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“…Apologies.”
Yin Lanruo slowly withdrew her fist.
The graceful woman, like a delicate moon, returned to her previous gentle and refined demeanor and said to Liuyu:
“Is this Miss Ji Mo? I’ve heard much about your great name, Miss. It’s such an honor to meet you today, but unfortunately, it’s under such circumstances. I’ve even crushed your plants. I truly apologize. Please, allow me to compensate you.”
Liuyu turned her head slightly, stiffly glancing at Fang Fucang, who was being slowly helped up by Yue Niang.
“Miss Lanruo, you’re too polite. It’s just a few plants. There’s no need for compensation…”
“Evening Jasmine and Minghua are priced at 543 spirit plants each. The Boshang Lingfei is worth 1,700 spirit plants. The plants were large and robust, at least three or four of them were crushed. The total cost comes close to this amount.”
Without knowing where she pulled it from, Yin Lanruo took out a golden abacus and began clicking the beads like playing a stringed instrument. In just a few moments, she calculated the total amount.
Liuyu blinked in surprise, then quickly realized.
The Yin family has a long history of running marketplaces and trade routes, and it’s perfectly normal for their children to excel at arithmetic.
The typically silent Mo Lin glanced at Fang Fucang and suddenly spoke:
“If Miss Yin truly wants to compensate, she should deduct it from Fang Fucang’s monthly salary.”
Fang Fucang looked at Mo Lin, somewhat surprised.
This was the first time in his life he had heard “deduct from the monthly salary” sound so pleasant!
Yin Lanruo, however, gently laughed:
“Lord, you joke. I have no ties with Fang Lang, how could I possibly take his salary?”
After speaking, she instructed her maid to take the spirit plants and hand them to Mo Lin, who stood beside Liuyu.
Fang Fucang watched as the graceful figure approached him.
Even though Yin Lanruo had just punched him, he didn’t feel angry. He was only thinking about how her hand was meant for writing and painting. What if she injured it by punching him?
“Lan…”
Yin Lanruo smiled slightly and turned to Yue Niang, who was stunned by the situation.
“I heard you called him ‘Master’ earlier?”
Yue Niang instinctively nodded but halfway through, she remembered how angry this beautiful woman had been when she threw that punch. She hesitated and shook her head instead, mumbling:
“I should have said… or maybe not…”
Yin Lanruo’s smile deepened, her eyes shimmering like autumn lake waters.
“Here, this is for you.”
Yue Niang froze as she took a small embroidered pouch from her. Opening it, she saw it was filled with plum-blossom-shaped gold ingots.
Fang Fucang casually brushed off a leaf from his hair and said:
“Still not thanking your master?”
“No need to thank me, it’s just proper,” Yin Lanruo said with a gentle tone. “After all, your master has been dead for so long, and I never offered incense. This small amount of silk money is my token of respect.”
Fang Fucang and Yue Niang both froze, their smiles frozen on their faces.
Yue Niang, solemnly staring at the bag of gold, murmured:
“So, after Master’s death, I can still collect money…?”
A light but not too heavy slap landed on the back of Yue Niang’s head.
“Miss Lanruo, this person is…?”
Among the unmarried youths of the Shentu family in the courtyard, Shentu Shiyan stood out.
He recognized Liuyu but didn’t understand who this person was who suddenly appeared and disrespected the Shentu family.
Yin Lanruo pursed her lips and succinctly replied:
“My ex-husband.”
The crowd understood immediately.
Before coming here, they had heard of Yin Lanruo’s past. It was said that ten years ago, Miss Lanruo had married the young master of the Fang family and had a daughter, but they had divorced five years ago, and she returned to the Yin family with her daughter.
“So, this is Miss Lanruo’s ex-husband.”
A young man from the Shentu family eyed Fang Fucang, whose cheek was swollen.
“I know you. You once served the Seventeenth Young Master of the Jiufang family. You failed to protect your master, and while it would’ve been acceptable if you had died in battle, you faked your death and later defected to the Ji Mo family. A traitor who abandoned his own family. The Fang family, in order to sever ties with you, immediately removed you from their family register—am I right?”
