Farewell Ji Wenyue

In the Ji Mansion, within a courtyard in the western district.

Green bricks and dark tiles, upturned eaves, rock gardens and flowers, a small bridge over flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded spots – it was very tranquil and elegant.

In the courtyard, there was a small pond so clear you could see the bottom, with fish swimming happily within.

Beside the pond stood a rock garden, a winding corridor, and a small pavilion for people to rest and enjoy the scenery.

Under the setting sun, Ji Wenyue sat by the corridor, listlessly scattering fish food into the small pond.

Just then, a maidservant dressed in a vibrant green outfit approached Ji Wenyue, holding a letter.

Beyond the moon-shaped gate connected to the courtyard, a house servant paced back and forth uneasily.

"Miss, the guard said a man just delivered a letter and insisted that you open it personally," the maidservant said in a low voice, her expression somewhat dismissive.

"Oh!" Ji Wenyue responded noncommittally, then lazily took the letter.

In the past two years, many young talents in Li City, coveting her beauty, talent, and of course, wealth, had written to her, expressing their admiration or inviting her for tea and outings.

Ji Wenyue had long grown accustomed to it.

Especially recently, after she broke through to become a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master, coupled with her unique alchemy talent, and the news that she had exceptionally become the youngest and only female clan elder in the family, even the outstanding figures among the younger generation of Li City's top powers were alerted, writing letters or sending people to arrange meetings.

In Ji Wenyue's opinion, this time should be no different.

Ji Wenyue opened the letter.

The letter did not contain elegant calligraphy, nor did it have any words of admiration that would give Ji Wenyue goosebumps.

It only contained a hastily written location.

Seeing the perfunctory and sloppy handwriting, which simply stated an address without any further explanation, giving off an impression of arrogance and dominance, as if it were a command, Ji Wenyue's face showed a hint of anger. Just as she was about to tear up the letter, her peripheral vision caught a single character at the end – Xia.

"Brother Xia!" Ji Wenyue's heart pounded, and she immediately stood up.

"Xiao Yun, where are the guards? Quickly, have him brought in."

Seeing her excited young lady, Xiao Yun looked puzzled but quickly called the guard waiting outside the moon-shaped gate.

"Greetings, Clan Elder!" The guard entered, quickly kneeling on one knee, not daring to look directly at Ji Wenyue.

"Where is the person who delivered the letter now?" Ji Wenyue asked.

"Replying to the Clan Elder, he has already left," the guard replied, secretly breathing a sigh of relief while also being very curious about the masked man's background.

"Left?" Ji Wenyue was slightly stunned, then asked again, "Did he say anything?"

"He said that as long as I delivered the letter to the Clan Elder, the Clan Elder would know who he was, and would not blame me, but would even reward me," the guard replied.

"He was right. Xiao Yun, take him to the accounting office to collect ten taels of silver as a reward!" Ji Wenyue said.

"Thank you, Clan Elder!" The guard quickly expressed his gratitude and happily left with Xiao Yun.

"Quiet Heart Tea House on Qing Shi Street. I wonder what Brother Xia is up to. Since he's in the Ji Mansion, why didn't he just come in directly and instead arrange another meeting place?" By the pond, Ji Wenyue looked at the letter in her hand, her lips pouting slightly.

However, Ji Wenyue soon left the Ji Mansion in a carriage.

In a private room on the second floor of the Quiet Heart Tea House on Qing Shi Street.

Xia Daoming stood by the window, gazing at a luxurious carriage approaching in the distance, a complex look in his eyes.

Originally, he hadn't intended to contact Ji Wenyue so soon, nor did he want to leverage past favors, fearing it would diminish his standing.

But Gu Ren's situation that morning had spurred him.

It made him realize that the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School's situation was far from as glamorous and peaceful as it appeared on the surface, with many enemies lurking around, waiting for an opportunity.

As Liang Jingtang's personal disciple, no matter how low-key he remained, he would inevitably be drawn into the conflict sooner or later.

Therefore, he had to become stronger as quickly as possible.

Only by rapidly becoming stronger could he calmly deal with crises when they arose.

But to become stronger quickly, he needed a large influx of resources.

He couldn't think of any quick and profitable businesses for the moment, so he naturally had to start from the supply side, hoping to obtain cost-effective supplementary pills through Ji Wenyue.

Pills were definitely a high-profit industry. If he could get them at cost price, he could naturally save a lot of money.

The carriage stopped in front of the tea house.

An old woman, a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master, emerged from the carriage first and pulled back the curtain before Ji Wenyue stepped out.

Ever since the previous incident, the Ji family had assigned Ji Wenyue a personal bodyguard at the Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master level – Du Yuxian.

Even within Li City, and even within the Ji family's traditional sphere of influence, Du Yuxian remained by her side, never leaving her.

"She actually came!"

Seeing Ji Wenyue emerge from the carriage, the tea house proprietor's eyes flashed with surprise, and he hurried forward.

"Clan Elder Wenyue, Madam Du, welcome. I apologize for not meeting you sooner."

"I have a friend who said they were waiting for me here. Where are they now?" Ji Wenyue didn't bother with pleasantries and asked directly.

