Chapter 279: A Side Stop.

  After performing her first good deed, Jing led Li Li outside of the sect. The two of them wandered through the forest in a good mood. Jing somewhat excited to see how one of her schemes worked out while Li Li was just happy to be with his mom alone. It's been a while since she's left the Golden Serpent Sect but at the same time, it hasn't been that long. Just a few weeks or so.

"Where are we going now?" Li Li asked.

"To meet up with an old friend and see how he's doing." Jing answered.

"Old friend?" Li Li didn't know his mom had any friends! What was she talking about?!

"Mhmm. You already know him but he won't know you." Jing grinned.

"Who is it!?" Li Li was confused! His little refined owl brain spun as he thought of all the people he met in his life and couldn't figure out who she was talking about.

"You'll see." Jing just continued to smile.

  Li Li began to bounce around as he started listing off names one by one even if they didn't make much sense.

"Drill?" Li Li guessed.

"Why wouldn't Drill recognize you?" Jing asked back.

"I don't know! I'm just guessing!"

"Well, you don't need to guess. You'll find out very soon." Jing ruffled his white hair.

  Eventually, their surroundings began to change. The vibrant green Immortal Forest suddenly transformed around them. Previously, they were surrounded by thick giant trees that couldn't be held together by 5 people, fields of greenery all over the forest ground, and sometimes fearsome sometimes not-so-fearsome spirit beasts roaming about. But now, the giant trees were dwarfed by the size of even bigger trees. These trees glowed with a slight green aura and carried huge blue fruit radiating with water qi.

  Just as soon as Jing and Li Li stepped into this part of the forest, they were immediately attacked by some strange beast! Jing didn't even bother to respond to the creature while Li Li fiercely retaliated against the spirit beast. An invisible force crashed into the green exoskeleton of the insect and smashed it to paste. The mother-son duo continued moving deeper into this unusually lively section of the Immortal Forest.

"Isn't this where you died, mom?" Li Li suddenly remembered.

"That's right." Jing nodded. "Reduced to nothing but a pile of blood."

"Is that why this place feels so weird?" Li Li felt comfortable but at the same time not while exploring this place.

"Mhmm." Jing felt quite comfortable in this place actually. Too comfortable.

  It was like she was walking upon another part of herself. If she embraced the dirt beneath her feet, would she be hugging herself as well? Maybe she can turn this place into her own personal home away from home... Turn it into an enclosed structure by forming a special array around it, place SCP-184 inside it to expand its inner structure for a few weeks or months or perhaps years, and build something inside of it. It would be the perfect base.

"Your blood! That's why everything is so much better in here compared to outside!" Li Li excitedly realized.

"That's correct. Good job." Jing praised him for his logical thinking.

  Just as Jing was about to give him a refined Geek candy, a massive log appeared above her, coming down to crush both her and Li Li to nothing but messy bits of innards. Jing's eyes instantly caught sight of this sudden attack but at the same time, it wasn't just a single attack. It was a three-pronged attack. By air, frontal, and her sides. The log came from above, lightning snaked out like a net as it came for Jing from both sides, and a tidal wave of water surged from her front.

"Not bad." She complimented. "If this was anyone else at my realm, this would be enough to kill them three times over." Jing didn't move a step as she conjured water around her.

  Four incredibly clear droplets of water circled around Jing and shot out at blinding speeds. A hole was torn through the giant log while the rest of the droplets nullified the other attacks. Li Li exclaimed when he saw the person holding the log. Jing struck her leg out and a projectile of qi smashed into the assailant's chest, sending him flying away.

"Fuck..." He coughed blood as he smashed into a tree.

"You've gotten strong." Jing stepped on his chest, the sound of his ribs cracking could be heard.

"I love you..." The sound of his breathing got lower and lower as Jing seemed to be increasing the pressure in her foot.

"Hu Tao!?" Li Li exclaimed.

"You had a kid in the time I've been gone, you fucking slut!?" Hu Tao howled like a crazed beast as he grabbed Jing's ankle and slowly began to lift it.

"Have you forgotten your place, mutt?" Jing kicked Hu Tao across the face and dislocated his jaw. "What I do or who I do is none of your concern." She stomped his stomach, crushing him into the ground.

"Bhwdhadlad hadla! Alwmdaidm!" Hu Tao tried talking with his dislocated jaw.

"You may have your affections for me, but that doesn't mean I am yours to claim and own. Nor am I someone you can insult at your leisure. I am your master, and you are my slave. Never forget that." Jing stared deep into the eyes of Hu Tao.

