Cultivators' senses were keen and far-reaching—this was something Ji You had felt after beginning cultivation, so he had spoken that sentence extremely softly.
But he did not know that the reason the Upper Five Realms were called the All Laws Realm was because cultivators at that level could wield the Heavenly Dao Laws, and following the wind to distinguish sounds was merely the most basic ability.
Ji You's heart trembled, and he turned his head back as if nothing had happened. "Brother Kuang, have you eaten?"
"Not yet..."
"My Instructor Cao is treating us. Are you coming?"
Kuang Cheng waved a hand after hearing this. "I'm not particularly familiar with Immortal Cao, so I'll pass."
"Hey!" Ji You waved him off. "What are you afraid of? He won't be coming anyway."
"?"
Kuang Cheng froze for a moment, thinking, What kind of invitation is this, where the host doesn't even show up? "What sort of etiquette is that?"
Ji You set down his teacup. "We'll just pack a portion for him later. He doesn't like spicy food, so we can't eat together."
Kuang Cheng still waved his hand. "Forget it. You have friends and fellow travelers with you, so I won't intrude. We can meet again after you return safely to the capital."
"Are you afraid of getting beaten up?"
"I just... can't stand the sight of blood..."
Ji You gave a dry laugh, thinking, At most, she'll kick me a few times. How could she bear to draw her sword?
Afterward, the two bid each other farewell, and Ji You left the secluded residence with Spirit Sword Mountain's Young Master Jian.
Just as he had expected, Yan Shuyi did not draw her sword to cause him trouble. She merely stubbornly walked ahead of him the whole time, her left hand tucked behind her back and her other hand resting on her sword. She said nothing, her expression cool and aloof, as though trying to prove that she was not cute.
But she did not know that the more she acted this way, the cuter she seemed in Ji You's eyes.
He had even forgotten that the girl before him was actually Spirit Sword Mountain's next sect leader, much less that she was also the strongest direct disciple in the Heavenly Response Realm.
The two soon arrived at a restaurant called Dengying Residence. Compared with Hong Ding Tower and Xihe Tower, it was not well known, but its braised pork bones were said to be delicious.
However, braised pork bones did not seem like suitable food for a refined young lady, leaving Yan Shuyi with nowhere to start. Under the table, she kicked him twice.
"I'll be setting out soon. Do you have anywhere to go?"
Yan Shuyi tossed the bone before her into the plate. "I'll be leaving tomorrow as well, heading to Qingzhou. A group of Spirit Sword Mountain disciples has gone missing there. That was why I came here in the first place. Seeing you was merely along the way."
Qingzhou lay between Lingzhou and Shengjing. It was not along the way in the slightest, yet she still liked emphasizing it.
Ji You frowned upon hearing that. "Spirit Sword Mountain has cultivators who went missing too?"
"They've been missing for several days already. Before leaving the mountain, I specifically sent disciples near Qingzhou to investigate. There should be clues by now."
"Celestial Academy had disciples go missing before as well. It was inextricably linked to evil seeds. You need to take care of yourself."
After hearing his final sentence, Yan Shuyi nodded obediently.
After the meal, the sky had already darkened, and night slowly flooded in alongside the sunset's fading traces.
The two returned along the alley, with the stubborn, cold-faced Young Master Jian still walking ahead.
Step for step, they gradually approached an inn in the alley. This inn was quite popular among cultivators in the capital, and Spirit Sword Mountain's wandering disciples outside the mountain basically all stayed here.
The night before last, a disciple had even come downstairs to book an extra room specifically, but it had remained empty all night.
When Yan Shuyi reached the entrance, she turned and glanced at it. Then, as if she had seen nothing at all, she headed toward Nishan Heavenly Script Academy.
Ji You followed behind her. When passing Hengfeng Inn, he also glanced at it, a faint smile on his face.
Yet before he could think further, he suddenly furrowed his brow and turned to look toward the alley they had just passed.
Ever since leaving Qionghua Pavilion, he had always felt as though someone had been following him. Yet whenever he released his Divine Sense, he found nothing at all.
Until that very moment, he had caught a trace of an aura, but it had completely withdrawn again by now.
That aura held no malice, but for some reason, it had been following him all along.
Ji You walked back a few steps and stared at the empty alley, frowning for a long while. Only when Yan Shuyi's voice rang out behind him did he turn and leave, returning to Celestial Academy.
Just like yesterday, beneath the deep night, the two sat as usual in the meditation room, lit the stove, and gazed out the window with relaxed expressions.
