Chapter 103: Visitors from the Ji Family

Liangzhou City lies in the heartland of the realm, at a crossroads of every route, a city through which one must pass to reach the shores of the Eastern Sea and the Southern Sea.

Those who enter the city must obey one rule: no flying above its streets. Anyone who breaks it will be struck down by the protective array, and may even be barred from ever entering Liangzhou City again.

“Senior Sister, I heard this place is a commercial stronghold, and that the auction is held here every year. Won’t there be even more people then than now?”

The moment Ji Jiuxuan entered the city, she was like a country girl seeing the world for the first time.

The streets were crowded with people moving to and fro, along with all manner of flying beasts and magical treasures, enough to dazzle the eye.

Yet the number of people was more than she had expected.

“There will be more,” Meng Jiao said, taking Ji Jiuxuan’s hand as she followed Nie Xingyuan forward.

Although no one dared to fight privately within Liangzhou City, and anyone with grievances had to settle them outside the city, she remained cautious because of the earlier kidnapping incident.

“We’re here. Go on in.”

At Nie Xingyuan’s words, Ji Jiuxuan looked up at the grand inn before her. The tower-like building rose straight into the clouds, its style distinctly classical yet resplendent with luxury.

“Jinda Inn!”

Wasn’t that the name of Second Martial Uncle’s inn? She looked at Nie Xingyuan and could not help asking, “Little Martial Uncle, is this Second Martial Uncle’s property?”

She remembered Little Martial Uncle saying that Jinda Inn had become a chain, with branches in nearly every city.

“Yes.” Nie Xingyuan turned to her with a smile. “There are quite a few delicious dishes here. We’ll be staying here for the time we spend in Liangzhou City.”

To own such an inn in a place as precious as Liangzhou City was truly impressive.

Since entering Liangzhou City, she had already seen that this inn was the tallest, and also the most distinctive in design.

“A-Jiu need not be reserved. Eat and enjoy yourself. Your Second Martial Uncle will reimburse you.”

Meeting the smiling eyes of her Little Martial Uncle, Ji Jiuxuan could not help but smile as well. “Then I’ll eat my fill!”

Following Nie Xingyuan into the inn, the first thing she saw was a large stage in the center, with corridors encircling it and an arrangement that was clearly meticulous.

Having already made some progress in array formations, Ji Jiuxuan immediately recognized the layout of the formation within the inn.

It had to be said that the design was ingenious.

It muffled the sound of conversation between tables, yet made the entire building feel lively and full of life.

The guest rooms were arranged in a ring around a great central skylit court. Standing below, one could see layer after layer of corridors.

Ji Jiuxuan looked up and felt suddenly very small.

“Are you here to dine or to stay?” the attendant asked as he came over, his attitude very courteous.

From the flow of spiritual energy around him, she could tell that his cultivation was not low; in fact, she could not see through it.

For a cultivator to willingly serve here as an inn attendant, and to be so polite as well—

If it were not for those gossip books and worldly anecdotes from her Second Martial Uncle, Ji Jiuxuan would likely have been astonished.

After all, this was a world where the strong ruled. For a cultivator to willingly work as an attendant in an inn would have seemed inconceivable to her in the past.

Nie Xingyuan produced a golden token in his hand, the very one he had once used to take Ji Jiuxuan to the Jinda Inn beneath the mountain of the Azure Heaven Sect for a lavish meal.

Upon seeing the token, the attendant’s manner remained as before, though his speech became even warmer and more cordial. “We were informed that Daoist Nie and the two young friends would be coming. Everything has already been prepared. Please follow me.”

After they went upstairs, Ji Jiuxuan found that looking down through the skylight from above was just like standing below and seeing everything directly, with all that happened on the lower floor laid open before her eyes, especially the performances on the stage, which were rendered with exceptional clarity.

Such a design truly combined ingenuity with a display of wealth.

“Please, this way.” The attendant led them into a private room, and only then did Ji Jiuxuan realize it was actually a suite.

The center was a spacious dining room, with a room on either side. The arrangement was both clever and thoughtful, taking safety and privacy into account.

