Chapter 83: Equality Before the World Cup, I'll Take Care of You

Chapter 83: Equality Before the World Cup, I'll Take Care of You



"Master Zhu, we heard about this from Master before." Xue Jing tried to maintain a calm expression as he spoke. "Consciousness exists independently from the physical body; we must view our consciousness and our physical selves separately."

"So, this wasn't my intention. It was my body's automatic reaction."

Zhu Shanying's face was flushed, and her expression showed her disbelief.

She said with a smile, "Go on with your excuses. Meng Shijie and I are listening."

Xue Jing: "..."

He sighed. "As you know, I'm at that delicate stage of puberty, one of the most challenging times in life to control oneself, especially at the half-step to grand completion of puberty at the age of seventeen..."

"At this age, where one could easily lose control, encountering a Holy Maiden of the Demon Path or a Righteous Path Witch could easily stir up thoughts of slaying demons and upholding justice, causing the Holy Sword to unsheathe. Isn't that a reasonable and logical explanation?"

"You could say that this has nothing to do with me and is entirely my body's doing, or even your doing."

Zhu Shanying was stunned by Xue Jing's clever argument.

She gave him a look as if seeing him in a new light and said, "Little Shidi, you shouldn't be practicing martial arts. You should become a lawyer or a litigant in ancient times. That silver tongue of yours could twist black and white and manipulate the world."

Meng Qingjiao, standing beside her with her arms crossed, slightly covering her ample bosom, nodded in agreement. Her usually cold and serene face was still flushed, and she seemed to be unable to dissipate her embarrassment.

Xue Jing scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood..."

He breathed a sigh of relief. With his nonsensical ramblings, he had managed to ease the awkward and amorous atmosphere that had arisen due to the unsheathed Holy Sword.

At this moment, Zhu Shanying placed her hands on Xue Jing's thighs and asked with a raised eyebrow, "So, I have to ask you now. In your eyes, between me and Meng Shijie, who is the Holy Maiden of the Demon Path, and who is the Witch of the Righteous Path? You tell me."

"Ouch—" Xue Jing winced in pain and quickly waved his hands. "It doesn't matter who it is. It was just a random comparison..."

"No, you must make it clear!" Zhu Shanying insisted, gradually applying more force with her palms.

Xue Jing had no choice but to answer, "You... you are the Holy Maiden."

"Hmm?" A smile played at the corners of Zhu Shanying's mouth, but she disagreed. "Are you saying that in your consciousness, I am of the Demon Path?"

Xue Jing's jaw twitched.

He thought, Compared to Meng Shijie, you are definitely from the Demon Path.

At that moment, Meng Qingjiao extended her hands and cupped his head, looking directly into his eyes.

Her cold and pretty face wore an unusual seriousness as if asking: Me, a witch?

Xue Jing looked at the shadow that loomed over him, and he thought, You are definitely a witch.

He spoke with sincerity. "I'm sorry, I was just blabbering. It was all my fault from start to finish. Please forgive me."

Seeing his surrender, Zhu Shanying humphed lightly and teased, "Little Shidi, with your lack of self-control, you'd better be careful of seductresses in the future."

Xue Jing remained silent.

Was this really a matter of self-control?

He glanced inadvertently at Meng Qingjiao's trembling World Cup.

Who wouldn't be flustered by that?

What official could withstand such a test?

If you had one, you'd unsheathe too.

Before the World Cup, everyone is equal.

"...So, little Shidi." Zhu Shanying's gaze shifted downward unintentionally, then quickly snapped back up like she'd been electrocuted. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was flushed.

"...When will it return to its sheath?"

"Like this... we can't continue applying the medicine properly."

Zhu Shanying murmured softly.

Xue Jing: "..."

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Zhu Shanying was hinting at something.

Of course, this was definitely his imagination.

With his [Observation] ability and strong mental control, he maintained a clear consciousness even now.

If he were to say something strange at this moment, then things would truly be beyond redemption.

"...I can handle the rest myself. It's easy to apply medicine to these areas." Xue Jing spoke softly.

"Then... you can do it yourself. Meng Shijie and I will take our leave," Zhu Shanying said, relieved but with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

"...” Meng Qingjiao nodded, her serene face unreadable. However, the lingering flush on her face betrayed the fact that she hadn't truly calmed down yet.

After they left, Xue Jing twitched his mouth as he looked at the still unsheathed Holy Sword, feeling a bit troubled.

This damn thing won't sheathe itself until it draws blood, will it...?

...

After a long struggle, Xue Jing finally managed to disperse the accumulated blood using the breathing technique for blood training from the Shaking Armor Art. He applied medicine to his wounds and fell asleep in the room for nurturing the heart.

When he opened his eyes again, several hours had passed.

He assessed the recovery of his injuries and found that his skin was still itching and aching.

"Looks like I was badly injured this time..." Xue Jing thought to himself.

Previously, when he was slashed by the cockroach monster from the Rui Pearl Hotel, his deep wounds that exposed the bones had almost healed by the next day, and he was almost completely healed within three to four days.

Now, with his improved fitness and health skills, as well as progress in his Five Great Trainings, his recovery ability should have become even more formidable.

Yet, he felt that his wounds were healing slowly.

Xue Jing touched his arm.

He then performed the [Golden Scale Transformation], and dragon scale imprints began to appear all over his skin, dense and overlapping like a real layer of scales.

He pinched a small area of his skin with two fingers and immediately felt an incredible resilience. As he pulled, he felt like his entire body's skin was being stretched along with that small patch.

