Chapter 301: Dan Sect in Trouble
Ji You's original intention was to find the Night Watcher and clarify the path of Body Refining, but to his surprise, what he ultimately found was news of a death from a hundred years ago.
This indeed resolved many questions.
For instance, why, despite the Night Watcher clearly originating from Tianshu Academy, did so many people he asked at Tianshu Academy have no knowledge of him?
Because over a hundred years, many traces can indeed be erased.
There was also that half-scroll of Immortal Book he had picked up; his biggest question at the time was how such a thing could be casually discarded in the wilderness.
Now he understood that if a person died, it was no longer strange where their belongings ended up.
But at the same time, this answer also raised many new questions.
For example, if the Night Watcher truly guarded the four directions, why would an Immortal Sect make a move against him?
Also, why did such an important figure as the Night Watcher truly fail to cause any ripples after his death, and why did only one opera troupe in this world still remember him?
The most crucial and terrifying question was: if the Night Watcher's Legacy was broken, then what about the night they had guarded for generations?
Ji You stayed awake all night, pondering these questions, but he couldn't find any answers.
This was, after all, an old matter from over a hundred years ago.
If not for the serendipitous Opportunity of encountering an opera troupe performing a funeral for an Immortal, perhaps this old matter would never have been known to him.
The practical impact of knowing or not knowing was not significant; the only certainty was that his current cultivation path, primarily focused on Body Refining, would likely require him to re-explore it from scratch.
Listening to the spring rain all night in the small building, dew from bamboo tips wet the morning crows.
In the early morning, after the rain had cleared, Ji You rose from his bed and, after washing, came to the courtyard.
Since the matter of the Night Watcher had reached a conclusion, he no longer needed to search for him. Next, he would focus on Body Refining, continuing to break through Realms, and thus decided to bid farewell to the opera troupe.
However, when he arrived in the courtyard, he saw the troupe leader, Xiao Hua Dan, Wu Sheng, and the old performer sitting together, whispering about something, their faces filled with unease.
“Good morning, everyone.”
The troupe leader looked up at the sound, saw Ji You walking towards them, and said, “Young Master, did you sleep well last night?”
Ji You nodded: “Not bad. The spring rain startles spring, it has a unique elegance.”
“Fengxian steamed pumpkin early this morning. Would Young Master like some?”
“No, a cup of morning tea will suffice. After drinking it, I will be on my way.”
The troupe leader was somewhat surprised: “Young Master is leaving already?”
Ji You sat on a stool and poured himself a cup of tea: “I have already heard the story's ending. There's no need to dwell on some matters; I still have things to do.”
“After you finish your tea, we will see Young Master off. The post station in Pingxi County is in a secluded alley and not so easy to find.”
“Thank you.”
As Ji You drank his tea, he suddenly noticed that Xiao Hua Dan's expression was somewhat uneasy, and the Wu Sheng and the old performer were the same. After observing for a while, he couldn't help but ask, “It's just morning, why do you all look so distraught?”
Everyone exchanged glances and couldn't help but purse their lips.
They felt that since Ji You could hear the last, uncirculated play, it meant their Grandmaster believed him to be trustworthy, so they didn't hide anything.
“Young Master, you don't know, but after we left Central Province, it seems the Lang Family has fallen into disarray.”
Ji You was somewhat surprised upon hearing this: “Disarray?”
The troupe leader took over the conversation: “The Immortal's funeral needed to last nine days, but our play only ran for eight, didn't it? So, before leaving, I didn't dare ask for payment. I only left a message with a miscellaneous goods store called Liuzi in Kangle Commandery, thinking I'd collect the money after the matter was over, and then things happened.”
Xiao Hua Dan couldn't help but interject: “Liuzi's message arrived this morning, saying that the Lang Family's Old Ancestor truly rose from the dead and even bit one of the family's Disciple to death.”
“What do you mean, rose from the dead?”
“We don't know what's going on, we're just terribly scared.”
As Xiao Hua Dan spoke, she couldn't help but huddle up.
The young Wu Sheng also turned pale: “Liuzi probably won't be coming back. That's how it is when you eat the Immortal family's food; although you earn more than others, what you have to bear is the risk of life and death. One misstep and you might lose your life in the Yellow Springs.”
After pondering for a while, Ji You looked up at them again: “Truly rose from the dead? So you already thought he might rise from the dead before? Why is that?”
