Li Fei gently stroked the purple jade cricket, but in the end, it returned to his hands.
Ji Tongzhou was somewhat surprised. “I’m giving it to you; don’t you want it?”
Li Fei smiled and replied, “As the saying goes, ‘courtesy demands reciprocity.’ I don’t have anything of much value to return to you. Thank you for your kind gesture!”
Ji Tongzhou found it even more puzzling. “It’s my possession; I can give it to whomever I please. When did I ever ask for a return gift?”
After all, he was a precious little prince, capricious to the extreme. When he was generous, it was equally extravagant. No wonder he had never had a true friend by his side; everyone around him was merely a sycophant. Those who didn’t understand him must have thought he was just showing off.
Li Fei pondered for a moment and finally took the purple jade cricket back to play with it, saying, “Then let me borrow it for a couple of days. It would be a waste to give it to me; I might accidentally damage it, which would be a pity.”
Seeing how enamored he was with a single purple jade cricket, Ji Tongzhou found it amusing. The little beggar had indeed seen little of the world. He excitedly exclaimed, “Wait here; I’ll get you something even more interesting!”
He rushed back to his room, rummaging through his belongings, and pulled out all the childhood toys he had hidden at the bottom of his chest. He had been pampered since he was a child, and the Emperor would often send him rare items, even if it meant giving up something for himself. Over the years, he had accumulated countless boxes of treasures, which he would usually play with for a few days before asking someone to put them away. However, he was surprised to find that Jiang Li Fei was amazed by this and that, and even he began to find it fun.
Before long, the table was piled high with all sorts of peculiar items. The most exquisite was a small bronze oriole, only the size of a thumb, standing lifelike on a white jade perch. In front of it was a small basin of water, and every hour, it would lower its head as if to drink, and after finishing, it would chirp a delightful tune, the sound crisp and pleasant.
Li Fei held the bronze oriole, turning it over in his hands for a long time, unable to believe it wasn’t enchanted by some magical technique. Just as Ji Tongzhou was about to explain the intricate mechanisms inside, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside, followed by a low voice calling, “Your Highness.”
Ji Tongzhou opened the door to find the third steward of the royal residence bowing at the entrance. Upon seeing him, the steward immediately knelt and reported, “Your Highness, a letter has just arrived from the young servants waiting for esteemed guests at the post station. They said it was sent by several disciples of the cultivation sects. They didn’t dare delay and brought it here for your perusal.”
A letter? Could it be from Ye Ye? Ji Tongzhou felt puzzled as he took the snow-white envelope, ready to open it, but Li Fei urged, “Wait to open it!”
Ji Tongzhou was slightly startled. “What’s wrong?”
No one answered him. Lei Xiuyuan snatched the envelope, releasing his spiritual energy to examine it carefully. After finding no traces of spiritual energy residue on the letter, he handed it back to Ji Tongzhou. Li Fei frowned and said, “Your Highness, you’re being too careless. Don’t you check incoming letters? What if someone placed a charm on the paper?”
Ji Tongzhou looked at her as if she were an idiot. “Someone checked it before; it was confirmed to be safe before it was delivered.”
Li Fei coughed lightly. Indeed, the royal residence was heavily guarded, but what if Zhen Yunzi was still intent on using a letter charm? They couldn’t tell him about Zhen Yunzi’s matter. Ji Tongzhou would go to the Xingzheng Pavilion later and inform him about it, but that would only drag him into trouble.
Ji Tongzhou quickly read through the letter, and suddenly a look of shock and anger appeared on his face. He exclaimed, “How outrageous! To be so brazen within the borders of my Yue Kingdom! Quickly send a message to Mr. Suquan at the Xingzheng Pavilion! Ask him to come immediately!”
The third steward immediately agreed and hurried away.
Li Fei took the letter and examined it closely. The content was unremarkable, merely inquiring about his well-being and mentioning that several esteemed guests of the prince were to be sent away for a few days. The crucial part was the signature—Long Mingzuo, a disciple of the Elder Zongquan of Wuzhang Mountain.
Long Mingzuo was the very sect that supported the Wu Gou Kingdom, which had destroyed Gaolu. The Elder Zongquan, who held immense power within the sect, was a member of the Wu Gou royal family. It was clear that this letter, though seemingly polite and humble in wording, was a provocation. Ye Ye and the others must be in danger!
“We should go to the post station first!”
Li Fei dashed outside, and Ji Tongzhou was unwilling to fall behind. However, dressed in his luxurious robes, he found it exhausting to walk. By the time he changed into lighter clothing and emerged, Li Fei had already reached the post station.
Outside the post station stood two disciples in Daoist robes, members of Long Mingzuo. Meanwhile, the royal carriage stationed at the post station had its door wide open, and several royal servants huddled helplessly to the side, watching as other disciples from Long Mingzuo searched the carriage inside and out.
Li Fei was somewhat taken aback. These Long Mingzuo people were too arrogant! This was the territory of the Yue Kingdom, and they dared to block the post station and search the royal carriage in broad daylight. Did they not fear incurring the wrath of the Yue Kingdom? Moreover, the Yue Kingdom had the Xingzheng Pavilion’s Xuan Shanzi overseeing it. Although Long Mingzuo was a major sect, how could they compare to the Xingzheng Pavilion?
After pondering for a moment, Lei Xiuyuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, “We are disciples of the Chufeng Academy. This carriage belongs to our friend. May I ask what your intentions are?”