Liuyu looked at Fang Fuchang with some surprise.
This was the first time she had heard of the matter of expulsion; Fang Fuchang had never mentioned it before.
Fang Fuchang raised his brows slightly, brushing the dust off his clothes. His usually drooping eyelids lifted as he said, “You seem to know quite a bit. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were planning to matchmake with me.”
The young man flushed from his sarcasm.
“Forget it, don’t waste time arguing with him,” someone next to him pulled him back and glanced at Fang Fuchang. “He’s now on a completely different level compared to us and Miss Lan Ruo. If we say too much, it’ll only lower our own status.”
Yue Niang, though she often quarreled with her master, immediately stepped forward and said, “What nonsense! My master has both talent and looks, and is just as deserving as Mistress Lan! How can there be such a distinction between us?”
Fang Fuchang turned around and gave her a look of speechless exasperation.
If you don’t know how to speak, it’s better to stay silent.
“He has fallen so low as to work alongside demons and ghosts, does that need further explanation?” the arrogant young noble sneered.
“As a vassal, when your master dies, you should commit suicide to atone for your sins. But instead, you seek a new master. That’s unfaithful and unworthy. No wonder you’re willing to work with demons and ghosts. Such a person has no integrity; what wouldn’t he do to survive?”
Liuyu listened for a while, then suddenly tilted her head and laughed lightly.
“Master Shentu’s status is so high, so if I let demons and ghosts sit at the same table as you young masters today, wouldn’t it also tarnish your esteemed status? In that case, I must be deeply guilty of such an unforgivable mistake.”
Just then, Xiangli Hualian arrived, and Liuyu waved to her.
“Write down this person’s name. The Ji Mo family will never host this guest again.”
Yin Lan Ruo showed a hint of surprise, as though seeing Liuyu for the first time, curiously observing the young head of the Ji Mo family.
Xiangli Hualian’s gaze lingered on the young man, whose face was now flushed, too embarrassed to apologize.
Although she didn’t know the full story, she would follow Liuyu’s instructions without question.
“…Absurd!” The young man, his face red, raised his voice. “Everyone, please judge—what’s wrong with what I said? Even though Miss Ji Mo is currently in a favorable position, as a noble family, even those as esteemed as the Zhongli and Jiufang families would never use their power to disregard rank and etiquette. Does Miss Ji Mo think that just because she has taken two cities, she can compare herself to the Zhongli and Jiufang families, blurring the line between high and low status?”
As though he believed his argument was irrefutable, his voice grew louder, drawing the attention of other guests in the courtyard. After a bit of inquiry, they quickly understood the situation.
Xiangli Hualian surveyed the surrounding area and heard the nobles’ discussions. Her first reaction wasn’t panic but rather a feeling of “it’s finally here.”
Truthfully, she herself also thought Liuyu’s decision to employ demons and ghosts was rather shocking.
Though some noble families secretly kept a few demons as slaves or assassins, they would never truly treat them as family subordinates.
At first glance, this banquet seemed calm, but which noble family here could truly accept sitting at the same table as demons and ghosts?
No one was openly causing trouble, so everyone pretended not to notice.
But now, this matter was brought to light by this naïve young man, and the nobles could no longer pretend to be deaf and blind.
Some began to mediate:
“Though Young Master Shentu’s words are somewhat rude, he’s not wrong. Miss Ji Mo is only protecting her subordinates, which is understandable. Why don’t we all take a step back and let this matter go?”
At these words, many nodded in agreement.
Fang Fuchang hadn’t expected Liuyu to go this far in defending him.
Though he worked under Liuyu, he never slacked off, but he only did his job and didn’t consider himself particularly loyal. He was just one of many subordinates she could easily replace, so it wasn’t necessary for her to offend so many noble families on his behalf.
Fang Fuchang’s feelings were quite complicated.
“Miss, today’s banquet is to forge alliances, not to make enemies. A few harsh words aren’t worth making a big deal out of.”
He thought for a moment and scratched his head.
