INE Chapter 102: Young City Lord

The water in the bath was tinged with the light fragrance of lotus, its gentle scent softly soothing the senses.

When Gu Baiyi first pulled Ji Rong into her arms, Ji Rong was anything but willing.

After choking on a few gulps of water, she suddenly remembered, she was the Sword Saint, the highest combat power in the game. How could she submit so easily?

She gathered her resolve and broke free from Gu Baiyi’s embrace, summoning the Cangming Sword from her bracelet.

The blade flashed as it left the scabbard, slicing through the water and sending up a large spray.

As the water droplets rained down, the tip of the sword stopped inches from Gu Baiyi’s brow.

Of course, it wasn’t a killing blow, Ji Rong simply wanted to force her to back off.

But Gu Baiyi didn’t move at all. Instead, she calmly reached out with two fingers and effortlessly caught the wet blade.

Her technique was so precise that not only was her skin unscathed, but a flickering flame of demonic energy even sparked between her fingertips.

Dark Qi snaked along the blade, and under its oppressive force, the Cangming Sword began to tremble faintly in fear of the black fire.

Ji Rong silently cursed, Damn that old man Yan, this sword is useless. It's been over a hundred years, and it still fears Chu Changli!

As if it had read her mind, the Cangming Sword let out a low, aggrieved hum.

Gu Baiyi only smiled faintly, her expression calm, as if she were holding not a divine sword, but a leaf.

Even if the sword itself wasn't angry, Ji Rong was on its behalf.

She hadn’t gone all out, but that strike still held some force. Yet Gu Baiyi didn’t even draw her Hanshui Sword, she just reached out and pinched the blade barehanded.

Clearly, she knew Ji Rong wouldn’t take it any further, and was acting with complete impunity.

But Ji Rong truly didn’t want to hurt her, so she could only scoff coldly. “You said you’d listen to me for the whole day. A gentleman’s word is his bond, what, Junior Sister, are you going back on it already?”

Gu Baiyi flipped the sword gently with her fingers, smiling. “But I’m a woman, not a gentleman. And besides, midnight has already passed, it’s a new day now.”

Ji Rong was momentarily speechless.

She had indeed only said “from today onward” and didn’t specify whether it meant twelve hours, twenty-four, or until midnight.

While she frowned and searched for a counterargument, Gu Baiyi’s gaze had already drifted, to the thin, soaked silk garment clinging to Ji Rong’s skin.

The nearly transparent fabric floated down, plastered against her slender figure, tracing her elegant curves.

But what was most enchanting wasn’t the outline of her body, it was the single droplet of water that fell from her wet hair, trailed down her neck, and disappeared into her collar.

Faced with such a suggestive scene, Ji Rong’s expression remained cold.

As she lifted her head, her long lashes were beaded with water, like a delicate sandalwood fan halfway closed.

Gu Baiyi stared at her for a long while, then lowered her gaze and reached out to pick up a hair ribbon floating on the water.

Half-submerged in the bath, Ji Rong was still deep in thought, scheming how to twist Gu Baiyi’s words and win this verbal skirmish.

But in the next instant, her hands were suddenly seized. Before she could react, Gu Baiyi had tied them together in a neat knot.

The moment Ji Rong realized what was happening, Gu Baiyi’s cool breath was already brushing her ear, her teeth gently nipping at her earlobe.

Shit.

Ji Rong let out an involuntary gasp, but before she could even curse aloud, she watched helplessly as one of her garments slipped from her body and sank into the pool.

Stunned, she gritted her teeth against the tingling sensation in her ear and snapped, “Gu Baiyi, if you want to take my clothes off, fine, but why throw them in the water?”

No sooner had she spoken than tendrils of demonic Qi coiled around her arms like vines. Her inner robe slipped off her shoulders and followed the rest into the water.

Gu Baiyi smiled sweetly. “Because it’s fun, Senior Sister.”

…

Outside the inn, Wu Yan sat on the steps, staring up at the twinkling stars.

After a while, she got bored of the sky and transformed into her human form, then stared down and began counting her strands of hair.

One, two… The more she counted, the more she felt that life as a fox was just too difficult, dull, and lonely.

From time to time, faint moans, like falling rain, drifted from the room. Now and then there’d be a splash of water, followed by a muttered curse, and then more movement.

