Chapter 438: Speedrunning the Chaotic City Plan (Two-in-One)

"You didn't eat it?"

Yan Jing blinked.

Don't you know whether I ate it or not?

Sheng Xia was so angry she wanted to throw her cards right in Yan Jing's face.

But she ultimately held back.

Because she had both jokers in her hand.

Throwing them away would be a waste.

She had to finish this hand no matter what.

"Three threes, three fours, three fives—a super massive airplane."

Playing first, Yan Jing set a handful of cards in the empty space between them.

Sheng Xia stared at his suddenly empty hands. Finally pushed past her breaking point, she slammed her own cards onto the ground in a rage. "I want to check the cards!"

"Here, they're right there."

Yan Jing spread the cards on the ground for Sheng Xia to see.

Wait, what am I even doing?!

Sheng Xia covered her face in shame, then released a flash of white light that reduced the cards to ash.

"I only brought three decks this time—"

Yan Jing sounded quite regretful.

"I'll pay you back!" Sheng Xia shot him an irritated glare.

How can this guy be so infuriating?

He casually tossed around healing potions worth tens of millions, yet here he was agonizing over ice cream and playing cards.

It was obviously deliberate.

Their bickering finally caught the Female Cook's attention.

She stared at the faint golden glow radiating from Yan Jing, her gaze instantly turning grave.

A second later, she leaped down from the tall pillar. Moving like a phantom, she wove through the surging crowd in a few steps and quickly approached them.

"Look, Miss Sheng. The cards are gone, and now we're exposed," Yan Jing said with a smile.

What on earth does this have to do with the playing cards?!

Sheng Xia wore a look of utter despair.

"Did you eat the Fishball?" the Female Cook asked, stopping beside them and glaring solemnly at Yan Jing.

"No."

Yan Jing lied without missing a beat, leaving Sheng Xia staring at him in dumbfounded shock.

The Female Cook choked on her words, not expecting the man before her to be so shameless.

After a few seconds of silence, she said, "You are radiating the golden light of the Qiang Gang Food Cauldron. The only explanation is that you ate the food inside."

"No one else has that golden light around them, only you. Now that the Fishball is gone, it can only be with you."

"Brilliant deduction," Yan Jing laughed. "So, can you announce I'm in first place now?"

The Female Cook choked on her words again.

She took a deep breath. "Qiang Gang cuisine is all about competition. Pulling a stunt like this doesn't count."

"Unless—"

She smiled faintly. "You compete with me in a test of strength."

"..."

"No need." Yan Jing refused directly, his expression serious. "What a pity. It seems I can only be in last place."

"..."

The Female Cook couldn't react for a moment. "But you've already eaten the first-place reward."

"To think I'm not only in last place, but I also broke the rules of the game. I'm truly sorry—it looks like I can't stay here anymore."

Yan Jing turned and walked away.

By the time the Female Cook realized what was happening, he had already leaped off the bamboo building's balcony.

The crowd stood stunned for several seconds.

No one had expected this.

Yan Jing actually ran away.

"Good. Very good."

The Female Cook was so furious she started laughing, veins bulging on her forehead.

Currents of air surged from her body. The hair tie holding her high ponytail snapped with a sharp crack, letting her hair spill loose and dance wildly in the wind.

She snapped her head around, glared at the crowd, and roared, "What the hell are you looking at?! The guy in first place has already figured out the rules of the Chaotic City, and you haven't even eaten breakfast yet! And you're still standing here fucking staring!!!"

"Turn around, all of you!!!"

Then, she looked in the direction Yan Jing had fled and smiled cruelly. "Since you adapted to this place so fast, let's get started!!!"

With that, she tapped her foot lightly. The bamboo building, which had remained exceptionally sturdy despite the crowd's frenzied bombardment, suddenly shook violently. Like an artillery shell, the Female Cook vanished from where she stood.

Sheng Xia watched all of this blankly. A few seconds later, the normally gentle woman couldn't help but clutch her head in exasperation. "Why did it turn out like this again!!!!"

"..."

Yan Jing used his newly acquired traversing ability to travel, quickly leaving the Female Cook in the dust.

That Fishball from earlier was an unimaginably good item. After eating it, Yan Jing felt his physical strength increase by at least ten percent.

While ten percent didn't sound like much, the key was that his base strength was already massive.

Since this city had no restrictions whatsoever—and even allowed a clearance route of getting off the train and immediately beating up the mayor—he decided not to waste any more time.

Soon, he arrived at the next building.

It was a clothing store.

More accurately, it was a massive clothing mall.

Walking through the revolving glass doors, he was greeted by a dazzling array of garments.

A man dressed like a barber stood on a stage in the very center of the mall.

Watching Yan Jing walk in alone, he looked somewhat surprised. Placing an index finger against the silk scarf around his neck, he said, "Wow, wow, wow. Look who's here? A very handsome guy."

"However—why are you alone—"

He stroked his rather proud little mustache and chuckled. "You haven't been a good boy."

