Chapter 259: The Night Watchman
Because there were traces to follow, Dou Yuankong’s whereabouts were quickly investigated thoroughly.
He was last seen in Nanming City, Wanquan Commandery, Feng Province, but at that time, he had already left the city gate by carriage, and judging by the direction,
He was likely heading to Anyuan City, famous for its winemaking.
And this road was not too far from where his old servant, the household head, was found.
But soon, with the confirmation of Dou Yuankong’s final destination, rumors about the matter gradually subsided.
No more news came from either Shengjing or Tianshu Academy.
It was not until three days later that some Worldly Family Disciples brought up the matter again, and the final clues regarding the search for Dou Yuankong’s whereabouts gradually spread.
“Found him?”
“Yes, it’s said he went to a winery. The winery owner said he drank too much and insisted on finding a songstress, then stumbled off. The area around the winery is all mountains and wilderness, so the owner said he might have wandered into the mountains in a daze.”
“So, it was just bad Luck? Unrelated to the Evil Seed matter? After all this trouble, how could this be the result?”
“It’s a good thing it’s not man-made disaster. Do you want another demonic Daoist to appear?”
Ji You had been in the Inner Courtyard’s scripture hall for the past few days, poring over records about the Integration Dao, wondering if there was a way to achieve Integration Dao without going through the Heart-Questioning Array.
The result, as expected, was that he found nothing.
For thousands of years, the Cultivation system of cultivators has always been fixed; those who Cultivate as abstractly as him are rare.
In addition, he also looked at records about Xianxian Holy Land, and some history of the Lasting Peace Race, including previous generations’ research on the Evil Seed.
Xianxian Holy Land is the place where the Human Race’s Luck revived; this was no different from what he had heard before.
And within the shattered space of the Holy Land, there were indeed Heavenly Dao altars and Human Race ancestral temples.
As for the Lasting Peace Race, there was less information, and some things were difficult to verify.
He had also been following the matter concerning Dou Yuankong.
Because this matter was discussed daily, he didn't even need to inquire deliberately; the information would simply drift into his ears.
While Ji You was flipping through the book in his hand, Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu arrived at the scripture hall. Both of them had personally experienced the Evil Seed incident, so they were naturally very concerned about this matter.
Upon hearing the investigation results of the Dou Yuankong incident, the two hurried to find Ji You.
Seeing Ji You flipping through books in the scripture hall, Wen Zhengxin couldn't help but recall the rumor that Dou Yuankong could only last a dozen thrusts each time.
Ji *Shidi*’s body, he estimated, could probably withstand thousands of Dou Yuankong and still have more to spare.
“Ji *Shidi*, have you heard about Dou Yuankong’s matter?”
Ban Yangshu sat next to him at this moment: “It’s said that his disappearance has nothing to do with the Evil Seed matter; it was purely his own bad Luck.”
Ji You looked at the two at this moment: “Have you noticed that although there’s news circulating, those who went outside the Sect haven’t returned?”
Ban Yangshu paused slightly: “?”
“I feel it’s fake, a deliberately spread fake news.”
“This—it shouldn’t be, right?”
Ji You looked at Ban Yangshu’s uncertain expression, reached out and closed the book: “The Master's Courtyard dispatched two groups of Disciples this time separately,
Don’t you think this is very similar to the arrangement when we went to Qi Ridge?”
Hearing this, Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu exchanged glances, suddenly understanding Ji You’s meaning.
When the incident at Qi Ridge occurred, they were sent out as pioneers to investigate, and it wasn't until it was confirmed that there was an Immortal opportunity in the ruins that the Seven Great Immortal Sects sent out a second group of people to contend for the Immortal opportunity.
In other words, when the Master's Courtyard sent out Disciples for the second time, it was highly likely that they had found some clues linking Dou Yuankong to the Evil Seed matter.
Otherwise, the high and mighty Immortal Sects would not have made such a big fuss.
Wen Zhengxin opened his mouth, and after regaining his composure, he couldn’t help but lower his voice: “Could it be that they found something that cannot be made public? And then used a false result to quell discussions about this matter?”
“There should be such a possibility.”
“What could it be then?”
Ji You shook his head: “I don’t know, but there are many things in Qingyun World that cannot be made public, such as those inherited techniques,
And the method of Integration Dao, it’s nothing new. I’m just afraid it’s either a blessing or a disaster.”
Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin exchanged glances, then pursed their lips: “What the Seven Great Immortal Sects care about must be a major matter. It’s better not to know, anyway, small figures like us cannot participate.”
Hearing their words, Ji You gently placed his hand on the desk.
The Seven Great Immortal Sects held sway over the world, always leading the Human Race to survive in the world as the true power holders.
Small figures indeed cannot participate in the matters they plan, but the problem is that the things they decide may not always be good, and that is what is most worrying.
Now that Feng Province has just developed, the lives of the common people are already quite good; what is most feared is the occurrence of unexpected events.
However, for a self-Cultivating individual from the countryside like himself, being able to save a few more children from dying in this world was already beyond his initial expectations.
One must know that his initial idea was merely to find a bandit lair to be a hall master, and occasionally rob the rich to help the poor.
Wen Zhengxin also saw the book about Integration Dao on the table at this moment, and couldn't help but glance at Ji You upon seeing it.
Ji You had stayed in her courtyard for a while previously. At that time, he was undergoing Integration Dao, and then Ji You resolutely embarked on the path of Body Refining.
He publicly declared that he was interested in Body Refining, and even said that a good man should have a good Physical Body, but Wen Zhengxin had always felt that Ji You was unable to achieve Integration Dao. Now, seeing the books he had read, she felt a slight confirmation in her heart.
Just then, Ban Yangshu’s voice suddenly sounded by her ear.
“What book is Junior Brother reading?”
“?”
Wen Zhengxin turned her head and saw that Ji You had a book in his hand, with three characters written on the cover—The Night Watchman.
Ji You picked up the book, pondered for a long time, and then spoke: “Do you know if there was ever a concept called the Night Watchman in Qingyun World?”
Wen Zhengxin frowned: “I haven’t heard of any Night Watchman.”
“It seems it really is a story fabricated based on a real-world background.”
“Fabricated? What is Junior Brother researching?”
“Nothing, just casually looking—”
After chatting for a while, Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu then left.
Just as they said, even if Dou Yuankong was truly related to the Evil Seed, this matter was ultimately not something they could participate in.
When everyone was discussing, it was fine to join the fun, but if something unexpected truly happened,
They could only pray that this matter would not have any perilous follow-ups.
Seeing Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin leave, Ji You looked back at the “The Night Watchman” in his hand.
He found this while looking up information. Initially, he was attracted by the name, feeling it was quite exciting, so he picked it up casually.
This book was placed on the bookshelf where Body Refining Cultivation Techniques were stored, and Body Refining was in the deepest part of the entire scripture hall. This book was in the very corner, making it truly difficult for ordinary people to find.
After all, Body Refining Cultivation Techniques have always been considered unorthodox, and no one would specifically come to read them.
Even Ji You had never noticed this corner within a corner before.
“The Night Watchman” does not talk about the history of Qingyun World; it is more like a story from a folk tale novel.
When he first opened it, Ji You even thought the book had been misplaced by someone.
There is a legend in the story that says there is a terrifying night in this world, and within the night lie countless dangers, man-eating demons, and world-ending disasters.
However, people do not worry about the arrival of night, because the world they live in has the existence of Night Watchmen.
This is a profession that has existed since ancient times, as old as the history of Sacred Artifacts appearing in the world.
Each generation of Night Watchmen originated from Tianshu Academy, and their Legacy, like that of these Tianshu Academy Disciples, also came from the Heavenly Book’s Spiritual Enlightenment.
However, Night Watchmen do not live in Tianshu Academy; instead, they guard the deep mountains alone, resisting the descent of demons and disasters. Apart from the Seven Great Immortal Sects, they are largely unknown.
The reason Ji You considered it a folk tale novel was because the writing style of this book was like a folk tale.
Moreover, he not only asked Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu, but also an elderly Elder who managed the scripture hall, and he too had never heard the name Night Watchman in reality.
And when Ji You saw “guarding alone” and “until death,” he couldn’t help but complain, thinking to himself that there was such a grueling profession in the world, one that even a dog wouldn't do.
Indeed, only those who write folk tale novels could come up with such a plot.
Because if this were in the real Qingyun World, if the Night Watchmen had the ability to resist demons, they would surely establish a new Immortal Sect and lord over everyone.
