Chapter 162 Chapter 163 Conclusion
“What’s the matter?”
“I suspect he’s the murderer,” Jima said. “The moment I saw him, I felt he’s a lecherous scoundrel who’s after beautiful women and enjoys seducing them. For someone like him, getting you into bed would make him feel superior to George and boost his confidence. I dare say you, being George’s fiancée, are highly attractive to him. I bet he lies in bed every night, fantasizing about your body and your big breasts.”
“Jima, your malice towards him is completely unreasonable.”
“As someone who is steadfast, deeply affectionate, and pure of heart, I can smell the stench that emanates from such scum.”
Jima patted her chest, speaking with conviction.
Jenna stared at her upright tail and the horns on her head, momentarily at a loss for words.
“…So we should join forces to take down today’s culprit, turn him into a man-shaped stick, stuff his JJ into his mouth, and toss him into the sea to feed the fish,” Jima boasted, noticing Jenna’s silence. “Don’t you believe me?”
“I… just think it’s too exaggerated,” Jenna said. “I also feel quite sorry for him.”
“Sister Jenna,” Jima said, “I’m the victim here. Do you expect me to face your out-of-control self again?”
Jenna felt guilty and replied, “You’re right, but the methods…”
“I’m just bluffing,” Jima said. “But when the time comes, he must pay a heavy price.”
Jenna nodded in agreement, adding, “If it really is him, that is.”
Next came the time for reasoning. It’s best to build up emotions first to achieve twice the result with half the effort.
“First, do you feel guilty towards Young Master Is?”
“I do, especially when I face his scars,” Jenna said. “I feel like it’s my fault, even though I can’t remember clearly. I know I was very violent as a child. He even comforted me, saying I was still young and didn’t understand.”
“Hum, a classic moral coercion technique,” a certain moral coercion master said. “Saying such things will only make you feel more guilty, and your inner demons will grow stronger. He’s also an extraordinary being, and he knows how inner demons can affect extraordinary individuals. He’s using your inner demons to coerce you.”
“Jima, you are over-analyzing.”
“Tell me about your childhood. What happened between you and him that made you feel so guilty?”
Jenna raised her emerald-like eyes and looked out at the moon.
Her story with Is unfolded from Jenna’s red lips.
Jenna was well-developed as a child, growing quickly and being very strong. She was also adorable and always had a group of little followers trailing behind her. Is particularly liked playing with Jenna as a child, even when she annoyed him, treating him like a toy.
For example, she would throw him off railings or punch him in the stomach until he cried out in pain. Even worse, one time Jenna read about a shoulder throw in a book, her curiosity piquing, so she grabbed Is to practice. Unfortunately, his head hit the ground first, striking a stone hidden in the grass, resulting in a considerable sum to pay, and ever since, a small patch on Is’s head stopped growing hair.
She was truly a born bully.
Jima looked at Jenna in surprise, assessing the gentle, kind, and rideable Jenna before her.
Jenna smiled and said, “People change. After maturing, I know that was wrong.”
“Then the explosion in Alchemy class wasn’t because you pressed his head against the flask, right?”
“That could be it,” Jenna lowered her eyes. “I can’t remember the details at all. I remember him covered in blood, flesh hanging off, and I almost fainted. For several days, I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, it was that bloody face.”
“Did your parents compensate him?”
“They did, after all, he was the one who hired the teacher.”
“Is there any of your responsibility in this matter?”
“They asked me. At that time, I couldn’t remember anything, and I was scared, so I just said no.” Jenna leaned her forehead on her hand, her face showing pain. “But I felt very guilty. In psychology, there’s a saying that when people are frightened, or when they strive to forget something, they often modify long-ago memories based on their subconscious.”
“That’s a muddled account, but whether it’s you or not doesn’t matter,” Jima stroked her chin. “What’s certain is that a significant source of your guilt comes from Young Master Is’s face. Guilt brings about a sense of sin, which can torment a person to death. And interestingly, Young Master Is also gifted you a necklace that amplifies your guilt.”
“Is it him?” Jenna asked. “Clearly, he is so understanding, yet he would harm me?”
Jima noticed Jenna’s resistance and said, “He might not want to harm you; perhaps he just wants to use your guilt to obtain your body. It’s normal for him, like a wolf encountering a naive and innocent fat sheep, always planning to take a few bites.”
Jenna nodded, accepting Jima’s reasoning.
“In any case, I’m temporarily confiscating the necklace. For now, do not meet Young Master Is. Take care of your health. Once your family overcomes the bankruptcy crisis, return to the Sanctuary. At that time, the Sanctuary allowed you to take leave, which clearly underestimated the people of your hometown; sometimes they can be scarier than monsters.”
“Okay.”
“Then swear,” Jima extended her pinky and said, “Guys like Young Master Is are great actors and can shamelessly put aside their dignity to con you. You, being a softie, will likely soften up and follow him like a lost lamb.”
“Lost lamb?”
“Oh, I mispronounced, but that’s not important. Swear, swear to the God of Dawn.”
“Alright.” Jenna linked her pinky with Jima’s and said, “To the God of Dawn, I swear.”
Jima sighed in relief, feeling reassured. This way, it eliminates the possibility of her woman putting a green hat on her. She had also managed to win Jenna over.
At that moment, Caslan suddenly walked in from outside. This father figure was a mess, one eye bruised, the other swollen, covered in mud, and his red beard was stuffed with roots, looking absurdly disheveled.