"But you're smart enough."

"Our Chaotic City is a place without rules."

"As for the trial—my trial here is this."

With that, he clapped his hands.

The neatly arranged clothes around them lit up one by one. A black silk thread darted out from among them and hovered in midair, twisting its "waist" like a person. It seemed immensely proud and smug, showing off its horde of creations to Yan Jing.

"This is a unique silk thread crafted by the hands of a great existence. Although slightly damaged, it remains a rare treasure."

The Silk Scarf Man smiled. "Use whatever power you can wield to make a piece of clothing. If you earn its approval, it will give you some rewards."

"Sewing clothes."

Yan Jing smiled. "I happen to know a bit about that."

"That's wonderful!"

The man clasped his hands together. "However—"

His tone shifted. "Crafting a garment isn't a simple task, you know."

"If you aren't devout enough—then—"

He didn't finish his sentence, stunned silent by the scene unfolding before him.

Countless threads unspooled from Yan Jing's eyes, every single one looking strikingly similar to the silk thread floating in the air.

In fact—

They were even more overwhelming and complete.

Each thread shimmered with interlacing black and white light, their crystalline texture making it clear they were no ordinary objects.

Even the hovering silk thread instantly stopped twisting the moment it saw the threads surging from Yan Jing's eyes. It began to tremble instead, as if in fear.

Then, a massive pair of scissors materialized.

The black thread in the air trembled even harder. Black light constantly shed from its body, as though it were sweating.

Before the Silk Scarf Man could comprehend any of this, the threads in the air continuously wove and tangled together. The scissors snipped and snapped, and an extremely plain cloth garment gradually took shape in the air, emitting a faint glow.

Upon seeing a white rune resembling two entwined snakes on the garment's cuff, the black thread hovering in the air completely froze.

It instantly turned rigid and dropped to the floor.

"Good stuff."

Yan Jing grabbed the thread and gave the Silk Scarf Man a faint smile. "Looks like it approves of me."

"Thank you."

With that, Yan Jing absorbed the thread into his eyes, turned around, and bolted.

The Silk Scarf Man froze for less than half a second. When he finally realized what had happened, he chased right after him.

"You damn brat!! Get back here!!!"

He ripped off his silk scarf and sprinted wildly, completely stripped of his elegance.

Even so, he wasn't very fast.

Stamina wasn't his strong suit. About ten minutes later, panting in exhaustion, he spotted the Female Cook catching up from behind. "Where is that kid?!!"

The Female Cook's hair was a mess. Her initial imposing aura had completely vanished, though her voice remained as loud as ever.

"He—he went ahead—"

The Silk Scarf Man's throat was parched from exhaustion. Seeing the Female Cook running past, he couldn't help but reach out a hand. "Lend—lend me a hand—I can't make it—"

"No, bringing you along will just slow me down." The Female Cook hesitated for only a second before making her decision.

"I'm the one who made the outfit you're wearing!"

The Silk Scarf Man took offense. He pointed a finger at the Female Cook from afar, and her clothes instantly tightened around her, restricting her movements.

Running just wasn't his forte, but compared to the Female Cook, he was clearly stronger; otherwise, he wouldn't be ranked higher than her.

But the Female Cook happened to have a fiery temper.

Under such circumstances, the two of them—

Got into a fight.

By the time Sheng Xia caught up, she saw the two of them, their clothes in tatters, yanking at each other's hair.

The Silk Scarf Man's flowing hairstyle was a complete mess, while one of the Female Cook's eyes was swollen as big as a lightbulb.

Sheng Xia couldn't help but bury her face in her hands.

She had known the Chaotic City was wild, but she hadn't expected it to be this wild.

"You two, let's go. Don't ruin your relationship over this."

Sheng Xia spoke up, "If we delay any longer, I'm worried—"

"Yeah, that should be enough time."

The Silk Scarf Man was the first to let go.

The Female Cook got up from the ground and tore off her apron, using it to cover her exposed upper body. "Indeed. It's time."

"Time—for what—"

Sheng Xia was having a hard time following them.

The Female Cook sneered. "The third guy has definitely been screwed over by now."

The Silk Scarf Man gave a knowing smile in tacit agreement. "We can't be the only ones to suffer."

Sheng Xia didn't know what to say.

All she could say was that the people of this city gathered together for a reason.

When the three of them rushed to the next building, they saw, as expected, an Old Man sitting on the ground, wailing bitterly.

"I haven't been here in a few years, but this—seems fine, right—"

Sheng Xia looked at the perfectly intact little bungalow behind the Old Man and spoke hesitantly, unable to immediately pinpoint what was wrong.

That was until the Female Cook spoke in a ghostly tone: "There used to be a skyscraper behind him."

!?!

"My house!!!"

The Old Man was sobbing uncontrollably. "I challenged him to dismantle my house."

"He—he pulled out a metal sphere, sent it inside—and completely hollowed out my entire building—"

"My house—my house—"

Inside were countless precious metals he had collected over the years.

