Li Fei steadied the conical hat on her head and looked up at the sky. The setting sun indicated another day had passed in vain.
She sighed deeply, found a secluded spot to land, and immediately transformed Xi Zhi Horn into a black donkey. Concealing her spiritual energy, she mounted the donkey and slowly proceeded along the mountain path. She should reach Duantu before nightfall.
Several days ago, Lei Xiuyuan had suddenly left alone. After hastily pursuing him for half a day without success, she could only leave a letter at the Ganhua Realm. Using an illusion technique to disguise herself as a village girl, she sets out to search for him.
She cautiously lingered around the Wuyue Court for a long time but heard no news. She then went to the East Sea, where immortals were everywhere. She searched for Bai Lige Lin with utmost caution but heard that the disciples of the Sea Sect had already been evacuated. Even more shocking was the news that Xuan Shanzi had been ambushed and killed by people from the Longming Seat. Due to the impending sea catastrophe, the major immortal sects couldn’t spare the effort to deal with this matter and had to leave it unresolved for now.
It didn’t take much imagination to guess what would happen to the State of Yue now that Xuan Shanzi was dead and the major immortal sects couldn’t spare the resources to restrain the Longming Seat. Unable to find Lei Xiuyuan and the others, and having heard no rumors about the Yaksha, Li Fei could only come to Duantu first to assess the situation.
The black donkey carried her, swaying into Duantu. Surprisingly, this capital of the State of Yue remained as prosperous as ever, showing no signs of war or rampant Longming Seat members. Could it be that the Longming Seat hadn’t taken action yet?
As Li Fei approached the residence of Duke Ying, she noticed that the dense spiritual energy net above the mansion had been breached, leaving a large hole. With her spiritual energy concealed, she couldn’t sense the energy fluctuations inside. She could only linger at the mansion’s entrance, squinting to observe closely.
The guards at the gate saw an ugly village girl on a donkey straining to look inside and immediately shouted to drive her away, “Get lost! How dare a filthy thing like you stand at the Duke’s gate?”
Li Fei pondered for a moment, then dismounted and asked, “Is your Duke here?”
Seeing her approach, the guards raised their weapons and sternly warned, “Don’t come any closer!”
These guards were still so discriminatory. Li Fei frowned but didn’t want to cause a commotion that might draw attention. She stepped back a few paces and asked, “May I inquire if Duke Ying is present?”
After asking several times without a response, Li Fei had no choice but to mount her donkey and leave. She hadn’t gone far when she heard a woman’s voice from inside the mansion, “I can hear you all quarreling from inside. The Duke is reading. Keep quiet and don’t disturb him.”
The Duke was in? Li Fei turned back and said, “Um… I’d like to see Duke Ying. Could you please inform him?”
As she spoke, she glanced inside the gate and saw the girl who had just spoken wearing a pale tea-colored dress with a hairpin adorned with a red lotus. Li Fei was startled, then blushed, suddenly no longer wanting to enter.
Before the guards could react, the girl spoke gently, “Do you have business with the Duke?”
Li Fei shook her head, “No… it’s nothing… never mind.”
The guards angrily exclaimed, “This village girl has been loitering at the gate for ages, always asking if the Duke is in! Miss Miao Qing asks her, and she says it’s nothing. She looks very suspicious! She might be a spy from Wu Gou’s side! We can’t let her go! Seize her for questioning!”
Li Fei was caught off guard as they swarmed her. She didn’t dare use immortal techniques in such a large city, as any spiritual energy fluctuations might be detected and cause trouble. She was carried into the mansion like a chicken, all the way to the central courtyard. Someone had already informed the steward inside. The second steward glanced at her casually and waved his hand, “If she’s acting so suspiciously, why bother asking? Drag her out and kill her!”
Were all the people in the Duke’s mansion so arrogant and cruel? Li Fei was furious and was about to use her fist and sword techniques to break free when she saw a young man in luxurious clothes approaching from the central courtyard. His black hair fell to his shoulders, and he carried himself with grace and elegance. It was Ji Tongzhou. He was talking to Miao Qing beside him, not even looking in her direction.
Li Fei immediately called out loudly, “Ji Tongzhou!”
He was startled and turned to look at her. His expression changed from shock to wild joy, then quickly darkened, before finally settling into impassivity.
“How dare you call the Duke by his name!” The guards were terrified and hurried to cover her mouth. But they saw the young Duke slowly walk over and wave his hand, saying calmly, “Step back.”
He stared at Li Fei for a long time, then suddenly smiled with derision, “Why are you disguised like this again? Are you addicted to playing the village girl?”
Li Fei forced a laugh, “Some troublesome matters… you should know about them.”
