Two days later.
"Senior Sister Lin!" Jiang Ning was slightly surprised when he saw Lin Qingyi standing outside the door in a blue robe.
Lin Qingyi smiled gently. "What? Didn't expect me to come see you so early?"
"Didn't expect it, indeed," Jiang Ning smiled.
With his powerful senses, he could tell that someone was outside the door, but without Lin Qingyi speaking, he couldn't tell who it was.
As for using his spiritual energy field, he didn't dare to open it casually.
Spiritual energy was not unique to him.
Anyone who had reached the sixth rank in martial arts could condense their spiritual energy to the point where it could interact with external objects and suspend them in mid-air.
The next step after condensing spiritual energy into solid form was to form a spiritual energy field, which could be used as a sixth sense to observe the world and everything in it.
However, once one reached this level unless the opposing spiritual energy field was overwhelmingly powerful, one would immediately notice the presence of others.
A spiritual energy field encompassing someone was tantamount to spying.
Such actions were a blatant provocation.
If one rashly used their spiritual energy field to intrude on a top martial artist, they would likely be killed on the spot without anyone saying a word about it.
Therefore, when he heard the knock on the door, Jiang Ning didn't casually use his spiritual energy field.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Lin Qingyi smiled, then added, "The wind outside is so strong, do you want to freeze your sister to death?"
"Please come in!" Jiang Ning stepped aside.
Lin Qingyi lifted her leg to step over the threshold. The cold wind blew through her long skirt, revealing a small portion of her calf.
Jiang Ning glanced at it briefly and quickly looked away, inwardly surprised.
In such cold weather, where the temperature was low enough to freeze water, Lin Qingyi could walk around in a skirt that only covered her calves truly impervious to the elements!
As for her teasing remark, Jiang Ning just smiled to himself, not taking it seriously.
It was a joke, after all. There was no way someone like Lin Qingyi, who was on the cusp of becoming a grandmaster, could freeze to death in near-zero temperatures.
Though Jiang Ning didn't know the full extent of a grandmaster's power, he knew his strength.
He was only at the sixth rank in martial arts.
Grandmasters, on the other hand, were at the peak of the fourth rank!
The further one progressed in martial arts, the greater the disparity became.
A grandmaster normally had a lifespan of over a hundred years.
In an era where the age of seventy was already considered a long life, living two full cycles of sixty years was quite remarkable.
From what he had read in books, there were even grandmasters who had lived over 150 years.
Such longevity was beyond the limits of human biology, surpassing any understanding he had from his past life.
In the modern world, with its advanced medicine, it was rare to see anyone live beyond a century.
The longest confirmed lifespan was just over 122 years.
Compared to that, the longevity of grandmasters truly marked them as transcendent beings.
And Lin Qingyi was as close to that as one could get.
They walked along the thin layer of snow on the ground.
The crunching sounds of snow being crushed underfoot echoed.
"Where are your brother and sister-in-law?" Lin Qingyi asked, looking around.
"They went to the market to buy some essentials since the snow stopped today. Right now, it's just me and my elder nephew at home," Jiang Ning replied.
"Your nephew?" Lin Qingyi repeated, then looked at Jiang Ning with a faint smile. "At your age, you're already an uncle. How does that feel?"
"It doesn't feel like anything!" Jiang Ning shrugged casually. "I've already gotten used to it!"
Then he asked, "What about you, Senior Sister?"
"What about me?" Lin Qingyi asked.
"You're so young, and you're already a mother. How does that feel?" Jiang Ning asked.
Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Lin Qingyi was both amused and speechless.
"Who told you I'm a mother? I'm still completely innocent!" she said with a smile.
"Completely innocent?" Jiang Ning froze for a moment.
"What's wrong? Do you find it strange?" Lin Qingyi glanced at him, her earlobes turning slightly red.
Talking about such matters, even with her current mindset, still made her face flush a little.
Jiang Ning hesitated before speaking. "The Eighth Prince and Little Seventeen both call you 'aunt.' Does that mean…"
"The Eighth Prince!" Lin Qingyi muttered under her breath.
Then she calmly said, "The princess, you mean?"
"Yes," Jiang Ning nodded. "By rights, Senior Sister, you should be the princess of some prince, right?"
Lin Qingyi immediately let out a bitter laugh. "A princess? I'm nothing but a piece of property!"
"Property?" Jiang Ning was taken aback.
Lin Qingyi then gave a self-deprecating smile and added, "Forget about it. Let's not talk about this."
The two of them fell silent.
It wasn't until they stepped into the east courtyard that Lin Qingyi suddenly spoke.
"Do you know why I came to find you today?" Lin Qingyi asked.
"I don't know!" Jiang Ning shook his head.
