Taking Shape

On the way home, Ji Yuan was actually thinking about Yin Qing's matter the entire time.

If that so-called Third Master from last time could be clearly seen due to his high martial arts and unique aura, then Yin Qing's situation could only be attributed to talent or potential—just not sure in which aspect.

Although Ji Yuan guessed that Yin Qing likely possessed the potential for immortal cultivation, he also felt this was somewhat narrow-minded; literary or martial achievements were both possible. He would wait and see.

For Ji Yuan, the Yin family was truly the first neighbors he had since settling in Ning'an County.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Yin Zhaoxian brought Yin Qing to the outside of Ju'an Pavilion's small courtyard, carrying a box of flower cakes and two bottles of Huadiao wine.

Father and son looked at this previously eerie small courtyard, but standing outside the gate now, they only felt a fresh and natural sensation, their breathing exceptionally smooth, and their inner fear vanished.

Yin Zhaoxian shifted the string holding the flower cakes to his right hand and was about to step forward and knock when he heard a steady, forceful yet low voice come from inside.

"Come in, the courtyard gate isn't locked."

Yin Zhaoxian was slightly startled, hastily adjusted his attire, then pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside.

"Yin Zhaoxian brings his son Yin Qing to visit Mister Ji!"

"Heh, Master Yin, you needn't bring gifts just for a visit."

Ji Yuan set down the bamboo slips and cupped his hands toward Yin Zhaoxian, who returned the gesture while holding his items.

"A first visit cannot be without courtesy. Besides, Mister Ji's words yesterday enlightened this humble one. A small token of appreciation, I hope you'll accept it!"

With that, Yin Zhaoxian stepped closer and placed the gifts on the stone table, naturally getting a clear look at the rolls upon it, and couldn't help but exclaim softly.

"Bamboo slips?"

In this era, paper had long been popular among scholars, and writing on bamboo slips had become extremely rare—or rather, had long since vanished.

"Indeed, they are bamboo slips."

Ji Yuan replied nonchalantly.

"The bamboo slips at home were all gifts from friends. Ji's eyesight is limited, so I cannot read ordinary books. Master Yin, and little Yin Qing, don't just stand there—please, sit."

Watching Yin Zhaoxian lead Yin Qing to sit by the stone table, Ji Yuan proactively brought up a topic.

"I've long heard that Master Yin will be taking up the post of academy teacher in Ning'an County. I never came to congratulate you, yet I've troubled you to visit me in person. How are the preparations for the academy coming along?"

"Not at all, not at all. Thanks to the kindness of everyone in Ning'an County, the academy is nearly ready. I'll begin teaching students in two days."

This was a matter of great pride for Yin Zhaoxian, and his face bore a smile as he spoke. Meanwhile, Yin Qing kept staring at the well in the courtyard, its wooden lid weighed down by a stone.

"Mister Ji, you have a well in your yard, so why do you still go outside to fetch water?"

In front of Ju'an Pavilion's kitchen stood two water vats, one large and one small. The larger one inside was half full, water that had been fetched from outside ten days ago.

Ji Yuan glanced at the well in the courtyard and answered casually.

"This well was once contaminated with unclean things. Though Ji is not exactly a clean freak, I have no desire to drink water from it."

Some things didn't need to be explained too clearly; clever people could always make the connection. Recalling the old rumors about Ju'an Pavilion, Yin Zhaoxian also thought of something, instinctively shifting his body slightly to put a bit more distance from the well, and as his hand brushed the table, he touched a roll of bamboo slips.

'These bamboo slips are so cold!'

Turning his head for a glance, he saw the seal-script characters "Thirty-Six Moves of Chess Interruption" on the slips, and thus found more topics to chat about with Ji Yuan.

Yin Zhaoxian didn't ask about matters like the Lord City God or ghosts and spirits; his sole purpose was to build a good relationship with Ji Yuan.

After an initial period of formality passed, Yin Zhaoxian gradually relaxed. Ji Yuan was quite easygoing, naturally putting people at ease, and the small courtyard itself gave a pleasant, comfortable feeling whether sitting, standing, or lying down.

The two talked about everything under the sun in the courtyard, while Yin Qing listened quietly on the side.

