Upon rushing back to the Prince Ying's residence, they indeed found a crowd gathered at the entrance. Servants and guards stood vigilantly at the gates, behind them were Ye Ye and Baili Changyue, while opposite them were five or six disciples of Long Mingzuo, encircling a girl—upon closer inspection, it was Baili Gelin.
Unable to contain her excitement, Li Fei dashed forward and urgently called out, "Ge Lin!"
Baili Gelin turned her head, about to speak, when immediately a Long Mingzuo disciple pressed down on her shoulder, saying, "You'd best not move or speak, lest we have to be unkind."
Baili Gelin was furious, her face flushed red, teeth clenched in silence.
Ji Tongzhou's face darkened as he dismounted from the stone sword and finally spoke, "This lady is an honored guest of mine. I must ask you to release her."
A Long Mingzuo disciple replied, "Prince Ying, these individuals are fugitives from Gaul we've been pursuing for years. Surely Your Highness wouldn't shelter wanted criminals?"
Ji Tongzhou frowned, "I care not which country or sect's fugitives they are. This is Yue Country, and they are Academy disciples. What is the meaning of Long Mingzuo arbitrarily seizing my honored guests within Yue's borders?"
The disciple smiled, "Your Highness misunderstands. We are apprehending wanted criminals. As an Academy disciple, Your Highness should assist us. Why instead obstruct our efforts?"
Ji Tongzhou could no longer restrain his anger, "Is Long Mingzuo provoking Yue Country?! This is before the Prince Ying's residence! You bear arms and detain my honored guests! Do you truly think Star Rectitude Hall lacks men?!"
The disciples remained smiling, relaxed in demeanor, "We've long awaited Mr. Suquan. Any idea when he might arrive? By the way, we heard Senior Xuanshan Zi's injuries still haven't healed. Elder Zongquan is deeply concerned. How is Senior Xuanshan Zi faring now? Could it be Mr. Suquan is attending to his master and thus delayed?"
At these words, Ji Tongzhou felt as if thunder had struck from clear skies, his mind buzzing. So it was true! The secret of Xuanshan Zi's severe injuries had indeed been exposed! Once this Celestial anchoring Yue's rear showed weakness, countless neighboring powerful nations backed by Immortals would begin stirring. Yue would likely follow Gaul's tragic fate sooner or later.
No wonder these Long Mingzuo disciples came with such aggressive momentum today, their words full of provocation. The so-called pursuit of fugitives was merely a pretext—their true purpose was to test the waters and gauge Star Rectitude Hall's response! And Mr. Suquan's failure to arrive promptly as usual had already confirmed much for them.
Ji Tongzhou opened his mouth, wanting to say something, to retort with pride, but at this moment, he found himself utterly speechless.
Xuanshan Zi's grave injuries had long been a hidden worry in the hearts of Yue's royal family. Five years ago, this Profound Gate Elder was critically wounded by the Ferocious Beast Chaos, hovering near death, his condition plummeting thereafter. The promise to admit Ji Tongzhou into Star Rectitude Hall at age eleven had to be postponed. Had it not been for this, how could the exceptionally talented young prince have wasted a year at the Academy?The news of Xuanshan Zi's severe injuries had always been tightly sealed by Star Rectitude Hall and the Yue Kingdom's royal family. The crown prince worried day and night over this matter, but what could he do? He was only thirteen years old. No matter how prodigious his talents or how desperately he cultivated, he couldn’t immediately become a Celestial to protect the Yue Kingdom’s rear. Now that provocation was knocking at their door, what else could he do? If Mr. Suquan never came, could he really keep the guards surrounding these immortal disciples? It was a joke—every fool knew the outcome when mortals faced cultivators. Should he step forward himself to deal with formal disciples of an Immortal Sect? That was an even bigger joke. All the academy disciples combined probably couldn’t defeat even one of them.
He truly could do nothing.
Ye Ye, who had been shielded behind the guards, finally spoke up. He stepped forward and said calmly, "This matter arose because of me alone. Brother Tongzhou, I’ve implicated you. Release Ge Lin. I am the third prince of Gaul—take me instead."
He strode past the many guards blocking his path and walked steadily up to the disciples of Long Mingzuo, his voice sharp as he demanded, "Let her go!"
He subtly signaled to Baili Gelin, urging her to immediately enter the prince’s residence. Once she was inside, the three of them could channel their spiritual energy to activate the talisman paper and instantly return to the academy, sparing Ji Tongzhou further trouble.
