Changyun County.
Ji Mansion.
Ji Shuying sat behind her writing desk, clutching the intelligence report that had just been sent back from the prefecture capital.
Though it was only a few thin pages, she read it word by word three times. Her full chest heaved for a moment before she raised her voice:
“Someone, go invite Ji Ning to see me!”
Before long, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the study.
Ji Ning pushed open the door and entered. His face still bore some of the paleness of a recent recovery from illness, but his eyes had regained some of their spirit.
As soon as he entered, he bowed with clasped hands. “Family Head, you wished to see me.”
Ji Shuying handed the report over. “Take a look.”
Ji Ning received it with both hands. As his gaze swept across the page, his brow suddenly furrowed.
He read it once, and then couldn't help but read it again from the beginning. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, his voice filled with utter disbelief:
“Comprehending sword-glow... slaying the five demons... becoming a core disciple... and his cultivation has even reached the mid-stage Anjin Rank!”
“It's only been how long? Brother Shen has actually made such a huge name for himself!”
“Yes...”
Ji Shuying's expression was complex, a mixture of gratification and sighing.
She paced to the window and looked at the old locust tree in the courtyard, her tone carrying a hint of dazed sentimentality:
“At first, when I learned that Xiao Liu had failed to enter Bixia Villa, I felt sorry for him, thinking he would probably have to return to Changyun.”
“Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, he would join the Star-Plucking Sect, and in just a few days, become the personal disciple of the Academy Head!”
“It truly is... like a dream, as if a lifetime has passed!”
Ji Ning stood silently in place holding the report. On his stern face, there was emotion, envy, and even a trace of unwillingness.
Gathering her scattered thoughts, Ji Shuying turned around, her gaze becoming decisive once more:
“Now, Xue'er has also sent a letter. She said Xiao Liu is a man who values relationships and remembers past kindness. He has promised that he is willing to protect our Ji family's businesses in the prefecture capital.”
“Since he has offered this umbrella to shelter us from the wind and rain, we in the Ji family cannot be ignorant of proper etiquette!”
At this point, Ji Shuying made a firm decision:
“I intend to send one hundred taels of silver every month to the Star-Plucking Sect as an offering to Core Disciple Shen starting this month. We will use his name to deter those scoundrels who covet our family's assets!”
Standing to the side, Ji Ning did a quick calculation and nodded silently:
“Over a thousand taels a year is equivalent to thirty percent of the profits from our businesses and fleets. That should be enough.”
“If it's not enough, we will discuss it further!”
Ji Shuying waved her hand, fully displaying the charisma of a family head.
For the Ji family to grow their business so large, they relied on their ability to assess the situation.
She would never be stingy with money when it came to a backer with a genuine background.
If it hadn't been for He Tunan's insatiable greed—taking their money without doing any real work and even wanting to swallow up the Ji family's assets—she wouldn't have gone so far as to completely fall out with him and make such a scene.
“Ning'er...”
Ji Shuying turned her gaze slightly, looking at this youth who, after her eldest son Ji Guannan, was the most talented disciple in the family. She said with earnest concern:
“Tell me, do you have any desire to go practice in the Four Sects of Nanxiang?”
Hearing this, Ji Ning was slightly startled.
Ji Shuying did not give him time to hesitate, saying in a deep voice:
“You have seen what our family has gone through during this period.”
“No matter how far we expand our business or how many shops we open, without a powerful sect as a backer, we are nothing but meat on a chopping block in this world, left to be bullied and slaughtered at will.”
“Only by rising into a powerful sect and securing a core disciple position like Xiao Liu did can we truly protect the foundation of our Ji family.”
Ji Ning lowered his head and fell silent for a moment.
When he raised his head again, a light as resolute as bedrock shone in his eyes!
“Rest assured, Family Head, Ning'er has already made up his mind! Next year, I also wish to go try my luck at the Star-Plucking Sect!”
He paused, clenched his fists, and said seriously:
“I do not ask to be as famous throughout the prefecture capital as Brother Shen, but I only hope to learn some real skills so I can help support our family.”
