Chapter 75 The Final Showdown
In the evening, in the Dream Palace, in the dining room.
Ji Ma sat on a recliner, facing the terrace, enjoying the scenery. In the distance were lush green woods bathed in charming sunlight, and a sparkling little river meandered out from the forest. The wind, like an invisible hand, stirred the trees heavy with ripe red fruits.
Behind her, George pushed the door open and, upon seeing the beautiful scene and the beautiful woman, found Ji Ma’s silhouette blended into the sunlit woods. He paused to admire it for a while, the only sound being the rustling of leaves in the distance. In a pleasant mood, he stepped forward and said:
“Beautiful.”
“Do you really think it’s beautiful?”
Ji Ma’s recliner rotated back on its own as she bit into a skewer of grilled lamb, with sesame and cumin falling onto her toned abdomen. Ji Ma snapped her fingers, and the stains flew off and landed in a nearby trash can.
In an instant, she completely obliterated the ambiance of “beautiful scenery and a beautiful woman.”
George looked at Ji Ma, momentarily speechless.
“I’ve always thought so-called scenery is utterly boring. Where aren’t the trees green? Where aren’t the mountains tall…” Ji Ma noticed George staring at her and offered him the half-eaten skewer of lamb, saying, “Though it has my saliva on it, there’s only half left, want it?”
George took it casually, ignoring the fact that it had Ji Ma’s saliva on it, and finished the last piece of lamb.
The orange cat on Ji Ma’s thigh hissed at George: “Hiss! Hiss!”
“What’s wrong with your cat?”
Ji Ma petted the cat’s head: “Nothing, it just got upset because you ate its lamb skewer.”
George suddenly felt that the grilled meat in his mouth lost its flavor, realizing he had stolen cat food. He tossed the wooden skewer into the trash can, pulled over a chair, and sat across from Ji Ma, saying, “Let’s talk business.”
“Hmm? What business?”
Ji Ma rested one leg clad in white stockings over the other in black, the stockings adorned with beautiful patterns, crossing her legs.
“Can you dress a bit more appropriately?”
“Tsk, can’t handle it, huh, George? You were out of ammo last night; can’t you handle this little scene today?” Ji Ma sniffed, “It smells better now.”
“At least you should wear proper underwear.”
“That thing is too stifling and hot. I take it off at home to feel comfortable,” Ji Ma said, propping her chin on her hand, “This is my home; I’ll dress however I please. Besides, you’re not in formal wear either.”
George looked down at his clothes; they were long-sleeved, neat, and didn’t show any skin.
“There’s no problem.”
Ji Ma pointed to George’s armpit, where a patch of chainmail was sewn, and then to the rope hanging from his shoulder, saying, “Who wears armor to discuss business?”
Armor was essential for wearing plate armor; otherwise, the shoulder and leg plates couldn’t be worn, and they were best tied to the armor with ropes.
“I’ve always worn this,” George said. “I went to a banquet once, and no one found it inappropriate.”
“Then I’ve always worn this,” Ji Ma said. “For a succubus, at least this outfit can be considered battle attire.”
Thus, both sides stopped discussing that topic and started talking business.
George said, “Regarding the matter of Demon King Ji Ma’s extraordinary material, you’re quite worried.”
“Normal. For a scumbag like you, instinctively disappearing after a dry spell is expected,” Ji Ma said. “You’re still holding onto my horns; it hurts, and you’re choking me.”
George felt a bit awkward and said, “I’ll be more careful next time.”
After saying this, he took out a small notebook and began to write seriously.
“Enough, there’s no need to write this down; it sounds like a battle report.”
“It deserves careful consideration.”
Ji Ma thought: What a scary man. Good thing I also write “battle reports,” otherwise, I might really end up losing to him… After getting pregnant, it wouldn’t be fun anymore.
Ji Ma was willing to bet that since George discovered he could actively absorb the “heather essence liquid,” he had been seriously planning how to make her lose consciousness.
After George finished writing, he closed the notebook and said, “According to mysticism, if Demon King Ji Ma wants to be resurrected and regain strength, the original extraordinary material is the best material, and adding you to the equation…”
“I understand, it’s like sending a duck to the door with a green onion around its neck, plus carrying an iron pot.”
