Chapter 2071: How to Tame the Rebellious Youth 20

On the continent, martial prowess is supreme; royal authority comes second.

The various factions in the jianghu that represent a certain martial power check and balance each other; the Wu Lin Alliance is at the core, above it are the inheritance factions exemplified by the Wu Wang Men and Han Yue Manor, in the middle are local factions such as the Qingyun Sword Manor, and below are countless minor jianghu gangs.

With too many powers, resource harms to the people, factional fighting, and lethal plundering are inevitable; the virtuous cycle is broken, the situation in the continent's jianghu grows ever more tense, and the Wu Lin Alliance exists in name only.

Until the Formless Office appeared out of nowhere.

Anyone of the Formless Office can be formless, traceless, and omnipresent, specially tasked with handling unjust matters in the jianghu, and with a vast and terrifying underground network, they quickly caused the various inheritance sects to retract, the jianghu was orderly to the point of being reshuffled, returning to stable peace.

Thus, the Formless Office is like the Supervisory Office of the continent's jianghu; any sect or faction suffering injustice can request investigation assistance, and it will not let any faction trying to disrupt harmony go unpunished.

And the master of the Formless Office is a grand master known to everyone in the jianghu, yet seen by only a very few.

It is said that his age is unknown, he avoids the world and does not emerge, sitting in the Formless Office, observing all affairs under heaven.

In the courtyard under the moonlight, Ji Lai zhi reviewed the lesson he had memorized in his mind, startled into a hiccup, and his gaze at Jin Chen grew increasingly complex.

It could be said to be two parts fright, four parts apprehension, and three parts unease, with the remaining part being a dazed lack of reaction.

Jin Chen: '……'

Jin Chen tapped his finger on the stone table and said, 'Come here.'

'……Oh.'

Ji Lai zhi sat back in Jin Chen's embrace, slowly merging the legendary great figure with Jin Chen in his mind; after the brief fright, he actually felt no sense of incongruity.

'You're amazing.' Ji Lai zhi sincerely exclaimed, then suddenly became alert, made extremely agitated by a sudden thought.

The youth's emotions were like sword flight; Jin Chen could not guess what he was thinking.

Ji Lai zhi unconsciously squeezed closer into Jin Chen's embrace, a faint light flickering in his eyes, 'You are a grand master, that means……'

'It means I can protect you in any situation.' Jin Chen responded.

……It means you might still have other disciples.

Ji Lai zhi's unfinished words caught in his throat, his heartbeat skipped a beat uncontrollably, his clenched fists relaxed, and all of tonight's anxiety and unease were soothed, turning into another kind of calm.

Jin Chen's frankness always made their honest communication very simple.

At that moment, Ji Lai zhi had no other thoughts.

'Is there anything else you want to ask?' Jin Chen said.

'None.' Ji Lai zhi smiled, pursing his lips, and lightly inhaled the tip of his nose.

Jin Chen gently lifted Ji Lai zhi's face, his fingertip lightly brushing the corner of his lips without leaving a trace, so lightly it was hardly noticed; Ji Lai zhi only felt a slight itch and stuck out his tongue to lick.

The youth was full of reliance and trust, his amber eyes curving into a beautiful arc.

Under the moonlight, it was indeed hazy and ambiguous.

In Ji Lai zhi's increasingly hazy gaze, Jin Chen lowered his eyes and drew near, but at the very last moment he placed a kiss on the edge of his cheek.

Ji Lai zhi's fingertips curled; he couldn't help hooking Jin Chen's wrist, his heart in turmoil, waves of heat surging, unable to tell whether it was relief or loss.

Jin Chen continued to rub Ji Lai zhi's nape, feeling a slight tremor, as if even the youth's bodily response were under his control.

After a long while, Ji Lai zhi gazed into those eyes full of tolerance and tenderness, was enveloping his shoulders in a bewitching manner, and impulsively lunged forward to kiss.

