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Chapter 197 No, you came at the right time

"Indeed, youth is fearless and unrestrained, which reminds me of my own youth."

"You should know that in your youth you had lofty ambitions, and once vowed to be the best among men?"

"But Ji You, once you truly establish yourself among the aristocratic families, have descendants and blood relatives, and have to consider the continuation of the family line, you will know that no aspect of human nature is immutable."

"Over the centuries, I have seen many people like you in the world of Qingyun, but in the end, they all have to bow down to me."

"When I live to see you again, I will make sure you regret your actions."

At noon, the representative of the Spirit Stone Merchants Association from Yunzhou left the South City Immortal Bureau in anger.

On the South City Road we passed, an earthen house had been destroyed. As the bricks and tiles collapsed, dust and smoke instantly filled the street.

Seeing this, everyone pretty much understood what was going on.

The Great Xia Dynasty did not choose either of the two methods proposed by the Yunzhou Ling Shi Chamber of Commerce. Instead, they chose to change their route to Fengzhou. Ji You truly did not consider the possibility of being targeted and antagonized by the Yunzhou aristocratic families and participated in the matter without any concealment.

Just as the three heads of the management office had said, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of madness about Ji You.

"Previously, many people in the courtyard thought that Ji You was likely to become the son-in-law of the Lu family, but after this incident, it is probably impossible."

Qin Rong raised his head: "Originally, it was impossible. Ji You had never responded to the eldest daughter of the Lu family before. It is said that there is another woman being kept in the courtyard now."

Lang Hetong also heard about this and frowned slightly: "I wonder which family's daughter she is, that Ji You, who rejected Princess Chang Le and Miss Lu, actually brought her back."

Just then, Ji Jingyao came in from outside, looking travel-worn: "The people from the Dan Sect have received it; all the pills have arrived."

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Ji. I wonder if the distinguished guests from the Dan Sect have been settled in?"

"They've already been settled in the courtyard. The Yuan siblings said they wanted to visit a friend in the inner courtyard, so I had someone take them there."

Lang Hetong didn't take it seriously after hearing it, and said thank you for your hard work. Then he picked up a chess piece and prepared to place it.

But he was suddenly stunned, and then looked up to find that Qin Rong was also stunned in front of him.

Whom did she go to visit?

“It is Ji You, of course. There were rumors in the courtyard that they admired each other, and that Ji You wanted to go to Danshan to become a son-in-law. Now it seems that Miss Yuan also has the same intention.”

"But there's a woman in Ji You's courtyard now..."

"?"

Under the clear afternoon sky, on the Nishan trail where the snow was gradually melting, the Yuan siblings were climbing the mountain under the guidance of the disciples of the Head of the Academy.

Today, Yuan Caiwei was not wearing her crimson robe, but instead wore a long silver brocade dress, adorned with a gold and kingfisher feather hairpin, and her eyes were slightly dusted with gold powder. She looked exquisite and gentle, and was now following the disciples of the head of the academy to the front of an inner courtyard immortal residence.

After the disciple left, Yuan Caiwei reached out to knock on the door, but hesitated for a moment when her slender white fingers touched the door frame.

Although she and Ji You corresponded frequently, meeting in person still made her a little nervous.

Yuan Chen, on the other hand, had no such reservations. Seeing his elder sister hesitate, he couldn't wait to push open the courtyard gate.

However, the next second, Yuan Chen, who was pushing the courtyard gate, quickly retreated and closed the gate behind him, a look of astonishment flashing across his face.

Yuan Caiwei frowned: "What's wrong?"

Yuan Chen swallowed hard: "Sister, it seems like I opened it wrong..."

"Is Young Master Ji not wearing any clothes?"

"Is this what you've been hoping for, sister?"

Yuan Caiwei said "Go to hell," then impatiently pushed open the courtyard gate, searched the courtyard with her eyes, and then froze on the spot.

At that moment, she finally understood why her younger brother had opened and closed the door repeatedly.

Because the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain was wearing a floral jacket and sitting in Ji You's courtyard, holding a knife in one hand and a potato in the other, having already peeled half of it, and was looking up at him.

Her clear and bright eyes initially revealed a touch of innocence and cuteness, as gentle as a bride next door, but soon turned cold and wary...

At this moment, on the second floor of Hongding Tower in the city.

The scions of prominent families in the capital, as well as the disciples of the Immortal Sect who were guests at the Prince Chong's residence that day, were gathered together.

As soon as the Danzong merchant caravan arrived at the Heavenly Academy, Zhao Yunyue held a banquet there in advance and used the connections she had built up over the years to invite people from the inner courtyard.

Qian Yuan Dan, this kind of elixir, has always been a rare and highly sought-after commodity.

Besides the fact that the allocations to the six major immortal sects are fixed and cannot be bought or sold, the Dan Sect also keeps some spare supplies on hand.

