Chapter 71

The Ji family still has deep reserves; it is said they used some secret medicine, causing Old Master Ji’s strength to surge overnight, rivaling that of an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master, while other clan elders and young members also saw dramatic boosts, carving out a bloody path and escaping with some of their forces.

As for whether Ji Wenyue was among those who escaped, no one knows. It seems you truly have ties with her, but given the current situation, all we can do is hope she is blessed by fate—we can do nothing more. Liang Jingtang sighed heavily at the end.

“Indeed, it’s said the four major factions each sent an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master, plus many elite fighters. No one can save them now—only hope she is blessed by fate!” Zhuo Xingji followed with a sigh.

Xia Daoming, however, seemed deaf to their sighs of helplessness. His eyes hardened with cold determination as he fixed them on Zhuo Xingji and said gravely: “Brother Zhuo, you often escort caravans—you must know the Eagle Eye Mountains well. I need you to accompany me there.”

“Daoming, are you going to rescue Ji Wenyue?” Liang Jingtang seemed to realize something, his face turning pale.

“That’s right,” Xia Daoming nodded.

“Are you mad? They have four Eighth-Rank Great Martial Masters and countless elites—even if they’re scattered, encountering just one would mean you and I die there, let alone saving anyone!” Zhuo Xingji nearly leapt up in shock upon seeing Xia Daoming nod.

“Ji Wenyue is my confidante. I owe her countless debts. If there’s even a sliver of hope, I will go save her. If there’s no hope, then one day I will avenge her!” Xia Daoming said.

“Then I’ll go with you. I’m an old man anyway, and if not for you, I’d have died long ago in the Cangmang Mountains,” Liang Jingtang declared decisively.

“Master, what are you saying? Am I the kind of man who fears death? My younger brother braves danger to rush to aid a friend out of loyalty—how can I not stand by him out of brotherhood?”

“Besides, I escort caravans constantly—I know the terrain, paths, and faces outside Licheng far better than you!” Zhuo Xingji puffed out his chest with heroic resolve.

“Good elder brother!” Xia Daoming, moved, embraced Zhuo Xingji’s shoulder.

“Get off me! I don’t have such a good younger brother! You’ve been hiding your cultivation from us, and when did you start seeing Ji Wenyue? Why didn’t you introduce us?”

“Do you know how much we spend yearly on elixirs at Changchun Hall? If I’d known you were involved with Ji Wenyue, I’d have saved so much…” Zhuo Xingji slapped Xia Daoming’s hand away.

Xia Daoming had no time to listen to Zhuo Xingji’s complaints. As soon as Zhuo’s hand struck his, he unleashed the power from all eight meridians.

Instantly, everyone in the meeting hall felt a crushing aura, their scalps prickling with numbness.

“Eighth—eighth rank!” Liang Jingtang was the first to react, voice trembling.

The others, especially Zhuo Xingji, stood frozen like clay statues.

Good heavens, just now an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master hugged my shoulder and called me his good elder brother—and I shoved him away with annoyance!

“Master, Master Zhuo, your horses.”

Amid the shock, Liu Qiaolian had already swiftly unloaded the saddlebags and handed the reins to Xia Daoming and Zhuo Xingji.

“Master, what I brought back is priceless—hide it well, guard it day and night. No matter what happens, hold firm until I return with Brother Zhuo!”

Xia Daoming took the reins, gave Liang Jingtang a solemn warning, then mounted his horse and called to Zhuo Xingji.

“Brother Zhuo, let’s go!”

Zhuo Xingji, his mind still in chaos, wasted no time—he leapt onto his horse and followed Xia Daoming, galloping straight out of the inner courtyard.

But barely had Zhuo Xingji ridden out of the inner courtyard when Xia Daoming spun back like a whirlwind.

Without a word, he took a portion of the items from one of the unloaded saddlebags, wrapped them into a bundle, slung it on his back, and vanished like a whirlwind again.

Eagle Eye Mountains.

A branch range of the Cangmang Mountains.

Rolling hills stretching hundreds of miles.

