Ji Ruyue’s face flushed red.
She stomped her foot gently and chided, “No more nonsense!”
“There’s really nothing between me and Junior Brother Jiang.”
“That so-called heroic rescue you mentioned was just him saving me from the mouth of a corpse on Boundary Mountain.”
“He saved countless people on Boundary Mountain.”
“If we go by your logic, even the eighty-year-old female elders he saved were part of some ‘heroic rescue romance’?”
The two mischievous junior sisters exchanged a glance.
Covering their mouths, they broke into laughter.
Ji Ruyue clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture:
“Please, have mercy on me, grandaunts!”
“Stop spreading gossip.”
“Tying me up with our Sect Master’s man—”
“Do you really think I want to live that long?”
As she spoke, she sighed wearily, her mood dampened. “Besides, I wouldn’t dare have any thoughts about Junior Brother Jiang.”
“You saw that Xu Youran that day, didn’t you?”
“The Sect Master is such a powerful figure, and even he becomes like that in her presence.”
“Would I still dare to approach him?”
“If it were me that day and Xu Youran even glanced at me, I’d probably be so terrified I’d drop to my knees.”
The two junior sisters clicked their tongues.
Recalling the scene of Xu Youran appearing with the demeanor of a main wife, they couldn’t help but feel chills.
Many female disciples from various sects who had designs on Jiang Fan—
Had completely backed off since then.
No one dared to cross her path.
“But Senior Sister, you recently…”
One of the junior sisters still found Ji Ruyue’s change in wardrobe a bit hard to digest.
Ji Ruyue pointed to her formal palace attire:
“Junior Brother Jiang became famous on Boundary Mountain and further cemented his name fighting the Giant Sect, shaking the world.”
“Many Outer Sect people, knowing I had some association with Junior Brother Jiang, came seeking me to inquire about him.”
“Some of them were even elders.”
“I can’t very well keep wearing my old provocative outfits, can I?”
“I wouldn’t want them thinking Junior Brother Jiang associates with someone unrefined and flirty.”
“That would tarnish Junior Brother Jiang’s reputation.”
The two junior sisters suddenly understood.
One of them stepped forward and hugged her gently: “Senior Sister Ji, how you’ve suffered.”
“You’re quietly doing all this for Junior Brother Jiang, but he doesn’t see it, nor can he understand.”
Ji Ruyue, however, seemed indifferent.
“It’s just a change in clothing style; what’s the big deal?”
“Besides, Junior Brother Jiang saved my life.”
“It’s only right to help him preserve his image.”
“It’s just a pity that I’ll probably never see him again in this lifetime.”
The two junior sisters fell silent.
Nowadays, Jiang Fan had ascended to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, like a dragon soaring among the clouds, out of reach for most.
Even if he returned to the Nine-Sect—
Those qualified to meet him would be the Supreme Elders, Sect Masters, or other prominent figures.
For someone like Ji Ruyue, an ordinary disciple, being able to catch a distant glimpse of him would’ve already been a great fortune.
To walk side by side as they once did—
Or to meet privately—
Was now an impossible dream.
As they spoke—
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—