What Spiritual Light Reaches the Crown

Thirty Mile Shop is located west of Yuyang County, and it's also home to a cultivation dojo called Fengxian Mountain Villa.

At Chen Shi today, Old Qiu took his daughter to borrow grain. As they passed near Baishui River, they encountered an Immortal coming down from the mountain to collect tribute.

At first, Old Qiu didn't notice anything amiss. He just felt that the leading Immortal seemed to be very fond of his daughter, looking at her repeatedly and even praising her for having "spiritual light reaching the crown."

Old Qiu initially thought it was a good thing.

It wasn't until he was carrying the grain bag and heading home with his daughter that he met Niu Er, who was in charge of supervising the tribute transport. Niu Er came to offer congratulations, saying that Old Qiu's three-tenths tribute for the year could be waived if he just sent his daughter up the mountain. Only then did Old Qiu realize the sky was about to fall.

While "Alchemy with Living Beings" wasn't unheard of in Great Xia, the Qiu couple never imagined it would involve their daughter.

At that moment, neighbors and relatives gathered at the Qiu family home, while Old Qiu sat on a stone stool, his expression vacant, not uttering a word.

"What exactly is 'spiritual light reaching the crown' and 'immeasurable immortal destiny'? Ruru hasn't even met an Immortal, so how could she have these... Those Immortal Lords must have mistaken her..."

"They are Immortals. If they say she has it, what can we lowly folk do?"

"Great Xia's laws can't even control Immortals. Since they've already spoken, I doubt anyone can save Ruru."

Seeing her mother sitting in the courtyard weeping, five-year-old Qiu Ru was terrified.

She had only been a little mischievous, not listening to her mother and insisting on going to her maternal grandfather's house in Thirty Mile Shop. She thought this was what had angered her mother.

Seeing her mother crying uncontrollably, Qiu Ru ran over with her small legs and hugged her neck. "Mom, I... I was wrong. I'll be good from now on. Don't cry, I won't be naughty anymore."

"What good does being obedient do now? I told you not to go, but you insisted!"

Li Shuping was almost hysterical. She pushed her daughter to the ground before immediately pulling her into her arms and bursting into tears.

Steward Qiu remained silent for a long time before looking up, his lips trembling. "I'll go to the county yamen tomorrow and beg the Lord to think of a way for us. Back when I was at the Ji family, he and I had a connection..."

Ji You, having heard rumors at the restaurant earlier, had already gone outside the city. He had been watching from the edge of the crowd for a while now.

After transmigrating to Qingyun World, his life had been a bit harder, but overall, it had been relatively peaceful and stable.

He had no grand ambitions. Who in their right mind would study philosophy?

Since he couldn't go back to his previous world, he just wanted to achieve something in his cultivation and, in a couple of years, attain the status of a "peerless bandit" to ensure he'd never lack food or clothing, and always have meat with his meals.

But he never imagined that the seemingly peaceful and stable life was actually so fragile.

Immortals descended upon the world, deciding who lives and who dies.

The so-called stability was merely because it hadn't affected him yet.

Ji You didn't linger for too long. After all, sadness, unlike joy, wasn't an emotion that needed to be shared with everyone.

He walked back to his ancestral home, pushed open the gate, and entered the second courtyard. The eccentric scholar next door was still sitting in the tree tonight, engrossed in a book. Upon seeing him return, the scholar immediately got up.

But this time, he didn't rush off. Instead, he looked down at Ji You from his perch.

"The Qiu family is in trouble."

The scholar's name was Kuang Cheng. He was the son of a scholarly family in Yuyang County and the young master of a prominent household. His home was adjacent to Ji You's ancestral residence.

This person usually loved to carry water for widows and guide the blind, the kind of person that other parents would hold up as an example.

He was well-known in Yuyang County and regarded as a gentleman with a warm heart.

Because their families were neighbors, he was one of the few people Ji You knew in this world.

When Ji You first arrived in this world and couldn't speak the Yuyang dialect, it was by listening to the scholar's clear recitation from the tree that he could barely begin to speak.

This was the story Ji You knew.

However, what he didn't know was that the young master of the Kuang family and the young master of the Ji family had been inseparable friends in their childhood.

It was only later that the young master of the Ji family became dissolute, indulging in wine and women, becoming a spoiled brat, while the young master of the Kuang family studied diligently, embodying righteousness, and thus they naturally went their separate ways.

But after learning about the Qiu family's predicament, Kuang Cheng had pored over countless texts and found a way to break the deadlock. He was waiting here for Ji You.

In his eyes, the Qiu family had shown him kindness, and he was helping this old friend one last time.

After listening to the scholar, Ji You nodded. "I just came from the Qiu family. I'm already aware of Qiu Ru's situation."

"Since you're aware, you shouldn't still be here."

"Then where should I be?"

Kuang Cheng stood up from the tree branch. "You should be at the Fang residence, seeking Fang Ruoyao's help."

"Fengxian Mountain Villa is a disciple of Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion. Forget ordinary people; even ordinary members of immortal sects might not dare to interfere in this matter. However, the Celestial Academy has the responsibility to monitor the Heavenly Dao and is the Great Xia's sacred sect, so of course, they can."

"Fang Ruoyao is now part of the Celestial Academy; she is a disciple there. As long as you can get her to intervene, the Qiu girl might have a sliver of a chance."