The more they talked, the more Yin Zhaoxian felt that Mister Ji was unfathomably deep, touching on astronomy and geography with no subject untouched. Many insights were unheard of, yet on closer thought, they were unique and incisive. However, for all his apparent knowledge, he often lacked common sense on trivial worldly matters and frequently sought Yin Zhaoxian's advice.

It wasn't until noon that father and son left, Yin Zhaoxian somewhat reluctant, while Yin Qing had long grown bored.

Ji Yuan had also enjoyed the conversation. After last time at the Temple Outbuilding, this was the most he'd spoken in one go during this period. And chatting with a learned but not pedantic scholar like Yin Zhaoxian was relatively more engaging than with others; asking miscellaneous questions didn't feel as constrained as when he'd asked the City God.

Looking at the Huadiao wine on the stone table, Ji Yuan picked up a jar, pulled out the red stopper, and sniffed it. Finding the alcohol smell very faint, he simply lifted it and took a sip.

"The wine flavor is light, but the taste is actually quite good!"

Ji Yuan muttered to himself, recalling that in his past life, though he occasionally drank with his grandfather, he never found wine enjoyable.

Setting the bottle down, he extended a finger, lightly touched the bottle's mouth, and then drew it through the air.

A thin stream of wine flew out, swirling through the air in a loop following Ji Yuan's finger before entering his mouth.

'Hmm, this Minor Water Evasion Technique is barely considered mastered.'

The Minor Water Evasion Technique could loosely be considered a form of Water Manipulation Technique. This little trick left Ji Yuan exceptionally satisfied!

The second day of the fourth month, Start of Summer. The jujube tree in Ju'an Pavilion's courtyard was in bloom.

Over two hundred li of Niu Kui Mountain stretched across the edge of Desheng Prefecture, cut through Dingyuan Prefecture, and grazed Tianyue Prefecture, spanning three prefectures in total.

That night, deep within Niu Kui Mountain in Dingyuan Prefecture.

"Roar—"

A tiger's roar shook several li, startling a hundred birds into flight and sending a hundred beasts fleeing!

"Rumble..."

Dark clouds gathered faintly in the sky, lightning flashing and thunder roaring within them. After more than an hour, they gradually dispersed, leaving behind a mountain rain.

Atop the City God Temple in Chengze County, Dingyuan Prefecture, a golden statue with a tall crown gazed at Niu Kui Mountain, so close at hand, its sight extending to the rain clouds that were slowly dissipating.

"Sigh, I fear some demonic creature is about to come into its own!"

After shaking his head and sighing, the City God's dharma body vanished from the spot.

Deep in the mountain, a ferocious tiger, two or three times the size of an ordinary one, was lifting its head to gaze at the moon. This was the Tiger Spirit, Lord Lu.

The Capping Thunder Cloud in the mountain rain just now both made Lord Lu's heart tremble and filled him with wild excitement.

Cultivation was an act defying Heaven, and thunder was a symbol of Heaven's might. Beasts of grass and wood were especially terrified of Heavenly Thunder. Some spirits that had awakened intelligence would instinctively hide and take cover everywhere during thunderstorm weather, as if a fear were etched deep into their souls.

And once a spirit, especially an evil one, was about to come into its own, the place where it dwelled would often more easily trigger thunderstorm weather, sometimes even causing great thunderstorms out of season, as if Heaven's Will would not tolerate it.

Of course, no matter how terrifying thunder was, it was still just weather. Spirits and demons that had come into their own were mostly of no low intelligence, and there were plenty of ways to avoid it. The Unlucky Fellow who actually got struck dead by lightning couldn't be said not to exist, but they were truly a minority—for example, those who lacked common sense and hid in a tree cave during a thunderstorm, only to have the tree and themselves drenched together by the thunderbolt.

At this moment, the Tiger Spirit calmed his heart and mind, leaped down from the mountain rock he was on, and mused to himself that perhaps in another ten years, or even just a few, he might break through the key shackles of the demon race. Only then would he truly be able to roam the outside world!

And at the place where Tianyue Prefecture bordered Niu Kui Mountain, two groups of highly skilled martial artists from the jianghu were locked in a chase of life and death, fighting all the way into Niu Kui Mountain, all for the sake of contending over a clue to some supreme martial treasure.