Chapter 216 - 167: The Soul of Gossip

Words : 2123 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

Chapter 216: Chapter 167: The Soul of GossipZhao Manying had noticed Yao Xian before, but her mind was focused on Ji Xinghuo, so she hadn’t paid attention to anyone else. "May I ask who you are?" "Man Ying, let me introduce you." Ji Xinghuo said, "This is Aunt Yao Xian from the Sword Bureau, a senior who is assigned to protect me." Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Manying also recognized that this lady was a Legendary Mutant and quickly said, "Hello Aunt Yao, I’m Zhao Manying. Thank you for protecting Xinghuo, it must have been troublesome for you." "Not at all, not at all." Yao Xian stared at Zhao Manying intently, her face bright with a smile. She was clearly more enthusiastic towards Zhao Manying than Ji Xinghuo, her eyes shining brightly, "I often watch your matches, and my daughter is also a loyal fan of yours. I never thought I’d meet you here." Even as she tried to maintain her demeanor as a senior, she inadvertently let her keen interest in gossip show. "Thank you for your support, Aunt Yao." Zhao Manying was respectful in her reply. This address of ’Aunt Yao’ made Yao Xian very happy. Curiously, she asked, "Man Ying, is Ji Xinghuo the boyfriend you announced before?" "Yes," Zhao Manying openly acknowledged. "Not bad, not bad." Yao Xian nodded with a beaming smile, "Xinghuo is a fine young man with high potential and a limitless future. He’s definitely worthy of you." She then turned to Ji Xinghuo and said, "Xinghuo, you must cherish what you have, and remember what I just said." "Yes, Aunt Yao," Ji Xinghuo responded. "How did you two meet? Do you go on dates often?" Yao Xian finally couldn’t hold back her query. She knew Ji Xinghuo had been in the Star Realm and had only returned two or three months ago. How could he have come into contact with Zhao Manying and even confirmed a relationship with her? The top of the ladder was actually dating the very bottom of the ladder, now that was big news! Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying exchanged glances, both sensing that this Legendary predecessor seemed like a busybody relative, too curious about the young people’s romantic lives. "Ahem..." Yao Xian realized her slight lapse in composure, "It’s okay, it’s okay. I was just asking casually, you don’t need to tell me." She picked up her book and continued to read, but her mind wasn’t on it at all, her gaze drifting over occasionally, making them somewhat uncomfortable. If it were anyone else, they could have avoided them. But this was a powerful Legendary Mutant, assigned to protect Ji Xinghuo. They had no choice but to act as if she wasn’t there, whispering to each other. Zhao Manying said, "I read online that the All-Purpose Battle Police isn’t actually from the United States Official, but a professional assassin. Is that true?" "It’s true," Ji Xinghuo nodded. "But it cannot be ruled out that this identity is just a disguise, convenient for doing dirty work." "Why would he target you?" "The bureau has a theory, but it’s not certain yet." "If it’s classified, then don’t tell me," Zhao Manying was very understanding, yet she was visibly angered, "Whatever the reason that person had for targeting you, I have noted this grudge. If he isn’t dead, sooner or later, I will settle the score." Although she was just a Super Mutant, being the top of the ladder, she had the confidence to say this. On Earth, no one dared to underestimate the top of the ladder. Ji Xinghuo gently patted Zhao Manying’s hand. "I will personally avenge this, and when the time comes, I’ll need you to back me up." "It’s a promise," Zhao Manying nodded firmly. Her expression returned to normal, she sat at the edge of Ji Xinghuo’s bed, leaning against him and speaking softly. "It’s past one in the morning, aren’t you going back?" Ji Xinghuo asked. "I remember you have training tomorrow morning; don’t let this hold you back." "I’m going to stay here with you tonight, I’ll just take leave from tomorrow’s training." Zhao Manying had already decided. "Okay." Ji Xinghuo nodded with a smile. At that moment his phone rang again, it was his second brother Zhong Ming, who had been asking after him continuously already in the family group. "Second Bro." "Xinghuo, was the person attacked in the video you?" Zhong Ming eagerly asked. "Don’t deny it; I saw Qing Hong." Ji Xinghuo knew he couldn’t hide it, "It was me, but you all needn’t worry too much, I’m alright now." "Really alright?" Zhong Ming was hardly convinced. He had watched the video dozens of times, from different angles. Ji Xinghuo’s injuries were very serious—enough to kill an ordinary person a hundred times over—but seeing that Ji Xinghuo could still answer the phone reassured him a bit. "Really!" Ji Xinghuo had to sit up straight, showing his body in the camera, no marks of injury were visible anymore. "That’s good..." Zhong Ming sighed with relief, "You don’t know, the elder sister and others were almost frantic. Your phone was unreachable, and you weren’t replying to messages in the group." "I was undergoing Recovery, I couldn’t answer calls." Ji Xinghuo placated everyone and replied in the group, posted a few selfies to prove he was perfectly fine, and informed them it was too late, and with the Security Department’s Shield Guard watching over, they couldn’t visit at least until tomorrow at the hospital. As dawn broke, Ji Xinghuo woke up. He slowly sat up, checked his interface, and saw his Star Power had recovered to 742/742; his body was almost fully healed, though still a bit sore and weak. This was due to the aftereffects of physical overexertion, and it might take a few more days to fully recover. "Xinghuo, are you awake?" Resting at the edge of the bed, Zhao Manying immediately sensed the movement, opened her eyes, and asked with concern, "How are you feeling now?" "Much better. Just a couple more days of rest, and I’ll be as good as new." Ji Xinghuo flexed his biceps but his stomach growled, he laughed and said, "I’m just really hungry now, I need a lot of food to regain my strength." Zhao Manying immediately stood up, "I’ll go buy for you." With that, she left the room. "Your