It was dinner time, and the sky was clear and vast.
Night gradually surged from the eastern horizon, causing the fiery red in the west to slowly dissipate, finally being absorbed into the massive Heavenly Rift.
The students of Wudao Field rose to go to the Immortal Meal Workshop, stopping involuntarily as they passed the white jade stone bridge.
They saw Cao Instructor sitting on the stone steps, guarding an empty money bag, grumbling indignantly about the decline of the world.
No wonder he didn't want it when it was given; he only liked to snatch it!
What kind of bizarre habits are these?
The students coming from Wudao Field saw him cursing and all silently walked around him. Upon reaching the Immortal Meal Workshop, they saw Ji You and that extraordinary Fairy sitting opposite each other.
There is only one Sect in Lingzhou, named Lingjian Mountain.
On the day of the Winter Solstice, when they went to Hongding Restaurant to eat, Ban Yangshu once said that Lingjian Mountain was originally named Lingjian Mountain.
The origin of this name was because during the primordial era, the Heavenly Dao bestowed seven sacred artifacts, and what the founding patriarch of Lingjian Mountain controlled was the spirit mirror.
However, after a thousand years of Legacy, a later Sect Master of Lingjian Mountain, due to his obsession with the Dao of the Sword, changed the character “Recommendation” (jiàn) to “sword” (jiàn).
Ji You still remembers that on the first day he sensed the Heavenly Book, the Fairy at the foot of the mountain once asked him, "Why are you in my spirit mirror?"
At that time, he thought the character was “sword” (sword), but later he increasingly felt that the character was actually “Recommendation” (spirit mirror). The two characters have the same pronunciation and are both related to Lingjian Mountain.
Then came New Year's Day.
He and Lu Qingqiu and others went to Shengjing for a meal together, during which Lou Siyi once said that Lingjian Mountain had lost a young Master Jian who had just broken through to a new Realm.
Ji You put down his chopsticks, raised his head, and looked at Yan Shuyi who was eating her food in small bites.
He seemed to have really brought back an incredible girl...
But he really didn't expect that this girl would silently find her way to Tianshu Academy.
The strongest direct disciple of this era, her mind and thoughts are indeed not something ordinary people can comprehend.
At this moment, Ji You suddenly remembered his main purpose for going to Wudao Field, so after a moment of thought, he spoke softly.
"I may not be able to cultivate the Dao with you anymore."
Yan Shuyi raised her head, her beautiful brows gradually furrowing.
Seeing this, Ji You explained, "The Sect has given an order; I might have to go out for a period, and my return date is uncertain. I went to Wudao Field today to tell you in Void Mountain, but I didn't expect you to come."
Yan Shuyi poked her rice a few times with her chopsticks: "Great, without you, the mountain will finally be quiet."
"Then why did you come up and kick me those few days after the Winter Solstice when I didn't go?"
"I like to kick you."
After Yan Shuyi finished speaking, she felt a bit delicate, so a hint of killing intent flashed in her eyes.
She is the young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain, the next Sect Master who will wield the spirit mirror.
Her elders at home had trained her from a young age to be stern and unsmiling, with every movement exuding unspoken authority.
Her current tone must be his fault; if it doesn't work out, she'll just kill him.
Yan Shuyi wore a pair of moon-white boots, delicately swinging them back and forth under the table, finally unable to resist kicking the opponent's knee with a smack.
After being kicked, Ji You raised his head and, after a long silence, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Like Yan Shuyi, he also knew that the person in front of him was her, but he wasn't sure it was truly her.
So, when he spoke, he always had a hint of caution, unlike the naturalness he felt in Void Mountain, especially when he guessed that she might be the strongest direct disciple of this era, this feeling was even more pronounced.
Under Void Mountain, when he was being mischievous, he even dared to directly call her a little devil and was eager to pinch her face.
But in reality, he felt a certain estrangement between them.
Yan Shuyi also behaved differently from how she did under Void Mountain; a hint of coldness often flashed in her eyes, and her every move exuded Sword Qi, as if resisting the idea of being familiar with him, giving a sense of being both close and distant.
