The clamor on the battlefield suddenly grew louder. Terrified screams, bewildered exclamations, and agonized wails filled the air incessantly. Wu Gou’s side was thrown into panic by the sudden assistance of immortal magic, with soldiers retreating like the ebbing tide.
Bai Ligelin, riding her centipede spirit, wanted to pursue further, but Lu Li quickly grabbed her from behind. He sounded exasperated: “Have you gone mad?! Interfering in these matters without permission – do you want to be severely punished?!”
Without the approval of the elders and immortals, cultivating disciples was forbidden from intervening in mortal battlefields or matters of regime change. Minor offenses could result in years of facing the wall in meditation, while severe cases might lead to beatings or even expulsion from the sect. Before departure, the elders had repeatedly instructed them to maintain a low profile and be humble while in the Central Plains. Yet she had committed such a grave error right from the start.
Seeing Bai Ligelin’s pale face and eyes filled with flames of hatred, Lu Li was secretly shocked. As she struggled fiercely, Lu Li simply gripped the back of her neck with his five fingers, slowly infusing water-element spiritual energy to calm her turbulent emotions.
After a long while, Bai Ligelin finally calmed down. Countless people on the battlefield looked at her with either reverence or resentment. She remained silent for a moment, then suddenly gently pushed away Lu Li’s hand. The centipede spirit once again flew high, turning direction and speeding towards the capital, Duantu.
“Bai Ligelin!” Lu Li called out to her sternly from behind.
As long as it didn’t involve annoying matters of love, this Senior Brother Lu would become an extremely proper and serious person, specializing in lecturing those juniors who made mistakes. Her carefree nature had been the target of his lectures most often in the past.
Bai Ligelin didn’t look back, saying softly: “I was impulsive. Old grudges and new resentments came up together, and I couldn’t hold back. I’ll go to the elders to accept punishment later.”
“I don’t want to hear you talk about accepting punishment,” Lu Li stared at her slender back. “What old grudges and new resentments?”
He didn’t know enough about her past. Although she had once chattered about a lot, it was all trivial anecdotes. This fragile yet incredibly strong girl – he couldn’t grasp the thread of her life.
Bai Ligelin glanced at him, a faint smile on her face tinged with light mockery: “What’s this? Aren’t you afraid I’m just feigning weakness again?”
He awkwardly averted his gaze, but quickly turned back to meet her eyes seriously: “Tell me about it.”
“…Next time,” Bai Ligelin sighed softly. “There are more urgent matters at hand.”
Ji Tongzhou held a jade wine bottle in one hand and rolled up the long sleeve of his ornate robe with the other. He slowly filled four cups of wine, then lightly flicked his fingers, causing three jade cups full of fine wine to land steadily in front of Ye Ye and the others, without spilling a drop.
“This is a fine wine that has been treasured in my royal mansion for ten years. Last time you came, it wasn’t ready yet, but this year it’s just right.”
His tone was leisurely and his expression calm as he raised his cup with a smile: “I didn’t expect you to come to Duantu. I thought we might not meet again for years after this parting, yet we’ve met again so quickly. I toast to you all.”
Ye Ye held his wine cup, his face showing confusion and hesitation. On their journey to Duantu, they witnessed Wu Gou’s invasion at the borders of the Yue Kingdom, and Lu Gong Town was even filled with disciples of Long Ming Zuo. They had thought Ji Tongzhou would surely be restless and agitated, unable to eat or sleep. Who would have thought he would be sitting comfortably in his royal mansion, with fine wine and delicacies, and even what seemed to be a beautiful woman hidden behind the gauze curtains of the inner chamber?
Ye Ye pondered: “Tongzhou, could it be that you already have a foolproof plan?”
Long Ming Zuo was likely taking advantage of the chaos to plunder. For Ji Tongzhou to be so calm, surely Elder Xuan Shanzi at the rear must have come up with a countermeasure. However, it was strange. Ji Tongzhou had never been a steady person; he would get angry when he wanted to and laugh when he felt like it. At this moment, there wasn’t a hint of worry on his face. He was even so leisurely – it was completely at odds with his usual personality.
Ji Tongzhou smiled without answering the question. Across from him, Su Wan was unaware of the complexities of the situation. Having finished her wine, she was busy admiring the luxurious sights of the royal mansion. Seeing the exquisite jade curtain hooks, she couldn’t help but walk over to play with them in her hands.
Ji Tongzhou glanced at her. The girl standing by the window suddenly seemed to transform into another small, thin girl. Back then, she had also played with the curtain hooks in such an inexperienced manner. He unconsciously reached into his sleeve pocket, but the purple jade cricket was no longer there.
He took out a small oriole made of white jade and poured the wine from his cup into its mouth. Soon, the white jade oriole began to emit clear, melodious chirping sounds, immediately attracting Su Wan’s attention.
“Play with this instead. What’s so interesting about curtain hooks?” The young prince smiled slightly at her, placing the chirping white jade oriole in Su Wan’s palm.
Su Wan was both impressed and surprised: “I never thought someone like you would carry such little trinkets.”
Ji Tongzhou smiled: “There’s even more – Miao Qing.”
A woman’s voice immediately responded from behind the gauze curtains of the inner chamber: “Yes, Miao Qing is here.”
“Bring that box here.”
“Yes.”
Hearing the girl’s gentle and melodious voice, clearly that of a young woman, Ye Ye couldn’t help but smile a bit suggestively. So Ji Tongzhou had finally started to enjoy such pleasures?
The gauze curtains of the inner chamber were gently lifted, and a beautiful young woman in a tea-white dress came forward respectfully, carrying a small sandalwood box. She knelt on the ground, holding up the wooden box, and said softly: “Your Highness, Miao Qing has brought it.”
