"Stop standing there like a fool. The weather's getting cold, you'll catch a chill. Come on down."
Ji Fu smiled faintly, a hint of charm in her expression, yet as pure as an untouched paradise.
Ren Yuanhao didn't stand on ceremony. One's conscience is clear if one has nothing to hide. Even in a place like this, as long as he could keep himself in check...
Damn it, the more he tried not to think about it, the more his mind wandered. Ren Yuanhao, if you fall for this woman, your lifelong reputation will be ruined.
He slowly stepped into the hot spring, and as his entire body, save for his head, was submerged, a strange energy began to surge upwards from the soles of his feet!
Ren Yuanhao had not anticipated this at all. He immediately channeled his qi to resist, but the more he resisted, the more frenzied this energy became!
"DiDi, good lad, you're lucky. The hot springs here are rich in 'Extreme Yang Qi'. If guided properly, it can not only strengthen your physique but also purify your qi."
"It can only be absorbed if guided properly, meaning I don't need to resist, but rather use the 'Azure Sea Tide Breaking Art' to channel and guide it, right?"
"You're catching on quickly this time. Right, I also need to remind you, your dantian qi is currently mainly fire-attributed. The more fierce and dominant the qi, the more it resonates with it. But the Mermaid's Tear is different; it belongs to extreme Yin, extreme cold qi. If you channel the qi from this hot spring into the Mermaid's Tear, I guarantee you'll wish you were dead."
Ren Yuanhao returned to reality from the illusion in his mind. The Azure Sea Tide Breaking Art began to circulate slowly within him, and his dantian qi instantly flowed through his limbs and veins. He completely emptied himself, and the Extreme Yang Qi, along with the qi that originally existed in his dantian, smoothly entered, immediately creating a clockwise swirling vortex. His body felt immensely invigorated!
"Alright, Miss Ji, now can you tell me what this 'Kill List' is all about?" Ren Yuanhao asked calmly, his body nourished by the Extreme Yang Qi, chatting with the beauty. This life was truly as comfortable as could be.
"How boring. I was hoping to tell you after we had dinner, but fine. Since you want to know, I'll tell you now."
Ji Fu, naturally unaware of Ren Yuanhao's thoughts at that moment, said in a slightly cool tone, "Ren Yuanhao, you should know about the Dongfang clan, right?"
"I do. I heard that the most impressive building in Yunjin City is the Dongfang family's Sky Castle."
"That's right. Yunjin City has four major families, but they don't exist in a perfectly balanced, four-legged stance. They are the Dongfang, Ouyang, Jiang, and Ji families. It's no exaggeration to say that even if you combined any two of the latter three families, you could only barely contend with the Dongfang family. Unless the three families formed an alliance, you might surpass the Dongfang family in terms of wealth, but only in wealth. Their foundation is simply on an entirely different level."
Through his interactions over the past two days, Ren Yuanhao had gained a basic understanding of the power structure in Yunjin City. Hearing Ji Fu explain it now, he understood much more. But what did this have to do with some kill list?
As if sensing Ren Yuanhao's confusion, Ji Fu was about to continue when a faint knock came from the door.
"Please come in."
As the door opened, a gentle female voice drifted from beyond the curtain.
"Miss Ji, your ordered meal is ready. Would you like to dine now?"
"Yes, please. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Please wait a moment."
The woman disappeared from the room with light footsteps. Ji Fu tidied her hair, pulling it into a bun. Her cheeks, warmed by the hot spring, bloomed like a smudge of blood on snow. Her fair neck was like a white scallion, and her figure was perfectly proportioned, neither too full nor too thin, just right. Any more or less, and it wouldn't have accentuated her unique aura.
"Ren Yuanhao, you're the first man who has dared to stare at me like this."
Her words made Ren Yuanhao feel a bit guilty. Just as he was about to shyly look away, Ji Fu murmured, "You'll see me clearly sooner or later anyway, so you don't need to be so reserved."
As she spoke, Ji Fu suddenly stood up from the water, like a lotus emerging from the water. Although wrapped in a bath towel, her beautiful figure was fully revealed.
She stepped through the swirling water towards Ren Yuanhao. The surrounding peculiar sandalwood fragrance seemed to surge with her.
They were only twenty to thirty centimeters apart. At such close proximity, their mingled scents gradually spread, making it impossible for Ren Yuanhao to calmly channel his qi. His spirit wavered, and his thoughts became restless.
Fortunately, after more than ten seconds, three bare-footed beauties came in one by one, bringing the meal and slightly easing the awkward situation.
As they dined, Ji Fu resumed speaking, "Our Ji family's patriarch, like the Dongfang family's patriarch, is a woman. Therefore, the two families have always been quite close. As for this kill list, it's managed by the Dongfang family's super 'Heaven's Eye' system. By real-time recording images of men and undergoing a series of data analyses, it ranks desirable men daily, updating the kill list with big data."
"So that's how it is? But what is the Dongfang family's intention in creating such a system?"
Ren Yuanhao was quite perplexed.
"The reason is simple. It's for better breeding of descendants. After all, it's a matriarchal clan, so naturally, they want to choose men who are excellent in appearance, physique, and character. Moreover, because our Ji clan is close to them, and they are also a family represented by matriarchs, this data is essentially something shared by both families. And the kill list contains our criteria for selecting a mate."
After hearing these somewhat outrageous conclusions, Ren Yuanhao felt his worldview begin to crumble. It wasn't because of their matriarchal clan tradition, but rather the method of selecting mates through big data, which was simply too rigid. No, it wasn't just rigid; it was bordering on madness.
"So, do you understand now?" Ji Fu looked at Ren Yuanhao with a triumphant air, her eyes seemingly about to overflow with moisture.
"I understand, but I have a question."
"What question?"
"What if you can't get that man, or what if you don't love the man that the big data analysis selects?"
Ren Yuanhao's question undoubtedly pierced through the other party's most vulnerable psychological defenses like a sharp blade.
"If we can't get him, our two families will join forces to eliminate him. As for whether we like him or not, that's not even a consideration. After all, men are merely tools for reproduction~"
"Holy crap! You really dare to say that!"
Amidst his astonishment, Ren Yuanhao felt a chill down his spine. He then realized a terrifying problem – if he were truly targeted, and refused to comply, he would become a target for both families to hunt!