Chapter 218: It's All Junior Brother's Fault
Ji Bochang had cultivated an image for himself within the Inner and Outer Courtyards as a cold, powerful, uninhibited, and unique Young Master with a jade-like countenance. His sword strikes were sharp, his spirit soaring, he was capable, and also very mysterious.
That posture of drawing his sword to defeat someone, then sheathing it and drifting away without a single unnecessary word, was actually secretly imitated by many in the academy.
But a clear and pure happiness was truly not common on his Face.
And today, many Disciples of Tianshu Academy witnessed it.
Actually, although Ji You never said it, he had always been worried about whether Yan Shuyi could break through, as she had broken out of seclusion multiple times during her cultivation.
Although several of those instances were for his sake, it also indirectly proved that her breakthrough was not going smoothly.
Now, upon hearing the news of her breakthrough, his long-standing worries finally settled.
Cao Jinsong had arrived at the mountain gate with Ban Yangshu at this moment, and seeing the slight curve of his lips in the afternoon sun,
he was momentarily dazed by his clear and warm smile, and thus became firmly convinced of his earlier guess.
Ji You must have found silver, otherwise his smile wouldn't be so pure and clear.
“My beloved Disciple!”
“?”
Ji You turned his head to look at Cao Jinsong approaching, a hint of confusion in his eyes, wondering, 'Where did 'beloved Disciple' come from?'
Cao Jinsong walked closer to him and lowered his voice: “Tell your Instructor secretly, did you pick up silver down the mountain?”
“What?”
Cao Jinsong sized him up against the evening sky, thinking, 'The curve of his lips suggests at least a thousand taels.'
How could there be people losing silver by the chest in Shengjing City?
That's right, with so many Worldly Sect coming and going these past few days, it wouldn't be strange to accidentally lose a chest of gold.
Cao Jinsong snapped back to reality and pulled him aside: “The inns in Zhongxing County have been raising prices, so expensive it makes my scalp tingle. Your Instructor needs silver for lodging. How much did you find? How about giving your Instructor half?”
Ji You’s smile instantly faded: “Who said I found silver?”
“Your mouth is practically reaching your ears. What else could it be besides finding silver?”
“I am simply happy.”
“?”
Seeing his disbelieving look, Ji You couldn't help but lower his voice: “To tell you the truth, Lingjian Mountain's Young Master Jian has broken through. I'm happy.”
Instructor Cao’s mouth twisted after hearing this: “What does Lingjian Mountain’s Young Master Jian breaking through have to do with you? You can't even make up a plausible reason!”
Ji You looked at Cao Jinsong, thinking, 'You'll know when I have a Ji Ai'ai and bring her back.'
He then ascended the mountain and returned to the Inner Courtyard, where he found Wen Siyuan at the door, who handed him an invitation from Lu Qingqiu, inviting him to a banquet.
He had just met the Lu Family sisters before noon, and had not gone to lunch for fear of being influenced by them, so dinner would be even more dangerous.
However, after opening the invitation, he realized that it wasn't the Lu Family sisters who invited him, but Lu Xiong, the head of the Lu Family.
The Lu Family, like other Worldly Sect, also planned to attend the Tiandao Conference. They had arrived in Shengjing that noon and stopped by to see their daughters.
Lu Hanyan had finished her sword practice during the day and was changing her silk trousers when she saw her parents.
The Family of four met in the courtyard and chatted extensively.
Lu Hanyan demonstrated what she had learned over the past six months to Lu Xiong, displaying a Sword Intent that was almost naturally formed, which instantly made Lu Xiong's eyes a bit complex.
In fact, when he first heard about Ji You teaching his daughter the Dao of the sword, he was somewhat disbelieving.
But later, when he heard that his daughter had defeated Fang Jincheng with her sword Dao, he had no choice but to believe it.
What Lu Xiong didn't expect was that his second daughter had learned so much, and he also felt a sense of admiration for Ji You's talent in the Dao of the sword.
Madam Lu, on the other hand, looked at her daughter’s seemingly rounder hips and the way her cheeks would involuntarily flush when Ji You was mentioned, and her eyes became even more complex than Lu Xiong’s.
She felt that what her daughter had learned was not just these things.
