“Eight hundred li urgent report from Feng Province! Uninvolved individuals, step aside!”
“Eight hundred li urgent report from Feng Province, uninvolved individuals, step aside! Ji You, a student of Tianshu Academy, has established a Worldly Family, to be known throughout the province!”
“Eight hundred li urgent report from Feng Province, uninvolved individuals, step aside! Ji You, a student of Tianshu Academy, has established a Worldly Family—”
From the early morning when the documents were signed until noon, countless notices were dispatched by fast horses from State Prefecture, their voices like rolling thunder, roaring through the streets and alleys.
Some were sent to the Immortal Sects in the area, some to various prefectures, counties, and cities in Feng Province, and others to Shengjing. Hoofbeats echoed, breaking the silence of mountains and rivers, raising dust to fill the sky as they galloped.
At this moment, from Yuyang County to Night City, spanning a thousand li, an event that would determine the fate of Feng Province finally concluded.
The Five Great Xian Villages were completely defeated, and the remaining Lower Three Realms cultivators were even more powerless to fight.
And those Immortal Villas that had not dared to besiege Ji You in the mountains now, by unspoken agreement, remained silent, watching the endless barren land where horses galloped, biting their teeth in frustration.
Just as Cao Jinsong had said, those who had not dared to act last night, even if filled with resentment, now dared not make a move.
Thus, the sound of hooves, like iron bones clashing, spread for a thousand li across the Feng Province land, deafening.
At this time, in Yuyang County, Feng Province, autumn yellow leaves were everywhere, and the deep green clouds of dusk brought sorrow. After the autumn harvest, countless grains were spread out in the threshing grounds.
Before stepping inside, Fang Ruoyao couldn't help but look towards the Ji Residence.
She had been back for half a month, and a few days ago, she could still see Ji You and knew he was practicing some combined harvesting sword Dao.
But in the past few days, there had been no news of him at all.
As his former fiancée, looking at the homeland where they had grown up together since childhood, it was impossible for her to say she didn't care.
However, at this moment, she suddenly noticed a group of people walking from outside the city, heading towards Paifang Street with solemn expressions. More and more people gathered, seemingly without end.
“?”
“What happened?”
Fang Ruoyao frowned slightly, then stepped to follow them, arriving at Paifang Street with the crowd, and then saw them all pour into the Kuang Family.
At this moment, in the courtyard, Kuang Cheng was standing silently under a tree with withered leaves.
Next to him was Uncle A Qing from the west of the city, and his elderly mother.
Fang Ruoyao was slightly startled, looking at Uncle A Qing's elderly mother, her eyes showing some surprise.
Because she had heard a few days ago that this year's harvest was very bad, and Uncle A Qing's family was large, so they had no choice but to send their aged mother into the Nursing Home.
Logically speaking, Uncle A Qing's mother should have been sealed in a tomb by now, but for some unknown reason, she had reappeared at the Kuang Family.
“The Kuang Family needs to give us an explanation for this matter.”
“That’s right, although Kuang Cheng became a high-ranking official in the capital, he is not an official of our Feng Province, so there is no reason for him to do this, and besides, this is our own family matter.”
“Digging up the Nursing Home, this will incur divine wrath!”
Amidst the furious crowd, Fang Ruoyao's red lips parted slightly, and she couldn't help but look at Kuang Cheng.
Digging up the Nursing Home?!
She immediately called over a farmer and asked about the matter, gradually understanding why everyone had gathered at the Kuang Family today.
Under the oppression of taxes, many elderly people lost their ability to work but continued to live, thus incurring an additional share of taxes.
Thus, the matter of the Nursing Home has always existed in Feng Province and is now a common custom. Some even say that parents dying early accumulates good fortune for their descendants.
But no one expected that Kuang Cheng would actually carry a hoe up the mountain and dig people out.
This matter caused a huge stir, so much so that the entire Yuyang County was in an uproar.
Some said that taxes were about to be collected, and one more person meant one more share to be borne. Who would pay this extra share?
In this world, even strong laborers found it hard to survive, let alone elderly people on the verge of death.
