As the sun reached its zenith, nearing noon, more and more people emerged from the office buildings, their bodies weary and languid, seeking places to eat and replenish their energy for the afternoon's battles.
A light breeze carrying a hint of heat swept past, rustling the branches of the maple trees, sending red leaves fluttering and falling blossoms creating a scene of picturesque beauty.
Ren Yuanhao felt his inner energy surging, thinking it must be due to the unintentional use of an unknown ability. He glanced at his phone, frowning, and said, "Time is short. What I need to tell you now, you must believe me."
"Alright, I believe you. Speak," Ji Fu replied, her trust absolute.
"The Dongfang family will definitely invite your family for a banquet today. Remember, absolutely do not go!"
Ji Fu tilted her head, asking, "Why? Did that little girl Dongfang Jing tell you?"
"No."
In the simplest terms, Ren Yuanhao recounted how Dongfang Jing had swapped souls with a dog, then 'unearthed a corpse' from the park, and the subsequent developments with the masked man.
"This is bad." Ji Fu's face instantly turned pale after hearing Ren Yuanhao's words. "My mother was invited to the Dongfang family's place this morning and hasn't returned yet!"
Although Ji Fu tended to be impulsive, when faced with such a serious matter, she could still calm herself down and discuss it.
"So now you believe what I'm saying?"
"I do. It's just that I really didn't know Dongfang Jing was an ability user."
Ren Yuanhao pulled out a cigarette, but Ji Fu pressed it back. "Don't smoke. I'm very worried about your current condition."
Ji Fu looked up at the massive billboard opposite them, reflecting iridescent colors, lost in thought. After about ten seconds, she spoke, her voice tinged with fatigue and a rare low tone:
"Actually, you don't know. Since childhood, I've been branded as 'Miss Ji'. They thought I lacked nothing. When they saw me alone, they found me female attendants of similar age. When they saw my grades falling behind, they hired the best tutors in the city. Fearing I'd be bullied at the aristocratic school, they assigned people to protect me in secret. Because of this, I've never had a friend I could truly confide in."
Ji Fu paused briefly, then suddenly laughed loudly. "Ren Yuanhao, saying this, you must think I've gotten entangled with you. Yes, that's right. In my eyes, you are different from those people. Sometimes, I feel it's a really pleasant thing to be with someone who isn't so ordinary. I don't have to think about being Miss Ji, or whether this action is beneficial to the family's reputation. I can do whatever I want according to my heart, run away from home if I want to, indulge freely. Even if I'm not the noble Miss Ji, it's still quite good."
She suddenly stood up, and Ren Yuanhao followed suit. Ji Fu turned to him with a smile, "Alright, I'm grateful you brought me out for some fresh air. Now, it's my turn to turn the tide."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Fu turned to leave without looking back.
"Wait," Ren Yuanhao grabbed Ji Fu's hand. "Hey, how are you going to face this alone?"
"I am Miss Ji. With a single call, I can rally everyone. Those old folks in my family have been feeding off our Ji clan for so long, it's time they stretched their muscles."
Ji Fu tried to pull her hand away, but he held on tighter.
"Yuanhao, this has nothing to do with you. I don't want you to be involved as the protagonist. The Dongfang clan has been bewitched by that guy. The priority now is to get that little girl Dongfang Jing back to her normal self, then have her represent them in visiting the major clans, and jointly condemn him. That's the best approach."
Ji Fu smiled slightly, "Your task is very important, not to follow me and mess around. Think about it, if I were to bring our Ji clan's retainers to the Dongfang family to demand my mother, what would they think?"
Ren Yuanhao was suddenly stunned.
"They would surely think that Dongfang Jing must still be alive, and that Leng Wuhuan has insidious and ever-changing methods, with an entire sect backing him. If his wrath were to descend, even with your extraordinary abilities, you'd struggle to resist. Not only Dongfang Jing, but your three beauties would likely be buried with you in this torrent of covert warfare. Are you willing?"
A chill ran down Ren Yuanhao's spine, as if he could already smell the gunpowder smoke emanating from this covert conflict.
"You now have 6 hours to prepare, and I also have 6 hours. I will try to stall for time, and only resort to those old guys if absolutely necessary. This way, even if I am captured, your whereabouts will not be exposed."
Maple leaves danced in the wind, tracing desolate and lonely arcs in the sky before gracefully falling to the ground, resembling a bloody downpour. In the midst of this storm, Ji Fu smiled with a tragic determination. As she broke free from Ren Yuanhao's grasp and turned away, Ren Yuanhao felt as if he saw Cheng Li's shadow, and his heart instantly felt as if something precious had been lost, causing him excruciating pain!
"Wait!"
This time, Ren Yuanhao had no intention of following others' advice. He had his own ideas. With the system by his side, what couldn't he solve? He didn't want to experience any of the tragedies that had happened before!
"Take this. It contains a highly concealed tracking system. I need to know your movements at all times!"
Ji Fu maintained a stern face, then suddenly smiled brightly like the sunset. "Yuanhao, you look exactly like a domineering CEO right now."
"Can you stop joking with me at a time like this? Let's go our separate ways and keep each other informed?"
"Alright, we'll keep each other informed."
...
After successfully conveying the situation to Ji Fu, Ren Yuanhao returned to the three women's apartment.
At this moment, Doggy was lying on the ground. Seeing Ren Yuanhao return, he was about to pounce, but was met with three cold, murderous glares.
'How did it go? Did the Ji clan believe you?'
Ren Yuanhao nodded and then said, "They believed me, but Ji Fu's mother was already invited to your home. Ji Fu dared not act rashly and could only choose to accept the invitation."
Doggy became flustered, pacing restlessly.
Ren Yuanhao, however, proactively petted Doggy's head and said, "The immediate priority is to restore you to your normal body, and then go persuade the major clans, so we can unite against Leng Wuhuan's sinister plot."
The three women nodded in unison. However, Doggy nervously typed a few words on the phone screen.
'But my true qi is not enough.'
"It's fine, I have plenty of true qi, I can help you."
Upon hearing this, Doggy drooped his face even further and slowly tapped on the screen.
'However, true qi needs to be injected from my Qugu acupoint to forcibly expel the dog's soul, only then will I have a chance to return to my own body.'
Shen Lanni's face turned slightly red upon hearing Qugu, because it was an acupoint located above the female pubic area!