Lin Qingyi turned her head to look at Jiang Ning. With a smile that was both subtle and enigmatic, she spoke with a playful tone.
"You are something!"
"After meeting with Princess Seventeen, she immediately started saying she wants to marry you, and is now waiting for you in the capital to come and marry her."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Princess Seventeen is still just a child. She got caught up in the moment, and those words shouldn't be taken seriously."
Lin Qingyi's lips curled into a teasing smile.
"The way you say it, it's like you're the grown-up in this situation!"
Jiang Ning opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"What? Do you want to say something?" Lin Qingyi raised an eyebrow slightly.
"No, nothing!" Jiang Ning calmly shook his head.
Then he opened the door to the main hall of the east courtyard to welcome her in.
Although he rarely opened the main hall, there was no unusual smell in the air.
Usually, when his brother and sister-in-law had time, they would come here to clean.
After entering the main hall and waiting for Lin Qingyi to step inside, Jiang Ning casually closed the door to prevent the cold wind from blowing in.
"Senior Sister Lin, would you like to warm up by the fire or have a cup of hot tea?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Both!" Lin Qingyi crossed her arms in front of her chest, accentuating her graceful figure.
She then rubbed her hands on the sides of her shoulders.
Her slender arms, seemingly fragile, didn't match her strength as someone on the verge of becoming a grandmaster.
It was also clear that her clothing was thin, similar to what ordinary women would wear in spring or autumn, and not at all suited for the harsh winter weather.
A moment later, Jiang Ning worked his magic and lit the charcoal, then brought over a cup of hot tea to Lin Qingyi.
Lin Qingyi sat next to the charcoal stove.
In the slightly dim room, the flickering flames from the charcoal reflected on her face, giving her a warm, rosy glow.
She took the hot tea Jiang Ning handed her and cradled the cup with both hands.
"It's so warm!" Lin Qingyi squinted her eyes, her expression relaxing as if she were a little cat basking in the warmth of a fire on a winter day.
"Senior Sister, are you still afraid of the cold?" Jiang Ning sat down beside her, watching her with a look of disbelief, wondering if she was pretending.
"Mm!" Lin Qingyi nodded slightly after hearing Jiang Ning's question. "I was born with a cold constitution. Even in the middle of summer, my body feels cold. How could I not be cold in the winter?"
"Don't believe me? You can feel it yourself!"
As she spoke, Lin Qingyi suddenly extended her left hand, which was holding the teacup, and placed it on the back of Jiang Ning's right hand.
"Cold, right?" Lin Qingyi's expression remained calm.
"It is a bit cold!" Jiang Ning nodded, then reflexively grabbed her hand, immediately feeling like he was holding a block of ice.
At that moment, it seemed the burning charcoal was too intense, and the flickering flames cast a red hue on Lin Qingyi's face, adding a touch of warmth to her features.
After a moment, Jiang Ning let go of her hand and calmly said, "Senior Sister, I think you might have anemia."
"Anemia?" Lin Qingyi widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his nose and quickly changing the subject.
Lin Qingyi took a sip of the scalding hot tea, her eyes narrowing in pleasure as she felt the coldness in her body being driven away by the warmth of the tea.
Then, she opened her eyes and looked at Jiang Ning.
"Back to what we were talking about earlier!"
"The main reason I came to find you today is because I'm acting on Princess Seventeen's behalf."
"Princess Seventeen's behalf?" Jiang Ning was slightly surprised. "What did she ask you to do?"
Lin Qingyi took out a piece of white warm jade from her robe. The jade was tied with a red string, about 40-50 centimeters long, clearly intended to be worn around the neck.
"This is the token of love Princess Seventeen wanted me to give you."
"She and Ji Minghao are still planning to travel the world. After the last time you met, she felt too shy to see you again."
"So, she entrusted me with this token of love to pass on to you!"
"She also asked me to tell you that one year from now, if you bring this token to the capital, she will marry you!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but laugh helplessly.
"I can't help but feel like Princess Seventeen is just playing house."
"Who plays like this? You meet someone once, and suddenly you decide on a lifelong commitment. Isn't she worried that I might have a bad character or a bad personality? Or that our views don't align?"
Lin Qingyi, hearing this, couldn't help but smile.
"I also think Princess Seventeen is being a bit playful."
"In a year, she'll still be under eighteen!"
"However, this is her heartfelt gift to you, so you should accept it."
"And this token is not just any ordinary item. It's a piece of Earth Core Warm Jade. Wearing it close to the chest can warm the blood, calm the mind, and protect against evil and disasters!"
"The most important part is that it can slowly increase spiritual power. It's truly worth a fortune!"
"Worth a fortune!"
Hearing these words, Jiang Ning's eyes widened slightly, and his brow twitched.
"Is it worth a fortune?" he asked.