But to his shock, Baili Gelin seemed dazed, staring blankly at him. Ye Ye was so startled he nearly blurted out a reminder when suddenly his arm was seized forcefully. The Long Mingzuo disciples restrained him in an instant, and he realized with horror that he could no longer circulate his spiritual energy.
The leading Long Mingzuo disciple laughed mockingly. "This saves us effort! Take all three of them!"
Li Fei and the others could no longer hold back. They all gathered their spiritual energy, preparing to act, when abruptly, a voice as cold as ice yet delicate as a young girl’s rang out from the crowd: "Disciples of the academy need not trouble Long Mingzuo’s esteemed members to discipline them."
Everyone was stunned. The next moment, a massive fire dragon roared toward them, its blazing flames scorching and oppressive. The Long Mingzuo disciples hastily dodged, shouting angrily, "Who dares?! Sheltering fugitives—do you intend to oppose Long Mingzuo?!"
A swirl of black smoke materialized behind Baili Gelin, swiftly coalescing into a woman veiled head to toe in black. She lifted Baili Gelin and Ye Ye effortlessly and tossed them—both flew uncontrollably through the air before landing safely beside Li Fei and the others. The black-veiled woman stepped forward, shielding the disciples.
Her voice was icy. "I wouldn’t dare. I am the Edge-Sharpening Tool Spirit wielded by Guangwei Zhenren of No Moon Court, currently serving as a guardian of Young Phoenix Academy. The selection of new disciples is about to begin, and Zuoqiu Xiansheng has ordered me to protect these disciples covertly along the way, ensuring no mishaps occur. If Long Mingzuo has any objections, please take them up with Zuoqiu Xiansheng at the academy."
By invoking Zuoqiu Xiansheng and the academy, she left the Long Mingzuo disciples momentarily speechless. The black-veiled woman continued, "This year, there are sixteen academy disciples in total. Detailed records of each have been sent to all major sects. Presumably, Long Mingzuo has yet to receive them? Otherwise, why would you pursue and attack our academy’s disciples? I will be sure to consult Zuoqiu Xiansheng thoroughly on this matter."
Her words carried even greater weight. The Long Mingzuo disciples could only force a dry laugh. "Indeed, we haven’t received them yet. We had no idea they were already academy disciples. Our information was mistaken—it must have been a misunderstanding."The black-veiled woman said, "This is the Ying Prince's residence within Yue Kingdom's borders. By disturbing the tranquility of this estate, I wonder what Master Xuanshan Zi would think of your actions?"
No sooner had she spoken than an icy male voice rang out calmly from midair: "Today marks the 400th birthday celebration of Embrace Sky Sect's Mr. Zhou. My master has already attended the banquet, while I was delayed by duties. My gratitude for your assistance, Spirit Master."
Before anyone could look up, a figure flashed before them—a stern-faced young man in dark robes materialized out of nowhere. His piercing gaze and detached demeanor unmistakably bore the hallmarks of one trained in Celestial Sound Word Spirit arts. Ji Tongzhou's eyes lit up upon seeing him and he stepped forward with a reverent bow. "Master Suquan, we apologize for disturbing your meditation."
Mr. Suquan gave a slight nod before sweeping his gaze across the group. When his frosty eyes met those of Long Mingzuo's disciples, they instinctively retreated several steps before hurriedly bowing. "Disciples under Elder Zongquan of Five Zhang Mountain from Long Mingzuo pay respects to Master Suquan."
Mr. Suquan replied indifferently, "Thanks to Zhong Nan Jun's aid, my master's injuries have greatly improved recently. We appreciate your concern. He will personally visit Elder Zongquan to express his gratitude when the time comes. If you have no further business, you may leave now."
All their earlier bravado gone, the disciples awkwardly took their leave. Just as they rose on clouds, Mr. Suquan suddenly commanded clearly: "Fall!"
The Long Mingzuo disciples found themselves utterly powerless to resist. As one, they tumbled violently from their clouds, rolling several times upon impact.
Mr. Suquan said coldly, "Consider this a lesson from Elder Zongquan for your insolence before Star Rectitude Hall members. Now go!"
Not daring to look back, the disciples immediately remounted their clouds and vanished in the blink of an eye.
With the disturbance resolved, the black-veiled woman cupped her hands toward Mr. Suquan before dissolving into black smoke. Ji Tongzhou approached respectfully. "Master Suquan, please come inside. Allow me to offer tea as apology."