Torrential rain poured down.

A dilapidated mountain village halfway up the slope stood abandoned, fields left fallow.

The village ancestral hall.

Rain poured relentlessly through collapsed walls and leaky roofs.

Ji Yuanzhen sat slumped beside the incense altar, gasping for breath, occasionally covering his mouth as he coughed.

Once a man of refined health, exuding an immortal’s aura, he now had a sallow, wrinkled face, cloudy eyes, resembling a dying, ancient elder.

Around him sat a group of key Ji family youths.

A little farther away, beyond the reach of rain, gathered women and children.

These Ji family women and children, once pampered in silk and fine food, had never endured escape through wilderness. Terrified, exhausted, starving, drenched by rain, many curled up shivering, some already running high fevers, babbling incoherently.

Outside the hall and at its entrance, under the rain, ten or so Ji family young men and death-sentinels wore conical hats, hands on sword hilts, eyes sharp as blades, guarding all directions, their bodies radiating blood-soaked aura—no one knew how many they’d killed on this flight.

“Grandfather, how are you?” Ji Wenyue gripped her grandfather’s icy hand, tears streaming down, filled with guilt.

If only she had agreed to marry Ding Chushan or Xu Shixiong, the Ji family would never have reached this point.

Two Ji youths, seeing Ji Wenyue cry, sneered.

“What’s the point of asking now? If not for you, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” One of them finally snapped.

He was no more than twenty-four or twenty-five, yet already at Sixth Rank, his body covered in wounds and bloodstains.

“Exactly! If you’d married Ding Chushan or Xu Shixiong, we wouldn’t have suffered such heavy losses—we’d be like stray dogs now!”

Another Ji youth, slightly older but under thirty, echoed him.

He too was Sixth Rank, though unharmed—his pallor came from using secret medicine, damaging his meridians, sealing his path to higher realms.

The others fell silent, watching Ji Wenyue with complex gazes.

The Ji family had suffered heavy losses, their future uncertain—everyone carried a fire inside, needing an outlet.

Though many knew it wasn’t Ji Wenyue’s fault, they were still influenced by their dire situation and the two men’s words.

“The Fengming Pills were refined into six—yet you took two. Why? Did you give them away to that man you secretly meet at Jingxin Tea House?”

“Don’t think we don’t know—over the past year, you’ve given him countless silver and elixirs!”

The wounded youth grew angrier, unable to hold back the tidbits he’d overheard from Ji Wenyue’s personal guard, Du Yuxian.

“What? Wenyue gave away Fengming Pills to an outsider!” Even those who had been silent now stirred, glaring at Ji Wenyue with anger.

Ji Wenyue said nothing, only bowed her head, her thoughts drifting to the empty desert.

Those days had been her most terrified and helpless—but later became her most cherished, unforgettable memories.

Ji Yuanzhen slowly sat upright. His previously dull, cloudy eyes turned cold and sharp, sweeping over them all, finally settling on a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face.

“Shouli, where’s the family cane!” Ji Yuanzhen asked gravely.

Ji Shouli, current head of the Ji family, Ji Wenyue’s uncle.

Ji Wenyue lost her father young; Ji Shouli raised her as his own.

The wounded youth who had spoken was his son, Ji Wennan.

Ji Wenyue’s cousin.

The other accuser was a clan elder’s grandson, same generation as Ji Wenyue, named Ji Wenbin.

Both were among the brightest of the Ji family’s younger generation.

Each had received one Fengming Pill from the family’s refinement, enabling them to break from Fifth to Sixth Rank—they were meant to shoulder the family’s future.

“Father!” Ji Shouli’s face changed.

“Grandfather, Wenyue is still young—really…” Ji Wennan added.

“I asked for the family cane!” Ji Yuanzhen said, expressionless.

Ji Shouli sighed, turned, and took the family cane from his old servant’s hands, offering it with both hands to Ji Yuanzhen.

PS: We’re currently vying for the Three Rivers feature—this depends on read-through numbers. Xianxia competition is fierce; please help by following along. There should be four updates today.