"Greetings to the princess and the prince." As the elders entered the council hall, they bowed in unison.
"All of you elders have watched my brother and me grow up. There's no need for such formal greetings." Jiang Yaoji made a gesture as if to help them up, and the elders rose to their feet.
"Today we've invited the two of you here to discuss the matter of going to war with the Xuanyuan Clan." The grand elder spoke. His deep, aged voice seemed to have traveled from the ancient times, polished by the passage of time, irresistibly drawing people's attention.
"Feel free to share your thoughts. Speak your minds." Jiang Yaoji sat on the high - platform, casually nestled in her chair. One hand rested on the chair arm, and the other played with a string of beads. She looked elegant.
"The battle with the Xuanyuan Clan back then was a great shame for us. Now that Ji Yunxi's divine power is damaged and the leader, Prince Zhuanxu of the Xuanyuan Clan, is missing, this is the perfect time to start a war."
"But there's still Feng Xingzhi by her side." Jiang Yaoji said slowly.
"Feng Xingzhi hasn't fully regained his power within the Huaxu Clan. The world created by the gods has been destroyed, and the Jiuli Clan has also been severely damaged. This is the right moment to strike."
Jiang Yaoji's hand stopped playing with the beads. She sat up straight, her eyes glinting with a strange light.
"Let me think about this matter. All of you elders have been dedicated to the Shennong Clan. Yaoji is grateful to you all."
On the other side, Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi returned to the Xuanyuan Clan. After taking a rest, they started to search for Zhuanxu's whereabouts.
Three or five magpies landed on the tree branches, chirping. Ji Yunxi sat by the stone table, propping her chin with her hand and tapping her fingers on the table. The dappled sunlight filtered through the tree leaves, casting a layer of golden powder on the young girl, giving her a faint glow.
Ji Yunxi raised her hand, and a magpie landed on it. She slowly smoothed its feathers. It had rained in the morning, and their wings were still damp.
"Hey, little magpie."
The sound of footsteps behind her startled the little creatures. They flapped their wings and flew back to the branches, staring at Ji Yunxi with their beady black eyes.
"Xingzhi, have you found anything?" Ji Yunxi turned to look at the approaching person.
"Nothing." Feng Xingzhi shook his head and sat down opposite her.
"It's strange. Why do Ji Yuchen and Ji Yunyi seem to have vanished from the face of the earth?" Ji Yunxi stared blankly into space, muttering softly.
Neither of them said a word. A petal slowly landed on the stone table.
"Your Highness, there was a noise from the back mountain. It seems the barrier has been tampered with."
"Really? Xingzhi, let's go and check it out." Ji Yunxi stood up. The petal was lifted by her sleeve and fluttered to the ground.
The two of them led a group of people to the back mountain. Sure enough, the barrier had been broken.
"Everyone, spread out and search carefully. Be on guard against enemy ambushes." Ji Yunxi waved her hand, and everyone immediately started to investigate.
"Could it be that Jiang Yaoji has led her troops here?" Qing Xuan followed closely behind Ji Yunxi, afraid that she might get hurt.
"It's possible. Everyone, be careful."
"Master, there's someone lying over there." Lu Shu, who was walking in the front, pointed a few meters away and exclaimed.
Feng Xingzhi summoned his sword. "You all stay here. I'll go and take a look." With that, he walked forward with his sword in hand.
He pushed aside the person's hair and saw someone who shouldn't be there. Behind her, there was also a comatose Zhuanxu.
"Yunxi, it's Li Jiuge and Zhuanxu."
Hearing these two names, Ji Yunxi immediately rushed over. Sure enough, it was Li Jiuge lying there.
"Jiuge, Jiuge, Zhuanxu, how are you?" Ji Yunxi squatted down and gently shook the two of them, but no one answered her.
"Jiuge, I'll save you right away." Ji Yunxi called her name while injecting her with divine power, but it was of no avail.
Li Jiuge's hair was in a mess, her clothes were tattered, and there were bloodstains on her body. She was unconscious. Feng Xingzhi examined her and determined that the blood didn't come from her.
"Qing Xuan, go and tell the others to go back. There's no need to search anymore."
"Yes!" Before leaving, Qing Xuan looked at Ji Yunxi worriedly. Ji Yunxi was still in a state of shock and her emotions were a bit unstable.
"I'll watch over her. Don't worry."
"Okay!"
"Lu Shu, go and get the medicine for injuries."
"Sure."
Ji Yunxi examined Li Jiuge's body, while Feng Xingzhi checked Zhuanxu's.
"The reason for Zhuanxu's coma is unknown. What about Li Jiuge?"
"Jiuge is unconscious because of her injuries and excessive consumption of divine power."
"We thought the two of them were unconscious for the same reason. This is getting tricky. We don't know what they've been through."
"We'll know when they wake up. Let's save them first."
"The medicine for injuries is here." Lu Shu brought the medicine, and Qing Xuan also returned.
After Ji Yunxi treated Li Jiuge, she said to the three of them, "Let's secretly take them back. Don't let this matter get out."
When they returned to the front yard, Ji Yunxi invited a doctor to feel the pulses of the two.
"They're not seriously injured. Young Master Ji is showing signs of waking up. He'll probably regain consciousness within two hours."
"Sir, can you tell the reason for his coma?" Ji Yunxi wanted to figure out what had happened.
"It's hard to say. It seems to be caused by a mental shock. Strange, strange. I've been practicing medicine for many years, and this is the first time I've encountered such a patient. I'll write a prescription for them. Send someone to decoct the medicine and bring it here later."
"Okay. Take care, doctor." Feng Xingzhi went out to see the doctor off. After walking some distance out of the yard, he said, "Doctor, I hope you can keep today's visit a secret."
"Alas, I know. You young people are always fighting. You don't know how precious life is." The doctor shook his head helplessly.
"Thank you, doctor."
"I'm thirsty." Before long, Li Jiuge woke up. The scenery in front of her gradually became clear.
"Jiuge, you scared me to death. I'm so glad you're okay." Ji Yunxi excitedly hugged her.
"Yunxi, get me a glass of water."
"You've remembered." Ji Yunxi exclaimed happily. She poured a glass of water for Li Jiuge, who took it and sipped it slowly.
"Yes, I remember everything." Li Jiuge's voice was hoarse when she spoke.
"Remembered what?" Ji Yunxi looked at her eagerly.
"I remembered that I'm the princess of the Jiuli Clan and Zhuanxu's childhood sweetheart." Li Jiuge lowered her eyes and looked at the sleeping Zhuanxu beside her. Her worry was clearly visible.
"Don't worry. The doctor said he'll wake up within two hours. Do you still remember how you ended up unconscious in the back mountain?"
"Unconscious?" Li Jiuge murmured to herself. When she recalled that day, her thoughts were still in a mess. Her eyes looked a bit dull. "I remember that I was in Nanyan. Suddenly, there were strange phenomena in the sky and the earth shook. I immediately regained all my memories. So I went to the Dream - Hua Pavilion with Yuchen to look for you, but the people in the Dream - Hua Pavilion said they hadn't been in touch with you for a long time."
"Later, we contacted Yunhan through the Dream - Hua Pavilion and found out that you had left a long time ago." Li Jiuge looked at her.