Chapter 416: Returning to Bianliu County to Relax

After delivering his warning, Yan Jing ignored Sheng Xia and headed straight for the waiting room.

He just wanted to rest for a while.

No one disturbed him for the next hour, and he finally managed to get some decent sleep.

"Mr. Yan."

Sheng Xia's voice called out. Yan Jing opened his eyes to see her standing there with five people behind her.

All five had suffered varying degrees of injury during the recent battle. White bandages still wrapped their hands and feet.

When they met Yan Jing's gaze, they all subconsciously looked away.

"We're about to board," Sheng Xia quickly added, as if worried Yan Jing would think she was bothering him again.

"Thank you."

Yan Jing nodded and stood up.

The group boarded the plane.

Unlike the flight Yan Jing took to get here, the plane to the First Ring Domain was chartered. According to Sheng Xia, it was a tycoon's private jet.

Their group were the only passengers on board.

The cabin's interior was quite luxurious, fully equipped with a bar, sofas, and a screening room.

After they stowed their luggage, Sheng Xia called everyone to the lounge area to announce their itinerary. "Our team will tour the check-in points of each Domain, proceeding from the outer rings inward. We'll eventually arrive at the First Ring Domain, where we'll meet up with a few teams similar to ours."

"The purpose of this trip, aside from giving you a chance to relax and tour Yueyin, is to further develop your strength."

"I'm sure you all know Yueyin will host a seed ranking tournament in about a month. The higher you place, the better the rewards."

"So, in a way, this journey is a chance for you to gain a head start. You can familiarize yourselves with your opponents and learn the differences between Ritual abilities across the Domains."

"More importantly, true powerhouses will be waiting at each check-in point to personally instruct you. I hope you'll cherish this opportunity."

"Does anyone have any questions?"

No one spoke.

It wasn't that they had nothing to ask; they simply hadn't recovered from the crushing defeat Yan Jing had handed them.

After waking up, they had discussed Yan Jing's attack and arrived at a terrifying conclusion: Yan Jing hadn't even used weird energy to defeat them.

They weren't foolish enough to think he abstained from weird energy just because he favored physical strength. He had clearly demonstrated his mastery over weird energy during the Sin Live Broadcast.

The only explanation was that the gap in their strength was so immense he hadn't needed it at all.

Because of that, Sheng Xia's words failed to stir any enthusiasm. Having witnessed Yan Jing's power, they had already abandoned all hope of placing high in the tournament.

If a seed from the Fifth Ring Domain was this strong, they could only imagine how many monsters would be waiting in the competition.

Seeing their silence, Sheng Xia felt a bit awkward. She was just trying to think of something to ease the tension when Yan Jing suddenly spoke. "I have a question, Miss Sheng Xia."

"Go ahead," Sheng Xia said quickly.

"Why are the higher-ups giving us this kind of special treatment?" Yan Jing asked.

According to Sheng Xia, only a few teams were granted this privilege. Logically, a training camp like this should prioritize resources for the absolute strongest candidates.

Yet, Yan Jing didn't believe his current teammates were among Yueyin's top seeds.

His question was essentially asking why they had been chosen.

Sheng Xia clearly understood. She gave him a complicated look and said, "It isn't really special treatment. The essence of this ranking tournament is to select a group of talents for Yueyin."

"All of you will eventually become pillars of Yueyin, and likely soon. In a way, you are the ones the higher-ups have comprehensively evaluated as being most likely to contribute to Yueyin's future."

"Tournament or not, you would have received these resources."

Yan Jing nodded upon hearing this.

He understood.

It was essentially an early recruitment.

Their group might not be the absolute strongest, but they were the most likely to stay with Yueyin long-term.

That made sense.

"Can't the Federation retain its people?"

His follow-up was just as pointed, giving Sheng Xia a headache.

No matter how you looked at it, Yan Jing's questions were far too blunt, completely lacking the tact expected in adult interactions.

"Not exactly. It's just a precaution."

Sheng Xia looked even more awkward as she said it. Anyone could tell she was just making excuses.

Yan Jing nodded again. He picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "It might be that the reward system is poorly structured."

'Please stop talking, man...'

Sheng Xia's scalp tingled. She just wished Yan Jing would shut his mouth. Didn't "the reward system is poorly structured" just mean the Federation was stingy?

Who in their right mind would offer four limit-breaking quality Rituals as rewards?

Did he think limit-breaking Rituals were as cheap as cabbage?

And even if they could offer them, the recipients had to be capable of handling them...