Ji Tongzhou led her into his courtyard. His room was still as luxurious as ever, though the curtain hooks had all been replaced with crystal ones. Books and the intricate toys she had seen in his childhood were scattered messily on the table. Li Fei sat upright in a chair, eyes fixed straight ahead. After a while, a beautiful maidservant brought tea. She stole a glance and saw it wasn’t Miao Qing, who resembled her and couldn’t help but feel relieved.
“I know about the expulsion order too. I’ve been looking for you all for several days without any news,” Ji Tongzhou pushed the enamel teacup in front of her and picked up his cup with proper etiquette. “You dared to come out alone. Don’t you know you’re now wanted by all the major immortal sects? Ten thousand silver taels and ten exclusive immortal techniques from Wuyue Court. You’re quite valuable.”
She’s even got a bounty on her head? Li Fei inwardly sighed, “I just came to see how you were doing. I heard Elder Xuan Shanzi was killed… but I’m glad you’re alright. I can’t stay long, I’m afraid I’ll cause you trouble. I’ll leave after finishing this cup of tea.”
Ji Tongzhou raised an eyebrow, “Where’s Lei Xiuyuan? How could he let you come out alone?”
Li Fei pondered for a moment, “It’s a long story. It seems my identity has been exposed.”
She recounted the incident of Chong Yi Zhenren and Su Wan being imprisoned, all the while observing his reaction. His face remained impassive, showing neither surprise nor shock. To be honest, this calm and profound Ji Tongzhou was truly unfathomable.
After listening, he only asked in a low voice, “Who leaked the information?”
Li Fei shook her head, “I don’t know. Perhaps it wasn’t leaked by someone. Immortal Cui Xuan has been suspicious of me for a long time.”
Ji Tongzhou said nothing, lowering his head to slowly take a sip of tea. Li Fei didn’t know what to say for a moment. His reaction was very strange. Although he was physically present, it felt as if his mind was elsewhere, and he was only perfunctorily listening to her words. Unable to sit like this any longer, she simply stood up and said, “Never mind, I should go. I’m relieved to see you’re alright.”
As she pushed open the door, Ji Tongzhou suddenly called out, “Jiang Li Fei.”
“What?” She turned back.
“Why didn’t you ask if it was me who leaked the information?”
Li Fei paused for a moment, staring at him, “… Was it you who leaked it?”
“What kind of person do you think I am?”
Li Fei was stunned. She lowered her head and thought for a long time before softly saying, “You’ve… changed a lot. I don’t know.”
Ji Tongzhou put down his teacup, walked a few steps toward her, and slowly said, “You think I like you, so I wouldn’t harm you. Are you secretly pleased? Someone who would risk their life for you, quietly exit when you’re in love with someone else, and unconditionally help you when you’re alone and helpless — is that the kind of person you think I am?”
Li Fei’s gaze gradually turned cold. She said seriously, “You know very well whether I see you that way or not. Don’t think everyone should tolerate your capriciousness. At least in matters of the heart, I have a clear conscience towards everyone.”
Ji Tongzhou smiled coldly, “You’re always so high and mighty with me. Is it because I like you? So you feel you can act with impunity? Why did you come to see me? To see how I’m doing, if I’m heartbroken?”
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh at his questions, meeting his gaze with mockery, “Ridiculous. You look down on yourself in your heart, that’s why you feel others are high and mighty. From beginning to end, you’re the only one being capricious. You like me, so I must pay attention to you. When you’re unhappy, others must be unhappy too. When you feel good, you show a good face, and when you don’t, you deliberately pick fights. Do you think you’re still a three-year-old child?”
Ji Tongzhou laughed loudly for a while, his gaze cold, “I’m tired of your cruel yet righteous facade. How about I shatter it?”
He suddenly gripped her face. Li Fei felt as if her jawbone was about to be crushed. The pain made her slap him, but suddenly her head buzzed. She lost her balance, feeling dizzy — the tea! There was something in the tea!
She bit her tongue hard, trying to use the intense pain to stay awake, but it was useless. Countless tiny fragments seemed to be falling like snow before her eyes, and the dizziness grew worse. Li Fei used her last ounce of strength to push Ji Tongzhou away. Her body slammed against the door, and she tumbled out, rolling down the steps.
The vast night enveloped the entire courtyard. The maids and servants who had been in the courtyard earlier had all vanished. Li Fei tried to circulate her spiritual energy, but it wouldn’t obey her. She desperately widened her eyes. Through her blurry vision obscured by countless snowflakes, she saw Ji Tongzhou slowly crouch down. His eyes held the ferocity of a man-eating beast as he looked at her coldly.
“I risked my life for you once. Now it’s time for you to repay me.”
Was it him? Was he the one who leaked the secret? This thought barely flashed through Li Fei’s mind before she was swallowed by endless darkness.