Chapter 80: The Brother-in-Law Who Belongs to the Red Apricot Wants to Go Over the Wall
Under the endless night, everyone had their own dreams, sleeping peacefully on their beds.
Only the city guard was awakened by the cultivators flying over, so he immediately got up, putting on one shoe and leaving the other foot bare, and flusteredly opened the city gate.
Looking out, in the hazy darkness, many carriages and cultivators returned from the Relic, entering Ningcheng County, their expressions slightly solemn.
It collapsed.
Everything collapsed.
After the Heavenly Thunder fell, the three main peaks at the entrance of Qi Ridge were razed to the ground, and the fallen cliffs blocked the original mountain path.
Because the Evil Qi was still echoing in the mountains and was extremely dense, no one dared to fly through the void, so they rushed back to the city to rest.
It wasn't until the deep of the night, during the Hour of the Tiger, that the Mountain and Sea Pavilion invited an Elder from their pavilion to this place. Above the Qiling Mountains, he used powerful magic as a sword to cleave open the collapsed mountain path, and only then did people continuously enter the mountain.
The cracking sound of that night startled the sleeping commoners awake from their dreams, and they then gasped uneasily, urging their children at home to quickly go to sleep.
Old Li, the vegetable vendor's son, couldn't sleep, so he stretched out his small hand from under the covers and amused himself by picking at the straw in the mud wall, and then he saw continuous firelight in the distant mountains.
At this moment, at the entrance of the Relic, large pieces of minced meat fell on the mountain.
Although they were called minced meat, each piece was larger than a human, tender pink with charring.
The head of the Shen Family of Zhongzhou arrived in person at this time, staggering into the mountains, and saw countless black ashes, spreading from the entrance all the way to the distant mountains.
Just as everyone was looking at the tragic scene, a rustling sound continuously echoed from the bushes within the Relic.
Everyone immediately drew their weapons, looking grimly towards the bushes.
Soon, a blood-soaked hand reached out from the bushes, and a woman crawled out from within, looking at the people outside with cloudy eyes, her eyes filled with pain.
"——."
"Yan'er————?"
"Quick, quickly help Young Miss out, hurry!"
The morning sunlight gradually warmed, dispelling the lingering chill of spring.
Ji You had a good night's sleep and woke up early from his bed, walking to the corridor in front of the door and stretching towards the distant sky.
The Human Race still prefers to live in the daytime, and seeing the bright sun makes them feel at ease.
So he slowly walked two steps along the corridor to the west, and saw that Yan Shuyi's room door was already open.
At this time, the Young Master Jian was holding a letter, reading a message about the mountains, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed, revealing a hint of solemnity.
Then she was about to get out of bed.
The so-called courtesy of a gentleman is to admire from afar, but not to trifle with for the time being.
So Gentleman Ji stood at the door, watching that perky bottom sit on the edge of the bed, her snow-white jade feet slightly raised, and she gently put on her silk socks.
At this time, Zhuo Wanqiu was fetching water for Master Jian, and seeing Ji You standing in front of the door, she lightly nodded in greeting, but did not close the door.
The Young Master Jian narrowed her eyes and waved her sleeve, directly closing the door.
"Wanqiu, why didn't you close the door?"
Zhuo Wanqiu remembered being caught having hidden something last time, and immediately said, "I didn't know whether I should close it—"
Yan Shuyi stepped off the bed and glanced at the figure outside the window: "How can you wash up in front of a strange man?"
"You even put on socks in front of him, besides, isn't he Master Jian's husband—"
Zhuo Wanqiu was a logical genius; she believed that although the Young Master Jian was a woman, she would surely take charge of Lingjian Mountain in the future and would definitely not marry into another Family.
It was said that Ji You was a rogue cultivator with no Worldly Family background, so he would marry into the Family, and once he married in, he would be Master Jian's husband.
Yan Shuyi pretended not to hear, and put her hands into the water basin.
Her face was pinched again last night, so she didn't really want to see him.
The Empress-like personality and the childish personality within the Young Master Jian were clashing.
After washing up, Yan Shuyi came out of the room, and Zhuo Wanqiu also followed her out, looking somewhat flustered and sweating.
In fact, ever since they came out of the Qiling Relic, Zhuo Wanqiu had taken over Ding Yao's position, waking up every morning to help her Master Jian with her grooming.
She felt that Master Jian had arranged it this way because she knew that Zhuo Wanqiu knew some things.
Master Jian was naturally beautiful, and could stun all beings even without makeup, but today she seemed somewhat concerned, and after dressing up, went to meet the strange man she claimed to have only met twice.