“Good! Good! You have ambition!”
Ji Shuying finally smiled with relief.
“Hei! Ha!”
“Keep your lower body stable! Stance work is the root. If the root is unstable, any divine technique is just a flashy display. Do not be superficial!”
Mei Courtyard.
The autumn wind swept through the hall.
Mei Shuangfeng reclined on a lounge chair, flipping through the manual on her lap. From time to time, she would furrow her brows in thought or glance out into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, a youth with a saber strapped to his back paced back and forth in front of dozens of outer courtyard disciples.
This person was none other than Luo Feng!
Since the fall of Duan Xiao, the situation at Cloudwater Lake had undergone a drastic change.
Xiao Wu, Xiao Wen, and Song Huatang had launched an assault on Fish Island, slaying Lu Juncheng on the spot, causing the bandits of Fish Island to instantly collapse!
Upon receiving the news, Blood Dhuta had fled without a word, vanishing without a trace.
With the various chiefs either dead or fled, the bandits of Dongyi Island immediately looted the valuable items on the island and scattered like beasts and birds overnight.
With Chenjian Dock gone, Cloudwater Lake was temporarily restored to peace.
Consequently, seventy to eighty percent of the Patrol Envoys and Patrol Guards established by the Ji family on Yunyi Island were withdrawn.
Some were reassigned to the businesses in the prefecture capital, while others were integrated into the canal transport fleet.
As for Luo Feng, he had chosen to join the Mei Courtyard and follow Mei Shuangfeng to cultivate!
During this period, he had already broken through to the Bone Tempering stage, and his bones and muscles were tempered increasingly solid. He could already be considered one of the top disciples in the martial arts hall.
At this moment, he stood with his arms crossed, strictly supervising the outer courtyard disciples as they endured their stance work.
Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from outside.
“Master! Master!”
A stout, energetic boy rushed into the courtyard, panting as he ran. Waving an official gazette in his hand, his face was filled with excitement:
“Something big has happened! Master...”
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Feng grabbed him by the back of his collar, lifting him like a little chick into the crowd, and scolded:
“Shi Hao! You don't practice properly all day, yet you're shouting nonsense. Go practice your stance!”
The boy named Shi Hao shrank his neck, and the gazette in his hand was snatched away.
Luo Feng subconsciously glanced at the paper. With just one look, his expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly delivered it to Mei Shuangfeng.
“Master, it's news about Senior Brother Shen Xiuhan!”
“Oh?”
Mei Shuangfeng took the report and looked at it. With a rustle, she sat up straight. A pleasant surprise rippled through her heroic brows, the corners of her mouth curling upward. As she read on, she actually burst into laughter!
“Moonlight Sword... That brat has really earned himself quite a title!”
Just as she finished speaking, a little toddler came pattering out of the inner courtyard.
Shen Momo ran to Mei Shuangfeng's side, tilting her small face up to look at her, and said in a crisp voice:
“Auntie Mei! I heard Big Brudder's name. Is my Big Brudder back?”
Mei Shuangfeng laughed despite herself. She bent down and scooped Shen Momo up, letting her sit on her lap, then reached out to gently pinch her little nose:
“Your big brother hasn't returned, but he has caused quite a stir lately. It can be said that his name has spread throughout the prefecture capital!”
With that, Mei Shuangfeng vividly described everything to Shen Momo as if telling a story.
The little girl's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she listened, clapping her tiny hands together and shouting incessantly:
“Big Brudder is so amazing! When Momo grows up, she wants to be a Moomlight Sword just like Big Brudder!”
Hearing this, a strange light flickered in Mei Shuangfeng's beautiful eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up:
“You said it yourself, little Momo...”
She pinched the little girl's chubby cheek:
“It won't be easy to be like your big brother. At the very least, you have to learn all your characters first. Come along, you'll be reading the classics for an extra hour today!”
Upon hearing this, the bright smile on Shen Momo's face instantly froze.
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