They knew that Kuang Cheng had been kind-hearted since childhood, but they never expected him to do such a shocking thing upon his return.
The most crucial thing was that Kuang Cheng even used his status as an official in the capital to threaten everyone in the county, forbidding the construction of any more Nursing Home during this period.
How long is this period?
One must know that tax collection was about to begin, which for those with elderly people at home, was practically pushing them to their deaths.
In the solemn Kuang Family residence, Kuang Cheng's eyes remained fixed, and he did not speak.
Others might not know, but everyone in the Kuang Family knew that he had been wearing such a solemn expression for these past few days.
But he had privately dismantled other Sect'Nursing Home and strictly forbidden their reconstruction, so he had to give an explanation. Remaining silent was not a good long-term strategy.
“He became an official in the capital, I can no longer control him—
“These past few days, I’ve kept asking him why he acts this way, but he doesn’t say a word, it’s as if he’s possessed!”
The Old Master of the Kuang Family slapped his hand on the table, his face filled with anger, his beard trembling with rage.
And the crowd blocking the courtyard, seeing that even the Old Master of the Kuang Family did not support his grandson, immediately became even more agitated and accusatory.
Within the chaotic residence, countless noisy sounds poured into his ears, but the scholar remained silent.
Just then, a burst of galloping hooves and clanging gongs suddenly came from the main street of Yuyang County, instantly quieting the crowd's clamor.
Hearing this sound, Kuang Cheng's eyes immediately widened, and he then abruptly stood up, pushed through the crowd, and ran out of the house.
The crowd surrounding the Kuang Residence immediately followed, arriving in a dense mass at Paifang Street, where they saw three people riding horses into the city, their shouts echoing loudly.
“Eight hundred li urgent report from Feng Province!”
“Ji You, a student of Tianshu Academy, has established a Worldly Family in Feng Province! Feng Province will no longer pay tribute to outside Immortal Villas!”
“Eight hundred li urgent report from Feng Province!”
“Ji You, a student of Tianshu Academy, has established a Worldly Family in Feng Province! Feng Province will no longer pay tribute to outside Immortal Villas!”
As the words fell, Paifang Street was first silent, then erupted in an uproar, even Fang Ruoyao couldn't help but widen her eyes, realizing where Ji You had been these past few days.
On her way here, she had actually heard a few people discussing the establishment of a Worldly Family.
She couldn't even imagine what kind of risks and intense Killing Intent would be involved.
Yet, unexpectedly, in just half a month, he had become the head of the only Immortal Sect Worldly Family in Feng Province.
Fang Ruoyao was lost in thought for a long time, then suddenly saw her father, dressed in official robes, running out of the mansion in a panic, respectfully receiving the message from State Prefecture, and then turning to look at her in the crowd, his expression becoming extremely complex.
Four years ago, on this very street, probably under similar public scrutiny.
Their Fang Family, with a group of servants, armed with sticks, had forced him to sign the annulment letter in the medical hall not far away.
At this moment, everyone couldn't help but look at Kuang Cheng, just as they looked at Ji You.
Because the two of them were essentially similar youths, doing similar things.
“It's done—”
“You truly live up to your name, Brother Ji—”
Kuang Cheng, with a clear conscience, couldn't help but mutter to himself. Meanwhile, more detailed news had already spread to the other eight provinces as the Disciples of other sects quickly departed.
This speed was actually much faster than the eight hundred li urgent report from State Prefecture.
“Ji You established a Worldly Family.”
“Didn't they fight?”
“The battle is over, everyone is dead—”
“Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi, aided by Ji You's spiritual sword, held off four people. Ji You spread out the battlefield, testing and killing Rongdao Realm cultivators….”
“When he came out of the mountain, his white robe was already stained with blood—”
“Although Chu River's hands were completely broken during his Autumn Tournament with him, making him unable to fight again, he actually lost fairly—”
On the sixth day of autumn, Chu River returned home defeated, and since then, there had been constant discussion about the matter outside.
Amidst the sounds of astonishment, there were always some differing opinions.
