Chapter 388: All Things Gradually Converge (Two in One)

Opposite Yan Jing, a figure sat shrouded in a white veil.

The veil was incredibly sheer. The slightest breeze molded it to her shape, swaying in the air like liquid. Yet the appearance of the person inside remained entirely obscured, projecting only a sense of boundless, ethereal holiness.

Beside Yan Jing, Shen Youran swallowed unconsciously.

The person opposite them was the strongest expert of Yueyin.

The sole Eighth Tier.

Someone at the Summit.

Lately, a rumor had been circulating among the upper echelons of the Yueyin Federation—the domain lord had disappeared.

Yet no one knew that this domain lord had actually been staying in a remote city within the Fifth Ring Domain for over a week.

Her purpose? To evaluate Yan Jing.

More accurately, to recruit him.

"I believe in your devotion to Yueyin."

The figure in the white veil spoke softly, her voice as ethereal as a clear spring beneath the moon:

"But it would still be best if you returned to the First Ring Domain with me."

"This livestream wasn't just seen by the people of Yueyin. It was also broadcast in Beast Lord and the Metal Plains. You were far too domineering, yet your wings are not fully grown. It isn't safe for you to stay here."

"You have even landed on the Inner World Pathway bounty list, ranking right near the top."

Facing the figure's admonition, Yan Jing's expression remained calm:

"So a Summit expert like you, domain lord, will come looking for me?"

Beneath the veil, the figure's expression turned slightly odd:

"First, Summit experts are not cabbages you can find anywhere. Second, if a Summit expert entered our borders, I would naturally sense them."

"But that is exactly the problem. Over these past two months, I have already sensed the appearance of two Summit experts."

"And both were in the vicinity of this region."

"That is also why I have stayed here for so long."

Hearing this, Yan Jing thought of the figure in white, then of the youth in dragon robes. His expression stayed perfectly natural:

"Did you end up finding them?"

The figure shook her head:

"They were likely just passing through."

"However, that doesn't mean you can let your guard down."

"At the very least, I can confirm that the Inner World organization has already dispatched Sixth Tier or even Seventh Rank assassins. Your situation is not safe."

"I have said all I need to say. After all, you should know that I don't have much free time."

Hearing this, Shen Youran looked at Yan Jing nervously.

She didn't hide her expression, hoping Yan Jing would understand and agree to the Yueyin domain lord before them.

It wasn't that she worried Yan Jing couldn't defeat a Sixth Tier assassin. Rather, she could tell that the figure was starting to lose patience.

This was the figure's third meeting with Yan Jing.

For a Summit expert, doing this much was already quite rare.

If Yan Jing refused again, she felt it wouldn't end well.

The figure took in Shen Youran's demeanor, and her lips curved up slightly; she quite appreciated the woman's tact.

Opposite her, Yan Jing pondered for a moment before finally speaking:

"Domain lord, given how you've treated me, it would be terribly ungrateful of me to refuse again."

"How about this: in one month. One month from now, I will head to the First Ring Domain on time. I give you my word."

"When the time comes, if I break my promise, you may deal with me however you see fit."

The figure replied to Yan Jing's answer swiftly:

"There is no need for such extremes. Permission granted."

With that, she stood up and looked at Yan Jing:

"However, Yan, if some unexpected situation prevents you from coming, I will come fetch you personally."

As she said this, a draft blew in from the distant window, lifting the white veil around the figure so it rippled and trembled. It was only then that Shen Youran finally realized it wasn't a white veil at all. It was a ray of moonlight the figure had intercepted and draped over herself.

Yan Jing nodded:

"Understood."

Once the figure left, Yan Jing sat back in his chair and gently closed his eyes.

Things hadn't gone as smoothly as he had imagined.

He originally thought that by showing some of his strength this time, he could draw the higher-ups' attention, exchange it for resources, and perhaps even gain some protection.

But the problem was—

"She harbors some malice toward you, Young Master. Not much, but it's definitely there."

This was what Fei Yu had told him the first time he met the woman.

The phoenix bird could distinguish between fortune and disaster, and discern good from evil.

The other party held malice toward him—this was something Yan Jing hadn't expected.

So his plans had to change.

This was also why he wasn't willing to follow the figure to the First Ring Domain. Here, he could enter a Dungeon at any time and had Survivor 6000 to coordinate with. But if he went to the First Ring Domain, he would be completely passive.

An Eighth Tier was fundamentally impossible for him to contend with right now.

"—"

Yan Jing opened his eyes. A barely perceptible shadow flashed through his gaze before swiftly vanishing.

He then looked at Shen Youran beside him and smiled:

"Teacher Shen, we still have those Dungeon Advance Vouchers from before, right?"

"We do, we do."

Shen Youran nodded vigorously. Then, her eyes widened:

"Xiao Yanzi, you're going into a Dungeon again?"

"Aren't you heading to the First Ring Domain soon? Isn't this cutting it a bit too close?"

Yan Jing shook his head:

"I need to boost my strength a bit more before I go. I'm still not feeling entirely confident."