“Perhaps I should apologize first—”
Liuyu cut him off without hesitation: “Shut up, go stand behind.”
Yin Lan Ruo took a few steps forward.
“Miss Ji Mo, it’s indeed our words that were inappropriate—”
“You too, keep quiet. This has nothing to do with you. Whoever needs to apologize doesn’t need you to do so.”
Liuyu coldly interrupted the couple, her eyes sweeping over the gathered nobles.
The courtyard was surrounded by corridors, with nanmu pillars and magnolia trees casting shadows on the ground, the moonlight dimmed by the ancient camphor tree behind the fake mountain, enveloping the courtyard in thick darkness.
In the dim light of the moon, Liuyu stared at the nobles in their luxurious robes.
Everyone said that noble families, passed down through generations, with talents in both civil and military arts, remained strong for hundreds of years, known as families of immortals.
But if you stripped away those grand titles and the embroidered robes, how much integrity could be found beneath the surface?
Her cold face suddenly softened, and she gave a confident and composed smile.
“Since everyone is gathered here today, this is Ji Mo family’s first banquet to host you all. With so many guests, if anyone from the Ji Mo family has offended you, please let me know, and we will correct it.”
Hearing Liuyu’s tone soften, the crowd thought that the fiery-tempered head of the Ji Mo family was finally giving in, and the atmosphere eased slightly.
“Miss Ji Mo, you’re too kind. This banquet has been perfect, and everyone has greatly enjoyed the ‘Complete Book of Immortal Agriculture.’ There’s nothing lacking,” one of the nobles said.
To avoid making a scene, everyone smiled and praised the banquet, calling it grand like a royal feast, finding no fault in it whatsoever.
Standing under the moon gate, Shentu Xiang observed the scene and felt that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
Indeed, after hearing the praise from everyone, Liuyu gently spoke:
“I thought that sitting with the demons and ghosts might make some of you uncomfortable, but tonight, the demons and ghosts under my command, whether in manners or attire, are no different from the rest of you. It seems no one can tell who is from a noble family and who is a demon or ghost. How could anyone feel uncomfortable?”
The moment those words were spoken, the sound in the courtyard seemed to recede like the tide.
Yin Lanruo was stunned, staring at Miss Ji Mo, unable to speak.
… It was terrifying.
What she had just said was truly terrifying.
Beside her, Xiang Li Hua Lian didn’t show it on her face, but her mind was already screaming in sharp surprise.
Heavenly gods…
Would she even see tomorrow’s sunrise?
Not far behind, Mu Cangshui sat at an empty seat, slowly setting down his chopsticks.
Across from him, Nangong Yao, cloaked in black, remained motionless as he slowly poured himself another cup of wine.
Mo Lin glanced over, casting a deep look that stirred something inside him, like a spark igniting in the depths of his heart, setting everything aflame, making his blood subtly boil.
As for the demons and ghosts present…
Before tonight, they had been instructed to strictly follow human customs at the banquet, and they had grumbled about it.
But at this moment, when Liuyu spoke those words, silencing the noble families, they finally understood her intent.
The demons and ghosts looked around, and so did the noble families, examining everyone around them.
Who was the demon?
Who was the noble family?
The attendees wore similar clothes, and although there were family crests to distinguish them, Ji Mo’s family also had people from the Xiang family. As long as the demons didn’t reveal their strange bodies, at a glance, it was actually difficult to tell them apart from the crowd.
In the stillness, after a long while, a faint rustling sound began to grow.
Whispers gradually became louder, until they erupted like a mountain and sea of fury.
“…Extremely rude!”
“To confuse commoners and nobility, to equate the immortal families with demons and ghosts—who would believe that such words come from a noble family?”
“Ji Mo Gui! You have fallen so low!”
“This is a traitor! How could such a traitor come from a noble family!”
Liuyu calmly faced the storm.
In the past, when in the Immortal Capital, Yujing, people often talked about the line between gods and demons, but Liuyu never understood their meaning.
Now, she finally saw it for herself.
Just a moment ago, she had been regarded as a new noble, the rising star.
