Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Chapter 94 Reencounter with the Spirit Breaker

Jing Lin warmly pulled Li Yelai towards the lobby of the manor, acting like a hospitable host.

The Jing family members following behind him had faint smiles on their faces.

This is the proper demeanor of a scion of a prominent family; no matter how angry they are at the other party, they will not show it on their face.

Moreover, they thought that Jing Lin's enthusiasm was likely due to the outstanding-looking Cheese.

But why is the cheese so far away?

Watching Cheese quickly leave the cellar, they wondered, "Is this girl shy?"

If cheese could hear their inner thoughts, it would probably yell, "Shut up, run away!"

She had a certain expectation of what was going to happen next.

The official staff were shocked to see this and quickly stepped back to keep their distance, looking at Yueying with suspicion.

Moon Shadow also distanced herself, spreading her hands and saying, "Don't look at me, I warned him."

So, in just a few minutes...

Jing Lin's expression gradually changed from enthusiasm to solemnity and shock.

As they passed through the cellar, the walls of one of the compartments collapsed and hurtled towards them. Li Yelai stepped back to avoid the falling debris, while Jing Lin and the rest of the Jing family instinctively activated their spiritual energy barriers. They managed to block the falling stones.

"Ahem, it seems the cellar has been in disrepair for years. Please excuse the poor quality." Jing Lin was somewhat embarrassed. He had invited someone, and then the wall collapsed. Even with Jing Lin's good manners, he couldn't help but feel flustered.

"I think we should forget about it. I'll just stay here for a while," Li Yelai kindly advised.

He didn't want to have too much contact with the Jing family, as it would expose 'Copper Mask's' secret agent identity.

Besides, why would you let yourself visit the estate? What, do you not want your own home anymore?
“This is not in accordance with the Jing family’s way of treating guests,” Jing Lin said with a smile.

As they emerged from the cellar, the metal staircase beneath their feet suddenly snapped in two. Li Yelai and Jing Lin managed to use their aerial stepping technique to safely reach the first floor, while the rest of the Jing family members tumbled down the stairs. Although they weren't injured, they were all left completely bewildered.

"It seems we'll have to completely renovate the cellar later." Jing Lin's face was rather grim, and he was already grumbling in his heart about the manor that Old Zhao had bought for him.

As they left the cellar and entered the hall, the chandelier above their heads suddenly fell down.

Jing Lin was utterly astonished, and then threw a punch, which sent the heavy chandelier flying.

The Jing family members behind him were terrified.

As they walked toward the dining table, a Roman column beside them suddenly broke and crashed down.

This made Jing Lin somewhat vulnerable.

In just a few minutes, the manor suffered an economic loss of over 100,000 Giant City Coins.

If we keep going like this, the manor probably won't be completed. What kind of house did Old Zhao choose for himself? What kind of shoddy quality is it?

No, even if there's a quality issue, it's too much of a coincidence, isn't it?

"This is your curse?" Jing Lin realized what was happening and looked at Li Yelai in shock.

Li Yelai spread his hands somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Didn't my colleague remind you?"

Jing Lin thought about it carefully, and it seemed that Yueying had indeed reminded him.

He simply didn't pay attention; after all, whose curse is so abstract?

"It seems I won't be able to entertain you today," Jing Lin said with a bitter expression.

"It's alright, it's alright. Serving the people doesn't require any hospitality," Li Yelai advised.

Jing Lin thought about it and had no choice but to give up. He was afraid that if Li Yelai continued walking, the house would collapse.

Since we've already met Night General, there's no rush to win him over.

He was unaware that Li Yelai had left the manor afterward.

He found a secluded corner and immediately made contact with Yin Huo.

“There must be an Ark Voter among the Jing family! It might even be Jing Lin! Yueying said that the other Jing family members didn't change their attitude towards your name. Only he showed a subtle change.” Yin Huo analyzed, “Even if he isn't an Ark Voter, he must have a very close relationship with them and know about the Ark. When you're in the Ark, you'd better pay attention to the height and build of the voters. Maybe you'll find someone who matches up.”

“But there’s also a chance I’ll be recognized.” Li Yelai pondered. Although the appearance and voice of voters would be blurred inside the ark, their body shape and physique wouldn’t change much. This was a dangerous point.

If Jing Lin were a voter in the Ark, he would have noticed the similarity in physique between Li Yelai and "Copper Mask" after meeting them.