"—Alright."

Shen Youran nodded and spoke:

"Yanzi, is your Dungeon this time single-player or multiplayer?"

Yan Jing smiled:

"No need to look for anyone."

This Dungeon was a very interesting single-player one.

He had received this Dungeon three days ago. Originally, he had two or three weeks of preparation time, but now, he couldn't afford to wait that long.

[Dungeon Stage A Quest Location: Peace Heavenly Kingdom, Victory District]

[Quest: Partners in Sin]

[Quest Description:

[Seven Stars], as the most mysterious organization in the Peace Heavenly Kingdom, actually has a hierarchy far stricter than it appears. Aside from the leader, Tianshu, the remaining members are the Sixth Tier Tianxuan and Kaiyang, the Fifth Tier Tianji and Yuheng, and the Fourth Tier Yaoguang and Tianquan. Every pair is formed based on the most optimal match, and they each oversee different functions. For example, Tianji, whom you killed previously, was the member responsible for large-scale crimes and conspiracy layouts. Tianxuan and Kaiyang stand as the duo with the highest success rate since the founding of Seven Stars. The reason for their success, aside from their individual strength, primarily lies in their unparalleled caution. Tianxuan possesses a book that can communicate with the Inner World, periodically recruiting a human to assist her. She has already booked a time with the book and outlined the current mission. The person chosen this time is none other than you. The specific mission details will be relayed to you once you enter the Inner World. Please assist Tianxuan in completing the mission. If the mission fails, you will suffer a physical deprivation penalty, leaving any two of your four limbs entirely immobilized until the end of the next Dungeon. Stage A will last for two days.]

[Note: Stage A of this Dungeon only has one quest. Stage B will issue and alter quests based on the outcome of Stage A.]

[Time remaining until the start of the next Dungeon: 2 weeks, 14 hours, 26 minutes.]

From the Dungeon information, Yan Jing found many details worth digging into.

For example, before he advanced to the Fifth Tier, the quest descriptions issued to him never said things like "Tianji, whom you killed previously."

Such phrasing felt more like a personalized description tailored for him, rather than the standardized quest descriptions given to all players like before.

So reaching the Fifth Tier meant getting noticed by the system?

Moreover, the quest penalty was different from before. In the past, the main danger usually lay in being killed by inner world residents within the Inner World, but now, a system penalty had been added on top of it.

And then there was Tianxuan's book. Yan Jing thought it sounded quite nice.

"Let's schedule it for the day after tomorrow."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Alright." Shen Youran nodded.

=====

Beneath the moonlight, the figure draped in the white veil walked through the air.

Her gaze was clear, and every step seemed to land on the frost-like moonlight, crossing hundreds of meters in a single stride.

She only stopped when she was nearly above the airport, watching a plane roar past her. Turning her head, she looked down at the city she had stayed in for seven days.

"Phew..."

Gazing back at Ling'an, she let out a breath that transformed into thousands of moonbeams, scattering in all directions.

She was the domain lord of Yueyin, but in truth, there were plenty of places in this vast domain that she had never visited.

Places like this remote city—if not for Yan Jing, she might never have come here in her entire life.

She stared down at it for a long time before finally shaking her head:

"What a pity—my luck is too poor—there simply isn't enough time left.

9

"Ultimately, he cannot become my greatest asset—I can only offer some good karma as compensation after the fact."

Having said that, she descended toward the airport, and her figure vanished.

The next day.

Peace District.

Nuochen Biotech.

Inside the office, Zeng Qing looked at Yan Jing, who was sitting on the sofa and tearing huge bites out of a chicken leg, and sighed:

"So, did you understand what I just said?"

"I got it."

Yan Jing nodded:

"Now Nuochen Biotech is being sued. A group of people came looking for massive compensation because the gas emissions from a newly built biological agent processing plant disrupted the lives of half the people in Anthill, and even caused severe impacts—because young children have weaker immune systems, almost all the kids in that area have contracted biological genetic disease."

Biological genetic disease—an illness that ranked alongside Mechanical Rampage Syndrome as the most severe disease in the Peace Heavenly Kingdom.

Previously, Tianji used similar methods to incite the frenzy of the bionic species.

And now, the biological genetic disease symptoms the children in that area contracted were much closer to some of the severe diseases found in the Surface World.

Mild cases experienced shortness of breath, full-body weakness, and persistent high fever. Severe cases directly suffered bulging veins all over their bodies, respiratory failure, and died from blood coagulation.

"And now, as the successor, you have to resolve this matter. Otherwise, before the seat you just took has even warmed up, you might be pushed out as a scapegoat to take the fall," Yan Jing said.

"Yes."

Zeng Qing sighed:

"So what do we do now? Do we do it or not? I can't get in touch with Luo Xian."

"If you ask me—"

Yan Jing's expression was serious:

"We might as well just take a chunk of the money and run."

"You think I haven't considered that? We wouldn't be able to get much that way." Zeng Qing shook her head:

"I just took office; where would I even find places to skim off the top? If I forcefully embezzle, I'll be sent to prison."

