About to Become a Force

On the way home, Ji Yuan had been thinking about Yin Qing.

If that Third Master from before could be seen clearly because his martial arts were formidable and his bearing unusual, then Yin Qing's case could only be attributed to talent and potential. The question was, potential in what?

Although Ji Yuan suspected that Yin Qing likely possessed the potential to cultivate immortality, he felt that was too narrow a view. Literary and martial pursuits were both possible. Better to wait and see.

To Ji Yuan, the Yin Family was the first true neighbor he had had since settling in Ning'an County.

At dawn the next day, Yin Zhaoxian brought Yin Qing to the outside of Ju'an Pavilion, carrying a box of flower cakes and two jars of Huadiao Wine.

The father and son looked at this little courtyard that had once been gloomy and sinister. Yet standing outside it now, they only felt a fresh, natural air. Even their breathing was remarkably smooth, and the fear in their hearts had vanished.

Yin Zhaoxian shifted the string tied around the flower cakes into his right hand and was just about to step forward and knock when a firm, powerful yet unhurried voice came from within.

"Come in. The courtyard gate isn't locked."

Yin Zhaoxian was startled for a moment, then hastily adjusted his attire before pushing open the gate and stepping inside.

"Yin Zhaoxian has come with his son Yin Qing to visit Mister Ji!"

"Hehe, Master Yin, it is enough that you came. There was no need to bring anything."

Ji Yuan put down the bamboo slip and formed a bow toward Yin Zhaoxian, who returned the gesture while holding the gifts.

"It would be discourteous to make a first visit empty-handed. Besides, Mister Ji's words yesterday swept aside the clouds and revealed the sun for me. Please accept this small token of my regard!"

With that, Yin Zhaoxian stepped forward and placed the gifts on the stone table. He naturally caught sight of the rolled objects spread across it and could not help letting out a soft cry.

"Bamboo slips?"

In this day and age, paper had long become widespread among scholars. Bamboo slips used as books were already exceedingly rare—or rather, had long vanished altogether.

"Indeed, bamboo slips."

Ji Yuan answered without concern.

"The bamboo slips in my home were all gifts from a friend. My eyesight is limited, so I cannot read ordinary books. Master Yin, Little Yin Qing, don't stand there. Please sit."

Watching Yin Zhaoxian lead Yin Qing to sit by the stone table, Ji Yuan took the initiative to begin a topic.

"I heard long ago that Master Yin would be taking up the post of master at Ning'an County's academy. I failed to visit and offer my congratulations, yet I have troubled you to come in person. How are the academy's preparations proceeding now?"

"Not at all, not at all. I have merely been favored by the people of Ning'an County. The academy is nearly ready, and in two days we will welcome students and begin teaching."

This was something Yin Zhaoxian took great pride in, and he smiled as he spoke. Meanwhile, Yin Qing had been staring at the water well in the courtyard, its wooden cover weighed down by a stone.

"Mister Ji, there is a water well in your courtyard. Why do you still go outside to carry water?"

Before the kitchen of Ju'an Pavilion stood a large and a small water vat. The large vat still held half a vat of water, which had been carried in from outside ten days ago.

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

"This well was once tainted by something unclean. Ji does not have an obsession with cleanliness, but I do not wish to drink its water."

Some things did not need to be spelled out too clearly. Clever people could always make the connection. Recalling the old rumors about Ju'an Pavilion, Yin Zhaoxian also thought of something. He unconsciously shifted his body slightly aside, moving a little farther from the well, and braced a hand on the table—only to touch a roll of bamboo slips.

These bamboo slips are so cold!

With a glance back, he clearly saw several seal-script characters on the bamboo slips: "Thirty-Six Moves of Chess Interruption." This gave him even more topics to discuss with Ji Yuan.

Yin Zhaoxian did not ask about Lord City God or matters of ghosts and gods. He had only one purpose: to build a good relationship with Ji Yuan.

After the initial period of restraint had passed, Yin Zhaoxian gradually relaxed. Ji Yuan was truly easygoing, naturally putting others at ease bit by bit. Moreover, whether walking, sitting, standing, or lying down in this small courtyard, one felt wonderfully comfortable and content.

The two spoke of heaven and earth within the little courtyard, nothing beyond discussion, while Yin Qing quietly listened beside them.

