Three days later.
Back in that cozy little cabin, Dream Monroe, Bobby Brooks, and all sorts of heroes and big shots had gathered, surrounding Jonathan Black in the middle. But these powerful folks, each with their own tricks up their sleeves, were now just slouching with their cheeks in their hands, rubbing their brows, all looking glum and totally out of sorts.
Jill Young flopped onto the sofa: "This is seriously weird, I’ve checked everything and still can’t find the problem. Places he’s been, people he’s met, things he’s done—I’ve gone through it all, nothing! Oh, and those girls Jonathan Black flirted with, you wouldn’t believe the way they reacted when I went to question them. Every kind of response under the sun!"
"Oh?" Oddball perked up instantly. "What kind of reactions did you get?"
"Some were super nervous, some were really defensive, some just screamed their heads off—but all that’s pretty normal. The weird ones, though, you’d never guess!" Jill Young had plenty of stories to share: "One girl actually thought I was trying to ask her to set me up with Jonathan Black, like I wanted to climb into the big boss’s bed and get myself a sugar daddy. She even tried to charge me a matchmaking fee! I mean, seriously, I’ve seen it all now!"
"Pfft—!" Jonathan Black, who’d been calmly sipping his tea, spit out a mouthful of water, looking as awkward as humanly possible. A huge bead of cold sweat rolled down the back of his head. "T-There’s actually stuff like that? Ahahaha, uh, I guess she just didn’t know who you were…"
"Yeah, I figured that out too, so I revealed myself as the ‘Eternal Night Queen.’ But even that didn’t mean everything went smoothly. I still ran into all sorts of weirdos. Some thought they were caught in some deadly corporate scheme, some thought I was about to take them hostage to use against you—and they immediately promised to cooperate! Not only did they switch sides in a flash, but they also said if I paid them, they’d even put on a show to lure you in. Seriously, cousin, where do you find these people?"
"Exactly! Guys can skimp on anything, but never on this!" Oddball immediately sent the conversation down the wrong track, thumping his chest and bragging, "Bro, don’t worry, next time I’ll take you to find some high quality ones!"
"Say what now?" Chainsaw Girl slapped the table and glared. "Where do you think you’re gonna find these ‘high quality’ ones? Tell me too!"
No matter how much Chainsaw Girl and Oddball messed around, Jonathan Black was practically fuming. He’d gotten sick, and after all this investigation, nobody found out what was wrong with him—but they sure dug up plenty of dirt on everyone else. People always say actors are heartless and players are unfaithful; he knew those flings never meant much. But seeing them ditch him so easily still made his blood boil.
Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and just told them I’m your cousin, hoping those little troublemakers would chill out. But nope, they went nuts! Sucking up, clinging to me—child’s play. One girl was the real MVP, though. She grabbed her belly, looked all pitiful, and whined, ‘Sis, I’m already pregnant with your family’s child. What should I do?’" Jill Young smacked Jonathan Black on the shoulder. "Cousin, what do you think we should do? Oh, and congrats, you’re gonna be a dad."
"Congrats! Congratulations!" The whole gang burst out cheering, totally unreliable as usual.
"Nonsense! What a load of crap! That’s complete BS!" Jonathan Black was about to lose it. "She’s just trying to marry into money and live the high life—dream on! Who is she? I’ll deal with her myself!"
"Don’t get worked up, cousin. Having a kid isn’t the end of the world." Jill Young teased. "From what I can tell, that girl really is pregnant. Who knows, maybe soon I’ll have to call her ‘cousin-in-law’!"
"No way!" Jonathan Black shot back, firm as a rock. "Doesn’t matter whose kid she’s carrying, it’s definitely not mine!"
"Why not?" Li Yuncong asked curiously. "Maybe it really is yours?"
Jonathan Black rolled his eyes and snapped, "Because I’m infertile!"
"Heh, Strong Bro, you’re such a jokester~" Li Yuncong just thought Jonathan Black was annoyed, so he scratched his head and laughed it off.
Dream Monroe clapped her hands, pulling everyone’s attention back. She spoke calmly, "Over these days, we’ve tried psychological hypnosis, dark curses, African black magic, shamanic spells, Southeast Asian sorcery—seventeen major types and forty-four minor types of powers in total. But nothing worked. No matter what we tried, we couldn’t find a single problem. Given all this, does anyone have any ideas?"
"I really think there’s nothing wrong with me." Jonathan Black was the first to stand up, taking a deep breath. "I’m grateful for all your hard work these days, everyone’s gone above and beyond for me, and I appreciate it. But since we couldn’t find any special reason, that means I’m actually fine. Everybody gets sick for no reason once in a while. I know my own body best, and I’m really okay. You guys don’t need to worry anymore."