Kuang Cheng finished speaking in one breath, his gaze fixed on Ji You.

There was an old saying in Qingyun World: If an Immortal wants you dead by the third watch, who dares keep you until the fifth? Therefore, this matter should have been unsolvable.

But it happened that two Immortals from the Celestial Academy were in Yuyang Town, which was a variable. And variables usually meant the key to breaking the deadlock.

In his view, this key lay with the County Magistrate's daughter.

However, Fang Ruoyao had forcibly broken off her engagement with Ji You back then. In his opinion, asking Ji You to beg her wasn't an easy thing to accept.

Ji You looked up at him after listening. "Becoming a disciple of the Celestial Academy can save her?"

"This is the only solution to this predicament."

"Where did you get this solution, Brother Kuang?"

"Naturally, I saw it in a book."

Kuang Cheng thought he didn't believe him, so he tossed the book over the courtyard wall.

Touching the familiar pages, Ji You couldn't help but recall his own ignorance when he first arrived.

Old Kuang's idea from the book was correct. Only the Celestial Academy could make Fengxian Mountain Villa give up.

Seeing his long silence, the scholar couldn't help but ask, "Did you see it?"

"I saw it."

Ji You closed the book and couldn't help but gaze north at the fiery, vast sky.

He saw how unpredictable the world was, how one's fate was not their own, and how the world would ultimately lose a brilliant and peerless bandit.

Kuang Cheng watched him inexplicably from a tree. Ji You didn't head straight for the Fang residence but instead entered his house with a grave expression, covering the doors and windows with black curtains.

Perfection of the Lower Three Realms, entry into the Immortal Registry, no longer bound by laws, able to enter the Celestial Academy...

He had been cultivating with the intention of becoming a peerless bandit, never feeling that time was pressing. Now, he was still two realms short, and he only had two days left.

Ji You sat on the bed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him surging into his chest, burning like fire within him.

For this realm, he had to channel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the Spiritual Spring. With only one day, it was a near-certain death.

At the same time, outside the city at the Qiu family home, the worried Old Qiu lay on his bed, listening to his wife's sobs, sleepless all night.

When dawn finally broke, he immediately hitched his grain cart and rushed to the city's grain store. He exchanged all their remaining grain for silver, packed it in a bundle, and hurried to the mansion of County Magistrate Fang Zhongzheng, hoping to save his daughter's life.

But before Old Qiu could get close to the Fang residence, he was stopped by the constables guarding the intersection.

Today, Fang Zhongzheng and his daughter Fang Ruoyao were hosting Immortals from the Celestial Academy from Shengjing at their residence. The mansion had been busy since dawn, with servants carrying various delicacies through the halls and courtyards, like a festival.

Concerned about his daughter's future and the family's prosperity, Lord Fang feared that some ruffian might disturb the Immortals' sacred presence. He had issued a strict order the previous night: no visitors today.

But Old Qiu was not deterred. He knelt directly in the main street, kowtowing to the ground, begging for divine mercy. His cries gradually attracted a crowd of onlookers.

"Isn't that Qiu Zhong?"

"His daughter is about to be taken for alchemy. He's here to beg the County Magistrate for mercy, but how would the Magistrate dare to interfere with the Immortals' affairs? Old Qiu will probably kneel until he dies today and still not be seen."

"Hey, why isn't Ji You here?"

"I heard he took one look outside the door last night and was so scared he turned and ran. You know, he was just as terrified when the Ji family offended the Immortals back then."

From morning till evening, the Fang residence's immortal banquet had already concluded, but Qiu Zhong still knelt in place, unable to see Lord Fang.

At this moment, a scholar in a plain robe, holding a copy of the "Summer Law Immortal Regulations," walked down the long street leading to the Magistrate's yamen. Wherever he went, people greeted him as "Young Master Kuang."

He reached the constables guarding the road and looked at Qiu Zhong, who had knelt until he was emaciated. He felt a third part pity and seven parts indignation.

If Ji You were kneeling here today, instead of Qiu Zhong, this matter might still be resolvable.

Because the County Magistrate's forceful annulment of the engagement two years ago had left him with a bad reputation in the county. If Ji You were to kneel here endlessly, even for the sake of appearances, the Fang family would have to invite him in.

And as long as he had a chance to meet the two Immortals from the Celestial Academy, there would still be a glimmer of hope.

However, since last night, Ji You had been hiding at home and hadn't stepped out.

Then he remembered that when the Ji family was in trouble two years ago, Ji You had also abandoned his parents and fled overnight, just like today.

He didn't expect that fellow to have the courage to face the Immortals directly, but he couldn't even bring himself to beg Fang Ruoyao for the sake of the Qiu girl, sacrificing his pride.

Kuang Cheng, with a grim expression, walked towards the constables at the gate. "Please inform her, I wish to see Miss Fang."

"It's Young Master Kuang. My lady is currently having tea with the Immortals from Shengjing and doesn't have time for guests."

"I can wait, no matter when. After all, I was once a classmate of Miss Fang. She's heading north to the capital tomorrow, so today is the only day I can bid her farewell in person."

"This..."

Upon hearing that he was there to see the young lady off, the constable hesitated for a moment before saying, "Then, Young Master Kuang, please wait a moment. I will go and inform the household."

Kuang Cheng cupped his hands and bowed. "Thank you."