She coughed softly and said, "Since there are no more questions, you're free to do as you please. Our next stop is Precognition Gorge in the Fourth Ring Domain. We'll arrive around midnight."

When she finished speaking, no one moved.

Their eyes fell on Yan Jing, observing his next move. Only when they realized he had no intention of returning to his room did they finally head back to theirs.

Only Xie Lingling mustered the courage to speak to Yan Jing before leaving. "Hey, sorry about today. I kind of asked for it."

"It's fine."

Yan Jing's expression remained calm; he hadn't taken the matter to heart.

Seeing his reaction, Xie Lingling looked a bit embarrassed before retreating to her room.

Consequently, only Yan Jing and Sheng Xia were left in the lounge area.

Sheng Xia sighed helplessly.

'For this to happen on the very first day... this team is going to be hard to lead...'

"Mr. Yan, aren't you going back to your room to rest?"

She looked at Yan Jing, who was quietly drinking water, and spoke cautiously.

What she didn't know was that if Yan Jing returned to his room, his best option wouldn't be resting, but rather entering the Inner World to work.

Staying out in the lounge area was actually closer to true rest.

"In a bit. I want to stay out here for a little longer."

Yan Jing said, picking up his phone and opening a messaging app.

Noticing that Yan Jing didn't seem as averse to talking as he had been in the waiting room, Sheng Xia took the opportunity to ask, "Mr. Yan, you're incredibly strong, yet you've remained fairly unknown in the Fifth Ring Domain. Have you been intentionally keeping a low profile?"

"No."

Yan Jing tapped out a message to Shen Youran as he replied. "It's to avoid danger."

"Avoid... danger?" Sheng Xia didn't quite catch his meaning.

"Yes."

Yan Jing kept his eyes on his screen, his tone casual. "If you attract too much attention, you might invite unnecessary trouble."

"Haha, I didn't expect Mr. Yan to be so... vigilant." Sheng Xia racked her brains for the right word before adding, "But Yueyin is a society governed by law, so it shouldn't be that bad, right?"

"Perhaps Yueyin is, but the Inner World isn't."

Yan Jing said softly. "But even if Yueyin is, I've still encountered its less lawful side. That's just the truth."

"As long as an individual's power can surpass collective control, the binding force of the law is greatly diminished."

Sheng Xia was taken aback. She hadn't expected Yan Jing to elevate the topic to such a level. She wanted to say more, but he had already raised his phone.

He started a video call with Shen Youran.

On the other end, Shen Youran hastily fixed her hair before answering.

"I'm on a plane right now. I didn't expect the connection to be this good,"

Yan Jing said to Shen Youran through the screen.

He left out the second half of that thought—that in his previous world, it was difficult to maintain a stable video call on a flight.

Shen Youran smiled. "You look like you're in good spirits, Xiao Yanzi. Have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet. The guide hasn't mentioned it."

Yan Jing looked at Sheng Xia. "Do you mind being on camera?"

Sheng Xia was a little bewildered but eventually agreed. Yan Jing flipped the camera to face her. "This is our guide, Sheng Xia. She's doing a pretty good job."

"Hello, I'm Shen Youran, Xiao Yanzi's investor. I hope you can take good care of our Xiao Yanzi,"

Shen Youran said with a smile.

"Hello, hello. It's my duty. Though Mr. Yan... probably doesn't need much taking care of. Ah, no, I mean, he's... very... very... very adaptable."

Sheng Xia finally found the right words.

Shen Youran laughed merrily, almost radiating a maternal glow. "Xiao Yanzi really is very adaptable. As long as he hasn't caused you any trouble."

"No trouble at all, none at all."

Sheng Xia waved her hands, speaking wildly against her true feelings.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Yan Jing flipped the camera back and resumed chatting with Shen Youran.

"How are your companions this time?"

"They're fine. Their strength is fairly decent."

"Then it seems the domain lord places a lot of importance on this event. They must have gathered some very strong seeds. Do your best, Xiao Yanzi."

"I will."

"Where is the first place you're going?"

"I think it's called Precognition Gorge."

"Oh, that's the Precognition Society's territory. Are you going to contact their vice president? She's been looking for you ever since that last incident, Xiao Yanzi."

"Forget it. Whenever I exchange two words with her, she brings up Xu Qiao'er. Though maybe I should give Dong Chuan a heads-up beforehand."

"Actually, Xu Qiao'er isn't bad. You could consider it, Xiao Yanzi. The doctors said her brain has a chance of recovering. If you were to marry her, the president of the Precognition Society is said to be at the seventh rank now—it could be a good boost for you."

