The Sin Had Already Been Committed

Ji Jing and Wang Dong had lost interest in all the other treasures in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. Just as they were preparing to leave, several familiar faces came toward them.

It was Beibei, Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao, and Xu Sanshi.

Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi had already cleared up their misunderstanding. The two were talking about something now, and the atmosphere between them seemed quite harmonious.

However, when Xu Sanshi's gaze inadvertently landed on Ji Jing, his face turned deathly white in an instant. His body instinctively shrank back half a step, and he hid behind Beibei.

The fear inspired by that punch that had knocked him out in one blow still haunted him, even after all this time.

"Brother Ji, Wang Dong, you came too."

Beibei greeted them with a warm smile, and Tang Ya smiled and nodded to them as well.

"Senior Brother."

Wang Dong responded politely.

Ji Jing merely nodded faintly. His gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao for a moment before shifting away.

After a few brief pleasantries, the two groups passed each other.

But just then, a slightly shy and nervous voice came from behind them.

"Class monitor, Wang Dong..."

The two turned around. Xiao Xiao was standing not far away, a suspicious flush coloring her fair cheeks.

She seemed to have worked up all her courage just to come over and greet them, yet her gaze kept drifting away, and she didn't dare meet their eyes for long.

"Ah... I'll go in first! Take care!"

Before Ji Jing and Wang Dong could respond, she gave a small bow like a startled rabbit and hurried into the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.

After they left the resplendent Treasure Gathering Pavilion, the cold winter wind brushed their faces. Wang Dong couldn't help glancing sideways at Ji Jing, a hint of confusion on her face.

"Ji Jing, don't you think Xiao Xiao seemed really strange today? Her face was so red, and she was all over the place when she spoke."

Looking at her innocent expression, Ji Jing's lips curved into the faintest smile as he calmly revealed the truth.

"Maybe she saw us being intimate."

"And she doesn't know you're a girl."

"..."

Wang Dong's steps came to an abrupt halt. Her mind raced for a moment, and she instantly understood the meaning behind his words.

A girl had seen two "boys" holding hands so intimately...

What would she think?

In an instant, Wang Dong's cheeks turned scarlet too, and she was both embarrassed and annoyed.

Biting her lower lip, she made a vicious suggestion.

"How about... I sneak into her dorm tonight, knock her out, and give her amnesia?"

Ji Jing's mouth twitched. He hurriedly stopped her.

"Absolutely not! Don't even think about it!"

"Hehe."

Seeing how nervous he was, Wang Dong immediately broke character and playfully stuck out her tongue.

"I was joking! I wouldn't really hit her."

She wrapped her arm around Ji Jing's and rested her little face against his shoulder, her voice full of longing and anticipation.

"But this misunderstanding won't last much longer. I heard the Inner Court holds a grand event every year called the Sea God's Fate Blind Date Festival."

She tilted her head up, her bright, powder-blue eyes shining as she looked at him with utmost seriousness.

"I want to hold your hand in front of everyone then. By that time, I'll definitely have returned to being a girl. Then all the misunderstandings will disappear."

Ji Jing's heart stirred gently. He clasped Wang Dong's hand in return and spoke softly.

"All right. I'll wait for you."

They smiled at each other. No words were needed.

Deep in a shadowy alley they had just passed, a figure watched their retreating backs intently.

Dai Huabin held a crude Soul Tool communicator. Lowering his voice, he issued his command in a tone full of venom and madness.

"They're out. Kill them!"

The cold moonlight couldn't penetrate the dense canopy. Only a sparse silver glow fell through, casting mottled, eerie shadows over the forest path.

Ji Jing and Wang Dong walked side by side. All around them, there was nothing but the chirping of insects and the rustle of the night wind through the leaves.

Suddenly, Ji Jing stopped. His previously gentle eyes turned icy in the darkness.

Almost at the same instant, several streaks of Soul Power tore through the night, shooting soundlessly from the shadows on either side of the path and straight for their vital points!

In the pitch-black surroundings, the attacks were especially deadly!

"Watch out!"

Wang Dong cried out. The Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul instantly possessed her, and its brilliant golden wings blazed to life in the darkness, illuminating their surroundings.

But Ji Jing moved even faster.

He simply raised his left hand at ease and gave a gentle wave.

A shapeless wave of air appeared out of nowhere. The Soul Power attacks that had ambushed them in the dark vanished without a sound, like mud cows sinking into the sea.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Eight black figures darted from the forest like ghosts. They were all dressed in dark clothes that blended into the night, with black cloth covering their faces.

The one at their head had the strongest aura. He was clearly a Six-Ring Soul Emperor!

The other seven were all Five-Ring Soul Kings!

"What an extravagant lineup."

Ji Jing's voice rang out particularly clearly in the silent night, giving nothing away.

He ignored the assassins and turned aside, taking two Soul Tools from his Storage Soul Tool and placing them in Wang Dong's hands.

One was an intricately crafted Flying Soul Tool; the other was a defensive shield that radiated dense Soul Power. They glowed faintly in the darkness.

"These are Level Six Soul Tools. They'll be enough to deal with the unexpected situation you're facing."

He looked into Wang Dong's eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Get away from here now. Fly straight toward the academy, and don't look back. I'll take care of them."

"No! I'm staying with you!"

Wang Dong refused outright. Her brilliant butterfly wings beat fiercely, and her Soul Rings rose around her.

"Listen to me."

Ji Jing's voice grew heavier. His golden-red eyes blazed in the darkness like flames, their unwavering intensity seeming to say, Trust me.

Wang Dong understood everything from his gaze.

She knew that staying would only make her a burden.

She gritted her teeth and nodded firmly.

"You have to be careful!"

Though she didn't use the Soul Tool, she still beat her butterfly wings and shot skyward in a streak of golden-blue light. She cut through the night and sped toward the distant, brightly lit Shrek Academy.

"Trying to get away?"

The Soul Emperor at the head of the group snorted and waved his hand.

"You three, go after her! Make sure you leave no loose ends!"

The three Soul Kings responded at once. Their Soul Rings flashed beneath their feet as they prepared to take to the air in pursuit.

Just then, Ji Jing moved.

The Best Wine Cup in the Village appeared in his palm.

In the blink of an eye, the empty cup filled with a blood-red liquid that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

Ji Jing flicked his wrist, flinging the wine in the cup out in all directions!

The liquid became countless tiny droplets of blood in midair. The instant they hit the ground, they exploded with a deafening boom, turning into towering crimson flames!

The fire blazed blindingly bright against the pitch-black night, illuminating several hundred meters in every direction as though it were broad daylight!

The flames surged upward as if alive, forming a ring of fire that reached beyond sight and completely sealed off the area containing Ji Jing and all the black-clad men!

The three Soul Kings who had been about to give chase ran headlong into the wall of fire. They screamed and were forced back by the scorching flames, their clothes turning to ash in an instant.

Ji Jing withdrew the wine cup and slowly raised his head.

Reflected in the blazing fire, wisps of extreme evil spread like ink through his golden-red eyes, transforming him into something utterly bewitching, so handsome it made one's heart tremble.

"From the moment you attacked..."

He spoke softly, but his voice was like a demonic whisper rising from the depths of the Nine Hells.

"The sin had already been committed."