In the next instant, however, the way these people looked at her was as if they were looking at a monster.
Even more terrifying than if they were facing demons or ghosts.
Fortunately, Liuyu had anticipated such a scene when she decided to lead the demons out of the Demon Ghost Wall, so she only felt novelty, not fear.
In fact, even when these guests angrily left their seats, she was still smiling as she waved them off at the door.
“To come to Ji Mo’s banquet today truly is a great disgrace!”
Facing the scholar who angrily swung his sleeves, Liuyu smiled faintly:
“Then, sir, when you step over this threshold, please forget the books you’ve read. Since it’s a disgrace, it would not be proper to take what you’ve eaten and gathered, lest you tarnish the noble family’s dignity.”
“…”
The scholar nearly tripped over the threshold, hurriedly retreating in a panic.
Yin Zishi, who had previously been respectful to her, dared not even glance at Liuyu, quickly hurried off with his carriage.
Shentu Xiang gave her a deep look before turning and walking out.
“Youthful vigor, not knowing when to endure, if only you had waited a while, everything would have settled. Such a pity, such a pity.”
Liuyu seemed not to hear, glancing at Yin Zishi’s retreating figure.
“Shentu family head, do you know what those things behind Yin Zishi are? They’re all dressed in armor, they look a bit strange.”
Following her gaze, on the street outside Ji Mo’s residence, lit by the glass lamps, a group of armored attendants stood beside Yin Zishi’s carriage.
But what was strange was that these attendants were covered head to toe, even their faces were hidden under black cloth, leaving only their eyes exposed.
She still had time to care about this?
Shentu Xiang was a bit surprised.
“Those are the puppet generals from ‘Immortal Crafts and Wonders.'”
He explained indifferently:
“The Zhongli family, worried that the Yin Mountain family might send someone to assassinate him, specifically dispatched over a hundred puppet generals to protect Yin Zishi. These puppets are more refined than the ones on the market, and they can fight on the battlefield. Each puppet general’s strength is equivalent to a cultivator of the sixth level.”
A hundred sixth-level cultivator-strength puppet generals—Zhongli family invested such effort, no wonder Yin Zishi chose to ally with them.
“I see, that’s really impressive.” Liuyu praised. “I heard that all magical tools in the world come from the Shentu family. Are these puppet generals also made in the Shentu family’s workshop?”
Shentu Xiang really couldn’t understand the young girl in front of him.
What was going on? Why was she still chatting about these trivial matters at a time like this?
Shentu Xiang wanted to offer some advice, but when the words reached his mouth, he swallowed them back.
Ji Mo Gui was unconventional, and offending these noble families was already a fact.
Zhongli’s fourth young lady harbored hatred towards her and seemed determined to get revenge. That too was a fact.
Their positions clashed, and sooner or later, it would be a fight to the death. No matter how much he said, it was pointless.
It was just a pity. This Ji Mo young lady was so full of youthful vigor, so full of potential. To think that she would fall to the hands of the Zhongli family so young—such a shame.
“Miss Ji Mo, don’t pretend to be confused. Who doesn’t know that the Shentu family workshop only makes the simplest assembly of magical tools? The core of these crafty magical items, only the Zhongli family knows the secret.”
The night breeze was cool, and the glass lamps swayed gently in the wind.
Liuyu brushed a strand of hair blown out of place by the wind, and her calm, approachable face showed a faint smile.
“That’s really a pity.”
“If one could obtain such a secret technique, plus the Shentu family’s workshop, and the market that Yin Zishi controls, wouldn’t that make for limitless possibilities? No need to be constrained, no longer living in others’ shadows.”
Shentu Xiang’s gaze flickered slightly.
But it quickly returned to calm.
“Young man don’t rush to look at the vast skies and the boundless sea in the distance. Be more mindful of the road beneath your feet first.”
Shentu Xiang’s warning was not a baseless scare tactic.
Far away in the immortal capital, Yujing, Zhongli Lingzhao had heard of the night banquet at the Ji Mo family residence. It swept away the gloom of recent days, as if she had been revived, immediately springing into action, full of vigor as she began preparations.
