At this moment, Sikong Jing still didn’t know who Hua Meixi was, yet he found it not at all strange that she knew his name.
He calmly replied, "You can sense whether there is hostility from an aura; if there isn’t, there simply isn’t—it can’t be explained."
A flash of light crossed Hua Meixi’s eyes again, and the surrounding Reverse Soul Realm battle armor experts also displayed unusual expressions.
In fact, they had just deliberately released hostility, but intentionally released hostility is always fake, and Sikong Jing was actually able to detect it.
This keen sense was something they acknowledged.
Hua Meixi nodded and asked again, "Do you know who I am?"
"I don’t know, but I can guess. You should be from the Batian Branch in the east of the Central Plains, right?"
Sikong Jing spoke softly. Such a young expert in Martial Combat and the Reverse Soul Realm was definitely not from the East Plain Northern Land, so they could only be from the Central Plains Batian Branch investigating the Hua Lidian incident.
This matter had been clearly explained by Lang Zhengzhi before.
"That’s right. Then you should know that we’re here to investigate the Hua Lidian incident and your involvement in Ren Dongmeng’s death. Even if we mean no harm now, after the investigation, we might become hostile. Why would you still dare to come in?" Hua Meixi continued questioning.
Sikong Jing blinked, wondering why the strong woman in front of him was asking so many questions.
Had the formal investigation already begun?
However, this seemed unrelated to the investigation’s content.
Sikong Jing still didn’t know that Hua Meixi was Hua Lidian’s daughter, nor that Hua Lidian wanted his daughter to protect him strongly.
So now, Hua Meixi was probing him in all aspects... including martial arts and character and so forth.
After pondering for a moment, Sikong Jing responded in a calm tone, "If I want to overturn the case, I must come into contact with you all."
"More importantly, my Senior Brother Lang is also inside the Immortal Treasures Building. Even if you mean no harm to me, it doesn’t mean you bear none towards him."
"I naturally have to come in and take a look."
Upon these words, a light flashed in Hua Meixi’s eyes, and she seemed to relax slightly before gently waving her hand.
In an instant, twenty subordinates vanished from the surroundings.
The next moment, Hua Meixi strode to stand before Sikong Jing and began to speak slowly, "No wonder even my father, who is not a man, praises you to the skies. Indeed, there is something about you that deserves attention."
"Your father?" Sikong Jing was completely baffled.
Upon hearing this, Hua Meixi replied indifferently, "My name is Hua Meixi."
As her words fell, Sikong Jing shuddered slightly all over.
He immediately understood that the person before him was indeed Hua Lidian’s daughter. It turned out that the reason the Central Plains East Batian Branch intervened in Hua Lidian’s and his affairs was because of Hua Meixi’s presence.
Even knowing that Ju Dan had made great contributions, Hua Meixi definitely couldn’t ignore saving her father.
But "father who is not a man" seemed a bit odd; perhaps there was some conflict between them as father and daughter.
This was a family matter, and Sikong Jing naturally wouldn’t ask more.
Seeing Sikong Jing’s facial expressions constantly changing, Hua Meixi straightforwardly asked, "Are you thinking, since I am Hua Lidian’s daughter, that there is finally a turning point in Ren Dongmeng’s death?"
Sikong Jing frowned, understanding that her words implied... no turning point?
"There is a turning point, but not much," Hua Meixi quickly added, explaining before Sikong Jing could respond, "Ju Dan’s merit is too great, which you know, and I am merely a captain of a squad in the Batian Branch, far from the rank of a Venerable."
"Although I’m highly regarded by the East Dominator Branch, even the branch chief wouldn’t dare to offend the Venerable."
"I’m here just to see my father one last time, hoping there might be a chance to negotiate for something... but I’ve already talked to your East Plain Northern Land’s five Decision Makers, and there’s almost no chance."
As Hua Meixi spoke, Sikong Jing furrowed his brows. Could it be that even Hua Lidian’s daughter couldn’t manage?
After thinking for a moment, Sikong Jing asked straightforwardly, "What exactly do you mean by ’not much of a turning point’?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Meixi gazed deeply at Sikong Jing and replied, "To attribute Ren Dongmeng’s death to either you or my father alone, having one of you bear all the blame."
"In this way, I can at least strongly secure one person’s safety. Of course, punishment is unavoidable, but at least survival can be ensured."
As these words fell, an eerie silence enveloped the surroundings of the Immortal Treasures Building, as if a cold wind was howling through.
A chilling light flickered in Sikong Jing’s eyes, and then he began to laugh, "So what you mean is, you hope I can step up and publicly admit that Ren Dongmeng’s death was solely my doing, right?"
He said this without anger, understanding that defending one’s own father was only natural—anyone would do the same.
"Yes, you can name your terms," Hua Meixi replied without any disguise.
And since they intended for Sikong Jing to bear the blame entirely, naturally, benefits needed to be offered.
Sikong Jing laughed again, "There are no conditions. Ren Dongmeng’s death was solely my doing, and it had nothing to do with Mr. Hua."
Upon these words, Hua Meixi’s perpetually rigid face finally showed some change, a slight indication of amazement.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected Sikong Jing to be so forthcoming, without even requiring any conditions.
Gazing deeply at Sikong Jing, trying to find any signs of deception in his face, she found none... Sikong Jing was truly and openly smiling, his eyes filled with determination.
"Why?" Hua Meixi’s voice changed slightly, filled with disbelief.
She couldn’t understand why Sikong Jing could peacefully face such a future with death seemingly imminent.
Shouldn’t a person selfishly seek the opportunity to live on, especially when Hua Lidian was his father?
Shouldn’t Sikong Jing be pleading tearfully for her to find a way to save both of them?
Sikong Jing blinked and replied, "No reason; it’s certainly great that you can strongly protect Mr. Hua."
There was one thing Sikong Jing didn’t say, which was that if he was ultimately forced to activate the Soldier Killing Array, rescuing Hua Lidian would be exceedingly difficult, given that the array would likely only suffice for self-preservation.
Now that Hua Meixi had appeared, able to save Hua Lidian’s life, it was indeed excellent.
Besides, Ren Dongmeng was definitely killed by me, so saying Hua Lidian was implicated isn’t too far off.
Once again, with a penetrating gaze fixed on Sikong Jing, still unable to find any abnormality, Hua Meixi finally took a deep breath and said, "But my father told me to protect you strongly."
As soon as these words rang, Sikong Jing’s formerly composed smile vanished, staring at Hua Meixi incredulously.
"I met my father in the Overlord Commerce’s prison, said the same thing to him, and he instructed me instead to protect you."
Through Hua Meixi’s words, Sikong Jing was left utterly confused.
Though he and Hua Lidian had a relatively harmonious relationship, it hadn’t reached the depth of life-and-death camaraderie—why would he willingly choose death?
This defied common sense...
Noticing Sikong Jing’s face full of bewilderment, Hua Meixi gently tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a mocking smile.
"I asked him if he owed you an immense favor, and he said no..."
"He only said that if I protect you, I will have a life-and-death comrade in the future willing to fight for me, even against the world, and that you would be able to save my life at a certain critical moment in the future."
"But protecting him would only save the life of a useless father."
At this point, Hua Meixi’s voice trembled slightly.