luck even makes me envious, if I were a man, I’d probably be jealous my whole life," Yao Xian put down the book she was holding and said with a smile. She hadn’t slept all night and had already finished two books. Ji Xinghuo didn’t know how to respond. Ever since Zhao Manying arrived last night, Yao Xian had been observing them both constantly, her uncontrollable gossip soul almost spilling out of her eyes, impossible to hide. Lately, Zhao Manying simply chatted with her and learned some things. Yao Xian had advanced to Legendary Mutant many years ago. Her profession is a branch of the Spiritual Power Stringers, specifically a Sound Wave Stringer. Because she shunned fame and fortune and liked quiet, she didn’t make any sensational news, so her name wasn’t on the Legendary list. In her words, she cultivated to Legendary calmly, without impacting her marriage and family life. She was usually just a housewife. Although she was an Xuanyuan Swordswoman of the Sword Bureau, there was little need for her deployment. Now that her daughter was already in college and she had more free time at home. A couple of years ago, she accidentally advanced to Legendary Second Dan, and besides cultivation, her biggest hobby was reading physical books. The two of them looked at each other in disbelief. Legendary Second Dan, could one really advance to that "accidentally"? Such talent was frightening! However, what surprised Ji Xinghuo the most was that Yao Xian had revealed something: her husband was Zhou Yishang. This made him suddenly realize—no wonder Director Zhou said the Swordsman he sent was "absolutely reliable." He had sent his own wife, how could she not be reliable? A moment later. Zhao Manying came back with a lot of food, all of which Ji Xinghuo loved. She also thoughtfully brought breakfast for Yao Xian, and even the Shield Guards stationed outside the hospital room were not forgotten; everyone had something. Ji Xinghuo was about to start eating, but Zhao Manying stopped him. "Don’t move." Invisible hands of kinetic energy unsealed the food packaging, while a small dining table flew in front of Ji Xinghuo, ready-made food trays placed neatly upon it, even chopsticks and spoons were prepared, nothing short of feeding him directly. Watching this scene, Yao Xian couldn’t help but laugh, "Your sword control technique is quite convenient for meal preparation, and it would be great for house cleaning too." Zhao Manying gave a slight smile. She never did housework at home; it was either done by household robots or by hired help. After a hearty meal, Ji Xinghuo felt his strength had recovered a bit more. At ten in the morning. Yao Xian received a phone call and said to Ji Xinghuo, "Yishang will be here soon." "I’ll step out," Zhao Manying stood up, "Xinghuo, I’ll come back this afternoon, let me know if you are discharged." A few minutes later, Zhou Yishang walked into the hospital room. His eyes had a few light streaks of bloodshot, looking like he hadn’t rested the entire night and had exhausted much of his energy and spirit. "Xian, thank you for your hard work." Zhou Yishang smiled at his wife and then turned to observe Ji Xinghuo, noting that he had recovered well before he officially said, "We’ve found the mole." "Who is it?" "Hanshan Man," Zhou Yishang said gravely. Ji Xinghuo was shocked, and Yao Xian also looked serious. "Hanshan Man" was a codename; the real identity was a Chi Xiao Knight within the Sword Bureau, named Peng Zhenshan, a Super Mutant. Ji Xinghuo had only recently joined the Sword Bureau and had met Peng Zhenshan only once, but had heard about his deeds. This was one of the most senior Chi Xiao Knights, serving for over twenty years, strong enough that he had a good chance of advancing to Legendary, a reserve candidate for the Xuanyuan Swordsmen. "There aren’t many in the Sword Bureau with the authority to monitor Xinghuo’s movements, never exceeding twenty people," Zhou Yishang continued, speaking casually but actually had done a lot of work. Internal self-examinations are always one of the hardest tasks, consuming much of his energy, yet his face showed no sign of joy, "By the time I pinpointed Peng Zhenshan, he had already disappeared." "When did he vanish?" Ji Xinghuo asked. Zhou Yishang replied, "Just a few minutes before your assault, he left his apartment and hasn’t appeared on any surveillance since." That meant, whether Ghost Wolf’s assassination succeeded or not, Peng Zhenshan had no intention of continuing his infiltration. "He destroyed all his files before leaving, cleaning up very thoroughly, all techniques he learned from the Sword Bureau," Zhou Yishang said with a self-deprecating laugh, "We can’t determine which side’s undercover he is, nor do we know if there are other moles." Ji Xinghuo also felt the situation was thorny. A veteran Chi Xiao Swordsman turned out to be a mole who had infiltrated for many years; this was a significant blow to the Sword Bureau, and undoubtedly, multiple rounds of internal inspections would follow. But the immediate problem was, who was against him? What was the enemy’s motive? "Could it be the Qianyuan Association..." Ji Xinghuo pondered, but couldn’t be sure, "Or is it the work of the United States Official?" "It should be the Qianyuan Association; the Federation Intelligence Bureau doesn’t operate like this," Zhou Yishang clearly knew some insider details, "Ghost Wolf has truly defected from the Federation Intelligence Bureau, and it’s almost impossible for him to work for them. If he could destroy the Federation Intelligence Bureau, he would not hesitate at all." Qianyuan Association... Ji Xinghuo felt helpless inside, not expecting his first mission to entangle him in such a massive conspiracy. But now that he was in the midst of it, retreating was impossible. "Director Zhou, what should we do next?" Zhou Yishang looked at Ji Xinghuo and slowly said, "The director, along with two other deputy directors, and I have discussed it and believe that the enemy will not stop here and is likely to strike at you again. Therefore, the bureau has decided to use you as bait to lure the snake out of its hole."

Chapter 216 - 167: The Soul of Gossip

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