Thinking about the extraordinary material of Demon King Ji Ma made Ji Ma’s ambition stir, much like a gaming addict wanting to head to an internet café after a week of classes.
Such extraordinary materials, worth more than diamonds, couldn’t be described in terms of gold coins. Even if it were only half, even if it weren’t the extraordinary material of Demon King Ji Ma.
George continued, “So I hope you won’t participate in front-line battles.”
Ji Ma jumped up from the recliner, causing Lianxi, the cat, to fall but land gracefully on all fours.
“How could that be?” Ji Ma realized she was acting out and said, “Fighting is like dancing on the edge of life and death; every additional person adds strength. Do you expect to watch the dark elves, those perverts, safely take the extraordinary material away?”
“That’s not it.”
“So you’re wary of me doing something bad?”
“I’m just afraid that one day you’ll become a stranger, the real you will die, and that could be a trap.”
“A trap? I’m not a brainless bear that can’t see the animal trap set in front of me,” Ji Ma said. “I will be cautious, very cautious.”
George looked at Ji Ma and shook his head, saying, “Ji Ma, don’t you realize something’s wrong with you?”
Obvious, I want to know whether I’m really Demon King Ji Ma.
Ji Ma had been thinking about obtaining the highest authority and attaining greater power. Nothing could be more tempting than the extraordinary material of the demon king; if there were, it would be resolving life’s regrets.
“I’m perfectly fine, perfectly.”
George reminded her, “According to the contract, we need to retrieve the Demon King’s extraordinary material, not give it to you. I also don’t want the ‘returning to the rightful owner’ incident to happen.”
Ji Ma said, “Can’t I at least touch the Demon King’s extraordinary material or do a divination?”
“Sure,” George said, “but can you honestly say you won’t be tempted, even if the opportunity to monopolize it stands before you?”
“Of course—” Ji Ma was about to swear earnestly when she suddenly remembered George could detect lies in the Dream Palace, so she said, “I can’t. That’s ridiculous. Such a great opportunity to enhance my power is right in front of me; how could I let it slip away?”
George said, “I can only apologize.”
“But you also have to realize that if we win, there’s a high chance I won’t get the extraordinary material,” Ji Ma said. “And when I signed the contract with you, it was clearly written in black and white that I was allowed to participate in front-line battles.”
“I can’t afford to lose.”
“Scumbag, are you that wary of me?” Ji Ma said. “Even if I stole the extraordinary material, it wouldn’t cause any harm. Oh, the Holy Church would just explode in rage.”
“That’s one aspect; I have to be responsible to the Holy Church.” George stood up, walked to Ji Ma, took her hand, and looked closely at her somewhat matured face with his blue eyes, saying, “More importantly, I’m worried that that disgusting thug, rotten to the core, will use your body to resurrect, and at that time, I will lose you forever.”
Ji Ma’s heart fluttered slightly, saying, “I promise you, even if I get the Demon King’s extraordinary material, I’ll let you watch from the side. If things go wrong, you’ll stop it immediately, alright?”
“That’s the only way,” George sighed helplessly and gently kissed Ji Ma’s cheek.
“By the way, could you please move your hand from my tail?” Ji Ma said. “You, this tail fetishist; men usually like to touch butts, but you, you like to touch tails.”
Both sides conceded a bit and compromised.
Though Ji Ma was almost impossible to betray the Demon King’s extraordinary material, she still worried it could be a trap, and having George watch would provide more security.
The two sat down again.
George asked, “Can you tell me when you first had memories of Demon King Ji Ma?”
“You guess?”
“Before Shalin City, right?” George said. “In Shalin City, you understood the Demon King’s treasury and his backup plans as well as he did. At that time, I thought you were just a key.”
Ji Ma said, “I won’t tell you if your guess is right or wrong.”
“I have another question. How did you avoid my ability to detect lies?” George said. “When we met before, I asked you many questions, and you didn’t make a single mistake; you tricked me.”
Ji Ma said, “Because I’m a bad woman. The prettier the bad woman, the better she is at lying.”
