Chapter 672 - 671: Secret Agency, Zero Mechanism

One Fifth Boundary and one Six Realm, they arrived very quickly.

In a short time, the two arrived at the street near the cafe and afterwards, ceased using Sky Control.

Their target was very clear.

As soon as they landed, they headed straight towards the cafe.

Ding ding, two sounds.

The door of the cafe was pushed open.

Li Jing and Jiang Yini in perfect harmony, pretended not to care and casually glanced over.

The newcomers were a man and a woman.

The woman seemed younger, about twenty-four or five, with a cultivation level of the Fifth Boundary.

The man, on the other hand, appeared middle-aged with a cultivation level of Six Realm.

Worth mentioning is that, judging from the aura inadvertently revealed by the two, the Spiritual Qi within the Fifth Boundary woman was clearly purer, while the Six Realm man’s Spiritual Qi was mixed.

There are numerous factors that could cause this situation.

The three most common are :

First, being involved in several low-level cultivation methods that directly affect the nature of one’s internal Spiritual Qi.

Second, pursuing too many side paths.

Third, the cultivation is solely attained by consuming and refining various spiritual objects.

For any of the above three cases, any factor that leads to mixed internal Spiritual Qi directly causes a problem. Such cultivators often have a "false fat" cultivation level.

Progressing to a high boundary is indeed good.

However, their only advantage is that it’s higher than lower boundary cultivators by one boundary.

When they encounter a genuine same-level opponent.

Such cultivators generally can’t hold out after a few exchanges and may even become stepping stones for lower boundary cultivators with purer internal Spiritual Qi, who are aiming to "challenge across boundaries".

Like the middle-aged man in front of them.

The possibility of accumulating cultivation through spiritual objects is not high.

With the environment of Blue Star, where do you get so many spiritual objects?

Not to mention, it’s rare to get spiritual objects that directly bring about cultivation improvement. Most only serve a supporting role in cultivation.

The possibility of the man delving into too many unorthodox methods can also be ruled out.

Mainly because the woman accompanying him has extraordinarily pure Spiritual Qi.

With such a pure cultivation method, it’s unlikely to coexist with unorthodox methods.

Therefore, it’s not difficult to make a judgment.

The middle-aged man has dabbled in too many "inferior brand" cultivation methods that directly affect the internal Spiritual Qi.

Being able to cultivate to Six Realm in this situation is truly not easy.

Especially in an environment like Earth.

Similarly.

Six Realm is likely his limit, as he has little room for further improvement.

Aside from these.

The casually dressed man and woman, both cultivators who entered the cafe, did not immediately focus on Li Xi, but played the role of customers and randomly picked a spot near the door to sit down.

Jiang Yini observed them from the corner of her eye and quietly conveyed to Li Jing.

"Hey, why do I feel the way these two are behaving looks like our Management Bureau’s disguised operatives?"

Li Jing was silent.

Key point.

These two do resemble the Management Bureau’s disguised operatives.

From the moment they entered to the time they sat down, their behavior couldn’t be more ordinary. Even their gazes were characteristic of "pure passersby", without any signs that might attract others’ attention.

This sort of thing, even genuine "pure passersby" might not be able to accomplish.

Two extremely rare cultivators on Earth, with quite high cultivation levels.

On the premise of having a clear target, they were able to perfectly blend into the vast sea of people without grabbing any attention.

This definitely seems like the result of professional training.

Just as Li Jing was unsure how to respond to Jiang Yini, Li Xi returned with three cups of coffee.

The man and woman sitting near the entrance quickly glanced at Li Xi moving towards Li Jing and Jiang Yini’s table, but didn’t directly look over. Instead, they both casually scanned around Li Jing and Jiang Yini with their divine consciousness.

Result.

Obviously, there wouldn’t be any.

Li Jing and Jiang Yini’s cultivation levels were way higher than theirs by far.

Unless both of them intentionally exerted pressure, there was no way the two of them would sense anything.

In an environment like Earth, where the mainstream group consists of truly ordinary people, it wouldn’t occur to the two of them, who were of Fifth Boundary and Six Realm respectively, that Li Jing and Jiang Yini were unfathomable.

After having scanned Li Jing and Jiang Yini with their divine consciousness, the two stopped paying attention.

"Sister-in-law, coffee."

Li Xi came back smiling and handed a cup of coffee to Jiang Yini.

Then, she made a dislike face and reluctantly gave a cup to Li Jing.

"Here! Useless elder brother!"

"..."

Li Jing.