"That's right, so you need to figure out the Jing family's attitude towards you."

Yin Huo responded, "They must have learned about your special ability, the Face Mask, while inside the Ark. As a family of psionicists, they will try their best to avoid conflict with the authorities. They shouldn't be hostile towards you; on the contrary, they'll probably try to win you over."

"Trying to win me over?" Li Yelai frowned.

“Psionic families have their own traditions and resources. They can guarantee that their offspring with psionic abilities will have a good environment for development. But they can’t have incestuous relationships, right? So, in order to ensure the probability of their offspring becoming psionic, they will recruit some talented psionic individuals from the outside world.” Yin Huo explained, “As you know, the offspring of psionic individuals have a higher probability of becoming psionic themselves.”

Li Yelai nodded; this was a theory that had already been officially verified.

If neither parent nor child is a psychic, the probability of their offspring becoming psychics is low.

However, if one of the parents is a psychic, then the probability of their offspring becoming a psychic is very high.

Some even possess the power to control the awakening path of their offspring. Furthermore, there is an even lower probability that the offspring will inherit their parents' psychic abilities.

These theories all originated from various prominent families.

They really went to great lengths for the sake of their offspring's development.

This is why they recruit psychics; those recruited receive ample family resources, become powerful, and hold important positions, thus strengthening their families' influence.

This is also one of the reasons why the official authorities of Jucheng are not fond of aristocratic families.

Fortunately, this kind of trouble didn't happen in Border City No. 3.

Instead of establishing a family of psionicists, the old Mad King poured all his resources into the Great City, establishing the Calamity Management Department. Although criticized for his dictatorship, he remained loyal to the Great City. Among his offspring are psionicists, but their strength is said to be average, and their positions are not high. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen the unrelated young Mad King as his successor.

"If it's an attempt to win me over, how should I respond?" Li Yelai asked.

"Don't approach them proactively; wait for their reaction. We need to figure out the Jing family's attitude towards you first." Yin Huo replied, "If the Jing family is also willing to cooperate, then your identity as a mole will be very secure."

“That is true, but the chances are slim,” Li Yelai responded, revealing his bias against the voters of Fangzhou.

Their arrogance was quite evident in our several encounters.

Li Yelai then ended his call with Yin Huo.

Wait outside the manor until the curse on your body stops triggering.

I just got on the cheese bus.

"Your side jobs are really tough to come by." Cheese's expression had improved considerably. She sipped her black coffee and teased, "Every time I take on a side job, something big always seems to happen." Li Yelai's first side job also involved Cheese. Together with the three detectives, they barely managed to resolve the Ghost Immortal Altar situation.

This was my second freelance job, with the same three-person setup, and I ended up encountering the broken branches of the Dream Butterfly Tree again.

Fortunately, Li Yelai was no longer the naive man he once was, and possessed considerable fighting prowess. Otherwise, he would have been forced to flee in panic.

Moreover, this side job was quite costly. Li Yelai used two sets of molten ammunition, each set costing 3,000 Giant City Coins. It was a real pain to spend 6,000 coins on just one mission.

"I don't think it's my fault. Maybe the detective just has a bad face. It's always him!" Li Yelai tried his best to argue, and reached out to take the coffee from Cheese's hand: "Why are you drinking coffee so late at night?"

A smile flashed in Cheese's eyes, and then he started the car.

The remains of the Dream Butterfly Tree that they had suppressed were sent to the branch office, where researchers studied them.

Meanwhile, Jing Lin also contacted the main force of the Jing family, who had just arrived at Border City No. 1.

“Grandpa, I’ve made contact with Night General.” Jing Lin told him about the situation in the manor and Li Ye’s curse.

"A curse of misfortune? From your description, this curse is indeed troublesome and dangerous. But a psychic who possesses such a curse and has survived to this day must be a powerful individual!" The old man on the other end chuckled. "Based on that alone, he's even more worthy of being recruited. Did you inform him that the Ark will be detrimental to him?"

"Not yet, there are too many people around. I haven't found an opportunity," Jing Lin said.

"No rush. Wait until someone on the Ark takes action against him before showing goodwill and offering help. Of course, if necessary, you can even initiate a trade on the Ark and issue a warrant for Night General's arrest. After deliberately creating danger for Night General, then rescue him as a member of the Jing family." The old man smiled and said, "Remember, it's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade."

After a moment of silence, Jing Lin replied, "Yes!"

