Chapter 28 Bravery And Fear
Jessica asked, “Then you definitely won’t blame Yasmin, right?”
“Of course,” replied Jonathan.
“All right. In that case, you should leave now.” She stood up and smirked mischievously. “A single man and woman spending time in a private building by themselves make for unpleasant rumors.”
Jessica’s words rendered Jonathan speechless for a second before he stood up. “Okay.”
She sent him out to the mansion’s entrance. After he was a few steps away from the building, she shouted, “Jonathan!”
When he turned back to look at her perplexedly, Jessica grabbed his hand and pressed it on her chest.
At that instant, Jonathan’s hand felt a soft sensation that had an indescribable fullness and elasticity to it.
It shocked him so much that he was petrified.
An incredibly shy expression appeared on her red face as she asked, “Is this enough for you to know if I’m wearing any paddings underneath?”
Jonathan was barely able to squeeze out words from his mouth. “Yes. You’re not wearing any-”
“Then scram!” Jessica immediately and, embarrassingly, pushed him away from the entrance before slamming the door shut. The warmth of her body still lingered on his hand. Am I dreaming right now? I can’t believe she would suddenly do that, despite how shrewish and shy she usually is. In any case, she definitely isn’t wearing any paddings underneath her shirt. It’s absolutely the real deal! If only I can feel it for a little longer…
After that, Jonathan drove his AMC Gremlin back to his place.
When he arrived, he did not see Jennifer anywhere and assumed she had already left.
Jonathan did not give it too much thought as he sat on the bed. The gears in his mind began to turn as he wondered what he should do in the future due to what happened today.
The Strikezone Martial Arts was a tightly knitted group that resembled a hornet’s nest. He was not afraid of them, but if he slipped up, innocent people would be hurt.
After a long period of brainstorming, Jonathan still had no idea what to do. I’ll just have to cross the bridge when I get there.
Jonathan had always been a tenacious and optimistic man. He lay on the bed and fell asleep shortly.
When he woke up, it was already five in the afternoon.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and began utilizing the Celestial Meditation Mantra again. His mind was as silent as a fetus floating in a womb. Nothing in the world could disturb him at the moment.
Jonathan breathed in a mouthful of spirit and held it inside him, making it travel through his entire body. Every time the spirit coursed through his veins, it strengthened his body even further.
At that moment, his cultivation had reached Peak Neutralizing Force. If he went one step further, he would have achieved Immortal Level.
However, that step was going to be very difficult.
It was the gap between a mortal and an immortal. Once he crossed the gap, he would transform into an immortal.
Neutralizing Force was a process to transform the Force in his body into strength. External Force was an incredible power. In this world, all kinds of great power were considered External Force. Mountain floods and a normal person’s punch were also considered External Force.
Latent Force, on the other hand, was something that only a human could reach. Compressing the strength of a punch to the size of a needle was how an expert in Latent Force could release a punch that weighed a hundred kilograms. If a hundred kilograms of force hit an elephant, the animal would shrug it off with no problem.
An expert in Latent Force could compress that hundred kilograms of force into something as sharp as an arrow. That kind of punch would instantly pierce through the elephant’s tough skin and crush its internal organs.
As for Neutralizing Force, that was one step further. Assuming there was a brick lying on the ground, and a piece of bread was placed on top of it, an expert in Neutralizing Force could punch the bread and only damage the brick.
That was how powerful Neutralizing Force was.
An expert in External Force would be considered God-like if their punch could reach three hundred kilograms of force.
An expert in Latent Force could control their body and modify it to deliver a punch that reached five hundred kilograms of force.
For an expert in Neutralizing Force, they could pack eight hundred kilograms of force into a single fist.
When it came to the level of an immortal, one would be able to focus their entire body’s Force into a single pill.
In other words, that person would be known as a Nascent Soul expert.
Once Nascent Soul was achieved, the person would be able to use all their strength to compress their vitality into a singular point that would be capable of unparalleled destructive power.
Jonathan had been stuck at Peak Neutralizing Force for three years, and still, he could not take the final step.
It made sense since he rarely met any true Nascent Soul experts over the years. Only a few people like those existed in the world.
Jonathan cultivated for about an hour before his spirit was restored to its best condition. At that moment, his phone rang. It was from Jennifer.
Jennifer spoke with a pleasant voice once the call connected. “You must be hungry right now. I’ve already made some food at my place. You can come over and eat with me.”
Jonathan smiled and agreed, “All right.”
He tidied things in his room up before setting off.
After arriving at her home, he saw a table full of delicious food waiting for him.
There was also wine on the table and music playing in the background.
The music that was playing was a song by Maggie Downie called “Love Letter.” The singer’s voice carried a faint sense of intoxicating romantic emotion.
