The proprietress was leaning coquettishly behind the counter, the waiter was busy receiving guests, and there was a large group of cultivators of all kinds sitting in the lobby on the first floor. It was a very standard fairy-tale RPG quest point.
Chapter 90: The word "Jun"
Wanjian City, City Lord’s Mansion.
The gate was opened with the highest standards to welcome the distinguished guests from the Xuanyin family.
"Click click click..."
Xiu'er pulled the reins, slowing down the pace. The sound of animal hooves continued as she slowly pulled the extremely gorgeous carriage into the door.
The guards around stood guard respectfully, bowing their heads in respect.
The City Lord's Mansion is approximately five miles in radius and is located in the center of the entire Wanjian City. It is heavily guarded. In addition to the residence of the City Lord Duan Lanruo, there are also guest residences, a small garden, courtyard pavilions in the City Lord's Mansion, which are grand and elegant.
There are two most important places, one is the "Wanjian Tower", the center of the Wanjian Formation, and the other is the "Jinlan Cottage", the residence of the secret guards in the City Lord's Mansion.
The carriage drove along under the guidance of the guide and soon arrived at the door of Duan Lanruo's real private residence.
It is a side courtyard in a remote corner of the City Lord's Mansion. Outside the courtyard are many kinds of trees, providing cool green shade and casting swaying shadows. In the courtyard are paved paths and some flowers and plants. Compared with the majestic buildings seen along the way, it has more life interest.
Knowing that Young Master Xuanyin was not in a position to show up, Duan Lanruo chose his daily living place as the meeting place instead of holding a formal meeting in the hall of the mansion.
The guide stopped and came over to say, "Miss Xiu'er, this is the city lord's personal resting place. Please park the carriage next to the yard for the time being. Except for the secret guards protecting the city lord, no one else is allowed to approach this place. Safety and privacy are absolutely guaranteed."
"We naturally trust the city lord's arrangements." Xiu'er smiled slightly, jumped out of the car, held the reins and stopped first, then turned around and stretched out her hand, saying: "Young Master, we're here."
The curtain of the carriage was lifted again, and the girl's slender hand came into view first. Her black hair was like a waterfall, and she was wearing gorgeous clothes with a hazy tulle. The jade pendant on her waist tinkled and her figure was graceful, but her face seemed to be shrouded in mist and could not be seen clearly. Only her eyes were deep and quiet.
Ye Ci Ke took Xiu'er's arm and walked down from the carriage, his steps slow and gentle, just like a frail and delicate girl.
The guide made a gesture of invitation: "The city lord has been waiting inside for a long time."
Ye Ci Ke nodded slightly, his eyes vaguely falling on several corners around him.
There were several women in maid clothes standing silently over there. They seemed to have no presence, but in fact they were all secret guards with at least Nascent Soul strength.
The Jinlan Guards of the Wanjian City Lord... It is said that these are carefully selected and trained death warriors who are willing to sacrifice their own lives to protect Duan Lanruo without hesitation.
"crunch-"
The exquisite carved wooden door was pushed open to the sides, and a woman in a tight black outfit walked in and half-knelt. She had her long hair tied up and her face was half covered with a wooden mask, covering the upper half of her face and leaving only her pointed chin exposed.
"City Lord, the people from the Xuanyin family are here."
The woman kneeling in front of the desk inside the door paused while writing, then continued to write the last stroke.
The character "Jun" is completed.
Duan Lanruo raised her head, revealing a beautiful white face. She narrowed her eyes and smiled slightly.
"Then why are you still standing there? Please come in, young master."
She blew on the rice paper spread on the table, put down the brush, adjusted her sleeves with her white wrists as white as snow, stood up slightly and sighed. Her body lines were soft and plump under the loose peacock blue clothes, especially the fullness under the tube top, which was really dramatic.
Duan Lanruo had her black hair tied up high, with only a jade hairpin pinned inside, revealing her fair and slender neck. Her skin was as white and smooth as mutton-fat jade, and she exuded a lazy and mature charm. The four words "gentle, fragrant and soft like jade" seemed to be the most appropriate to describe her.
