Li Fei looked up with a bright smile and said, “I finally guessed right. You’ve changed quite a bit!”
You’re the one who’s changed the most! Ji Tongzhou’s jaw nearly dropped. Was this even the same person? Had she swapped her head for a new one? Or reincarnated as a beauty? Where had she hidden that coal-black, rough-spoken tomboy?
“Jiang Li Fei?” he called out again, instinctively wanting to rub his eyes, wondering if something was wrong with his vision…
Ye Ye patted his shoulder sympathetically, “It’s her. We were also shocked at first.”
Ji Tongzhou was still in a state of shock, unable to speak for a while. Li Fei leaned in and waved her hand, “Are you stunned speechless?”
As she leaned in to speak, he suddenly caught a whiff of an enchanting, otherworldly fragrance. Looking down at her unfamiliar yet stunningly beautiful face, Ji Tongzhou felt a sudden awkwardness. He quickly averted his gaze, instinctively taking two steps back. Composing himself, he casually changed the subject, “Are you also here to compete for the new trial grounds? When did you arrive?”
Ye Ye smiled, “We just arrived not long ago. What about you? We thought you hadn’t come. Where were you earlier?”
“I was cultivating with Master at Jingyun Terrace and missed the others. Master and I arrived a bit later.”
As they were speaking, Bai Li Changyue slowly walked over from across the street. Seeing Ji Tongzhou, she smiled knowingly, “Your Highness hasn’t changed a bit.”
Ji Tongzhou had always been quite respectful towards Bai Li Changyue. He nodded slightly, but seeing the bustling street, he felt it was inconvenient for a reunion. He suggested, “Let’s talk at the inn. It’s quieter there.”
Ye Ye folded his arms and smiled, “So you’ve matured a bit. I thought you’d keep pestering Xiuyuan for a duel. Look, there’s a tavern across the street. How about it? Can you still drink?”
“Still think you can knock me out with two cups?” Ji Tongzhou raised an eyebrow and smirked, “We disciples of Star Rectitude Pavilion are all great drinkers!”
Great drinkers? Everyone burst into laughter. The young prince who used to pass out after two cups—had he been drinking daily just to become a great drinker?
After five years apart, they had endless topics to discuss. They chatted from the street to the tavern, and in the tavern from dawn till dusk. Lei Xiuyuan and Ye Ye remained unaffected by the alcohol, while Ji Tongzhou’s drinking capacity had indeed improved. With three or four empty wine jugs in front of him, he still conversed cheerfully and clearly, showing no signs of intoxication.
Li Fei watched with amusement as he poured wine, noticing his hand trembling slightly, spilling some liquor. She immediately laughed, “Don’t push yourself too hard, or Ye Ye will have to carry you back again.”
Ji Tongzhou once again felt that enchanting fragrance wash over him. He had only been slightly tipsy before but enveloped by this scent, he truly felt like he was about to get drunk. The almost completely unfamiliar young woman smiled at him in the lamplight. In the soft glow of the candles, she looked as if she were carved from jade, her smile subtle and indescribably charming and adorable. He felt another wave of awkwardness and unconsciously leaned back.
Damn, what had she just said? He hadn’t been paying attention at all. The once imposing prince immediately felt even more embarrassed.
This girl didn’t seem like Jiang Li Fei, but like a stranger, and he couldn’t adapt to it yet.
In Ji Tongzhou’s mind, girls were supposed to be like Lan Ya. He had previously equated Jiang Li Fei to a boy, then to something neither male nor female, and later he had completely ignored her gender.
After five years, she suddenly exuded a strong “girl” aura that he couldn’t ignore. The young prince was at a loss once again.
He needed time to adjust… Ji Tongzhou held his forehead and averted his gaze, coughing once before changing the subject again as if nothing had happened, “Since we’re in the East Sea, and it’s said that disciples from both mountain and sea factions will have contact, how come we don’t see Bai Li Gelin?”
At the mention of Bai Li Gelin, Ye Ye, and Bai Li Changyue’s eyes immediately lit up. Ye Ye smiled, “Since we’re already at the East Sea, we’ll see her sooner or later. I just hope she’s been diligent in her cultivation. If her cultivation level isn’t high enough, we might not see her this time.”
“Gelin has always been diligent in her cultivation,” Li Fei quickly defended her. “She never slacked off at the Academy either.”
Ye Ye chuckled, “She was always just playing around, never focusing on what mattered.”
Li Fei fell silent. The man before her didn’t truly understand the real Gelin. Or rather, he had never understood her, nor had he ever tried to. In his heart, Gelin was always just a little sister. He cared for her, was considerate towards her, and could shield her from the storms of life, but his heart was never truly with her. Perhaps this was the reason Gelin had made up her mind to leave.
Bai Li Changyue was lost in thought for a moment before saying softly, “I wonder what her centipede spirit looks like now.”
Everyone laughed at this. Ye Ye looked at Ji Tongzhou teasingly, “Tongzhou, are you still afraid of centipede spirits?”
Ji Tongzhou kept a straight face, “Who said I was ever afraid?”
Lei Xiuyuan calmly said, “Last time in the Academy’s forbidden area, the one whose leg was broken by the centipede spirit…”
Before he could finish, Ji Tongzhou clicked his tongue and reached out to flip Lei Xiuyuan’s wine cup. Lei Xiuyuan deftly avoided it with a twist of his wrist, but his other hand lightly tapped the table, causing Ji Tongzhou’s wine cup to jump up. As he was about to flick this cup away, Ji Tongzhou had already caught it. The two exchanged several moves in an instant, silent and lightning-fast.
As they started fighting again while talking, Li Fei moved the dishes on the table to prevent them from being damaged.