  Unfortunately, there was no sense of fear, pain, or anything that could excite her about disciplining this slave. The only thing behind the eyes of this slave was an overwhelming adoration, lust, and innocent sense of love. With a sigh and a small smile, she tossed a refined recovery pill into his mouth and stepped off of him. Despite how annoying Hu Tao was to the other angels, Jing had quite the soft spot for the vulgar, crass, and wild mutt. He was very useful and Jing loved useful.

"How has the business expanded?" Jing asked.

"No. Tell me what's up with the fucking kid. I ain't saying shit till I get an explanation." Hu Tao stood his ground.

"I am his mother and he has no father. Take that as you will." Jing answered him.

"..." Hu Tao brain paused as he tried to comprehend this explanation.

"Hu Tao! It's me! Li Li! You don't remember me!?" Li Li asked.

"Never seen a brat like you in my life." He answered bluntly.

"What about now?!" Li Li transformed into his original snow owl form and flew around him.

"Oh. He's a fucking spirit beast that can transform into a human?! But his qi is at the Qi Consolidation realm. He isn't an Earthly Immortal. Only spirit beasts at the Earthly Immortal Realm can create their human form. What the fuck?" Hu Tao couldn't understand the flying owl the more he heard about him. "This isn't our Hu Tao..." Li Li was starting to understand.

"That's right. He's a clone." Jing revealed.

"But I'm even better than the original, isn't that right babe?" Hu Tao grinned.

"Mhm." Jing decided not to comment. They were both useful. "Answer my question. I won't ask a second time." Jing threatened as Li Li landed on her shoulder.

"Shit's going perfectly, babe." Hu Tao casually strolled over, placed his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her cheek.

"Oof!" Jing's elbow into his gut dropped him to his knees.

"How has the expansion gone? Have you run into any trouble so far?"

"Hehehe..." Drool leaked from his mouth as he clutched his stomach. "The Nine Swords Sect and Blossoming Water Palace haven't directly got involved but the groups under them are trying to give us trouble. But nothing I can't handle, just a few greedy little assholes trying to sniff out some money from us." Hu Tao explained.

"What about those under you? Do you need pills, martial arts, some additional funds? How are they fairing so far?"

"Those little assholes could use some better martial arts if you got some. We can buy the other stuff from what we're selling from this part of the Immortal Forest."

"Take this." Jing started to drop multiple books from her storage ring onto the ground.

  Berserker's Rage, a cultivation technique from the system, an unnamed sky-ranked blacksmith manual, Mantis Kung Fu, Refining the Heavens, a sky-ranked pill refining method, a nameless brown book that Jing suspected was an invaluable martial art, and some wristbands that Jing placed directly on Hu Tao's wrists.

"Hell yeah! Now, this is what I'm talking about babe! Did I ever tell you I love the shit out of you?!" Hu Tao crawled on his hands and knees and began kissing Jing's feet while putting the techniques into his storage ring, rightfully bought with a large amount of money he's made by selling the products in this forest.

"Hm. If you run into any trouble just make sure to contact me." Jing wasn't displeased by having her feet kissed by Hu Tao.

  However, she had to stop him once he started licking her toes. Her son was right next to her! Jing kicked him away and continued her train of thought. "Remember, expand, expand, expand. I want the Heavenly Association Group to sell everything, take everything, and have everyone wanting our products. If there is a market we don't have, buy it or hire people skilled in that trade. Got it?"

"I got a brain like an elephant and if I can't remember, my right-hand man will." Hu Tao chuckled.

"So that's who he was." Jing let the water droplet hanging over the head of the little peeper fall onto their bald head.

"Thank you for sparing me, Lord Jing." The small monk bowed his head as he came out into the opening.

"There is no need for false loyalty in front of me. I understand that your allegiance is with Hu Tao and not myself." Jing waved off his performance. She could feel his killing intent earlier when she was stepping on Hu Tao's chest.

"That's great. It saves me the effort." The little monk stood next to Hu Tao's side.

"..." Li Li glared at the man. He didn't like his attitude towards his mom.

"Both of you take this as a reward for your efforts so far." Jing tossed two things at the duo.

  Hu Tao caught his with one hand while the monk's gift smacked his forehead and sent him flying into a tree.

"Oooh. Using a bow isn't really my style but since it's a gift from my baby, I guess I could put it to good use." Hu Tao admired the colorful green and yellow bow.

"I apologize for my behavior Lord Jing..." The little monk realized that the boss of his boss was not someone to be disrespected despite their appearance. He clutched the bottle with the single glowing emerald pill inside and placed it within his robes.

"There won't be a second time. I'm leaving now. Work hard and more rewards will come in the future." Jing and Li Li disappeared with a movement spell.

"I love that crazy woman..." Hu Tao sighed.

"I don't see what you see in her." His right-hand man responded.

"Some men can recognize greatness at a glance." Hu Tao replied.

"Oi, what the hell are you trying to say, Boss?!"