Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 196: Chapter 92 Jing Lin_2

But the deed was already done, and he couldn’t say much more.

He had come to No. 3 Border City for a reason, and he truly did not wish to be at odds with the officials.

So, he said to Old Zhao, ”I have a general idea of the situation, now I must go into the manor to check the extent of the damages.”

Then, he turned to the official Processor nearby and asked, ”Is that okay?”

This Processor, welcoming the Jing Family, was a Captain-level powerhouse.

His immense Spiritual Energy made Jing Lin wary.

”Of course,” replied the Processor, whose handsome appearance and elegant demeanor made him likable at first—to unfamiliar people.

Because he was Moon Shadow... Hey.

Moon Shadow said with a light smile, ”Our colleagues have already suppressed the Abnormality. The manor is no longer dangerous, and as the owner of this place, you naturally have the right to enter.”

”Then, can all of your people leave now?” Jing Lin asked with a smile.

Moon Shadow shook his head, ”That’s what I was about to discuss with you. Please don’t be hasty; one of my colleagues has a troublesome curse that might adversely affect nearby structures, so it’s best to have him stay in place until the curse dissipates. We will leave quickly after that.”

This was Moon Shadow’s way of showing goodwill—after all, the intensity of Li Yelai’s curse was evident.

Even the Netherworld Train, a Taboo Item, had been shattered by it; if it weren’t for the self-repair feature of that Taboo Item, it would probably have been destroyed altogether. You Must Meet Strong Enemies, even the Divine Chosen couldn’t escape such an ’accidental’ necessity.

Therefore, while Li Yelai’s curse was still in effect, the officials recommended he not move around randomly.

Jing Lin frowned slightly, but he changed the subject, ”As the master of this manor, though the Abnormality has been suppressed by you, I presume I have the right to know what kind of Abnormality appeared on my property, right?”

”Of course, what was suppressed this time was a fragment of a Dream Butterfly Tree,” Moon Shadow replied with a smile.

A Dream Butterfly Tree? Jing Lin was very surprised.

That was a valuable thing! An adult Dream Butterfly Tree could even network countless people’s memories and create lifelike beings! It had many benefits!

”Wait, since such an Abnormality appeared on our estate, we should have the right to deal with it.”

One of the Jing Family members suddenly spoke up from behind Jing Lin. They were clearly aware of the uses of the Dream Butterfly Tree.

If it were not for the official intervention, it would have belonged to the Jing Family.

Moon Shadow heard this, laughed without saying a word, and gave a face that implied ’do you think you’re on wholesale, daring to speak to me like this?’ As if he would speak any second.

In No. 3 Border City, the officials of Giant City were the only rightful ones to handle Taboo Items and Abnormalities.

What did this family reckon itself as?

Jing Lin calmed his companion’s agitation and coolly remarked, ”Very good, then I really must congratulate you on obtaining a fine gift.”

”Thank you,” Moon Shadow said with a smile. ”It’s also thanks to you, my comrade is a troublemaker but if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have bumped into this issue.”

Provoking others was his forte.

That was true; if the Jing Family hadn’t bought the manor, the previous owner wouldn’t have sold the property.

Then this secret hidden in the cellar might never have been discovered.

Old Zhao wouldn’t have asked Li Yelai for help, and the officials wouldn’t have gained this Abnormality.

From this perspective, the officials indeed owed the Jing Family some gratitude.

This caused some irritation among those behind Jing Lin, yet Jing Lin himself remained especially calm. He knew, everything was already set in stone.

This was No. 3 Border City, not their home ground.

Thus, he could only swallow his dissatisfaction and, accompanied by his fellows, stepped into the manor.

The manor would be their foothold in No. 3 Border City, so it needed careful inspection.

Moon Shadow, who followed alongside him, asked another Processor, ”How are Night General and Cheese’s injuries?”

”Nothing serious, Night General’s combat strength is inherently strong and with Cheese’s all-around support, they handled the Abnormality completely. Now, we just need to wait for Night General’s curse to pass, and then we can leave,” another Processor replied, ”Captain, it’s a shame that Night General wasn’t assigned to the fourth team at that time.”

This was a regular conversation, yet it made Jing Lin’s body jolt.

Night General?