However, as he read further, he fell silent.
Because the story said that in order to have enough combat power to guard this world, the Night Watchmen all took the path of Body Refining to Perfection, achieving a realm through their Physical Body.
The way things are in the world is so strange; when he specifically looked for Body Refining information, he found nothing, but now he found some relevant scattered words in a storybook.
Because of this one sentence, Ji You was lost in thought for a long time.
This story was written too mystically, with a very exaggerated feel, looking as if Gongshu Chou had written it.
But the information revealed in this sentence made him feel as if there was some kind of correspondence in the dark.
Because the Body Refining Cultivation Technique he had cultivated haphazardly was almost identical to what was described in this book.
Everyone in the world thought he was a self-cultivator from the countryside, without a Family Legacy, but in fact, only he himself knew that he had a Legacy.
His Legacy lay in the half-scroll of Immortal Book he had picked up in that dense forest back then.
However, he had never found the origin of that half-scroll of Heavenly Book, nor had he heard of similar Body Refining methods, but at this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of connection.
If the Night Watchmen truly existed, then what he cultivated was likely their Cultivation Technique.
Ji You closed the book at this moment and sat quietly in the Library Pavilion, contemplating.
Initially, to save Qiu Ru, he broke through two realms overnight, then coughed up blood for several days, and his Spirit Origin shattered.
He had always thought that was the result of a backlash, but if what he cultivated was truly the Body Refining to Perfection of the Night Watchman lineage, then it meant this was not a backlash.
This was very likely the correct path of cultivation for this Night Watchman lineage.
From Qi Enlightenment, Subtle Illumination, and then to Condensation, the hidden force of the Cultivation Technique had already laid groundwork within his body; when the lower three were at Perfection, the Spirit Origin would naturally shatter, allowing Spiritual Qi to infuse his entire body, laying the foundation for Body Forging.
This made sense.
Because after Ji You entered Tianshu Academy, he had checked many rumors of shattered Spirit Origin, and without exception, they all resulted in death and the dissipation of the Dao.
If it weren't for the Body Refining to Perfection technique, he feared he would have met the same fate.
However, why would he obtain the Legacy of the Night Watchmen?
Could it be that a Night Watchman once passed through Feng Province, accidentally lost half a scroll of an Immortal Book, and he picked it up?
Where are they guarding now?
Ji You had always been quite lonely, mainly because he couldn't find a sense of belonging.
Old Qiu called him Young Master, but he knew clearly that he was not that Young Master Ji.
As for Tianshu Academy, forget it.
His sense of belonging to Tianshu Academy was not as high as to Lingjian Mountain, after all, there was a tsundere in Lingjian Mountain.
And after learning that there was a Night Watchman lineage in the Qingyun World, Ji You's heart suddenly felt a slight sense of belonging.
This was not only because they might Cultivate the same Cultivation Technique, but also partly because, according to the story,
These Night Watchmen seemed to be good people.
I wonder if there will be a chance to meet them in the future?
However, the lonely and arduous work of guarding a mountain by oneself is not for him; he isn't very suitable. He can't even sit still in Tianshu Academy, let alone in the mountains.
Honestly, this kind of solitary night watch work is truly not something just anyone can do.
Ji You pondered in the Library Pavilion for a while, then closed the book and walked out of the Library Pavilion.
Knowing the possible source of his Legacy, Ji You actually felt a certain degree of peace of mind.
Because earlier, he had always felt that choosing Body Refining was a last resort, especially since everyone around him said that Body Refining was a heterodox path, making him constantly worry that this path would be a dead end.
But now it seems, he wasn't cultivating aimlessly.
The Legacy of the Night Watchmen also came from the Heavenly Book, yet it was different from Dao cultivation, which could also explain why his perception of the Heavenly Book was different from others.
Ji Bochang, indeed, has some Luck. He could Cultivate something he picked up casually to such an extent, and even picked up a great beauty.
However, why he saw Yan Shuyi in the Heavenly Book, Ji You still didn't know the answer.
In the following days, Ji You paid considerable attention to matters concerning the Night Watchmen, asking many trustworthy people around him, and even specifically checking the books in Tianshu Academy's collection.
The information obtained was very little, even less than a single page in that book.
Cao Jinsong was also asked by him, but had no information to provide: “What are Night Watchmen?”