“How much of my youth I have left? I still miss those days, despite the pain. That occasionally used comb was left with the threads of time. I wish you were living in a better world. Whenever I recall your smile, my eyes shifted back to the love letter back then. Time passes, and leaves fall. Youth slips out of my hand…”
Jonathan was thoroughly enjoying the song. He might be a loudmouth, but he was not a brute. The song mesmerized him. It was as though the song was trying to take him back to the time of his first love.
Jennifer was wearing a black dress that exposed her collarbone and gave her a refined, elegant look. She poured wine into the cups after they took their seats.
The atmosphere today was a little different from before.
In the past, Jonathan was the loud and perverted security guard.
Today, he was a martial arts master and a killer.
It was not a big deal to Jonathan that he killed someone in a battle, but it was incredibly shocking to Jennifer.
There was an awkward silence in the air.
Jonathan raised his wine cup and took a sip.
It was then he realized Jennifer was staring rather intensely at him. It stunned him a little as he stared back at her.
There was a complicated look in her eyes for a few seconds before she retracted her gaze. “Do you believe it, Jonathan?”
“Believe what?” He was confused.
Jennifer smiled. “I once thought I was a princess, like the main character of a fairy tale. You know, kind of like those female protagonists in soap operas.”
Jonathan blinked and smiled. “Every boy probably dreamed of being a superhero or a prince before, so it’s only normal that girls thought about being a princess.”
“It’s not like that. I was always the campus belle and a top student from elementary school to university. There were many people who chased after my love. I was basically worshipped by most boys who laid their eyes on me. Many of the excellent boys will get overjoyed just because I spoke to them once. Because of that, I always thought I was blessed by fate and that I was the main character. I thought whoever ended up with me will be as brilliant as the stars.”
Jonathan listened to her tale quietly.
She paused and smiled self-deprecatingly. Then, she continued in a pitiful tone, “I couldn’t be any more wrong. Reality gave me a wake-up call and told me I was a blind woman. I insisted on marrying Wesley, and this is what I get in return. I brought it upon myself. There were many nights when I would dream I was back in my university years. When I did, I wanted to cry. I wasn’t the main character. I was just a stupid and ordinary woman.”
“Don’t talk about yourself like that, Jennifer,” he comforted, “In my eyes, you’re more outstanding than any woman I’ve met before.”
Jennifer stared at Jonathan with a complicated look. “I thought about a lot of things today. Do you know that, Jonathan?”
“What’s the conclusion you came to?” He could see the struggle in her mind.
“I was blind when I chose Wesley. Now, I know you’re an amazing person. I also know going as far away from you as possible is the best I should do. Besides, you aren’t going to bother me if I leave. I can tell you’re a prideful man. If I do that, I know we won’t cross each other’s path again, and I’ll no longer get into any trouble. But, I kept thinking about it for a long time and wondered maybe you’re the second chance the heavens have decided to give me. Am I going to make the wrong choice with Wesley and also miss out on you? No. I want to give myself another chance.”
Jonathan’s heart instantly went into a frenzy of excitement and fervor. He did not need to figure out what Jennifer meant because she was being really obvious about it.
“Jennifer…” He spoke with a trembling, gleeful voice. However, he quickly calmed himself down and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll bring you a lot of trouble?”
She shook her head. “I’m not afraid.” Jennifer paused before continuing, “I only need you to promise me one thing.”
“What is it?” There was eagerness in his voice.
“Can we still interact with each other like we used to? I need time to think about many other things, and I’m not prepared yet. I think you know about my situation, so you need time to think through it too, right?”
He was taken aback for a second before saying, “I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”
After the meal was over, Jonathan drove back to his place.
It was already night at that point, so the night sky was beautifully decorated with stars and the moon.
He went into deep thought. I’ve always done whatever I wanted. I do like Jennifer, and I like her body even more. However, that was the extent of my love for her. I’ve never thought anything deeper than that about her. For example, her circumstances and future. But now, after what had happened, I mustn’t avoid carefully thinking about who she is. Jennifer is someone who had experienced a failed marriage before. She can’t afford to go through another one. If I want to be with her, then I must marry her and provide her with a happy future. It is my responsibility to do so if I want to walk down this path.
Jennifer was different from any other women he met before.
In the past, he would just play around and have fun with the women he hooked up with as long as they had a good time too. Obviously, he was not going to do the same with Jennifer.
He was twenty-six years old at the moment. Ever since he was a child, he lived with his master because he had no parents. When Jonathan grew up, he wandered around other countries and killed as he pleased. The thought of getting married, having a child, and being in a family never crossed his mind.
Those things were like distant dreams to him.
Therefore, he was afraid when he thought about his potential future with Jennifer. It scared him that getting married would mean he would lose the freedom he had gotten used to. However, at the same time, he really liked Jennifer. Even more so for her body.
Because of that, Jonathan could not sleep well as he was tormented by those questions and scenarios.
It was not until the next morning that he made up his mind. Jonathan’s decision was to keep his distance away from Jennifer until their feelings for each other faded. When that happened, he would leave.
He was a free spirit, a gust of wind that refused to and could not be shackled down by anyone.