Xiao Hua Dan spoke up: “Young Master, you don't know, but that day when the Lang Family told us to leave, they specifically asked if we had performed any plays about bringing the dead back to life. I found it strange at the time and suspected if he had risen from the dead. Also, Brother Qiu, he saw a figure in the mourning hall when he was performing inside.”
The Wu Sheng immediately waved his hand: “I just caught a glimpse in a hurry, I didn't see clearly, so I can't say for sure.”
Listening to their words, Ji You's brows gradually furrowed.
There was no concept of Reincarnation in the Qingyun World, and rising from the dead was merely a folk saying. He had never heard of such a thing happening to a Cultivator.
Rising after death?
Could it be some secret technique for extending life? Ji You held his teacup, pondered for a long time, then put it down.
The matter of the Night Watcher had already exhausted his mind, and he had no desire to delve too deeply into other matters. He merely told everyone that Cultivators had countless secret methods, and perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.
The others didn't understand cultivation matters and could only comfort each other.
After finishing morning tea and seeing the frail Grandmaster again, he formally bid farewell to everyone and left the courtyard with the troupe leader.
They headed to the post station in the city.
“The journey ahead is long and arduous. May Young Master travel safely.”
“Thank you, Troupe Leader. We shall meet again if fate allows.”
“We shall meet again.”
Ji You bid farewell to the troupe leader and boarded the post station's carriage.
He needed to go to Baiyang City in Qing Province first.
Although Pingxi County was located in Yun Province, the nearest large city was Baiyang City, in the southwest of Qing Province.
Ji You had run out of Spirit Stones, and only Baiyang City had Spirit Stone shops.
Additionally, he had left his address in Kangle City, arranging for incoming letters to be forwarded to Baiyang City for him to sign for.
Besides purchasing Spirit Stones this time, he also wanted to check if any messages had arrived.
In the early morning, the carriage moved slowly, and Ji You had already closed his eyes, entering a meditative state to restore his spirit.
The official road from Pingyang County to Yun Province was about an hour's journey, and during that time, it was all bumpy dirt roads.
By the time they reached the official road, the sun had begun to disperse the mist and was slowly rising.
However, just as the sun reached its zenith, Ji You suddenly felt a deviation, so he interrupted his meditation and opened his eyes.
He found that the carriage he was riding in had veered to the left.
“Move aside! Move aside!”
“Immortal Sect traveling, idlers keep away!”
A whistling sound approached from far to near, and the Magical Artifacts installed on the carriages quickly generated a strong wind.
Ji You lifted the curtain and looked out, discovering it was a convoy from the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion passing by, with their high-flying Immortal Sect banners fluttering in the wind.
It was only after the convoy had passed for a long time that the coachman dared to steer his carriage back onto the correct path.
Ji You didn't pay attention to this until they crossed the border of Yun Province and entered Qing Province, when the carriage deviated again.
The roads in Yun Province were relatively wide because they were used for Spirit Stone transportation, but Qing Province was different.
The official roads in this area were inherently narrow, and a slight deviation pulled the carriage directly down the slope of the road.
The coachman was still chattering away in front, boasting about his excellent driving skills.
Ji You didn't reply, but instead watched as a convoy bearing the Chen Clan banner drove past, his brows slightly furrowed.
Immortal Sect Disciples usually sat in deep mountains for years and would not travel with such a large entourage unless something important had happened.
Moreover, Cultivators could control Spiritual Qi to fly, so they wouldn't choose means of transport for short distances. Only for long journeys, fearing their Spiritual Qi might run out, would they choose carriages or Immortal boats.
Now, it was both the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion and the Chen Clan, and their direction seemed to be the same. Could it be that something else had happened?
As he pondered, the carriage slowly entered Baiyang City in Qing Province.
Upon entering the city gate, Ji You saw the carriages that had passed earlier were resting.
The stable boy at the post station fed the horses hay in the street, and then the Immortal Sect Disciples didn't linger, successively boarding their carriages and heading south.
Ji You jumped down from the carriage, paid the coachman silver, and continued to watch the departing carriages.
They were not ordinary Sect outsiders traveling; some of the people inside had quite high cultivation.
He watched for a long time until the carriages disappeared down the long street. Ji You then turned and went to the Spirit Stone shop in the city, spending a large sum of hard-earned money.
Body Refining was a trap.
Ji You counted the banknotes, muttering under his breath.
When he first chose Body Refining, it was partly because he needed to quickly improve his combat power, and partly because he didn't need to rely on Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones.