He was wondering.

All he did was ask this girl to treat him to a couple of cups of coffee, right?

Does this lass need to hold so much grudge?

He genuinely doesn’t have any RMB that can be used on Earth, otherwise, why would he let her treat?

In the midst of his speechlessness, Li Jing clearly felt the gaze of the man and woman at the entrance directly shift towards him.

Clearly.

Both of them are thoroughly familiar with Li Xi’s family circumstances.

They were initially uninterested in Li Xi and Jiang Yini, but their attention was drawn when Li Xi addressed both of them as brother and sister-in-law.

At this point.

Li Jing was almost certain that this man and woman belonged to a secret organization in Hua Xia, composed mainly of cultivators, much like the Management Bureau.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so sensitive to pick up on the anomaly based on Li Xi’s form of address.

Given the current situation.

The two most likely knew the Li family’s "family tree" inside out.

This situation.

One couldn’t help but say was starting to get interesting.

Picking up his coffee and taking a sip, Li Jing "Hmm" raised his eyebrows.

"No wonder the coffee bought by Xiaoxi tastes so much better than the one I bought myself."

At his words, Li Xi’s face turned dark.

Before she could say anything, Li Jing turned his head.

"Yini, why don’t you keep Xiaoxi company for a while."

?

Li Xi was puzzled.

Jiang Yini immediately realized what Li Jing was going to do. She smiled slightly, stood up from her seat next to him, and squeezed into the seat across from Li Xi.

Seeing this, Li Xi instinctively made room for Jiang Yini.

She looked up to see Li Jing walking towards the door, filled with questions.

On the other side.

The man and woman sitting at the door changed their faces as they saw someone stand up.

Because Li Jing looked directly at the two of them when he stood up.

This.

Not only meant that the two of them had been exposed.

But it also indicated that the other party was not as simple as they thought and was definitely not an ordinary person!

How could this not make them uneasy?

An existence that could easily pass as an ordinary person without causing the slightest suspicion, what kind of existence must that be?!?

Seeing Li Jing leave his seat and walk straight towards them, the female cultivator at the table began to lose her composure and started to mobilize her Spiritual Qi, but the male cultivator stopped her, indicating that she should not act rashly.

Soon enough.

Li Jing came to the table where the two of them were sitting and smiled faintly.

"Excuse me, would you two mind stepping outside for a chat?"

Hearing this, the male cultivator frowned and hesitated as he looked at Li Xi with a puzzled expression on her face after seeing Li Jing approach their table.

Li Jing read the situation and sent separate messages to each of them.

"Have peace of mind, Li Xi is very safe with her sister-in-law. I am her cousin, she often got tossed to me to take care of when she was young. You two needn’t worry that I will harm her."

Upon suddenly receiving the message, both the male and female cultivators reacted without too much surprise.

They had not shown any anomalies since their entrance, they had just swept their divine sense over Li Jing and Jiang Yini, anyone who could detect this would definitely be a cultivator.

However, what Li Jing said made the two of them utterly astonished.

As Li Jing had previously thought.

The Li family’s "family tree", the two of them knew it like the back of their hand.

Because Li Xi’s father started his family quite late, she was the youngest of her generation in the Li family’s lineage.

There were three people of her generation whom she could call her older brother.

Two of them were no longer in the city, and the third one, named Li Jing, had disappeared for six years.

And it was this missing Li Jing who perfectly fit the description of the young man in front of them now.

The person in question bore no resemblance to the missing Li Jing, but that was beside the point.

When it came to changing one’s appearance, cultivators had plenty of methods.

A man who had disappeared for six years suddenly reappears, and the once ordinary him is now an inscrutable cultivator, this was quite shocking to be honest.

Glancing at each other, they both stood up in tandem.

They had no doubts about Li Jing’s words.

They were not on the same level at all, the man had no reason to deceive them.

By comparison.

They were more eager to clarify just what was going on with Li Jing, who had disappeared for a full six years and then suddenly reappeared.

Seeing Li Jing striking up a conversation with the two customers at the door, then all three of them heading outside the coffee shop together, Li Xi furrowed her delicate brows.

At this moment, Jiang Yini giggled and took her hand.

"Xiaoxi, don’t worry about your brother, let’s chat first."

As she said this, she winked and lowered her voice.

"How about this deal? You tell me about your brother’s past on Earth, and I’ll tell you about his life on Blue Star after he crossed over?"

Crossed over?

Li Xi was stunned, her attention successfully diverted.

So.