Yesterday's sweet potatoes had all been roasted, but Ji You still had some peanuts saved up, so he added them to the pot.
The Young Master Jian seemed to have grown accustomed to this kind of life after only one night. After entering, she watched him stoke the fire and light the stove, the rising flames gradually illuminating her delicate face.
"I feel like I forgot to bring someone food..."
"Forget it. It's not important."
Ji You pulled a stool over from the corner and placed the cushion he had bought in the city today on Yan Shuyi's seat.
The Young Master Jian smoothed her skirt as she sat down, casually taking off her moon-white boots embroidered with jade-green accents. She revealed a pair of tiny, exquisite feet, fair as jade, and slowly warmed the soles by the fire.
Her sleeping hall was covered in thick carpets, so she usually disliked wearing shoes. Even on the mountain, she often went barefoot.
When they first met yesterday, she had been too embarrassed. But now, she did not seem to care much anymore. Her rosy, jade-smooth toes curled slightly before the firelight, feeling the warmth gradually wash over them.
Before long, the peanuts in the pot had finished boiling as well.
Ji You reluctantly withdrew his gaze, poured the peanuts into a basket, let them cool a little, then handed them to her.
Yan Shuyi picked up a peanut, shelled it, and put it into her mouth. Suddenly, she remembered seeing such a scene in a town at the foot of the mountain.
It had been a farming household, the sort with bare walls on every side.
Every day, the woman mended clothes for others in the house, while the man worked odd jobs during the day. At night, they would sit around the stove together and chat about this and that.
Yan Shuyi had not thought there was anything good about that at the time, yet now, for some reason, her heart seemed to melt.
Cultivators did not need to sleep every day, so the two sat before the stove for another entire night.
Ji You told her about his past experiences in Yuyang County and also mentioned who that remarkably familiar-looking scholar from today had been.
Yan Shuyi, meanwhile, told him about life on the mountain. Some of it came in soft murmurs, and from time to time, she even complained that she had grown tired of the mountain scenery. Her tone was gentle and playful, completely unlike herself.
And so, word by word, the sky outside gradually brightened.
By the hour of the dragon on the following day, Yan Shuyi had packed her things and stood in the courtyard outside the meditation room, looking somewhat dejected.
When she came, she had not expected things to turn out like this. She had only planned to meet him once and leave, then roam the martial world with a cold face and find the missing disciples.
Yet for some reason, she had stayed here for two days and even grown accustomed to the dull life of gathering around the stove every day.
Only when she thought of this did she realize that this was merely the first man she had ever met.
"Help me put away my cushion."
"And my bedding. That's mine."
"And, and... help me put away that cup painted with gold lines too. Don't let it gather dust."
Before leaving, Yan Shuyi earnestly instructed Ji You. She did not say anything like that she wanted to come or would come again, yet she looked every bit like someone who still wanted to return.
Ji You stood at the entrance to the meditation room and looked at her. "It's already put away. You mentioned it once last night."
Yan Shuyi fell silent for a moment. She wanted to say, How about I stay one more day? But just as the thought arose, the Mountain Gate jade token at her waist burst forth with a wave of Mystic Light.
She had told Ji You yesterday that Spirit Sword Mountain's disciples had gone missing in Qingzhou for several days. She had sent nearby disciples to investigate in secret, and it seemed they had found clues now.
"Ji You, when you pinched my cheek and called me cute, did you remember that I'm in the Heavenly Response Realm?"
"?"
Yan Shuyi curled her lips upward. Mystic Light suddenly burst forth around her body, surging like galloping ocean waves, her pressure far greater than that of anyone Ji You had ever seen.
In that instant, Spirit Sword Mountain's Young Master Jian vanished from where she stood, crossing a thousand miles in a single leap and slipping into the wind.
She did not like farewells, so she believed that if one was leaving, one should leave quickly. At that moment, she streaked through the bright daytime sky like a meteor.
Ji You looked at the whirlwind lingering where she had stood and could not help holding his breath.
Fortunately, when food had been dangling before his eyes yesterday, he had not acted on a momentary impulse. He truly could not defeat this strongest direct disciple of the current generation.
But to throw in a show of force before leaving—wasn't that a little too cute?
(The Young Master Jian isn't leaving the story; she'll return through another storyline. Please keep reading, please vote monthly. Following the story is truly crucial—there's still a little way to go before we have a chance at the event. I beg you all, if you have time, please turn a few pages... orz.)
Before you continue