After much hardship, the group finally reached the mountaintop.
Amidst the expanse of white snow stood a magnificent mansion. Above its gate was a large plaque, on which only the words "Mountain Manor" were legible.
The guards in front of the gate were simply dressed, as if impervious to the cold. They stood there with an imposing aura.
Lushu slung one arm over Qingxuan's shoulder, but both of them were shivering from the cold, as their clothes seemed to let in the wind.
"Is... is this it?"
Ji Yunxi turned her head, frowning as she looked at them. "Shushu, are you okay?"
"Master, I... I'm fine. I can keep going..."
Qingxuan couldn't help but rub his red ears and laughed. "You're shivering. I told you to wait for us at the foot of the mountain, but you insisted on coming up."
Feng Xingzhi took Ji Yunxi's hand. "Don't worry about them."
Perhaps their bickering had caught the attention of the guards at the gate. One of them noticed Ji Yunxi and walked over quickly.
"Are you Miss Ji Yunxi?"
Ji Yunxi glanced at Feng Xingzhi before answering. "Yes, I am."
"Then follow me." The guard then led the way and opened the gate of the mountain manor.
Once inside the manor, it seemed even colder.
The cloak Ji Yunxi had prepared before climbing the mountain seemed useless. A gust of wind blew, and she immediately shrank her neck.
Feng Xingzhi noticed her little movement and immediately took off his own cloak and draped it over her.
"Azhi, put it on quickly. What if you catch a cold?"
She still remembered that Feng Xingzhi had stayed in the ice lake all night to save her from the love poison, and had a high fever the next day.
As she spoke, she tried to take off the cloak and return it to him.
However, Feng Xingzhi firmly held down the cloak. "I'm not cold, Xixi. I have high spiritual power, so I don't feel the cold. See for yourself."
As he spoke, he stuffed his hand into Ji Yunxi's. It was indeed warm.
Only then did Ji Yunxi feel relieved, not noticing that the people behind them were all snickering.
Ji Yunyi couldn't help but sigh. With a husband as considerate as Feng Xingzhi, it would be strange if his sister didn't fall in love with him...
The mansion on the mountaintop was very large. After winding their way through, they finally reached the main hall.
The group followed the guard into the center of the main hall. On the dais sat a person in a white robe, wearing a mask that concealed their face.
Feng Xingzhi instinctively shielded Ji Yunxi behind him. He always felt that the reason they had taken Li Jiuge was to threaten Ji Yunxi.
The white-robed figure remained silent, looking very calm.
Qingxuan whispered, "Making a mystery out of nothing."
Lushu echoed this time. "Putting on airs."
Ji Yunxi slightly curled her lips. These two would only be so in sync when they were united against an outside threat, right?
Not distracted anymore, she looked at the person on the dais.
Finally, the person spoke. "Ji Yunxi?"
"Yes, it's me. You sent a letter asking me to come. Don't you even know what I look like?"
The other person snorted, as if not taking Ji Yunxi seriously.
"Tell me. Why did you kidnap Li Jiuge? How can you let her go?"
"To get you here."
This time, Ji Yunxi heard clearly and realized that the voice belonged to a woman.
"Letting her go is not a big deal. But I need you to wake someone up when the time is right."
"Who?"
Ji Yunxi frowned, wondering when she had the ability to wake someone up.
The white-robed figure lifted her eyes under the mask. "You don't need to know."
"What if I don't come when the time is right?"
The white-robed figure suddenly laughed. After a chilling laugh, she said, "It doesn't matter. We have a blood contract. You have to come."
Feng Xingzhi immediately objected. "Impossible."
Even Ji Yunyi looked serious. He stepped forward and grabbed his sister's arm. "Don't even think about it."
"Miss Ji has quite a few protectors. But I wonder if Li Jiuge's life is worth it in your eyes."
Ji Yunxi followed the direction the white-robed figure was pointing and saw Li Jiuge being escorted out.
Li Jiuge also saw Feng Xingzhi and Ji Yunxi at a glance. Struggling, she shouted, "Brother! Yunxi!"
Feng Xingzhi and Feng Jiangming had only this one cousin, and they had doted on her since childhood. How could they bear to see her being escorted like this?
"Let her go."
Ji Yunxi spoke, her tone ice-cold.
The white-robed figure sneered. "What right do you have to make conditions with me?"
"Why don't I have the right? You've gone to such lengths, even risking enmity with the royal family of Nanyan. It means only I can help you. But if I'm not willing, what can you do?"
"Then I'll kill her!"
As the words fell, a wave of spiritual power grabbed Li Jiuge's neck and lifted her up.
Ji Yunxi immediately waved her hand, and a wave of spiritual power countered it. With a bang, Li Jiuge fell to the ground, coughing continuously.
Both of them had a better understanding of each other. The white-robed figure's tone became more cautious and she didn't dare to anger Ji Yunxi anymore. She just told the people beside Li Jiuge to control her tightly.
Feng Xingzhi whispered, "How powerful is she?"
"Try not to conflict with her."
Only then did Feng Xingzhi notice that Ji Yunxi's hand was slightly trembling under the wide cloak, which showed how powerful the other person was.
"I need to think about it."
The white-robed figure raised her hand and didn't stop her.
The group surrounded Ji Yunxi and tried to stop her.
"But I can't just watch Jiuge get hurt!"
"But this blood contract is no joke."
Everyone hesitated. Finally, Ji Yunxi made the decision. She turned to the white-robed figure and said, "I can agree to you, but the condition of the blood contract can only be to wake that person up."
"Of course. Miss Ji is trustworthy. I won't be shameless."
Li Jiuge immediately spat. "You're not shameless? You used my life to force Yunxi to sign this blood contract with you! Yunxi, don't agree to her. If I die, I'll have the army of Nanyan raze the entire Lingyun Mountain to the ground!"
As these words were spoken, everyone seemed to see the pride of a princess in her.
Feng Xingzhi suddenly paused. This younger sister had grown up in a way he hadn't noticed. He couldn't help but smile.
"Jiuge, don't worry. If you die, I'll immediately raze her mountain manor to the ground."
The white-robed figure was speechless. "Raze the mountain manor? Young man, don't talk big!"
Sure enough, her previous move was not only to threaten everyone but also to test Ji Yunxi's spiritual power cultivation.
"If I can't kill you, can't I kill myself? If I die, can you still wake the person you want?"
As these words were spoken, the situation immediately reversed.
The white-robed figure didn't expect Ji Yunxi to be so smart and to immediately seize her weakness.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Ji Yunxi smiled brightly. "Let's talk slowly."