Did her cousin disappear for six years because he had crossed over!?

Li Xi had no doubt about Jiang Yini’s words.

It was clear from the start when Li Jing rescued her just how special the man who had reappeared was.

Li Jing had crossed over to another world and then returned.

Then he became incredibly special, and even married four wives!

Doesn’t that make perfect sense?

Li Xi turned back to look at Jiang Yini, wiggling her hips as she squeezed over, as if she wanted to be one with her, and whispered.

"I don’t remember too much from my childhood, just a few noteworthy things that I can share. For example, my older brother was set up on a blind date by our numerous relatives. The woman was a wealthy lady in her forties."

Upon hearing Li Xi’s words, Jiang Yini was taken aback.

She had no idea when Li Jing had traveled through time.

But she knew him, and he was barely in his early twenties.

In his early twenties...

Set up on a blind date with a woman in her forties?

After giving it some thought, a smile began to dance on Jiang Yini’s face.

"Tell me more!" she demanded.

As she spoke, she quietly slipped a Nourishing Beauty Fruit into Li Xi’s hand, saying,

"This is a Nourishing Beauty Fruit. Its main effect is to make the skin soft and radiant. It’s also one of the few things that non-cultivators can safely take. You can start eating it now while you talk. I’ll help you activate its full potential. You’ll see how beneficial it is when you’re finished."

Upon receiving the Nourishing Beauty Fruit and hearing Jiang Yini’s explanation, Li Xi was truly stunned.

An ordinary-looking fruit.

Could it really be that magical?

Despite her doubts, Li Xi had to admit that she couldn’t resist the temptation.

It’s natural for women to love beauty.

And as an eighteen-year-old, she was at the peak of her "love for beauty".

...

Moving on from Jiang Yini and Li Xi.

Li Jing, along with a male and a female cultivator, left the coffee shop. As they walked onto the street, he pulled out a Boundary Stone, which had become useless since leaving Blue Star, and created a subspace.

The sudden entry into the subspace startled the male and female cultivators.

In the subspace.

Unless the occupants voluntarily isolate people, events, or things from the outside world, it is a blank space.

Unexpectedly entering such an environment, how could they not be surprised?

Before they could process the situation, Li Jing casually set up a long table, poured three cups of Life Tree Leaves tea, and turned around.

"Sit."

Faced with his command, the two honestly didn’t want to sit.

Mainly because they really couldn’t make out what Li Jing was up to.

But seeing the Life Tree Leaves tea already poured, they both couldn’t help but swallow hard.

It’s true that Earth was severely lacking in resources, but both were Fifth Boundary and Six Realm cultivators, so they had discerning tastes.

A glance told them that the three cups of Life Tree Leaves tea on the table were of top quality.

This...

Were these for them!?

Looking at each other, the male cultivator was the first to sit at the table, and the female cultivator, seeing this, gritted her teeth and sat down too.

Seeing them seated, Li Jing let out a small chuckle.

"First, take a sip of the tea, it will benefit both of you."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the male cultivator.

"Your cultivation path is too mixed. You should be able to benefit more."

Hearing these words, the male cultivator’s face changed.

His cultivation.

Indeed, it was messy.

Li Jing saw it in an instant, which was somewhat...

Looking again at the cup of Life Tree Leaves tea, the male cultivator took a deep breath and drained his cup in one gulp.

He knew his situation best.

Although he was a Six Realm cultivator with few rivals on Earth, he was almost at the point of crippling his own cultivation.

Progressing further was harder than reaching the heavens, not to mention he wasn’t sure if he would regress in the future.

If just one cup of tea could bring about improvement, even if he had to go through hell, he was willing to take the risk!

With the Life Tree Leaves in his stomach.

The male cultivator’s body shook, and his face quickly turned green.

Rising abruptly, he asked in a hoarse voice,

"Do you... have a restroom here?"

"This is a subspace. There’s nothing else here."

Li Jing shook his head, smiling as he said,

"You can go take care of it far away."

"..."

The male cultivator said nothing, turned around, and headed deep into the subspace without a word.

The female cultivator saw that the male cultivator had drank the tea and was about to take a sip herself, but before she could, she saw him. For a moment, she didn’t dare to drink.

Looking at the male cultivator’s state.

It was evident he had reaped great benefits, and the vast amount of impurities in his body due to discordant spiritual energy was being expelled.

You should know.

At the level of the Six Realm, ordinary impurities could be neutralized by spiritual energy without needing to be excreted. They didn’t need a restroom for that.

