Chapter 418: Wait, You're Curing Her Right Now? (Two-in-One)

Seeing Yan Jing flying toward it, the Ancestor Hand suddenly paused. Using its only remaining thumb and pinky, it changed direction, attempting to flee into the massive expanse of dark clouds.

But in that instant, it felt everything around it rising at a terrifying speed. The billowing clouds transformed into a boiling ocean.

A terrifying, immense force struck its palm. Even though it lacked the facial features of most living creatures, watermelon-sized beads of sweat broke out across its body as it plummeted toward the ground.

Yan Jing's hand was now pressed against a tiny bulge on its palm.

If Yan Jing exerted any force, it would instantly end its days of roaming freely through this world—and likely its life.

"Let's go."

Yan Jing placed the completely dumbfounded Bi Jie and Liu Ye onto two of its fingers. He vaulted onto the back of the hand, threads unspooling from his eyes to act as reins, steering the Ancestor Hand toward Bianliu County.

"Mr. Yi—what are you doing—"

Bi Jie, the first to recover his wits, swallowed hard as he stared at the massive, aged, blue-gray hand beneath him.

The Ancestor Hand, nearing the Sixth Tier, was as obedient as a tamed horse beneath Yan Jing. It was hard to imagine what tier he had actually reached.

"I just wanted to show you both that I wasn't bluffing."

Yan Jing smiled. "Everyone in Minhu wants to be crowned a lord or emperor. I want a piece of the pie, too. Not to conquer it completely, but to become the Lord of the Domain for this territory."

"In Minhu, there are twelve lake prefectures. East Lake Prefecture holds eight, and every single one is overseen by a prefect of at least the Seventh Rank!"

"I know."

"West Lake Prefecture has two, and they are even stronger than East Lake Prefecture!" Bi Jie added.

"I understand that too," Yan Jing nodded.

"Every prefecture is suppressed by a Prohibited Item!"

"They can't be deployed for long. I know."

"The one in our East Lake Prefecture is a bona fide Eighth Tier!"

Bi Jie's voice pitched up again, but Yan Jing merely offered a faint smile, clearly not intimidated in the slightest.

"I know."

Yan Jing chuckled. "I know all of that. But if you had anything higher to warn me about, then I'd be out of my depth. At that point, I might actually have to reconsider."

Bi Jie was left speechless.

The meaning behind Yan Jing's words couldn't be clearer.

This was Minhu, where everyone spoke in circles and riddles. Yan Jing was flat-out telling him that he did not fear an Eighth Tier.

But this—

How could that be possible?!

If Yi Ji wasn't even afraid of an Eighth Tier, why would they have been forced to scramble for solutions when pressured by a Seventh Rank human and that deputy prefect back then? Why would Luo Sheng have needed to flee to another Domain? He wouldn't have!

Yet the man before him had indeed instantly defeated the Ancestor Hand, which was close to the Sixth Tier. This proved he possessed at least Seventh Rank strength.

That left only one possibility: in these two or three short months, he had advanced from the Fourth Tier to the Seventh Rank.

Absurd!

The moment the thought surfaced, Bi Jie wanted to slap himself across the face.

From the Sixth Trade to the Third Trade in two months—it was utterly unheard of!

Beside him, Liu Ye was clearly still reeling in shock.

And so, wrapped in silence, the group flew into the airspace above Bianliu County.

"Is this dragon aura?"

Liu Ye pointed toward the outskirts of Bianliu County. Crisscrossing the flat terrain were winding streaks of golden light. At a glance, they looked like true dragons slumbering in the wilderness, quietly awaiting their ascension.

"It is."

Yan Jing nodded. "Ever since Young Master Luo released the dragon aura in Bianliu County, the crops have been growing dozens of times faster than before. What used to yield two harvests a year now yields more than they can reap in a month."

"The residents here are progressing in their cultivation with divine speed. Following the great battle, only a single Fourth Tier remained. Now, seven or eight new Fourth Tiers have sprung up. As for that Fourth Tier member of the West Street Artisans, he is already pushing toward the Fifth Tier."

