Chapter 345

Chapter 345: Nuan’er Regrets It

Moving alone, Yu Zhi Yi was much faster. Even Jiang Yu Wei, the Martial Alliance Leader, and Jiang Yu Chuan, a famed expert of the martial world, couldn’t match her if they had to race her.

Before dawn, she returned to the Martial Alliance, looking relaxed. This trip hadn’t been thrilling, but the gains were excellent. She had studied the young manor lord’s face closely. He was a true magnet for grudges and bad luck, and even now he didn’t know why he’d gone through so much. Still, he wasn’t a complete fool. He had already noticed that his father didn’t love him, and once he had caught Ji Guang Dai and Chen Ruo Lan together. He knew Chen Ruo Lan was the apple of his father’s eye.

From bad stock, a good shoot can still grow. Though his features hadn’t “set” yet, she could see he was kind. If nothing unexpected happened, he should win the name of a hero one day.

Ji Guang Dai’s room held a small spirit-gathering array. The power for it wasn’t common jade, but spirit stones. Who knew how many demonic cultivators he had tricked? He had several times more spirit stones than that other demonic cultivator-who only had two. Ji Guang Dai had twelve.

Thankfully his strength was poor. The gathering array had clearly been running for a while, but it hadn’t used much of the spiritual energy inside the spirit stones. All of this was very convenient for Yu Zhi Yi.

By the time she got back to the Martial Alliance, the sky was already growing light. Yu Zhi Yi laid all the spirit stones on the table. Counting the two from the demonic cultivator, she now had fourteen. Six of them had powered Ji Guang Dai’s gathering array. Their color was a bit dimmer than the others, but they still held a great deal of very pure spiritual energy.

She wrote a note saying she needed rest and stuck it to her door, set a small defensive formation at the threshold, then sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. In two lifetimes, this was her first time absorbing spiritual energy directly from spirit stones, and she couldn’t help feeling excited.

The spirit stones didn’t disappoint. Their energy was not only pure but also huge in amount. Just one stone-one that had already been used-pushed her straight through the barrier into the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm!

Feeling the power surging inside, even someone who disliked showing off like Yu Zhi Yi felt pure joy. No one can refuse absolute power. If someone says they can, it’s because they’ve never tasted it.

She glanced at the sky. Daylight was fully up. Not wanting to worry her parents, she decided to step out and show her face, then come back to continue.

As soon as she opened the door, Li Rou came up to meet her and said, smiling: “Miss, I’ll bring the wash water right away. After you wash, you can eat.”

Looking at the sun high in the sky, Yu Zhi Yi asked, surprised: “Is it already noon?”

Li Rou said: “Mm. Miss slept a long time. The madam just came by and said not to wake you.”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded. Her father had probably told her mother about last night. They must think she spent a lot of spiritual energy using the Heavenly Thunder Talisman to break the formation. In truth, it had used less energy than drawing the Bird-Taming Talismans.

While Yu Zhi Yi washed, Li Rou brought in the dishes. She stood waiting while Yu Zhi Yi ate. When the chopsticks were set down, Li Rou said: “Second young master came by earlier. He asked if you’d like to go to the city to buy clothes.”

They had prepared plenty of clothes and jewelry for Yu Zhi Yi lately, but she’d been away for more than ten years. No matter how much they got, it never felt like enough.

Yu Zhi Yi shook her head and said: “I already have enough clothes. I’m only one person; I can’t wear that many.”

Li Rou said: “Second young master said those clothes are already over half a month old, and the Earthly Ranking tournament starts tomorrow. It’s proper to add some new outfits.”

Yu Zhi Yi: “…” [Is this how we define ‘new’-by the date? Shouldn’t it depend on whether I’ve worn them?] She twitched her lips, then shook her head: “No need. I’m planning to go into seclusion this afternoon.”

Remembering something, she asked: “Have Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and the others still not returned?”

Li Rou’s face tightened. She shook her head and said: “Not yet. And there’s been no word.”

Yu Zhi Yi frowned. She had read the heir apparent’s face and was sure he wouldn’t run into danger; even the chance of injury was small. By rights they should have come back quickly. But it had already been more than ten days. Before, when Ji Guang Dai was alive, you could say they were delayed while searching for proof of his crimes. But he was dead now, and they still hadn’t returned-that was a real problem.

Worried, Li Rou asked: “Miss, they won’t be in trouble, will they?”

This wasn’t the time to tease, so Yu Zhi Yi didn’t joke about Li Rou finally showing her concern for the marquis’s heir apparent. Instead, she took out three copper coins. With quick fingers, she set them spinning. Soon she studied the result and frowned: “Trapped?”

Li Rou hurried to ask: “Miss, what is it?”

Yu Zhi Yi said: “The hexagram shows they’re trapped, but they’re not in danger for now.”

Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and his men were first-class experts. If martial skill were divided into nine great realms the way cultivation is, then someone like Jiang Yu Chuan was a top master at the ninth realm, while the marquis’s heir and the others were around the fifth or sixth. Not top-tier, but still strong.

To trap them, either an even stronger master was involved, or a formation, or the force of nature itself. Whatever it was, they clearly couldn’t get out on their own.

Yu Zhi Yi gave up on absorbing more from the spirit stones for now and decided to bring them back first. She said: “I’ll go get them. You shouldn’t come.”

Though anxious, Li Rou knew she couldn’t help, so she nodded.

Yu Zhi Yi told her to stay in the yard, then turned to report to Xiao Qing Xuan so her mother wouldn’t worry about her slipping off again. The moment she stepped outside, she jumped. Someone was shivering in the cool spring wind.

When the person saw Yu Zhi Yi, she dropped to her knees with a thud and cried: “Miss!”

Raising a brow, Yu Zhi Yi said: “Nuan’er? What’s this?”

Knocking her head to the ground, Nuan’er pleaded: “Miss, it was my fault. I was confused, and Chen Miss tricked me with a few words, so I betrayed you.”

She had run to serve Chen Xin Yue, thinking it would give her a better future. But right after she became Chen Xin Yue’s person-before she could even show off-Chen Xin Yue was confined. Even with the Earthly Ranking tournament about to start, she still wasn’t let out. The servants whispered that Chen Xin Yue was finished and that Alliance Leader Jiang had decided to abandon this niece. When Nuan’er heard that, she panicked.