Chapter 320: Pressure And Insinuation

Ye Liuying showed no reaction to his words. Her expression remained cold as her eyes returned to the book in her hands. It was a finely bound edition of the Saints’ Sayings, a text revered by the Inquisition as a guiding principle, second only to the First Charter of the Star Council.

She was engrossed in it, as if she were studying the most flawless work of art in the world. She no longer acknowledged Li Xiaofei’s presence.

Li Xiaofei still had many things he wanted to ask, but saying too much could lead to mistakes in this heavily monitored environment. A single careless word might allow the Realm of Traces to pick up on something.

"I’ll take care of Sister Yu," Li Xiaofei said. "You don’t need to worry about anything outside. As long as you’re innocent, you’ll be able to leave."

"Heh..." Ye Liuying let out a cold laugh.

Without looking up, she said, "Someone told me the reason you wanted to see me is because you’ve hopelessly fallen in love with me?"

"And if I have?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Ye Liuying finally raised her head. Her cool, beautiful eyes were filled with mockery and disdain. "Do you think I’d be deeply moved, open my heart, look at you differently, and give you a chance to be with me?"

Li Xiaofei was momentarily stunned.

Ye Liuying looked away, her tone dripping with contempt. "Forget it. Men? Hah, they’re worse than dogs. If you truly can’t control those filthy urges inside you, don’t waste any time. Go find a woman who’s willing to let you sleep with her."

Li Xiaofei stood frozen. He wanted to say something, but her words had cut deep and left him speechless.

At that moment, the cell door opened. A synthetic voice from the light core system announced outside, "Warning, warning, time is up. Visitors must leave the cell immediately."

Li Xiaofei sighed and turned to leave. When he reached the door, he couldn’t help but glance back. By the desk, Ye Liuying remained indifferent and didn’t spare him a single glance.

Ding!

The cell door shut behind him.

Li Xiaofei walked silently down the corridor. Soon, he reached the transit area once again. A pale young man, dressed in a mid-level Realm of Traces uniform, was already waiting for him.

"Before you leave, you’ll need to undergo routine questioning." The young man said expressionlessly. "Follow me."

Li Xiaofei felt a twinge of recognition. The voice was familiar. It was the same voice from the call, the one who had arranged this meeting.

"What’s your name?" Li Xiaofei asked as he followed.

The young man replied without turning around, "Lei Yinuo, intern detective of the Realm of Traces. You guessed right. I’m the one who contacted you earlier."

"You like money, don’t you?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Lei Yinuo chuckled. "To be precise, I like money that I can safely take and spend."

Li Xiaofei responded, "Everything in this world has a price."

Lei Yinuo didn’t reply as they continued walking. Moments later, Li Xiaofei was brought into the interrogation room.

Lei Yinuo sat across from him and said calmly, "No need to be nervous, this is just a routine questioning."

Li Xiaofei sat down, his expression neutral.

"According to our information, on January 10th, you left the city and ventured into the wilderness with a group of people. Can you explain in detail what you were doing?" Lei Yinuo asked.

Li Xiaofei understood what was happening. The Realm of Traces truly lived up to its reputation. Their grasp of information was meticulous. This was likely an attempt to apply pressure on him.

"We went to hunt star beasts and practice martial skills," Li Xiaofei replied directly. "To be precise, this wasn’t just on January 10th. I spent a long period before and after that doing the same thing."

"Alright, next question." Lei Yinuo continued, "Please explain again why you were willing to spend 50 million just to see Ye Liuying."

Li Xiaofei countered, "I’m rich. I wanted to see a woman, so I spent the money. What’s wrong with that?"

"It’s valid, but from a normal perspective, it seems a bit excessive," Lei Yinuo replied. "As far as I know, you’re from the slums, and your usual spending habits are quite frugal."

Li Xiaofei smiled. "Since your investigation is so thorough, you should also know that I once donated 20 million to Red Flag High School."

Lei Yinuo acknowledged, "That did happen. What does it prove?"

Li Xiaofei explained, "Ever heard of revenge spending? Maybe it’s because I grew up in poverty that, now that I have money, I indulge myself by spending recklessly to satisfy whims. If I can satisfy my vanity by donating to a school, of course, I can spend 50 million to satisfy my desires. For a woman like Ye Liuying, even spending a billion would be worth it, don’t you think?"

Lei Yinuo pressed, "So, you wanted to save her?"

"Don’t try to bait me," Li Xiaofei replied coolly. "I believe she’s innocent and not a heretic."

Lei Yinuo fell silent, asking no further questions.

After a brief wait, Lei Yinuo seemed to receive some instructions. He stood up and said, "Alright, Mr. Li Xiaofei, you're free to leave now... Good luck."

At the same time, in the nearby hidden control room.

"He doesn’t seem as panicked as we expected," Clove said thoughtfully. "Perhaps he’s truly innocent?"

Edward smiled faintly, unconcerned.

"Innocent or not, they all die eventually," Edward said casually. "But he’s shown more composure than we expected, and a courage beyond what most people his age would display. It means we might need to revise our plan."

Just then, a subordinate rushed in.

"Detectives, we've found traces of the Yinji Moon Fox," the subordinate reported.

Clove quickly stood and asked, "Where? Did you capture it?"

The subordinate replied, "The demon fox is quite powerful. She broke through our encirclement and injured several men. However, she was also wounded and left behind some demon blood."

"With the demon blood, we can use our tracking techniques to find her location. As long as she’s in this city, she won’t escape. Heh, the fox-woman is a prized possession among the European underground temple elites. We must capture her alive," Edward said gleefully.

Clove nodded resolutely. "I’ll go catch her myself."

***

After returning to Cloudy Sky Gang Headquarters, Li Xiaofei immediately sent someone to fetch Hu Yuer. A short while later. Hu Yuer knocked on the door and entered. Li Xiaofei caught a faint scent of blood.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

Hu Yuer replied, "Ran into a few hounds and got a little scratched up... What do you need from me?"

Li Xiaofei didn’t respond right away.

Hu Yuer smiled and added, "I was just about to request some time off anyway. Those hounds are on my tail, and you should be careful too."

Li Xiaofei stood up slowly, his eyes thoughtful but silent. He didn’t address her request or injuries right away, leaving a sense of tension hanging in the air.

Li Xiaofei suddenly said, “Take off your clothes.”

Hu Yuer was momentarily shocked.

Li Xiaofei continued, “Everybody says you foxes are seductive, I want to see how seductive you are.”

Hu Yuer licked her lips, sashaying from side to side as she moved closer. She laughed playfully. "Weren't you always avoiding me before? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Li Xiaofei replied. "Make the most of the time."

Surprise flickered in Hu Yuer's beautiful eyes as she asked, "Are you serious?"

Li Xiaofei placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pressed her down to her knees. Her long legs, clad only in black stockings, touched the white metal floor, creating a striking contrast that ignited a primal intensity.

"Right here?" Hu Yuer looked up seductively at the domineering man before her and said, "So, you really do like this office vibe. It's my first time too... mmm..."

Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was abruptly filled.

Li Xiaofei gasped softly, his hand gently stroking the fox woman's hair as he spoke slowly, "Aren't you skilled in the Yin-Yang Resonance of Great Sorrow? This shouldn't be unfamiliar to you. Be careful, no teeth..."