It was as if among a heap of praise, a few criticisms would always pop out, criticizing from peculiar angles, highlighting their uniqueness by being out of step.
So, some said that during the first Autumn Tournament, the second son of the Chu Family must have preserved his strength, having reserved a trump card for the second, or even third, round.
But Ji You was very wary of the foundation of a thousand-year-old Worldly Family, so he exploited this mentality, ruthlessly breaking his hands in the first round, giving him no chance to exert his full strength.
Otherwise, the outcome of this Autumn Tournament might truly have been uncertain.
Worldly rumors are always like this; different stances lead to different views.
But at this moment, those views, whether true or false, no longer mattered after the result of that night on Night City Mountain.
Twenty-three people from the Five Great Xian Villages died, including five Rongdao Realm cultivators, with no one surviving.
Ji You departed from Yuyang County, successfully arrived at State Prefecture, and signed the documents.
In the eighth month of the early Taiyuan era, before the tax collection, the first local Worldly Family in Feng Province was established.
Bai Rulong, Ban Yangshu, and Wen Zhengxin stayed up all night yesterday, anxiously awaiting news from Feng Province, their hearts pounding.
Ru Long Immortal Emperor even lost the mood to go to the Sword Forest to see the buttocks, showing a solemn expression he had never had since birth.
They were in Shengjing, unable to see Feng Province, which was full of loess plateaus.
Especially since the talks and the war came too quickly, leaving no time to react.
Now that they heard Ji You had signed the Worldly Family document, they all sat in Ji You's Outer Courtyard house, looking up at the boundless sky.
Oh no, they really have to pay to work now.
And in the courtyard, most of the female cultivators, such as Lu Qingqiu and Lou Siyi, recalled the most profound image of that man etched in their minds.
Then they imagined him in blood-stained clothes, immersed in the murderous night, envisioning a sword strike that tested and killed a Rongdao Realm cultivator, biting their pink lips, unable to resist the urge to secretly conceive.
But at this time, the Master's Courtyard, and some Inner Courtyard Disciples, were more concerned with another matter, a matter stemming from the details described by the Feng Province traveler within the courtyard.
“That Ji You killed eighteen Tongxuan cultivators, then continued forward, and was pursued by two Rongdao Realm cultivators, one using a saber, the other wielding a steel whip.”
“Three times, it should be four times.”
“Anyway, what I saw was four times, but it could also have been five or six times.”
“In short, the village head who used the saber and the village head who used the steel whip almost hit Ji You several times, but their weapons suddenly deflected, as if obstructed by something, unable to land accurately, otherwise Ji You might have been severely injured.”
The three Master-in-charges of the Master's Courtyard were stunned for a long time after the Disciple reported this sentence, and then fell silent.
And they could no longer hear what the Disciple said next.
At the same time, in the Tianshu Academy Inner Courtyard, He Lingxiu and a group of others who had gone to the Outer Courtyard to watch the Autumn Tournament also heard this sentence, their eyes gradually widening.
Weapons suddenly deflecting, as if obstructed by something.
This description was not unfamiliar to them, because just by imagining it, they knew that the scene was very similar to the Huantian Technique used by Chu River, a technique passed down by the Chu Family.
How could this be?!
And the impact of this matter was far more than just the shock among the cultivators of Qingyun World regarding his killing of Rongdao Realm cultivators, and the incredulity brought by various details.
Simultaneously, countless malicious intentions emerged.
At noon, in the brightly lit Inner Courtyard, a group of Disciples were chatting about this matter when they were sternly reprimanded for half an hour by an Instructor from Chang Sheng Dian.
Also in the Inner Courtyard, in Purple Bamboo Zen Forest, an Instructor furiously scolded the newly admitted students for their truly wolfish ambitions.
In Qingyun World, for a thousand years, Worldly Sect, Immortal Sects, and Immortal Villas have long been intertwined through marital and blood relations. “One move affects the whole body” is not an empty phrase.
Some Instructors were originally from Worldly Sect and had intricate relationships with those Immortal Villas.
So, before long, some Worldly Sect that had formed factions within the Five Great Halls declared that they would absolutely not admit Ji You into their halls.