To think that just mocking Yan Jing a few times would result in him being stripped completely bare.

Sheng Xia opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't say a word.

She was tired.

Fortunately, this was the last stop on their journey.

Otherwise, she felt like she would definitely be the first to suffer a mental breakdown.

The crucial point was—

Yan Jing truly hadn't broken a single rule.

Whether judging by his strength or simple logic, they had no grounds to blame him.

"Enough!!! Stop crying!!!"

Growing irritated by the Old Man's wailing, the Female Cook snapped, "He definitely went to the next place!"

"We'll just wait for that guy to get revenge for us, right?!"

At these words, both the Silk Scarf Man and the Old Man's eyes lit up.

Evidently, the strength of the final secretary-general gave them immense confidence. Even though they had suffered under Yan Jing's hands, they felt they could rely on that last person to win back their pride.

"Let's go, let's go."

The Female Cook tossed the Old Man to Sheng Xia, grabbed the Silk Scarf Man, and marched toward the distant building.

Compared to the other structures, this building—belonging to the last of the four secretaries-general—was indeed somewhat different. It was just a simple, unadorned little wooden cabin.

At this moment, Yan Jing was sitting inside this cabin, drinking tea across from a man.

The two sat cross-legged on woven cushions. The man poured Yan Jing a cup of tea, its fragrance wafting through the steam.

Once Yan Jing took a sip, the man smiled. "Clothing, food, housing, and transportation."

"My place is the final trial, the 'Transportation' trial."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yan. My name is Jian Yi."

"I was formerly a member of Zhoulin."

"Good tea, Mr. Jian," Yan Jing smiled. "Since you know my name, I won't introduce myself, but I should add one thing—I am currently the one Shen Youran is investing in."

"Mhm."

The man nodded.

His features were gentle. Unlike He Xinquan's sharp intensity or Qi Ming's cynical playfulness, he was as mild as a calm spring.

Yet when he spoke of what he excelled at, it completely contradicted his appearance.

"Compared to the previous ones, my expertise is speed."

"Among all martial arts in the world, only speed is unbreakable. This is my Dao."

Yan Jing nodded. "Please enlighten me."

But Jian Yi shook his head. "Please go back, Mr. Yan."

"Why is that?" Yan Jing asked humbly.

"Between you and me, there is no such thing as a trial."

Jian Yi lowered his eyes. "The moment you killed He Xinquan, the only choice left between us was a fight to the death."

"However, sitting this close to me means you are already as good as dead. For Shen Youran's sake, I won't kill you this time. We'll wait until the next time."

"So, please go back."

Yan Jing chuckled at those words. "Then I suppose I must thank Mr. Jian for sparing my life."

"You're welcome."

Jian Yi quietly drank his tea. The breeze drifting in through the window behind him gently ruffled his lowered eyelashes, giving him the bearing of a true king.

"In that case, I will take my leave."

Yan Jing turned and walked toward the door.

Right as he reached the entrance, his footsteps paused. "Could you tell me the content and reward for your trial here, Mr. Jian?"

"The objective is to take one of the bamboo slips from behind me."

Jian Yi quietly drank his tea, not looking at Yan Jing. "There are five bamboo slips in total, and I will step in to stop you."

"The higher the placement of the bamboo slip, the harder I will strike."

Yan Jing smiled faintly upon hearing this. "In other words, Mr. Jian is confident in guarding them against multiple people all by yourself?"

"I told you, my expertise is speed."

Jian Yi silently sipped his tea.

"Understood. Farewell."

Yan Jing cupped his hands together.

Several minutes later, the Female Cook and her group rushed in through the door.

"Where is that kid?"

The Female Cook looked at Jian Yi, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room.

"He left."

"Who won?"

The Old Man asked.

"I did."

Jian Yi replied indifferently.

"Is he dead?"

This time it was the Silk Scarf Man who asked.

Jian Yi shook his head. "I let him go."

"Sigh—"

Three distinct sighs rang out in unison.

Jian Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at the trio. "Did you lose badly?"

"It was—just average—"

The Female Cook mumbled, refusing to admit it.

However, the Silk Scarf Man laid out the gist of what had happened.

Jian Yi clearly hadn't expected the three of them to end up in such a state, and his opinion of Yan Jing shifted slightly.

But not by much.

If his previous assessment of Yan Jing was that he wasn't even worth looking at, now he was at least passable.

He then sighed softly. "You should have sent me a message. I could have at least gotten your things back."

The group then began complaining all at once.

Just then, Jian Yi turned his head and looked at Sheng Xia, who had walked past him toward the bookshelf behind him. He said softly, "Miss Sheng, please do not touch those bamboo slips."

Sheng Xia looked a bit embarrassed. "Apologies, I just noticed one of the bamboo slips was out of place."

Out of place?

Jian Yi turned his head in confusion, only to stare in disbelief at the scene before him. The hand holding his teacup instantly froze.

The bamboo slip on the very top shelf had been unrolled at some unknown point.

Face up, it lay quietly spread open.