Chapter 10 Are you treating me like a child, Lin Qingdai…

Back in the Tulou, Lin Qingdai went straight to her chair.

She picked up the book and sat down. Her skirt spread out on the ground, fold after fold, like scattered petals surrounding her.

Delicate and exquisitely beautiful.

Even a goddess descending to earth could not compare.

Her expression was calm, as was her gaze.

At first glance, she looked no different from when she left home, but she knew she was far less composed than she appeared.

Her fingers were cold, as was her back.

Are you afraid? Lin Qingdai.

She asked herself this question, but before she could think about it carefully, she noticed someone sitting in Ji Yujing's previous seat. She looked closely and saw that it was Elder Yu Yong.

"Young lady, would you dare marry someone like Ji Yujing?"

He wasn't talking about Ji Ci, but about Ji Yujing.

In an instant, astonishment overwhelmed Lin Qingdai's fear.

She gazed intently at the elderly Yu Yong, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

Yu Yong: "Miss Lin already knows that Ji Ci is Ji Yujing, isn't that right?"

Lin Qingdai remained silent for several breaths before replying, "Yes."

Yu Yong: "Then do you know why he appeared in my dilapidated earthen building?"

Lin Qingdai: "It's not hard to guess."

Now, many heroes have risen up, each harboring the ambition to seize the supreme throne.

The only difference is that some people are greedy, while others care about the poor and needy.

Upon hearing this, the elderly Yu Yong chuckled softly, revealing a hint of doting affection that only an elder in the family would show to a younger generation.

The little girl is beautiful, polite, and intelligent; it's hard not to like her.

"So, do you still want to get married?"

"What Ji Yujing despises most are you high and mighty aristocratic families, who have been naturally noble for generations. If one day he leaves Lingdong and points his sword at the capital and the aristocratic families, what will you do?"

These words cast a shadow over Lin Qingdai's mood.

After a long silence, she replied, "What can I do? Today, Ji and Jing know my identity, yet they still show me their most sharp and cruel side, without the slightest restraint. Although I have never experienced romantic relationships, I know that I have no weight in his heart."

"What I say or do has little effect."

Looking at the girl whose mood had turned sour, Yu Yong couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

No matter how intelligent Lin Qingdai is, she was still young and overprotected, so the previous topics were too heavy for her.

He wanted to change the subject, but before he could speak, Lin Qingdai's voice came again.

This time, all the sadness has faded, and I feel as bright as if I were embracing the sun and moon: "But no matter what, I will do my best to protect my family and friends."

"Ji Yujing is strong, but I am not weak either."

"As long as I have my cards up my sleeve, I can sit down and talk to him."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yong was stunned for several breaths, then burst into laughter.

"What a wonderful idea to sit down and talk to him."

She wasn't afraid of Ji Yujing at all.

"Does the old gentleman think I can't do it?"

Yu Yong's gaze softened further, and his tone was the same, "The eldest daughter of the Lin family, of course she can sit at the table."

"But how difficult it is to stay at the table."

"Can you do it? No matter how difficult it is, you won't leave the table?"

Lin Qingdai remained silent for a long time after hearing this, "Sir, you..."

At first, she thought that Yu Yong was biased towards Ji Yu Jing and that what he had said to her before was just because he thought she was not a good match for Ji Yu Jing and wanted to use her to destroy the marriage agreement between the Lin and Ji families.

The result was beyond her expectations.

The old man...

Yu Yong seemed to understand Lin Qingdai's thoughts, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"Barbaric brawls will not bring about a peaceful and prosperous world."

"But if there were always knowledgeable and reasonable people at the table, the outcome might be different."

After a moment of surprise, Lin Qingdai smiled at him and said in a joking tone, "Perhaps one day, the name Lin Qingdai will appear in the Chronicles of the Heroes of Xun Kingdom."

After chatting for a while, Yu Yong got up and left.

Before he walked away, Lin Qingdai looked at his retreating figure and asked, "Old sir, are you aware that the people outside have come to kill you?"

Yu-Ning's steps faltered, but he did not turn back. "At this age, death is not something unacceptable to me."

Or rather, he should have died decades ago.

He's not dead, he's just waiting for a sliver of hope.