Was there a lack of people to cultivate wasteland in Ji Mo’s fort in Longque City?
— In the area around the Demon Ghost Great Wall, no family clan was allowed to lend people to Ji Mo’s house, or they would be considered enemies of the Zhongli clan.
Was there a shortage of immortal teachers for the construction of the Immortal Dao Academy in Longdui City?
— Any cultivator who took up a teaching position in Ji Mo’s family would never be welcomed by the Zhongli family.
These two orders were spread by the Shentu clan throughout the Demon Ghost Great Wall area, and in no time, the families that had already agreed to cooperate with Liuyu all closed their doors, avoiding Ji Mo’s family as if it were a fierce tiger.
Liuyu reviewed the intelligence one by one.
“All these years, still using the same methods from back in the academy, isolating people… There’s no progress at all.”
In the past, when Zhongli Lingzhao was at the academy, she liked to form factions, always positioning herself as the core, with everyone else, men and women alike, as mere accessories to support her, to surround and flatter her.
If anyone did not comply, she would either ignore them coldly or treat them as enemies, with no possibility of reconciliation.
Liuyu was in the latter category.
She tossed the letter casually onto the desk, causing ripples in the water-filled ceramic vase on the table, with a few petals falling. It was from the osmanthus flowers slanted in the water.
Liuyu lifted her eyes to look at Fang Fuchang, who stood beside her, hesitant to speak.
“How is Yue Niang’s work lately?”
Fang Fuchang replied, “She’s always diligent, there’s no need to worry about her. The puppet you bought for her, she’s been studying it seriously these past few days, but…”
“But what?”
“As for cultivation, I can teach her everything, but when it comes to delicate artifact crafting, that’s beyond my ability.”
Liuyu nodded, which was expected.
With Yue Niang’s talent, probably only the Zhongli clan in the entire Da Chao could provide guidance on artifact crafting.
In other words, if the Zhongli clan knew of Yue Niang’s talent, they would never let such a person slip by.
“It’s alright, let her do her best. I’ll figure out a way to find her new books and a master to teach her artifact crafting so she can continue to study this path.”
Fang Fuchang nodded.
“Yue Niang has made great progress in her cultivation these days. Tomorrow, I’ll organize the spirit test papers I gathered from the market, and I’ll try to get her to reach the A-level standard in written exams before winter arrives.”
Liuyu rarely saw Fang Fuchang so motivated and blinked, asking:
“Tomorrow you’re on a break, right? I’m not giving overtime pay for this extra work.”
Fang Fuchang spoke slowly and seriously:
“Yue Niang is right. At my age, it’s the time to push forward.”
He had originally just intended to try his best, especially since Liuyu’s actions that day had truly moved him.
But since that night banquet, Yue Niang had been focusing all her energy on cultivation. She got up early in the morning and slept late at night. Every time she spoke, it was: “Master, for your sake, I’ve offended all the noble families. Master, can you sleep? I can’t sleep.”
Fang Fuchang felt that the reason for offending all the noble families didn’t seem to lie with him.
But he couldn’t help but listen to Yue Niang’s constant complaints, and there was also Lanruo—
Lanruo didn’t complain because of his faked death. She was so angry that she hadn’t seen him since.
If he wanted to stop Lanruo from marrying into the Shentu clan, apart from doing everything he could to bring down the Shentu and Zhongli clans, there seemed to be no other way.
Liuyu smiled and said:
“Better to offend an old man with a white beard than to offend a young man in poverty. You have ambition.”
“…Miss, I’m already over thirty, in my middle age.”
In fact, for cultivators who could live for hundreds of years, thirty was far from middle age.
Liuyu patted his shoulder and casually replied:
“Then don’t offend the middle-aged poor.”
Although the Zhongli clan was hindering progress, the construction of the Immortal Dao Academy in Longdui City and the reclamation of wasteland in Longque City still proceeded slowly.
By the end of the month, the first batch of excellent grain seeds from the Xiangli clan had already been planted in Ji Mo’s fort, and the two Immortal Dao Academies in Longdui City were quickly built under the day-and-night shifts of the demon ghosts.
