"Don't be hasty. It's better to be cautious."
Feng Xingzhi grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear. Ji Yunxi took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down.
"I know. Don't worry about me." Ji Yunxi let go of his hand and walked ahead. Feng Xingzhi looked solemn, staring warily at the surroundings. He was afraid that Ji Yunxi, worried about her friends, might fall into the enemy's trap.
The two walked one after another into the canyon. Along the way, they didn't see a single soul. It was completely quiet all around, and there were no signs of fighting either. It was rather eerie.
In the front yard, the stream gurgled and the flowers bloomed quietly. The open space that should have been a training ground was also empty.
"The valley covers a vast area. Searching like this is too slow. Let's split up and search," Ji Yunxi suggested.
"No. Let's stay together," Feng Xingzhi rejected her suggestion without hesitation.
"But..."
"Master Feng, Miss Yunxi, when did you come back?" A girl dressed as a maid saw them and greeted them warmly.
"Has no one attacked the Qinse Valley?" Feng Xingzhi asked first.
"No. Why do you ask?" The maid was confused by the question and looked blankly at the two of them.
"Where are the people in the valley? Where have they all gone?" Ji Yunxi felt a sudden lift in her mood when she saw the maid.
"Oh, them. They've all gone to Young Master Gu's yard. Young Master Gu suddenly summoned everyone there today, saying that there was something important... Hey, I haven't finished my sentence yet. Why did you just leave?" The little maid looked at their departing backs in confusion and scratched the back of her head.
As soon as the two reached Gu An's yard, they heard voices from afar. It sounded like there were a lot of people.
The two glanced at each other, and Ji Yunxi was the first to run in.
"Don't be impulsive," Feng Xingzhi hissed at her in a low voice. But Ji Yunxi didn't listen at all. Feng Xingzhi sighed helplessly and quickly followed her.
The two figures rushed in like the wind. As soon as Ji Yunxi entered the yard, she saw it was filled with people. Everyone was chattering away, looking indignant.
Seeing this scene, Feng Xingzhi let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there were no enemies. Otherwise, he was really afraid that Ji Yunxi would act impulsively.
"Yunxi, everyone is fine. You don't need to worry anymore," Feng Xingzhi grabbed her hand, looking relaxed. But unexpectedly, Ji Yunxi let go of his hand, and Feng Xingzhi's smile froze on his face.
Ji Yunxi walked into the middle of the yard, and everyone made way for her when they saw her.
She looked around and found that everyone was in their fighting outfits, eager to go.
Seeing this scene, her eyes were full of surprise.
"Yunxi, you're finally back. Where's Qingxuan? Isn't he with you?" Yun Luotian was the first to see Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi and greeted them.
"What's going on?" Ji Yunxi looked at the scene in front of her in surprise and quickly went over to ask Gu An what had happened.
Gu An looked solemn and didn't say a word. The others also kept silent, with different expressions on their faces.
"Yunxi, please persuade them," Yun Luotian grabbed Ji Yunxi's sleeve and couldn't help but speak, looking embarrassed.
"What's wrong, Luotian? Speak slowly," Ji Yunxi grabbed Yun Luotian's shoulders and stared intently at her.
"It's... Jiang Yaoji..."
"Jiang Yaoji? What did she do?" Ji Yunxi quickly grasped the key point.
"Jiang Yaoji sent someone to deliver a letter. It said that we should hand over the materials for making the God-Slaying Blade, or be ready for war," Yun Luotian had been stammering, but Yun Hui couldn't stand it anymore. He let out a heavy sigh and directly told the reason.
"Jiang Yaoji is really something. I really wish I could go and kill her," Yun Luotian said angrily.
"Don't act on impulse. Let's discuss this together and then make a decision," at this time, Yun Han walked over slowly, looking leisurely as he tried to persuade Yun Luotian.
Seeing Yun Han, Ji Yunxi shook her head helplessly and gave him a meaningful look. They were just a bunch of young people. It was understandable that they acted impulsively. But why didn't Uncle Yun stop them and just let everyone make a fool of themselves?
Yun Han received Ji Yunxi's look and understood what she meant. He silently smiled. Young people were just like this. If they weren't impulsive, how could they be called young? They had to go through some hardships to grow up!
Seeing the interaction between the two, Feng Xingzhi also shook his head at Yun Han, looking serious. Seeing this, Yun Han's smile grew wider. He was just like an old rascal.
"Now we should discuss how to solve this matter together and how to rescue the people from the Fengche Palace," Yun Hui also tried to comfort Yun Luotian and calmly analyzed the current situation.
"Now she's not using the people from the Fengche Palace to blackmail us. It's probably because she still has her eyes on... Feng Xingzhi," Yun Hui said as he glanced at Feng Xingzhi and then continued, "We'd better make preparations early. We don't know what will happen in the future."
Feng Xingzhi was suddenly mentioned and was stunned for a moment. He pretended not to hear and remained expressionless. Ji Yunxi, however, glanced at Feng Xingzhi.
Yun Luotian was impatient: "We can't just hand over the things that Senior Sister and the others have worked so hard to find. Moreover, if they make the God-Slaying Blade, it will cost Senior Sister her life."
"Where's Jiang Yaoji's letter? Let me take a look," Ji Yunxi said coldly, with an unfathomable expression.
"I've already burned the letter," Gu An, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Gu An's tone was calm, as if he was just saying that the weather was nice today. When Ji Yunxi heard this, the atmosphere around her suddenly changed, and the others all fell silent in unison.
"What do you plan to do by summoning these people?" Ji Yunxi asked Gu An. Her tone was flat, but there was a hint of displeasure in it, as if she was about to explode the next moment.
"I can't watch you being threatened like this. If they have the guts, let them come and take the things. We'll accompany them," Gu An replied without raising his head. He was busy wiping the long spear in his hand, looking nonchalant.
"You're not the kind of person who acts impulsively," Ji Yunxi saw a kettle on the stone table next to Gu An. She poured a cup of water and gently placed it on the table. The moment the cup touched the stone table, it made a clear "ding" sound.
Hearing the sound, Gu An stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ji Yunxi. At this time, Ji Yunxi just sat down. The two looked at each other at eye level and neither of them spoke for a long time.
"Disperse the people and let them go back to rest," Ji Yunxi spoke up, breaking the silence. Her tone softened as she pushed the cup in front of Gu An.
Gu An frowned slightly. He looked at the water in the cup and then lowered his head to continue what he was doing. He didn't say another word.
"But..." Gu Feifei couldn't stand Ji Yunxi talking to Gu An like this. She wanted to speak up but was stopped by Gu Yiping.
Gu Feifei looked at Gu An. Gu An didn't say a word, but his eyes were full of warnings. Gu Feifei looked very unhappy. She shook off Gu Yiping's hand and quietly walked out of the yard.