"Furthermore—if it happens to be an official cultivator using the dragon aura to practice, the effects are said to be several times greater than for other cultivators."

Yan Jing spoke pointedly. As an official cultivator, Bi Jie immediately took a deep breath. "This is Minhu's dragon aura. Both professionally and personally, even if I, Bi Jie, were to die, I would absolutely never—!"

Before he could finish, a small wisp of dragon aura shot up from the ground and plunged directly into Bi Jie's body.

Crack.

A sound like shattering glass echoed out. Bi Jie's long-stagnant bottleneck actually showed signs of a forced breakthrough—

"Secretly absorbing dragon aura is a capital offense! Spit it out quickly!" Liu Ye urged. But to his surprise, Bi Jie let out a long sigh. "It seems my destined opportunity has arrived. When water flows, a channel naturally forms; I couldn't delay this even if I tried—"

Immediately after, he sat cross-legged, putting his full effort into breaking through to the Fifth Tier!

Liu Ye looked at Yan Jing. "I am different from Lord Bi, Mr. Yi. Petty favors like this cannot sway me."

As they spoke, the Ancestor Hand arrived above East Street.

East Street was as bustling as ever. In fact, compared to its previously gloomy and oppressive prosperity, it now carried a much more vibrant and lively atmosphere.

Several teams chanting work slogans were hauling crates upon crates of goods, heading toward the center of Bianliu County where Feinan Temple once stood.

"Is this... smuggling Ancient Relics?"

Liu Ye's eyes widened.

However, he was no longer an inspector. Even having witnessed it, it wasn't his place to intervene.

Unexpectedly, Yan Jing extended a thread from his eye, dragging a crate right in front of Liu Ye. Upon opening it, the contents proved to be nothing more than pitch-black ore.

"Is this... metal?"

Liu Ye found it hard to believe. He had assumed they were moving highly lucrative contraband, but it was just metal. And from the looks of it, a common, worthless variety.

"When sold to the Outer Domain, this metal yields at least a thousandfold profit."

Yan Jing's words struck Liu Ye like a bolt of lightning.

"What?!"

His shock wasn't just about the exorbitant prices in the Outer Domain; he was far more astounded that Yan Jing possessed a method to communicate and trade with it.

Yan Jing smiled faintly. "Currently, taxes in Bianliu County are entirely waived for poor households. Even for the wealthy estates, the tax is only half a percent."

Liu Ye was speechless. He looked at the people on the street—everyone was beaming with genuine joy; they certainly weren't faking it.

Without Bai Qiu and Big Landlord Lin, and without the constant scheming, everyone had far more smiles on their faces compared to the old Bianliu County.

Liu Ye's eyes were filled with complex emotions. This was the exact reason he had wanted to become an official—to achieve a result just like this.

Finally, he sighed. "Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Yi. Seeing this... I am even less inclined to agree with your ambition to conquer the world."

"Why is that?"

"First of all, if your model here can be replicated, that's one thing. But if it cannot—"

Liu Ye continued, "Then it would be better to leave things as they are. Otherwise, once war breaks out, it will inevitably drain the people's wealth and labor. This idyllic scene might cease to exist entirely."

Yan Jing offered a slight smile. "Lord Liu, you truly live up to your reputation as a rare, upright official in Minhu."

"I don't know how to be an official, but I do understand the cost of war. That's why, from the very beginning, I never planned to let the flames of war spread to Bianliu County. I haven't even planned for them to participate."

As they conversed, the Ancestor Hand reached West Street.

Yan Jing bound the meditating Bi Jie in threads, leapt off the Ancestor Hand, and walked into the nearby wonton shop with Liu Ye.

The person making the wontons was no longer Old Monkey.

"My apologies, we have distinguished guests today, so we are closed. Please come back another time..."

The young man skillfully poked his head out from behind the steaming pot of boiling water. His eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. "It's you! Please, come in. Master is waiting inside, and the table has already been cleared."

The young man was none other than Dong An.

Yan Jing nodded and led the other two into the shop.