Beside him, Sheng Xia was squirming in her seat.

First, the comment about his "companions' strength being fairly decent" had made her feel incredibly guilty. Then came the mention of the Precognition Society's vice president, followed by the former saintess, Xu Qiao'er...

Listening to this high-level conversation had Sheng Xia breaking out in a cold sweat one moment and trembling in fear the next.

Thankfully, after about ten minutes, Yan Jing finally hung up and stood up to return to his room.

Before leaving, Yan Jing looked at Sheng Xia and asked, "Why was Miss Sheng Xia chosen as the guide?"

"...Me?"

Sheng Xia pointed to herself and smiled. "I am a professional guide. I went through professional training."

"I see."

Yan Jing nodded. Right before entering his room, he paused, turned back to look at her, and said, "Miss Sheng Xia, you look very young. You should still be part of this current generation."

Sheng Xia blinked. Before she could think of a response, Yan Jing spoke again. "And your strength is quite impressive as well."

With that, Yan Jing stepped into his room and closed the door.

Sheng Xia waited for a few minutes. Once she confirmed he had truly closed the door, she let out a long breath and slumped onto the sofa.

'Just what level is that man at...'

'Did he see through me?'

'He shouldn't have...'

'I can't be that unlucky, right?!'

She sighed heavily, then pulled out her phone to use as a mirror.

'It's possible he noticed. After all, I am indeed quite young.'

Lying in bed, Yan Jing shifted his consciousness into the Inner World, leaving only Xiao Xin and a painting spirit nearby as lookouts. He briefly switched to Luo Sheng's perspective to ensure neither Luo Sheng nor Mao Si were at risk of being discovered, then directly switched his perspective to Yi Ji.

At the moment, Yi Ji was going about his daily routine in the cave within Tranquil Valley, just as before.

Nothing particularly noteworthy had happened in Bianliu County recently.

After Luo Sheng left, Yi Ji's identity was essentially managing the place. The higher-ups hadn't dispatched a new county magistrate either.

It seemed the increasingly tense relationship between the eastern and western Lake Prefectures had left them with no time to deal with the mess in Bianliu County.

Moreover, before Yan Jing left, he had deliberately mobilized half of the dragon aura to encircle and protect Bianliu County.

A seventh rank expert had once come to Bianliu County, seemingly attempting to reclaim the dragon aura, but ultimately left empty-handed.

"Roar— Roar—"

Yan Jing walked out of the cave. Nearby, a massive Buddha Ear Bird was resting. Upon seeing Yan Jing, it stood up happily and let out a soft cry.

It then shook its body, causing its two giant, Buddha-like ears to gently sway.

Yan Jing patted the Buddha Ear Bird's wings and climbed onto its back.

This was currently the strongest Buddha Ear Bird in Tranquil Valley. It was on the verge of breaking through to the fourth tier and had been tamed by Yan Jing a few days ago to serve as a mount.

"To Bianliu County."

He patted the bird's head.

The Buddha Ear Bird happily raised its head, flapped its wings, and flew off into the distance with Yan Jing.

Soon, they descended over East Street in Bianliu County.

Donning a long robe, Yan Jing leaped off the Buddha Ear Bird's back.

"The magistrate has arrived!!!"

Someone shouted loudly.

"Greetings, Magistrate!!"

The crowd didn't know what Yan Jing looked like under the robe, nor did they care whether it was Luo Sheng or not. To them, he was simply the magistrate.

After a period of management, Bianliu County had mostly recovered to its pre-war economic levels, and its public order was even better than before. Many people from the places Luo Sheng had passed by on his train journey were now coming to Bianliu County to work.

Yan Jing had come here this time to find someone.

Before long, he spotted that person in an incense shop.

She had clean features, short hair that reached her ears, and wore a black outfit as she tested the incense.

It was Mo Lian.

At that moment, Mo Lian was joking around with the shop owner, completely oblivious to Yan Jing's approach.

That was until Yan Jing coughed softly twice.

She snapped to attention, looked at Yan Jing, and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Magistrate."

"Yes, Miss Mo."

Yan Jing said quietly, "Mr. Yan once told me to have you train diligently every day to improve your cultivation as soon as possible. In addition, you were supposed to facilitate the exchange of goods between this place and your side. So, what exactly are you doing right now...?"

"I'm working on it! I'm working on it!"

Mo Lian quickly replied, inwardly complaining about her bad luck. Why did he have to do a spot check today of all days?