Because the higher the quality of the elixir, the more unstable its structure and the higher the damage rate. Even with a top-grade alchemist personally escorting it, accidents may still occur along the way.

What Liu Junchi was eyeing were those spare supplies.

Since the siblings from the Dan Sect have now paid off all their shares in the Heavenly Academy, the spare supplies prepared for the Heavenly Academy can now be traded.

However, he was not alone in thinking this way, and to avoid any unforeseen complications, they prepared a banquet early on to await him there.

Ding Shaojie, who had returned from the Imperial Academy with his elders, was also invited to the banquet. He had a cold expression and sharp eyes.

"Will the Snowfield Demon Stones really have to be transported from Fengzhou from now on?"

Ding Shaojie clenched his fist: "That's right, those are the exact words of the Directorate of Immortals."

Zhao Yunyue coldly raised her wine glass: "This Ji You really doesn't give face to anyone."

Ding Shaojie raised his eyes: "He's just a hermit in the countryside. If my father hadn't stopped me, I would have had his head chopped off long ago!"

Upon hearing the voice, Liu Junchi looked up and said, "This is in front of the Heavenly Academy. Brother Shaojie, you'd better keep a low profile."

Why do you all say that?

"The Heavenly Academy is the most prestigious of the seven immortal sects. Seeking revenge is acceptable, but slapping their face is not. Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to my Spirit Sword Mountain to seek guidance for a few unknown disciples."

Ding Shaojie remained silent for a long time before drinking the sake in his cup in one gulp.

Actually, he didn't care that much about the spirit stone business; what he cared about was Lu Qingqiu, which was why he was so jealous and resentful of Ji You.

When I returned, my father said that businessmen value profit and loss the most. Although the Yunzhou Chamber of Commerce is large, it is not worth offending a holy sect like the Tianshu Academy. He also said that there are plenty of ways to make Fengzhou's transportation business fail.

But feelings are not like business; they cannot be calculated based on gains and losses, which is why he was so furious.

Liu Junchi looked at Ding Shaojie and couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "Actually, Ji You isn't anything special in my opinion."

"Oh? Brother Liu thinks so too?"

"of course."

Liu Junchi straightened up: "Although he is exceptionally talented at the Tongxuan Upper Realm, he is still only at the Tongxuan Upper Realm. If he hadn't been born in Fengzhou, where there are no other powerful families, he wouldn't have the right to be so arrogant and bossy about such things."

Upon hearing this, Ding Shaojie looked up and said, "Brother Liu is absolutely right. He only benefits from his status. Only a fool would think he is noble and virtuous, but a discerning person would look down on him. If such a person were in my Yunzhou, he wouldn't even be worthy of carrying my shoes."

"However, in some respects, Ji You can indeed be considered a smart person."

"Where is the intelligence?"

"He first rode on Chu He's fame, and then fabricated a rumor that he would marry into the Dan Sect. Today, he took the opportunity to get involved with the Snow Region Demon Stone. All these actions seem bizarre and pointless, but they have indeed raised his reputation and status invisibly."

Liu Junchi raised his head: "Several elders of Lingjian Mountain still want to take him under their wing. The path that seems to be getting narrower and narrower is actually getting wider. If he hadn't been so attention-seeking, he would only be an ordinary inner disciple of the Heavenly Number Academy, receiving 20% ​​of the tax revenue. He is indeed quite shrewd."

Ding Shaojie opened his mouth: "What's the story behind the rumor of marrying into the Dan Sect?"

"When the incident happened at Qiling, Ji You saved the daughter of the Danzong sect leader. Later, some people started to spread rumors that he and Miss Yuan had developed feelings for each other and that he wanted to marry into the Danzong sect."

"Several of my friends who traveled with me also heard this rumor. When we came by boat together, they told me that they wanted to host a banquet for Ji You, befriend him, and take the opportunity to directly purchase elixirs from the Dan Sect. I just smiled and said nothing."

Zhao Yunyue glanced sideways and said, "Senior brother, you're going too far. Ji You should have some influence in the Dan Sect."

Liu Junchi put down his teacup: "Junior Sister, what do you mean by that?"

"He rescued the eldest daughter of the Dan Sect when she went missing."

"But I heard that the eldest daughter of the Dan Sect paid him money and settled the matter after returning. Such a distant act, how can it be considered as giving face? It's nothing more than exchanging rumors for benefits."

After hearing this, Zhao Yunyue seemed to be thinking about it, realizing that at the time she was only resentful about being rejected and hadn't really thought about it properly.

After hearing Senior Brother Liu's analysis, it does make some sense.

I had heard people say that Ji You wanted to marry into the Dan Sect, but there was no news about it afterward. Now that I think about it, it was probably just wishful thinking on his part.