Madam Lu actually looked down on Ji You a bit, because she didn't know much about him, only that he was a rural self-cultivator from Feng Province.
In her opinion, her daughter should be able to marry into a more powerful and higher-status Worldly Family.
But after all, the Lu Family was presided over by her husband, and as a woman, she could only obey. So, despite her dislike, she still adopted the proud demeanor of a mother-in-law choosing a son-in-law, sitting in Hongding Restaurant with an extremely high posture, ready to evaluate this rural self-cultivator.
But what stunned Madam Lu was that she didn't wait for Ji You; instead, she received a message that he was about to depart, had many affairs, and refused to come.
Madam Lu thought, 'This child is truly rude. How dare he refuse?'
Who knew that her husband was not angry at all at this moment, but rather seemed to have expected it, which made her feel at a loss.
Looking at her second daughter again, her eyes were filled with excitement, as if saying, 'I will definitely not disappoint Senior Brother's expectations.' Actually, Ji You taught Lu Hanyan the Dao of the sword because he thought the Lu Family sisters had good character, much better than Fang Jincheng, and he also hoped that they would be in power in the Ling Shi Merchant Association and be kinder to the miners' descendants, but this did not mean he was willing to befriend the Lu Family.
So, refusing the Lu Family was a perfectly normal thing for him.
This was similar to refusing He Lingxiu; both were about maintaining distance as much as possible to avoid being controlled by others.
However, Ji You was still a warm man at heart and didn't want to hurt the young ladies' Face, so while politely declining, he left a message for the Lu Family sisters, saying that it wouldn't be too late to have a small gathering and celebrate after Lu Hanyan entered the Inner Courtyard.
In addition to the Lu Family's invitation, he also received an invitation from the Qiu Family.
The Family that He Lingxiu had previously wanted to set him up with also came to Shengjing today.
And to his surprise, he also received an invitation from the Wen Family, the Family of Zhengxin Fairy—.
How did even Senior Sister's Family start thinking about me?
Ji You thought, 'I'm really popular.'
However, on second thought, it was understandable, because many people believed he could achieve a ranking at the Tiandao Conference and perhaps enter the Yingtian Realm in the future. Moreover, he was the only Worldly Family in the vast Feng Province, and the snowy region demon stone also entered through his hands.
From the perspective of many Worldly Sect, investment yields greater returns when done in advance.
He returned the successive invitations from the Worldly Sect, and then took the Wen Family's invitation to Wen Zhengxin.
Zhengxin Fairy was surprised that her Family would make such arrangements bypassing her. After reading the invitation, which mentioned 'at the peak of her youth, gentle and virtuous,' her cold Face flushed, and she kicked him out.
“You scoundrel!”
“??”
Ji You thought, 'What does that have to do with me?'
The next morning, the sun shone brightly.
News spread that the Dan Sect had arrived in Shengjing City from afar in the early morning, attracting countless immortal cultivation Worldly Sect to stop and watch.
In their sight, countless alchemists dressed in Dan robes arrived at the gate of Tianshu Academy with several huge, lacquered red wooden structures.
Head Teacher Yuan Li, along with six Elders from the sect, and his daughter and son, entered Tianshu Academy and were given a grand reception.
Before long, the Dan Sect One line was invited into the Celestial Book Palace by the Five Hall Masters who appeared, and then Mystic Light arrays shimmered on Tianjian Peak, attracting countless gazes in Shengjing.
This Mystic Light and aura came from the Celestial Book Institute Head Teacher, who had not appeared for over a hundred years.
No one knew what was discussed in the Celestial Book Palace, only that the Dan Sect stayed there for two hours, then was arranged to stay at Tianshu Academy, and would depart together tomorrow.
Seeing this scene, countless Worldly Sect temporarily residing in the city submitted invitations to Tianshu Academy.
The Head Teacher was naturally difficult to invite, and those Dan Sect Elders rarely went out because they lacked combat power. Therefore, the main targets of the invitations were the contemporary direct Disciples of the Dan Sect, and the daughter of the Dan Sect.
However, neither of them accepted any invitations.
He Lingxiu, on the other hand, drank tea with Yuan Caiwei and Yuan Chen under the arrangement of her Elders during the meeting in the Celestial Book Palace.