"[Golden Scale Transformation]... It coils the power in the skin, forming scale after scale of golden scales, connecting the entire body's skin together, dispersing and resolving attacks, and allowing the entire body's skin to bear the impact together."

"The larger the impacted area, the smaller the pressure."

"This is the secret of the invincible defense of the Golden Scale Skin."

Xue Jing marveled, "No wonder Li Qi said that the Golden Scale Skin could counter the Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword and other styles that turn fists and feet into blades."

"They rely on slender, blade-like kinetic energy to output force, so it's no wonder they're helpless against the Golden Scale Skin, which can disperse and withstand pressure."

As expected of one of the Five Killing Moves of the Dragon Sect, each one is extraordinary.

"The remaining ones I haven't comprehended are the 'Yao Xing Huo' related to blood training and the 'Mu Guan Liu' related to tendon training..."

"There's no rush. Let's heal the wounds first."

Xue Jing sat up, got out of bed, twisted his neck, and did some stretching exercises.

Outside the window, the moon hung high in the night sky.

"Time to go home..." Xue Jing muttered to himself.

...

When he arrived home, it was already midnight.

As soon as he stepped inside, Xue Jing was taken aback.

Unlike usual, he didn't see the cat waiting for him, crouched on the ground.

Instead, there was a black-haired girl sitting on the sofa.

She wore a loose white men's T-shirt, and the bottom half of her body revealed a pair of long, slender, and fair-skinned legs. Because the shirt was too big for her, the hem reached down to cover her thighs, and he couldn't tell if she was wearing shorts or... nothing at all.

Her small, straight nose, unadorned red lips, and narrow willow brows and phoenix eyes formed a flawless and exquisite face.

That face was beautiful with a unique charm, carrying an aggressiveness that ordinary women lacked. It was as if the concept of 'beauty' had taken on a physical form, grabbing your neck and forcing you to admire it.

However, the most eye-catching features were the girl's fluffy black cat ears and the cat tail that swayed back and forth on the sofa, adorned with a tail ring.

"Miss Wan, can you turn back into a human now?" Xue Jing asked gently.

Ning Fengwan sat on the sofa with her body curled up, hugging her legs with her arms, tilting her head, and looking at Xue Jing with her phoenix eyes.

The lower half of her face was buried below her knees, hiding her expression, and she let out a muffled 'hmph'.

A few strands of hair fell from her forehead, adding a touch of softness to her appearance.

"...Around noon, I suddenly realized I could turn back by myself."

Ning Fengwan spoke up, a hint of loss in her tone.

Xue Jing sat down in front of her and wanted to pinch her cheeks, just as he had done when she was still a cat. But after thinking about it, he didn't reach out. Instead, he smiled and said:

"That's a good thing, isn't it? Why don't you seem happy?"

Ning Fengwan's delicate face showed a hint of displeasure as she heard this, and she said:

"If I can turn back into a human, it means I have to leave. Are you happy about that?"

Xue Jing looked at her, puzzled:

"Why would you have to leave if you turn back into a human?"

Ning Fengwan rolled her eyes: "If I don't leave, are you going to keep me as your pet?"

Xue Jing nodded and smiled: "I'll keep you."

He said this very matter-of-factly, as if it were a casual conversation, with no pressure at all.

Ning Fengwan thought he didn't understand what she meant. She shook her head and said softly:

"It's not like that... "

She paused, her voice filled with disappointment:

"You don't understand. Just by being around you, I bring danger to you..."

The existence of the Kangde Security Company weighed heavily on the girl's heart like a mountain.

Just thinking that she would implicate Xue Jing and that he would be crushed by that behemoth made her feel suffocated.

It was time to leave.

The more than a month she had spent with the young man had been quite enjoyable.

It was as if she had truly become a cat, carefree and only concerned with eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping, without having to worry about anything else.

Although there were some embarrassing moments... overall, she was satisfied with this brief encounter.

So be it, dreams always come to an end.

I am the leader of the Dragon Sect, not a real cat.

Ning Fengwan's eyes misted over with a thin layer of tears, and her expression turned gloomy.

Xue Jing sighed softly.

"Don't make that face like a discarded kitten."

"I said I'll keep you."

He spoke softly.

Ning Fengwan was slightly startled and looked at him, as if she hadn't processed what he said.

"You don't think I'm the kind of trash owner who gets tired of taking care of a pet halfway and abandons it, do you?" Xue Jing chuckled.

He reached out and gently brushed away the tears from the corners of Ning Fengwan's eyes, his fingers damp with her tears.

"Since I brought the cat home and decided to keep it, I'll see it through to the end."

Xue Jing gently hugged her, his tone gentle and persuasive:

"From the moment I brought you home, you became a part of this family."

"If I were to abandon you just because you bring danger, I would lose something intangible but very important."

"Stay, and no matter what danger comes our way, we'll face it together."

"That's what family is about."

Ning Fengwan snuggled into his shoulder, remaining silent for a long time.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes, reached out, and hugged Xue Jing tightly, as if trying to merge herself into his body.

Xue Jing felt a damp sensation on his shoulder, as if some warm liquid had fallen on it.

The scent of the cat-eared girl lingered around his nose, and he heard her voice, tinged with sobs.

"Can... can I stay?"

Xue Jing smiled and hugged her tighter.

"Of course. As long as I'm here, this is your home."

His tone didn't sound firm, but it was casual, and it made the girl's heart flutter.

"Stay as long as you like."

Xue Jing's eyes shone with depth, and he spoke softly.

...

Suddenly hearing about the passing of Toriyama-sensei, my emotions are complicated. Yet another person who helped shape my youth is gone... Take care of yourselves, everyone, and stay healthy.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end