Especially today, the Dan Sect has been here for several hours, and many aristocratic scions already know about it, but Ji You is still discussing the transportation route in the Sixianjian, which means he is completely unaware of Yuan Caiwei's arrival.

If the two truly had some extraordinary relationship, why wouldn't they even know of each other's arrival?

Thinking about this, Zhao Yunyue seemed to fill in a clear picture in her mind, and suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction.

While her status as a princess and a foreign disciple of Lingjian Mountain is noble, it is naturally inferior to that of the daughter of the Dan Sect.

Did Ji You really want to marry into the family and that's why she rejected him? In the end, she was rejected in return, and now she doesn't even mention it. Instead, she's keeping a woman in her yard who seems to have come from nowhere.

Princess Chang Le picked up her teacup and took a sip of tea.

Since the invited guests had not yet arrived, the guests could not drink alcohol beforehand and could only drink tea and chat.

During the conversation, Ding Shaojie and Liu Junchi had a very pleasant chat, and Ding found the other man's words increasingly pleasant to hear.

However, as the sun moved further into the distance, Liu Junchi began to feel uneasy, wondering if the Yuan siblings had been invited by someone else.

His most important purpose for this trip was to buy the Qian Yuan Pill. If someone else had their eye on it beforehand, he would have to return empty-handed.

Just then, a disciple of the academy invited by Zhao Yunyue arrived at Hongding Tower and handed a Ruyi carved from a spirit stone to Zhao Yunyue's table.

This jade ruyi is about the size of an adult's palm. Although it is not very large, Ding Shaojie comes from a family of spirit stone makers, so he can tell that the ruyi is crystal clear and has no impurities, so it can be considered a top-grade item.

Lingzhou has many mineral veins, but even the spirit stones mined from the same vein can vary in quality, because the closer the spirit stone is to the core of the main vein, the more refined it is.

Why are the spirit stones of the demon race of such high quality? The spirit stone merchants of Yunzhou had long speculated about this. There should be a ten-thousand-year-old spirit core beneath the snowfield. Because it is rarely visited by humans, it has never been harvested, thus nourishing countless surrounding spirit veins, which are overflowing with spiritual energy.

According to their guild's standards, the jade ruyi in front of them should be classified as a third-grade item, belonging to the middle stage of a spiritual vein.

However, Ding Shaojie noticed that Princess Chang Le lost her smile when she saw the Ruyi Spirit Stone.

"Princess, I'm so sorry, but I'm returning the items you accepted earlier."

"Young Master Wei did not see the Danzong siblings?"

The disciple in charge of the affairs office chuckled softly: "I did meet them, and we even exchanged a few words on the way up the mountain. I mentioned the banquet to them, but the Yuan siblings declined."

Zhao Yunyue couldn't help but look up: "Could we tell her that it was Senior Brother Liu from Lingjian Mountain who hosted the event? Senior Brother Liu is at the Fusion Dao Upper Realm and is very likely to enter the Yingtian Realm."

"Of course they did, but... they were in a hurry to visit Ji You, and I don't know if they heard me clearly."

"What are they going to do?"

The disciple in charge of the academy pursed his lips: "They went to visit Ji You as soon as they entered, but they didn't expect Ji You to have changed courtyards."

The story originates from the legend of the daughter of the Dan Sect and the private disciple of the Heavenly Academy, and most of the stories are about the latter marrying into the family.

From a moral and social standpoint, this led many people to believe that Ji You was trying too hard to curry favor with him.

After a long pause, Zhao Yunyue raised her eyes and smiled faintly: "If Senior Brother Wei hasn't seen it, he can just say so. I won't blame him. I'll just ask someone else to invite him."

The disciple in charge of affairs opened his mouth: "I really saw them. I was the one who brought them into the inner courtyard."

"But Ji You is currently in the Imperial Observatory."

"Of course I know about that. I told them about the Snowfield Demon Stone before we went up the mountain, but they said they would wait in the courtyard and told us at the Heavenly Academy not to inform them so as not to disturb them."

It was already past 1:00 PM, and the sun was beginning to set.

Ji You emerged from the Imperial Observatory and traveled from south to north with Kuang Cheng.

The Directorate of Immortals planned to repair the official road in Fengzhou after the new year, and the preliminary preparations for this matter fell to Kuang Cheng. In fact, only Kuang Cheng could do this task, and both sides could feel at ease.

After all, there are bound to be many people who want to profit from such projects.

Furthermore, after the barbarian troops withdrew, the Zhenbei Army, which was preparing to leave the northern border, would then head to Fengzhou to be stationed.

On the one hand, it can oversee the road repairs, and on the other hand, it can fulfill the promise made to Ji You to protect the people in his village.

The two returned to the north of Shengjing City and saw countless people on the street handing out visiting cards.

Ji You was not quite sure what was going on and was somewhat bewildered, but seeing that many of the women among them had glistening eyes, she couldn't help but feel a little fortunate.