Wu Yan sighed, gently twisting her dark hair. The sounds themselves weren’t scary, what was truly terrifying was the silence that followed.

She stared blankly as two figures leapt from the inn window onto the rooftop… and began fighting.

This wasn’t playful sparring between lovers, it was a real duel, swords drawn.

The early summer wind made the wet clothes cling uncomfortably to her skin, but Wu Yan’s attention was entirely fixed on her master, who was now wielding the Qinghe Sword and launching one ruthless strike after another at Gu Baiyi.

Each blow was fierce enough to terrify even a fox like her, let alone a human.

One slash shattered the eaves. The next sent Gu Baiyi’s Hanshui Sword flying.

Watching in horror, Wu Yan murmured, Master’s gone mad… completely mad.

Moonlight poured over Gu Baiyi like blooming magnolia petals.

She twisted aside to dodge the blade, her brows arched in amusement, clearly enjoying herself.

Amid the flying shards of broken tiles, she laughed and called out, “Senior Sister, again!”

Wu Yan trembled with fear. Yup… that Gu girl is insane too. Even crazier than Ji Rong.

The two of them exchanged dozens of strikes.

Though the Qinghe Sword radiated formidable sword intent, Gu Baiyi was still at a disadvantage trying to parry it barehanded.

Just as she began to falter, the Chixiao Sword burst from the blood jade bracelet, clearly trying to come to her aid.

Wu Yan rested her chin on her hand as she watched. She’d meant to be a bystander, just enjoy the show, but suddenly, she noticed something strange.

As the Chixiao Sword emerged, a faint flower-shaped mark shimmered on the blade.

It was subtle, barely visible.

Wu Yan blinked and rubbed her eyes.

But the next moment, the mark was gone.

Still locked in combat, Ji Rong and Gu Baiyi hadn’t noticed a thing.

Wu Yan tilted her head thoughtfully, maybe she’d imagined it.

The commotion had by now woken the inn’s staff. People gathered under the eaves, staring up at the rooftop.

Bathed in moonlight, the woman in black reached up and affixed a silver mask to her face, hiding her stunning features.

Then she gave a soft laugh, scooped the other woman into her arms, and vanished into the night.

…

The next morning, Jiang Fei and Wei Zongqiu finished packing and prepared to head to the City Lord’s Taiping Hall.

Gu Baiyi and Ji Rong, on the other hand, took their time, slowly emerging from the inn much later.

The reason they were so slow, first of all, was because they’d just finished settling accounts for the damage to the roof tiles. Secondly, rumor had it that both of them were injured during last night’s fight and had just applied medicine.

Jiang Fei had been a little worried, thinking the two of them had been ambushed.

But when she caught sight of the cut at the corner of Ji Rong’s mouth, she seemed to understand something and calmly looked away.

The problem was that Wei Zongqiu, ever the romantic in theory but hopelessly ignorant in practice, was a young master who only knew how to talk the talk.

Sitting inside the carriage, he looked at the injury on Ji Rong’s lip and asked with concern, “Senior Sister, when did you hurt your lip? Is it still bothering you now?”

Ji Rong: “…”

You’re really something, patron.

Absolutely tactless. Always touching the sore spot.

And because a certain someone surnamed Ji had forbidden him from riding in the carriage, the main culprit was now sitting dutifully on horseback, personally driving the cart.

The carriage driver, Master Gu, had profound cultivation. Hearing the conversation through the curtain, he couldn't help but smile and chuckle aloud.

His laugh was a bit grating, but the Ji surnamed person inside the carriage remained unmoved.

She took a sip of tea and calmly replied to Wei Zongqiu, “It’s nothing. I was bitten by a dog last night, that’s all.”

“Bitten by a dog?” Wei Zongqiu’s fan froze mid-air. He was utterly shocked. “I’m truly curious, what kind of fierce dog could actually manage to bite you, Senior Sister?”

At that moment, the carriage lurched violently as the horse seemed to step on a rock.

Even though Gu Baiyi reined it in quickly, the three inside were still shaken until they saw stars.

Once the bump subsided, Ji Rong set her teacup down with a stiff face, struggling to hold back her laughter.

For the first time, she found that Young Master Wei’s sharp tongue was actually rather delightful.

“Young Master Wei, is that the Taiping Hall up ahead?”

