Liuli had finished writing Ji Zhaoxi’s biography. She had even had several copies transcribed.
She sent three copies back to Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang. Why three? Because one of them was for Liu Canfu.
Out of the goodness of her heart, she also gave one to Liu Fuyin. Liu Fuyin refused to accept it, so Liuli enthusiastically placed it in her courtyard anyway.
She knew Liu Fuyin was simply too embarrassed to take it.
Just when everything had been going so smoothly, Liuli never expected the person concerned to refuse it.
“Miss, why won’t you take it?” Liuli’s eyes were full of hurt.
This was her very own biography, after all.
Ji Zhaoxi had only opened it to the first page before immediately snapping it shut.
“But the Sect Master never praised me as the most talented disciple he’d seen in his life…”
She had barely exchanged a few words with the Sect Master.
Liuli became incredibly excited. “He did!”
Ji Zhaoxi looked utterly bewildered. “When?”
Liuli grew even more animated. “Miss, during the sect’s grand examination! I could tell from the Sect Master’s eyes!”
Ji Zhaoxi fell silent.
Now she was even less willing to read it.
This was not the first time Liuli had misread someone’s gaze.
Someone could glare at her, and Liuli would insist they were sending her flirtatious looks. Someone could roll their eyes at her, and Liuli would claim they were playing hard to get. Someone could curse at her, and she would call it a love story born from the depths of hatred…
Without reading any further, Ji Zhaoxi could already imagine just how exaggerated the story inside was.
Pretending not to notice Liuli’s pitiful, puppy-eyed expression, Ji Zhaoxi focused on practicing her swordsmanship nearby.
At some point, her biography had even begun circulating throughout the Heavenly Absolute Sect.
Gradually, disciples began approaching her every day, wearing expressions of admiration as they asked whether the biography was true.
Some asked how her hidden spiritual root had become visible.
Others asked for gossip.
For example, Gu Wuyou, who had been pestering Ji Zhaoxi for an entire week.
“Ji Zhaoxi, did Senior Brother really fall in love with you at first sight?” Gu Wuyou sidled up beside her.
He had always wondered why Senior Brother treated Ji Zhaoxi so well. So he had been plotting all along!
Senior Brother looked so gentle and refined, but who would have thought he was actually so calculating?
“So how did Senior Brother pursue you back then? Do you two argue much?” Gu Wuyou kept hovering around Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi ignored him and practiced swordsmanship alongside the other disciples on the training grounds. Her sword qi occasionally swept toward Gu Wuyou, though he was quick enough to dodge.
Gu Wuyou kept chattering beside her, following wherever she pointed her sword.
Ji Zhaoxi kindly reminded him, “You came in last in the previous competition, didn’t you? Aren’t you going to practice?”
Gu Wuyou laughed. “Practicing swordsmanship is nowhere near as fun as hearing about you and Senior Brother.”
“What would Junior Brother like to hear?” A voice suddenly rang out behind him.
Gu Wuyou replied carelessly, “Of course, I want to hear how Senior Brother suffered from unrequited love for Junior Sister.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized something. His entire body stiffened.
He turned his head rigidly and gave Senior Brother a dry smile. “Senior Brother, I’m going to go practice now.”
Then he bolted.
Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Shubai said nothing. They simply continued practicing their swords.
Ji Zhaoxi’s sword forms were no longer as elaborate as before. They carried a crisp, decisive edge, striking straight at vital points.
Icy-blue sword qi and deep azure sword qi clashed again and again. As the blades trembled with each impact, the icy-blue aura gradually began to overpower the Chongli Sword.
Their movements were incredibly swift. Every meeting of their blades was so precise, it seemed almost calculated.
The disciples nearby quietly moved farther away. These two never held back when they fought...
By the end of the duel, a thin sheen of sweat had appeared on Ji Zhaoxi’s forehead. Her cheeks were flushed from the fight, yet her eyes shone brilliantly.
“I suddenly feel like Little Junior Sister’s swordsmanship might actually be better than Eldest Senior Brother’s.” One disciple stood at a distance, watching the match intently with a book in hand.
The disciple beside him stared at him in disbelief. “Have you gone mad from reading that book?”