Yuan Caiwei was elegantly dressed today, wearing a tea-white plain gauze inner layer with a sky-blue silk outer robe, her waterfall-like green hair adorned with a silver butterfly hairpin, a jade bracelet on her fair wrist, and two silver beads hanging from her earlobes. Her red lips and powdered Face, combined with her cultured demeanor, gave her a beautiful and moving aura.
He Lingxiu remembered that the former Yuan Caiwei was not like this; she preferred to wear the Dan Sect's Dan robes.
According to Yuan Caiwei, Dan robes were the most suitable for Alchemy, and those light gauze dresses were restrictive,
only good for looking at, but not very practical.
But later, Yuan Caiwei changed, and she would always dress exceptionally exquisitely every time she came.
He Lingxiu spoke a few words with her, and then saw that this daughter of the Dan Sect always looked towards the Inner Courtyard immortal residence with a watchful gaze, her eyes filled with the desire to leave, as if she couldn't wait.
“Miss Yuan, are you going to see Junior Brother Ji later?”
Yuan Caiwei snapped back to reality, her eyes shifting to Yuan Chen: “My Junior Brother insisted on going.”
Yuan Chen: “..—.”
He Lingxiu chuckled softly: “Those who are deeply in love are always enviable. Seeing how dedicated Miss Yuan is, I also understand why Junior Brother Ji is so devoted to Miss Yuan.”
Yuan Caiwei glanced at her: “Devoted?”
“You don't know?”
“I don't know why Fairy He says this?”
“Earlier, the Young Miss of the Qiu Family in Zhong Province wanted to get to know him, but Junior Brother refused. Yesterday, the Lu Family also seemed to want to invite him; they have two daughters. In short, Junior Brother didn't go either. He’s probably only thinking of you, his proper wife,
afraid you'd be jealous if you found out.”
He Lingxiu continued talking to herself, then heard a 'puff' sound, and a splash of water immediately erupted in the sky.
Yuan Chen choked on his tea and was now patting his chest, coughing uncontrollably.
My brother-in-law is not that kind of person, you must not talk nonsense, he is just afraid of my Master Jian sister, otherwise my sister would be giving birth now!
Yuan Caiwei also couldn't help biting her thin lips, thinking, 'You haven't seen the one who's truly jealous yet, otherwise I would have already…' Flattering words come at no cost, and both cultivators and Mortals love to hear them. He Lingxiu was also catering to this preference, but she didn't expect Yuan Caiwei's reaction to be different from what she anticipated, which made her a bit confused.
Among women in this world, there are quite a few who are prone to jealousy, the difference lies between those who are sensible and those who are willful.
Sensible women naturally wouldn't show their jealousy on their Faces, but if they heard that their husband was only for them, they would also be happy. However, for some reason, this Young Miss Yuan was not like that; her expression was somewhat reproachful instead.
Afterward, the two chatted for a long time. He Lingxiu felt that Yuan Caiwei was truly restless, as if her mind only contained the words 'see my lover, see my lover, see my lover,' and when she looked at herself, it was with a complaint of 'you talk too much, you talk too much, you talk too much.'
During the Tianshu Academy pre-selection earlier, someone said that Ji You personally admitted he was a virgin.
He Lingxiu was half-skeptical at first, but now she didn't believe it at all. She thought, with the Dan Sect's daughter being so eager, it would be strange if Junior Brother Ji was still a virgin.
At this moment, she couldn't help but recall Ji You's fiery physique, somewhat envying Yuan Caiwei for having such a good meal.
“Young Miss Yuan, how about we finish our tea here today?”
“Okay.”
“Then let's meet another day; after all, there's plenty of time.”
Yuan Caiwei nodded, then stood up and bid farewell to He Lingxiu, called Yuan Chen, and walked slowly and unhurriedly down the mountain.
He Lingxiu wasn't accustomed to being alone; she preferred chatting while drinking tea. So, after seeing Yuan Caiwei leave, she lost interest in drinking tea, finished her last cup, and prepared to leave.
However, just as she reached the exit, she stopped.
Yuan Caiwei, who had been walking leisurely down the mountain just now, had now turned into a brisk jog, leaving her younger brother a distance behind.
