213: Chapter 211 The Uninvited Guest

It was late at night when Xue Ji sneaked into Qingyao City once again.

She had changed into dark night-traveling clothes, choosing not to wear the crimson cloud flowing smoke.

She didn't know why she wasn't wearing it.

Perhaps she didn't want to, or perhaps she hadn't made up her mind yet.

She landed on the roof next to Yun Ming's small courtyard, crouching low like a real fox, silent and stealthy.

Her cultivation had already recovered, and her Early Nascent Soul Stage Divine Sense spread out, covering the entire courtyard.

There was one person in the courtyard.

He lay on a bamboo chair, holding a teacup in his hand. A lamp sat on the stone table beside him, its wick flickering with a bean-sized flame that cast his shadow long against the ground.

He was reading a newspaper.

The newspaper obscured his face, so Xue Ji could not see his expression.

Lying on the roof and looking at that face hidden behind the paper, Xue Ji felt her heart in a state of turmoil.

She didn't know how to face him.

When she set out, the old woman's words were still echoing in her ears—"Killing him is fine, crippling him is fine too."

The old woman had given her the crimson cloud flowing smoke, the assistance of the fox tribe, and every resource she needed.

She could have simply rushed in and slit his throat while he was off guard.

She was at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, and he was at the Late Golden Core Stage.

With her calculating against his lack of preparation, her chances of victory were high.

But she didn't move.

She lay there from late night until the early hours of the morning, and from then until the horizon began to turn white.

Xue Ji didn't know what she was waiting for.

She only knew that she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Dawn broke.

Sunlight shone from the east, illuminating the blue brick walls of the courtyard, the small unknown tree, and the extinguished oil lamp on the stone table.

Xue Ji squinted her eyes and hid herself even deeper.

She decided to wait a little longer.

Perhaps for an opportunity, perhaps for a reason, or perhaps for her own resolve to harden.

Then, an uninvited guest appeared.

When that person arrived, he did not knock.

He didn't even enter through the courtyard gate.

Xue Ji only saw a streak of white light flying from afar, hovering over the courtyard before slowly descending.

The white light dissipated, and a man stood in the center of the courtyard.

He wore a moon-white robe with a jade belt around his waist. His hair was tied high and secured with a white jade hairpin.

His features were clear and handsome, his face delicate, and his skin was so pale it was almost transparent, revealing the faint blue veins beneath his temples.

His eyes were gentle, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned in a natural, composed smile. However, his complexion was poor—a sickly, pale white, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years or had just recovered from a long illness.

His body was very thin. The long robe hung loosely on him, and when the wind blew, it pressed against his frame, revealing his frail shoulders and slender waist.

Standing there, he looked like a white plum blossom growing out of the snow—cool, aloof, and possessing a heartbreaking fragility.

Shen Yizhi.

The primary advisor under the Third Prince, a mastermind who could read the hearts of men, and the strategist known as Mr. Shen, the greatest tactician of all time.

His cultivation was at the Late Golden Core Stage, but his aura was unstable; he possessed the Realm in name only, with no actual combat power.

His health was terrible, so poor that a strong gust of wind could knock him over. Yet he stood there with a straight back and a calm gaze, as if nothing in this world could make him panic.

Yun Ming put down the newspaper,

and glanced at the courtyard gate.

The door was closed, and the padlock was intact.

He rubbed his brow and sighed.

"Do none of you like using the door?"

Shen Yizhi smiled.

His smile was faint, like a ray of sunlight peeking through the clouds in winter—not warm, but reassuring.

"I've grown used to it," he said, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard and landing on the empty chair by the stone table. "Won't you invite me to sit?"

Yun Ming picked up his teacup and took a sip. "If I don't invite you, will you leave?"

Shen Yizhi's smile deepened slightly. "No."

Yun Ming shrugged and gestured with his chin toward the empty chair.

"Sit then."

Shen Yizhi walked over and sat down by the stone table.

His movements were very slow and light.

Yun Ming poured a cup of tea from the teapot and pushed it in front of him.

Shen Yizhi picked it up and took a small sip.

His brow furrowed slightly as he set the cup down and looked at Yun Ming.

"This tea tastes terrible," he said plainly, as if stating a fact. "Does Mr. Yun drink this every day?"

