Dusk Returns to the Ruined Building

Both traveled a thousand miles to Yanquan, both walked alone, both were young and handsome men, and at the bottom of Jingyun Gorge, Shen Yichen and Yixuan had two completely different attitudes towards the unknown Ji family.

This was the first time Shen Yichen and Yixuan had a disagreement. Shen Yichen was unaware of the underlying reasons for this disagreement, which can be summed up in two words:

rule!

On the Yan Punishment Platform, Ji Qingyun administered twenty dragon whips to the young Shen Yichen. It can be said that Shen Yichen had never been bound or educated by the rules of the Ji family. After going to Guanxing Mountain and living a free and unrestrained life for more than ten years, Shen Yichen did not understand the rules at all. His master taught him to follow his heart, follow his nature, and follow fate.

What about Yixuan? He has lived in the Ji family since he was a child. He is the one who sets the rules and enforces them. Without rules, there can be no order. This is his principle of conduct.

Yi Xuan could accept that the Ji family's rules clashed with those of the martial arts world, but he could not tolerate the Ji family members' lack of discipline, especially the owner of the courtyard, who was from the Zhidian Hall!

A small courtyard shrouded in mist at the bottom of Jingyun Gorge!

The man in purple robes inside the small building used his finger to control the air and wrote a sentence at Yi Xuan's feet:

"Rose family members are not allowed to enter the martial world!"

This is also a rule of the Ji family. The reason why the head of the Ji family is of royal lineage is because the three major royal families need to control the martial arts world through the head of the Ji family, and the three major royal families cannot directly enter the martial arts world or interfere in its affairs.

However, for thousands of years, this rule has been a mere formality. It can't be said that way either, because the royal family always had reasons that the Ji family couldn't refuse to interfere in the affairs of the martial world, and they also interfered in the affairs of the martial world in secret.

This was Ji Qingfeng's worry on Wangyue Tower: the three royal families were becoming increasingly unscrupulous in interfering in the affairs of the martial world, but Ji Qingfeng was not a member of the royal family, so he had no way to restrain them.

This was also an important reason why Ji Qingyun was chosen to be the head of the family back then. Ji Qingyun came from the royal family, and from two branches of the royal family at that. He was able to restrain the royal family members.

In reality, Yunxia Mountain has always adhered to this rule. The Yunxia Mountain royal family has never interfered in the affairs of the martial world. Even if they have, it is always through the Ji family. They never show their faces, and there are no members of the Yunxia Mountain royal family in the martial world.

Getting back to the point, Yixuan saw the words on the ground, smiled coldly, and replied:

"So you do know the rules of the Ji family. When an emperor falls, the world is in turmoil. When the Ji family is in turmoil, the royal family can interfere in the affairs of the martial world!"

Both Shen Yichen and the purple-robed man in the small building were shocked upon hearing this!

Shen Yichen never expected that Yixuan's departure from the Ji family was related to Emperor Ye Luo.

The man in purple was shocked by the news.

Yi Xuan looked completely calm and collected!

"The rules of the Ji family are to be broken by anyone who violates them. It seems that your loyalty to the Ji family is not genuine. The couplet outside this courtyard is a joke. I will destroy it for you!"

After Yi Xuan finished speaking, a burst of true essence flashed in his palm and struck the couplets on both sides of the courtyard. He did not use the Saint Emperor Technique. To be precise, Shen Yichen really could not sense the aura of the Saint Emperor Technique on Yi Xuan.

The man in purple leaped forward, blocking Yi Xuan's attack. He then walked to Shen Yichen, knelt on one knee, and wrote four characters:

"Welcome, young master!"

Startled, Shen Yichen immediately retreated from the courtyard, walked to Yixuan's side, and said coldly:

"What nonsense are you talking about? My surname is Shen, and my given name is Yichen. I am not a member of the Ji family, nor am I the young master of the Ji family that you are talking about. Isn't your young master named Ji Yinan?"

Yixuan smiled slightly!

“Brother Yichen, you may not acknowledge it, but he cannot. You may refuse, but he cannot refuse. He is a member of the Ji family, a member of the Zhidian Hall, and he must abide by the rules!”

Shen Yichen not only didn't quite understand, but also couldn't accept it for a moment, so he could only respond coldly:

"Brother Yixuan, this is the martial world, not the Ji family!"

"What's wrong with the martial world? The Ji family members should abide by the Ji family rules wherever they go!"

Shen Yichen stared blankly at Yixuan. He suddenly thought of his dream, or rather, his childhood memories. His father, Ji Qingyun, as the head of the Ji family, was also whipped because he did not abide by the rules of the Ji family back then!