【It was My younger brother who insisted on going.】
Yuan Chen and Yuan Caiwei bypassed the mountain path and had now arrived at the Inner Courtyard Immortal Dwelling.
Seeing that they were getting closer, Yuan Chen couldn't help but say to Yuan Caiwei, “Sister, this time, you knock on the door.”
“You're the one who wanted to find Young Master Ji, why should I open the door?”
Yuan Chen was powerless to refute, and as he walked, he said, “I'm afraid of opening the door and seeing Junior Master Jian's sister again.”
Yuan Caiwei thought for a moment and then said, “Brother, do you want to go to Shengjing City to listen to stories?”
“?”
Yuan Chen froze for a moment, his eyes immediately becoming wary, thinking, 'Who is this person on my sister?'
Yuan Caiwei blinked her eyes lightly, and said somewhat unnaturally, “You've been diligently trying to control the Sacred Artifact for the past six months.
Sister will allow you to relax for a few days. Here's some silver—”
Yuan Chen opened his mouth, thinking, 'When we were on the mountain, you kept scolding me for not working hard, and now it's 'I'm working too hard'?'
Yuan Caiwei gently pushed him: “Go.”
Yuan Chen swallowed: “But I miss brother-in-law.”
“Do you want to see your sister lose her temper with you?”
“?”
Yuan Chen held his breath, feeling a Bloodline suppression, and immediately took the silver and went down the mountain. He then headed straight for the tea house from before, looking at the fat man singing *daguchang* in the tea house in a daze.
Ji You was currently packing his bags and had also heard about the Dan Sect's arrival at Tianshu Academy.
However, he felt that Yuan Chen would definitely come to find him, so he didn't join in the excitement.
Just then, a knock on the door sounded, causing Ji You to stop what he was doing.
Then he put on his shoes, walked to the courtyard, and pulled open the courtyard gate, where he saw a beautiful Face with moist eyes.
Yuan Caiwei was standing at the door, but she didn't look at him first. Instead, she gently glanced into the courtyard with a wary look, as if she wanted to flirt with her sister's man but was a little worried her sister might be home.
Ji You knew Yuan Caiwei was coming, so he wasn't particularly surprised. He just thought her makeup was exquisite and couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
Oh no, she's a little too pretty.
Now that the Tsundere Fairy isn't here, if Yuan Caiwei bullies me, I'll be helpless.
Yuan Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief, looking at him with moist eyes: “Young Master Ji, long time no see.”
Ji You came back to his senses: “Long time no see. Where's Yuan Chen?”
“He went down the mountain to listen to stories.”
“There's only one storyteller in Shengjing City, and Yuan Chen even forced him to change professions last time. What kind of stories is he listening to?”
Hearing this, Yuan Caiwei looked to the side: “I don't know where he went to listen to stories; I couldn't persuade him no matter what. But he did say he'd come tonight—”
Seeing the Dan Sect's daughter's slightly guilty expression, Ji You knew that this matter was not so simple.
Yuan Chen must have been 'sent away'.
Ji You pondered for a long time before opening the door: “Come in and sit first. I'm packing things; I'll make you tea in a moment.”
Yuan Caiwei nodded and obediently followed him into the house.
In the main room, there was a mat spread out, and on it were Ji You's clothes that he was preparing to take, but they weren't folded yet.
Ji You stepped onto the mat to continue packing, then said, “Just now, I heard a commotion in the courtyard, so I expected you had arrived.”
“It’s mainly because Celestial Book Palace is welcoming guests now. Father said that besides the Five Hall Masters, we are the only ones who have been qualified to enter the mysterious Ni Mountain Celestial Book Palace in the past three years.”
Ji You chuckled upon hearing this, thinking to himself that the place was empty, without even a gatekeeper; one could go up whenever one wanted, so what was so mysterious about it?
Yuan Caiwei watched for a while, then took off her shoes and socks, and with her bare, tender white feet, she walked over, then knelt down to help him pack, as if she were a virtuous wife seeing her husband off.
Ji You took the clothes she had folded and put them away, then remembered something and said, “You mentioned in your letter that the Xianxian Holy Land's opening requires the Dan Sect. Why is that?”
