In the open space on the mountainside where the elegant gathering is held, a stream meanders through, with protrusions in the shape of a "几" character.

Now, both sides of Nuan Creek are filled with low tables, and there are only two kneeling mats next to each table.

The crisp sound of applause rang out, and the gathering gradually became quiet.

Ye Ruoxi stopped moving and clasped her hands together. "Today's Nuanxi Gathering is a little different from the past. In order to prevent you from playing your own games, with men and women gathered together, it will not be lively. The gathering will be held in the form of men and women sitting together on a table."

She felt the curious gazes, smiles and cheers around her.

"Since you are attending the gathering organized by me, you must obey me..."

Ye Ruoxi smiled and paused. She looked around and said:

"I know that many of you men don't have a female companion that you have arranged or are familiar with. It doesn't matter. We will come here in a random order. For now, we won't care about the seniority of our brothers and sisters. Since we are here, we are all elegant guests...

Well, my rules are very simple. The seniors and juniors will each choose a table and sit down, and all the other men will then draw lots to decide the order and line up in order. Starting with the first man, I will choose a female companion for him. Without special reasons, neither of them can refuse... Of course, if you already have a female companion or a male companion who you know each other and have made an appointment in advance, you also have the right to choose to avoid breaking up the couple.

So before I choose a female companion for each man, he can decide to give up my choice and choose a table at the table himself. The other woman at the table also has the right to decide whether to let him sit down or not.

Therefore, this only applies to couples who have already confirmed their relationship. Men, don't think of cheating and offending your beloved. Just listen to my arrangements."

As soon as she finished speaking, noisy discussions broke out in the gathering, with people whispering to each other. Reactions were mixed, but most of the men smiled helplessly, while many found it quite novel.

Ye Ruoxi stretched out her index finger and tapped her chin, then glanced around again.

"Oh, by the way, I counted, the number of men and women doesn't seem to be half and half, there are more men, but it's okay, the remaining men can sit with the Red Carp Girls. I tell you, don't underestimate the Red Carp Girls in Bamboo Garden, many of them are multi-talented, haha, you scholars in the academy really don't disbelieve it, some of the Red Carp Girls may be better than you..."

The scholars in the academy all laughed and responded, knowing that it was a joke and since the other party was a beautiful woman, no one took it seriously.

Zhao Rong raised his eyebrows, feeling somewhat puzzled by Miss Ye's rule. After thinking about it carefully, he still couldn't figure it out. He looked around and saw that no one objected. Almost everyone agreed or nodded. So he didn't think about it anymore. Anyway, this rule would not affect his going to find Qingjun.

After a while, the female students from Xiaoyao and Taiyi Prefectures took their seats one after another.

There was a woman sitting behind each desk on both sides of Nuanxi, and there was an empty seat.

The men all went to the side to draw lots.

Zhao Rong followed behind his fellow brothers, and in accordance with the principle of courtesy among scholars, he waited with his fellow brothers until all the students from the prefecture were captured before he went forward to capture them.

During this time, his eyes were always on Concubine Zhao Lingfei in the distance.

Like the other women, she was kneeling quietly behind the desk, with the kneeling mat beside her empty, waiting for a man.

But no matter how obvious Zhao Rong's gaze was or how long he stared at her, Concubine Zhao Ling still sat there without looking away. Only at a certain moment, she moved and tilted her head, but not to look at Zhao Rong.

Concubine Zhao Ling lowered her eyes, reached out to pick up the objects on the table, and began to add incense with her delicate hands and lit the incense burner. The sleeves of her skirt were long and wide, which was a bit of a hindrance, so she gently rolled them up, revealing two slender arms. In the bright morning sunshine, they were sparkling and dazzling, and instantly attracted the attention of many men.

Concubine Zhao Lingfei was still concentrating on the work at hand. Suddenly, she bent her waist, leaned lightly, scooped water from the clear stream in front of the table to wash her hands, washed the tea set, and used the warm stream water to boil tea. With one bare hand, she carefully stroked a washed purple clay teacup and gently placed it in an empty place beside her.

This set of movements is elegant, calm and orderly.

Zhao Rong was slightly surprised when he saw this scene of "red sleeves adding fragrance".

Not far away, Ji Qianyi, who was sitting beside the chessboard, also noticed this scene. Or rather, ever since Zhao Lingfei arrived, his attention had never left this woman, whom he regarded as someone with whom he could share the same aspirations with.

At this time, Yunzi had already tidied the chessboard, but Ji Qianyi had no intention of making another move to start the game.

