Chapter 106: Take It Easy

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Nie Xingyuan’s expression grew somewhat solemn. “You don’t need to concern yourselves with this matter. Ajiu, remember to take your senior sister with you whenever you go out, all right?”

It was absolutely impossible to keep little Ajiu from leaving the inn. In the cultivation world, raising a child that way would very easily turn her into someone useless.

Besides, he believed Ajiu was not the sort to shrink from trouble.

“Understood, Martial Uncle. Don’t worry. Ajiu will definitely protect herself.” The Heavenly Pivot Shadow-Bearing Sword had already taken initial form, and with the assistance of formations, she had nothing to fear where safety was concerned.

After several dangerous incidents, her family had given her no shortage of life-saving treasures. There was probably no one in the world more securely protected than she was.

“Good. Martial Uncle has something to attend to and will be stepping out for a while. If anything happens, you can also seek out Sikuo Chanyan. She can be trusted.”

“All right.” Ji Jiuxuan could not help showing a gossiping gleam in her eyes, only to have Nie Xingyuan rap her on the head.

“I know your senior brother has given you plenty of books. Take it easy.” These children were all truly difficult to manage. Having one troublesome disciple was already enough to worry over; now, with a senior brother who was hopelessly fond of gossip, little Ajiu was bound to be led astray.

Still, her senior brother was not entirely wrong. She could not afford to lack the necessary social graces. For now, all he could do was keep a closer watch and put a stop to anything amiss as soon as possible.

Ji Jiuxuan felt a little embarrassed. She had originally thought her junior grand-uncle would object, so hearing him merely tell her to take it easy came as a delightful surprise.

“Ajiu understands.” She did not dare gossip any longer and stood obediently beside her senior sister, Meng Jiao.

Though she was not afraid, she was still worried that she might cause trouble for her junior grand-uncle and senior sister. She had originally intended to remain inside the inn and not go out, but it would be better to visit the Ji family’s estate as well.

Inside the Ji family’s estate, Ji Xiuxi sat in his chair and gazed into empty space. “Tell me. What did you discover just now? Did something happen to Little Sister?”

He had noticed Ji Jiuxuan’s movements earlier.

His actual cultivation was somewhat higher than Meng Jiao’s, so he had sensed her divine consciousness the moment she extended it.

He had personally examined the scene at the time, but found nothing at all.

A black figure appeared a short distance from Ji Xiuxi. “Reporting to the Young Master, there were no other abnormalities. However, judging from the direction in which they were investigating, it may have been an enemy.”

An enemy?

Ji Xiuxi cared deeply about his only younger sister and had been keeping an eye on her all these years. “From Ajiu’s time at the Xuantian Sect, the most likely possibilities are the Yu family and the Wang family. As for what happened with the Hammerstone Sect, Min Chengjun sealed the matter off very thoroughly. All we know is that people from the Hammerstone Sect attempted to seize spirit beasts and kill disciples of the Xuantian Sect. Ajiu was present at the time, so we cannot rule out that possibility.”

Turning toward the shadow, Ji Xiuxi instructed, “Go and investigate whether anyone from those three factions has appeared in Liangzhou City this time.”

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After receiving his orders, the shadow vanished on the spot. Ji Xiuxi remained seated, gazing outside as he muttered, “Should I have Little Sister come and stay here instead? But Nie Xingyuan certainly would not agree.”

That man was a notorious slaughterer. If he became displeased, then even the Ji family’s Young Master and Ajiu’s elder brother would probably count for nothing.

He was even more frightening than their own father.

In the end, Ji Xiuxi abandoned the idea.

The following day, Ji Jiuxuan pulled Meng Jiao directly toward the Ji family’s estate.

It was not far from the Golden Reach Inn, but compared with the bustle surrounding the inn, this area was much quieter. At a glance, it was obvious that all the residences around them belonged to either the wealthy or the powerful.

When the two arrived, the guards did not stop them. Instead, they bowed to Ji Jiuxuan.

“Miss.”