The longer they talked, the more Yin Zhaoxian felt that Mister Ji was unfathomable. He touched upon all things beneath heaven and above earth, and many of his views had never been heard before. Yet on careful consideration, they proved unique and incisive. Still, while he seemed to understand nearly everything, he often lacked common sense in mundane worldly matters and repeatedly sought Yin Zhaoxian's advice.

It was not until noon that the father and son departed. Yin Zhaoxian was still reluctant to leave, while Yin Qing had long since become bored.

Ji Yuan had enjoyed the conversation as well. Since Temple Outbuilding, this was the most he had spoken in quite some time. And speaking with a learned yet unpedantic scholar like Yin Zhaoxian gave him more common ground than speaking with others. Even when asking about miscellaneous matters, he did not need to be as constrained as when questioning the City God.

Looking at the Huadiao Wine on the stone table, Ji Yuan directly picked up a jar, pulled out its red stopper, and sniffed it. Finding the alcohol scent faint, he simply raised it and took a mouthful.

"The wine scent is faint, but the taste is surprisingly good!"

Ji Yuan muttered to himself, remembering that although he had occasionally drunk with Grandpa in his previous life, he had never thought wine tasted good.

He set down the wine jar, extended a finger, lightly tapped the bottle mouth, then drew it through the air.

A thin stream of wine flew out. As Ji Yuan's finger turned, it danced through the air in a circle before entering his mouth.

Mm, this Minor Water Evasion Technique has finally counted as an introduction.

The Minor Water Evasion Technique could barely be considered a kind of Water Manipulation Technique. This move left Ji Yuan exceptionally pleased!

The second day of the fourth month, Start of Summer. The jujube tree at Ju'an Pavilion blossomed.

More than two hundred li of Niu Kui Mountain crossed the edge of Desheng Prefecture, ran through Dingyuan Prefecture, and brushed Tianyue Prefecture, spanning three prefectures in all.

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

"ROAR—"

A tiger's roar shook the land for miles. A hundred birds took startled flight, and a hundred beasts fled in panic!

"Rumble..."

Dark clouds faintly gathered in the sky, lightning flashing and thunder roaring within them. Only after more than two hours did they gradually disperse, leaving behind a mountain rain.

Atop the City God Temple in Chengze County, Dingyuan Prefecture, a golden figure with a high crown gazed at nearby Niu Kui Mountain, his sight extending toward the rain clouds that were slowly dispersing.

"Alas, I fear some demon is about to become a force!"

After shaking his head with a sigh, the City God's dharma body faded away from where it stood.

Within the mountains, a fierce tiger two or three times the size of an ordinary tiger lifted its head toward the moon. It was none other than the Tiger Spirit, Lord Lu.

The Capping Thunder Cloud amid that mountain rain had both filled Lord Lu with dread and made him incomparably excited.

Cultivation was an act that defied heaven, and thunder was the symbol of heavenly might. Plants, birds, and beasts in particular feared heavenly lightning. Some spirit monsters that had gained intelligence instinctively hid everywhere during thunderstorms, as though a fear carved deep into their souls drove them to do so.

And once a spirit monster—especially one of demonic or wicked nature—was about to come into its own, the place where it dwelled would often more readily give rise to stormy weather. Sometimes it would even bring forth great thunderstorms out of season, as though Heaven's Will would not permit it.

Of course, no matter how terrifying thunder was, it was still merely weather. Spirit monsters and demons that had come into their own generally possessed no little intelligence, and there were plenty of ways for them to avoid it. There were unlucky fellows struck dead, but they were truly few in number—for instance, those lacking common sense who hid in tree caves during thunderstorms, only to be drenched in lightning along with the tree.

At this moment, the Tiger Spirit calmed his mind and stilled his breath, then leaped down from the mountain rocks where he had been standing. He thought that perhaps in another dozen years, or perhaps only a few, he would be able to break through the crucial shackles of demonkind. Only then could he truly roam the world beyond!

Meanwhile, where Tianyue Prefecture bordered Niu Kui Mountain, two groups of highly skilled martial artists were locked in a deadly chase and battle. They fought their way into Niu Kui Mountain, all for the sake of a clue to some supreme treasure of the martial world.