Given the male cultivator’s situation, it was clear he had gained enormous benefits.

The instantaneous effect of the Life Tree Leaves tea was undeniable!

The female cultivator also wanted to drink.

She wanted to drink it immediately!

However, in the barren subspace, as a woman, she couldn’t accept the idea of relieving herself in such a setting.

At least...

Could there be a tree to shield her?

Seeing the male cultivator hadn’t walked far and seemed to hit a wall as if he couldn’t go further, she had no choice but to take out a bed sheet from her storage space, squat in place, and raised the sheet with both hands as a cover. The female cultivator was relieved that she didn’t "guzzle" in haste but was still uneasy.

"Senior... Can I take this tea home?"

Li Jing shrugged, indicating that he didn’t care.

With this signal, the female cultivator was overjoyed, and poured the tea carefully into a thermos, afraid to spill it.

Li Jing patiently waited for her to finish pouring the Life Tree Leaves Tea, smiling a little as he extended a hand.

"I believe you may have realized who I am, but it’s still necessary to introduce myself formally. Hello, my name is Li Jing."

Hearing him introduce himself, the female cultivator was surprised.

Although she had speculated beforehand, getting actual confirmation was oddly difficult for her to accept.

Was Li Jing truly Li Xi’s cousin who had disappeared for six years?

Packed with suspicion, the female cultivator hesitated for a moment, then delicately shook hands with him.

"My name is Bai Lu, codename Egret, I work for Hua Xia’s secret agency, called Zero Agency."

She pointed towards the direction of the male cultivator.

"That is my partner, Zhou Jinliang, code name Raven. He also belongs to the Zero Agency."

Upon hearing Bai Lu’s introduction, Li Jing raised an eyebrow.

Secret agency.

Zero Agency.

It had the flavor of the Management Bureau.

The only difference was that Zero Agency mostly worked underground in a world dominated by ordinary Earth people and was not known to the general public, while the Management Bureau was the opposite.

Just as he was about to inquire about the specific duties of the Zero Agency, there was suddenly a loud "boom" in the distance.

Li Jing and Bai Lu both looked over.

Immediately, they saw a small, black mushroom cloud rise up from where Zhou Jinliang stood, it stank to high heaven.

Such a scene.

One can’t help but marvel.

Even Li Jing didn’t expect it.

Who knew the impurities in Zhou Jinliang’s body could be this much...

Li Jing flicked a thread of Chaos Qi with his fingers, instantly dissolving the black mist rolling in the subspace.

Unconcerned with the situation there, Li Jing asked.

"Would you mind explaining the specific duties of the Zero Agency?"

"Well..."

Bai Lu hesitated, then said.

"I’m not at liberty to go into too much detail, but what I can tell you is that the existence of our Zero Agency is primarily to deal with all kinds of crimes committed by cultivators and supernatural disasters."

Hearing this, Li Jing nodded.

Based solely on these duties, there was no fundamental difference between the Zero Agency and the Dragon and Phoenix Management Bureau.

Without further thought, Li Jing spoke again.

"About Li Xi’s situation, please explain it clearly."

"Ah, about that..."

Bai Lu was embarrassed.

She wasn’t at liberty to say much about the Zero Agency, so Li Jing didn’t push, very gentlemanly of him.

But when it came to Li Xi, he didn’t ask anymore. Instead, he demanded her to clarify.

If possible, Bai Lu would rather not say.

Mainly because she couldn’t.

As for Li Xi’s situation, it was too sensitive.

But now.

Did she have a choice?

She was in the subspace at the moment, and if Li Jing was unwilling, she wouldn’t even have the privilege to leave.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Lu began to speak.

"Regarding Li Xi, it’s mainly because of her parents."

"My uncle and auntie?"

Li Jing frowned.

"Yes."

Bai Lu nodded, then continued.

"You may not know, Mr. Li Zehui and Mrs. Song Lijun, although they have never participated in cultivation, they are top scholars in the related fields of Hua Xia. Both of them mainly study Qi, climate science and ancient history. They have been dedicated to the academic research of Earth’s Qi recovery for decades."

"..."

Li Jing.

Bai Lu’s onslaught of information was not just a simple shock for him.

In his knowledge.

Li Zehui and his wife worked for a small urban greening contractor and collected scrap as a side job.

He had witnessed both jobs with his own eyes.

How did they suddenly become top scholars?

Even if they were hiding, it wouldn’t be this outrageous, right?

Rubbing his temples, Li Jing looked perplexed.

"Continue."

...