as not doing it at all? We already knew that it involves one sect’s offspring causing trouble."

Facing skepticism, Black Butterfly just curled her lip.

"Can you shut up and let me finish?"

At hearing this, Childlike paused before her eyes widened as if she was about to retort.

Seeing this, Li Jing quickly stepped in, motioned for her to be quiet, and let Black Butterfly finish speaking first.

From their brief interaction, he noticed.

These two together were like oil and water. They just had to argue.

No matter the situation or the logic, they always clashed.

Childlike is more lively and tends to take the initiative.

For her, listening is out of the question.

But when it’s in front of Li Jing, she doesn’t dare to be reckless.

One reason is that someone has a higher Cultivation level than her, and another is that things have only just started, her long-desired position in the Capital Inspection Headquarters Serious Case Group hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Seeing Li Jing’s indication, childlike reluctantly continued with her game and pouted.

Seeing that she wasn’t speaking anymore, Black Butterfly continued.

"Which sect they belong to is still unclear, and our undercover agents are still investigating. It’s challenging since there are numerous Hidden World Sects. Apart from the closely associated ones or those sharing the same Hidden World Sect, we don’t really know about other sects. Unlike the worldly network access, it’s not easy to find them. We can only retrace their path and judge their origin according to their actions."

After finishing, Black Butterfly continued.

"Although we can’t confirm where the sect’s children came from, our undercover agents confirmed that they have recently been spotted in the Dark Street. They had contact with a local force on Dark Street called ’Rakshasa Crowd’."

Dark Street?

Li Jing raised an eyebrow.

The simple narration of Black Butterfly has caused a previously confusing situation to lean toward his area of expertise.

Every city inevitably has grey areas.

Like the North City Dark Alley and the West City Old City in Jianghai, and even the strict capital city could not escape such areas.

Dark Street is the capital’s grey area.

In a strict sense, Dark Street is not a street, it doesn’t even belong to the Capital city.

The essence of Dark Street is a small convenient road next to the Black Mountain Highway that leads from the Capital’s suburb to the neighboring Dong Ye City.

Looking on the Longyu map, this shortcut is actually in Dong Ye City.

However, because Dark Street is at the border of Dong Ye City and the Capital, the people who mix in Dark Street prefer to wander on the Capital’s territory, as it is the core of power in Longyu, where countless people from all walks of life want to try their luck.

In the beginning, Dark Street was merely a shortcut for the convenience of travelers. But somehow, a group of ’optimists’, who aspired to ’struggle’ in the Capital without the proper resources to stay long in the Capital, gathered at Dark Street. Gradually, while there was a development of a street, ’demons, monsters, ghosts, and beasts’ from everywhere converged here.

The existence of Dark Street is quite well-known.

Its notoriety in the Capital eclipses the North City Dark Alley and Old City in West City that Li Jing had experienced in Jianghai.

The main reason is the excellent resources in the Capital.

Even if Jianghai’s development is unparalleled throughout Longyu, it is still no match for the power core of Longyu.

The Capital is also named "Empire", which was not a name that was casually given.

Regardless of the industry, even the random gangsters homing from Capital have more prestige than from other places.

The difficulty of surviving in the Capital can only be described as hellish.

Dark Street’s existence is not allowed in Capital.

The Patrol headquarters would swing by every few days to arrest a few unlucky souls. They would sometimes even rally the Dong Ye branch to join in on the operation.

However, if you mention total eradication, it’s impossible.

Dark Street is like a piece of hard candy that can’t be removed.

Before setting someone up, the Patrol would need evidence.

How slippery can the people from Dark Street be?

If they weren’t slippery enough, they would have already been taken down during the Patrol’s frequent visits.

Without evidence, those on Dark Street were legally abiding citizens of Longyu. How then could you touch them?

Upon receiving the lead on Dark Street, Li Jing immediately decided to check it out.

Much like the North City Dark Alley and the West City Old City, Dark Street is an area where monsters are sure to appear.

To randomly ask someone who has a health bar, there might be unexpected gains.

Isn’t this what he’s good at?

Scratching his chin and thinking for a bit, Li Jing looked at Black Butterfly.

"You just mentioned there are two groups trying to get involved with the Wang and Lu families’ assets. One is confirmed to be descents from a sect, what about the other?"

"It’s a monster."

Responded Black Butterfly.

"There’s a reliable tip, the other side is the spark of the turmoil of the Wang and Lu families, the Demon Beast Union."

?

Li Jing slowly typed a question mark.

The investigation of descendants of the sects is the current major direction of the Capital Inspection Headquarters.

For the case in Li Jing’s hands, however, what he needed to investigate was not merely the descendants of the sects involving with the Wang and Lu families’ assets.

His main direction was to find the instigator who caused the three patrollers to disappear.

