Chapter 14: Two Unexpected Events

Li Mingxing took the “Soul Scales” and studied it carefully, realizing that this was indeed the measuring tool he had been searching for. However, in Li Mingxing’s mind, there should be five instruments of measurement: weight, length, volume, time, and temperature. Currently, Midaling had only managed to find one of these, falling far short of Raymond’s requirements. Still, not wanting to dampen Midaling’s enthusiasm, Li Mingxing nodded approvingly and said, “This is very good. I’ll take it for now. By the way, how have things been for you here these past few days? Do you have enough spirit coins and everything else you need?”

“I have more than enough. Business has been quite good these days. I’ve also acquired a few nice items, and my supply of spirit coins has increased by about thirty percent,” Midaling replied.

“That’s great. Keep working hard here. I believe that, for a while at least, no one else will have the strength to create a market like this. You currently hold what we’d call a monopoly, so seize this opportunity to earn as much as you can. Even if you don’t make a fortune, you should at least make a name for yourself,” Li Mingxing set a new goal for Midaling.

Midaling smiled at this and agreed without hesitation. Seeing that his business was concluded, Li Mingxing said no more. He had a drink with the beautiful bartender, exchanged a bit of intelligence, and then departed from the mysterious bar.

Unbeknownst to Li Mingxing, while he was still at the mysterious bar, chaos had erupted in his city. A massive fire along the coastline had killed two-thirds of the local crime lords, and the Russian girls brought in had vanished without a trace.

With this, the entire market fell into disarray. The underlings of the gangs scrambled to seize territory, and others searched for the one responsible for the carnage.

Meanwhile, the mysterious mountain estate shifted its focus toward the missing girls. With their abilities, they could have easily found the place where Yin Haitao had hidden them. However, Li Mingxing had acted first, taking the girls and transforming them into his own troop before sending them to his city.

This development unsettled the mysterious estate. They had never imagined that there could be a force in the city beyond their control.

Thus, when Li Mingxing returned to the real world, he was met with the sight of skilled, formidable bodyguards patrolling the streets. Anyone who appeared even slightly suspicious would be shadowed and observed for half a day.

In such an atmosphere, Li Mingxing didn’t dare to seek out Yin Haitao. He didn’t even bring Aisha with him, but instead went straight to Zheng Yuan’s place.

Zheng Yuan said nothing about his sudden arrival. She simply prepared some food for him and watched quietly as he ate.

Li Mingxing grew increasingly uncomfortable under Zheng Yuan’s gentle, almost wifely gaze. Though he had sensed before that Senior Zheng had fallen for him, he himself was unsure of his own feelings and didn’t know if he could give her any promises. Unable to think of a topic to break the silence, he could only force himself to eat.

As he finished, Zheng Yuan, who was clearing the dishes, suddenly spoke. “Mingxing, did you know? The city has been in turmoil lately. Many people are saying something happened to the gang bosses. Do you know what’s going on?”

Li Mingxing was startled by the question. Zheng Yuan had never before taken an interest in such matters.

Before he could answer, Zheng Yuan suddenly dropped the dishes, rushed into his arms, and cried, “You idiot! Do you know how worried I’ve been these past few days? I was scared you were behind all of this, and even more afraid something had happened to you.”

—

Seeing Zheng Yuan like this, Li Mingxing was at a loss for what to do. He had already sensed that Senior Zheng had fallen for him, but he was still unsure of his own heart and couldn’t promise her anything.

Just as he was about to gently push her away, the aftereffects of the incident with the Russian girls suddenly manifested. Li Mingxing’s “Dragon of Lust” constitution finally slipped out of his control.

Overwhelmed by Zheng Yuan’s scent, he pulled her tightly into his arms, and an invisible pink mist radiated from his body, saturating the room with a charged atmosphere. Even Zheng Yuan, who had always struck him as bold and open, blushed deeply and buried her face in his chest.

When Li Mingxing next awoke, Zheng Yuan had already left for work. He looked at the neatly made bed and sighed softly, never expecting things with Zheng Yuan to progress this far.

Originally, he had only come to Zheng Yuan’s home seeking a quiet place to rest and to clear the air between them, not to draw her into his affairs. But now, no matter what he said, Zheng Yuan would never believe she could remain uninvolved. He realized he would have to pay even more attention to her safety from now on.

As he thought of this, his face flushed. He never would have imagined that the bold Zheng Yuan would be so reserved in bed. If not for the effects of his “Dragon of Lust” constitution, she might not have agreed to half of what he had asked.

At that moment, Li Mingxing suddenly realized there had been a change in his body. He checked and found his “Dragon of Lust” constitution had inexplicably reached level 1.

Its attributes now read: Level 1 Dragon of Lust Constitution, general skill, exerts a strong attraction on females with lower mental strength than yourself, and at certain times releases a pink mist to heighten the mood.

Reading this ambiguous description, Li Mingxing could only smile wryly. He had desperately wanted a combat skill, yet all his battles still relied on instinct. Instead, this accidental intimacy had caused an unexpected upgrade.

If Zheng Yuan found out, who knows how she would tease him.

His face reddened again at the thought. Just then, his phone rang.

Annoyed at being interrupted, he nevertheless answered the call, only to receive some terrible news.

A group of people had forcibly bought up every apartment in his residential complex and demanded that all residents vacate within a short time.

The news jolted Li Mingxing to his core. The entrance to his city was still hidden in that very complex. Even if he wasn’t worried about others discovering it, he still needed to consider his own comings and goings.

With this in mind, he wasted no time and hurried off to find Yin Haitao, who had brought him the news. “What happened? Tell me everything, now.”

—

“I don’t know the details,” Yin Haitao said. “This morning, a group showed up at the complex, found the landlord, and bought every apartment. It won’t be long before your landlord returns your deposit.”

“I don’t care about that. Who are these people?”

“I’m not sure, but they seem very powerful. They claim to be from the ‘Yin Talisman Sect’ or something.”

“A martial sect? Yin Haitao, go and buy me some poisons. If they want to live there, I’ll make sure they stay there forever.” A cold glint flashed in Li Mingxing’s eyes as he spoke.

Yin Haitao, seeing his determination, hurried off to follow his orders.

Li Mingxing was not idle, either. He visited the complex himself to observe the strength of these so-called Yin Talisman Sect members.

Afterward, he returned to Zheng Yuan’s home and told her that his apartment might soon be repossessed and that he would be left homeless.

Zheng Yuan, blushing, told him to move in with her. Li Mingxing, who already had a plan in mind, happily agreed. As soon as his landlord notified him, he moved most of his belongings over.

During the move, Li Mingxing installed automatic sprayers in key locations around the complex and poured a measured amount of liquid poison into several water tanks.

Once everything was set, he had Yin Haitao keep a close watch outside the complex, ready to inform him when the new occupants arrived en masse.

Four days later, Li Mingxing finally received word from Yin Haitao: about a hundred men and women had moved into the complex that very morning.

Upon hearing this, Li Mingxing sprang into action. After instructing Yin Haitao to bring the necessary supplies to the perimeter, he waited until Zheng Yuan was asleep, then changed into his special outfit and, like lightning, appeared outside the complex.

Taking a bag from Yin Haitao, he activated his Eye of Malice and, without looking back, charged into the complex.

But once he was inside, Li Mingxing realized he had underestimated the power of the so-called Yin Talisman Sect. The entire residential area had already undergone a dramatic transformation.