Mysterious Disappearance

In the beginning, the girl's cultivation time wasn't fixed.

However, as they became more familiar with each other, Ji You found that the chances of them meeting grew more frequent.

He suspected the girl was coordinating with his schedule. The reason was simple: his own cultivation schedule was fixed – martial arts during the day and Dao comprehension in the evening. If she didn't want to see him, she could easily avoid him.

And so, the two maintained this tacit understanding, each sitting on their own black stone to cultivate.

Cultivation was inherently a tedious affair, but having a tacit understanding fellow Daoist made it much better.

However, for the next seven or eight days, the girl always seemed unhappy, prone to inexplicable fits of temper. A second glance from him would set her off.

The upside was that the temperamental girl was no longer content with just flicking her sleeves; she would use her snow-white feet to kick him away.

Wasn't this, in a way, a reward?

"Nineteen breaths..."

"If this continues, I should be able to gather seven strands of mystic light before the year ends..."

After being kicked away, Ji You slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with golden light.

At this moment, the fifth strand of mystic light had formed!

Another benefit of a powerful spiritual sense was that it elevated his five senses to an unprecedented level, allowing him to observe even the subtle wing beats of a flying insect.

There were women in the courtyard, like Miss Lu Qingqiu from Yun Province, who valued style over warmth. Even in the cold, they would only wear gauze skirts, using spiritual energy to ward off the chill.

Every time Ji You encountered her at the Dao Comprehension Ground, he felt too embarrassed to look too closely, usually stopping after a dozen glances.

Without a calendar in the mountains, one loses track of time and seasons.

Ji You opened his eyes again. The sky was vast and hazy, with cold air drifting from the distant mountains. Winter had arrived.

He reached into his money pouch, weighed it, and decided to visit the Immortal Cuisine House to fill his stomach.

A few days ago, Kuang Cheng had come by, saying he had taken a position at the Immortal Affairs Supervision Bureau. His monthly salary was fifteen taels, and he had given seven taels to Ji You.

This Immortal Affairs Supervision Bureau was a newly established government office by the emperor. It was said to be specifically for the service of immortal sects, not really appearing to be an attempt to restore imperial power, but rather like being a lapdog for the immortal sects.

However, in Ji You's opinion, this might be a tactic of feigning weakness, showing that the Emperor of Great Xia wasn't entirely without brains.

Ji You practiced the Mountain Shaking Fist in the air as he walked towards the White Jade Platform.

He cultivated both martial and cultivation arts. Although it was said that the Martial Dao was ultimately a minor skill, he had never neglected it.

It was just that he didn't frequent the Sword Testing Forest as much anymore. He had basically mastered the fundamentals of swordplay, spear techniques, and fist techniques, and could perform a set of moves while walking or standing.

Besides, Wang Xinan had also asked him not to go anymore. He said that before Ji You arrived, his job as a martial arts instructor was very leisurely, but ever since Ji You came, he hadn't been happy at all.

He even said that if Ji You went less often, he wouldn't take that one tael of silver.

This whole situation made the fierce bandit feel a bit embarrassed, so he readily agreed.

As he approached the Ascending Immortal White Jade Platform, Ji You suddenly saw thirteen instructors, including Instructor Cao, returning from outside. They looked travel-worn, their brows deeply furrowed.

It seemed that for the past few days since the onset of winter, the Outer Court had been in a bit of a mess, and the city of Shengjing was also somewhat chaotic.

"Instructor Cao!"

"Ah? Oh, Ji You."

Cao Jinsong stopped at the White Jade Platform. After bidding farewell to the other instructors, he walked towards Ji You. "Is your cultivation going smoothly?"

Ji You released his spiritual light, and five strands of light appeared on his forehead.

"This young man is extraordinary! You might even reach the upper five realms before the year ends?"

"No, I still plan to take it steady. I don't want to rush too much."

Ji You was a little worried about his fractured Spirit Core, so he used that as an excuse.