No one stated definitively that the cause of the disappearance of the three patrollers had to be descendants of the sects.

The assets of the Wang and Lu families in the capital were highly coveted, who knew how many people were keeping an eye on it, eagerly awaiting to have a share.

There were many forces and people involved.

But most people, competed openly.

As long as it’s not something that couldn’t see the light, no one would consider stealing it stealthily.

After all, it was a trade on the border of the capital.

Even if you managed to steal it, you must have all necessary licenses and you also had to register with the business department and pay taxes to the tax department.

This was about the legality of the transaction.

If it could be legal, who would want to turn it into an illegal operation?

In the borders of the capital, it was not good to deal with illegal trade.

Li Jing asked about the status of the other group from Black Butterfly because he believed that the force that led to the bizarre disappearance of the three patrollers could also be a group that couldn’t bear the light of day, apart from the descendants of the sects.

He was just asking casually, who knew he would stumble upon a familiar term like ’Demon Beast Union’?

Only two or three months had passed.

The influence of the Demon Beast Union in the capital had revived?

Li Jing was somewhat surprised, but didn’t find it surprising.

The Demon Beast Union’s base in the capital was stabbed by him, but this was just dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause from the beginning.

The hidden Demon Beast Union is an unimaginably huge monster, made up of monsters, with branches in various parts of the country, and many human shareholders.

Longyu’s wave of crackdown on the Demon Beast Union has passed, it’s perfectly normal for its power to be resurrected.

This precious land of the capital, anyone who has the ability to meddle, will not miss it.

The Wang and Lu families were shareholders of the Demon Beast Union. They would not want the two families to collapse because their downfall would significantly impact their development in the capital.

How difficult is it to find another supporting force like the Wang and Lu families with such great influence?

Especially when the two families collapsed was essentially because of the Demon Beast Union.

Even those with malicious intentions would be hesitant to associate with the Demon Beast Union after the incident.

This was a matter of life and death.

But if the Wang and Lu families really collapsed, it would be an excellent opportunity for a "comeback" for the Demon Beast Union.

One, the capital would be in chaos, and two, if they could grab a portion of the two families’ assets, it would be more comfortable than finding a big tree to rest under in the Capital.

The drawback is that it would require a lot of effort to manage, how to make the acquired assets operate legitimately is also a problem.

The Demon Beast Union that has just been severely beaten has emerged again, clearly they have a plan.

In this regard, Li Jing had no interest in studying.

But he was very interested in finding out where the new base of the Demon Beast Union was.

When it came to the disappearances of the three patrollers, the Demon Beast Union, who had stealthily tried to gain a share of the Wang and Lu families’ assets, was equally suspicious, wasn’t it?

If they were suspicious, then they needed to be confirmed.

What kind of investigation would it be if it wasn’t thorough?

After pondering for a while, Li Jing raised his head.

"The main purpose of this case is to find out the whereabouts of the three missing patrolmen. Those who are suspicious are not only descendants of unknown sects hiding in the dark, but also any participants."

Saying this, he continued.

"Since your secret agents within Black Butterfly can confirm that the other group is part of the Demon Beast Union, finding their base should not be a difficult task?"

"About that..."

Black Butterfly hesitated, then spoke.

"The Demon Beast Union has just been severely cracked down on by Longyu recently. Although they are not in the spotlight now, their caution is no less than the descendants of the sects who are secretly involved. To confirm their base, a lot of effort may be needed. We Sinister Gate have a limited number of secret agents in the capital, we may not be able to cope with the descendants of the sects and monsters hidden in the dark..."

Before she could finish her words, Li Jing interjected.

"Let your secret agents inside keep an eye on the Demon Beast Union. It’s best if they can find their base, but if they can’t, it’s not necessary to force it, just find a few monsters that can be confirmed to be their members."

Then, he added.

"Once you, Black Butterfly settle this matter, the position in the Bureau Serious Case Group is secured."

Someone obviously had intentions against the Demon Beast Union, it was clear.

But Black Butterfly didn’t seem to mind.

Just as Li Jing said.

All the participants in this matter were suspicious, not just the descendants of the sects involved.

Seeing that Li Jing was saying as long as she handled this, her position in the Bureau Serious Case Group would be guaranteed, a glint of light flashed in Black Butterfly’s eyes and she stood up and said,

"I’ll personally handle this matter, Li Jing you leave your phone number for me, it will be convenient to contact at any time."

"Sure."

Li Jing replied, giving her his cell phone number.

Just as he was about to say something, a youthful face held out a small hand and tugged at him.

"What about me?"

Li Jing turned his head at the sound.

In his view, was a pitiful look on her young face.

Obviously, she also wanted a "guarantee".

But unfortunately.

Li Jing’s "guarantee" was not something that could be obtained by pretending to be pitiful.

If it was.