“Instructor, it seems you still know very little about this world.”
“?”
Ji You didn't press the question further but changed the topic: “Instructor, have you received your monthly salary?”
Cao Jinsong immediately waved his hand: “No, not a single cent.”
“That's not right, it seems to have passed the day for monthly salary disbursement?”
“The Master's Courtyard currently only has a few resident Disciples; the others haven't returned yet, so the monthly salary distribution has been postponed.”
Ji You frowned upon hearing this: “The people from the Master's Courtyard haven't returned yet?”
Cao Jinsong nodded, his expression also becoming a bit more serious.
Ji You thought that Dou Yuankong encountering an Evil Seed due to bad Luck was false, and Instructor Cao also knew about this.
In fact, he originally thought the rogue Disciple was exaggerating, but after noticing that the Master's Courtyard Disciples had not returned for a long time, he actually began to feel a bit uneasy.
However, within a few days, Ji You received a note from Kuang Cheng, inviting him down the mountain.
Ji You then descended the mountain to Kuang Cheng's courtyard and saw Kuang Cheng looking at him with a somewhat solemn expression.
“Brother Ji, did you hear about Dou Yuankong a few days ago?”
“I heard about it. They said he was unlucky because he got drunk and wandered into the mountain forest, got lost, and somehow ended up in Sanli County, where he then encountered an Evil Seed.”
Kuang Cheng looked at Ji You at this moment: “It's not that simple.”
Ji You raised his eyes and looked at him: “What else did you find out?”
“I have a colleague who just returned from Anyuan City; he passed through there on the way.”
“Could it be that there's no so-called winery there?”
Kuang Cheng shook his head: “There is a winery, but there's only wine and no people inside, as if they vanished into thin air. Either this winery had no people before, or they disappeared after the Seven Great Immortal Sects visited, but the truth is definitely not as they say.”
If the winery had no people before, then there would be no boss to tell of Dou Yuankong's whereabouts.
If the people disappeared after the Seven Great Immortal Sects visited, then it means there are some things the Immortal Sects do not want the outside world to know.
Ji You had already guessed this earlier and was not surprised: “Are the Seven Great Immortal Sects' external representatives still in Anyuan City?”
“No longer. According to my colleague, there are no cultivators in Anyuan City now.”
“But they haven't returned either.”
In fact, Ji You had already sent a letter to Lingjian Mountain after learning about this matter.
In his opinion, whether this matter was concealed or not, Yan Shu would surely know what happened.
However, he had not received a reply until now.
So, in the following days, Ji You continuously engaged in Body Refining.
Having learned that he wasn't cultivating haphazardly, he was no longer as cautious as before. He continued to Cultivate until autumn approached.
Ji You and Kuang Cheng left Tianshu Academy together.
With the Heavenly Dao Conference and cultivation in the Xianxian Holy Land, another autumn passed in the blink of an eye.
For the two of them, there were some major world affairs they could not interfere with, and even if they worried, it wouldn't have much meaning, but the autumn harvest in Feng Province was something they should do.
“Ji You is back in Feng Province again?”
“Isn't autumn approaching again? He goes back around this time every year, doesn't he?”
The discussions about Ji You in Tianshu Academy had originally ceased, but after learning of Ji You's return, a new wave of discussion suddenly arose.
Because almost everyone knew that his return to Feng Province this time was for the autumn harvest.
This matter seemed very important to him; he even had to make time to return during the Heavenly Dao Conference he attended previously.
The reason he was paid attention to this time was mainly because Ji You was still at Profound Communication after coming out of the Xianxian Holy Land, so in their view, those Immortal Villas that had once succumbed to Ji You's intimidation might no longer be so cooperative.
But what they didn't expect was that the true situation was not like that.
The Disciples from those Immortal Villas in Feng Province were basically all from the major Worldly Families in the north.
Therefore, they had sufficient channels to know what happened after Ji You returned.
It is said that after Ji You's first return, he rested for a day, then went to visit the larger Worldly Families in Feng Province.
At that time, the attitudes of these Immortal Villas were not good; even the gatekeepers who opened the door had cold expressions.
What was surprising was that when Ji You came out, the previous coldness was completely gone; not only did the Villa Master personally see him off, but they were also all bowing and scraping.