Inside, Mo Lian and Old Monkey cupped their fists in greeting. "County Head, Lord Bi, Lord Liu."

"Miss Mo, please take Old Monkey to prepare some tea. We have matters to discuss first."

Mo Lian and Old Monkey understood the cue and stepped out of the wonton shop.

As they took their seats, Liu Ye couldn't hold back any longer. "Mr. Yi, what did you mean when you said you wouldn't let the war spread to Bianliu County?"

Yan Jing smiled. "Exactly what it sounds like."

"If we strike, we won't start from the periphery. We will strike straight from the core."

"We will strike from the top down."

"From chaos straight into stability."

"If there's fighting to be done, we'll do it ourselves!"

With every word Yan Jing spoke, Liu Ye felt his heart tremble.

This was a complete rejection of conventional warfare. The man in front of him intended to execute an operation akin to Decapitation, relying on his sheer personal might to personally shatter the enemy's strongest points.

Since ancient times, generals and commanders rarely took to the field themselves. Uttering such words required immense audacity, and Yan Jing had completely defied Liu Ye's expectations.

It was as if the man before him was completely reborn and remade compared to a few months ago. His entire aura had shifted, radiating the domineering presence of a true powerhouse.

"Furthermore... Lord Liu, you must know that Minhu has gone astray."

Yan Jing said softly, "Opium, warlords, bureaucrats—these issues remain unresolved. That is exactly why West Lake Prefecture has been suppressing you at every turn."

Liu Ye took another deep breath.

"Mr. Yi... I do not know how to govern. If we fail, then that is that. But if we actually succeed... I fear I will let down the common people of Minhu."

To put it bluntly, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to solve these deep-rooted problems either.

"I don't know how to govern either."

Yan Jing chuckled. "That's why neither Young Master Luo nor I have any desire to become rulers. We only want the title of Lord of the Domain. As for who will actually govern... I believe capable successors will naturally step up."

"There are many Domain models we can learn from. Many people harbor a rebellious spirit, but they lack the strength. We just so happen to have that strength."

"But most importantly—"

Yan Jing smiled. "Even if we do not intervene, given the current state of East Lake Prefecture, they absolutely cannot defeat West Lake Prefecture. In the end, they will most likely be forced to cede territory. I'm sure you understand this better than I do."

After a few minutes of silence, Liu Ye let out a long breath. "I still think we need more time to accumulate our foundation. You need to take at least one more step forward."

Yan Jing smiled. "Great minds think alike."

"I came today merely to discuss the groundwork. It will likely take two or three months before we truly make our move."

"Furthermore, from my perspective, both you and Lord Bi need to increase your strength."

Yan Jing smiled. "Before you set out for the other side, you may freely absorb and digest the dragon aura in Bianliu County. I hope it helps you."

The group continued to discuss matters for several hours until Bi Jie finally woke from his breakthrough to the Fifth Tier, bringing the meeting to a close.

Next, Yan Jing tracked down Mo Lian.

"We need a much larger scale for the metal mining in Dangdangli—at least five times the current output. Then there's the collection of blood from those anomalies. Allocate a portion of our resources for them to consume so they can increase their Tier as quickly as possible. Once they do, send them out to herd more anomalies into Bianliu County."

"And then there's you, Miss Mo. You are to break through to the Sixth Tier within two months. That is my requirement for you. Time waits for no one; we must prepare for a rainy day."

"O-okay." Mo Lian secretly groaned in misery. Her KPIs were already skyrocketing after barely a month on the job; nobody could handle this kind of pressure.

After chatting a bit longer, Yan Jing logged out of the Inner World.

Looking out the plane window, he saw the lush, green mountains had shifted into a yellow expanse of crisscrossing ravines. He knew they must have arrived in the Fourth Ring Domain.

Taking advantage of the remaining time, he used his bizarre momentum to simulate the great battle with that Peerless figure several times in his mind, only stopping when he was drenched in sweat.

After he took a shower, a knock sounded at his door.

"Mr. Yan, we are about to arrive."