“The Xianxian Holy Land is inherently a fragmented world. Each time it opens, it will be turbulent and produce cracks, requiring the Dan Sect to repair and stabilize it with Alchemy before it can be entered.”
“How do you repair it?”
“Just release Dan Qi.”
“So that's how it is, mending the sky? Interesting—”
Yuan Caiwei now folded Ji You's trousers and placed them aside, looking at him and blinking gently: “Jianzhu Sister broke through to a new realm yesterday; many people down the mountain are discussing it. Has Young Master heard about this?”
Ji You nodded: “The news has already reached Shengjing.”
“We haven't seen each other for a long time either. I wonder if she will attend the Tiandao Conference this time.”
“She will come.”
“Has she sent a message to Young Master?”
Ji You shook his head: “No, but she will definitely go.”
Yan Shuyi did not send a message after her breakthrough. Ji You had originally thought of going to Void Mountain to see if he could meet her, but then he decided against it.
She would have many things to deal with after coming out of seclusion, and perhaps she would even need to demonstrate her cultivation to Tianjian Peak.
Anyway, they were setting off tomorrow, so meeting in Zhongxing County wouldn't be too late.
Ji You was certain that Yan Shuyi would definitely go, because the Tsundere Fairy was a jealous person and would surely be afraid of Yuan Caiwei getting pregnant before her. It was clearly a movie for three, and she wouldn't allow herself to be nameless.
Yuan Caiwei was currently kneeling on the mat, her smooth, fair, and tender feet pressed beneath her plump buttocks, making them appear adorably small in comparison.
Seeing Ji You lost in thought, she couldn't help but ask softly, “I was in the Inner Courtyard just now, and I heard Fairy He say that Young Master has been very popular recently?”
“Popular?”
“Many Worldly Sect want to form marriage alliances with you.”
Ji You nodded upon hearing this: “That is true.”
Yuan Caiwei pondered for a moment: “Actually, men in this world all take concubines. Does Young Master truly only wish to keep one?”
Hearing this, Ji You turned to stare at her, thinking, 'Is she saying this for others, or for herself?'
Yuan Caiwei flinched under his gaze, feeling as if she had been impolite, and was about to change the subject to something else, but before she could speak, she heard Ji You's voice beside her ear.
“Those Worldly Family women may not have feelings for me, but sometimes I can't bring myself to be truly heartless. I'm just afraid that if I really get married, I might be constrained by them in the future. So, I simply don't let myself have too much connection with them, lest I can't be ruthless later and can only lower my own standards, doing things that would weigh on my conscience.”
Ji You sat on the mat: “I like to say 'money and goods settled,' and that's why.”
Yuan Caiwei realized he was explaining seriously, so she nodded gently. After a long silence, she looked at his hand: “I've been watching for a while; Young Master's hand seems to have fully recovered.”
Ji You was very close to her. Hearing this, he swung his arm in front of her: “This arm healed after New Year. Speaking of which, I still have to thank you, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten into the Tianshu Academy pre-selection.”
“Young Master's bite mark on his lip has healed too.”
“?”
“The one that Junior Sister Shuyi 'accidentally' bit last time.”
Ji You looked at her for a long time, then reached out and pinched her smooth cheek, thinking, 'How did you also learn to be so sarcastic like Yan Shuyi?'
Yuan Caiwei looked up at him, then pretended nothing was wrong as he pinched her, but the clothes in her hands became more and more disheveled.
Yuan Chen wasn't interested in the tea house's *daguchang*, and had already returned to Tianshu Academy, standing at Ji You's door.
But he didn't dare to go in, afraid of disturbing his sister's plan to 'steal' her husband.
After waiting for a long time, he finally saw his sister come out, her Face flushed as she rubbed her buttocks. She was completely different from the cold older sister who had deceived him and abandoned him on the mountain, which made him stare in a daze.
It was well-known that the Dan Sect had come to Tianshu Academy, so she certainly couldn't stay here for too long, disregarding her reputation.
Yuan Caiwei walked out the door, glanced at her brother, then looked back at the room.
She spoke out of turn just now and got her butt spanked—
For some reason, Young Master's technique was quite skilled.
