Chapter 27

Jiang Yi declined Yiling Xue's invitation. He had a five-year agreement with the Martial Hall, and as a member of the Jiang family, it was impossible for him to join the Yi family, let alone become a son-in-law.

Yiling Xue did not force him, but only asked Jiang Yi to think about it carefully. After that, she continued to come to practice with Jiang Yi every day, but did not mention the matter again.

Jiang Yi spent most of his time in seclusion, practicing, and only slept for two to three hours each day. Whenever he thought of Jiang Xiaonu being alone at home, he became extremely anxious, hoping to quickly reach the fourth level of the Cauldron Formation Realm so he could return home to check on her.

As expected, the manager of Fengyue Tower, Liu, soon obtained information about Jiang Yi and Jiang Xiaonu. Ma Fei's father was furious and ordered Liu to send people to investigate Jiang Yi's whereabouts, and to kill him at the first opportunity.

What surprised Liu was that Jiang Yi suddenly disappeared. He bribed the Jiang family servants to find out about Jiang Yi's situation, but was told that he had gone out for three months...

Liu then ordered the guards of Fengyue Tower to search the entire city, but after ten days of searching, there was no trace of Jiang Yi. He seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Ma Fei was furious and ordered Liu to spend more money to find Jiang Yi, even if it meant turning the entire Tianyu City upside down. The search area was also expanded to the surrounding towns within a hundred miles. Jiang Yi had ruined his life, and Ma Fei could neither eat nor sleep, almost driven to madness.

The Ma family, as one of the five major families in Tianyu City, had their every move closely watched by the other families. However, Ma Fei did not want to make this matter public, so the other families only knew that the Ma family was looking for someone—a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth at the second level of the Cauldron Formation Realm.

Fortunately, the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy was about to recruit new students, and the Western Garrison Army was also preparing to recruit in Tianyu City. Therefore, the other families were not paying attention to the Ma family's unusual actions. They were all focusing on cultivating their young talents, hoping to get them admitted to the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy as special students, or at least be noticed by the Western Garrison Army officers and join the military.

In the Divine Martial Kingdom, military achievements were highly valued. The city lord of Tianyu City was ennobled and granted the city due to his military achievements. Joining the Western Garrison Army, one of the three major armies of the Divine Martial Kingdom, was a great honor. If one could gain military achievements in the army and be ennobled, their family could grow and prosper for a hundred years.

Confirming that the Western Garrison Army and the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy would both recruit in Tianyu City in three months, the entire Jiang family became excited and busy. The family head, Jiang Yunshan, personally ordered that, except for a few talented young members who would go to the Martial Hall for seclusion, all family members must stay in seclusion and practice, striving to perform well at the recruitment ceremony in three months.

At the same time, Jiang Yunshan secretly sent people to buy rare treasures to curry favor with the Western Garrison Army officers, hoping to arrange for more family members to join the Western Garrison Army. Only the Jiang family could establish connections with the Western Garrison Army officers, as the commander of the Western Garrison Army, the Western King, also surnamed Jiang. The Jiang family could be considered a distant branch of the Western King's family, and the elder Jiang Yunhai had once worked as a servant in the Western King's palace, which provided some connection.

The Western Garrison Army rarely came to Tianyu City to recruit, and this was an opportunity for the Jiang family. Jiang Yunshan naturally wanted to seize this opportunity. If he could arrange for dozens of family members to join the Western Garrison Army, and if even one or two of them could stand out, the Jiang family could grow and prosper.

Jiang Yi was lucky to have left the Jiang family early; otherwise, he would not have been able to leave the family compound for months, and the Martial Hall would not have been able to assign him to practice. During this time, he would not have been able to advance so quickly, breaking through to the third level of the Cauldron Formation Realm just a few days ago.

However, Jiang Yi was also unlucky, as he was now summoned by a young lady in the Martial Hall, and the two young men accompanying her looked clearly displeased...

Ji Tingyu had just come out of seclusion and went straight to the training room, specifically asking Jiang Yi to practice with her.

Ma Heiqi, the eldest son of the Ma family, Liu He of the Liu family, Leng Qianjun of the Leng family, and Jiang Hen Shui of the Jiang family had been pursuing Ji Tingyu for years, but she had always been lukewarm. Now, she was asking for a practice partner twice in a row, and the most important thing was... this practice partner was a bronze-level martial artist, which was clearly strange.

Jiang Yi's face under the bronze mask was somewhat gloomy, and his lips were dry. Looking at the cold gazes of Ma Heiqi and Liu He, he felt a chill.

Although he knew that Ji Tingyu was not interested in him, and although Ma Heiqi and Liu He also knew that she would not be interested in him, he still felt that the situation was becoming difficult. Beauty could indeed bring trouble! A beautiful woman's unintentional actions could easily make her admirers do impulsive things.