They had barely taken two steps when her eldest cousin, Ji Xiuxi, came over. “Little Sister, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have gone to meet you.”

His words were completely sincere. Seeing the little girl walking on foot, he could not help falling into thought. “Another day, I’ll give you a Thousand-Mystery Horse as a mount. It will save you the effort.”

The Thousand-Mystery Horse was a high-grade spirit beast. Among the many creatures used as mounts, it was one of the gentlest and possessed remarkable stamina, making it an excellent steed for traveling.

Ji Jiuxuan had never considered the matter before. Since she needed to temper her body, walking a little farther each day while wearing her gravity ring was beneficial, and she usually remained within the sect anyway.

But now that her eldest cousin had brought it up, the thought immediately appealed to her.

In the future, apart from the flying artifacts given to her by her martial uncles, a spirit horse would also be an excellent way to travel.

She turned happily toward Ji Xiuxi. “Thank you, Big Brother! Then I’ll be waiting for it.”

Seeing that she did not stand on ceremony with him, Ji Xiuxi was delighted. “Come on. Big Brother will show you around. From now on, Ajiu can stay here whenever you come by. Grandfather gave you a token long ago, so you can enter simply by presenting it.”

Apart from granting access to the estate, the Ji family’s tokens could also be used to withdraw money from the Ji family trading houses. Different tokens carried different limits.

Ji Jiuxuan’s token, however, had no limit at all.

If Ji Jiuxuan had known that, she truly would have said that her family had far too much faith in her.

Although she was also a member of the Ji family, she was still only a child. The Ji family had seen her only a handful of times, let alone learned anything about her character.

If she emptied the entire Ji family’s holdings one day, no one could say they had been wronged.

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For precisely that reason, Ji Jiuxuan’s sense of belonging to the Ji family grew even stronger.

The Ji family’s estate contained more than a dozen courtyards, each of considerable size. Formations had been arranged throughout the grounds, so there was no need to worry about cleaning. Even the protection of the buildings had been greatly reinforced, and their defensive power was beyond concern.

“This estate in Liangzhou City is relatively small. If you ever go to the Imperial Capital, the one there is much larger.”

As they walked, Ji Xiuxi continued introducing the place. Listening, Ji Jiuxuan asked curiously, “Big Brother, I’ve heard that our Ji family has estates in cities and towns everywhere. Are they all arranged like this?”

She did not even want to think about the cost of laying out and maintaining all these formations, much less the value of the properties themselves.

The Ji family truly deserved its reputation as one of the foremost clans on the Southern Sea coast.

“No. Some are large, and some are small.” As he spoke, he took out a jade tablet and handed it to Ji Jiuxuan. “This contains information about our Ji family’s businesses and connections in various places. It will make things more convenient for Ajiu whenever you travel in the future.”

“Thank you, Big Brother!”

When her eldest uncle had given her a token, he had also included a tablet explaining how to use it. But the one her eldest cousin had given her contained far more information, and it was much more detailed.

Judging from this, Ji Jiuxuan guessed that Ji Xiuxi had even included his own personal network of influence.

She felt that she had lived a truly worthwhile life. She had family who cared about her and friends to whom she could entrust her life and death.

She was content with such a life.

Within the estate, Ji Jiuxuan met quite a few powerful members of the Ji family who had come along this time.

“If Ajiu wants to return home someday, remember to tell Big Brother in advance. I’ll arrange for people to escort you.”

Then he added solemnly, “Ajiu, you must never travel there alone. Do you understand?”

Someone unaware of the circumstances might have mistaken his words for a desire to prevent her from returning to the Ji family. But Ji Jiuxuan would never think that way; she could hear the concern in her elder brother’s voice.

She suddenly remembered that her maternal grandfather had once mentioned how unsafe the journey to the Southern Sea coast could be.

“I understand. Ajiu will certainly not go there rashly by herself.” She then asked curiously, “Big Brother, I’ve heard that the waters of the Southern Sea are extremely dangerous. Is it true that even flying artifacts with powerful defenses must be operated with great care to ensure safety?”

End of Chapter