Chapter 232: Relaxed State
Instructor Cao and his group of four arrived in Zhongxing County by an overnight delivery cart from the Shengjing post station, reaching their destination only this morning.
In his own words, it saved a day's lodging fee, and the night delivery cart only charged half price for passengers, making his meticulous calculations unparalleled in the world.
However, the good thing was that cultivators didn't need much sleep; an hour of meditation could refresh them for several days.
When they arrived at the post station this morning, Pei Ruyi had already arrived. She had traveled by carriage from Feng Province, an hour earlier than them.
After the four met, they saw the note Ji You had left with the innkeeper, and then hurried to this place. As soon as they entered the garden, they felt a surge of Spiritual Qi, and then saw Yan Shuyi in the small building opposite.
She was ethereal, with a noble Aura, and eyes that held both arrogance and an unapproachable dignity, captivating anyone at first glance.
Cao Jinsong actually found this figure somewhat familiar, but after much thought, he couldn't recall who she was.
As for Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Pei Ruyi, they felt as if they had never seen such a captivating Fairy in their lives.
Yan Shuyi was also looking at them at this moment, her hands resting on the railing, unmoving, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
She had been thinking about the 'stick' incident just now, and her mind was a bit full with the scene of bumping into Ji You preparing to bathe that day, and the sensation of being propped up in the bamboo forest, so much so that she hadn't noticed anyone approaching.
By the time she did notice, Yan Shuyi only had time to slip away.
When she landed in the small building behind, Cao Jinsong and the others had already looked over. She certainly couldn't turn around and leave in a panic, so she adopted a pose of leaning on the railing and admiring the scenery.
Actually, she was still a bit relieved that they hadn't kissed yet.
Because if they had, it would have been difficult for her to regain her Master Jian's prestige in such a short time.
At this moment, Yan Shuyi curled her toes, feeling the slight coolness of the floor, and realized that she seemed to have forgotten to wear shoes again...
Cao Jinsong and the four didn't dare to look for too long. After all, the woman's cold arrogance indeed brought them a sense of pressure. At this moment, hearing Ji You open the door, they regained their composure and looked over, just as Ji You came out of his room.
"Why did you only come today?"
"The first few days of the Tiandao Conference are banquets, and we're not among the invited. Staying an extra day would be a pure waste of money. Coming today saved us two days' worth of lodging. Why wouldn't we?"
Cao Jinsong said with a shrewd expression after hearing this.
Ban Yangshu also looked at Ji You, "How have you been these past two days, Junior Brother?"
"Pretty good. Eating and drinking, and not having to spend money, it's more comfortable than extorting money at Tianshu Academy. It's just that business isn't easy to develop; I haven't met a single customer these past few days."
However, the good thing was that he could see a tsundere every day, Ji You couldn't help but add in his heart.
Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi had just shifted their gaze back from the opposite small building, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Junior Brother, who was the woman in that small building just now?"
"Someone from Lingjian Mountain."
Wen Zhengxin was a bit surprised after hearing this. "So it was a Disciple from Lingjian Mountain. I wonder why her Aura is so extraordinary and refined."
Ji You glanced at the second floor opposite. "It's not strange. After all, she's the Master Jian. It's only natural for her to have some Aura."
.
"?!"
Upon hearing this, the four suddenly turned their heads, their eyes slowly widening. Seeing that Ji You wasn't joking, they all showed almost identical expressions of shock.
What the hell, someone from Lingjian Mountain is so nonchalant.
They thought she was some female Disciple who had been in seclusion for too long!
Then, without waiting for Ji You to speak, the four instantly rushed out the door, continuing to gaze at the second floor they had just seen.
No wonder that woman was like a goddess descended to the mortal world; just a familiar glance could be so imposing that it made people unable to look up. So that was Yan Shuyi, the next Sect Master of Lingjian Mountain.
The most powerful woman in Qingyun World, the only wielder of a spiritual artifact among the direct Disciples, and the youngest Wujiang Realm expert in a thousand years.
They had just had the good fortune to meet such a figure, yet they hadn't even realized it!
However, after the four searched for a long time, they found that the person from Lingjian Mountain seemed to have already turned around and returned to her room, leaving only the empty second floor.
Seeing this, the four instantly looked at Ji You with some anger.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier that she was the Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain?"
Ji You thought, 'Are you blaming me?' "You didn't ask earlier either."