Shen Yichen seemed to understand what Yixuan was insisting on. He smiled slightly, a bitter smile, and made a joke:

"Brother Yixuan, you haven't followed the rules along the way either. Now that you know I'm the young master of the Ji family, why don't you show any respect at all?"

"Tch, let's not even talk about how I only just guessed your identity, you haven't admitted it yet. Even if you are the young master of the Ji family, which rule have I broken?"

Shen Yichen was speechless, he knew nothing about it, and could only ask one question:

"Are you really from the Ji royal family?"

"Hmph, in what capacity do you ask this? Young Master of the Ji family? A friend from the martial world? A brother who has shared joys and sorrows? Or some other identity?"

"you……"

Shen Yichen's face turned bright red from holding back his anger.

Shen Yichen and his companion seemed to have forgotten that the man in purple was kneeling on one knee to greet them.

Shen Yichen shook his head helplessly and sighed:

"Your identity is none of my business. I'm just a wandering swordsman. Please just call me Qingchen from now on, okay?"

"Alright, then you can skip the 'brother' title. You can just call me Yixuan or Xuanxuan from now on!"

What Shen Yichen actually wanted to express was that he wanted Yixuan to stay away from him, but now it seems that's impossible.

Yi Xuan entered the martial arts world, perhaps for him.

Shen Yichen wanted to laugh now, to laugh out loud. He wanted to be the hidden pawn of the Heart of Heaven and Earth, to face the Holy City with his sword, to set up a game with his death, but what was the result?

Shen Yichen felt as if he had jumped from one game of chess into another, a ko within a ko, a game within a game. At this moment, Shen Yichen realized that the game his father played back then seemed to be the game he was destined to play in his life. Fate is truly unpredictable!

"Qingchen, what are you daydreaming about? Are we going to go in, wait outside, or try to find our way? You have to give us an answer, they're practically begging you!"

Shen Yichen was taken aback upon hearing this. He hurriedly turned around, took a few steps forward, helped the man in purple up, glared at Yixuan, and said softly:

"Senior, Yi Xuan is young and impetuous, please don't mind him. I am not a member of the Ji family, my surname is Shen, don't listen to his nonsense!"

The man in purple remained silent and motionless.

Yi Xuan smiled as she looked at Shen Yichen.

Shen Yichen retreated again; he was definitely not going into that courtyard.

After Shen Yichen arrived beside Yixuan, he turned around and bowed again towards the courtyard!

"After dark, please arrange for us to leave the bottom of Jingyun Gorge!"

The man in purple nodded.

"Oh, Qingchen, Qingchen, why do you have to leave me here in this lousy place instead of enjoying a good life? How boring!"

Yi Xuan seemed quite helpless! Knowing that Shen Yichen wouldn't enter the courtyard, Yi Xuan lay down directly on the flatbed cart, ignoring the man in purple.

Shen Yichen was truly speechless. He bowed again.

"Senior, please go back. I'll wait outside until it gets dark!"

The man in purple flew back into the small building and stood by the window, looking at the two boys.

The gate to the courtyard was closed again.

Shen Yichen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Yichen didn't plan to ask any more questions. He was in the martial world and needed to figure out the affairs of the martial world first. As for the rules of the Ji family that Yixuan mentioned, Shen Yichen didn't want to know. Or rather, for him, it was too early to know all of that!

Shen Yichen leaned against the persimmon tree, staring blankly at the green leaves in the thick fog. As for what he was thinking, he himself couldn't quite explain it.

Not long after arriving in Yanquan, life and death continued to occur. It seemed that wherever Shen Yichen went, there was no peace. The martial world was really different from what he had imagined.

Shen Yichen looked at Yixuan lying on the flatbed cart and reflected on himself, wondering if his personality was too weak!

Perhaps not, after all, he was just a nobody, struggling step by step in the world of martial arts.

Yi Xuan is different; his status in the Ji family must be extraordinary.

Yi Xuan's domineering and arrogant nature was much stronger than that of Ji Yinan and Ji Yihong. He spoke of the Demon Extermination Hall and the Order Hall so casually that Shen Yichen felt that Yi Xuan was related to the Ji family royal family.

"Qingchen, I heard that the Ji family has a valley covered with these persimmon trees. In autumn, they are said to be full of red and yellow persimmons, like lanterns, so beautiful. It's a pity I've never seen them!"

Shen Yichen didn't answer immediately, but after a moment, he asked softly:

"Does Wulang Academy really not accept people from the Ji family or the Ten Thousand Demons Sect?"