"Taking it steady is also fine. After all, Chu He is now shut in his room, likely with a completely shattered Dao Heart. Lu Qingqiu has only condensed two strands of mystic light, so there's no need to hurry."

As Cao Jinsong spoke, he thought of something. "By the way, have you seen Zhang Congzhi and Cai Ziyao?"

"I've seen Cai Ziyao, around the beginning of winter. She's quite lovely, wearing the Plain Snow Thousand Water Skirt, and her eyes are very big. As for Zhang Congzhi..."

Ji You frowned slightly for a moment. "Who is he?"

"Zhang Congzhi is in the same batch as you. He often cultivates at the Dao Comprehension Ground. You don't recognize him, but you recognize Cai Ziyao, who doesn't frequent the Dao Comprehension Ground?"

"Then Zhang Congzhi must have a very unremarkable appearance."

Cao Jinsong waved his hand. "But that's not important. What's important is that these two haven't been seen since the beginning of winter. The other instructors and I searched for three days without finding any trace of them."

Ji You was taken aback. He thought to himself that cultivators going missing was indeed a rare occurrence.

He seemed to sense something was amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

"Were there any signs before they left? For example, any junior sisters? I want to see if your Dao Heart is clear."

Instructor Cao spat. "The two of them didn't disappear at the same time; there was a seven-day interval between them."

Ji You pondered for a while. "Perhaps they didn't disappear for the same reason."

"Whether it's the same reason or not, the fact is that they're gone. Moreover, they didn't take their usual clothing or valuable pills and spirit stones with them. They shouldn't have been gone this long."

"Could they have encountered some misfortune?"

"Who dares attack a Celestial Academy disciple right under our noses? I don't think so."

Instructor Cao finished speaking, then advised him to cultivate diligently before leaving in a hurry.

Ji You watched him disappear, then returned to his courtyard at Bingshui Lake, practicing his punches.

However, before he could even enter his door, he saw a group of fellow cultivators gathered in front of his courtyard.

There were two from the Nirvana Realm, Bai Rulong and Qian Yunxiao, and three female cultivators, Lu Qingqiu, Sun Zhiqiao, and Lou Siyi.

"Young Master Ji."

"What is it, everyone?"

Lu Qingqiu smiled faintly, "Today is the Winter Solstice. I, Qingqiu, am hosting. I'd like to invite you to Hong Ding Tower for a gathering. Would you do me the honor?"

Ever since their last encounter at Immortal Cuisine House, she had shown signs of wanting to befriend him multiple times.

This was the way of daughters from prominent families; even if they were rivals in cultivation, once they saw another's bright future, they would immediately change their minds.

"Excellent!"

"In that case, we shall meet at 3 PM in front of Divine Gate Divine Path."

Ji You glanced at them. "Is there anyone else?"

Lu Qingqiu nodded slightly, "Young Master Bai went to call for Chu He earlier, but he wasn't in his room."

"Then we'll meet at 3 PM."

Ji You cupped his hands to the group, then entered his room and took out a letter from a drawer.

It was from Yuyang County. He hadn't had time to read it earlier while cultivating. He figured it must be Old Qiu sending his regards.

As expected, the letter began with Old Qiu asking how he was doing, and then mentioned that Qiu Ru had grown half a head taller and often talked about when the young master would return.

Additionally, Fang Zhongzheng had visited the Qiu Family and said that Old Qiu had been quite efficient when he worked for the Ji Family back then, suggesting he take up a post at the county yamen.

Old Qiu also mentioned something else, or rather, a strange occurrence.

He said that near Thirty Mile Shop, it seemed a malevolent spirit had appeared, causing livestock to go missing frequently in the days after he left.

Ji You finished reading the letter and thought, Strange, why are there so many disappearances?

Two people had just gone missing at the Celestial Academy, and now even the livestock near Thirty Mile Shop were disappearing