He had no technique, only knowing to lick and rub randomly by feeling, yet somehow he could make someone's heart go soft.

Jin Chen placed one hand on Ji Lai zhi's waist, gradually regaining the rhythm.

At that moment, Ji Lai zhi clearly realized something had changed; the icy layer of self-protection covering his heart slowly melted, revealing the inner soul longing eagerly for redemption.

His reliance and affection for Jin Chen now had no reason not to become love; the missing piece in his heart was easily filled, and from then on he was no longer an emotionless little madman.

【Villain Heartthrob Value detected +10, total 53!】

——

The next day, at the si hour.

Du Gu Wen and the Nine Cranes Elder arrived at the Observation Cloud Courtyard on time, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

At the same time, Ji Yuan Shan, who had been worried and fearful all night, came to apologize, leading Ji Si Yao to the door, along with several servants he intended to use as scapegoats.

Jin Chen was seated at the stone table waiting, with three other seats beside him, yet no one dared to sit.

'Sir,' Du Gu Wen first bowed, 'Last night's events have been thoroughly investigated; it was the Ji Manor Master who was deceived by bandits and insiders, leading to the mistaken blame on the Young Master Ji.'

Ji Yuan Shan had even come up with a perfect excuse, which Du Gu Wen rephrased and explained to Jin Chen.

Yes, it's an excuse; everyone in this manor knows it's an excuse; even if the Sword Manor's servants had the courage to collude with bandits, they could never possibly know the secret of breaking the formation.

Whether one believes it or not, the Wu Lin Alliance would consider it out of face for their connections, but Jin Chen need not; thus Du Gu Wen's words merely expressed that he had done his utmost investigation, and whether to condemn would await a decision.

All-around and perceptive, truly worthy of the Young Alliance Leader.

Jin Chen glanced at Du Gu Wen with praise, 'You have improved considerably compared to before.'

Du Gu Wen's face lit up, 'Thank you, sir, for the praise.'

At that moment, the sound of the door being pushed came, and everyone turned to look back.

Ji Lai zhi finished his morning lessons, pushed open the study door, saw the crowd filling the courtyard, hesitated half a moment before stepping out, and headed straight for Jin Chen.

'I'm hungry, no wonder you haven't come back for half a day.' Ji Lai zhi muttered, glanced back at the line of people, and didn't notice much of the surprise in Du Gu Wen's eyes.

Now that he has someone to back him up, he no longer fears Ji Yuan Shan; sitting in Jin Chen's embrace with arms crossed and chin raised, he demanded, 'Why are you also here? Are you preparing excuses to absolve yourself again? Who will you make take the blame this time?'

Ji Yuan Shan: '……'

Ji Yuan Shan's expression turned angry, 'Lai zhi, you have wrongly blamed your father.'

'As a father, I too was deceived.'

Ji Lai zhi rolled his eyes, simply unwilling to accept that this person was actually his father.

How could his deceased beautiful mother have ever taken a liking to such a thing?

Ji Lai zhi turned sideways to look at Jin Chen, his eyes bright, 'Do you want to believe his nonsense?'

'No,' Jin Chen said, raising a hand to soothingly rub Ji Lai zhi's head, curling his lips, 'I only believe you, alright?'

Ji Lai zhi chuckled, satisfiedly rubbed Jin Chen's shoulder, then rose and deliberately lifted both hands to show them the ice silkworm finger stall that glimmered faintly with silver threads in the sunlight.

At that moment, everyone's faces changed; Elder Jiuhe took a deep breath, "Is this the Ice Silkworm Finger Sleeve?"

Considering Ji Lai zhi is the Grand Master's disciple, Jiuhe also thought, what's the Ice Silkworm Finger Sleeve? The treasures of the Formless Office are even more numerous.

With the Grand Master's indulgent attitude toward Ji Lai zhi, who knows what shocking, world‑startling things he might send in the future.