But the plain and simple sword on her waist, without any decoration, added a hidden sharpness to this warm and soft jade.
Ye Ci Ke walked slowly to the table and sat down upright, while Xiu'er stood beside him and served him.
As soon as she sat down, the girl's eyes were attracted by the papers on the table.
In other words, I was attracted by the word "Jun".
For some unspeakable reasons, she was particularly sensitive to the words "Jun" and "Xuan". At this moment, the word "Jun" caught her eye, which made her heart skip a beat. She suddenly felt inexplicably alert.
Ye Ci Ke raised his eyes again and looked at the Lord of Wanjian City.
The widow of the former leader of Jiange Pavilion, although she looks like a weak and beautiful woman, more people know her for her iron-fisted approach to governing Wanjian City. After her husband's death, she rarely went out and spent most of her time dealing with matters in Wanjian City and Jiange Pavilion.
Although it is a little unbelievable, the known information is that she lives a very boring life. Although she holds the highest authority in Wanjian City and commands a group of powerful death guards, she has almost no personal life.
She even has a reputation for being chaste.
So... it's highly unlikely that it has anything to do with Jun Xuan, right?
What’s more, it’s just a word “Jun”, which could also mean “you”, or it could be a word picked at random.
Ye Ci Ke shook his head secretly, thinking that he was too suspicious. He even suspected a widow. If he really had to suspect someone, he might as well suspect Duan Lanruo's daughter Duan Lian.
Duan Lanruo waved her hand and dismissed the woman who reported the incident. She turned around and saw that the girl's eyes seemed to be fixed on the table.
She smiled slightly: "Why? Is it strange? Life in the City Lord's Mansion is sometimes boring, and I will practice calligraphy to cultivate my sentiments."
Ye Ci Ke shook his head: "The city lord's handwriting is very beautiful, gentle and graceful, but also elegant and graceful."
Duan Lanruo smiled and said, "It is such an honor to receive praise from Young Master Xuanyin."
Ye Ci Ke looked directly at Duan Lanruo with a calm expression and coughed twice. "I never praise others, I just tell the truth. If it were a mediocre person, I would naturally not say a word. The city lord probably already knows the reason why I came here."
Duan Lanruo nodded and said helplessly: "Young Master, you want the temporary use of the Ten Thousand Swords Formation. For the Ten Thousand Swords City, it is like holding the Tai A upside down. It is a matter of great importance. I am sorry that I can't do anything. After all, I am not the only one who has the final say in the Ten Thousand Swords City, and I am also responsible for the lives of the people and immortal cultivators in the city."
Xiu'er picked up the teacup on the table and poured a cup of tea for Ye Ci Ke and Duan Lanruo.
The girl picked up the teacup and took a sip: "A Grade A spiritual vein."
Duan Lanruo looked at Ye Ci Ke's calm expression, rubbed her eyebrows, took a sip of tea, and felt quite a headache.
I've heard for a long time that the current young master of the Xuanyin family spends money like water. When I entered the door before, the guard came to report that he casually gave away 500 spirit stones, so I had some idea of it, but I didn't expect it to be to this extent.
An entire spiritual vein can be thrown away at will...
Duan Lanruo put down the teacup: "It's the Sword Pavilion's Watching the Tide and Listening to the Sword Competition. If something goes wrong..."
"Two Grade A spirit veins, plus a vein of Phantom Sea Dark Iron."
Phantom Sea Iron is the raw material for forging the magic weapon Mirage Sea Sword Pearl. Just one piece is enough to make a cultivator in the Jindan stage lose his combat effectiveness.
After Jiange invented this magic weapon, he made a fortune, but due to the scarcity of raw materials, he was unable to mass-produce it.
"..."
"Plus the Sky Ring Sword."
The silent Duan Lanruo was stunned, her pupils shrank, her breathing quickened, and she put her hands on her chest to prevent her clothes from rising and falling too much.
Ye Ci Ke's expression remained unchanged: "Don't you want to take back the ten famous swords that fell into my hands in the Sword Pavilion?"
