The Eternal Fragrance

Li Fei looked up with a smile and said, "Finally guessed right! You've changed quite a bit!"

The one who's changed the most is you! Ji Tongzhou's jaw nearly dropped. Is this the same person? Did she swap her head for a new one?! Or was she reborn into a beauty's body?! Where did that sunburnt, foul-mouthed tomboy go?!

"Jiang Li Fei?" he called again, instinctively wanting to rub his eyes—was there something wrong with his vision...

Ye Ye patted his shoulder sympathetically. "It's really her. We were shocked too earlier."

Ji Tongzhou remained stunned, unable to speak for a long while. Li Fei leaned in and waved her hand in front of his face. "Did I scare you silly?"

As she moved closer to speak, an intoxicating fragrance wafted into his nose. Glancing down at her utterly unfamiliar yet breathtakingly beautiful face, Ji Tongzhou suddenly felt inexplicably flustered. He hastily averted his gaze, stepping back instinctively before steadying himself and changing the subject with forced nonchalance. "Are you here to compete for the New Trial Grounds too? When did you arrive?"

Ye Ye laughed. "Just recently. What about you? We thought you hadn't come. Where were you earlier?"

"I was training with Master at Jingyun Terrace and missed the group. Master and I arrived a bit later."

As they spoke, Baili Changyue approached slowly from the other end of the street. Seeing Ji Tongzhou, she smiled knowingly. "The prince hasn't changed at all."

Ji Tongzhou had always held some respect for Baili Changyue and nodded slightly. Noticing the bustling crowd on the street made conversation inconvenient, he suggested, "Let's talk at the inn. It's quieter there."

Ye Ye crossed his arms and grinned. "So you have improved a little. I thought you'd still be pestering Xiu Yuan for magical combat. There's a tavern across the way—what do you say? Still up for a drink?"

"Think you can knock me out in two cups again?" Ji Tongzhou raised an eyebrow with a cold smirk. "Every disciple of Star Rectitude Hall is a master drinker!"

Master drinker? The group burst into laughter. Back then, this little prince would collapse after two cups—had he been drinking daily just to become a "master drinker"?

After five years apart, they had endless things to talk about. Their conversation flowed from the streetside to the tavern, lasting from dawn till dusk. Lei Xiuyuan and Ye Ye remained unshaken after countless cups, while Ji Tongzhou's alcohol tolerance had indeed improved—three or four empty wine jugs piled before him, yet he remained clear-headed and cheerful, showing little sign of drunkenness.

Li Fei watched with amusement as he poured wine. He must still be a bit tipsy—his wrist trembled slightly, spilling some wine. She immediately teased, "Don't push yourself, or Ye Ye will have to carry you back again."

Ji Tongzhou felt that enchanting fragrance envelop him once more. He had only been slightly buzzed earlier, but now, wrapped in that scent, he truly felt drunk. The almost completely unfamiliar woman gazed at him with a smile under the lamplight, her jade-like features glowing faintly in the candlelight, exuding an indescribable charm and sweetness. That strange flustered feeling returned, and he instinctively leaned away.

Damn it—what had she just said? He hadn't caught a word. The usually dignified prince grew even more embarrassed.

This girl didn't resemble Jiang Li Fei at all—she felt like a total stranger, and he couldn't adjust to it.

In Ji Tongzhou's mind, girls were supposed to be like Lan Ya. Jiang Li Fei had once been equivalent to a man in his eyes, then became something neither male nor female, until eventually he stopped acknowledging her gender altogether.Five years later, she suddenly exuded an unmistakably "girlish" aura that he couldn't ignore, leaving the young prince flustered once more.

He needed time to adjust... Ji Tongzhou rubbed his forehead and averted his gaze, clearing his throat before casually changing the subject: "Since we're at the Eastern Sea and they said disciples from both mountain and sea sects would interact, why haven't we seen Baili Gelin yet?"

At the mention of Baili Gelin, both Ye Ye and Baili Changyue's eyes lit up. Ye Ye smiled: "Now that we're at the Eastern Sea, we'll see her sooner or later. I just hope she's been focusing on her cultivation—if her skills aren't up to par, we might miss her this time."

"Gelin has always worked hard at cultivation," Li Fei quickly defended her. "She never slacked off at the Academy either."

Ye Ye chuckled: "All she ever did was play around, never putting her mind to serious matters."

Li Fei fell silent. The man before her didn't truly understand the real Gelin—or perhaps he'd never tried to understand her. To him, Gelin had always been just a little sister. He cared for her, looked after her, could shield her from storms, but his heart was never with her. Wasn't that why Gelin had resolved to leave?

Baili Changyue seemed lost in thought before murmuring softly: "I wonder what her Centipede demon looks like now."

This drew laughter from the group. Ye Ye glanced at Ji Tongzhou and teased: "Tongzhou, still afraid of Centipede demons?"

Ji Tongzhou scowled: "Who said I was ever afraid?"

Lei Xiuyuan remarked coolly: "Last time in the Academy's restricted area, when the Centipede demon broke your leg—"

Before he could finish, Ji Tongzhou clicked his tongue and reached to flip Lei Xiuyuan's wine cup. With a twist of his wrist, Lei Xiuyuan deftly avoided it while his other hand tapped the table lightly—Ji Tongzhou's cup immediately bounced up. Just as Lei Xiuyuan was about to flick it away, Ji Tongzhou caught it. In that instant, the two exchanged several silent, lightning-fast moves.

They'd started fighting again mid-conversation. Li Fei moved the dishes aside to avoid collateral damage.