He felt that his grandfather was too eager for quick success and instant benefits.

But there was nothing that could be done about it; the Yaoqing Jing family was just that kind of family.

Otherwise, no one would give up all their resources and status just to leave the Jing family.

Just like my aunt, according to my father, she was so dazzling at the time, but in the end she still chose to leave.

I wonder if Grandpa regrets and feels pain about his choice in the dead of night?
After pondering for a moment, Jing Lin asked, "The fifteenth is in a few days. When I enter the Ark again, is there anything I should be careful about?"

"According to your intelligence, the Ark voters still in Border City No. 3 include 'Golden Armor' and his organization. Be careful not to let them discover anything."

"Yes." Jing Lin said a few more words and then hung up the communication.

Then, he summoned Old Zhao and said, "Boss Zhao, continue repairing the manor. Also, give that Night General a larger reward."

Old Zhao nodded repeatedly.

The next day, Li Yelai received both the official reward and Lao Zhao's payment.

He gave Li Yelai 100,000 Jucheng coins.

He not only completed the transaction, but the Jing family also did not make things difficult for him and even gave him extra money.

This doubled the original reward of 50,000.

Li Yelai gave 20,000 of his reward to the detective, while Cheese, who contributed more, received 40,000.

The official reward, however, gave Li Yelai a real jolt.

I was actually rewarded with 60 merit points!

And enjoy a perpetual discount on Dream Butterfly Tree achievement points. 50% off!
Yes, after a night of research, the authorities have gained control over the remaining branches of the Dream Butterfly Tree.

They use their abilities to shape monsters from memory and provide them to the processors as opponents for practical training.

Each processor at level three or higher is entitled to one free use per month. Subsequent uses will require payment of merit points, at a rate of twenty points per use.

Li Yelai, Cheese, and the Detective all had their spending halved.

This is a reward for those who suppress.

This is also a good thing for the branch.

It can efficiently enhance the combat skills of the processors.

Furthermore, it allows you to fight against various strange creatures and refine your tactics against them.

This is also why Li Yelai received a high reward. Now, Li Yelai's merit points have reached 100 points again and are gradually becoming abundant.

In the following days, Li Yelai first went to the branch to replenish six sets of thermal bombs and repaired the psionic weapons and the large black umbrella.

On December 15th, they followed the ghostly fire to the safe house in the new city.

Today marks the day we re-enter the Ark.

Upon entering the house, Li Yelai saw a girl sitting in a wheelchair.

She wore a long black dress and a thick fur coat draped over her shoulders. Her right hand was fitted with a finely crafted metal prosthesis.

A hint of melancholy lingered on his delicate face.

He smiled slightly when he saw Li Yelai.

"Hello, Night General. We've finally met."

Her voice was hoarse and deep, yet it carried a friendly tone.

Li Ye recognized her; she was the Spirit Slayer. Unlike her withered, near-death appearance when they last met, she was in good condition.

No wonder Li Yelai felt his psionic barrier weakening as he approached the safe house; it turned out she was there.

Li Yelai responded with a smile: "Hello, comrade, it seems you've recovered quite well."

“I’ve been given a code name, you can just call me Sister.” The Spiritbreaker chuckled. “Thank you. Without you, I might already be dead, or even worse off than dead. I’m very grateful to you for avenging me.”

The Flying Gunman suffered an extremely terrifying attack before his death. This was Li Yelai's revenge against him.

Of course, he didn't find peace even in death; the phrase "died without a complete corpse" perfectly describes him.

"It's my duty," Li Yelai replied. He then asked Yin Huo, "Will the nun also participate in this operation?"

“No, but she will cooperate with you here. If necessary, she can block any malice from the Void Realm,” Yin Huo replied, then handed over a bag and a javelin, saying, “Here, take these first. You can check what the Black Umbrella’s recipe is before you go to trade.”

Li Yelai took the items.

The javelin is naturally an anti-psychic weapon, and the Exorcists, or rather the 'Nun,' have already agreed to trade this weapon.

But this bag
"Could it be a gun-throwing thug?" Li Yelai opened the bag and glanced at it, feeling somewhat disgusted and repulsed.

"There's nothing we can do. The doll smashed him like this. This is already the result of our hard work in collecting it." Yin Huo spread his hands and said, "It would be best if we could trade it, but if not, we won't lose anything."

Li Yelai nodded, then changed his clothes, put on the bronze mask, and entered the ark.

(End of this chapter)