Ye Ye was slightly startled when he saw her attire – a tea-white dress with black trim at the collar, and a red hibiscus pinned by her ear. Such a familiar outfit! When she raised her head, he was even more surprised. This girl’s features were somewhat similar to Li Fei’s, especially that faintly smiling demeanor, which made her seem full of spirit.
A flash of realization struck him, and he immediately turned to look at Bai Changyue. She also had a thoughtful expression on her face. It would have been better not to realize, but once he understood, he felt rather awkward. He had to pretend not to have noticed and turned away to continue drinking.
Ji Tongzhou opened the sandalwood box. Inside were many small trinkets, all things that Jiang Li Fei had once cherished. For all these years, every month these toys would be carefully wiped clean and stored away again. Six years had passed, yet they still looked as good as new.
Su Wan, oblivious to the situation, was about to lean in for a closer look when she noticed from the corner of her eye that the girl’s outfit seemed familiar. She glanced casually, then suddenly exclaimed: “Li Fei?! Oh, no… um, pretend I didn’t say anything…”
She looked at Ji Tongzhou awkwardly, but he showed no reaction, his expression remaining calm. He simply waved his hand, dismissing Miao Qing back to the inner chamber, and took out a small bronze bird from the box, handing it to Su Wan.
Su Wan was no longer in the mood to play with these trinkets. She turned back awkwardly to look at Ye Ye and the others. Bai Changyue shook her head and suddenly spoke: “Your Highness, deceiving yourself is not a good thing.”
Ji Tongzhou seemed not to have heard. He poured wine from the bottle into a jade bowl. The bronze oriole in his palm suddenly moved, lowering its head to drink from the bowl, then began to chirp. He smiled, just as he had years ago: “Isn’t this more interesting?”
Su Wan was about to speak when suddenly there was a commotion outside, followed by hurried, chaotic footsteps approaching. The steward outside anxiously and fearfully exclaimed: “Reporting to Your Highness, His Majesty…”
Before he could finish, the door was forcefully pushed open. The Emperor of Yue Kingdom stumbled in, seemingly having rushed over in such haste that his clothes were disheveled, and he was even missing a shoe on one foot. He staggered over and grabbed Ji Tongzhou, gasping for air as if he couldn’t breathe, and said hoarsely: “Tongzhou! The news that Master Xuan Shan has passed away… is it true?!”
At these words, Ye Ye and the others immediately stood up in shock. No wonder there were so many Long Ming Zuo disciples in Lu Gong Town, no wonder the borders of Yue Kingdom were in such chaos! Xuan Shanzi was dead? An elder immortal, clearly not yet at the end of his lifespan, how could he suddenly die?
Ji Tongzhou supported the Emperor’s arm, his expression still calm, and said softly to comfort him: “Brother Emperor, there’s no need to panic. Sit down and catch your breath first.”
The Emperor clung to him tightly, his eyes full of despair, repeatedly asking: “Is he dead? Dead?!”
Ji Tongzhou said calmly: “Yes, indeed he’s dead. Ambushed by Long Ming Zuo’s Zong Quan. I sent the body back to Xing Zheng Hall myself.”
The Emperor collapsed to the ground, no longer able to move, only mumbling: “What to do… it’s all over now… everything is over…”
Ji Tongzhou stopped comforting him and quietly sat back in his chair, pouring another cup of wine.
Ye Ye exclaimed in shock: “Tongzhou! Why didn’t you tell us?”
Xuan Shanzi had died before his eyes, and he had even sent the body back himself. Long Ming Zuo was provoking trouble everywhere, and the borders of the Yue Kingdom were unstable. How could he manage to stay in the royal mansion, enjoying fine food and wine so calmly? Was the person before them still the Ji Tongzhou they knew?
Ji Tongzhou looked up at him. Everyone felt his gaze was as calm as deep water, yet seemingly hiding countless violent and crazy thoughts. His voice was soft: “What use would it be to tell you?”
Ye Ye found it unbelievable: “We’re friends. Did you want to bear this burden alone?”
Ji Tongzhou suddenly laughed: “Bear it together? Get beaten half to death together by the immortals of Long Ming Zuo, then encourage each other and shed tears over the true feelings of humanity?”
Ye Ye abruptly closed his surprised lips. He frowned at this unfamiliar Ji Tongzhou before him. When something happened to the Yue Kingdom, Ji Tongzhou would surely go mad. He was indeed going mad, but not in the way they had imagined. The youth who had fought for his life against the disciples of Long Ming Zuo in the East Sea trial grounds was like a weak beast that wanted to roar. Now, this beast no longer roared, and this silence was even more unsettling than madness.
“…What do you plan to do?” Ye Ye cut to the chase without further ado.
Ji Tongzhou drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, then lightly kicked the Emperor, who was lying on the ground crying incessantly, and said softly: “Stop crying. It’s noisy.”
The Emperor wailed as he clung to his leg, trembling as he spoke: “Tongzhou! Tongzhou! What should we do? What should we do?!”
This long, piercing cry was like steel needles stabbing into his skull, causing unbearable pain. Ji Tongzhou picked up the wine bottle to pour again, but it was already empty. He called out loudly: “Someone, go to the cellar and fetch more wine.”
After calling several times, there was only dead silence outside. Ji Tongzhou glanced out, seeing several stewards and a group of servants running around aimlessly in the distance. His expression turned cold, and he suddenly shot out like an arrow, grabbing the head steward by the back of his collar and throwing him down hard from a height. The head steward landed on the ground with his limbs splayed out. After a moment of twitching, a pool of blood stained the white stone tiles, and he gradually stopped moving.
The panicked people finally stopped, frozen in place with terror. Ji Tongzhou said coldly: “No more chaos. Return to your positions – anyone who steps one foot outside the royal mansion gates will be considered a traitor.”