Upon hearing that they were from the academy, the Long Mingzuo disciples scrutinized them. After a while, one of the leading disciples returned the bow and spoke with unexpected elegance and humility, “Ah, it turns out to be young friends from the immortal sect. You may not be aware, but we are here on the orders of Elder Zongquan of Wuzhang Mountain to search for Wu Gou fugitives. We have tracked them from Wu Gou to the Yue Kingdom. We learned that the esteemed prince is acquainted with these fugitives, and we fear they may be dangerous, alarming your Highness. Thus, we are conducting this inquiry. We have heard that Your Highness is also a practitioner of the immortal path, and surely you will be understanding and not hinder us in executing the elder’s orders.”
Li Fei was secretly astonished. From their words, it seemed that Ye Ye and the others had been pursued by Long Mingzuo since returning to Gaolu! Did Long Mingzuo not know that Ye Ye and the others were also disciples of the academy? How could they be so brazenly provocative?
Lei Xiuyuan replied, “The fugitives you are pursuing are likely acquaintances of ours, also disciples of the academy. With the new disciple selection approaching, it would not be appropriate for your sect to pursue academy disciples, would it?”
The Long Mingzuo disciple laughed, “Young friend, you jest. How could fugitives be academy disciples? We have never heard of such a thing. Please do not tarnish the academy’s reputation.”
They were feigning ignorance! Just as Li Fei was about to speak, a loud commotion of footsteps erupted from behind. Ji Tongzhou’s cold voice rang out, “Surround the post station! No suspicious individuals are allowed to enter or exit! We will thoroughly interrogate the matter once Mr. Suquan arrives!”
Everyone turned to see a throng of heavily armored guards rushing in, surrounding the poststation tightly. Ji Tongzhou stood at a distance, silent and indifferent, not even glancing at the Long Mingzuo disciples.
The Long Mingzuo disciples exchanged glances, and the leader stepped forward with a smile, saying, “This must be the esteemed prince of the Yue Kingdom. I am a disciple of Elder Zongquan of Long Mingzuo. We have no intention of offending…”
Before he could finish, Ji Tongzhou’s steward interrupted, “Please wait a moment, esteemed disciples of the immortal sect. Once Mr. Suquan from the Xingzheng Pavilion arrives, everything will be clarified.”
The young prince was seething with anger, too proud to even utter a word to them, only allowing the steward to convey his message.
Upon hearing the name “Mr. Suquan,” the Long Mingzuo disciples’ expressions changed slightly. Mr. Suquan was the most capable disciple of the Xuanmen Elder Xuan Shanzi from the Xingzheng Pavilion, rumored to be on the verge of breaking through to become immortal. He was one of the most valued disciples in the talent-rich Xingzheng Pavilion, and it would be unwise to offend him.
For a moment, the atmosphere became tense. Li Fei felt increasingly uneasy about the situation. After a long pause, she whispered, “I wonder where Ge Lin and the others are… Could it be…”
Ji Tongzhou’s expression darkened further upon hearing her words. Lei Xiuyuan, seeing their despondent faces, shook his head, “They have surely not fallen into the hands of the Long Mingzuo disciples; otherwise, why would they still be surrounding the post station and searching the carriage?”
Ji Tongzhou said coldly, “They know that Ye Ye and I are friends, yet they dare to claim ignorance about them being academy disciples! What nonsense!”
This was precisely the oddity of the situation. Even if the Long Mingzuo disciples disregarded the academy, they should still be wary of the Xingzheng Pavilion’s influence behind the Yue Kingdom. This provocation, while appearing humble in speech, seemed to be deliberately stirring trouble, hinting at deeper intentions.
Initially, they thought that the formidable Mr. Suquan would arrive soon, but to their surprise, they waited for over an hour without seeing a single figure. The expressions of the Long Mingzuo disciples gradually revealed ambiguous smiles.
Before long, a figure rushed in from the street corner; it was another steward from the royal residence. He leaned close to Ji Tongzhou and whispered a few words. Ji Tongzhou’s expression changed immediately, and he said, “You all stay here.”
After saying that, he turned to leave. Unexpectedly, a Long Mingzuo disciple called out from behind, “Your Highness, may I ask if Mr. Suquan can spare a moment to meet us? We have been waiting for quite some time.”
Ji Tongzhou remained silent, and the steward urged, “Please wait a moment, esteemed disciples. There’s no need to rush!”
The Long Mingzuo disciple smiled, “Apologies, but we also have urgent matters to attend to. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Your Highness, are you returning to the residence? May we accompany you? The Wu Gou fugitives may infiltrate the residence, and we cannot allow them to disturb the peace of the royal residence.”
The steward was immediately furious. “Although the immortal sect does not place much importance on mortal identities, the prince is still a prince! Are you being too rude?”
Before he could finish, the Long Mingzuo disciples soared into the air, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The surrounding guards could do nothing to stop the flying cultivators, only watching helplessly as they flew away, seemingly heading toward the royal residence.
Ji Tongzhou was furious and immediately took to the skies, his sword glowing with flames. He could hardly contain his anger, wishing to strike immediately. However, no matter what, this was the capital of the Yue Kingdom, and as the prince, he could not lose his composure here. Gradually, the flames around him subsided.
Li Fei and the others caught up from behind, and Ji Tongzhou whispered, “Ye Ye and the others have arrived; fortunately, they are unharmed.”