"Miss, the Governor has arrived. The Marshal wants you to go out to meet the guest," Li Xin said respectfully.
Li Shuning found it a bit strange. The Governor was here, but what did it have to do with her?
"Sister Xin, did Father mention what this is about?"
"Miss, the Marshal didn't say anything."
Li Shuning frowned, tidied herself up a bit, and then, with Li Xin, went to the living room.
However, once they entered the living room, Li Xin was taken away by Li Junming, leaving only Li Bingyi and the Governor in the room.
Li Shuning had met Luo Bin before, but they had little interaction. Even Luo Bin's daughter didn't have a good relationship with Li Shuning. One could even say they were somewhat antagonistic.
After all, one was the Marshal's daughter, and the other was the Governor's daughter. Both were highly noticeable. But while Luo Jingjing looked ordinary, Li Shuning was quite good-looking.
Although Li Shuning didn't appear in public much due to physical reasons, she still attended some important and necessary banquets. In the past, both had appeared at a banquet, where Luo Jingjing was unfavorably compared.
Since then, Luo Jingjing had been quite hostile towards Li Shuning. Li Shuning wasn't without temper, so the relationship between the two could be described as quite poor.
However, these were just matters among the younger generation, and Li Shuning still maintained her courtesy in this regard.
"Uncle Luo," Li Shuning greeted with a bow.
"Xiao Ning, your father said you've already become a Spiritual Ability User and have even cultivated to the Third Layer. He's worried that your rapid advancement might cause issues, so he called me over. Although I'm not much stronger than you, I've had many years of experience. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Your father is truly good to you. But honestly, Xiao Ning is also good, unlike mine, whose temperament is impatient and isn't focused on cultivation."
Li Shuning feigned shyness, "Thank you, Uncle Luo. Sister Luo is very genuine."
She bowed again to Li Bingyi, "Thank you, Father."
Li Bingyi only nodded, his expression cold.
After Li Shuning sat down, Luo Bin began to engage her in conversation.
No wonder he was a Governor; he was very articulate and affable.
However, Li Shuning found it strange. She never had any connection with this Governor, and this random invite seemed absurd. The conversation was trivial, and it wasn't focused on cultivating. Why the change in topics? She remained vigilant internally, although her face showed no sign, and she nodded frequently, indicating agreement.
Luo Bin didn't immediately try to hypnotize Li Shuning; he was more composed and cautious. After all, Li Shuning had the Third Rank ability, with strong spiritual power. A failure would be unsightly.
Even though the Marshal called him here, if Li Shuning realized he was hypnotizing her, it wouldn't only be awkward but could also arouse her suspicion, so he had to be extremely careful.
As the conversation went on, Li Shuning sensed something amiss. It seemed Luo Bin intended to hypnotize her.
Not to mention, Li Shuning was far stronger than Luo Bin, being of Seventh Rank. Moreover, with her powerful spiritual force and the protection of the Jade Crystal, it was doubtful even a stronger individual could easily hypnotize her. It got interesting. Did her dear father know Luo Bin was trying to hypnotize her?
Nevertheless, Li Shuning maintained her composure and continued conversing with Luo Bin. She had hypnotized Li Xin before and knew from her previous world as a Hypnotist what it felt like to be hypnotized. Although the two worlds had different physiques and methods, the result was the same.
Gradually, Li Shuning's speech became hollow, her gaze vacant, and her body motionless.
Luo Bin sighed in relief. As expected, it was quite challenging to hypnotize a fellow Spiritual Ability User.
Luo Bin nodded at Li Bingyi, indicating it was done.
Li Bingyi coldly looked at Li Shuning, "Li Shuning, who took you into the Floating Building that day? What did you see?"
Knowing Li Shuning was successfully hypnotized, Li Bingyi surprisingly cast aside any facade, directly calling her name, looking at her as if she was a criminal.
"That day, when I entered the first layer of the Floating Building, I noticed the elevator door was open, so I walked in and ended up on the top floor without seeing anyone. I didn't know what was happening. Later, Uncle Ming came, and I got a bit anxious about how to leave. Accidentally, my hand touched the elevator door, and it opened."
Li Bingyi didn't expect that even under hypnosis, he couldn't get anything out of Li Shuning. Was he mistaken? Did Li Shuning truly have nothing to hide?
He asked a few more casual questions, to which Li Shuning answered conventionally, without any flaw, and Li Bingyi decided to drop it.
However, he was still unwilling to give up and asked, "What exactly is your cultivation level? Is there anything special about the Jade Crystal your mother left you?"
"I already have a Third Layer strength; the Jade Crystal my mother left records the cultivation method."
Li Bingyi felt very disappointed, as hypnotizing Li Shuning still revealed no useful information. Nonetheless, it showed that Li Shuning had nothing to hide from him.
Afterward, Luo Bin lifted the hypnotic state, and Li Shuning just closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Of course, this was her using spiritual power to force herself to sleep.
Li Bingyi called Li Junming to the living room to wait for Li Shuning to wake up while he took Luo Bin to the study for a private talk.
Once awakened, Li Shuning feigned some confusion, and Li Junming explained that discussing spiritual power use with Luo Bin was so exhausting that she fell asleep. Li Shuning didn't say anything more and returned to her room.
Back in her room, Li Shuning lowered her gaze, hiding the cold glint in her eyes.
Li Bingyi had a problem; no one would let someone hypnotize their daughter, and his demeanor post-hypnosis was quite unlike a father's care.
But even if she knew there was a problem, what could she do?
Li Shuning sighed, feeling somewhat helpless.
"Marshal, does the Miss have a problem?"
Li Bingyi shook his head, "It was for the Floating Building and just to be safe. Luo Bin, you too should enhance your abilities; our ambitions extend beyond just this Ninth-Level civilization planet."
"Marshal, rest assured, I will do my best, but it's a pity we couldn't acquire Madam's cultivation method back then."
"Hmph, that woman left only the Jade Crystal behind, and despite all our efforts, we can't access its contents. Since Li Shuning has already got the method, we will obtain it eventually."
"Yes, but we need to hurry. The Miss is, after all, a Spiritual Power Cultivator, and I was cautious not to risk any issues, so I didn't dare prolong her hypnosis. Otherwise, I would've questioned her right after hypnosis."