It was Sheng Xia's voice.

"Coming."

Yan Jing stepped out. In the hall, the others were already waiting alongside Sheng Xia.

Watching Yan Jing emerge, they looked as if they wanted to speak but were holding back.

Finally, it was Xie Lingling who stepped forward. "Mr. Yan, regarding what happened earlier... after discussing it among ourselves, we would like to offer you our sincerest apologies."

"We were far too arrogant before. We ask for your understanding."

With that, the group exchanged glances and bowed in unison toward Yan Jing. "We are very sorry."

Yan Jing offered a gentle smile. "It's fine. From blows to friendship, right? As everyone said, it was merely sparring."

Seeing his reaction, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The persistent tension that had been hanging over them finally began to ease.

The reason for this collective apology was that Xie Lingling, the one with the strongest family background, had managed to dig up some information.

For this trip to the First Ring Domain, teams like theirs were inherently structured around a 'one superpower, multiple strong members' model.

In every team, a single person would ultimately take the lead.

Therefore, the fact that Yan Jing vastly outclassed everyone wasn't because the rest of them were too weak.

They should actually be happy about it. The stronger Yan Jing was, the more advantageous it would be for their journey.

She had also learned that there was some hidden significance regarding the assigned guides for each team. But as for what that significance actually was—even with her family's considerable influence, they couldn't uncover the full story.

Thus, after informing the others and discussing it with Sheng Xia, they had orchestrated this apology.

Soon, the plane landed smoothly.

Before the group even walked out of the airport, several people wearing the robes of the Precognition Society guided them through a special corridor on the other side.

At the end of the corridor, Yan Jing spotted a few familiar faces.

Zhao Dongchuan, the Precognition Society's matchmaker-loving vice president, and standing behind her, the mindlessly grinning Xu Qiao'er. Yan Jing's eyelids twitched.

He wanted to turn around and walk away, but Zhao Dongchuan was already striding forward with a smile, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "Brother Yan!! It's been a long time!"

"It's been a while, Dongchuan."

Yan Jing could only force a smile in return.

Zhao Dongchuan naturally noticed Yan Jing's discomfort and hurriedly whispered in his ear, "I couldn't help it. The vice president has really taken a liking to you. Especially after you let me go last time, Brother Yan, she insisted on tying you to the Precognition Society no matter what—"

Finally, Zhao Dongchuan sighed and patted Yan Jing on the shoulder. "Actually, our Precognition Society is quite open-minded. Even if you marry two— mmph!"

Yan Jing clamped a hand over Zhao Dongchuan's mouth with a smile and walked toward the vice president. "Long time no see. You look as beautiful as ever."

"Thank you."

The vice president's smile was as warm as the winter sun, but her very next words struck straight at Yan Jing's weak point: "Our Qiao'er is also very beautiful, isn't she?"

"Ever since last time, she's been muttering your name non-stop. I reckon she misses you."

'That was out of fucking fear!' Even Zhao Dongchuan, someone who rarely showed emotional fluctuations, was cursing inwardly.

But the vice president didn't bat an eye. She shoved Xu Qiao'er directly in front of Yan Jing. "Hurry now. Haven't you been constantly talking about Xiao Yan? Go on, spend some time together."

"Xiao Yan, you can't just ignore her, otherwise—"

A melodramatic, sorrowful tone inexplicably seeped into the vice president's voice. "Our Qiao'er was reduced to this state because of you. What is she going to do moving forward? She can't live well on her own..."

Before she could even finish, Yan Jing delivered a swift chop to Xu Qiao'er's neck. Capitalizing on the moment she gasped, he unceremoniously poured two vials of Advanced Healing Potion straight down her throat. Then, endless threads surged from his eyes, stabbing directly into the back of her head.

Before anyone could react, and under their astounded gazes, Yan Jing retracted his threads. Xu Qiao'er's previously vacant, foolish stare gradually turned clear.

She opened her mouth, looking around in confusion. "President... Dongchuan... where am I?"

Suddenly, she saw Yan Jing, and her face went deathly pale.