Wen Zhengxin's expression was full of regret. "Such a figure, I'm afraid this might be the only time I'll ever see her in this life, and I didn't expect it to be such an unintentional encounter."
Ji You thought, 'What's the big deal? There will be plenty of opportunities to see her in the future. After all, you are all offerings who pay money to work in my Ji Village. Maybe you'll even see a mini version of the little Master Jian later.'
Thinking of the mini version of the little Master Jian, Ji Hanfei couldn't help but recall the scene in the bamboo forest.
When he played 'stick beats tiger, chicken eats worm' just now, he played a 'stick', which must have reminded her of something.
Pei Ruyi looked at the opposite small building and couldn't help but wonder, "It's a bit strange. Why would a Disciple from Tianshu Academy live with someone from Lingjian Mountain?"
"Perhaps there's some hidden connection, the kind that's unknown. But even if there isn't, there's nothing strange about it. The Chen Clan and the Mountain and Sea Pavilion have a mountain-encircling feud, yet they still live next door."
"In that case, your luck is really good, to be able to live so close to such a figure."
"If you can become even stronger, maybe you can get even closer."
Ban Yangshu also sighed at this moment, "What was your reaction the first time you saw the Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain opposite you?"
Ji You thought for a long time before speaking, "She is truly a perfect match for me."
"?"
Upon hearing this, the four instantly became serious, and without prior agreement, they moved three steps away from him, and loudly declared to the empty, uninhabited small building that they had no connection whatsoever with Ji You.
It wasn't until they confirmed that there was no movement from the opposite small building that they felt slightly relieved, and couldn't help but gasp at Ji You's audaciousness.
"Next time before you speak, notify this Instructor first."
"Why?"
"So I can clean house in advance, lest I get splattered."
After Cao Jinsong finished speaking, he was the first to step into the room, looking around. A faint sourness welled up in his heart.
This is what a room should be like! Unlike the inn they were staying in, where there was only enough space for a bed and a stool, and nothing else could fit, and it was ridiculously expensive.
Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi were also wandering around the room at this moment, particularly interested in the furnishings.
However, as they wandered, their footsteps suddenly paused, and they inevitably saw a pair of shoes placed by Ji You's bed, with two scattered white socks beside them.
Seeing this, the two Fairies couldn't help but hold their breath, then exchanged glances, and turned to look at Ji You with strange expressions, thinking that the service at this Tiandao Conference was a bit too thorough.
Ji You followed their gaze and quickly spotted the shoes and socks on the floor, realizing that Yan Shuyi had left barefoot again. So, with a surge of Spiritual Qi, he collected the shoes and socks with lightning speed.
Wen Zhengxin looked at him with interest, "Junior Brother is very interested, even in broad daylight." Ji You also looked at them, momentarily unsure if "broad daylight" should be understood as an adjective or a verb.
At this moment, Pei Ruyi suddenly tugged on Wen Zhengxin's sleeve, her gaze directed towards the tea table.
There were two teacups on the table, both still steaming, indicating they had just been poured.
They exchanged glances and then looked around the left and right sides of the house, searching every corner.
In their opinion, the woman in the room might not have left yet. The tea was evidence, and so were the shoes and socks, and they hadn't seen anyone leave when they arrived.
However, after searching for a while, neither of them found anyone, and a hint of confusion appeared on their faces.
Cao Jinsong and Ban Yangshu, having recovered from admiring the room's exquisite decor, looked at Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi's expressions and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"There were a woman's freshly removed shoes and socks by Junior Brother's bed, and we thought there was still a woman in the room."
"?"
Cao Jinsong's eyes instantly became strange after hearing this. "Wicked Disciple, you're not idle at all even when attending the Tiandao Conference, are you? And you still claim to be a virgin? Don't tarnish our virgins' reputation."
Ban Yangshu nodded profoundly, feeling that he and Instructor Cao had somewhat similar insights. Ji You couldn't help but glance at the opposite small building, thinking that his reputation as a pure virgin was ruined by Yan Shuyi.
However, Cao Jinsong and the others' purpose for coming here was naturally not to worry about Ji You's private life. As they chatted, the topic shifted to tomorrow's battles.
Ji You took out the folded document and handed it to them, prompting the four to examine it.
The Tiandao Conference's competition format was somewhat complex. Due to the large number of participants, the grouping was varied, and it took the few of them a long time to understand how participants could win.
