Ji Zhixiu was reading.
The lace-wrapped table lamp emitted a bright light that wasn't glaring, illuminating the many books and scrolls on the desk, a flower vase with daisies, an ink bottle with a feathered quill, a pearl adorned incense box, and a pair of glasses.
The surroundings were very quiet and the only sound came from the swish of pages being turned.
Of course, with her current hearing ability, she could easily hear the breathing and heartbeats of the two maids cleaning the house downstairs, just that there was no need to expand her hearing range to that extent now and it was also a sort of torture at the same time.
Due to her increasing power, Ji Zhixiu's control of her entire body had already reached a stage that was close to the pinnacle.
If Ji Zhixiu wanted to, she could even precisely control any single strand of hair on her body.
Most importantly, she was on the verge of thoroughly taming the wild beast within her blood.
As long as she could do so, achieving Destructive-rank would just be around the corner.
"Huu…"
Ji Zhixiu took a deep breath, closed the book, and calmed herself down.
Hints of peppermint, rosemary, and lemongrass wafted out from the incense box and perked her spirits when it entered her nose.
Blood and Beast weren't just as simple as controlling the sordid blood within her body.
The more Ji Zhixiu studied, the more she realized the profound and deep horrors within.
Blood and Beast... was actually 'Soul' and 'Flesh'.
Blood and soul were the currencies of life. As they circulate and flow within the body, aether is induced.
Controlling blood within the body was just the first step.
How to use that blood and thoroughly turn the beast into her own power was the true path to become stronger.
Right now, Ji Zhixiu was just in control of the amount of blood she had injected into her body.
If she could absorb even more and obtain the sordid blood of other types of dream beasts, how terrifying would that level of power be...
The power that hunters could harness definitely wasn't just limited to these!
Power is the source of authority.
Now, when compared to the Truth Union, Secret Rite Tower, and the churches, hunters could have an equivalent say.
But Ji Zhixiu alone wouldn't be enough. She still needed more comrades.
Over the past period, she had been practicing in secret and didn't teach this method to anyone else because it was also her first time and she didn't know if it could cause problems.
Losing control of the power of sordid blood had disastrous consequences. Thus, she needed to be cautious.
But it was different now. She had personally utilized this means of controlling blood and verified that it was indeed safe, reliable, and effective.
She could now begin propagating it.
Ji Zhixiu gently stroked the book's cover as a staunch resolve welled up in her heart.
This would become the gospel of hunters and Mr. Lin who had brought this gospel was the guide that would lead the hunters down their future path.
Knock knock.
A gentle knocking sounded from behind her door.
"Miss, it's time for dinner."
"Got it."
Ji Zhixiu had already foreseen this. She stood up indifferently, pushed aside the chair, and hid the book inside a secret compartment in her desk.
Now, she had shoulder-length hair and was casually dressed in a T-shirt and tight jeans.
But of course, even if she was at home, she still had a dagger strapped tightly to her back underneath that casual disguise of hers and was cutting into her skin.
Even though her physical body was now strong to the point where metal objects like this couldn't hurt her, maintaining her wariness at all times was a good habit.
Ji Zhixiu opened the door and followed the maid to the dining room.
Along the way, she halted in her tracks and looked towards the middle-aged man standing at the door.
"Father." Ji Zhixiu paused for a moment before asking calmly, "Is something the matter?"
The man standing by the door was Ji Bonong, head of Rolle Resource Development Company.
He had on an elegant suit with a smart vest and white shirt beneath. Behind the gold-rimmed glasses, he wore the same iron-gray eyes that Ji Zhixiu had. Overall, there was an inorganic coldness about his entire bearing.
The maid smartly took her out to leave.
"Can't I just seek you for a little heart-to-heart chat every once in a while?" said Ji Bonong casually as he turned and headed to the dining room.
Ji Zhixiu smiled, "You never ever come back to eat, nor would you specifically get someone to remind me that it's dinner time. I can't think of any other reason besides you having some matter to discuss with me."
Ji Bonong slightly halted in his tracks but then recovered and sat down in his seat. "Is it that obvious?"
"It is," Ji Zhixiu replied matter-of-factly as she headed to her own seat.
Ji Zhixiu had already heard Ji Bonong's instructions, but even if she hadn't, she would still have guessed her father's intentions easily.
After all, her father was someone who worked all year round and was never at home 364 days out of 365 days. Now, he had suddenly returned home and even specifically gotten a maid to inform her of dinner when Ji Zhixiu had always informed the maids not to disturb her.
In any case, he definitely wasn't here just to reminisce over the past.
Ji Bonong's gaze fell on his daughter's face as he sighed. As there hadn't been much interaction in recent years, Ji Bonong was still stuck with the image of his daughter around the age of 16 or 17. Thus, he wasn't used to the current Ji Zhixiu.
"You have grown up," he lamented.
Ji Zhixiu asked, "You aren't really intending to have a heart-to-heart chat, I hope."
Ji Bonong chuckled, then continued. "You can already make your own decisions for these matters but as your father, I still ought to give you some advice from time to time."
"..." Ji Zhixiu was silent for a moment. "Go on."
"In the past, I never asked what you were doing because, whether it was White Wolf or any hunter group, they were merely chess pieces casually being used by others. I sent Kaiyi and Marcus to you and that should have been enough. But now, it's no longer the same."
Ji Bonong tapped his index finger on the dining table as he stared at Ji Zhixiu.
"If you really get involved, you represent Rolle Resource Development when you stand before everyone. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
Ji Bonong hadn't expected such a blunt reply. He stalled for a moment, then continued. "Do you? You shouldn't be so impertinent if you understand!"
"I really do understand." Ji Zhixiu raised her head. "The reason why you and I are having this conversation is because you saw the plans in my diary, right? And thus, you came to counsel me."
The corners of Ji Zhixiu's lips curled upwards. "I wrote it down on purpose."
Ji Bonong's pupils contracted. This was totally unexpected.
He eyed Ji Zhixiu, then pointed to himself. "You wrote those plans on purpose and intentionally let your subordinates discover them to make me return home?"
"Mm."Ji Zhixiu leaned back and folded her arms. "Naturally, plans remain in the head. What sort of fool would write them out for others to see?"
Ji Bonong observed his daughter in silence for a while before sighing. "Looks like you have really grown up. I shouldn't have been still treating you like a kid."
"How would I have been able to deceive you if you hadn't been treating me as a kid?" Ji Zhixiu said with a smile.
"Since it's like this, you do seem very confident in convincing me." Ji Bonong's gaze deepened. "Tell me, what is your bargaining chip?"
Ji Zhixiu met her father's gaze and replied skeptically, "Didn't you already send someone to my room to take it?"
"How... How did you know?"
She copied the bookstore owner's habit and rested her chin on her two hands as she smiled delightedly while watching her father's shocked expression.
In the sky above, unseen to others, tentacles of an octopus-like essence extended all around, allowing Ji Zhixiu to have a clear grasp of everything going on in the house.
Ji Zhixiu pulled out the true Blood and Beast from within the 'ripped' flesh of her back and waved it. "This here is my bargaining chip."