“What?!”
He Tunan spun around abruptly, his expression instantly freezing!
Tian Ji had a long, tearful face, his voice trembling with panic. “Senior Brother, that’s not all... Word is spreading outside that those six were the notorious 『Six Cangwu Demons』, monsters on the Prefectural Governor's Mansion's 『Demon-Slaying List』!”
“Junior Brother... Junior Brother Shen, alone with his sword, cut down five of those demons!”
“Only one, Ding Hong, remained. He was held back by Duan Hongling, who intended to wait for sect experts to reinforce them. But who would have thought...”
Tian Ji swallowed hard, his eyes darting away. “The Academy Head happened to return to the island and ran right into them! Ding Hong had his cultivation crippled and limbs broken on the spot, and the Academy Head dragged him off to the Law Enforcement Hall!”
He Tunan's cheeks twitched violently, and his heart began to race. “Master Wen... has returned to the island?!”
Wen Qingye spent most of his time traveling abroad, returning to the Tingquan Academy only a handful of times a year. Why on earth did he have to return today?
Forcing down the rising unease in his chest, He Tunan pressed further, “Do you know where Master Wen is right now? I must go pay my respects to him!”
Tian Ji lowered his gaze, not quite daring to look at him. “They... they said he went to the Law Enforcement Hall first for interrogation, and once he came out, he headed straight for the Logistics Hall...”
“The Logistics Hall...”
He Tunan muttered, his sense of dread growing heavier.
The Logistics Hall was responsible for assigning duties and deploying personnel.
For Wen Qingye to go straight there after leaving the Law Enforcement Hall...
Could it be because of Shen Xiuhan?
“Senior Brother...”
Tian Ji spoke in a trembling voice, barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. “The Academy Head rarely interferes in mundane affairs, but for him to personally visit the Logistics Hall this time, could it be for Junior Brother Shen...”
“What are you panicking for?!”
He Tunan ground his teeth and sharply cut him off.
He whipped his head around, his gaze boring into Tian Ji's face like a knife as he said, word by word, “Shen Xiuhan's assignment to the Precious Fish pond was handled by the Logistics Hall according to the rules. Have you got that memorized?”
Shaken to the core, Tian Ji trembled and said repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes! This junior brother will remember, I will absolutely remember...”
Right at that moment, footsteps echoed from outside the hall. A guarding disciple strode forward and announced loudly from the entrance, “By order of the Academy Head, He Tunan of the Affairs Hall is to report to Tingtao Courtyard immediately for an audience!”
He Tunan's face twitched violently, and his heart pounded betrayingly against his ribs!
...
In Nanxiang Prefecture Capital, inside an elegant private room of the Feixia Restaurant.
Outside the window lay the bustling, bright lights of the city, while inside, brocade curtains, pearl drapes, soft daybeds, and embroidered screens exuded an air of wealth and luxury.
The sandalwood table was laden with precious dishes and spiritual wines, including delicacies like “Frost-Patterned Snow Swallow” and “White Jade Spirit Mushroom.”
Yet Ji Xue, seated at the table, had absolutely no appetite.
Dressed in a misty-green Suzhou-embroidered gown, her dark hair styled into a drifting-cloud bun, she rested her chin on a delicate hand. Leaning back with a trace of exhaustion, she stared blankly out the window.
At the same time, she half-heartedly listened to the lively chatter of the young ladies from the prefecture capital sitting beside her.
“Sister Ling...”
“I heard you were at the Governor's Mansion yesterday and saw Wang Xuanmin of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion duel Feng Wuque of the Bixia Villa's Sword Lineage with your own eyes?”
“How did it turn out?”
The speaker was Zeng Wanran, the fifth young lady of the Zeng family. She peeled a sugar-coated candied fruit and popped it between her red lips, her almond eyes wide with curiosity.
Sitting opposite her was Wang Ling'er, the daughter of Vice Governor Wang, a civil official in the Prefectural Governor's Mansion. Clad in a goose-yellow, gold-woven dress, she carried herself with an air of elegance.
Hearing the question, she set down her teacup, a poised smile playing on her lips as she replied unhurriedly, “Naturally, the second young master of the Wang family was superior.”