"Your first match isn't until tomorrow afternoon? It seems we arrived just in time.
Ji You poured tea as he said, “There are too many Tong Xuan Realm participants, and my group is later, so I was scheduled for tomorrow. However, even though it’s one day later, I won’t miss a single match.”
Cao Jinsong listened, then glanced at the roster: “Six people fighting, three will be chosen. How will the remaining three fight?”
“One of the three will have a bye, waiting for the other two to determine a winner, and then challenge them. In any case, only one will enter the second round, which is somewhat similar to defending a Arena .”
‘......
As the setting sun dipped in the west, another sound of footsteps echoed through Rusheng Garden.
He Lingxiu and the others returned, and the Disciples of the Master's Courtyard also returned in turn, along with several Elders, all gathered in the courtyard at this time.
Shi Junhao, Chai Ze, Wang Gaocen, and Yu Shiliu all had their first matches today, winning all four battles, earning great praise from the Master's Courtyard and several Elders.
Although this was like Yan Hao’s match against Lu Qifeng—just an appetizer for the entire Tiandao Conference—they believed a good start would surely be a good omen.
In addition, they also discussed the performance of other Immortal Sect and Worldly Family Disciples, as well as some intelligence secretly gathered.
After last night's Juxian Banquet, they all observed the unique Spiritual Qi flow of closed-door cultivation for breakthroughs, knowing that someone was undoubtedly planning a breakthrough before battle. Today, they gained some insight into this.
There was a fifty-year-old Elder named Lin Hong, from a Worldly Family in Yong Province, who successfully broke through last night at midnight, entering the Sky Soaring Initial Realm.
This person had felt a cultivation Bottleneck several years ago and had little confidence in his future path, so he placed all his hopes on the Xianxian Holy Land. It is said that he decided a year ago to suppress his Realm for the Tiandao Conference, until now.
The Aptitude of cultivators leads to different times for each person to reach the same Realm, and the Tiandao Conference does not limit age, only Realm, which results in many old-timers appearing.
This person posed a threat to He Lingxiu and the others.
Because surpassing a major Realm threshold leads to an unpredictable increase in combat power.
As for the Tong Xuan Realm, three had also broken through to the Integration Realm Upper Realm. However, the good news was that they were not in the same groups as the four Tong Xuan Realm cultivators from Tianshu Academy, meaning that the four would at least not encounter them in the first round.
However, this was only based on the first day's comparisons.
Only four people successfully broke through before the competition, which does not mean that only four people were attempting such a breakthrough.
Because, according to the Spiritual Qi flow last night, at least one-tenth of the participants would successfully break through during the competition.
In Gu Zetao’s group, there was a cultivator named Lu Xiuwen, who was said to be one of those secretly attempting a breakthrough. Although he hadn't succeeded yet, the risk of his existence could not be ruled out.
At this moment, the returning crowd saw Cao Jinsong and the other three drinking tea by the window of Ji You’s residence.
Ji You was a lone cultivator who entered the Immortal Sect and had always been a solitary figure. Even at the Juxian Banquet, his presence seemed very lonely. This time, someone finally came to watch and cheer him on.
Although the Tiandao Conference matches were not judged by the number of spectators behind them, Aura could sometimes affect one's Dao Heart.
In the eyes of those with powerful backgrounds, Ji You seemed to be fighting a lonely battle.
Cao Jinsong and the other three then left the small courtyard. After all, they had traveled all night and needed to return to rest.
Ji You saw them off to the outside of Rusheng Garden, and when he returned, He Lingxiu called out to him.
“Ji *Shidi* (Junior Brother Ji), did you not go out to watch the matches today?”
“I did. I left shortly after you did and chose a random arena to watch a match.”
“You only watched one match?”
Ji You nodded: “I came back in the afternoon. Cao Instructor and the others happened to be here, so I drank some tea and chatted for a while.”
As he spoke, Qin Zhangshi of the Master's Courtyard spoke to him, repeating what he had told Wang Gaocen and Yu Shiliu earlier, mainly about the Tong Xuan Realm cultivators who might break through on the verge of the competition.
Ji You listened thoughtfully, then thanked him and turned to return to his room.
Seeing this, Shi Junhao couldn't help but purse his lips: “This Ji You doesn't seem to have any sense of urgency. One must know that those who can participate in the Tiandao Conference are not the same caliber as Liu Qichen and Wu Zhen, whom he previously defeated.”