But now it seemed, it wasn't that the consequences wouldn't come, it was just that the time hadn't arrived yet.
However, the good thing was that Ji You was no longer as poor as before.
As the productivity of Feng Province increased, coupled with the exchange of goods with the Yao Race, the silver profits earned by Ji Village each year were enough to support his Cultivation.
After buying the Spirit Stones, Ji You went to the Worry-Free Commerce in the city.
As expected, there was a message stored for him in the Guild.
Ji You tore open the letter, scanned it lightly, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
Then he tucked the letter into his sleeve, and with a rush of Spiritual Qi, he headed south, crossing the city in a flash.
The letter was sent from Liang Province, and the handwriting belonged to the Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain.
There were only four characters inside, stating that Dan Sect was in trouble.
Yan Shu was very arrogant; since they met, she had never proactively sent a letter except for replying to his letters.
Because for her, replying to a letter was a reward to a strange man, but proactively sending a letter indicated a bit of longing.
So, if it weren't for a truly urgent situation, Yan Shuyi likely wouldn't have specifically notified him, and certainly wouldn't have written it herself, instead of letting Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu do it for her.
No matter what happened, it was better to go and see first.
Above the clouds, Ji You controlled the air with Spiritual Qi, then gracefully landed on the mountaintop, and then, relying on his pure Physical Body, stepped forward, soaring like a bird.
His Spiritual Qi volume was already greater than that of ordinary cultivators, and with the power of his Physical Body, he sped through the sky in a flash.
Qing Province and Liang Province were adjacent, but because Dan Sect was in eastern Liang Province, the distance was not close.
Several days later, Ji You, covered in dust, arrived at the foot of Dan Mountain, where he saw countless carriages bearing the flags of Immortal Sects parked along the mountainside, arranged in a staggered manner.
These carriages were all entirely dark, adorned with bronze corner bells, and under their vermilion-painted, gold-traced cloud-patterned canopies hung shark-gauze curtains that fluttered in the mountain wind, almost identical to those he had encountered on the official road in Yun Province.
So those carriages were all going to Dan Sect, Ji You murmured, then proceeded along the mountain path.
He hadn't seen Dan Sect's mountain-protecting formation activated, so he still didn't know what exactly had happened.
Not only carriages were left at the foot of the mountain, but also some guarding Immortal Sect Disciples; those with higher Realms were stationed in place, while those with lower Realms were watering their horses by a river encircling the mountain.
At this moment, as footsteps approached, these remaining Disciples all looked up at Ji You, their gazes slightly astonished.
“Ji You, why is he here?”
“The daughter of Dan Sect seems to be Ji You’s Dao Companion.”
“Didn’t Dan Sect publicly announce that this was a rumor?”
“Perhaps Ji You wanted to marry her, and Dan Sect disagreed, but there must be a private relationship between them; Yuan Caiwei spent the New Year in Shengjing.”
“Isn’t Dan Sect intending to form a marriage alliance with Mountain and Sea Pavilion? This—”
“They don’t live together, and besides, Mountain and Sea Pavilion wants to form a marriage alliance with Dan Sect not just for a woman; it’s for the Medicinal Pills that are hard to buy for a thousand gold.”
At this moment, Ji You was ascending the mountain, walking towards the mountain gate against the cool spring mountain wind, and as the altitude gradually increased, a towering three-legged furnace appeared in his sight.
This was Dan Sect’s Danxia Platform, a vast area built according to the mountain terrain, with nine levels of elevation from the mountain gate leading up to the summit.
The last time he came to Dan Sect, he often saw Disciples practicing Xuanyu Dan Hand here on the Danxia Platform, but now the Danxia Platform was filled with cultivators from various major Immortal Sects.
They wore distinct Immortal Robes, some stood with their hands behind their backs, some overlooked the sea of clouds, and some were savoring medicinal tea accompanied by Dan Masters.
Besides these people, there were also some who were neither Immortal Sect Disciples nor Dan Sect Dan Masters, gathered in a corner, old and young.
They were usually accompanied by a Dan Master, seemingly observing these cultivators.
Like the Disciples at the foot of the mountain, as Ji You arrived at the Danxia Platform, the Immortal Sect members couldn't help but turn their heads to look.
These people were older and had stronger aura than those at the foot of the mountain; when they saw him, their eyes instantly became strange and wary, and after the strangeness, it was hostility.
