But the man in black didn't show up as usual today. Gu Jiangyue was getting anxious, wondering if something had happened to him.
When the man in black gave Gu Jiangyue the bamboo flute, he told her that as long as she blew it, he would surely appear within three days. Recently, he also said that he wouldn't leave the capital anymore, so he would come in time as long as she blew the flute.
But today's abnormality worried Gu Jiangyue. Why hadn't the man in black shown up yet? He never told her where he was, so she could only wait there impatiently.
Xie Jiuan had actually heard the sound of the bamboo flute. He knew Gu Jiangyue was worried about him and wanted to rush over as soon as possible, but he was being pestered by a troublesome person.
The reason he could arrive in time when Gu Jiangyue blew the flute wasn't that he had placed someone around her to monitor her. He just went to the area near Gu Jiangyue's courtyard every night and stayed there for a while before leaving.
Xie Jiuan had lived in the palace since childhood. He had to be extremely cautious, so he was very sensitive to any changes around him. After getting along with Gu Jiangyue for so long, he also noticed that she seemed to dislike being controlled.
So although he was worried about her, he didn't want to arrange someone to monitor her. Instead, when he was free, he would just go around her more often and take a look at her.
With this thought in mind, the Ninth Prince would wander around aimlessly after dinner every day, even more diligent than the guards who patrolled the palace every day. Song Zhong couldn't stop him at all, so he simply gave up on the Ninth Prince who often stayed out at night.
Xie Jiuan actually arrived early today. He hadn't even had a proper conversation with Gu Jiangyue at Huayan Tower when Ji Yunsheng drugged him. Fortunately, he managed to use his internal energy in time and didn't inhale much of it. But Ji Yunsheng was also quite capable, and Xie Jiuan felt a bit dizzy. So he decided to play along.
Xie Jiuan thought Ji Yunsheng would calm down after that, but instead, he became even more persistent. He even followed Xie Jiuan all the way to the Gu Mansion.
Xie Jiuan had just heard the sound of Gu Jiangyue's bamboo flute. He wanted to go to her, but a purple figure blocked his way. The silver ornaments on Ji Yunsheng's body glistened in the cold moonlight, and Xie Jiuan recognized him at a glance.
Xie Jiuan didn't know if Ji Yunsheng had discovered his identity. After all, he was currently in the guise of the man in black. If Ji Yunsheng found out who he was, Xie Jiuan couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't tell Gu Jiangyue.
After all, Ji Yunsheng knew Gu Jiangyue's identity and even claimed to be the one who leaked it. Just thinking about this made Xie Jiuan angry. He didn't know if Gu Jiangyue would believe Ji Yunsheng or if she had misunderstood him.
If Gu Jiangyue misunderstood him as an untrustworthy person, he would surely make Ji Yunsheng pay a heavy price.
Xie Jiuan used his lightness kung fu to try to shake off Ji Yunsheng, but Ji Yunsheng's martial arts were also excellent. He just kept following Xie Jiuan closely. So Xie Jiuan stopped running. He stood still on the roof made of blue stones and stared at Ji Yunsheng quietly.
His voice hoarse, he asked,
"What do you want from me?"
A gust of night wind blew, creating ripples. Their robes fluttered in the wind. Ji Yunsheng was less talkative than during the day. He stared at Xie Jiuan for a while and then smiled wickedly.
"You look very much like a friend of mine."
Xie Jiuan scoffed. His eyes were cold, and his pale face looked terrifying in the moonlight.
"You think you can make friends?"
But Ji Yunsheng had no interest in arguing with him anymore. He whipped out a dark purple whip from his waist and lashed it at Xie Jiuan. The whip was so fast that only the sound of it cutting through the air could be heard.
Xie Jiuan dodged the whip and then used his lightness kung fu. He broke off a peach branch with his palm wind and held it in his hand as a sword.
Seeing that Xie Jiuan had found a suitable weapon, Ji Yunsheng lashed out his whip even more mercilessly. The whip danced wildly, sweeping across like waves, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, like a snake or a dragon, delivering another deadly move.
Xie Jiuan's eyes flashed with determination. He waved the peach branch in his hand, and the peach blossoms on it fluttered down under the effect of his internal energy. He held the peach branch in front of him and rushed straight towards the whip. He was very agile and managed to avoid the vital parts every time. In just a blink of an eye, he was in front of Ji Yunsheng.
Ji Yunsheng was testing him, so Xie Jiuan decided not to pretend anymore. He poured his internal energy into the peach branch and waved it vigorously at Ji Yunsheng. A nearly tangible sword energy condensed on the peach branch and rushed towards Ji Yunsheng.
Xie Jiuan noticed keenly that Ji Yunsheng's movements were not as fast as before. He quickly whipped his whip to block the sword energy, but he was still a bit late. He dodged slightly but still couldn't avoid it completely. He was knocked back a few steps and then vomited a mouthful of blood.
But Ji Yunsheng wasn't defeated by this blow. Instead, he looked at Xie Jiuan and laughed twice. His laughter was wicked, and his eyes were full of triumph. It was a bit creepy in the quiet night.
"Sure enough, it's you, Xie Jiuan."
Ji Yunsheng used his lightness kung fu to jump off the roof. When he landed on the ground, his body swayed unsteadily, but his tone was still as arrogant as ever.
"I knew I couldn't be wrong about you."
Xie Jiuan frowned slightly in dissatisfaction. He stepped forward and grabbed Ji Yunsheng's arm, asking,
"Are you hurt?"
Ji Yunsheng just nodded casually and grunted. Then, while Xie Jiuan was concerned about him and not paying attention, he reached out his other hand and knocked off Xie Jiuan's mask.
"It's more comfortable to look at you like this."
Ji Yunsheng was feeling extremely dizzy, so he didn't argue with Xie Jiuan anymore. He just let Xie Jiuan drag him to a pavilion.
"Forgot, you're more familiar with this Gu Mansion than I am."
Ji Yunsheng had no awareness of being a wounded person at all. At this moment, he was still chattering non - stop. Xie Jiuan directly pressed him onto a seat, afraid that he would run away.
Xie Jiuan then used his internal energy to check his injury, but Ji Yunsheng raised his hand to stop him.
"You didn't hurt me. You're not capable of hurting the Valley Master. Are you here to see Gu Jiangyue?"
Xie Jiuan knew he couldn't argue with Ji Yunsheng, so he just let it be. Ji Yunsheng's martial arts were on par with Xie Jiuan's. Normally, an ordinary person wouldn't be able to hurt him. If the Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley was so easy to kill, he would have been tortured to death long ago.
Xie Jiuan let out a long sigh. He had underestimated Ji Yunsheng's understanding of him. Ji Yunsheng had actually guessed who he was a long time ago. He just wanted to find an excuse to talk to him.
They had been like this since childhood. Only after a fight would they clear up their misunderstandings and have a good conversation.
"Just say what you want to say."
Xie Jiuan's tone was calm, showing no emotion.