He wanted to exterminate the entire direct line of the Huo family to avenge his parents' family and make them pay for their blood debt.

Now, it seems like we've finally waited for this moment?

Finally, he turned around. In that instant, Lin Qingdai saw glistening tears in his eyes.

"Let's fight one last time before we die."

Despite the impassioned words, Lin Qingdai couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and tears welling up in her eyes. "May the old gentleman's wish be fulfilled."

*

Outside the earthen building, there was a scene of utter devastation.

Cang Leng has been killed, and most of the hundred soldiers have been killed or wounded.

Huo Weijiang never imagined that even with over a hundred elite troops, they couldn't withstand a serious battle from Ji Yujing.

Before leaving, Ji Yujing looked at the soldiers and said, "Tell Huo Weijiang that I will go to find him soon."

After a moment of silence, a soldier finally spoke tremblingly, "Who are you?"

Ji Yujing didn't reply to him, and turned straight into the Tulou.

After he left, the soldiers carried away their dead and wounded comrades.

Gradually, tranquility returned to the area outside the Tulou.

When everyone was completely alone, two thin boys emerged from the secluded spot.

They followed a certain pattern and took several heavy steps on the blood-stained open ground before quickly flying away.

The ground silently flipped over, and the blood-stained side was hidden away.

The wind blows, sand rises, and the killing leaves no trace.

Lin Qingdai couldn't see what was outside the Tulou because the gate was tightly closed. But she knew that when Ji Yujing walked past her, his gray clothes were stained with grime, with patches of glaring red mixed in.

He reeked of blood. Looking at his eyes and face, they were no longer as gentle as when he spoke to her; they were extremely cold and devoid of any emotion.

Lin Qingdai knew in her heart that this was probably what was recorded in ancient books as "the loss of heart due to war".

When people encounter fierce battles, witness death and injury firsthand, or even kill others themselves, no matter how calm or uninjured they may appear, their emotions are always stirred up, and it takes time to calm down.

Lin Qingdai didn't want to pay attention to him, after all, he didn't know that she had already recognized him.

In his eyes, if she treated him warmly, it would be as if she were showing affection to a stranger.

Who knows what he'll think?

But he looked rather unwell.

Before he completely left her, Lin Qingdai sighed inwardly, ultimately unable to bear the thought of parting.

She called softly, "Ji Ci".

Before the beautiful woman could even stand up, Ji Yujing's steps had already slowed down.

In his coldest, most ruthless and bloodthirsty state, he was held back by gentle whispers.

"Miss Lin, is there something you need?"

She got up and walked closer to him, and he turned around.

The two stood face to face, their eyes reflecting each other's images.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qingdai nodded solemnly.

"You just showed me the world, so I'll give you something as a thank you gift."

Ji Yujing: "..."

From cruelty to vibrant warmth, it has never been so easy, so easy that Ji Yujing finds it somewhat absurd.

He inexplicably wanted to laugh.

But at that moment, he did not laugh out loud; he simply looked at Lin Qingdai quietly without saying a word.

Lin Qingdai felt his breath warming up again, and she knew she had done the right thing.

"This is good stuff; you'll regret missing it."

"Should we take it or not?"

Gentle words gradually washed away the hostility, and Ji Yujing felt that she could breathe more easily.

He genuinely wanted to see what the young lady's "good stuff" was.

So he reached out his hand.

That hand was completely different from Lin Qingdai's; it was large, a slightly aggressive bronze color, rough, and even stained with blood...

Lin Qingdai's gaze fell upon it, and after a few breaths, she looked up and took out a small silk pouch from her sleeve.

"Here, take this."

As she spoke, the soft silk warmed Ji Yujing's palm. It seemed to contain something substantial.

What is it?

Ji Yujing finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, as if it had been polished by sand and gravel.

Lin Qingdai: "Gifts are more fun to open yourself; it's not interesting if you tell others about them."

Let's go.

The young lady waved her hand and began to shoo people away.

What was originally an ordinary action, when performed by her, took on a more proud and noble air.

Ji Yujing laughed in exasperation, "You're kicking me out?"

"You think I'm dirty?"

Lin Qingdai: "..."