Ji You’s act of cutting off the supply of Spirit Stones had offended everyone under heaven; no cultivator who needed to comprehend the Dao looked favorably upon him, so this reaction was not surprising.
He did not linger long on the Danxia Platform but turned and chose a secluded mountain path, then headed towards the back of the mountain.
The atmosphere of Dan Sect was strange; it didn't seem like a major event was happening, but rather a simple gathering.
However, because Dan Sect had no combat power, it had been in a semi-sealed state for these years, and even if Immortal Sects came as guests, they might not all be invited up the mountain, so the gathering of so many Immortal Sect members here was already a problem.
But relying on mere speculation would not reveal anything; it was better to directly ask Yuan Caiwei for clarity.
Dan Sect is in trouble.
He didn't think these four words from Yan Shu were baseless; that girl was most afraid of him meeting Yuan Caiwei alone and having her man stolen, so she would never joke about this.
Ji You walked through the mountains, whistling past a cloud-shrouded peak, and landed in a small bamboo house courtyard built on stilts with twelve green bamboos as its framework.
This was Yuan Caiwei’s residence, but when he explored it with Divine Thought just now, he found no one in the bamboo house.
“Oh dear—” Ji You pushed the door open and saw an elegant room with a tea table, writing desk, painting table, and bed, all neatly organized.
Soon, his gaze was drawn to the painting table by the window.
On the table was an unfinished painting of the New Year lantern festival, and his figure was clearly in the painting.
Ji You now reached for the scroll tube and unrolled some of the previous works to look at them, and as he looked, his expression gradually became strange.
Why are so many of them not wearing clothes?
This one is showing his chest…
As he looked, he saw a painting of himself in a seated posture, with a vigorous stance that almost poked through the paper.
Yuan Caiwei had always presented herself as knowledgeable, gentle, and dignified, smiling without showing her teeth and speaking softly, but he never expected her to paint such masterpieces in private.
The key was that the ink on these scrolls already showed signs of age, clearly not painted after they had eaten on New Year's Eve.
This reminded him of the time he first came to Dan Mountain and was tricked by Yuan Chen into the medicinal pool.
When he woke up, a silk cloth was covering his legs, but Yuan Caiwei insisted she hadn't looked; it was only now that Ji You realized how clearly she had observed him then.
If this were to spread, he would probably truly have fiancées all over the world.
Just then, Ji You heard footsteps, so he slightly restrained his aura and looked out, then pushed the door open and walked out.
The newcomer was a young girl dressed as a maid, carrying a medicinal sieve filled with medicinal flowers in her hand; after entering the courtyard, she walked to the bamboo rack as if to dry them.
Hearing Ji You’s door opening, she was startled and immediately turned around.
“Young—Young Master-in-law?”
“?”
Hearing this address, a trace of confusion appeared in Ji You’s eyes.
Because he was certain he had never met Yuan Caiwei’s maid, then correspondingly, this little maid should not have met him either.
However, in the next instant, as the maid’s gaze involuntarily shifted downwards, and her face flushed slightly, Ji You finally understood why she recognized him.
That girl Yuan Caiwei, she didn’t put away her paintings after finishing them.
The little maid was a bit familiar, otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to call him “Young Master-in-law” right away; she introduced herself as Wu Yue, Yuan Caiwei’s personal maid.
“Then where is your Young Miss?”
“Replying to Young Master-in-law, the Young Master has been forcibly voluntarily cultivating in seclusion, and my Young Miss is guarding him.”
Ji You’s mouth twitched upon hearing this; forcibly voluntarily, how could that be: “Where are they cultivating in seclusion? Can I go see them?”
Wu Yue immediately waved her hand: “The place where they are cultivating in seclusion is the Yaoguang Hall on the highest peak. There’s an order within the Sect that no one is allowed to approach it at will.”
“Then do you know why so many Immortal Sect members have come to Dan Mountain?”
“I don’t know what exactly happened, but the Sect Master issued an order yesterday that besides the Dan Masters sent to the Danxia Platform, everyone else must stay in their courtyards and not go out.”
“Then what about your Sect Master?”
Ji You felt that the most important thing now was to find out what had happened; since he couldn't see Yuan Caiwei and Yuan Chen, he could only go find the Sect Master.
Who knew that Wu Yue frowned slightly upon hearing this: “The Sect Master is ill and recuperating in the Jade Balance Hall.”
“The Dan Sect Master, who is said to be able to bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones, is ill?”
“I don’t know about this either, but that’s what the Sect says—”