But with that kick, the sense of unfamiliarity in his heart suddenly lessened a bit.
"How long do you plan to stay in Shengjing?"
"After meeting you in Shengjing this time, I still have things to do and will leave very soon."
Although Yan Shuyi kept emphasizing "on a whim," "passing through Shengjing," and "just browsing and then returning," she always inadvertently revealed the meaning that she specifically wanted to come and see him.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
If he hadn't been in Shengjing, Yan Shuyi might not have made this detour.
If she said she came specifically to see him, there really was nothing to argue about.
Ji You nodded: "Have you found a place to stay?"
"The external travelers of Lingjian Mountain all stay at Hengfeng Inn; I have already notified them to reserve a room."
"Then, have a cup of tea before you go?"
"Okay."
On a winter morning, frost condensed on everything, and the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, like a light wash of ink.
After a night, the charcoal fire in the stove was still burning in the cramped monastic cell, but the charcoal ash was turning white, on the verge of extinguishing.
Cultivators can use Spiritual Qi to ward off the cold, but ancient charcoal fires had more than just one use for warmth.
It could also be used to roast sweet potatoes and brew tea.
Additionally, simmering a pot of water on it could also maintain indoor humidity.
Ji You walked out of the courtyard through the thin morning mist, poured the cleaned ashes outside, then refilled the stove with new charcoal, ignited it with Spiritual Qi, and casually threw two sweet potatoes into the bottom of the stove.
Yan Shuyi sat beside him, watching him busy himself, docile and quiet.
Yesterday, they chatted desultorily, drank tea, and ate sweet potatoes, staying up until late at night.
So, this young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain did not return to Hengfeng Inn but stayed in the west bedroom of the monastic cell.
At this moment, she had woken up early, her delicate, flawless face still showing signs of sleepiness. She hugged a hot cup of tea by the stove, her bright eyes blinking softly.
"What do you want for breakfast?"
"I don't have an appetite, just a roasted sweet potato."
Yan Shuyi replied, reaching out to grasp the fire hook, pulling out a roasted sweet potato, and peeling off its charred skin.
After finishing his work, Ji You also found a small stool to sit on, took out his chopsticks, and continued practicing the Divine Thought hotkeys.
The two hadn't known each other for long, but they increasingly felt a natural sense of living together.
After a while, a chopstick flew in front of Yan Shuyi, and with a direct gaze from her, it suddenly fell to the ground.
Ji You slightly opened his eyes: "What is the Sword Dao of Lingjian Mountain like?"
"Lingjian Mountain primarily cultivates the Natal Spirit Sword; they don't use as many swords as you do."
Although what she saw before her were chopsticks, Yan Shuyi knew at a glance that he was practicing the basic sword moves of sword manipulation.
She yawned, slouching lazily by the nearby table, her feet close to the warm stove, and continued to watch the chopsticks fly through the air, feeling a sense of peace and tranquility in her heart.
She had actually wondered what it would be like when they met.
In her imagination, there would probably be two outcomes.
Either the man would not be as interesting as she imagined, so they would chat briefly, bid each other farewell, and go their separate ways.
After all, they weren't very familiar, just fellow cultivators of the Dao.
Or, they would find their conversation quite congenial, sit and discuss the Dao for a day, and become friends on the same Dao.
But the young Master Jian never expected that one day she would be huddled by a stove, eating roasted sweet potatoes, and lazily enjoying this winter morning without having to think about cultivating the Dao or breaking through to a new Realm.
And Ji You, in fact, thought something similar to her.
He felt that if they met, they would either chat, then explore Shengjing, and become good friends.
If they could return safely from the ruins, and meet again in Void Mountain in the future, there might be a touching sense of reunion after a long separation.
Or, it would be like dry tinder and fierce fire, leading to Dual Cultivation at first touch, with him being forcibly drained due to his low Realm.
But he never expected that one day he would behave so much like a true gentleman, experiencing what true Dao Heart enlightenment felt like.