“The decline of Bixia Villa's Sword Lineage is an indisputable fact.”
“Though Young Master Feng Wuque is also ranked among the ‘Seven Elegances’ and has decent swordsmanship, he has yet to comprehend sword-glow. How could he possibly be a match for Young Master Wang?”
“However...”
“Young Master Wang is, after all, hailed as the leader of the Seven Elegances!”
“Even without using sword-glow, his swordsmanship alone is astonishing. It was only after they traded over a hundred blows that Feng Wuque showed signs of defeat, so he could be said to have lost gracefully.”
“As expected...”
Zeng Wanran's beautiful eyes lit up. Cupping her face in her hands, she spoke with undisguised admiration, “Young Master Xuanmin is not only one of the Seven Elegances but also a core disciple of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion and the second young master of the Zhendong General.”
“Such a dragon among men... I wonder what kind of heavenly beauty will be worthy of such a young hero in the future.”
Hearing this, Wang Ling'er cast a playful glance at her and covered her mouth with a giggle. “You little flirt, has your heart been stirred?”
“If you're really longing for a man, you might as well wander around the major taverns in the prefecture capital. If you're lucky, you might even run into the top core disciple of Bixia Villa's Qi Lineage, Young Master Linghu, who is ranked among the ‘Four Prodigies.’”
“When the time comes, don't say your sister didn't give you a heads-up.”
“Oh, Sister Ling, stop teasing me!”
Zeng Wanran's face flushed crimson as she reached out to tickle Wang Ling'er's waist, and the two girls dissolved into giggles.
The sweet laughter and playful banter beside her sounded like the chirping of orioles, but to Ji Xue's ears, they only deepened her heavy melancholy.
Lately, the Ji family's businesses and merchant fleets in the prefecture capital had repeatedly suffered unexpected disasters.
One day, a cargo ship would be seized at the docks and delayed for several days, only to be fined a trivial amount under some fabricated pretext; the next day, a few dilapidated boats would suddenly emerge on the lake to block their path, forcing them to shell out more silver for safe passage.
Each incident was minor but frequent, like a blunt knife slowly sawing through flesh, causing endless frustration.
Because of this, Ji Shuying had specifically withdrawn the Patrol Envoys and guards from Yunyi Island, sending them along with two Anjin Rank guest elders to the prefecture capital in an attempt to deter these petty troublemakers with force.
Yet it yielded very little result.
In truth, everyone in the Ji family had their suspicions; there was bound to be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes!
But so what if they guessed it?
Without a Huajin Rank master personally guarding them, or a genius from a prestigious background backing them, the hidden hand behind the scenes had absolutely nothing to fear!
In her desperation, Ji Xue had no choice but to seek connections everywhere, sending heavy gifts to find a way out.
Yet, for some reason, the various influential families and nobles in the prefecture capital all brushed the Ji family off with perfunctory excuses, keeping their distance.
Fortunately, her hard work paid off!
After hitting walls for several consecutive days, she finally received a suggestive hint from a disciple of the Huo family, another century-old clan in Nanxiang Prefecture.
“The second disciple of Tingquan Academy... is quite displeased about your family cutting off his annual retainer.”
Her suspicions were finally confirmed.
Ji Xue felt no sense of sudden realization—only a wave of icy coldness washing over her heart.
Our Ji family pays the He family an annual retainer, and your He family handles trouble for us in return. It is a perfectly natural and fair transaction.
Yet you, He Tunan, took our money and resources, only to play dumb when the critical moment arrived!
You let my cousin Ji Ning get beaten into a state of critical injury, to the point where the Tinggong acupoint he had just condensed was shattered, and his cultivation plummeted by an entire layer!
Your He family took the money but failed to deliver. And now, you won't even allow our family to find our own way to survive and switch allegiances?!
Where in the world is the sense in that?!
Sitting on her wooden chair, Ji Xue clenched her teeth, her chest swelling with a resentment so intense it felt ready to explode. Yet she forced herself to swallow it down!
For no other reason than...
In front of these noble daughters, she could not lose her composure, show weakness, or let others make a mockery of the Ji family.
Beside her, Zeng Wanran and Wang Ling'er quietly exchanged a brief glance before quickly averting their eyes.
Rate on N.U.