At a certain moment, he suddenly asked, "Is her mortal son-in-law really here?"

Yunzi, who had been quiet all this time, spoke softly.

"Yes, sir. That person disappeared for a while after the Youshan incident. Not long ago, he had an intimate act with Concubine Zhao Ling in Fuyao Mansion Four Seasons Hall. Many students saw him. According to inquiries, he is now a student at the academy. Not long ago, he came to Taiqing Mansion with a Mr. Yan from the academy."

Ji Qian frowned and said, "So, this is the one... what's his name? His surname is Zhao, right? He was the one who caused Zhao Lingfei's realm to stagnate before, and now, he comes to bother her again?"

Yunzi glanced at his expression and nodded, "It seems so, but... Zhao Lingfei's attitude is very strange, and she seems to be so distant from him. I heard from the students who were present at the Four Seasons Hall that the two of them were ambiguous, but these days, Zhao Lingfei has not seen him again..."

When Ji Qian heard this, he closed the book on his knees and interrupted with a chuckle:

"I've said it before, Zhao Lingfei is not that kind of foolish woman. Between the supreme path and the love of the mortal world, she will know how to choose. This is especially true for sword cultivators. Love between men and women will only taint the purity of the sword's heart. After she got married in the mortal world and returned, the damage to her sword's heart was a lesson. No fool would fall into the same pit twice."

Yunzi heard this and wanted to say something but stopped.

Ji Qian glanced at Concubine Zhao Lingfei who was brewing tea by the stream, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"She and I are the same kind of people. She will know that the road is long and the peak is high and dangerous. What we really need, besides a respectable and difficult opponent, is a companion who can encourage us on the road. Concubine Zhao Ling will understand. As for the mundane affairs and ants under the mountain, they are just like this meaningless ordinary son-in-law, passing clouds."

He admired the woman who had been suppressing him since he entered the mansion, and said without turning his head: "Yunzi, how is the preparation of the golden elixir going?"

Yunzi followed Ji Qianyi's gaze and looked at Zhao Lingfei in the distance. There were some ripples in his calm eyes, and some envy... This woman could be regarded as a fellow traveler by the young master.

"I'm almost ready. I'll go into seclusion tomorrow. It shouldn't be a problem to complete the pill, but..."

Ji Qian turned his head and asked, "The family didn't give you the Golden Elixir Technique? Are you going to use the mediocre Golden Elixir Technique provided by Taiqing Mansion?"

"Sir, that set of skills... can only be practiced by direct descendants. I am not qualified. Using the skills in the mansion, it is already very good to have the opportunity to forge a fourth-grade pill. As for the third-grade, Yunzi dare not hope for it."

Ji Qian narrowed his eyes and said, "A bunch of old and pedantic people..."

Yunzi lowered his eyes and didn't dare to respond.

Ji Qian was silent for a while, "I'll try to help you again."

He exhaled lightly, suddenly stood up, put away the book, and said with a smile: "This book is so boring. Let's go and say hello to Concubine Zhao Ling."

After saying this, Ji Qian walked towards the place where the lots were drawn.

Seeing this, Yunzi thought about it, went to the streamside, found a table and sat down.

Many people looked sideways.

Ye Ruoxi, who was watching the men drawing lots, saw these two people who had been away from the gathering join in, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

But in a moment she thought of Concubine Zhao Lingfei and understood a little.

Ye Ruoxi didn't know the origin of Ji Qianyi, but she thought he must be a descendant of a noble family or a powerful person in the mountain, because he could get a genius who could graduate from Taiqing Mansion to be his maid, and make the other party willingly do so. Unless he had extremely good luck, the only explanation was that he had a deep background.

She was also a child of an aristocratic family, and she knew that when some of the immortal families had their direct bloodlines, they would select servants of similar age and good talents for them. They would live with them day and night and grow up together. Some servants of their masters would even have better talents than their masters, and they would be both servants and friends, and could even serve as death guards when necessary.

The older the family, the more so this is the case, so it can also roughly reflect the power of the family behind it.

This is the case with Ji Qianyi. Many people in Taiqing Prefecture have speculated about his background and origins, but so far there has been no reliable statement. However, there is one point that the students in the prefecture have reached a consensus on, that is, he must be no simple person and cannot be provoked.

Ye Ruoxi looked at Ji Qianyi who was walking towards her, thinking carefully in her heart.