“This is the inn’s menu. Please see what you would like to order.”

Once they were seated, the attendant took out a palm-sized slab of jade.

Ji Jiuxuan looked at it curiously and saw that it contained images of every dish, along with their names, descriptions, and prices.

It was very much like a tablet from her previous life, yet even more like a recording stone. The dishes on it looked exactly as though they had just been cooked.

“This was refined by Master,” Meng Jiao explained to her through secret voice transmission when she saw her curiosity. “Second Martial Uncle’s other inns have them too.”

Hearing that it had been crafted by Little Martial Uncle, Ji Jiuxuan did not find it strange at all; instead, she felt a sort of, so that’s how it is, realization.

“Just bring out a few of the signature dishes,” Nie Xingyuan said after glancing over the jade slab, then asked, “Who has come to this auction?”

Hearing Little Martial Uncle ask this, Ji Jiuxuan pricked up her ears and listened carefully as well.

“The leading families from the Eastern Sea and Southern Sea are all here. Beast Taming Sect, Cloudfall Manor, Alchemy Sect, and the other major sects as well; people from the various great clans have also mostly sent representatives.”

As he spoke, the attendant took out a booklet. “This is the list as of today.”

When Ji Jiuxuan heard mention of the Southern Sea, she felt both curious and surprised, and could not help asking, “Has anyone from the Ji family of the Southern Sea come?”

Though the little one before him was only at the Qi Refining stage, the attendant showed no sign of contempt. His attitude remained as respectful as when addressing Nie Xingyuan. “Yes. The Ji family has a private residence here in Liangzhou City. This time, the young master of the Ji family is leading the delegation.”

The young master of the Ji family.

Ji Jiuxuan thought for a moment. Her uncle was the head of the Ji family, and the Ji family’s young master was her eldest cousin, Ji Xiuqi.

So she would be able to see him now?

All along, she had been very curious about the family on her father’s side, and since both her grandfather and uncle had treated her so well, her anticipation at meeting them only grew stronger.

“Please wait a moment, honored guests. The food will arrive shortly. If you need anything, feel free to call for me at any time. My surname is Huang.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” Nie Xingyuan said. Since the booklet contained such detailed records, he intended to look over them first before deciding.

It was somewhat unexpected that the Ji family would come this time.

Ever since they learned four years ago that their eldest disciple had met with disaster, the Ji family had never again attended the auction.

Everyone had assumed they were overcome with grief. Ji Minghuai had been of immense significance to the Ji family, and with his sudden fall, they had not yet recovered.

Now that they had appeared again, it was no longer surprising. Having regained their footing, the powerful Ji family of the Southern Sea reemerging before the eyes of the world was nothing strange at all, but rather perfectly natural.

“A-Jiu wants to meet them?” Though the eldest disciple had been sent to the Azure Heaven Sect, and later remained there because of Senior Sister Qi Yanwei, never returning home, the people of the Ji family had always treated both the eldest disciple and Senior Sister very well.

Little A-Jiu had only ever met Ji Mingxi since childhood; she would eventually have to meet the others.

Still, no matter when that was, he would always first seek Little A-Jiu’s wishes before making any decision.

“May I?” Ji Jiuxuan was also delighted. She was a little curious what sort of rascal the one her uncle called by that name really was.

Nie Xingyuan smiled. “Why not? Eat first and rest for a while. Tomorrow I’ll take you there.”

“Okay!” Her voice was especially bright, already tinged with expectation.

The attendant soon brought the meal, and along with him came a particularly alluring and enchanting woman.

From her attire, Ji Jiuxuan felt she had a very distinctive charm.

Though seductive, she was not vulgar; in her allure there was unexpectedly a note of intelligence, and her dress was both revealing and restrained, making one’s eyes light up at a glance. What a rare enchantress of the mortal world.

“Nie Xingyuan, long time no see!”

The moment that voice sounded, Ji Jiuxuan felt as though her ears were about to become pregnant. It was graceful and melodious, yet without the slightest affectation. She even found herself wondering how such a voice could be produced.

Her gossip-loving eyes darted back and forth between her Little Martial Uncle and this beauty.