At the entrance of the Ji Residence.
Alex and Selene were stopped by the doorkeeper.
However, perhaps noticing Alex's extraordinary appearance and temperament, the doorkeeper was very polite.
"Excuse me, dear guest, please present your invitation"
Of course, Alex didn't have an invitation.
He shook his head.
"Please inform Miss Ji Qingge, Ji Er, that I'm here to return something"
'Ji Qingge?'
Hearing the name Alex mentioned, the doorkeeper instinctively widened his eyes and carefully looked Alex up and down again.
"Are you a Taoist?"
The doorkeeper asked.
"I suppose you could say that"
Hearing the answer, the doorkeeper's face suddenly fell, as if he had swallowed a fly. His initial politeness vanished, and he began waving his hand to shoo them away.
"Go, go away. The Ji Residence doesn't welcome you, and Miss Ji Er definitely won't welcome you either. Leave immediately"
Facing this rejection, before Alex could react, a slightly mocking male voice came from behind.
"I say, when will you Jianghu frauds ever stop? You heard some story about Miss Ji Er from who knows where, and now you come to harass her every day"
The speaker was a young man in his twenties.
He wore a gorgeous purple robe, with exquisite clothing, indicating he was either wealthy or noble. The man also had two sycophantic followers by his side. Hearing their master speak, they hurriedly jumped out to show their loyalty.
One after another, they mocked:
"Miss Ji Er has such a high status, and what about yours? She's a true immortal who has attained the Dao, worlds apart from you filthy Taoists!"
"Exactly, exactly. If you ask me, it's only because Miss Ji Er is kind-hearted. Otherwise, she would have long ago used her magical techniques to severely punish you Taoists who seek to taint immortal arts!"
At this moment, the doorkeeper who had initially shooed them away had a gleam in his eyes. He left Alex and quickly walked towards the purple-robed man, smiling as he approached, "Oh, isn't this Young Master Wang? Come, come, please come inside"
The two families seemed to have a deep connection.
That Young Master Wang glanced at Alex with a cold snort with his hands behind his back, and strode through the gate with his head held high.
If it weren't for the joyous occasion at the Ji Residence today, he would have ordered his subordinates to beat up this stinking Taoist.
Facing these mockeries, Alex remained calm and composed.
But Selene was furious. She pouted and tugged on her master's sleeve, "Master, forget it, let's go!"
The doorkeeper saw this and also had a helpless expression. He tried to persuade them, "Taoist master, it's not that I'm unwilling to inform them for you. It's just that in Luoyang City, who doesn't know that Miss Ji Er despises Taoists the most? Please understand my position"
"I think you should leave quickly. Not to mention that Miss Ji Er is not at the residence now, even if she were, she definitely wouldn't agree to see you"
As he spoke, the doorkeeper waved his hand again, gesturing for Alex to leave.
But Alex didn't comply and instead stood his ground, his gaze fixed on a slowly approaching carriage not far away.
The carriage's decorations looked very familiar.
It was the same one they had encountered on the official road, the one that had given Selene pastries to eat.
Selene had obviously noticed it too. She hugged her master's arm and whispered, "Master, that carriage looks so familiar. It seems to be the one I hit with the.."
Alex glanced down at her. "And you still have the nerve to mention it?"
The little girl stuck out her tongue playfully.
The doorkeeper beside them overheard their conversation and couldn't help but glare at them fiercely. Then he scrambled to the roadside to wait for the carriage's arrival.
The carriage soon stopped at the entrance.
A woman in snow-white clothes stepped out of the carriage.
Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, her teeth white and lips red. Her figure was graceful, as if she had stepped out of a painting.
Passersby on the street couldn't help but stop in their tracks. They looked over in surprise and longing, their expressions speaking volumes.
Some whispered to their companions. Judging by her elegant and noble bearing, she was most likely the legendary Miss Ji Er, Ji Qingge.
Some passersby sighed, feeling that being able to lay eyes on such a peerless beauty in this lifetime was truly worth living for!
The doorkeeper seized the opportunity to approach and whisper a few words, then pointed at Alex, who was standing at the entrance.
Upon hearing this, Ji Qingge looked up. When she saw Selene, her eyes lit up.
However, when she glanced at Alex, who was holding the little girl's hand, she slightly furrowed her brows.
She strode over.
Ji Qingge was tall and had an inviolable, sacred aura about her.
She walked up to them and, ignoring Alex, first reached out to pat Selene's little head.
"Call me sister"
Her voice was clear and pleasant, extremely nice to hear.
Surrounded by so many people, Selene didn't feel timid at all and obediently called out.
"Sister!"
The woman let out an "eh~" sound, the corners of her mouth curving up.
Only then did she turn to look at Alex. Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and there was an extremely subtle look of absentmindedness. However, Ji Qingge reacted very quickly, and it seemed that no one would have noticed this detail.
She was a bit surprised, never expecting that there would be someone in this world who was even half a point more beautiful than her.
And this person was actually a man!
And a stinking Taoist at that!
"Miss Ji Er, good evening"
Alex took the initiative to speak, breaking the silence in the air.
Ji Qingge collected her thoughts, gave a slight nod, and then turned to walk towards the main gate.
She casually said, "The banquet is about to begin. Come in first"
Alex took Selene's hand and followed behind her.
They walked one after the other.
The doorkeeper couldn't help but scratch his head, wondering what was going on. 'Could it be that this Taoist really had a history with Miss Ji Er?'
Thinking this way, he couldn't help but feel a bit of fear.
Fortunately, he hadn't offended the other party too much before. He just hoped that this Taoist wouldn't hold a grudge.
...
...
Entering the residence, they were greeted by the sight of rockeries and lush greenery everywhere, with carved beams and painted pillars.
Busy servants and maids bustled about.
At a fork in the road, Ji Qingge stopped. "I need to go to the back courtyard for a bit. You two follow this cobblestone path straight ahead. Once you exit the garden, go to the front hall and have a seat. Then just wait for the meal"
She thought Alex had come to freeload a meal.
As for his nonsense about returning something, Ji Qingge found it laughable.
'It was just a few pastries, what was there to make a fuss about?'
'Most likely, the little Taoist was just using it as an excuse to get in and see the world'
But for the sake of that adorable little girl, Ji Qingge couldn't be bothered to expose him.
As long as he behaved himself, no one in the Ji Residence would deliberately target him. In such a grand city lord's residence, could they be short of one pair of chopsticks?
But Alex clearly didn't think so.
He watched Ji Qingge's retreating figure and called out to her, kindly reminding her.
"I sense an overwhelming demonic aura in the back courtyard. Miss Ji Er, please be careful"
Hearing this, Ji Qingge turned around, her face showing some anger. She said impatiently, "I say, you Taoist, don't you know that today is my sister's wedding day?"
Alex nodded. "I heard a bit about it earlier at the inn"
Ji Qingge asked again, "Then don't you know that there are many rumors outside saying that I have mastered immortal arts and have attained the Dao, becoming an exalted immortal?"
Seeing Alex nod again, the woman laughed in anger.
"Knowing this, you still dare to speak such nonsense in front of me, falsely claiming there's some demonic aura?"
Ji Qingge's expression turned cold. "The people currently in the back courtyard, aside from my sister in her phoenix crown and wedding dress and my mother, even the servants have been sent out"
"According to what you're saying, could it be that my mother is a demon? Or is my sister a demon?"
At this point, Ji Qingge had completely lost interest in the Taoist in front of her. She turned and left.
Leaving behind a domineering statement.
"Even if some filthy creature did sneak in, I could make them vanish into thin air in an instant"