The last name is Ji? Among the top noble families in Duyou City, as well as the top wealthy families in Wangquezhou Mountain that are not in Duyou City, I have never heard of this family. Could it be that they are the descendants of an ancient noble family outside Wangquezhou who came out to gain experience?

Ji Qianyi had never revealed anything about his origins. Similar to Zhao Lingfei, they were both outstanding in the Haoran Realm of Taiqing Prefecture. And among the current students of Taiqing Prefecture, there was one thing that was almost unanimously agreed upon by everyone, which was that if one person was to be chosen from the students of the same prefecture to pair up with Zhao Lingfei, there was only Ji Qianyi, and he was the only one who had a chance to catch up with her.

The two of them are currently the most suitable match. Although Zhao Lingfei is a sword cultivator with better talent and practice, Ji Qianyi has a mysterious and extraordinary background, and Zhao Lingfei, as everyone knows, comes from a mundane branch of the Zhao family in the southern part of Wangquezhou, not to mention the bleak situation of the main branch.

Therefore, if the two of them were to get married similar to how Lu Yaoer and Cheng Lugui did not long ago, it could be considered a "match made in heaven" in another sense.

At this moment, Ji Qianyi seemed to notice Ye Ruoxi's gaze and called out with a smile, "Hello, Senior Sister Ye."

Ye Ruoxi was a little surprised to hear this cordial greeting, but she soon understood something. After Ji Qian called her, he glanced at Zhao Lingfei in the distance, then his gaze returned and his smile became even brighter.

Ye Ruoxi nodded and replied, "Hello, Junior Brother Ji."

When Ji Qian saw this, his smile became more sincere, "Thank you, Senior Sister Ye."

This thank you made others confused.

But Ye Ruoxi knew what he was thanking her for, and her nodding just now meant that she would help.

Anyway, Ye Ruoxi was still struggling with how to choose a male companion for Zhao Lingfei to sit at the same table. She felt that no matter who she chose, it would be unsuitable. Now, Ji Qianyi, who was regarded as one of the two prides together with Zhao Lingfei, happened to be here. The two of them seemed to be a perfect match in the eyes of everyone, and they could also do a favor. It was probably the best choice, right?

Cousin Ye Lanzhi did not tell her about certain things. Ye Ruoxi was busy with the elegant gathering these days and did not care much about some things that were being spread in a small circle in the mansion.

After receiving the reply, Ji Qianyi casually picked a lot without even looking at it. He just used his fingers to spread out the paper roll and rubbed the belly of the paper slightly, and he knew the answer.

Fourteen.

Not long.

Most of the men in front had finished drawing lots, and finally it was Li Jinshu and his group's turn.

When it was Zhao Rong's turn, he walked forward, reached out, took out a small paper roll from the box, lowered his head, and spread it out to take a look.

Thirteen.

Zhao Rong raised his eyebrows. He looked around at the signatures of his senior brothers, and none of them had a number as good as his.

Soon, all the men at the gathering finished drawing lots, except for some who waved their hands and refused, choosing to have fun alone.

The men followed Ye Ruoxi's instructions and formed a loose formation according to the numbers on the pieces of paper in their hands. Most of them found this method novel.

Ye Ruoxi put her hands behind her back, held her head high and shook her head gently, then walked to the front like a female teacher. Her well-behaved posture immediately made many women by the stream laugh and make some jokes.

"Li Jinshu, you come out first." Ye Ruoxi said with a smile, and picked out the eldest senior brother first, "Well, we have already agreed to sit together, so you don't count..."

These rather straightforward words immediately attracted quite a few people to make a fuss. Most of the men and women participating in the gathering were young. Even though their cultivation was not low, they could not help but make some noise when they were together with people of the same age and realm.

The eldest senior brother walked to Ye Ruoxi's side. He was still calm, but his dark face turned slightly red.

Maybe it was because of the booing, or maybe it was because of the looks from his fellow students behind him that made him feel a little embarrassed...

Afterwards, Ye Ruoxi began to arrange a female companion for the first man in the queue with satisfaction...

The front of the team.

Zhao Rong was a little bored, thinking about what to do in Duyou City. As he was thinking, he couldn't help but look at Qingjun. He saw that she had already boiled water and was pouring water into the teacup on the empty seat next to her to make tea...

He nodded slightly. His wife was so thoughtful. She just knew that her husband was thirsty.

At this moment, Zhao Rong caught a glimpse of the man next to him who was also looking at Ye Lanzhi.

Zhao Rong thought for a moment, turned around, and said with a straight face, "Don't look at anything inappropriate."

Ji Qianyi: “…”