“It wasn’t unjust for those Immortal Villas to besiege and kill Ji You under the pretext of mountain bandits. For years, both Immortal Sects and Worldly Sect have always acted in such a secretive manner.”
“But what Ji You did was a bit too much.”
“Since they were acting covertly, life and death are normal. But what did Ji You say? He said he came to kill, and wouldn’t allow anyone to retreat.”
“This isn’t just a matter of life and death; he was fiercely slapping the faces of the Worldly Sect behind those Immortal Villas.”
“Most importantly, he cut off the heads of those people, took them out of the mountain, and threw them in Feng Province State Prefecture.”
“When it comes to face, many people can’t bear it. It’s like when the incident at the ruins happened; Tianshu Academy sent a bunch of cannon fodder Disciples just to die, but being besieged by Lingjian Mountain was a loss of face.”
He Lingxiu and a few fellow cultivators beside her murmured, her brow furrowing slightly.
Before Ji You left the mountain, He Lingxiu had personally invited him to join Zizai Hall, even explicitly stating that he would receive treatment no less than that of a Personal Disciple.
However, their Zizai Hall also had several Worldly Sect who banded together, with deep ties to the Immortal Villas in Feng Province. After the Night City Mountain incident, some Elders in the hall had dark faces since morning.
Among them, Elder Luo’s face was the darkest.
Luoping Mountain was a member of a collateral branch of their Luo Family, and had also cultivated in Tianshu Academy back then. According to the transmitting Disciple, he had begged for mercy in the mountain.
This alone had already brought shame to their Luo Family, causing this Elder to lose face.
But what was even more unacceptable to Elder Luo was that even his nephew from a collateral branch, despite begging for mercy, was still killed.
“That Ji You, under the guise of an Instructor returning to his hometown for recruitment, was actually heading to Feng Province State Prefecture to establish a Worldly Family. This action was unexpected and caught people off guard.”
“If not for this, I would have certainly joined Broken Moon Immortal Villa in advance and slain this child in the mountains!”
“Indeed, he did establish a Worldly Family, but in essence, he is still a rural private cultivator, alone in this world, completely unaware of how terrifying the wrath of our Worldly Family can be!”
No sooner had Elder Luo finished speaking than he suddenly felt his scalp tingle, and a great fear welled up within him, making his heart tremble.
Tianshu Academy imparts the Dao through the Heavenly Book. Regardless of where one’s cultivation of the Dao focuses, one must always supplement it with heavenly divination.
Elder Luo found that at this very moment, as he pondered, he inexplicably felt an ominous premonition.
In other words, if he were to truly act as he had spoken, he would likely invite trouble.
He was already a Wujiang Realm powerhouse, holding a rather high position even within Zizai Hall. There were very few in the world who could cause him trouble, let alone in the remote Feng Province.
Elder Luo took a deep breath, finding it hard to believe.
And during the time of this urgent 800-li report, Ji You had already bathed and changed clothes in the State Prefecture. At this moment, dressed in a scholar’s robe, he stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, as if gazing at something.
At this time, several young ladies from He Zhang’s family were peeking through the gauze window, watching him with curiosity and shyness.
“What is he looking at?”
“The clouds, perhaps?”
“What’s so good about clouds? Why doesn’t he look at me?”
“Oh, sister, how can you be so frivolous?”
Amidst the chirping, a peerless Sword Qi suddenly shot up from the northwest direction, instantly tearing through the sky, and then swiftly returned south, leaving behind a long cut in the clouds, spanning a square li.
Thud!
A teacup shattered.
Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi, who were drinking tea in the side hall, suddenly rushed out, looking up at the sky with horrified expressions.
“There’s a Perfection Realm cultivator of the Upper Five Realms in the city?!”
Pei Ruyi held her breath at this moment: “Perhaps passing by?”
Cao Jinsong opened his mouth with a solemn expression: “This is Feng Province, not Central Province!”
A Perfection Realm cultivator of the Upper Five Realms is considered a foundational existence even in Immortal Sects. How could such a peerless mighty figure be hidden in this region of Feng Province, where there isn’t even a Worldly Family?