Jiang Fei, now seated properly, finally couldn’t bear to watch any longer and spoke up.

While changing the subject, she also gave Wei Zongqiu a look that clearly said: Please stop talking.

Hopefully, their innocent junior brother would take the hint.

After all, life is unpredictable, this was as much help as she could offer.

Wei Zongqiu wasn’t completely oblivious. He immediately stopped talking, lifted the curtain, took a glance outside, and nodded. “Such grandeur, it must be the Taiping Hall.”

But as he looked ahead, he couldn’t shake the feeling that a cold, sharp gaze was fixed on him. A chill ran down his spine.

The horses came to a stop, and the three disembarked from the carriage.

Jiang Fei and Wei Zongqiu got down first, moving naturally.

When it came time for Ji Rong to descend, the ever-attentive Master Gu dismounted, extended a hand, and smiled gently. “Miss, allow me to help you down.”

Jiang Fei quietly watched the scene and popped a preserved plum candy into her mouth with a sigh.

She really didn’t understand why a bodyguard would help someone at the Stepping on the Moon level down from a carriage.

Perhaps… this was what they called romantic flair.

Ji Rong was equally baffled. She stared coldly at Gu Baiyi’s outstretched hand, her face calm and impassive.

The cut on her lip was still red and slightly swollen, taking the edge off her usual imposing presence.

Though she wasn’t exactly thrilled, she was curious, if she accepted his help, how many affection points would she gain?

With that experimental mindset, she placed her hand in his and stepped down under his gaze.

[Ding! Congratulations, player. Gu Baiyi’s affection +500.]

[Including the uncalculated affection from last night, Gu Baiyi’s total affection is now 3098.99.]

Ji Rong was stunned.

Was it really this easy to gain the male lead’s affection now?

After leaving Shura Mode, she was starting to suspect she could just sit down for a meal or take a drink of water and still earn affection points.

[Affection level with Gu Baiyi > 3000 detected. Unlocking affection store. You may now redeem items.]

She was just about to ask the system what items were available when a woman in luxurious attire walked out of the Taiping Hall.

A decorative huadian adorned her forehead, and she walked straight toward them.

The woman first greeted Jiang Fei and Wei Zongqiu with a polite bow. “Miss Jiang, Young Master Wei.”

Jiang Fei and Wei Zongqiu smiled and replied, “No need for such formalities, Aunt Guan.”

Ji Rong was puzzled, why were they being so respectful to this woman?

When she heard them call her “Aunt Guan." she suddenly understood.

So this was Guan Yue, the one known in the game for her unparalleled skill in the zither, both refined and martial.

Although the developers hadn’t given her much screentime, only noting her musical talent, Ji Rong still remembered her well.

It was said that when the Emperor visited Xuanji City, he was so enchanted by her music that he tried multiple times to bring her into the palace as a concubine, each time, she refused.

Guan Yue had said, “The City Lord and Madam treated me with great kindness. I only wish to stay at Taiping Hall for the rest of my life to repay their favor.”

Ji Rong had always been curious about how Guan Yue’s character model looked, what kind of beauty could leave even an emperor begging in vain?

Now that she saw her in person, she felt that while Guan Yue might not be a peerless beauty, that indigo huadian between her brows, paired with her graceful poise, made her look like a fine porcelain vase bathed in soft incense.

Ji Rong was admiring the woman quietly when, unexpectedly, Guan Yue, who had just been so courteous to Jiang Fei and Wei Zongqiu, suddenly turned and walked toward her.

It was said that Guan Yue had grown up by the side of the City Lord and Madam, so her relationship with the original Ji Rong should’ve been good.

On the surface, Ji Rong remained composed, but inwardly she was nervous, afraid that Guan Yue might see through her act.

To her surprise, Guan Yue stared at her for a moment, then dropped to her knees with a thud.

Ji Rong was completely stunned. She instinctively reached out to help her up, but before she could, Guan Yue spoke.

Her clear voice echoed across the hall steps:

“Welcome home, Young City Lord!”

As her words rang out, the guards in front of Taiping Hall dropped to their knees as well.

With weapons thudding to the ground, their chorus boomed across the courtyard:

“Welcome home, Young City Lord!”

Ji Rong stood frozen, her mind utterly blank.

At that moment, she had only one thought, 

This is so socially mortifying. I want to disappear.