Ji You had already had tea in the courtyard and was walking out. Hearing the sound, he turned his head and saw her coming out of the room.
"I'm planning to go to the street to buy some breakfast. Are you coming?"
Yan Shuyi gave him a cold glance, then nodded gently, and pattered after him: "There was a sound from the mountains last night. Did you hear it?"
Ji You turned his head and stared at her for a long time: "Although you look beautiful every day, today you look a little different, even more beautiful."
Yan Shuyi couldn't help but feel a little cold, and after hearing him, she narrowed her eyes: "Shut up, you rude strange man."
"Do you still want to act like we don't know each other? You're the woman who doesn't recognize people once you put on your shoes!"
"With the Disciples watching, I naturally need to maintain my dignity. The news of me going down the mountain to Shengjing has already spread. If they see us, they might misunderstand that I went specifically to find you, but in reality, I just glanced at you in passing."
Ji You said as he walked, "Your mouth is even harder than mine—"
Yan Shuyi mumbled behind him, "I just went to glance at you in passing."
"And stayed for two nights."
"We only discussed the Dao; you're not allowed to tell anyone else. Be careful, if Asked the Dao Sect people find out, they'll beat you to death—"
Ji You stopped upon hearing this: "So, you're really going to marry into Asked the Dao Sect?"
Yan Shuyi puffed out her full chest: "Even if I were to marry, I'd choose someone I like, unlike some people who have a bunch of fiancées."
"That's a rumor! I already beat up Rulong Immortal Emperor yesterday and stole his money."
"What does that have to do with me, you scoundrel?"
At this time, there were many cultivators on the street, discussing going into the mountains, the scenes they saw in the mountains, and the circulating rumors.
Ji You listened for a long time, then finally stopped and looked at a street stall.
This stall sold roasted goods, including roasted sweet potatoes. The vendor sitting behind the stall was also whispering to the person at the next stall. Seeing someone approach, he immediately stood up, then paused.
"The Young Miss is here again?"
Ji You looked at the Young Master Jian who was distracted behind him: "You know each other?"
The vendor didn't see Yan Shuyi's warning glance and smiled, saying, "The Young Miss came every day a while ago, but always said my roasted goods weren't as good as someone else's. I really want to see how that person roasts them."
7
Yan Shuyi maintained a cold gaze, looking beautiful but having a somewhat malicious heart, and bought some roasted sweet potatoes to take back.
The vendor couldn't help but scratch his head, thinking that the Young Miss was a bit fierce today, then lowered his head to look at the stall, his eyes somewhat surprised: "Why did she give so much reward money?"
....
A little later, Yuan Caiwei also got up from her bed and pushed open the door to the courtyard.
She had heard the commotion in the mountains last night, and now that she was out, she wanted to discuss with her younger brother about when to depart and return to Dan Sect.
She had been missing for many days, and the sect was extremely anxious. Now that her younger brother, a direct Disciple, was also stranded outside, her father must have gone crazy with worry.
After the incident in the Qiling Mountains, the impact would gradually expand, especially with so many deaths; someone would undoubtedly have to bear the wrath of the Immortal Sects.
Being stranded outside at such a time was extremely dangerous for a Dan Master who lacked combat ability.
There was also another matter, concerning Ji You.
Her younger brother had painstakingly tried to set her up with Ji You.
She had initially refused because Ji You had no Worldly Family background and a low Realm, but yesterday he broke through to the Tongxuan Middle Stage in one go.
Junior Third Realm Completion at the age of twenty might not pass the threshold in Dan Sect's eyes, but Tongxuan Middle Stage at that age carried a bit of weight.
Yuan Caiwei also seemed to have noticed his extraordinary qualities and felt that it might be worth getting to know him.
Her younger brother wanted to continue employing him as an escort, and she felt that was acceptable too.
After all, she and Yan Shuyi were like sisters, and now that she was leaving, it wouldn't be good for Ji You to stay here alone.
The Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain had a noble status and was well-educated and sensible. If Ji You stayed here and didn't leave, she might not say anything, but she would still be displeased in her heart.
However, just as Yuan Caiwei arrived in the courtyard, she saw Ji You and Yan Shuyi sitting very close to each other on one side of the courtyard, eating sweet potatoes and chatting about the rumors on the street.
"It's rumored that Chen Ruhai, the sect master of the Chen Clan, is seriously injured. I wonder if it's true or false."
"The rumors are very detailed, so it should be true. Everyone saw that crimson Heavenly Light strike, it can't be hidden."