One must know that although last night’s battle was exhilarating, in the eyes of such an Upper Five Realms master, it was no different from children fighting with sticks.
If he wished, a gentle wave of his hand last night would have instantly caused the three of them to explode and die.
At this thought, Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi instantly felt their scalps tingle. They had never expected that while they were so arrogant last night, they had actually been under someone else’s blade the entire time.
They just didn’t know why that peerless mighty figure hadn’t made a move last night.
And other Upper Five Realms cultivators in the city, more or less, felt that terrifying aura, and couldn’t help but look up, immediately clenching their hands.
So, yesterday, there was a Perfection Realm cultivator of the Upper Five Realms in Feng Province!
It’s a pity he didn’t make a move, otherwise, even if Ji You had three heads and six arms, he would have found it difficult to leave Night City Mountain!
However, this is the foundation of the Kyushu Worldly Sect. No matter how strong Ji You is, he is ultimately alone at this moment. How can he contend against this vast world?
The appearance of this aura was clearly a display of might!
Telling him that establishing a Worldly Family was fine, but some things shouldn’t be taken too far!
Feng Province Governor He Zhang, hearing the commotion at this moment, couldn’t help but walk out of his study. Looking at the long mark in the sky, and then at the shock and solemnity on Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi’s faces, his heart involuntarily sank.
So, even with the document signed, this first Worldly Family in Feng Province was still so unstable?
That’s right, he was still alone after all…
“Ji You, we can’t stay here much longer. Go pack up first, we’ll depart for the Academy this afternoon.”
“Is it possible that I invited that person?”
Upon hearing this, Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi were completely stunned, and even He Zhang couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
Everyone knew that Ji You came from a Mortal landlord family in Yuyang County, and later even his family was gone, leaving him struggling to make ends meet.
So they found it hard to believe that Ji You could actually invite a Perfection Realm cultivator of the Upper Five Realms to take charge.
Cao Jinsong looked at him for a long time: “Are you kidding me? That’s a Perfection Realm cultivator of the Upper Five Realms!”
“Seriously.”
“Are you someone’s illegitimate child?”
Ji You thought for a moment after hearing that, and said to himself that he wasn’t an illegitimate child, but it was close enough, he was just an illegitimate husband.
Is this the scent of soft rice?
Delicious, loves to eat, and eats again.
Meanwhile, on Xuanjian Peak of Lingjian Mountain, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were hurrying up the mountain.
Ling Province and Feng Province, one south and one north, were far apart, and their news was not as timely as that of the three northern sects. However, after an afternoon, they had also heard rumors and were now quickly ascending the mountain.
But just as they reached the summit, they found an elderly swordsman in front of the hall, who was Qi Elder, the Sword Dao Head of Tianjian Peak.
This was the sword Ji You had given to their Master Jian. Now that his daughter had become a Disciple of Xuanjian Peak, they were considered family.
The two of them walked to the peak and then bowed slightly: “Greetings, Qi Elder.”
Qi Zhengyang nodded, his white beard fluttering in the wind.
“Our Master Jian is still in seclusion. Qi Elder, may I ask why you have come?”
No sooner had she spoken than the door of Cloud Top Heavenly Palace was suddenly pushed open, and Yan Shuyi appeared from within the hall, wearing the Master Jian’s Immortal Robe, adorned with a glazed Immortal Crown on her head, her long eyelashes curled upwards, and her skin fair and beautiful.
Although she had not yet broken through her Realm, the Young Master Jian’s aura was already more sacred than before.
Her graceful figure and exquisite face were truly unparalleled beauties in the world.
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu couldn’t help but exchange glances, thinking to themselves that when Master Jian decided to go into seclusion to enter the Wujiang Realm, she had explicitly ordered that no one should disturb her.
Yet, she herself did not abide by it, having secretly come out three times already.
The first time was when she heard about the Tianshu Academy Autumn Tournament, and arranged for Zhuo Wanqiu to go see it. The second time was when Zhuo Wanqiu returned from her mission, bringing back some things that damaged the Dao Heart.