The Night General of the East City Branch in No. 3 Border City!

From the ark, the Wanxiang Spirit User mentioned, who possessed Mimicry capabilities?

”The person who suppressed the Dream Butterfly Tree is him?”

Jing Lin couldn’t quite believe it.

One of his tasks was to approach the Night General and, ideally, recruit him into the Jing Family.

”It really is a coincidence,” Jing Lin lamented, then turned to Moon Shadow, ”I suddenly feel like meeting the Processor friend who helped our Jing Family suppress the Abnormality. Is that possible?”

”Of course,” Moon Shadow responded offhandedly, her mind however caught the subtle change in Jing Lin, especially the noticeable pause when he mentioned the Night General.

This made Moon Shadow suspicious.

Li Yelai’s title as Night General wasn’t very prominent, a Processor who had only experienced Third Awakening, not particularly noticeable in the vast Giant City.

It was one thing for officials to know internally, but how did the external Jing Family know his title?

Had the Jing Family known about Li Yelai beforehand? And understood his uniqueness? Through what channel?

Moon Shadow pondered this revelation and informed both Yin Fire and Li Yelai.

Meanwhile, Li Yelai was resting in the cellar, chatting with Cheese.

He had to wait for his curse to dissolve; otherwise, leaving would surely bring some financial damage to the estate.

Just then, he received a message from Moon Shadow.

”[People from the Jing Family have arrived, one of them seems to know your title as Night General.]”

The Jing Family had come so quickly? He had just wrecked their cellar, would they make him pay for it? Were they here to seek retribution?

Li Yelai was surprised, but the latter part made him grow solemn.

Why would the Jing Family know about him?

They were a Spiritual Ability Family from Yaoqing Giant City, and he was an official Processor miles away from Yaoqing Giant City.

There shouldn’t be any channel for them to have met, right? Li Yelai was hardly a renowned figure...

Or could it be... the Ark!

Li Yelai’s heart jumped, that was it, if there was any place one could hear the title ’Night General’, it would only be within the Ark.

Thanks to that Black Umbrella fellow, the Night General was known by the Ark Chosen Ones. And those electorates came from all around the world, even from the Forbidden Zones.

Could it be that among the Ark Chosen Ones, there were people from the Jing Family?

This was not good news. With the Jing Family coming to No.3 Border City, the difficulty of hiding his identity as an undercover had increased.

The officials couldn’t openly cover for him anymore.

As Li Yelai was pondering these thoughts, he saw someone approaching quickly not far away.

The man leading was handsome and tall, exuding an unmistakable air of affluence.

For some reason, Li Yelai felt a subtle unease, yet couldn’t pinpoint why.

In the cellar, Jing Lin saw Li Yelai and Cheese.

Hmm, a beautiful girl and a guy with plain, even mediocre, good looks, both quite familiar...

If he hadn’t known that the Night General almost fatally trapped ’Black Umbrella’, he would have been deceived.

Jing Lin lamented internally.

Then, he flashed a friendly smile, ”The two of you... were the Processors who helped us suppress the Abnormality this time?”

He extended his right hand, ”I am Jing Lin from Yaoqing Jing Family, and also the buyer of this estate. Thank you for suppressing the Abnormality for us.”

Cheese, disliking physical contact and sensing the other’s ill intentions, didn’t extend her hand but lazily responded, ”Hello, Cheese.”

So as not to embarrass Jing Lin, Li Yelai reluctantly grasped Jing Lin’s hand, ”Hello, I am Night General.”

”For some reason, I feel a strong connection with both of you,” Jing Lin smiled warmly, ”But this isn’t the place for a conversation, how about we go upstairs and sit for a while, and have a cup of White Mountain Tea from my Yaoqing Giant City, as a token of my gratitude?”

”Eh... are you serious?” Li Yelai looked skeptical. It wasn’t that he doubted Jing Lin’s hidden agenda but wondered if the other party no longer wanted the house.

”What’s the matter? Can’t the Yaoqing Jing Family afford to treat guests to tea?” Jing Lin laughed, eagerly ushering Li Yelai away.

Then... minutes later, as he looked at a suddenly collapsed Roman column, a chandelier, and a staircase that abruptly shattered,

Jing Lin fell into silence.