“Truly worthy of being demon ghosts. You’re really talented in this line of work.”
Liuyu couldn’t help but praise Mo Lin after inspecting the Immortal Dao Academy.
Mo Lin lifted the curtain and came out from the partition, glancing at her and saying:
“It’s not just because of talent. After the words you said at the night banquet spread among them, they began to see you as a deity. Before, they did things for money, but now, they act on the deity’s orders. Of course, they work harder.”
Liuyu lay down on the bed, her black hair cascading down the edge of the bed like a waterfall.
Mo Lin, who had just bathed, passed by her in light sleepwear, the demonic patterns on his body visible as they spread down his abdomen.
“Who did you spar with?”
“With your uncle,” Mo Lin said, as he wiped his damp hair with a handkerchief, “We exchanged a few moves, but there was no clear winner.”
Liuyu propped herself up and observed him.
“Did you fully recover from your injury? You didn’t get hurt while sparring with him, did you?”
“…No.”
Mo Lin sat on the bed beside her, lost in thought for a moment, then spoke softly:
“He didn’t just not hurt me, he also gave me a lot of guidance.”
Liuyu poked his leg, and Mo Lin glanced down at her, skillfully supporting her neck and placing his leg under her head as a pillow.
“You two are both at the peak of the ninth level, and he could still guide you?”
“He could.”
Mo Lin gently played with Liuyu’s flowing black hair and spoke in a soft voice:
“The path I follow is unique, and no one can guide me. I’ve been exploring and comprehending it on my own, and my progress has stagnated for many years. But your uncle is at the same level as me. When we sparred, I gained some insights. If I were alone, I would need more time to explore, but with your uncle as a target, my efficiency is higher.”
…It seemed like she should be more concerned about whether her uncle was injured.
Liuyu nodded and yawned as she said,
“If you’re fine, feel free to discuss with him more. My uncle is just obsessed with martial arts.”
Her dark hair twined around his fingertips.
Mo Lin thought back to the pain he endured the first time he understood the Boundless Ghost Fire, the torment when he received the Ghost Law’s celestial teachings. He had always believed that cultivation was supposed to be like that—lonely, painful, with repeated hardships and torment.
But Nangong Yao was focusing on observing his techniques, thoughtfully considering how to improve and break through them.
What had never seemed painful to him before was now gently overturned by someone else, and the delayed pain struck him when he least expected it.
It turned out that the path of cultivation could have someone to guide you, someone to help you.
The burden of leading the demon ghosts out of the Great Wall of Demon Ghosts was also something that could be shared with him.
“Liuyu.”
A slightly tired Liuyu heard Mo Lin gently call her name and lifted her eyelids slightly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” he kissed her forehead, “I just wanted to call your name.”
During this time, Liuyu was busy with matters concerning Dragon Sparrow City, while he was overseeing the construction of the Immortal Dao Academy. The two of them had been spending less time together.
As soon as he finished speaking, an aggressive presence accompanied by a messy kiss enveloped her.
“Liuyu, how many of those Xuan Yang Condensation Water Pills did you actually take?”
His breath was hot, close to her ear, with a damp kiss.
“How could it really turn into water?”
Liuyu was also curious.
Why was the effect of this pill so different when taken by men and women?
In the dimly lit room, the jade slip that had been carelessly discarded seemed to flicker briefly.
Liuyu pursed her lips and pushed his fingers away, trying to calm her breathing.
“None of your business… You should check your jade slip, there’s a message.”
Mo Lin furrowed his brow.
“I don’t have time to look.”
Liuyu didn’t want to deal with him, so she rolled over, moved past him, and grabbed the jade slip.
After unlocking the jade slip’s restrictions, she looked at the message, and her expression suddenly became serious.
It was a message from Bai Pingting, far in the Nine Underworlds.
[Master, the Midnight Palace’s communication array has been activated. The communication command came from the main house of the Jiufang family. It seems to be—Jiufang Qian, the head of the Jiufang clan.]