“Dad, what happened to you?”
Caslan’s nose wrinkled, with a tear rolling down from the corner of his eye. “My dear daughter, you’ve suffered so much. Even if I were to be beaten to the ground by you, I wouldn’t blame you.”
He said this while sniffing, wiping his tears, and continued:
“You tied me to a pillar, punched, and kicked me, all while cursing me for lying to you. I’ve hurt inside. This time it’s for real; our family can’t get by. But it’s also my fault as your dad for bringing the family to such a predicament. I enjoy deceiving, so if I get beaten, I’ll accept it, as long as you’re alright, everything will be fine.”
Jima felt a bit jealous; after all, a real dad is still better; blood ties are perhaps the strongest connections in the world.
Jenna coldly said, “Dad.”
“Hmm?”
“I remember all the memories from when I lost control.”
Caslan broke into a cold sweat. “Is… is it real?”
“I remember how you ran far and fast, even pushing the maid down, disappearing in a flash.”
“Ahahaha…” Caslan laughed to hide his embarrassment and said, “It’s getting late, let’s switch rooms; there are many mosquitoes at night.”
“No need, we can drive the mosquitoes away; just have the servants set the door up. I’m afraid you’ll touch my things.”
“Rest well,” Caslan said, “I have ways to deal with the family’s predicament, so you don’t have to worry.”
Jenna said nothing. But Jima knew that despite seeing through her theatrical father’s moral coercion and giving him no face, when the family was in trouble, she would surely try her best to help them through.
Otherwise, why would she rush back home?
After Caslan left, a few servants came in to help set up the door and clean up the broken glass.
Jenna asked one of the servants if anyone was injured.
The servant hesitated a moment and replied no.
Jenna breathed a sigh of relief and said to Jima, “I’m really sorry, I scared them. They used to like talking to me.”
“First of all, stop saying sorry; it’s not your fault,” Jima hugged her. “Secondly, that’s inevitable. Mortals must awaken; even the gentlest dragon is still a dragon, and one misstep could trample several people.”
Jenna didn’t respond, only said, “There’s some truth to that.”
A smile appeared on Jima’s face as she felt her feelings burning. Soon Jenna would be conquered by her unmatched skills in love, thinking about being affectionate with her every day. At that time, she could take advantage of George’s sleep to pull Jenna into a classic Minotaur scenario at his door.
“I’m going to use the bathroom and take a shower,” Jima stood up. “Tonight, I’ll keep you company.”
“Thank you.”
As Jima stepped outside, she suddenly slapped the back of her head, filled with intense regret.
She had completely forgotten to take the opportunity to suggest bathing together. Truly getting old, not enough of a seducer.
As she walked down the corridor, she unexpectedly saw Caslan leaning against a pillar, speaking softly:
“Miss Xiao Qiao, I have something to discuss.”
Jima approached and saw his face was wet; all the previous bruises had vanished. She said, “Your acting skills are truly impressive.”
“I was the top student at the Aldorf Theater back in the day.”
“I heard Jenna say you were the last.”
Caslan’s face showed a fatherly sadness, as if Jenna had been unfilial, tossing him, sick and bedridden, into the forest. He said, “My daughter always likes to speak ill of me. But who could blame her? She is my own flesh and blood.”
“That statement has more persuasion when she says it.”
“There’s my fault in this matter too,” Caslan said. “Young Master Is has always liked my daughter since childhood. This time he made a proposal to aid our family. I knew very well that he had an obsession with my daughter but still harbored some notions of luck, thinking Jenna could protect herself.”
“The more powerful the extraordinary being, the more easily they can be influenced by their inner demons. In a way, extraordinary beings are also very weak.”
“I beg you to cooperate with me. You use your unrivaled alchemy, and I’ll help you sell it. We will surely make a fortune in Marlin City.”
“Oh, I had no choice, who told my legitimate wife to be so considerate of her sisters?” Jima said intentionally, “Isn’t that right?”
Caslan quickly replied, “Yes, yes.”
Caslan’s desire to sell his daughter for glory made Jima quite happy: “A seventy-thirty split, you seventy, I thirty; you pay for the materials.”
“Sounds good.”
Jima said, “Also, today’s matter must remain confidential. We cannot let Young Master Is know that Jenna’s guilt caused her to lose control; otherwise, he will find a way to coerce her.”
Caslan’s face rarely showed a serious expression as he said, “Yes.”
“Go get it done then.” Jima squinted and added, “By the way, I’ll tell you a secret: I’m actually almost five hundred years old now.”
Caslan halted.
“The reason I’m telling you this is so you don’t get deceived by my appearance,” Jima explained. “As far as I know, there’s a value system among humans that the older one gets, the more experiences they have, and they become smarter. Hence, the elderly always resist the youth.”
Caslan remained silent for a while, nodded, and left without saying a word.
Perhaps I was just being suspicious, but it doesn’t hurt to say one more thing.
Jima sighed in relief and stretched.
Tonight, she would share a bed with Jenna and take a good rest. Tomorrow, she would start divining about that group of dark elves and then show off in front of George and the others.
Jima felt delighted and took two steps toward the bathroom.
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Update progress 5/10
I’ve engaged the reader Lianxi as a supervisor; efficiency is temporarily guaranteed. I’m considering whether to form a supervisory group, consisting entirely of people who urge for updates and design a reasonable mechanism to oversee new releases. It’s best to wait until Lianxi stops for whatever reason before doing that.