"Blue Wolf? Why haven't you come in yet?"

Ji Tingyu entered the training room and, seeing that Jiang Yi had not come in, turned back and asked lightly, her gaze sweeping over Ma Heiqi and Liu He, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Ji Tingyu, you go ahead, I'll come back later." Ma Heiqi was very handsome, comparable to Jiang Hen Shui, but his skin was a bit dark. He was wearing a black floral robe, looking like a dark prince. Seeing that Ji Tingyu was displeased, he turned and left very tactfully.

Liu He was not as handsome as Ma Heiqi, but he had broad shoulders and a slim waist, with a perfect physique. He was not stupid either and smiled faintly, saying, "Miss Ji Tingyu, see you tomorrow!"

Seeing the faint glances Ma Heiqi and Liu He gave before leaving, Jiang Yi felt troubled and turned to walk into the training room.

"Bang!"

The door closed, and Ji Tingyu saw the helplessness in Jiang Yi's eyes, smiling lightly, "Sir Yi, don't worry. With me here, Ma and Liu will not make things difficult for you."

Jiang Yi smiled bitterly, "Miss Ji, I don't like trouble and prefer a peaceful life..."

Jiang Yi's words were subtle, but the intelligent Ji Tingyu could easily understand the underlying meaning. He did not want to be involved with their group of young masters and misses, and if she kept finding him, trouble would follow...

However, Ji Tingyu did not look guilty this time. Instead, she shook her head and smiled lightly, her gem-like eyes full of captivating light. She spoke gently, "Sir Yi, those who are not envied are mediocre. There are many beautiful things in this world worth pursuing. Everyone wants these things, so there will inevitably be competition and trouble. A life without pursuit is an imperfect life. Life is short, and beauty fades quickly! Do you want to live a mediocre life, or do you want to live a glorious and splendid ten years?"

"Um..."

Jiang Yi was stunned. He did not expect this beautiful young lady, who was about his age, to have such profound insights. His eyes became lost, and he fell silent.

Which young man does not have a wild side? Who really does not like power, money, and beauty, or being admired by many? Jiang Yi was calm, but once he became impulsive, he could ignore everything. There was a hidden madness in his bones, which could spread like wildfire once it erupted, such as when he beat Jiang Ruhu on West Mountain, or when he crippled Ma Fei at Fengyue Tower.

But then he thought of Jiang Xiaonu's frail body and quickly shook his head, "Miss Ji, you are a high-born lady and will never understand the life of people like us. Well... let's not talk about this. What do you need from me?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Ji Tingyu's eyes, and she fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, "I came out of seclusion and heard that you were still here as a practice partner, so I came to see you. To be frank, Sir Yi, the pills you sent last time were extraordinary. That alchemist will become very powerful in the future, so I hope you will wholeheartedly follow that alchemist and not waste your time here. Although practicing in the Martial Hall can speed up your cultivation, you have already passed the golden age of cultivation and will not achieve great success in your lifetime. Of course, I also want to meet that alchemist through you and establish some connection. If you can help me, any conditions can be discussed. Well... perhaps my words are a bit direct, I hope Sir Yi does not mind."

"Is that so?"

Jiang Yi lowered his head and fell silent, inwardly laughing bitterly. This world was indeed cruel. If it were not for his special black energy, the pills he had refined, or his ability to help others achieve great martial arts, Ji Tingyu and Yiling Xue would probably not even look at him. He was only being approached because he had value. He had naively thought that they were really his friends...

"It seems that the only ones who truly care about me are my mother, my great-grandfather, and Xiaonu."

Jiang Yi sighed inwardly, then looked up at Ji Tingyu and said, "Miss Ji, I'm afraid I will disappoint you. You will never see those pills again, otherwise, I wouldn't be here as a practice partner. That alchemist... is dead."

"What?"

Ji Tingyu's beautiful face changed, her gaze intense as she asked, "Sir Yi, is this true?"

"Absolutely true!"

Jiang Yi nodded seriously. The pills he had refined were made from Elder Liu's failed pills, and he himself could not refine pills, so what he said was not wrong.

"What a pity, such a pity! This could have been someone who might become..." Ji Tingyu's face was full of disappointment. She shook her head, looked at Jiang Yi a few more times, and then left without a word, opening the door and walking out without looking back.

Watching the famous beauty of Tianyu City leave, Jiang Yi turned and returned to his small room to practice.

From the gazes of Ma Heiqi and Liu He, he felt a sense of crisis again. He was tired of living in constant danger, always fearing for his life. He knew that to live a peaceful life and to never be bothered again, he had to become strong, stronger than anyone else...

Of course, perhaps it was also because of Ji Tingyu's underestimation today that his pride was stirred. He wanted to prove to this beautiful and charming woman that he was not a waste.

He was not a waste.