Ji You sighed after hearing this, thinking that others were just watching the excitement, but he was truly embodying what it meant to risk his life for the show.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered that during their casual chat yesterday, Yan Shuyi had mentioned that Zheng Family Old Ancestor was a Disciple of the Chen Clan, but ultimately did not inherit the Dao, and his expression hardened.
"So that demon with chaotic flesh and blood was really the Zheng Family Old Ancestor? Still seeking revenge after failing his Ascension?"
"Wielders are also Human, and they will have selfish desires. Only after they truly Ascend can they completely abandon distracting thoughts, but how can they preach the Dao after Ascension? Therefore, the Seven Great Immortal Sects will pass down Sacred Artifacts to their direct descendants; this is an unsolvable cycle."
Yan Shuyi murmured, holding her teacup, "Zheng Family Old Ancestor must have had a considerable amount of resentment towards the Chen Clan, and perhaps that's why he directed his last breath of attack towards Chen Ruhai."
Ji You frowned slightly: "But it's still a bit strange."
"Because it's too coincidental."
Yan Shuyi raised her gentle eyes and looked at him: "The whole thing seems to be driven by coincidences, which is not logical."
Ji You sniffed the fragrance on her and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are you going to pass on the spirit mirror to your direct descendant in the future?"
Yan Shuyi's cold face gradually reddened, and her eyes narrowed: "None of your business."
"Really?"
"I want to kill you—"
Yuan Caiwei watched from behind for a long time, her eyes slightly busy.
The Eldest Daughter of Dan Zong and the Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain were both daughters of great sects and had known each other since childhood, but she had never seen Yan Shuyi in such a girlish manner. Just now, she had been thinking that if Ji You were left alone here, Yan Shuyi might be displeased, but now she felt as if she was a bit superfluous.
As she was thinking, she suddenly noticed that her younger brother, Yuan Chen, had also arrived in the courtyard at some point and was heartbroken watching this scene.
Isn't the Young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain supposed to be stern and unsmiling? Why does she always like to stick to my brother-in-law?
And how could my cooked brother-in-law be so fickle, wanting to go over the wall after just one night!
"What are you two talking about?"
Yuan Caiwei felt that she must be overthinking, but after pondering for a while, she still stepped over and sat down. She didn't know why, but she seemed to really want to break up the strangely harmonious atmosphere between the two.
"The Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the Chen Clan lost a large number of Disciples. Almost all of the next generation of the Shen Family of Zhongzhou are gone, and the Chen Clan's sect master is now seriously injured and unconscious. Many Disciples from my Lingjian Mountain's Tianjian Peak lineage also died."
The situation was actually not much different from the rumors; all Seven Great Immortal Sects suffered significant blows.
But the most severely affected were those greedy Sect who bit off more than they could chew.
According to current reports, four Sect were almost annihilated, with the Mountain and Sea Pavilion being the first to obtain the immortal destiny in the mountains and also suffering the most severe losses.
Everyone knew before going that obtaining an unknown immortal destiny would come at a price, but the imagined price was merely turning into an Evil Seed.
However, no one had ever thought that the so-called price of obtaining immortal destiny was actually to become someone else's immortal destiny.
Yuan Caiwei's heart sank after hearing this: "Are all the people in the mountains really dead?"
"Three were still alive when the Immortal Sect entered the mountain last night, but they died later."
"They were alive, so how did they die again?"
Ji You then took over Yan Shuyi's words: "Remember the Vermilion Fruit that turned to ash when we came out? It's the same for them. Those people turned to ash as soon as they left the mountain, not accepted by the Heavenly Dao."
Yan Shuyi glanced at Ji You: "He said if that's the case, one thing doesn't hold true."
"What thing?"
"If those who obtained the immortal destiny couldn't leave the Relic, then how did those humane Evil Seeds who appeared in Shengjing before get out?"
Yuan Caiwei instantly frowned after hearing this, feeling that this matter was too bizarre, and it would be best to depart with her younger brother as soon as possible.
A moment later, she paused slightly again, raising her head to look at the two.
Perhaps she was overthinking, but she felt that they seemed to have a kind of back-and-forth rhythm just now.
Yan Shuyi didn't feel that way; she thought she had been perfectly cool in front of everyone today, so much so that even Ding Yao didn't notice, and her expression was very natural.
But she didn't realize at this moment that when the two of them turned sideways and spoke to Yuan Caiwei together, Ji You seemed to be embracing her, and she didn't mind being so close.
There is a comfortable range for human interaction; excessive intrusion will cause repulsion, especially between opposite sexes, where the distance is even greater than between the same sex.
But between these two, it seemed there was no such thing.
(Writing and updating today, resuming 20:00 updates tomorrow, asking for monthly tickets, asking for first subscriptions—orz)