Ji Tongzhou responded coolly and efficiently, “Senior Sister Su, you flatter me. It was merely a coincidence.”
Su Wan looked at him thoughtfully. A coincidence? If obtaining Xuanhua Fire was just a coincidence, countless fire-attribute spiritual root cultivators would be laughing in their dreams. People’s personalities determine their spiritual root attributes. For instance, water-attribute spiritual root users tend to be meticulous, while wood-attribute spiritual root users are often lively and outgoing. However, personalities are ever-changing, and even among those with the same attributes, there are countless differences.
Fire-attribute spiritual root users are typically as intense as fire itself, and Xuanhua Fire is the ultimate manifestation of this temperament. Because of this, it has a mixed reputation. This prince is certainly not as indifferent as he appears on the surface, which makes him even more dangerous.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the way he looked at Li Fei was fundamentally different from how he looked at others. Moreover, despite being close friends for many years, the atmosphere among them was unusually cold upon meeting. Su Wan glanced back at Lei Xiuyuan. Although Lei was usually a man of few words, today he seemed particularly different.
Wanting to help Li Fei escape the current awkward silence, and also curious to see the legendary Xuanhua Fire, she smiled and said, “Although I’m considered your senior sister in terms of seniority, my cultivation is far behind Junior Brother Ji’s. If you don’t mind, would you be willing to give me some pointers in a friendly match?”
Her words were very polite, implying that she was asking for his guidance. Ji Tongzhou couldn’t refuse and stepped forward with cupped hands, “I wouldn’t dare. Then, please excuse my rudeness, Senior Sister Su. Please instruct me.”
He walked out of the pavilion and stood solemnly in the center of the courtyard. With a wave of his hand, a layer of Floating Enchantment Fire appeared around him. Although everyone recognized this basic celestial technique, the flames surrounding him were black, creating a shocking sight. After Li Fei had refined her magical weapon, her sensitivity to spiritual energy had increased significantly. There was an ominous, almost manic aura within the black fire that instilled fear in one’s heart.
Su Wan exclaimed, “Impressive!”
She had not yet broken through the third bottleneck and could only attack with fire lotuses and fire dragons. Her usually bright and intense flames seemed pale and weak in the face of the silent black fire. Su Wan, undaunted, concentrated a fire lotus in her palm and flicked it toward Ji Tongzhou with her fingertip.
Ji Tongzhou didn’t dodge but gently caught it. The blood-red fire lotus hovered and spun in his palm, twirling a dozen times before suddenly turning black. Su Wan’s expression changed slightly as she saw him flick the now-black fire lotus back at her. She didn’t dare touch it and quickly dodged. The fire lotus flew towards the ancestral hall – if it hit, the hall would likely be destroyed in an instant!
In the next moment, a wall of pitch-black fire suddenly appeared in front of the ancestral hall. The fire lotus crashed into the wall and merged with it, without even a single flame escaping. Su Wan immediately understood the vast difference in their abilities, realizing she couldn’t possibly match him. She wisely conceded, bowing with a smile, “Junior Brother Ji’s cultivation is impressive. I admit defeat.”
Just as Ji Tongzhou was about to speak, a soft, cheerful voice suddenly rang out from atop the ancestral hall’s wall, “Why did you stop? I was enjoying the show!”
Everyone was startled. Despite their current level of cultivation making them highly sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations, no one had sensed the sudden appearance of the girl on the wall. Li Fei looked up to see a woman shrouded in green mist sitting on the wall. The mist alternated between thick and thin, moving as if it had a life of its own. Even at such proximity, she still couldn’t sense a trace of spiritual energy from her.
“Gelin!” Li Fei exclaimed, both surprised and delighted. She had indeed come! What was this green mist about?
The swirling mist became very thin, revealing a charming and delicate lotus-like face behind it. It was indeed Bai Li Gelin. She smiled, her eyes narrowing, and chattered away, “You recognized me right away! I was hoping to give you all a scare! Li Fei! Lei Xiuyuan! Ji Tongzhou! Oh! Is this… the Princess? And this is…?”
As she spoke, she nimbly jumped down from the wall and darted to everyone’s side. Up close, they realized that the green things around her weren’t mist at all, but a swarm of extremely tiny creatures. Princess Lan Ya immediately changed color and hastily stepped back. Ji Tongzhou steadied her, “Don’t be afraid, it’s just the Sea Sect’s beast-taming technique.”
With Bai Li Gelin’s arrival, the cold atmosphere immediately became noisy. She talked, laughed, and gesticulated, “These little monsters are my pets. They can block spiritual energy, perfect for hiding. Interesting, right? Ji Tongzhou, why did you bring the Princess? Wait, don’t tell me you and the Princess are like Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan, paired as Dao companions? Oh right, who’s this young lady?”
Ji Tongzhou frowned, “What exactly do you want to know? Ask one question at a time!”
Bai Li Gelin glared at him, “So fierce! Fine, I’ll ask first, why did you bring the Princess?” She smiled at Princess Lan Ya as a greeting.
Lan Ya turned her head away in displeasure. How dare she speak to the Prince in such a disrespectful manner!
Ji Tongzhou seemed a bit impatient, “Is there a problem with bringing her? What about you? No news for a year, what have you been up to?”
Seeing Bai Li Gelin directly ignore his question, Li Fei spoke up, “Gelin, why haven’t we heard from you for a year? Do you know how worried Chang Yue has been? If you hadn’t come to this gathering, we were planning to go to the East Sea to find you together.”
