Chapter 84 She agreed
Ji Fuguang returned quickly, with palace servants following him and setting out new dishes.
The dishes this time were deliberately arranged to be much lighter: steamed egg custard, steamed fish, chicken soup wontons...
Ji Fuguang picked up a spoon, skimmed off the oil from the surface of the chicken soup, ladled out a small bowl of wontons, and placed it in front of Sheng Zhiyi.
The soup is clear with a slight yellow tinge, and has a rich but not overpowering aroma. Two or three delicate wontons float in it, their wrappers cooked until translucent, revealing the pink meat filling inside. A few strands of white chicken float in the soup as well.
"Junior sister, you should try it."
Before he could put the bowl on the table, Sheng Zhiyi reached out and took it.
Their fingertips touched, and Ji Fuguang's hand trembled imperceptibly before quickly handing it to Sheng Zhiyi.
Everything was as usual, except that the chicken soup rippled slightly, causing the bright green cilantro flakes floating on top to sway gently.
Sheng Zhiyi held the spoon and ate slowly.
Although she has almost recovered, her spleen and stomach are still somewhat weak. Now that she has nothing to do in the palace every day, she simply eats slowly and carefully, taking quite a while to chew even a single wonton.
Unexpectedly, Ji Fuguang remained seated opposite him the whole time, showing no sign of impatience. He picked out the fine bones from the fish and placed a small dish of white fish meat, resembling garlic cloves, over.
Clearly, he was prepared to spend the entire meal with Sheng Zhiyi.
Sheng Zhiyi picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
As she lowered her head to eat, the hard collar pressed against the delicate skin of her neck, causing her eyes to flicker and her brows to furrow almost imperceptibly.
"Junior Sister doesn't like the taste of fish?"
Ji Fuguang immediately spoke in a gentle voice.
He seems like a completely different person now, his words and actions increasingly resembling those of the former senior disciple of the Tianyan Sect.
Sheng Zhiyi shook her head, put down her chopsticks, and weakly raised her head.
"Thank you for your concern, senior brother, but I have a weak spleen and stomach and can't eat much."
As she spoke, she gave a helpless smile.
"After cultivating for a long time, I didn't feel anything unusual because of the spiritual energy protecting me. Only now do I realize how weak and powerless a mortal body is. But thanks to my senior brother's care these past few days, I feel much better."
She picked up a spoon and served Ji Fuguang a bowl of chicken soup wontons.
Just as Ji Fuguang was about to reach out to take it, Sheng Zhiyi had already placed the bowl on the table.
"Senior brother, you should have some too. Although you no longer need to eat with your current cultivation level, it's still nice to eat something occasionally."
Ji Fuguang picked up the bowl, took the spoon, and ate a wonton.
After leaving the Tianyan Sect, he changed out of his previous plain clothes and now wore a black and gold imperial robe and a crown. The extremely dark color made his already sharp face even more imposing and awe-inspiring.
He glanced at Sheng Zhiyi thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled faintly, his thin lips curving upwards.
"Junior Sister, if you want something, just ask your senior brother directly. Why go through all this roundabout ways, using retreat as a means of advancement?"
Sheng Zhiyi's words implied that her meridians were now limited, making her no different from an ordinary person, and that she was unable to use spiritual power to heal her body when she was injured and weak.
As a demon lord, Ji Fuguang naturally couldn't comprehend the fragility of mortals. If he truly wanted her to recover quickly, instead of showering her with care in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, it would be better to simply lift the restrictions and let her recover on her own using her spiritual power.
Sheng Zhiyi put down her chopsticks, picked up a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her lips, and said slowly:
"Senior brother is exceptionally intelligent. Can't you see why I'm only hinting indirectly instead of asking directly?"
She lifted her eyelids and looked at Ji Fuguang opposite her, her voice extremely soft, yet heavy with emotion.
"I can't believe you."
"I don't know if this is another time you're using me for your amusement, I don't know if you'll throw me into the water dungeon again soon, and I don't know what other methods you have to punish me with."
"Maybe you really want to be nicer to me now, but I can't tell if it's true or not..."
A hint of weariness appeared in Sheng Zhiyi's almond-shaped eyes.
"So, senior brother... is this for real this time?"
Ji Fuguang paused for a moment, then stood up and walked to Sheng Zhiyi's side.
Sheng Zhiyi instinctively flinched, then quickly stopped.
Not missing this tiny dodge, Ji Fuguang couldn't quite describe the feeling welling up inside him. Was it resentment, or no wonder?
"Don't be afraid."
He stopped moving forward, his fingers flicking as he formed a hand seal.
A slight "click" sound came from inside Sheng Zhiyi's body; it wasn't even a sound, but a sensation.
She keenly sensed that the stagnation in her meridians was slowly disappearing and her meridians were returning to their previous smooth flow. She subconsciously tried to circulate her spiritual energy, but was stopped by Ji Fuguang.
"Don't act rashly, it's not the right time yet."
It was rare to see her with a confused expression, and Ji Fuguang's lips unconsciously curled up.
"Don't forget, you are now in the Demon Palace, where demonic energy is everywhere."
Demonic energy and spiritual energy are incompatible. When Ji Fuguang threw the demonic cultivation method at her before, he had the intention of making things difficult for her. At that time, he felt that even if she dared to cultivate it, she would be asking for trouble. As long as it didn't cost her her life, he didn't care about anything else.
Thinking of these things, he quickly added:
"Extend your wrist, and I will temporarily restrain the demonic energy within you. Once you have recovered sufficiently, I will release the demonic energy."
Sheng Zhiyi didn't move, but instead looked up at him.
"Why does Junior Sister look like she wants to say something but hesitates?"