Li Jing wished she could join Black Butterfly and investigate the Demon Beast Union.

Qi Chen had the ability to see through others’ cultivation, enabling him to discern monsters.

Being his fellow disciple, Tongyan undoubtedly had a similar ability, although not as advanced as Qi Chen yet.

Being with Black Butterfly, it might prove useful.

But to put these two together...

Ha!

This kid, only he himself could handle.

Without further thought, Li Jing said.

"You, follow me to Dark Street."

"Dark Street?"

Tongyan blinked, rapidly agreeing, withdrew her phone, grabbed one of Li Jing’s arms in a fear of him leaving her behind.

Caught off guard by the sudden cling, the corner of Li Jing’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.

This one, was a bit too authentic.

This unexpected favor was obviously headed for his "guarantee"!

On the other hand, upon seeing Tongyan glued to a certain someone, a hint of unwillingness and resentment surfaced in Black Butterfly’s eyes.

That’s right.

It was unwillingness and resentment, not disdain.

Being a disciple of the Demon Gate, Black Butterfly was educated to stop at nothing for her goals.

Coming to the mortal world, her actions were merely restricted by laws. She just couldn’t employ the tactics of the Demon Gate as it was.

In the mortal world, the desire to survive was necessary.

Longyu wouldn’t care if you were from the Demon Gate or the righteous path, if you broke the law, you’d have to face the consequences.

In Black Butterfly’s opinion, Tongyan was just "showing off".

Tongyan was utilizing the advantages of being a woman, advantages which Black Butterfly did not have...

Although Li Jing seemed to be numb and obviously didn’t fall into her trap, Black Butterfly still felt upset.

Offering a little flirtation and winning advantages might succeed, such capital she desired but couldn’t attain no matter what.

Putting away her phone, Black Butterfly chose to turn a blind eye, muttered a sentence as she walked towards the door.

"Remember to lock the door when you leave."

"..."

Li Jing.

He caught the resentment in Black Butterfly’s eyes.

But this one was too...

He found that Black Butterfly was a bit like Chen Yuran, insisting on excelling in any aspects where it was possible.

Wasn’t Tongyan just a little older than...

Alright.

Not just a little.

But...

There was no need to dwell on it, was there?

Being petite also had its benefits, there was less pressure, right?

Seeing Black Butterfly hastily leaving the villa, Li Jing didn’t delay, glanced at Tongyan beside him.

"Let go, we need to go."

"Oh."

Tongyan obediently responded and let go of him.

She wasn’t a fool.

It was clear that Li Jing wasn’t interested, so there was no need for her to offer any more favors, right?

Since Black Butterfly was not going with them, her offerings wouldn’t impress anyone. So, to offer more would just be a total waste, right?

...

Li Jing had put some thought into letting Black Butterfly take the spies from Sinister Gate to investigate the Demon Beast Union, rather than investigating the disciples who had interfered with the assets of the Wang and Lu families.

Regarding the information about the disciples, Black Butterfly didn’t know much.

She said it forthrightly.

Unless the sects were highly familiar with each other or outright adversaries, they rarely knew about one another. Information about disciples from different sects was not an exception.

As for the identities of the disciples lingering in Dark Street, the spies from Sinister Gate could not confirm, but the representatives of the Demon Beast Union was confirmed by them.

While Black Butterfly didn’t mention how they confirmed it, it was obvious that the spies of the Sinister Gate had a clue.

Given these circumstances, having them investigate the Demon Beast Union was a more reliable approach.

As for Dark Street, Li Jing could just give it a go himself.

After Black Butterfly left, Li Jing and Tongyan also stepped out the door and secured it on the way out, heading straight to Dark Street.

...

Dark Street was not far from where Black Butterfly lived, practically next door.

Longnan Lake was in the outskirts of the capital, and Dark Street was situated along Dark Avenue beyond the city line of the suburb.

Within two minutes, Li Jing and Tongyan had arrived.

Dark Street was a rather sensitive place.

To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Li Jing landed with Tongyan in a small grove near the entrance of Dark Street, then moved on foot along the highway.

Dark Street was a gray zone indeed.

However, unlike North City Dark Alley and West City Old City, the pure street was not that gloomy but rather extravagant.

Various entertainment venues lined the street.

Distinctive snacks, street shops - all were present, each storefront decorated brighter than the last.

Even on the street, you could see many tourists who came for its reputation.

This place was quite unbelievable.

Even the place Li Jing had been in Langketer District of Wesbayl City wasn’t as flashy as this, except for when entering the street, the inside was a mess.

Li Jing had to admit.

The people on Dark Street had a strong desire to survive.

Honestly.

If he didn’t know this was the infamous Dark Street, Li Jing would hardly believe that those seemingly ordinary people conducting business were anything but ordinary citizens.

The most outrageous part was.

