Feng Xingzhi supported Ji Yunxi as they walked back, with one of his hands tightly held by her.
"Yunxi, it's all over now."
Tears welled up in Ji Yunxi's eyes but refused to fall. She couldn't, and mustn't expose the relationship between herself and Yun Luotian.
She was gripping so tightly that it hurt Feng Xingzhi's palm, but he said nothing and quietly accompanied her back to the courtyard.
Once they were inside the house and the door was closed, Feng Xingzhi said, "Xixi, we have a long time ahead of us."
The farce was over, leaving only those who still talked about it with relish.
After they returned, Ji Yunxi couldn't stop worrying about Yun Luotian. Tossing and turning in bed, she finally couldn't hold back and decided to go and see her.
So she secretly took some spiritual pills and wound medicine and found Yun Luotian's maid. Before she could say a word, the maid's face changed. "What are you doing here? Isn't it enough that you took revenge? Get out!"
Ji Yunxi didn't blame the maid for being rude to her. After all, it was she who had unleashed those twenty thunderbolts.
"Leave quickly, or don't blame us for being rude to you!"
Moreover, if it weren't for her, Yun Luotian wouldn't have been so badly injured. Ji Yunxi knew that such a grudge would be hard to dispel for the time being. She could only wait for things to calm down before explaining everything to Yun Luotian.
She put down the wound medicine and spiritual pills. "Please convey my regards. Thank you."
Then she had no choice but to leave, her back looking a bit desolate.
Early the next morning, when it was still dawn, Ji Yunxi had been sleeping restlessly these days, so she got up early to practice.
As soon as she stepped out of her room, she met Li Jiuge. With a smile on her face, Li Jiuge said, "Yunxi! I knew you'd get up early. Come and have breakfast."
Looking at her, Ji Yunxi suddenly remembered her second brother's strange behavior during the meal the other day. She felt a headache coming on.
Li Jiuge must be completely unaware of her second brother's feelings for her, but now that Ji Yunxi knew, she couldn't just pretend not to.
"Jiuge..."
"If you're asking if my previous injury is healed, it is. If you're asking about your eldest brother, I'm sorry, but I won't answer." Li Jiuge cut her off, refusing to say anything.
"Okay, then I won't ask." Ji Yunxi simply shut up, which made Li Jiuge extremely curious.
She pressed on. "No, what were you going to ask me?"
Ji Yunxi thought that given Li Jiuge's personality, she must be unaware of Ji Yunyi's feelings for her. It would be better not to say anything and let the matter pass unnoticed, rather than causing trouble for everyone.
Just as the two were sitting in the courtyard having breakfast, Lu Shu suddenly showed up.
"Master!"
He ran in cheerfully, as if he were in his own home.
Li Jiuge teased him. "You seem to know your way around here quite well."
Lu Shu smiled. "I'm used to coming here on weekdays, and Immortal Venerable Ronghua even gave me a token, so I can come and go as I please. Of course, I can come up openly."
"Is there something wrong?" Ji Yunxi could tell from his appearance that he must have something to tell her.
Sure enough. "Master, the matter in Yuecheng, Eastern Jin, has been settled. The prefect of Yuecheng was executed for multiple crimes such as embezzlement and bribery. The prefect's wife and daughter were also sentenced to exile, and a new prefect is about to take office. As for the refugees, Zhuyilou sent people to distribute porridge to help them, and the situation has improved a lot. Their reputation has also spread."
Ji Yunxi nodded. "That's good. I've always been worried about Zhuyilou's reputation. Now this is just the right opportunity."
"Yes, among the refugees, there were some who couldn't afford to raise their children and wanted to send them to Zhuyilou, but they were all rejected."
Ji Yunxi frowned slightly, then smiled. "Send them in? They're not really being kind. They just want someone else to raise their children for them. It's most despicable to give birth but not raise."
Only then did Lu Shu understand, and the happy look on his face disappeared. "I didn't know. People really have so many schemes."
Ji Yunxi shook her head helplessly. "It's not a bad thing that you don't understand."
Suddenly remembering something, Lu Shu clapped his hands. "Master, guess who the new prefect is! You all know him."
They all knew him?
"Who is it?"
Lu Shu pursed his lips and smiled. "It's Du Tianchen! And his family, the Du family, has contributed a lot of money and effort to the matter in Yuecheng. I went to take a look, and the Du family is clean. This matter has almost emptied their family fortune. I wanted to contribute some money and effort, but Du Tianchen said it was all for you."
Li Jiuge burst out laughing. "You said he's already a prefect, but he still doesn't act seriously all day long. But it's really been a long time since I saw him. So he went back to Eastern Jin?"
"Having an official position is still good."
"Good? He's already a prefect!"
Ji Yunxi had been listening. Suddenly, she thought of Yuecheng, and a flash of inspiration crossed her mind. She remembered the familiar upper - realm person she had seen on the execution platform.
Wasn't that the person who had appeared to stop Jiang Yaoji when she was about to attack her on Guangwu Mountain and then taken her away?
Ji Yunxi's eyes widened in shock. She had always suspected that there was someone behind Jiang Yaoji. The last time that man appeared, even though Jiang Yaoji hated her so much, she had to leave with him. This meant that the person behind that man was the real mastermind!
"Lu Shu, go and call Big Brother, Second Brother, and Azhi here quickly!"
Lu Shu was completely confused, but he didn't dare to delay for a moment and quickly went out to call the others.
Ji Yunxi set up a barrier around them before telling everyone about her discovery.
"I've been wondering who's behind Jiang Yaoji and Ji Yuyan. Now I understand. It's not easy for Jiang Yaoji to control Taowu and Bai Ze, but..." She pointed to the sky. "They can."
Everyone was very surprised. Feng Xingzhi also looked a bit troubled. "This is going to be difficult. If there's the Moon Glory Palace behind Jiang Yaoji, with our current strength, we definitely can't compete with them for the time being."
Ji Yunxi pondered for a moment. "If my guess is correct, the events of the Moon Glory Palace, Cloud Rising Palace, and Wind - Clear Palace back then must not be that simple. But now that we can't find the remaining old members of the Wind - Clear Palace and Cloud Rising Palace, we can't find out the truth."
Li Jiuge chimed in. "There must be some old members, right? Isn't Yun Luotian from the former Cloud Rising Palace?"
Ji Yunxi nodded and then shook her head. "That's true, but as you all saw today, someone is always watching her every move. That Yue Qiu is just a lackey of the Moon Glory Palace, but she dared to attack a superior god so brutally. It's obvious that Yun Luotian's life is not as easy as we thought."
Feng Xingzhi continued. "Yes, and in my opinion, there's always someone watching her. She simply can't contact us too much or tell us anything."