He Lingxiu pursed her lips: “His temperament has always been like this.”
During their casual conversation, the Disciples of Lingjian Mountain also returned from outside.
All of their participants who fought today won, only Gongshu Chou took a bit longer. On one hand, it was because his opponent was quite strong, and on the other hand, it was because he stayed up late writing a book last night.
Worldly Family Disciples were, after all, still a bit inferior when facing Immortal Sect Disciples.
No one was surprised by such a result.
The Tiandao Conference had always been like this; the final spots usually fell into the hands of Immortal Sects. Only exceptionally rare Worldly Family Geniuses could claim a spot, but their proportion was not very high.
Ji You watched the Lingjian Mountain Disciples leave, then entered his room.
He wasn't very familiar with the Worldly Sect of Kyushu, so when the Master's Courtyard told him to pay attention to this and that, he couldn't match who was who. He could only return and look through the match rosters to determine their groups.
After a long time of looking, he glanced at the deep night outside the window, feeling that it was already quite late.
According to his usual schedule, he should have completed a Body Refining session by now and would be about to undress for a bath. However, due to Cao Jinsong's visit today, his time was delayed.
He had another match tomorrow, so he didn't plan to continue today.
Ji You closed the roster, poured out the tea, washed the teapot, and was about to get up to sleep, but as soon as he took a step, he froze instantly.
At this moment, a faint ripple appeared in the air not far away, followed by silently surging Mystic Light.
The barefooted little Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain silently arrived in his room, landing right in front of his bathtub, pretending to casually glance at the tub several times.
Upon finding no one in the bathtub, Yan Shu slightly paused, then turned her head and discovered Ji You sitting at the tea table. She instantly froze in place, feigning composure, as if ready to obliterate everything.
Ji You's mouth twitched. He thought to himself, 'This tsundere really calculates precisely, both time and location.'
The little Master Jian turned to him at this moment: “You, a strange man I’ve only met a few times, give back my shoes and socks.”
“Master Jian, you are the next Sect Master of Lingjian Mountain, yet you only have one pair of shoes and socks, and you even have to come in the middle of the night to retrieve them, choosing such a perfectly timed and located moment.”
“How I conduct my affairs is none of your business, you mere Disciple of Tianshu Academy.”
Yan Shu’s tone was flat, righteous, and carried a hint of fierceness.
If she wanted to watch him bathe, she should just watch him bathe. She even intentionally left her shoes here as a cover-up.
Ji You sighed inwardly and stood up. He then took out the shoes and socks he had put away earlier from the cabinet, and as he walked over, he also pulled a towel from the basin rack.
The little Master Jian had already sat on the floor, waiting to put on her shoes, when she suddenly felt her feet being lifted, and then a warm, damp towel was placed on the soles of her feet.
“You little dirty feet—”
Ji You was currently on the ground, gently rubbing and washing her feet, then individually cleaning her round and smooth toes.
Watching his gentle and meticulous manner, the little Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain was stunned for a long time. It wasn't until she heard Ji You say her feet were dirty that she narrowed her eyes, unable to resist kicking him twice with her legs.
Ding Yao returned to the small building in Rusheng Garden very late because she had also gone to watch the matches.
She watched two matches of the Lingjian Mountain Disciples and three matches of other Sects, one of which was from Tianshu Academy.
Just as she entered the small building, Ding Yao suddenly heard a faint, almost imperceptible melody and couldn't help but pause slightly, then looked at Zhuo Wanqiu, who was approaching with a cup of tea.
“Who is humming? It sounds like a folk song from our Ling Province.”
“Shh, it’s Master Jian.”
“Why is Master Jian so happy today?”
“She went to find the Young Master and just came back.”
Ding Yao glanced at the dark sky, then at Master Jian’s room: “Young Master Ji has another match tomorrow, yet he only watched one match and played with Master Jian until so late. Isn't that a bit too relaxed?”
Zhuo Wanqiu looked at Ding Yao: “Are you afraid the Young Master will lose?”
“The Young Master is naturally a Prodigy, but those who can participate in the Tiandao Conference are not ordinary people either. I'm just afraid the Young Master might underestimate his opponents too much. If he wants to marry Master Jian, he needs to enter the Xianxian Holy Land even more than others, and he also said he would cut down some of Tianjian Peak’s prestige for Master Jian, so he should be more cautious.”
