Vast red light dyed the night, and large numbers of Evil Seeds surged out of the ruins with the gushing Evil Qi.
Ji You left the Hongshan Mine with the Dan Sect siblings, heading west along the road towards Ningcheng Town.
This county town is located in the northwest of Zhongzhou and has not been invaded by Evil Qi.
With the assistance of the Great Xia soldiers, all the surrounding common people were evacuating towards Ningcheng County, which surprised Ji You.
Because at such a critical juncture, everyone was concerned about the ruins. The Great Xia imperial court's ability to react so quickly indicated that the previous “rectification of officialdom” had begun to show some initial results.
Ji You looked forward along the crowd and found that the carriage leading the way had a black flag embroidered with a Dragon.
This was the symbol of the Immortal Supervisory Bureau.
“Brother, I thought I would never see you again. How did you escape?”
“An… an Immortal saved us…”
“An Immortal… there are still such Immortals?”
“They said it was Zhengxin Fairy, Yangshu Heavenly Venerate, and Rulong Immortal Emperor. They just rushed over, shouting something…”
“Yes, yes, us too…”
Ji You mingled in the crowd, looking at the words “The Great Immortal, for life and for the people” carved on the mud walls along the road, his eyes gradually becoming dazed.
And Yuan Chen was also looking at those words, listening to the clamor in his ears, and suddenly understood what it meant.
Upon arriving in Ningcheng County, the city was already crowded with refugees. Everyone looked at the distant sky, now so red it seemed to drip blood, and saw a figure, bloated like a fat worm, soaring towards the crimson light.
And beneath its massive body, golden spiritual light continuously surged from the Qiling Mountains towards it.
That fat worm was also growing stronger because of this, emitting an even more terrifying Qi, as if it wanted to tear the sky apart.
The common people in the city knew nothing, and upon seeing this scene, they immediately knelt like a tide, filled with panic.
Ji You also watched this scene, and suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him. He turned his head, his expression somewhat surprised.
Next door was a teahouse, and on the second floor was a long table. A woman sat on the east side, wearing a hairpin in her hair.
On the other side sat an old man, and a very familiar old man at that.
Ji You thought for a long time, and suddenly realized that this was the old doctor who had examined him at Tianshu Academy after the Evil Seed attack.
At this moment, the old man waved to him, revealing a kind smile.
You Yingqiu also looked at the young man, her eyes unreadable.
That demon was about to Ascend, and she didn't know why Master insisted on seeing him.
“I’m going up to see an acquaintance. You haven’t paid yet, so don’t run off.”
Ji You turned to look at Yuan Chen, and suddenly noticed one person was missing: “Hey, where’s your sister?”
Yuan Chen pointed towards the city: “She said she was going to get you a silver note.”
“Then you go help me watch her, don’t let her run away.”
“?”
Ji You turned and went up to the teahouse, blinking at the old man: “It really is you. What a coincidence, how did you end up here?”
The old man stroked his long beard with a smile: “This old man was conscripted by the Immortal Supervisory Bureau, firstly to treat the injured, and secondly to prevent a plague if too many died, so as to take precautions early.”
“I see.”
“Come, come, child, sit down and have a cup of tea with this old man. I also have something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Ji You had only met this old doctor once, so they weren’t really acquaintances, but because their last conversation was pleasant, he didn’t decline.
You Yingqiu, sitting opposite him, poured him a cup of tea without speaking, and then stayed by his side.
The old man, meanwhile, looked him over for a long time: “Haven’t seen you in many days, you’ve gotten much stronger?”
“Not necessarily stronger, just weathered from living out in the open, certainly more haggard.”
“I think you’ve gotten much stronger. If nothing goes wrong, you’ll definitely outlive the Headmaster of your Tianshu Academy.”
Upon hearing this, You Yingqiu nearly spat out her tea, coughing as she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and frantically wiped her mouth.
Ji You knew the old man was referring to his previous family letter: “Your insight is… truly excellent, but I’m afraid there won’t be any opportunity.”
“Why won’t there be an opportunity?”
Ji You thought to himself that he didn't plan to return to Tianshu Academy; he wanted to become a bandit.
Originally, this matter was only in his imagination, and there were many logical points to consider, but now there was no need.
Yuan Caiwei had the Spirit Extinguishing Pill. He would ask for one when he collected the money later. Then, after finding Wen Zhengxin and the others, he would take the pill and lie down on the ground.
From then on, the world would have one less Immortal Sect youth who intended to outlive the Headmaster, and one more peerless bandit of astonishing talent.
However, this was not something he could say; it was his secret.
The old man saw his silence and chuckled softly: “You don’t want to go back to Tianshu Academy, do you?”
“No, you’re slandering me. Tianshu Academy is a warm harbor in my heart, and the people there are interesting and speak well.”
Ji You calmly drank his tea, thinking to himself: Is my desire to be a bandit really so obvious? It shouldn’t be…
The old man put down his teacup: “Everyone has their own aspirations. Perhaps being a rogue cultivator would lead to a better life. I once knew such an Immortal cultivator.”
Ji You suddenly became interested: “And then?”
“He left the Immortal Sect, couldn’t farm, and couldn’t wake up early, so he lived a carefree life, eating one meal and missing the next. When he was starving, he went up the mountain to become a bandit, but found he couldn’t rob Immortal Sects, so he had to rob common people. Then he married a woman who was just about average, and the next generation repeated the cycle.”
The old man continued: “That woman was quite good, she didn’t use a sword, wasn’t arrogant, was gentle and virtuous, and loved peace and quiet.”
You Yingqiu drank her tea, noticing Ji You’s face growing greener and greener, nearly choking again.
Since Master had specifically gone down the mountain to see him last time, she felt that Master seemed to be extremely fond of this young man.
Now, seeing Master practically wanting to write “You’ll starve to death if you leave Tianshu Academy” on his face, she was even more certain of this.
That demon in the distant sky was growing stronger and stronger, but in Master’s mind, persuading him to stay was more important. She was truly puzzled.
Just then, the old man took out a gold ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table: “Let’s get back to the main topic. There’s something, can you allow me to use it?”
“What thing?”
“A small item, no loss to you. This is the rent.”
Ji You looked at the gold ingot on the table, remained silent for a moment, then spoke seriously: “Use it, feel free to use it.”
You Yingqiu wasn’t quite sure what Master wanted to borrow, but soon her eyes widened, and she looked incredulously to her right.
Just as Ji You’s words “feel free to use it” fell, the Heavenly Book in the jade box suddenly emitted a surging aura, as if the Immortal Dao, slumbering within, had suddenly awakened.
She was stunned for a long time, finally looking at Ji You in utter shock.
And just as the Heavenly Book was awakened, a thunderous sound suddenly echoed in the Void Realm, and a purple bolt of lightning descended.
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