The disciple holding the book sighed. “Even if you say that, you must think Little Junior Sister is stronger too. You’re just too embarrassed to admit it, aren’t you?”
The other disciple fell completely silent.
Liuli’s biography really ought to be banned.
That book could actually brainwash people.
The fierce, killing sword qi slowly dissipated into the air.
A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying a faint trace of summer heat.
Ji Zhaoxi was exhausted. She leaned listlessly against Wen Shubai’s chest as he gently wiped the sweat from her forehead. With a soft laugh, he said, “In the future, it looks like Little Junior Sister will have to protect me.”
Ji Zhaoxi’s eyes curved into crescents. “Eldest Senior Brother, leave it to me.”
She was really powerful now. When they went on future excursions, she would definitely be able to protect Eldest Senior Brother.
The Marrow-Cleansing Pool lay deep within Ten Thousand Swords Peak. It had originally been Wen Shubai’s reward from the last sect-wide examination, but Ji Zhaoxi had been the one using it all this time.
Marrow cleansing was painful, but it could purge the impurities from one’s body, allowing one to absorb the pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth more effectively during cultivation.
Dense white mist churned above the Marrow-Cleansing Pool, thick with heat. The water was scalding and viscous.
Ji Zhaoxi lay bonelessly against Wen Shubai’s chest as the spiritual energy of the pool continuously flowed into her meridians. Wen Shubai held her tightly, his origin spiritual energy pouring steadily into her back to ease her discomfort.
“Xixi, there’s only the last stretch of meridians left. Hold on a little longer...” Wen Shubai soothed her softly, pressing delicate kisses to her eyes.
His fingertips forced their way between her lips and teeth, stopping her from biting her lip any further. Pain pricked his fingers, and with a heartache he kissed her eyes again.
“It’ll be over soon, Xixi...”
When the last trace of impurity in her body had finally been purged, the once-violent pool water gradually calmed.
Ji Zhaoxi buried herself in Wen Shubai’s arms, panting softly. She could feel the spiritual energy within her steadily growing stronger. Marrow cleansing was far from pleasant, but the refreshing ease that followed each cleansing more than made up for the discomfort.
“Feeling better?” Wen Shubai asked gently, continuing to soothe her back.
“Eldest Senior Brother...”
“Mm?”
Wen Shubai had just lowered his head to hear what she wanted to say when, in the next instant, a hurried kiss landed on his chin. Calling it a kiss was not quite accurate—perhaps because she was too eager, she simply bit him instead.
He looked at Ji Zhaoxi, who had pressed her lips together and lowered her lashes, then laughed softly and kissed her cheek.
“Understood, little junior sister.”
It was his fault. After so many times, he had still needed her to remind him this time.
She lay sprawled over the jade platform, her fingers gripping the edge of the Marrow-Cleansing Pool. Her fingertips had gone pale from the effort of holding back.
Wen Shubai bent slightly. Following the line of her trembling spine, his lips were scorching hot. Each time he kissed one of her vertebrae, she could not help letting out a muffled whimper.
His devout kisses traveled downward, one vertebra at a time, from her back to her tailbone...
She felt numb all over. She cried softly and could not help tilting her head back. By now, she did not even have the strength in her fingertips.
A hand roughened with a thin layer of calluses passed through the dense white mist and settled over her flat belly. His arm tightened slightly, drawing her flush against him, and her body instantly tensed.
“Xixi, you’re so adorable...” Wen Shubai’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
As expected, there was no reply.
Wen Shubai gently kissed the side of her neck, teasing her to the very limit. Only when she could no longer endure that tormenting tenderness and let out a broken sob did he chuckle softly and kiss her on the lips.
Ripples spread across the Marrow-Cleansing Pool in widening circles. The white mist within had grown so thick it seemed impossible to disperse. Condensation gathered on the stalactites along the stone walls, sliding from their pointed tips and falling neatly into the center of the pool.
Through the mist, one could vaguely make out a slender hand clutching desperately at a groove. Having lost its strength, it left several wet streaks across the jade surface.
Then a large, well-defined hand slipped in from the side, steadily covering hers and gradually wrapping it within his grasp.