"Of course I do."
Duan Lanruo laughed dumbly, looking inquiringly: "But can I ask, why would you pay such a huge price and use the Ten Thousand Swords Formation?"
Ye Ci Ke said: "For one person."
The girl lowered her eyes and looked at the white paper on the table: "What a coincidence, there is a word 'Jun' in his name."
Duan Lanruo was stunned, and her expression suddenly became somewhat interesting.
Chapter 91 Happy Cooperation
"What a coincidence! His name also contains the character 'Jun'."
The girl sitting opposite the desk said so.
The calm and heroic spirit that could have pointed out a spiritual vein was now completely restrained. He looked at the word "Jun" with complicated emotions in his eyes.
Although her emotions were definitely restrained and concealed in an instant, as a young girl, she still revealed some emotions that were difficult to conceal when she thought of the person in her heart.
Duan Lanruo was not an innocent girl. She knew at a glance that the person Ye Ci Ke was talking about must be her sweetheart.
It seems that only the impulse and persistence in pursuing love could make the young master of the Xuanyin family go to great lengths for a person and even use the Tianhuan Sword as a bargaining chip.
This sword was taken away from Jiange by the Xuanyin Family hundreds of years ago.
When the forger of the Tianhuan Sword fell in love with a young master of the Xuanyin family, she was still an unknown ordinary swordsmith. The Xuanyin family did not accept men due to their physical condition, and this gradually became a tacit unspoken rule, especially for the young master with the highest blood purity in the contemporary era. Whether it was to maintain purity or strength, it was not advisable to combine with a man.
As a result, both sides naturally encountered great obstacles. The blacksmith worked hard and finally created one of the ten famous swords in the world, but the Xuanyin family remained proud and still would not allow their young master to become a useless person. In other words, once this precedent was set, more Xuanyin blood would flow out, be lost, or attract covetousness.
In short, after a series of very tragic events, the Tianhuan Sword finally remained in Jiange, and the lovers ended up depressed and lonely until the end of their lives. This incident also led to some irreconcilable rifts between the two forces.
Although the two sides now treat each other with respect, in reality the relationship is only superficially friendly. Apart from courtesy greetings, there is basically no other interaction.
Returning the Tianhuan Sword could even be seen as a gesture of goodwill. For the Xuanyin Family represented by Ye Ci Ke, it was already a huge concession. Add to that the spiritual vein mineral deposits, and it was basically given away for free.
There is no reason for Wanjian City not to take this great advantage.
Duan Lanruo felt that she should agree immediately, but Ye Ci Ke's words caused a trace of doubt in the heart of the Lord of Wanjian City.
The person you want to trap with the Ten Thousand Swords Formation has the word "Jun" in his name?
What a coincidence, the character "Jun" that I wrote represents a character in someone's name.
How could it be such a coincidence?
Is there really such a coincidence in the world?
As an elder who has experienced the affairs of life, the ruler of Wanjian City for many years, and a high-level cultivator in the fusion stage, Duan Lanruo has his own views and understanding of fate and coincidence.
Even in a moment, with her thoughts racing, she had an extremely bold idea - was the other party testing her?
As for why the test was conducted, this is the boldest guess in this idea.
Is it possible that the person whose name contains the word "Jun" that she was talking about and the person in Duan Lanruo's heart... are the same person?
The Lord of Wanjian City controlled his expression and said thoughtfully, "If it was just for one person, why would we mobilize so many troops and let the young master come in person? With the power of the Xuanyin family, isn't it very easy to capture one person?"
Ye Ci Ke raised his head, sat upright, and said, "I'm not sure if I can catch him. Even the Ten Thousand Swords Formation may not be able to catch him. He seems to have a magical power that allows him to come and go at any time, outside the laws of time and space. Even the Tribulation Crossing Stage cannot lock his position."
Duan Lanruo's face changed. "Is it... that he appears and disappears mysteriously? No matter when and where, he can suddenly appear out of thin air. It's the same when he leaves. During the time he disappears, no matter what magic is used, no trace can be detected. It's as if he never appeared."