"The best solution right now is to win this lawsuit and salvage the company's reputation."

Hearing this, Yan Jing stood up, tossed the chicken bone accurately into the trash can, and started walking out.

"Farewell."

"Eh? Where are you going?"

Anxious, Zeng Qing hurriedly chased after him, scooped Yan Jing into her arms, and carried him back to the desk.

"You know how it is."

Yan Jing scratched his cat ears with his paw:

"I, your Fourth Master, don't do things that go against my conscience."

"I don't want to either, but we have no other choice! Besides, didn't you want to make money?" Zeng Qing sighed:

"Once I recover the company's reputation, I'll personally provide those families with some compensation."

"Some people's children died. They don't just want money; they want justice," Yan Jing said calmly.

Zeng Qing grabbed her head in frustration:

"In this day and age, where is there any justice? Getting money is already good enough. If it wasn't me taking over this time, do you think they could win? They couldn't."

"Of the police, prosecutors, and courts, our people are currently in the prosecution and the courts. Even though our family doesn't have rock-solid connections with the police, wouldn't it still be extremely simple to reach out to them?"

"This is just a formality meant to help me secure my position. Don't tell me you didn't see that."

Hearing this, Yan Jing fell silent for several seconds before narrowing his eyes:

"I can do it—but I need more money!"

"Done!" Zeng Qing said:

"Once this matter is resolved, I can conservatively scrape together two to three hundred thousand eerie points (roughly ten to fifteen million surface coins)

, and give it all to you."

"After this is done, I will give every family fifty thousand eerie points, and those who lost children will get triple. Furthermore, I'll use a humanitarian pretext to help them contact the best hospitals."

Zeng Qing had no other choice. Luo Sheng had told her to consult with Mao Si, and she didn't want to, nor was she willing to, go against Mao Si's wishes.

Didn't she see what happened to Zeng Ru?

So what if she was the executive director? In the end, wasn't she still told to get lost all the same?

On the other hand, she also cared about the faint bond she had established with Mao Si. After their four-person group disbanded, she, who naturally had a colder disposition, felt increasingly lonely lately.

"Where is the difficulty?"

Yan Jing hopped onto the desk and began reading the case summary.

Zeng Qing shook her head:

"Honestly, strictly speaking, there aren't many difficulties. The opposition is weak and lacks influence. I heard they couldn't even find a lawyer willing to help at first, as no one wanted the trouble of crossing us. In the end, they only managed to reach a lawyer who usually handles civil litigation before finally making it to court."

"The only two difficulties are, first, the opposition actually has quite a lot of evidence."

"After all, our pollution emissions are a fact. However, the lawyer we hired has already found a counterattack point for this: their evidence lacks a complete chain. We definitely emitted pollution, but pollution doesn't equate to us causing the biological genetic disease."

"The second difficulty is that a female councilor from the Heavenly Kingdom Council is paying very close attention to this matter. She isn't on our family's side. In fact, she has served four or five terms as a councilor, and I've never heard of her being close to any major financial conglomerate."

"I plan to try and approach her before the trial begins to see if I can eliminate this final destabilizing factor."

Yan Jing raised a brow:

"Is this female councilor the deeply impartial type?"

Zeng Qing shook her head:

"Actually, she has attended many similar cases, but I've never heard of her speaking up in court."

"It is just that in the trials she attends, a portion of them indeed end with the financial conglomerates' criminal evidence being exposed. But tracing it back to the source, no one knows exactly what caused those conglomerates to lose."

Yan Jing nodded:

"Do you have any other information on her?"

"I do."

Zeng Qing spoke:

"I looked into her. Rumor has it she really loves doing charity work."

"Are there any reports?"

"There are." Zeng Qing pulled up a report on her Information Component.

Staring at the woman wearing the massive sun hat in the report, Yan Jing's eyes narrowed.

A few seconds later, his lips curved:

"There is something wrong with her!"

"There's something wrong with her?"

Zeng Qing blinked:

"How can you tell?"

"Heh heh." Yan Jing hopped down to the floor, hooking his right hand and resting it under his chin:

"In the Peace Heavenly Kingdom, there's absolutely no way anyone actually loves doing charity!"

"People who love charity all have something wrong with them!"

"Thud!" Zeng Qing collapsed limply onto the desk, her face entirely dejected.

She was so foolish. How could she have thought this guy could actually see through the problem?

Yan Jing, however, kept his eyes narrowed.

Naturally, he wasn't going to say that he had met this woman before.

After Tianji died, back in the stairwell that day, this woman had personally come upstairs to inspect Tianji's corpse.

She was a member of Seven Stars.

Moreover, Xiao Xin had even snapped a photo of her.

According to the conversation Xiao Xin overheard that day between her and the person in her earpiece...

She couldn't belong to either Yaoguang or Tianji's team, nor could she be the leader, Tianshu.

Therefore—

She could only be either Kaiyang or Tianxuan.

Regardless of which one it was.

She would be Yan Jing's upcoming partner.

This time, things were getting interesting.