Yun Ming laughed.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at Shen Yizhi.

"You're the first person to say this tea is bad." He paused. "But it's true, I bought this tea from a street stall for one copper coin a pot. How good could it be? I do have good tea, though; it just depends on your luck."

Shen Yizhi raised an eyebrow. "What kind of luck is needed to drink it?"

Yun Ming feigned deep thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. "It shouldn't be far off."

"But surely Mr. Shen didn't come all the way back from the front lines just to ask me for a cup of tea."

Shen Yizhi smiled and said, "Of course not."

He took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table.

Yun Ming's eyes fell on the Jade Slip, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He recognized that Jade Slip. It was the Wangdao Chenghuan he had given to Qin Zhao.

Feeling a bit guilty, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, using it as a shield to avoid Shen Yizhi's gaze.

Shen Yizhi did not let him off the hook.

"Mr. Yun has quite the methods," his voice carried a hint of a smile—not mocking, but the composed tone of someone who had seen through it all. "With just a few words, you had our great general use such a wicked technique to bewitch the strategist in our camp. It seems Mr. Yun Ming has quite the grand designs."

Yun Ming heard the teasing in his voice, set down his cup, and laughed as well. "I have no designs. It was Miss Qin who had the grand designs."

Shen Yizhi laughed heartily.

His laughter wasn't loud, but it was carefree, as if he were finally letting out something he had held in for a long time.

After he finished laughing, he pushed the Jade Slip back toward Yun Ming.

"Thank you for your clever plan, Mr. Yun," he said sincerely.

Yun Ming raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Yizhi.

"Hearing you say that, it seems the matter was a success?"

Shen Yizhi nodded.

He picked up the cup of terrible tea, took another sip, and set it down.

He looked at Yun Ming with a gentle gaze.

"I came this time," he said, "because Qin Zhao asked me to. She said she wanted to give Mr. Yun an answer."

Yun Ming pursed his lips and leaned back.

"What do you mean, give me an answer? I'm not the one who likes you. You're giving General Qin an answer."

Shen Yizhi did not argue.

He nodded, the smile on his lips deepening.

"My answer is very simple and very clear." He paused. "I've already had the Third Prince help me cancel that old marriage arrangement. Though it cost a bit of a price, it was worth it."

Yun Ming smiled. He didn't know what price Shen Yizhi was talking about, but he guessed it certainly wasn't just 'a bit'.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down.

"Oh," he said, his voice filled with genuine relief. "Then I suppose the lovers have finally found their way to each other. General Qin really is no ordinary person; not only is she as swift as a goddess of war, but she actually dared to perform that dance for you."

Shen Yizhi shook his head. "She didn't dance. She said she couldn't learn it and told me directly to my face."

Yun Ming's jaw dropped.

His mouth hung slightly open and his eyes widened as he stared at Shen Yizhi, stunned for several moments.

Then he laughed and shook his head.

"That really is something General Qin would do."

Shen Yizhi smiled as well.

"Actually, I came back this time," he said, "firstly to thank Mr. Yun, and secondly to rest for a while. My health is deteriorating day by day, and I need quiet recovery. Zhou Qian has been redeployed to the front lines, so I will be responsible for contacting Mr. Yun from now on."

Yun Ming nodded.

"No problem. It's the same no matter who comes. Just don't forget to pay the reward."

Shen Yizhi smiled.

"I won't forget."

His gaze moved away from Yun Ming, sweeping across the courtyard, the walls, and the roof.

His gaze paused for an instant at a certain spot before returning to Yun Ming's face.

"Mr. Yun," he said, his voice lowering, "it seems you have another guest at home. If you need my help, just say the word."

Yun Ming waved his hand.

"No need. There's no need to trouble Mr. Shen with such a small matter."

Shen Yizhi looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

He asked no more, turned around, transformed into a streak of white light, and disappeared into the horizon.

The white light flashed and vanished in the morning light as if it had never existed.

The courtyard fell silent.

Yun Ming sat on the bamboo chair, holding his teacup and watching the direction where Shen Yizhi had disappeared for a while.

Then he set down the teacup and leaned back against the chair.

"You've been here for so long," he said, his voice not loud but very clear. "Come out and have a cup of tea."