Ye Ci Ke was stunned, nodded, and then suddenly became suspicious: "City Lord Duan...how do you know so much?"
Duan Lanruo suddenly realized that she was too excited, so she calmed down, picked up the teacup and played with it as if to cover up, and smiled: "Nothing, I just encountered a similar situation and suddenly remembered it."
Have you ever met one? Such a terrifying magical power, touching the power of the laws of heaven and earth, even the ancestors in the family were powerless, how could I meet another one?
How could it be such a coincidence?
Are there really such coincidences in the world?
Ye Ci Ke, as a girl in a sensitive period of love and the young master of the Xuanyin family, is a genius cultivator who has reached the realm of refining emptiness at the young age of 28. He also has his own views and understanding of fate and coincidence.
Even the word "Jun" cannot be used as proof, but what about the same ability?
Ye Ci Ke looked at the Lord of Wanjian City in front of him. The woman's movements were calm and composed, and she didn't seem to be testing or showing off.
Young Master Xuanyin smiled faintly and said, "Have you also encountered this kind of special magical power? I never thought of it. I don't know where and on whom you saw this. I asked the elders in my family to search for his whereabouts for a year, but I couldn't find any whereabouts. It was only recently that I was able to use magic to lock him again. I have been worried that he will disappear again... Maybe you can provide some clues?"
It's the same situation... The word "Jun" is a coincidence. It's also a coincidence that Duan Lanruo calculated that the person is also in Wanjian City. Is the mysterious coming and going without a trace also a coincidence?
This is definitely no coincidence!
Duan Lanruo was instantly certain that the person Ye Ci Ke was looking for was Liu Junxuan!
The Xuanyin family has not had much contact with the outside world for many years, and the family's business is managed by girls like Xiu'er who have been recruited and trained since childhood. Ever since the incident in Jiange, the younger generation of the family has never had the chance to meet men with impure motives.
Unless this person can ignore the defensive power of the Xuanyin family.
And it just so happens that someone whose name contains the word "Jun" has this ability to appear and disappear mysteriously.
Otherwise, how could Duan Lanruo, the wife of the former master of Jiange, easily meet a strange man in the heavily guarded Wanjian City, and then have some unclear things happen?
Moreover, whenever Duan Lanruo tried to investigate someone, it always ended in vain, as if this person had never left any trace in the world.
But the more important point is that in this world, anyone who dares to take action against the Xuanyin Family must have the courage to face several ancestors in the Tribulation Crossing Stage. There are probably not many such people in the Upper Central Realm, and they are all old monsters who have already become famous.
And for someone to come and provoke her, the wife of the former master of Jiange, is already extremely bold, and there is no way to stop him on normal days. It seems reasonable that he would provoke the young master of Xuanyin.
The enemy is in the open while I am in the dark, which is a great advantage... She is looking for someone in order to catch him, so I, Duan Lanruo, must protect him and let him know who is truly good to him.
This day has finally arrived. Duan Lanruo has understood for a long time that she would not be someone's only one, so she has always kept a low profile because she has no way to give some things to the other person, but at the same time, her expectations of someone are also much lower.
Someone will fall in love with him, but these young girls who are overly paranoid about love will never understand how important a peaceful and generous place is.
Duan Lanruo's expression remained unchanged. She felt that the situation had been decided. She took a sip of tea and said, "I saw this in an old senior. He has passed away, so I cannot mention his name. I am sorry that I cannot provide any clues, but I can give you the temporary right to use the Ten Thousand Swords Formation once - under our supervision."
When you push him into a desperate situation, that's when I'll come on the scene...
Ye Ci Ke was still a little hesitant, but since Duan Lanruo had already agreed, there was no point in her asking further. Anyway, as long as the person was trapped, the people she brought this time could definitely tie him up and take him back to Xuanyin.
Regardless of whether Duan Lanruo has any relationship with Jun Xuan, this time she will use the other party's territory to snatch the person away.
"In that case, the next time I come to visit you will be the day when the Ten Thousand Swords Formation is activated. You can ask Xiu'er to transfer the ownership of the spirit vein."