The two young men, not having seen each other for five years, had been pretending to be refined gentlemen all evening, but now that they started sparring, they couldn’t stop. They exchanged techniques for a while, but the tavern was too small for full-body movement. Moreover, they had been warned by the elders not to use celestial techniques for private duels outside. Suddenly, a golden light flashed from Lei Xiuyuan’s palm, and a tiny sword the size of a fingernail shot out, glowing and delicate, spinning and dancing while emitting a faint humming sound.
Ji Tongzhou opened his palm, and an extremely small, colorful fire lotus formed in his hand. It floated out lightly, entangling with the small flying sword. They chased each other up and down, looking more like a game than a duel.
Lei Xiuyuan gently waved his hand, and a small dark cloud appeared just above the fire lotus. A fine, misty spring rain fell, immediately dimming the bright flames of the small lotus. Ji Tongzhou snorted, and instantly, a light-winged bronze wall technique covered the fire lotus. Fine vines sprouted from the table, entangling the small flying sword. These vines, when cut, would immediately regrow, and they even spewed out thin flames. The small flying sword darted around, unable to escape its constraints. The next moment, golden light scattered across the table as the Tai’e technique instantly shredded all the vines.
Ji Tongzhou conjured another small fire lotus and flicked his finger, sending both fire lotuses chasing after the small flying sword. The sword nimbly dodged up and down, suddenly circling in front of Li Fei, humming as if seeking help. Seeing the two fire lotuses approaching swiftly, Li Fei raised her hand, and a thumb-sized water dragon spiraled out, entangling one of the small fire lotuses.
Ye Ye smiled, “How interesting!”
He flicked his fingers, and another small water dragon appeared, intertwining with Li Fei’s water dragon in an endless struggle. Changyue opened her palm, revealing another small flying sword, which circled the fire lotus several times. In an instant, fire lotuses, flying swords, and water dragons on the table were all engaged in their battles.
As the five were enjoying themselves, they suddenly heard laughter from the tavern entrance. It seemed several people were walking in, talking and laughing. Upon seeing the group at the table playing with small flying swords and fire lotuses, their laughter abruptly stopped.
A moment later, a man suddenly sneered, “Such childish play, like children’s games! What’s there to see?”
The five immediately dispelled their techniques and turned to look. At the tavern entrance stood several young people in strange attire, three men and one woman, each emanating waves of spiritual energy—clearly disciples of a celestial sect.
The five immediately looked at the girl, seeing that while she was quite beautiful, her features were somewhat coarse. She was not Bai Li Gelin as they had hoped, and they all felt a bit disappointed.
Seeing them turn to stare at the girl and then all show disappointed expressions, the newcomers immediately became angry. The female disciple, hot-tempered, stepped forward and shouted, “What are you looking at?!”
Ye Ye stood up, cupped his hands, and apologized, “We’re sorry. We have a friend cultivating at the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly whom we haven’t seen for years. We didn’t know if she had come, so we lost our composure just now.”
The leading male disciple sneered, “East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly? How laughable. You Central Plains bumpkins, do you think the Myriad Immortals Assembly is the only cultivation sect near the East Sea?”
Seeing his provocative attitude, Ji Tongzhou frowned but managed to restrain himself. This was their territory, and the elders had strictly warned against any conflicts in this area. The five of them simply pretended not to hear.
However, the man continued, “The cities within a thousand miles and the islands within a thousand miles of sea are all territory of our Guangsheng Assembly! Remember that well!”
The five continued to pretend they hadn’t heard. As the newcomers arrogantly found a table and ordered wine, Ye Ye whispered, “The sea faction’s style is indeed strange. Their cultivation sects are so close to the mundane world. Could it be that each sect has its cities and sea territories?”
Lei Xiuyuan pondered silently. These people were disciples of the Guangsheng Assembly. They had recognized them as being from the Central Plains but showed no surprise. It seemed that the disciples of the various sea faction sects also knew about the mountain faction’s arrival. Staying here for three days, they were waiting not only for the mountain faction disciples but probably also for the sea faction disciples… He could roughly guess what the so-called duels might entail.
After a few cups of wine, the Guangsheng Assembly disciples spoke even louder. One laughed boisterously, “Mentioning the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly in our Guangsheng Assembly’s territory! In my opinion, those useless people from the Myriad Immortals Assembly probably don’t even dare to come this time!”
The female disciple also laughed, “Last time when they tried to compete with us for the demon cinnabar fruit, didn’t they all end up crying for their parents?”
“How did the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly cry for their parents? Show us an imitation!”
A woman’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the tavern, indescribably alluring and soft, making one’s heart skip a beat. The door curtain was lifted, and a young woman gracefully entered. In the dim tavern light, her long hair cascaded down to her waist like a cloud. She wore a light red dress that exposed her arms and a glimpse of her snow-white waist, her figure extremely graceful.
The male disciples of the Guangsheng Assembly never expected the one to interject would be such a beauty. Near the East Sea, everyone had dark skin, but her fair, jade-like slender waist and arms were truly captivating. They immediately fell silent.
The young woman walked in, tilting her head and scanning them. Suddenly, she smiled faintly and said, “When it comes to speaking ill behind others’ backs, the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly indeed can’t match the Guangsheng Assembly. We concede defeat on that front.”
The female disciple angrily retorted, “The Myriad Immortals Assembly is quite skilled at eavesdropping too! Who let you in?!”
The young woman sneered, “I just happened to overhear as I was passing by. What’s wrong? Does your family own this tavern? Am I not allowed to enter?”
She looked around nonchalantly, and when she turned to Li Fei’s group, the firelight suddenly flickered. They saw her lotus-like face with shallow dimples, looking both mischievous and charming.