Yun Luotian sidled up to Ji Yunxi and whispered to her, "What's going on with this Yu Mingyi?"
Ji Yunxi shook her head and kept flipping through the book in her hand as she replied, "I don't know. We may never contact him again after leaving the Northern Lands. Don't bother with him."
Yun Luotian looked at the book in her hand and mumbled, "Never contact him again? Senior Sister, I think he's not bad. Why don't we make use of him to strengthen our team?"
Ji Yunxi gently tapped her and said, "We're not doing something trivial. Why involve innocent people? The mermaid clan has always kept themselves aloof. If we involve them and succeed, it's okay. But if we fail, how can we explain it? As the saying goes, a gentleman uses his troops in a proper way."
Yun Luotian tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled. "Is there such a saying? Why have I only heard of 'A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it in a proper way'?"
Ji Yunxi answered without looking up, "You're not wrong. I just made it up."
Yun Luotian resignedly picked another book from the bookshelf but still didn't give up persuading her. "Senior Sister, seriously, you can look at other people. Don't be so obsessed with someone from the past. No matter how good Feng Xingzhi is, he has broken your heart. Why do you still miss him so much?"
Ji Yunxi still carefully read the book, afraid of missing a single word. "Nothing else matters. If it's not Feng Xingzhi, it's not needed."
Yun Luotian still didn't understand. She thought Feng Xingzhi wasn't that great.
Yu Mingyi somehow came closer. "Miss Ji, are you tired? You've been reading for so long. Take a break for your eyes."
Hearing this, Yun Luotian's big eyes rolled. She put down the book, rested her arms on the table, and propped her chin up as she joked, "Prince Mermaid, why don't you ask me?"
Yu Mingyi blushed a little and couldn't help looking at Ji Yunxi. "Miss Yun doesn't seem tired."
"Tsk..."
Ji Yunxi ignored them and kept flipping through the books, continuing to look for relevant records.
The sunlight gradually faded. The rosy clouds in the sky were shining brightly, like a raging fire.
After sitting at the table for a long time, Yu Mingyi wanted to stand up and stretch. As he stood up, he accidentally met Ji Yunxi's gaze.
By now, the room had darkened. Ji Yunxi took out a fire starter and lit a candle. As she looked up, their eyes met. Both of them were stunned.
Yu Mingyi felt embarrassed and his cheeks instantly turned red. Ji Yunxi looked calm, like the ice and snow on a high mountain that never melted. Then she lowered her head and continued to read the book.
Yu Mingyi didn't know how to melt this ice and snow. He summoned up his courage and walked to her side. "Miss Ji, it's getting late. Go and have dinner first."
Ji Yunxi looked around. Yun Luotian was nowhere to be seen. There was a stack of books beside her seat. Qing Xuan was sleeping in the corner of the bookshelf with a book on his face. There were also several books scattered around.
"I'll go after I finish this book. If you're hungry, go and eat first."
The candlelight shone on Ji Yunxi's side face, adding a bit of softness. She had shed her sharp edges during the day, and her eyebrows showed tenderness.
"You must be hungry. I'll go and get you something to eat."
"No need. I'll..." Before Ji Yunxi could finish her sentence, Yu Mingyi had already run out.
Ji Yunxi couldn't help smiling when she saw his behavior. How could she not know Yu Mingyi's feelings? But her heart was already full of Feng Xingzhi and there was no room for anyone else. This feeling could never be reciprocated.
After a while, Yu Mingyi came back with a food box in his hand. He opened the lid and the fragrance of the food filled the air.
By now, Yun Luotian had returned and Qing Xuan had woken up. They sat together, looking at the two of them eagerly.
Yu Mingyi felt shy when he saw their gazes. He put the food beside Ji Yunxi. "Miss Ji, eat something to fill your stomach. Don't overwork yourself."
Qing Xuan and Yun Luotian secretly sized them up while talking.
Yun Luotian was very satisfied with Yu Mingyi now. "I think Yunxi and him are quite a good match. A handsome man and a beautiful woman. It's great."
Qing Xuan also showed approval in his eyes. "I think so too. He's a mermaid prince. Their family backgrounds are also quite suitable, and they look good together."
Yun Luotian sized Yu Mingyi up carefully again, with a strange light in her eyes. "Well, not bad. The more I look, the more pleasing he is. What do you think their baby will look like?"
This words sounded familiar, as if she had heard them somewhere. Qing Xuan suddenly fell silent for two seconds. He thought of all the things between Feng Xingzhi and Ji Yunxi before and couldn't help sighing.
"Qing Xuan, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting so mysterious like Uncle Yun Han?" Yun Luotian opened her eyes wide and looked at him in confusion.
Qing Xuan recalled the past. Those memories seemed to be right in front of his eyes. The once loving couple had now turned against each other. How unpredictable life was. "I just thought of Feng Xingzhi. He and the master were such a perfect couple, but..."
Yun Luotian didn't understand and her tone sank. "Why bring him up out of the blue? It's a mood-killer."
Qing Xuan said seriously, "Yun Luotian, you don't understand. Feng Xingzhi was willing to give up his life for the master. Who else can do such a thing besides him?"
Yun Luotian was speechless after hearing this and didn't say anything else.
On the other side, Ji Yunxi thanked Yu Mingyi but still didn't eat. She kept busy with her hands and said in the direction of Yun Luotian and Qing Xuan, "Have you two finished your whispering?"
Yun Luotian poked Qing Xuan with her arm dissatisfiedly. "I told you to speak quietly just now."
Then she looked at Ji Yunxi with a smile. "We've finished, Senior Sister. We'll start reading now."
Ji Yunxi stopped flipping through the book. "If you're tired, go back to your room and rest. You don't have to stay with me all the time."
"We're not tired. The more people, the more strength, right?" Yun Luotian looked at Qing Xuan and gave him a meaningful look.
"Yeah, that's right." Qing Xuan nodded quickly.
"Okay. If you're sleepy, go to sleep. Don't force yourself to stay up."
"Sure thing."
By now, they had flipped through half of the books in the scripture library. The few of them sped up. Just before dawn, they finally found a similar secret technique.
Ji Yunxi was a bit excited. "Luotian, come and take a look at this."
Yun Luotian hadn't slept all night. Although she was drowsy, she was still poring over a book.
She took the book from Ji Yunxi, rubbed her eyes, and read the words on the book softly. "This secret technique is called the Memory Seal. It can make people forget specific people and things through an array, divine power, and the guidance of a stupefying incense."
Qing Xuan was woken up by their actions and asked groggily, "What's going on? Do we have a clue?"
"This is similar to Feng Xingzhi's situation." Yun Luotian handed the book to Qing Xuan.
Ji Yunxi said slowly, "This array requires a large amount of divine power to operate. Jiang Yaoji operated it on two people at once. Whether it's Azhi or the Lushu, they both rely on her power. So now is the time when her internal strength is at its weakest."