Finally, the two stopped bickering. By then, Ji Yunxi had finished a plate of snacks brought by the servant.
Only then did Qing Xuan and Lu Shu realize that their squabbling had wasted so much time. For a moment, they didn't dare to say a word and stood on either side.
Ji Yunxi patted the cake crumbs off her hands and asked with a smile, "Are you done arguing?"
Qing Xuan gave a silly laugh and replied, "We're done."
"Alright, pack your luggage. It's time to go back."
"Back? Back where?" Lu Shu had been away for so long that he couldn't figure out where Ji Yunxi was planning to go.
Feng Xingzhi remembered the rules of Kunlun and explained, "The recruitment of disciples at Kunlun Mountain is usually about two months from now."
"That's right. We can't just wander around for two months. So, we'll go back to Nanyan first and then set off from there."
Beidi wasn't far from Nanyan. Ji Yunxi and her group took their time, enjoying the beautiful scenery in Beidi for three whole days.
Unexpectedly, on their way, they were caught up by a disciple from the Dream Blossom Pavilion.
He was in a hurry. When he saw Ji Yunxi, he almost tumbled off his horse. His anxious look made Ji Yunxi's heart skip a beat. She felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Reporting to the pavilion master, the prime minister of Nanyan, the princess, and the second young master had an accident on their way back to Nanyan!"
Ji Yunxi tightened her grip on the reins. Her heart immediately started to panic.
"Wait, you said there were three people. The second young master was there too?"
Ji Yunxi suddenly realized that her second brother had left after her eldest brother and Jiuge. How did they end up together and have an accident at the same time?
Feng Xingzhi's horse caught up. He reached out and held Ji Yunxi's shoulder. "Don't worry. Let's go and take a look first."
"Where are they now?"
"Xuan City."
Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi exchanged a look. Xuan City was right between Beidi and Nanyan, at the border. Neither country had strict control over it, so it was almost like a lawless place.
As a result, various forces were entrenched there, and the relationships were extremely complicated.
Remembering how Ji Yunxi had almost fallen off her horse due to her unease, Feng Xingzhi insisted that Lu Shu get a carriage. Then, they rushed off with her.
"A Shu, does the Dream Blossom Pavilion have a branch in Xuan City?"
Lu Shu answered Ji Yunxi's question while driving the carriage. "Pavilion master, we don't have a branch in Xuan City, but we do have a stronghold. The situation here is extremely complicated. As the saying goes, a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. We need to be careful here."
Qing Xuan scoffed. "They're just some family clans. They're nothing to worry about."
However, his words were quickly proven wrong.
When they entered the city, Feng Xingzhi showed his travel permit to show their identities. But the guards didn't care at all. They let them in and then started chatting loudly behind them.
"Oh, there's actually a prince in that carriage."
"So what if he's a prince? Once they're in our Xuan City, they're all turtles! Hahaha."
Their laughter made Ji Yunxi's unease grow stronger. If even a prince from Nanyan could be mocked by the city guards, she couldn't imagine how the young prime minister was faring.
Everyone was in a heavy mood. They finally arrived at an inn.
The carriage stopped in the backyard. A young servant came forward to take the reins. Lu Shu led the way in.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to see Young Master Liu."
The shopkeeper poked his head out from behind the tall counter. When he saw Lu Shu, he was first a bit surprised. Then, when he saw Ji Yunxi and her group, his expression turned cold.
"Are you here for a meal or to stay?"
"To stay."
The shopkeeper came out from behind the counter. Only then did Ji Yunxi notice that he was a hunched man. Because of his hunchback, he wasn't very tall.
He slowly led them up to the third floor and pushed open the innermost room. "Please, sir. This is the best room in the inn."
As soon as the door closed, the shopkeeper suddenly stood up and bowed with his hands clasped. "Greetings, Steward Lu."
Only then did everyone realize that the shopkeeper was actually the so - called Young Master Liu. Only those within the Dream Blossom Pavilion knew his real name.
"This is the pavilion master. We received the news and came here. Where are the prime minister and the princess now?"
The shopkeeper turned to Ji Yunxi and said, "Reporting to the pavilion master, two days ago, a disciple from our place went out to buy something. He saw the prime minister, the second young master, and the princess. He was about to go up and say hello when they offended the eldest young master of the local Sang family. They were taken away by them. I didn't know what to do, so I sent someone to inform the pavilion master as soon as possible."
Ji Yunxi reached out to help him up. She was grateful in her heart. "Thank you, shopkeeper."
Qing Xuan was a bit curious. "Since you saw them, why didn't you just send someone to rescue them?"
The shopkeeper looked helpless and forced a bitter smile. "I wanted to, but the Sang family is not ordinary."
"What's so special about the Sang family? Where do they come from?"
The shopkeeper took a half - step back, opened the door, and looked around. After making sure no one could hear them, he started to speak.
"The Sang family is backed by General Sang Yuanyi of Beidi. This is his ancestral family. The eldest young master of the Sang Mansion is named Sang Qingzhou. He's domineering on a daily basis. Relying on his family's power, he throws his weight around in Xuan City. Although many people have suffered a lot because of him, they can only swallow their anger because of his family. Even our stronghold of the Dream Blossom Pavilion has been investigated by him in many ways, making our lives... really hard."
Only then did Ji Yunxi understand why Lu Shu needed to use a secret signal when he came. Usually, the signboard of the Dream Blossom Pavilion wanted everyone to see it.
But now, in Xuan City, they were forced to the point where they could only identify each other by a secret signal. It showed how overbearing and rude the Sang family was.
Ji Yunxi was a bit angry. Her eyes kept moving as she was thinking about something.
Feng Xingzhi was a bit familiar with the words "General of Beidi". As if he suddenly remembered something, he tugged on Ji Yunxi's sleeve. "Xixi, do you remember that person who wanted to spend a fortune to buy the dancing girl at the Bamboo Elegance Building?"
Ji Yunxi was reminded and immediately remembered the person who had been dragged away by her men.
"Oh! Could it be him? But there's only one great general in Beidi. That person's arrogance is a bit like the way the Sang family does things, but..."
Ji Yunxi was a bit unsure for a moment. If this person was really the support of the Sang family, then it wouldn't be a problem. The person was already dead, so the support would naturally disappear.
So Ji Yunxi asked, "What does Sang Yuanyi look like?"
The steward said, "I've only seen him once. He was on horseback, and I couldn't see his face clearly. I don't know if the person you're talking about is Sang Yuanyi, but he's already over fifty years old."
The two exchanged a look and immediately ruled out that lecher.
Qing Xuan stepped forward and asked the shopkeeper, "Are they so overbearing that no one in the whole Xuan City can control them?"
"It's not that they don't want to control them. It's that they don't dare to argue with them."
Ji Yunxi sneered. "Since no one dares to argue with them, then I'll argue with them!"