"In the private room on the second floor. Clan Elder Wenyue, please follow me." Manager He said promptly.

Ji Wenyue nodded, then turned to Du Yuxian, who was about to follow, and said, "Wait downstairs. You don't need to come up."

"Clan elder, isn't this a bit inappropriate? What if..." Du Yuxian's face showed hesitation.

"What's inappropriate about it? This is Ji family territory. Does anyone dare to assassinate me here? Besides, I'm a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master now. Even if a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master attacks, I can hold them off for a while. What's there to worry about?" Ji Wenyue said.

"Alright then, this old woman will wait for you downstairs, clan elder." Du Yuxian could only bow and obey.

Ji Wenyue followed Manager He upstairs to the private room where Xia Daoming was.

"It's here," Manager He said.

"Good, you can go now," Ji Wenyue waved her hand.

"Yes, if you need anything, just call me, clan elder." Manager He replied respectfully, then turned and left.

After Manager He left, Ji Wenyue took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

What greeted her was a familiar back.

As soon as she saw this familiar back, every little detail from the desert involuntarily flashed through her mind like fleeting images.

"Brother Xia!" Ji Wenyue couldn't help but call out emotionally, her eyes moistening.

That experience, for Ji Wenyue, who had always been protected by her family and had never experienced any danger or hardship, was truly so different, so unforgettable!

Xia Daoming slowly turned around.

A young face, not handsome or dashing, but with a hint of world-weariness, appeared before Ji Wenyue.

Ji Wenyue suddenly froze, her gaze fixed directly on Xia Daoming.

"What? Did you discover that your big brother has become more handsome?" Xia Daoming said with a smile.

"You have become more handsome!" Ji Wenyue finally snapped back to reality, nodding seriously.

In the desert, Xia Daoming was unshaven, his hair like wild grass, his skin rough and cracked. Ji Wenyue had initially mistaken him for a strange uncle.

Therefore, Ji Wenyue had never held high expectations for Xia Daoming's appearance from the beginning.

Although this face couldn't be described as handsome or dashing now, it was incomparably cleaner and younger compared to how he looked in the desert. It even carried a refined scholarly aura, far exceeding Ji Wenyue's expectations.

"It's been five months, and you've grown taller and bigger too!" Xia Daoming said with a smile, his gaze skillfully and shrewdly sweeping over Ji Wenyue's assets.

In an instant, his refined demeanor was shattered!

"Brother Xia... if you keep looking like that, I won't talk to you anymore!" Ji Wenyue said, seeing Xia Daoming's shrewd gaze appraising her assets again and his words carrying double meanings. She felt both familiar and close, yet also inevitably shy and annoyed, even with a hint of inexplicable secret joy and pride.

After all, it was a form of compliment!

"Five months without seeing each other, and your temper has also grown. In the desert, you were very well-behaved," Xia Daoming said.

Hearing Xia Daoming mention the desert, Ji Wenyue's gaze softened immediately.

That time, Xia Daoming not only saved her, but during those days when they were wandering alone in the desert, despite his flirtatious words and shrewd glances, he had been impeccably respectful towards her in his actions. In fact, he had taken care of her everywhere.

The former was a life-saving grace, the weight of which was self-evident.

As for the latter, it tested humanity the most and revealed it the best.

Xia Daoming's impeccable respect and constant care for her demonstrated a precious humanity.

It was also those few days of experience that allowed Ji Wenyue to mature and grow up instantly.

In fact, stimulated and tempered by that experience, within three months of returning, with the help of some family treasures and medicine, she had broken through the fifth meridian bottleneck, becoming a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master.

A Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master at seventeen was definitely considered a genius among the younger generation of the various forces in Li City.

"Alright, alright, Brother Xia, I'll talk to you, okay? Can you stop looking at me like that? I'm still an unmarried maiden! If you really want a beautiful woman, I can arrange one for you." Soon, Ji Wenyue walked up to Xia Daoming, acting like a charming young girl.

"What the heck!" Xia Daoming hadn't expected Ji Wenyue to say something like that, and looking at her, he was momentarily speechless.

Seeing this, a cunning and triumphant glint flashed in Ji Wenyue's eyes.

"Huh? You're already a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master!" As Xia Daoming looked at Ji Wenyue, he noticed a subtle change in her vital energy, and said with surprise and delight.

"Hehe, am I amazing!" Ji Wenyue smiled at Xia Daoming, proudly puffing out her chest.

"Yes, you are indeed amazing!" Xia Daoming's gaze was involuntarily drawn to her, and he nodded in deep agreement.

"Brother Xia..." Ji Wenyue stomped her foot shyly.

"Did I say something wrong?" Xia Daoming feigned ignorance.

"Huh, that's not right. I'm not circulating my vital energy right now, how did you know at a glance that I'm a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master? Could it be that you also..." Ji Wenyue suddenly realized something was wrong, her eyes widening.

Thanks to Bian Li Weishi for the ten thousand point reward, and thanks to RPG Defense, Cang Gui, Yishui Qiannian2020, Qiuzhi Shenguang, 20210209203238689057596, and other book friends for their rewards.