A faint smile appeared on Mr. Suquan's face. "Prince Ying, you've made considerable progress. My master would be pleased to see this. With new disciple selections approaching, should he accept you, we would become fellow disciples."
Ji Tongzhou could barely contain his joy, the tension in his heart finally easing completely.
He asked softly, "And Master Xuanshan Zi's injuries...?"
"They've improved greatly," Mr. Suquan replied calmly. "He'll soon recover his former cultivation level. You needn't worry."
Overwhelmed with elation, the thirteen-year-old prince struggled to maintain composure, but his grin stretched nearly ear to ear despite his efforts.
Mr. Suquan added, "My duties call me away today. We'll meet again during the disciple selections."
Without further ado, he mounted his sword and sped away.
Beside himself with excitement, Ji Tongzhou nearly burst with the urge to shout or jump for joy. Turning to see his friends watching him with amusement, he rushed over like an overjoyed child, all princely decorum forgotten. "Inside, inside! Tonight we drink until we drop!"Ye Ye and the others had specially brought locally brewed wine from Gaulu this time. The round table was set up in the courtyard under the bright moon, with a gentle breeze brushing against their faces. The table was laden with all kinds of exotic delicacies that almost dazzled the eyes. The maids and servants had long been dismissed far away by Ji Tongzhou, and the kids around the table were all drunk and sprawled out in disarray.
Baili Gelin still had a low tolerance for alcohol, only able to handle a cup or two. Now, having drunk too much, she leaned alone against the railing, gazing at the moon, lost in her thoughts.
Ji Tongzhou, perhaps in high spirits due to happy events, kept downing cup after cup and even started chatting with Lei Xiuyuan beside him. This was practically unprecedented—these two could actually hold a conversation. Li Fei listened for a while; it was mostly Ji Tongzhou drunkenly rambling, with Lei Xiuyuan occasionally chiming in. The young prince was thoroughly drunk, his mind muddled, not angry at all, and even smiling cheerfully.
Finding it boring, she simply turned to Chang Yue and Ye Ye to talk about their recent experiences. It turned out that Zongquan, the elder of Five Zhang Mountain from Long Mingzuo, had recently refined an extremely powerful Mystical Treasure, greatly boosting his prestige within the sect. As a result, Wugou had become even more arrogant, eyeing the surrounding nations covetously, even setting their sights on Yue Country. This time, sending disciples to chase after fugitives was just a pretense—their real goal was to test Xuanshan Zi's strength. If not for Su Quan intimidating them away, who knew what chaos might have ensued.
Li Fei sighed, "Luckily, everyone’s fine this time. On our way back to Green Mound, Xiu Yuan and I encountered Zhen Yunzi."
Both of them were shocked. Ye Ye asked urgently, "Did he actually make a move? How did you two escape?"
Li Fei quickly recounted the events of that day, omitting the part about Ri Yan. When she mentioned the sudden appearance of the Twin Swords' weapon spirit, Ye Ye exclaimed, "Those are the Twin Swords of Fate. Wounds inflicted by them never heal—they’re the divine weapons of Sang Hua Jun, one of the founders of the Academy. I heard Sang Hua Jun attained enlightenment thousands of years ago and has been nearly reclusive in recent years. Zuoqiu Xiansheng must have borrowed the Twin Swords of Fate from him. It’s truly considerate of Zuoqiu Xiansheng to arrange for secret escorts along the way. This kindness is something we’ll never forget in our lifetime."
Li Fei nodded silently. This old Celestial was meticulous and broad-minded, truly an extraordinary figure. Under his protection, fledgling disciples like them, whose wings were not yet fully grown, could repeatedly weather storms.
She took a sip of wine, her heart suddenly warming, and whispered, "From now on, we’ll rely on ourselves. None of us can lose!"
That night, all of them got thoroughly drunk, even Lei Xiuyuan. No one had the strength to return to their rooms, and they all sprawled out in the courtyard, fast asleep.
In the middle of the night, Li Fei faintly heard sobbing nearby. Groggily opening her eyes, she saw Baili Gelin silently weeping beside Ye Ye, who was already sound asleep and completely unaware. Li Fei sat up dazedly, looking around—everyone else was sleeping soundly. Subconsciously, she called out, "Ge Lin?"
Ge Lin didn’t seem to hear her. Or perhaps she did but didn’t want to respond.
Li Fei was too drunk and, half-asleep, lay back down and drifted off again.
Maybe it was all just a dream?
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