Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Shubai were extremely reserved in front of outsiders, barely speaking to each other at all.
Only when no one else was around would they allow themselves to be a little more intimate.
A thin mist blanketed the training grounds in the early morning. The sect’s grand examination had ended not long ago, and everyone had been training much harder than usual.
Several disciples watched the two people sparring in the distance and whispered among themselves.
“What’s going on between Eldest Senior Brother and Junior Sister?”
“What do you mean, what’s going on? Aren’t they just practicing their swordplay?”
“Tsk…”
The disciples secretly kept an eye on them.
Eldest Senior Brother and Junior Sister stood beneath a tree, one in front of the other. It was the standard distance for lessons in the sect, and the two of them trained seriously without exchanging a single word.
Although Eldest Senior Brother was doing his best to restrain himself, his gaze would occasionally linger on Junior Sister. Whenever she lost her footing, his movements became astonishingly swift. The tip of his sword would naturally flick against the hilt of hers, helping her regain her balance.
The disciples watched intently.
The one in the middle scratched his head, puzzled. “Isn’t it perfectly normal for Eldest Senior Brother to teach Junior Sister how to use a sword?”
The next moment, they saw Wen Shubai take Ji Zhaoxi’s hand and guide her through a move—then kiss her lightly on the cheek.
The movement was so quick that they probably would not have noticed if they had not been watching so closely.
What a shameless rogue…
Before they could react, they saw Ji Zhaoxi rise onto her toes and quickly kiss Wen Shubai on the lips. Wen Shubai let out a low laugh.
The two of them immediately returned to their original distance.
The others stared at the scene in silence.
Liu Fuyin had known about this for a long time. Given how close the two of them already were, there was no room for anyone else to squeeze in.
Because of that, Liu Fuyin trained even harder.
Flower was together with Eldest Senior Brother now, so she would definitely be spending less time training. Liu Fuyin had to surpass her while she had the chance.
By the New Year, she absolutely had to make her father hold his head high.
The town’s streets were lined with all kinds of stalls. The sweet fragrance of steamed buns filled the air, while the sugar-painting stall nearby was surrounded by children.
“Master Liu, your dragon is ready!” the vendor called.
Under the envious gazes of all the children, he handed the dragon-shaped sugar painting to Liu Dazhuang.
Liu Dazhuang was so pleased with himself that he took a bite right out of the dragon’s head. Then, under the envious gazes of all the children, he swaggered home.
That was what it meant to be rich and shameless.
So what if he couldn’t get the design he liked? He could simply pay for it himself!
At that moment, Ji Yingjin was reading the letter Ji Zhaoxi had sent home with an extremely serious expression.
[Your daughter—me!—walked out of the Path of Inquiry in front of everyone! There isn’t a single thing in this world that I, Ji Zhaoxi, am afraid of!]
[It’s not frightening when someone is talented. What’s frightening is when someone is both talented and hardworking. And that person is me, Ji Zhaoxi. Father, Mother, I don’t want to lie to you anymore. I’ve decided to cultivate the Ruthless Dao!]
[I know you’ll definitely be unhappy when you read this letter, so I’ll give you some good news, too. During the sect’s grand examination, I completely crushed Liu Fuyin. From now on, our Ji family will be far more impressive than the Liu family. Just wait and enjoy the good life!]
This wasn’t a family letter at all. It was a declaration of war.
Seeing Ji Yingjin’s hands tremble violently, Liu Dazhuang hurriedly tried to calm her down. “Wife, calm down, calm down!”
“This is a good thing! Xixi is so talented, and she even defeated Liu Fuyin. We should be happy! We should go laugh in Liu Canfu’s face right now!”
Ji Yingjin paused. It seemed to make some sense.
Seeing that the trembling of Ji Yingjin’s hands had lessened, Liu Dazhuang continued persuading her. “Wife, don’t worry. Look at Xixi’s letters—where’s the slightest sign of ruthlessness in her?”
Perhaps his daughter had been so excited after winning that she had written more than a dozen pages. The letter contained all kinds of techniques she had learned from the Ruthless Dao, how she had attacked other people, and how she had escaped from the illusions. In short, neither he nor his wife understood a word of it.
Only after digging through the jumble of nonsense had they managed to find a few sentences meant for them.
With how talkative she was, how could there be even the slightest trace of ruthlessness in her?
Ji Yingjin thought about it and agreed. Only then did she relax. She could not accept her daughter abandoning them. They had only one child, after all.
Ever since she was little, they had fed her nothing but the finest pork, raising her into a strong and healthy girl.
Ji Yingjin snatched the sugar painting from Liu Dazhuang’s hands and devoured it in just a few bites.
Liu Dazhuang stared at her, aghast.
Why had his wife eaten his dragon?
Ji Yingjin hesitated as she began writing a reply.
[Xixi, your father and I have read your letter, but there are many things we don’t understand. What are a Swordheart Stone and a magical artifact? Could you explain them to us in your next letter? Your father and I would also like to know what you’ve been doing at Tianjue Sect.]
[If the food at Hundred Flavors Hall is delicious, eat as much as you like. Our family isn’t short of money. You said your Eldest Senior Brother treats you well—when you have the time, bring him home for a meal so your father and I can thank him properly. Don’t let yourself go hungry. If you’re unhappy, come home. Your father and I will butcher a pig for you.]
After finishing the letter, Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang both had tears in their eyes.
Children really did grow up in the end.
Training at the practice grounds had only just ended, but the other disciples were already exhausted. One by one, they wailed as they headed back to their courtyards.
Liu Fuyin had originally wanted to challenge Ji Zhaoxi to a spar, but when she saw the two of them smiling at each other from across the grounds, she fell completely silent.
She would practice by herself…
Flower could smile all she wanted—during training, during competitions. Liu Fuyin would like to see whether she could still smile after being trampled beneath her feet someday.
The setting sun bathed the peaks of Tianjue Sect in golden light. The two of them walked along a pebbled path, one ahead of the other, with a stretch of distance between them.
Ji Zhaoxi’s pale-yellow dress fluttered gently in the evening breeze, brushing against the long robes of Wen Shubai behind her.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground.
As they walked, the people around them gradually grew fewer, and the distance between them slowly narrowed. Wen Shubai reached out and gently took her hand.
An ambiguous atmosphere began to spread through the air. Without a word, he lowered his head, and his lips naturally met hers.
Their breathing grew hurried and tangled, especially clear in the tranquil air.
Wen Shubai wrapped his arms around her and drew her completely into his embrace, pulling her close. When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing somewhat unevenly.
Wen Shubai’s ears were bright red. He turned around and bent down in front of her.
Ji Zhaoxi muffled a laugh as she leaned against his shoulder, unable to resist biting him lightly on the neck.
Wen Shubai let out a low laugh and carried her steadily forward on his back.
At that moment, a figure sat in a tree nearby. Her eyes were shining, but her expression was unusually solemn. With her head lowered, she was scribbling furiously in a notebook.
[The allure of Immortal Ji, the number-one beauty of Tianjue Sect, is something no one can resist—not even the noble and refined Eldest Senior Brother!]