It's so blunt that it leaves you unsure how to respond.

But after he said so much, Lin Qingdai felt much more at ease.

She couldn't help but smile at him, her smile brighter than the spring sun. "I'm not such a shallow person."

Ji Yujing returned to Yu Yong's side, his handsome face now gentle and as usual.

Old Man Yu Yong scrutinized him for a moment and laughed, "To be as unharmed as after such a fierce battle, the God of War of Lingdong is indeed formidable."

Ji Yujing was too lazy to argue with him about these formalities and asked directly,

"Hao Weijiang has been hunting you down?"

"You knew he was hunting you down, so why did you still live here so openly?"

Although Yu Yong did not explicitly say that he was in Zhangxi Tulou, rumors circulated two months ago that he had returned to Zhangxi after many years and might reside there permanently.

That's why three groups of people came to our door today alone.

In an instant, the smile vanished from Yu Yong's face. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Ji Yujing, if your family is destroyed because of you, what will you do?"

Ji Yujing: "I will dedicate the rest of my life to killing my enemies."

Yu-Ning: "What if you're not capable enough?"

Ji Yujing: "Use their strength against them."

When the phrase "using someone else's strength against them" was uttered, the reason why Yu-Ning exposed his whereabouts became known to Ki and Kyo.

"Did you deliberately lure us here?"

Yu-Naga laughed. "Yes, I did it on purpose."

After a few pauses, he continued, "I expected you to be the first to arrive, but I didn't expect the eldest son of the Lin family and the fourth prince to arrive so quickly as well."

“They even brought Lin Qingdai with them.”

"Isn't this your destiny with her?"

Ji Yujing didn't respond to that question. Instead, he asked Yu Yong, "Do you want to incite factions to kill each other?"

Yu-Ning didn't hide anything: "That was what I originally thought, but now I've changed my mind."

"Ji Yujing, do you stand by what you said before?"

"I will come out of seclusion to lend you a hand, and you will help me to wipe out the direct descendants of the Huo family."

After many years, Yu-Ning finally saw hope of avenging his family.

"The armory beneath this earthen building is my gift to you."

At the end of the sentence, there was almost no sound.

Ji Yujing knew that this was a profound and heartbreaking sorrow.

He loathed being schemed against, but at this moment, he couldn't utter a single harsh word. If his situation were similar to Hironaga's, he might not have fared as well.

After a long silence, Ji Yujing extended his hand to Yu Yong, "It would be an honor for Ji Ci to travel with you on the next journey."

Yu Yong stared at him blankly, then, coming to his senses, a smile spread across his dark eyes.

Only when his two palms collided and the sound echoed did he speak, "I hope that before I am buried, I can witness the arrival of a prosperous era."

It was a while after Ji and Jing left Huai De's room. Nian San led him to a room at the end of the second floor to bathe and change.

"Young Master Ji, the water is ready."

"The clothes are all new, so please feel free to wear them."

Before leaving, Nian gave repeated instructions, making sure everything was done thoroughly.

Ji Yujing: "Thank you."

"Where's Ye Xiao?"

Upon hearing this, Nian San couldn't help but laugh.

Ji Yujing: "What's wrong?"

Year 3: "His master gave him a book of divine weapon manuals, which he treasured and spent a long time reading in the study in Huai De's room."

Ji Yujing nodded slightly.

Nian San then left the room.

Ji and Jing went around to the inner room, where the bathtub was placed, steam rising from it.

When Ji Yujing's hand touched the belt, he suddenly remembered the silk bag that Lin Qingdai had given him.

Take it out and hold it in your hand.

He examined it closely for a while, then pulled open the drawstring. At the same moment, a sweet, fruity aroma wafted towards him.

"..."

The second daughter of the Lin family gave him a bag of fruit candies.

Various flavors, wrapped in kraft paper into flower shapes.

"Are you trying to coax me like a child, Lin Qingdai?"

Ji and Jing struggled against the cloying fruity aroma, their brows furrowing slightly.

A moment later, he gathered the silk bag together and tossed it precisely onto a small round table.

Then she took off her clothes and submerged herself in the bathtub. In an instant, the heat rippled wildly.

Water overflowed, and the ground was soaked.