"I misunderstood something just now..." she frowned, "There's so much demonic energy here, even if the restrictions are lifted, it will be difficult to cultivate and recover..."
She shook her head. "Senior brother, I'm sorry to trouble you with this."
"How could it be superfluous?" Ji Fuguang answered subconsciously, then belatedly realized that his tone was a little hurried, so he coughed lightly and softened his voice.
"I will bring the Spirit Essence Jade Bead shortly. The bead is a thousand-year-old treasure containing a large amount of spiritual energy. Use this spiritual energy to properly nourish yourself. Besides the deficiency of qi and blood, there are also several hidden injuries in your meridians..."
Realizing that these injuries were all caused by him, Ji Fuguang changed the subject, "You should rest and recover first, and then I will send someone to deliver some medicine."
The Spirit Marrow Jade Bead is a rare treasure, containing spiritual power comparable to a small spiritual vein. It could not only heal Sheng Zhiyi's injuries, but also help her advance in rank.
"Then... thank you very much, senior brother."
Sheng Zhiyi stood up, lowered her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly:
"Yesterday, having nothing to do, I checked my storage bag and found some lotus petals... How about we have lotus flower and rice porridge for dinner tonight?"
After waking up this time, Ji Fuguang returned all her previous belongings, including the storage bag and the Jinghong Feather. However, since the sword spirit was asleep and she was currently weak and powerless, the divine sword was useless to her, so she only kept the storage bag on her person.
These lotus petals were given to her by Ji Fuguang when they first arrived in Yingzhou City; they were newly harvested lotuses in early summer.
At that time, the two were laughing and joking. Sheng Zhiyi was sure of her feelings and carefully picked up the petals one by one, which even made Ji Fuguang tease her.
Looking back now, it feels like a lifetime ago.
"Alright, I'll have someone do it right away."
Ji Fuguang had clearly considered these points as well, and he immediately agreed. After a moment's hesitation, he asked softly again:
"Junior Sister, the Demon Palace is located in a secret realm where the four seasons intertwine, with both the warmth of spring and the swirling snow of winter. Even now, the Jade Moon Lake within the palace is blooming with ten miles of lotus flowers. Would you... like to go admire the lotus blossoms?"
Previously in Yingzhou City, Sheng Zhiyi invited him to admire the lotus flowers, but Ji Fuguang refused and even mocked her, saying that if she only wanted to have fun, why would she take on the sect's mission?
She seemed to have a fondness for lotus flowers, but there was no need to think about that, Ji Fuguang quickly added:
"Now that your body is gradually recovering, you need to take some walks to help you recover faster."
Now that things have come to this, and he is met with resistance at every turn, he realizes just how much harm his past self-righteousness had actually caused her.
Ji Fuguang paused, seemingly realizing how clumsy his excuse was. The idea of appreciating lotus blossoms and taking walks again was far-fetched. A rare, almost imperceptible hint of embarrassment flickered across his usually composed face, as if he had reverted to the senior brother who would occasionally be speechless at his junior sister's blunt words.
Sheng Zhiyi noticed his subtle unease and her face revealed a perfectly timed look of absentmindedness and a hint of anticipation.
She remained silent for a moment, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if she had gone through a difficult internal struggle, before nodding very lightly.
“…Okay.” Her voice was so soft as if she was afraid of disturbing something. “It is indeed stuffy to always be cooped up in the palace.”
She agreed.
Ji Fuguang's eyes brightened slightly, and the embarrassment was instantly replaced by an almost joyful emotion. However, the joy was mixed with a hint of astonishment, as if he could not believe that Sheng Zhiyi was so decisive. Did she... not care?
However, without having time to think further, he immediately said, "Alright, then take good care of yourself these next two days. Once you've recovered enough, we'll go admire the lotus flowers."
Just then, a palace servant brought over the Spirit Marrow Jade Bead, which Ji Fuguang picked up and placed in Sheng Zhiyi's hand.
Sheng Zhiyi instinctively tried to dodge, but finally suppressed her impulse and accepted the jade bead that was handed to her.
The Spirit Marrow Jade Bead was only about half the size of a fist, resembling a large pearl. However, it was surrounded by a precious glow, with a faint iridescent light within its pure white radiance. The light was soft and not dazzling, but if you looked at it for a long time, it seemed to completely absorb your attention.
Ji Fuguang handed her another ebony box, blocking her view.
"You haven't fully recovered yet, so don't let the jade bews distract you. Don't overdo your daily cultivation..."
The clear and pure tone flowed slowly through the bedchamber, and for a moment, it was as if they had returned to the days when the two of them were together on Frostflower Peak. Ji Fuguang would occasionally give Sheng Zhiyi pointers on swordsmanship. He didn't say much, but he went straight to the point.
Sheng Zhiyi listened quietly and, following Ji Fuguang's instructions, placed the jade bead into the wooden box.
"Thank you, senior brother."
She suddenly tilted her head, a smile spreading across her face, bearing a resemblance to her junior sister from back then.
"Senior brother, would you like to come over tonight and have dinner with me?"
As he spoke, he pinched a copper coin and gently placed it into Ji Fuguang's palm.
"Storyteller, this is the only copper coin I have left. I'd like to listen to your storytelling while I eat. Is that enough?"
Ji Fuguang was taken aback.
Then his fingers slowly closed, gripping the hard copper coin in his palm, and a smile appeared on his face as well.
"Sir, a reward of one copper coin is worth one copper coin's worth of books. But if it were a silver ingot, that would be a different story."
This is a conversation between the two when they were in Yingzhou City.
Ji Fuguang paused, then changed the second half of his sentence, and said:
"However, since my shop has just opened and you are my first customer, let's have a grand opening promotion. No matter how long you want to listen to the story, I will... do as you please."
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