Bai Li Gelin grinned, “That’s a long story, I’ll tell you when we have time. How come you all arrived first? I thought Sister and Ye Xie would be the first to arrive! That’s rare. Oh right, you suddenly wrote to me saying you and Lei Xiuyuan became Dao companions, it gave me a shock! Hey, Lei Xiuyuan over there! What kind of dog luck did you have? Oh, and who is that young lady? Introduce her quickly!”
Ji Tongzhou, annoyed by her chatter, swept his sleeve and walked into the pavilion. Su Wan could barely hold back her laughter. The legendary charming female disciple of the Sea Sect – she had finally met her! Bai Li Gelin’s personality was exactly to her liking, just as she had imagined!
She immediately started chattering away with Bai Li Gelin, their voices combined making even Li Fei a bit overwhelmed. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise, though she had many questions she wanted to ask.
Seeing Lei Xiuyuan pinch one of her little monsters and examine it with interest, Bai Li Gelin hurriedly said, “Don’t kill it! You’re too rough! They’re very difficult to raise!”
As she spoke, she quickly withdrew her technique, and the little monsters instantly turned into a paper talisman, which she tucked into her sleeve. Lei Xiuyuan glanced at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on a new chain around her neck. It was a pendant of a nine-headed bird, with an ancient and mysterious design, very different from her usual style.
Bai Li Gelin inconspicuously tucked the pendant into her collar and looked up at the sky. It was nearly dusk. She stretched lazily and said loudly, “I’m exhausted from rushing here. Let’s find an inn to rest! Looks like Sister and Ye Xie will be late this time. We’ll make them treat us to a meal later.”
It was rare for those two to be late. Back at the academy, no matter what the six of them were doing together, Ye Xie and Bai Li Chang Yue were always the first to arrive.
Without Ye Xie to mediate and keep Bai Li Gelin in check, she and Su Wan chattered non-stop to the only inn in town. Finally, she quieted down for a moment, looking up at the red lanterns hanging from the inn’s eaves. She chuckled softly, “It’s been seven years. We stayed here when we first passed the second selection too.”
Ji Tongzhou asked for rooms and went up first. The noise had given him a headache, and he needed some peace…
Seeing that Lan Ya wasn’t staying with him, Bai Li Gelin whispered, “They’re not Dao companions? Then why bring the Princess? She doesn’t fit in at all.”
No one answered her question. Bai Li Gelin sensed something off about the atmosphere among them. After a brief thought, she seemed to understand and quickly changed the subject, “Well, I’ll sleep with Sister Su tonight. Li Fei, since you and Lei Xiuyuan are Dao companions now, you two can share a room!”
Li Fei saw her about to leave with Su Wan and quickly stopped her, “Wait, I have something to tell you.”
But Bai Li Gelin wouldn’t stay. She had already dragged Su Wan into the guest room and closed the door. Her laughter could be heard from behind the door, “I’m more interested in Sister Su today! Li Fei, you can chat with your dear Xiuyuan!”
She was truly slippery. Li Fei frowned, standing there for a while before reluctantly entering her room.
Ji Tongzhou lowered the curtains and was about to change and rest when there was a gentle knock on the door. He paused for a moment before slowly opening it. A waft of elegant fragrance came with the wind, and Princess Lan Ya stood formally dressed at the door. She had dressed up, with all her bangs tied up, revealing her snow-white, full forehead. This sight suddenly made his heart skip a beat.
He remembered Ji Fei from the illusion.
“Your Highness,” she tried her best to hide her shyness, curtsying gracefully, her voice soft and low, “May Lan Ya have the honor of enjoying tea and admiring the moon with Your Highness?”
Ji Tongzhou’s gaze was deep as he stared at her silently. Lan Ya, unable to bear his ambiguous gaze, lowered her head. Even her neck had turned red.
“Your Highness?” Seeing he still didn’t speak, she could only ask softly.
Ji Tongzhou suddenly let out a long sigh. He leaned against the doorframe and reached out to flick the hairpin hanging at her forehead. The pearl immediately began to tremble.
“…Don’t wear this hairstyle next time,” his voice was cold and indifferent.
Lan Ya was bewildered. What did he mean? Was there something wrong with her attire? This was the orthodox court style of the Yue Kingdom!
Ji Tongzhou wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was fixed on some unknown point, and his voice sounded distant, “I can’t give you what you want right now. But if it’s just pleasure you seek, then come in.”
Lan Ya’s face instantly turned pale. She had never suffered such humiliation before. Even if the person giving her this humiliation was the high and mighty Prince Ying, she couldn’t bear it. She trembled as she spoke, “Your Highness, Lan Ya is not a lowly woman. I only seek the true heart for a true heart. If you have no intention, so be it, but why must you humiliate me?”
Ji Tongzhou said flatly, “I apologize. So, in the future, don’t say such pleasing words either. I don’t like to hear them.”
Pleasing words? What did he mean? Lan Ya was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t recall what overly pleasing words she had said to him. From a young age, she had been accustomed to saying all sorts of agreeable and pleasing things to him, never contradicting him in the slightest. But what did he want? Why did he never truly smile at her? She had no idea what this prince truly desired in his heart.
“Have you ever seen the look in a woman’s eyes when she truly likes someone?” Ji Tongzhou lifted her chin, looking down at her.
He had seen that look before – that soul-stirring, gut-wrenching, all-consuming focus. He had received such a gaze in his dreams, only to wake up and see that person directing the same look at someone else.
Once you’ve seen it, you understand that when you truly love someone, there’s that kind of focus.
“You may go now.”
Ji Tongzhou gently pushed her away and closed the door.