"You know your body? Don’t be so sure. You haven’t even reached the ‘micro-perception’ stage, and even if you did, that’s just the beginning. The human body’s full of mysteries—even the deepest masters wouldn’t make such bold claims." Jill Young sighed, helpless. "But since we can’t figure out the cause right now, we can’t just sit here forever. I’ll try one last method. Even if we don’t find the problem, at least you’ll get a full cleanse and energy boost out of it."
Jonathan Black looked puzzled. "How are you gonna do that?"
Jill Young waved. "Rachel Luo, come here."
"Yes!" Rachel Luo stepped forward right away.
"Rachel, you practice the Bright Jade Technique, and you’ve got over forty years of experience now. In the martial world below the innate level, you’re already a top expert. Since your master isn’t around, you’re the only one on Earth who can work with me. In a bit, I’ll teach you a new skill—give it a try first."
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the good stuff!
Jill Young planned to team up with Rachel Luo and see if they could trigger a resonance between yin and yang energies, sparking some kind of extraordinary power. That kind of energy was next-level—it could boost one’s life force from the ground up, maybe even work miracles.
"But this technique was created by me and your master, and nobody else has learned it yet. I don’t know how tough it is. So don’t rush—if it works, great, if not, don’t force it. Seriously, don’t get reckless and mess yourself up. If you’re not cured and you end up in the hospital, that’s just more trouble."
"Got it! I won’t let you down!"
After giving instructions, Jill Young said to everyone, "My method needs some prep time—it’s not something I can just whip out right away. If anyone else has ideas, now’s your chance to speak up while we’re all here."
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. They’d already tried every trick in the book—if there was something left, they wouldn’t have waited this long.
"Alright then, let’s call it a day for now. We’ll regroup later—"
"Hold up!" Senior Brother Mentor, who’d been silently racking his brain, suddenly spoke up: "I want to give it one more shot!"
"You’ve tried a dozen times already these past few days—did any of them work?" Oddball couldn’t help but snark. "Quit wasting everyone’s time with your wild guesses, we’ve all got stuff to do."
"Just let me try once—just once!" Senior Brother Mentor looked at Jill Young. "I haven’t found any tampering in his mental domain, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find the cause of his illness. I’ve got an idea that might just uncover some clues!"
Li Yuncong asked curiously, "What’s your idea?"
"Memory tracing!"
Chainsaw Girl scoffed, "Isn’t that just a hypnotist’s trick? Haven’t you used that enough these past few days?"
"It’s different this time! The method I want to use is totally new. I got inspired by the Life Mentor—she has a skill called ‘Dreamsea Retrieval.’ This time, I want to take Jonathan Black back through every memory, from now all the way to his birth, every tiny detail!" Senior Brother Mentor’s eyes sparkled like he was about to conquer the world. "I’m going to help him travel through time!"
"Don’t be ridiculous!" Jill Young snapped. "Me and Big Wooden can do Dreamsea Retrieval because our minds and bodies are strong enough. Even if you managed something similar, Jonathan Black’s mind couldn’t handle it—he’d burn out in no time. And you, unless you want to fry your own brain, better not mess with this crazy stuff!"
"I can’t do it alone, but that’s what you guys are for!" Senior Brother Mentor pointed at Jill Young and Dream Monroe, eyes blazing. "Your mental power is off the charts—you can definitely help me pull this off! And I’m not trying to dig up his whole life in one go. This is just a test run, just scratching the surface. If I find any memory linked to his weird illness, I’ll follow the trail straight to the source!"
Jill Young sighed and looked at Dream Monroe. "What do you think? Senior Brother Mentor’s usually reliable—even if this is a little nuts, should we trust him this time?"
Dream Monroe hesitated. She didn’t want to get tangled up in too much karmic mess with others, but finally nodded. "Alright, it won’t hurt to try."
This was a lead she absolutely wasn’t going to let go. She had to chase it to the very end.
"Alright, let’s get started!" Senior Brother Mentor marched up to Jonathan Black, proudly pulling out his pocket watch. "Okay, keep your eyes on this watch."
Jonathan Black rubbed his forehead, speechless. "With all that hype, I thought you’d use some fancy new trick. Turns out it’s just the same old watch."
"Looks don’t matter—it’s all about what’s inside. Sure, I’m swinging the watch again, but this time I’m not putting you in a trance." Senior Brother Mentor was brimming with confidence. "I just want you to trace your memories, travel back in time."
"Heh, let’s see you send me back through—" Jonathan Black didn’t even finish his sentence. In his eyes, the swinging watch suddenly froze in midair. Not just the watch—Senior Brother Mentor, everyone, everything around him stopped, like time itself had hit pause.