Chapter 51: Ji Rong

That night, within the Snowstone Castle.

The long table was large, filled with dozens of dishes, quite sumptuous. Dongbo Xueying sat at the head of the table, with Zong Ling and Tong San seated to his left and right. Across from them were his younger brother Qing Shi and his young girlfriend. Kong Youyue sat beside the young girlfriend.

“Brother, this is Ji Rong, also a disciple of the Master, and she lives right here in Yishui City,” Qing Shi said, his face slightly flushed, though he spoke clearly.

“Ji Rong? Haha…” Dongbo Xueying smiled as he looked at her. “You can just call me Elder Brother, like Qing Shi does.”

“Ji Rong greets Elder Brother Xueying,” Ji Rong said sweetly, her voice pleasant to the ear.

This girl Ji Rong appeared somewhat youthful, likely around the same age as Qing Shi. She wasn’t very tall, quite petite, with beautiful eyes, making her a small beauty. She and Qing Shi seemed well-matched. Unconsciously… his younger brother had already grown from that chubby little kid to someone with a girlfriend.

Come to think of it, he himself had never officially dated anyone yet! Although he was quite close to Youyue, the burden of rescuing his parents weighed heavily on his heart, so he had never clarified their relationship.

“This is our first meeting, so I’ve prepared a gift. Please don’t refuse it,” Dongbo Xueying said as he flipped his hand, revealing a white crystal jade box.

“Hurry up and take it,” Qing Shi urged his girlfriend.

Ji Rong quickly stood up and walked over, accepting it from Dongbo Xueying. “Thank you, Elder Brother Xueying.”

“Haha…” Dongbo Xueying laughed, a bit embarrassed. He had prepared important treasures for his younger brother, Youyue, Uncle Zong, and Uncle Tong, but hadn’t thought of his brother’s girlfriend, since he had never met her before. When he learned that his brother had brought his girlfriend to dinner, Dongbo Xueying quickly searched for something suitable.

Luckily, he had gained many treasures from this trip. In a corner of the storage ring of that Divine Envoy, there was a chest of jewels, probably obtained by the Divine Envoy at some point. The entire chest was worth over 100,000 gold coins. Dongbo Xueying immediately selected a beautiful piece and placed it in a fine crystal jade box, estimating its value at around 1,000 gold coins.

After all, this was just his younger brother’s girlfriend, not an actual wife. A thousand gold coins was already quite valuable! Some lordships only earned about 1,000 gold coins in a year.

“Brother, you came back quickly this time. I thought you’d be delayed for at least half a month again,” Qing Shi said.

“This time I went to the capital city and brought gifts for you and Youyue,” Dongbo Xueying smiled. “Youyue, this is for you.”

As he spoke, Dongbo Xueying flipped his hand again, producing a staff and a set of purple robes.

“Elder Brother Xueying, these are for me?” Kong Youyue hesitated. The staff looked very expensive, and the craftsmanship of the robe was also exceptional. “This staff is made from Wind-Chanting Wood, which is very valuable. I…”

“Just take it,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head and smiled. The staff was only worth 2,000 gold coins, but the robe was a full 18,000 gold coins! The robe was a Celestial-tier magical artifact for mages.

“If this little girl knew the robe was a Celestial-tier magical artifact, she probably wouldn’t dare to accept it,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled inwardly.

“Alright,” Kong Youyue finally accepted it.

Ji Rong sat beside Kong Youyue. She looked at the staff and then at the robe, her expression suddenly changing slightly.

“Brother, what about me? What about my gift? Didn’t you say you’d bring me something too?” Qing Shi couldn’t help but ask.

“What’s the rush?” Dongbo Xueying looked at him. “Look at you, so impatient. Wait until after dinner, and I’ll give it to you.”

“You’re doing this on purpose,” Qing Shi said helplessly.

“Of course I am. I want to temper your impatience. As a mage, you should have more patience,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head lightly.

“Alright,” Qing Shi could only obediently lower his head.

…

After dinner, Youyue stayed in the castle, as a small courtyard had always been prepared for her in Snowstone Castle.

Qing Shi escorted his girlfriend back to the Mage Tower.

“Ji Rong, let me see. What did my brother give you as a gift?” Qing Shi walked beside Ji Rong.

Ji Rong opened the crystal box.