The third time was one night when Cui'er went down the mountain to visit relatives, and she was on duty, only to find Master Jian coming out of her secluded chamber with bare feet, and she watched those Dao Heart-damaging things all night.
And today, it was her fourth time coming out of seclusion midway.
“Qi Elder, you’ve worked hard on this journey.”
Qi Zhengyang waved his hand: “Master Jian, you exaggerate. I merely stood on the mountain peak and watched for a night. I wasn’t able to help much, so the word ‘hardship’ is truly unwarranted.”
Yan Shuyi’s eyelashes trembled slightly: “You weren’t able to help?”
“I didn’t even have a chance to make a move; he had already won.”
Qi Elder narrowed his eyes, and couldn’t help but look at the vast expanse of clouds and sky above the Sword Peak: “That last sword strike, I only showed it to him once, and I didn’t expect him to actually learn it. He truly is a born Sword Seed.”
Yan Shuyi was slightly displeased, her brow furrowing slightly: “Please, Qi Elder, do not scold him.”
“?”
Qi Zhengyang was stunned for a moment, then immediately waved his hand: “Master Jian misunderstands, I meant Sword Dao Seed, the ‘sword’ of Lingjian, referring to someone with a clear Sword Heart, naturally close to the Sword Dao, hence a Sword Seed.”
Yan Shuyi narrowed her eyes after hearing this, then her round chest slightly lifted.
Qi Elder then departed, drifting away like the wind.
The Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain, however, did not immediately return to seclusion. Instead, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she couldn’t help but get distracted, thinking to herself that the unfamiliar man she had only seen three times had grown stronger again.
Before, he wasn’t so formidable; he would just pinch her face, bite her feet, and hug her. Now—”
The Young Master Jian couldn’t help but lower her head, looking at her round chest.
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had by now understood, exchanging glances, thinking to themselves that Master Jian had actually sent Qi Elder to Feng Province.
This meant that Master Jian’s fourth mid-seclusion exit was still because of him.
Everyone in the world thought Young Master was a rural private cultivator, a lone wolf. There were countless people who looked down on him and mocked him, and this situation did not improve even after he entered the Inner Courtyard.
But they didn’t know that if everything were laid bare, almost the entire Lingjian Mountain was his backing Worldly Family.
However, putting aside this relationship, Young Master is not a Mortal either.
Eighteen Profound-reaching Realm cultivators, five Integration Realm Realm cultivators. One must know, this was not in the ruins; these were real Integration Realm Realm cultivators—
As the two were thinking, they suddenly felt a tremor in their hearts, and then realized that the swords in their scabbards were constantly vibrating, and Killing Intent was gradually rising.
But soon, they found that the spiritual swords in their scabbards gradually quieted down, and when they looked up again, their Master Jian, who was like a goddess descended to the world, had a cold face tinged with red.
“Oh, right, Master Jian, there’s a letter for you.”
Ding Yao suddenly remembered something at this moment, and took out a letter from her bosom, with Yuan Caiwei of Dan Sect’s name written on it: “This letter arrived three days ago. I knew you were in seclusion, so I didn’t report it.”
Yan Shuyi came back to her senses, her beautiful eyes falling upon the letter: “Is this the reply from last time?”
“Your servant didn’t read it, but it should be.”
After the Autumn Tournament incident, Yan Shuyi had written a letter to Yuan Caiwei, with a somewhat flaunting tone.
Later, Yuan Caiwei replied with a letter, which had remained in Ding Yao’s hand.
The Young Master Jian now tore open the envelope and glanced at it. There were only a few lines on the letter, barely a dozen words.
Yan Shuyi read through each word, her brow gradually furrowing, and a hint of confusion and displeasure flashed in her eyes.
When Tianshu Academy came to Lingjian Mountain to seek the Dao, they made a stop at Dan Sect, and Ji You said that Yuan Caiwei had preemptively seen something that she should have seen first.
Yan Shuyi thought it was the handsome chest of the unfamiliar man, so she specifically wrote a letter to express that she had also seen it. But what was this reply about?
Not just this?
What else did that woman Yuan Caiwei see?
