Chapter Forty-Four: An Enchanting Encounter at the Inn

Li Yunjie began to ponder.

It didn’t take long before he found the answer.

“Who else could it be?”

“Your father, of course.”

“Don’t speak nonsense!” Su Qingmeng snapped in anger. “How could my father possibly send someone to assassinate you?”

“It wasn’t to assassinate me.” Li Yunjie sat cross-legged and chuckled softly. “It was to help me break through.”

Eleven nodded in agreement.

Su Qingmeng was thoroughly confused. “If Father wanted to help you break through, he wouldn’t have needed to go to such extremes, would he?”

“The method was harsh, but undeniably effective.” A faint smile played on Li Yunjie’s lips. He finished the last piece of flatbread in his hand and continued unhurriedly:

“Judging by the power of that assassin’s final strike, he had at least sixth-rank strength.”

“By all rights, I shouldn’t have even had the chance to fight back.”

“Yet that assassin exchanged twenty blows with me.”

“It didn’t seem like an assassination—more like a test.”

“What’s even more puzzling is that the assassin clearly warned me he was going to sever my Qi Sea.”

“He gave me time to prepare.”

“Does that sound like an assassination to you?”

Su Qingmeng pondered for a moment, her brow slightly furrowed.

It made sense.

“No wonder the assassin’s voice sounded so familiar at the time. Now that I think about it, it did sound a bit like Fang Zhong.” Enlightenment flashed across Su Qingmeng’s face.

Li Yunjie didn’t respond.

He closed his eyes to feel the strength of his newly attained seventh-rank body, and couldn’t help but sigh. “It seems I owe my dear father-in-law a debt of gratitude.”

For a martial cultivator to reach the seventh rank, he had to endure the pain of having his meridians broken inch by inch and then reforged. The agony of this marrow-washing process alone was enough to dissuade most practitioners.

That’s why some people would rather stay at the eighth rank for life, learning a move or two for self-defense, than risk burning their blood to break through the boundary.

This is also why martial experts possess a willpower far beyond that of ordinary people.

Because what they endure is unimaginable to the average person.

Li Yunjie’s pain-free advancement to the seventh rank this time was truly thanks to Su Ming.

“But if it was Father’s doing, why wouldn’t he tell you directly? Why resort to such a method?” Su Qingmeng couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

If anything had gone wrong, wouldn’t Li Yunjie’s life have been forfeit as well?

“Because only at the very edge of life and death can one’s full potential be drawn out,” Eleven explained. “It’s only by surviving certain death that one can break through.”

“I see,” Su Qingmeng said, suddenly enlightened. “Normally, going from peak eighth rank to seventh would take at least two years.”

“Attempting it through assassination is risky, but the result is swift,” she added.

“At such a time, helping me break through…” Li Yunjie slowly rose and walked to the window, murmuring, “It seems this journey to Jiangnan will be fraught with dangers…”

...

During breakfast,

Su Xiyan sat puffing out her cheeks, staring at Li Yunjie.

Her little head was filled with big questions.

“This is what’s called a blessed man always has luck on his side,” Li Yunjie explained, seeing her confusion.

Su Xiyan grinned at his words.

But then she tilted her head, clearly having another question.

Li Yunjie clicked his tongue. “That, you’d better not know.”

Instantly, Su Xiyan pouted, lost her appetite, and slumped over the table in grievance.

“Alright, alright!” Li Yunjie relented. “I’ll tell you, is that enough?”

“That assassin was sent by your father, my esteemed father-in-law.”

Su Xiyan immediately sat up, her brows deeply furrowed, her expression even more upset.

“You see? That’s why I said you shouldn’t know.” Li Yunjie spread his hands helplessly. “You’re not happy even when I tell you.”

Fuming, Su Xiyan left the table and went straight out to the carriage.

Compared to Su Xiyan’s anger, Su Qingmeng was more concerned. “Can you really understand what Xiyan is trying to say?”

Li Yunjie nodded as if it were obvious. “Of course.”

With that, he tore off half a roast chicken to take with him.

On the road, Su Xiyan didn’t say a word, keeping her back to Li Yunjie the entire way.

From time to time, she’d whirl around and glare at him fiercely.

Li Yunjie sat inside the carriage, feeling increasingly uneasy.

So he climbed up front to drive with Eleven instead.

“That little lass has quite the temper.”

Eleven shot him a sidelong glance, his lips curling up, though who knew what he was smiling about.

The carriage rumbled southward, the journey lacking much laughter or cheer.

Perhaps because Su Xiyan was quietly stewing in her anger toward Li Yunjie, even Su Qingmeng responded to him coldly.

“Sir,” Eleven called out, spotting an inn not far ahead and stopping the carriage. “Let’s rest here for the night.”

Li Yunjie glanced at the darkening sky and nodded.

They dismounted, stretched, and entered the inn.

The innkeeper’s assistant greeted them with a beaming face. “Welcome, guests! Will you be dining or staying the night?”

“Prepare two of your finest rooms,” Li Yunjie replied calmly, tossing a few silver pieces onto the table.

“Sir,” the assistant apologized with a bow and a smile, “I’m afraid only one private room is left tonight.”

Li Yunjie glanced at the deepening twilight and sighed softly.

“Then one it is.”

“Eleven, you and I will make do in the carriage tonight.”

He slid half the silver back into his pouch and continued, “Bring us your best food and wine first.”

“Right away!” The assistant grabbed the silver and hurried off.

“What a handsome gentleman,” came a sweet, feminine voice from the next table.

Before anyone could react, a young woman in a pink dress had already risen and was gliding gracefully toward Li Yunjie.

She smiled, her long hair flowing gently over her shoulders in the breeze.

Her bright eyes gazed at Li Yunjie with tender affection.

“If you don’t mind, sir, I happen to have a room available,” she said.

Li Yunjie was momentarily taken aback. After a long and tiring journey, a private room was most welcome.

“Then thank you, miss.” He pulled out more silver. “Since you have a spare room, I’ll buy it at double the price.”

The young woman smiled, her hands resting naturally on Li Yunjie’s shoulders.

Leaning in close to his ear, she whispered, “You misunderstand, sir.”

“What I mean is, I’d like you to share the room with me tonight~”

“Pfft—” Su Qingmeng sprayed tea all over Li Yunjie’s face.

Su Xiyan stared in shock, her teacup slipping from her grasp and shattering on the floor.

For a sheltered young lady like her, this was all far beyond her experience.

Even Li Yunjie double-checked the decor, making sure he hadn’t wandered into a brothel by mistake.

Only Eleven remained unruffled, his face and heartbeat unchanged, as if this was nothing new.

“Miss, you must be joking. I can’t possibly accept!” Li Yunjie declined at once, perhaps noticing the murderous intent in Su Qingmeng’s eyes.

The young woman, too, sensed Su Qingmeng’s hostility. With a faint sigh, she seemed disappointed.

She slowly straightened, her silky hair brushing Li Yunjie’s ear, leaving behind a delicate scent of lotus blossom.

“Are you two husband and wife?” she asked, an undercurrent of challenge in her tone.

“So what if we are?” Su Qingmeng replied coldly.

“And you?” The young woman turned to Su Xiyan.

Frightened, Su Xiyan shook her head emphatically.

The woman let out a long “oh,” and said, “No matter, I don’t mind.”

She leaned in again to whisper in Li Yunjie’s ear, “Sir, do consider it~”

With that, she turned and returned to her seat.

The warm breath on Li Yunjie’s earlobe left him feeling weak all over.

“She told you to think it over!” Su Qingmeng said fiercely. “You young master!”