They were actually doing legit business.

In order to survive the dual pressure from the Capital Inspection Headquarters and the Dong Ye Patrol Branch, the Dark Street has long been operating in this amazing way.

On Dark Street, either you are honest businessmen or true law-abiding citizens. They would only let loose when they were in downtown Dong Ye or in the local Capital city.

The idea was simply to avoid getting caught in unfortunate situations...

Upon stepping onto Dark Street, Tong Yan was immediately attracted by the dazzling array of shops.

Despite living in the Capital city, Tong Yan rarely ventured outside.

She had only heard of such a "famous street" located outside the boundaries of the Capital like Dark Street.

Walking down the street, she found herself unable to control her inherent "feminine nature".

Ah!

This looks like it tastes really good. I want to buy it.

Ah!

The clothes in this shop seem nice. I want to buy them.

Ah!

They actually have a makeup counter here!

In short...

I just want to buy everything.

Desire is the original sin.

Tong Yan understood in her mind that there was serious business to attend to on this outing.

However, her body was being honest with her.

Her eyes would wander as she walked. Without realizing it, she reached out her hand to hook onto Li Jing’s arm, once again brushing up against him.

This wasn’t about offering him a benefit exactly; it was an indirect suggestion.

Li Jing, who was thinking about finding a demon familiar with Dark Street to inquire about local gangs linked to the disciples of the Sect, was suddenly halted when someone hung onto his arm.

What a subtle hint, he understood it, of course.

He was, after all, a married man.

His wife, when hitting the streets, was also the type who couldn’t control herself.

A typical case.

At home, Liu Sisi would either call his full or first name, but once they were out, it would always be a sweet-sounding "honey".

Only when she wanted something but was too shy to voice it would Liu Sisi call him that way.

The word "honey" was a secret code.

Casting a silent glance at Tong Yan, who had thoughtlessly attached herself to him and wasn’t even looking in his direction, Li Jing thought that she might not be suited for being an inspector.

If she can’t even control a basic desire; how could she be an inspector?

However, on further thought, it seemed unfair to blame her.

Didn’t Chen Yuran act the same when shopping?

It’s just that her tastes were unique, different from Liu Sisi’s.

Thinking that aimlessly walking the street wouldn’t necessarily lead to a suitable target, Li Jing decided to appease Tong Yan.

Whether you’re in a place like Dark Street or other similar grey zones.

Those who can run a shop there always have a solid background.

The bigger the shop, the deeper the background.

Those browsing outside often proved to be minor characters.

Without giving it much thought, Li Jing tilted his head.

"Let’s find a big shop and inquire about Rasksha Gang."

Tong Yan, who was eagerly eyeing the street-side shops, was taken aback when she heard Li Jing’s words, and her face quickly lit up.

She gave him a hint without thinking much of it, but she didn’t expect Li Jing, who doesn’t even change his expression when she flirts with him, to take the hint, she was just testing for any chance.

Who would have thought that the chance would actually come?

Overcome with joy, Tong Yan thought Li Jing was not bad, and he could be dealt with.

Despite Tong Yan appearing carefree.

She too has her own troubles.

Apart from her senior Qi Chen, every male who sees her would generally fixate on her chest.

While being endowed is certainly an advantage, the constant lecherous glances are not what she wanted.

How did that saying go again?

Drought kills, and so does inundation.

What Black Butterfly dreams of having is actually a burden to Tong Yan. She only tries to seem as carefree as possible.

On the other hand.

Li Jing not being moved by her could be irritating as well.

Normally.

As long as she made a bit of an effort, men would at least be more enthusiastic upon seeing her.

What was so special about Li Jing, hmm?

There isn’t much to say about it.

This is a normal female psychology.

If you look at her, she isn’t pleased.

If you don’t look at her, she still isn’t pleased.

Having her hint reciprocated made Tong Yan see Li Jing in a new light.

A man who was not swayed by her attractiveness and who understands her intentions was a man she could be with, without having to worry about underlying motives or strange thoughts.

Without any pretense, Tong Yan tightened her grip, and while divulging the full extent of her "benefit", dragged Li Jing back to the large clothing store that she had been eyeing.

You have to admit.

A woman who hits the streets is a force to be reckoned with.

As for the "benefit", Li Jing felt nothing.

It was him, a man of strength equal to a Seventh Realm monster, that was dragged along by Tong Yan, feeling a wave of immense strength pulling him towards her and ultimately being led by Tong Yan.

In no time, the two entered the mall.

As soon as he entered, Li Jing was taken aback.

In such a huge mall, all those dressed as guides wore Health Bars on their heads.

When he had passed by the shops earlier, he was only scanning the surrounding area and hadn’t noticed this...

Turning to look at Tong Yan, Li Jing was shocked.

Obviously, what he had failed to notice, Tong Yan had.