Inside was a necklace made entirely of emerald-green gemstones, glowing faintly green even in the dark.

“A top-grade emerald necklace,” Ji Rong said immediately. “It must be worth nearly 1,000 gold coins.” Naturally, being a mage, she was familiar with many materials and jewels.

“So expensive,” Qing Shi was surprised, then proudly said, “My brother is generous, isn’t he?”

“Generous? More than generous,” Ji Rong put away the jade box, then lowered her voice after a moment of silence. “Dongbo Qing Shi, do you know how much the gift your brother gave to Kong Youyue is worth?”

“That staff? Made from Wind-Chanting Wood? Probably around 2,000 gold coins,” Qing Shi said casually. “Youyue has been in our Snowstone Castle for a long time, and she has a good relationship with my brother. It’s normal for him to give her a good staff.”

“Hmph,” Ji Rong softly snorted. “I’m not talking about the staff, but that robe! That magical artifact robe!”

“A magical artifact?” Qing Shi widened his eyes. “You’re not mistaken, are you?”

“Kong Youyue was right beside me. I saw it clearly. That robe is a magical artifact! It even had a mark on it, the mark of Alchemy Master ‘Master Yan Wen.’ Artifacts crafted by Master Yan Wen are at least Earth-tier, and many are even Celestial-tier!” Ji Rong snorted again.

“You’re not mistaken?” Qing Shi couldn’t believe it.

“I’m at least a mage myself. Would I make such a mistake?” Ji Rong’s eyes sparkled mysteriously. “Even if it’s just an Earth-tier artifact from Master Yan Wen, it’s likely a top-grade Earth-tier. That robe alone is worth at least 5,000 gold coins, maybe even over 10,000. Combined with the staff, the total value of the gifts your brother gave to Kong Youyue is nearly 10,000 gold coins. Dongbo Qing Shi, your brother is more than just generous.”

Qing Shi smiled. “My brother and Youyue are very close.”

“Don’t be so naive,” Ji Rong quickly lowered her voice. “You and your brother are blood brothers, and you’re the heir to Snowhawk Domain! Are you just going to watch as your brother gives away all these treasures?”

Qing Shi was momentarily stunned.

“You’re sixteen today. You can’t keep living under your brother’s wing forever. You need to be independent,” Ji Rong said. “Even among close brothers, accounts must be clear.”

“Why are you saying this?” Qing Shi frowned slightly, annoyed.

“I’m just looking out for you,” Ji Rong said quickly. “I’ve seen it firsthand. Years ago, my father worked tirelessly to build our business because he trusted my uncle too much. All the money he earned was considered part of the entire family’s wealth. For twenty years, the family’s fortune was almost entirely built by my father. In the end, my uncle turned his back and threw my father out, leaving him with nothing, not even a place to live. He had to stay at my mother’s house.”

“I’m telling you this to show that even if you don’t have a heart to harm others, you must have a heart to guard against others.”

“I’ve heard you talk about it before. Your brother trained so hard, and he soaked in medicinal baths every day to avoid physical collapse. Do you know how much those baths cost annually? Five thousand gold coins a year!” Ji Rong continued. “From age six to sixteen, that’s ten years, totaling fifty thousand gold coins. Your parents originally bought noble titles, land, and a large number of Star-Piercing Crossbows. They also prepared years of medicinal baths, armor, castles, and various expenses for your brother. All of this added up to nearly two hundred thousand gold coins. This shows that your parents must have obtained a great fortune during their adventures.”

“You’ve always been free with money, and your brother never earned any before defeating the Silver Moon Wolf King.”

“All the money you’ve spent has come from what your parents left behind!”

Ji Rong said, “Do you know how much your parents left behind? Do you?”

Qing Shi was silent.

“You don’t know!” Ji Rong sneered. “With such a vast fortune, your parents likely obtained the inheritance of a titled warrior during their life-or-death adventures, perhaps even a treasure from an extraordinary life. Anything is possible! But now, all of this is under your brother’s control, and you know nothing about what your parents left behind.”

“All of this is in your brother’s hands, and now he casually gives Kong Youyue treasures worth over ten thousand gold coins! Ten thousand gold coins! My father worked for twenty years to earn that much, and he just gave it away casually,” Ji Rong looked at Qing Shi. “Strictly speaking, this isn’t your brother’s money; it’s what your parents left behind, which should be shared between you two brothers!”