"Yes, it's truly worth a fortune!" Lin Qingyi nodded. "This should be the most precious item Princess Seventeen has."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning took the Earth Core Warm Jade from Lin Qingyi's hands.
The moment the jade touched his hands, it felt extremely smooth and warm.
As soon as it made contact with his skin, the jade began to release a continuous warmth, spreading from the surface of his skin deep into his arm.
"This red string is a bit unusual!" Jiang Ning said with a look of surprise.
Lin Qingyi nodded. "Of course, it's not ordinary! This is tied to the precious Earth Core Warm Jade. If it were an ordinary red string, what would happen if it snapped?"
She continued, "This red string is so strong that even I can't break it! And the jade itself is just as tough it's incredibly hard."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning focused his gaze back on the Earth Core Warm Jade in his hand.
Although the item appeared light, he somehow felt it was quite heavy.
Worth a fortune.
If he were to sell everything he had now, it would only amount to a small fraction of its value.
This item was too valuable!
He suddenly felt a bit confused.
Could a royal princess be this naïve?
Lin Qingyi looked at Jiang Ning. "What are you going to do with this item now?"
Jiang Ning slowly grasped the Earth Core's Warm Jade and smiled. "Naturally, I'll keep it safe. If I lose it, no amount of money would be enough to compensate for it."
"Why not wear it around your neck?" Lin Qingyi suggested. "This item will be very beneficial for you. Whether it's calming your mind, nourishing your blood, or enhancing your spiritual power, all of its effects are very practical."
"Mm!" Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.
"I'll help you with that!" Lin Qingyi suddenly stood up and placed her teacup aside.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Lin," Jiang Ning said.
Lin Qingyi walked over to Jiang Ning, took the jade from his hands, and commented, "Princess Seventeen is brave!"
As she spoke, she grasped both ends of the red string and reached around to the back of Jiang Ning's neck.
Jiang Ning immediately felt her cold, icy fingers occasionally brushing against his neck.
"Your body temperature is high!" Lin Qingyi suddenly remarked. "It feels like it's burning."
Jiang Ning smiled without turning around. "Men have more yang energy, so it's natural. And since you, Senior Sister were born with a cold constitution, it feels more obvious."
Lin Qingyi smiled and said no more.
A moment later, she clapped her hands.
"All done!" she said.
Jiang Ning adjusted the Earth Core Warm Jade and immediately felt that the red string around his neck was firmly tied.
"Don't pull too hard!" Lin Qingyi suddenly warned. "If you pull too much, the knot of the red string around your neck will come undone. This is to prevent the red string from becoming a dangerous weapon if you're ever in a fight something that could strangle your neck."
"You're thoughtful, Senior Sister!" Jiang Ning praised.
As Lin Qingyi had said, the red string was so strong that even she couldn't break it.
If such a sturdy red string were to form a tight knot, it could easily strangle someone if they were caught in close combat.
Afterward, Jiang Ning placed the Earth Core Warm Jade inside his collar.
The moment the jade touched his chest, he immediately felt a gentle warmth spread from it throughout his body.
Under the influence of this warmth, his blood seemed to flow more vigorously, and his mind became clearer, with fewer distracting thoughts.
It felt as though the dust on a mirror had been blown away.
Jiang Ning slightly closed his eyes to feel it, then opened them again, a look of admiration on his face. "As expected of something worth a fortune, it works!!"
Lin Qingyi smiled. "This item, if placed in a royal family, would be considered a family heirloom, passed down through generations. Its effects could benefit countless descendants in the future. So, saying it's worth a fortune isn't an exaggeration it could even be said that it's priceless!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.
In his opinion, once a person reached a certain level, gold and silver were no longer important.
Because the most valuable things in the world are always the rarest.
Gold and silver are just currency, ordinary equivalents not truly rare items.
Lin Qingyi sat back down in her previous position, propping herself up with her hands on the bench, stretching her legs out and relaxing as though she were unwinding, looking very comfortable.
She looked at Jiang Ning. "Have you thought about how you're going to face Princess Seventeen when you go to the capital?"
Jiang Ning replied lightly, "That's at least a year from now. After just one brief meeting, Princess Seventeen might have already forgotten me by then! I'll just return the Earth Core Warm Jade to its rightful owner! As for her words, they were probably just playful."
While speaking, Jiang Ning's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the smooth, white leg of Lin Qingyi, which was exposed due to the corner of her skirt slipping.
Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on Lin Qingyi's lips, as though she had noticed where Jiang Ning's eyes were.
"You like legs?" Lin Qingyi suddenly asked, without any hesitation.
"Not bad," Jiang Ning chuckled awkwardly, feeling embarrassed for being caught sneaking a glance.
"Would you like to touch them?"
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