These two youths, reunited after five years, had been playing the part of refined gentlemen all evening. Now that they'd started, they couldn't stop. Their hand techniques clashed back and forth, but the tavern was too cramped for full movement. Besides, both had been warned by their elders not to recklessly use Immortal Techniques in private duels outside. Suddenly, a golden light flashed in Lei Xiuyuan's palm as a fingernail-sized delicate flying sword shot out, gleaming and slender, humming softly as it circled through the air.

Ji Tongzhou opened his palm, where a tiny multicolored fire lotus took form before floating out to tangle with the little flying sword. They chased each other up and down, looking more like play than magical combat.

Lei Xiuyuan waved his hand lightly, and a small dark cloud settled above the fire lotus. A fine spring drizzle fell, dimming the little lotus's bright flames. Ji Tongzhou snorted—in an instant, Bronze Wall Technique wings shielded the fire lotus while delicate vines sprouted from the table, entangling the tiny flying sword. Severed vines immediately regrew, some even spraying thin flames. The little sword darted about but couldn't escape its bonds. Then golden light scattered across the table as Supreme Harmony Art sliced all the vines apart in an instant.Ji Tongzhou condensed another small fire lotus and flicked his fingers, sending both fire lotuses chasing after the tiny flying sword. The nimble sword dodged up and down before suddenly circling around Li Fei with a buzzing sound, as if asking for help. Seeing the two fire lotuses approaching swiftly, Li Fei immediately raised her palm, releasing a thumb-sized water dragon that spiraled out and entangled one of the small fire lotuses.

Ye Ye laughed, "How amusing!"

With a flick of his fingers, he too conjured a small water dragon, which intertwined with Li Fei's, writhing and battling endlessly. Chang Yue spread her palm, revealing another small flying sword that circled the fire lotuses a few times. In an instant, the table was alive with fire lotuses, flying swords, and water dragons locked in playful combat.

The five of them were enjoying themselves when suddenly, laughter and chatter drifted in from the tavern entrance. Several people seemed to be entering while talking and laughing, but the moment they noticed the group playing with small flying swords and fire lotuses, their laughter abruptly ceased.

After a pause, a man sneered coldly, "Such petty tricks, like children's games! Nothing worth seeing!"

Li Fei and her companions immediately withdrew their spells and turned to look. Standing at the tavern entrance were several young people dressed in strange attire—three men and a woman—each radiating spiritual energy fluctuations, clearly disciples of an Immortal Sect.

The five instinctively looked at the girl first. Though her features were striking, they were somewhat coarse, and she was not the Baili Gelin they had hoped to see. Disappointment flickered across their faces.

Noticing how they stared at the girl and then showed disappointment, the newcomers grew furious. The fiery-tempered female disciple stepped forward and shouted, "What are you looking at?!"

Ye Ye stood up and clasped his hands in apology. "Our apologies. We have an old friend who cultivates at the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly. It's been years since we last saw her, and we wondered if she might have come. That's why we were momentarily distracted."

The leading male disciple scoffed, "East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly? Ridiculous! You Central Land bumpkins think the Eastern Sea has only one cultivation sect?"

Seeing his provocative attitude, Ji Tongzhou frowned but restrained himself. This was their territory, and the elders had sternly warned against any conflicts here. The five of them simply pretended not to hear.

Unexpectedly, the man added, "Every city within a thousand miles and every island across a thousand miles of sea belongs to our Guangshenghui! Remember that well!"

Still ignoring them, the five watched as the group arrogantly took a table and ordered wine. Ye Ye whispered, "The Sea Sect's ways are indeed peculiar. Their cultivation sects mingle so closely with the mundane world. Do they each have their own cities and seas?"

Lei Xiuyuan remained silent, deep in thought. These were Guangshenghui disciples who recognized them as being from the Central Land yet showed no surprise. It seemed Sea Sect disciples were also aware of the Mountain Sect's arrival. Lingering here for three days, they weren't just waiting for Mountain Sect disciples—likely Sea Sect disciples too... He could roughly guess what the so-called "magical combat" entailed.

After a few drinks, the Guangshenghui disciples grew louder. One of them laughed boisterously, "Mentioning the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly in our Guangshenghui's territory! In my opinion, those useless fools from the Assembly probably don't even dare to show up this time!"

The female disciple chimed in, "Last time, they tried to snatch the Demon Vermilion Fruit from us, only to end up wailing for their parents!"

"How did the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly wail for their parents? Show us!"A woman's voice suddenly sounded outside the tavern door, indescribably alluring and soft, making hearts skip a beat. Immediately after, the door curtain was lifted as a young maiden gracefully entered. Under the dim tavern lights, her cloud-like long hair cascaded past her waist. Dressed in light red garments that revealed her arms and a section of snow-white waist, her figure was exquisitely curvaceous.

The male disciples of Guangshenghui never expected their challenger to be such a beauty. Around the Eastern Sea region, most people had sun-darkened skin, making her jade-like slender waist and fair arms utterly captivating. They immediately fell silent.

The girl walked in, tilting her head as she swept her gaze over them. Suddenly, she smiled faintly and remarked coolly, "Guangshenghui's skill at badmouthing others behind their backs is truly unmatched by the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly. We concede defeat."

The female disciple snapped angrily, "The Myriad Immortals Assembly isn't lacking in eavesdropping skills either! Who let you in?!"

The girl sneered, "I merely happened to overhear while passing by. What, is this tavern yours? Am I not allowed to enter?"

With effortless composure, she glanced around. When her gaze landed on Li Fei and the other four, the firelight flickered suddenly, illuminating her lotus-like face adorned with faint dimples—both mischievous and enchanting.