"Luckily, I didn't bring Yan Shuyi with me today."

Kuang Cheng couldn't help but raise his eyes: "Why is that?"

Ji You clicked her tongue: "Because the streets are full of cats with their tails wagging. If she sees that, she's probably in for a rough night."

"Does Fairy Yan forbid you from taking a concubine?"

"No, she even helped me choose one herself. I'm just afraid I won't live to marry her..."

Ji You couldn't help but admire his own foresight: "There's a hurdle every step of the way on the street. We can't afford to cause any more trouble if we stay in the courtyard."

Kuang Cheng looked at the interface and said, "Why don't we just find a place to eat on the street and then go back?"

"Forget it, I'd better go back. I haven't made lunch yet, and if I stay any longer, someone will probably get angry."

"It seems that neither free food and wine nor hard-earned silver can compare to what Brother Ji desires."

Kuang Cheng sighed, thinking to himself that Brother Ji might seem dissolute, but he would definitely be a good husband. He chuckled softly, but then noticed that Ji You, who was holding countless invitations, suddenly stopped and pressed one hand to his eyes.

First the left eye, then the right eye, I pressed for a while.

Kuang Cheng turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ji You blinked: "I don't know why my eyelid keeps twitching."

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"Perhaps it's because I've been cooking every day these past few days and got smoked. It's nothing serious."

After Ji You finished speaking, he cupped his hands in farewell to Kuang Cheng and then headed towards Mount Ni.

Back at the Heavenly Academy, countless students were staring intently at him, whispering amongst themselves, which made him look back at them many times.

Ji You assumed that news of his trip to the Imperial Academy had been relayed back to the courtyard and didn't pay much attention to it. He crossed the vast forest, entered the inner courtyard, and then returned to his own villa along the way.

With a creak, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

He took a step inside, and his eyes widened in surprise. He saw that the table was piled high with shredded potatoes, forming a small mountain, and there was an empty burlap sack next to it.

Why did you cut so many potato shreds? I bought this so we could eat it until the New Year was over.

Ji You picked up the sack and walked towards the bedroom, where he saw an even more astonishing scene.

Yan Shuyi was kneeling on a rug in the room, holding several hand-drawn cards, while Yuan Caiwei sat opposite him, also holding several cards.

The two were playing a game of "beating a tiger with a stick and eating a worm with a chicken," while Yuan Chen sat to the side, trembling.

An hour ago, he and his older sister came up the mountain to find their brother-in-law. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the appraiser's sister peeling potatoes. At first, he thought it was a hallucination, but as his sister entered the room, he realized that everything was real.

The weapon wielder of Lingjian Mountain, the stern and unsmiling Master Sister, was indeed peeling potatoes in the courtyard.

Yuan Caiwei was also stunned for a long time. Although she quickly regained her composure and greeted the young appraiser politely, Yuan Chen could see the panic in his sister's eyes.

The man who tried to flirt with his girlfriends was discovered by them...

At that time, the young appraiser greeted them with a smile and exchanged updates with them.

At that moment, Yuan Chen seemed to see the Empress's calmness and majesty, as if she were silently declaring that this courtyard and the man belonged to him.

At this moment, Ji You stood in the courtyard, watching the two women playing cards, and a famous scene suddenly came to mind.

It seems I've arrived at the wrong time.

No, you came just in time.

He had been informed by letter that Yuan Caiwei was coming to Tianshu Academy to deliver the pills, but he really hadn't expected the timing to be so perfect.

At this moment, he glanced at Yuan Chen and found that Yuan Chen was also looking at him. He didn't dare to call out "brother-in-law" even though the word was stuck in his throat.

"Young Master Ji is back?"

"Miss Yuan, long time no see. You're dressed beautifully, but you come here wanting to take my life..."

Ji You lowered his voice for the second half of his sentence, only reciting it silently in his heart, and then said, "Thank you for helping me prepare the pills last time."

Yuan Caiwei gently shook her head, the jade pendant on her earlobe swaying as she did so: "You're welcome. I just did what I could."

"You've come here to deliver pills?"

"I came to deliver pills. Yuan Chen... insisted on coming to see you, so I came with him. I didn't expect that you weren't here, but the appraiser's sister was, so we agreed to play cards together."

When Yuan Chen heard his older sister shift the blame onto him, he instantly held his breath.

My older sister was the one who was eager to come, and she even dressed up in her finest clothes beforehand, but now it's all my idea.

Yan Shuyi looked up at this moment: "Yuan Chen is still so playful?"

Yuan Chen nodded: "It was my idea to come."

"Then why don't you stay for dinner tonight? Anyway, I shredded a lot of potatoes today."

Ji You glanced at her and thought to herself, "The potato shreds you cut are enough to stir-fry three pots." "You guys play, I'm going to chop wood and start a fire."

Yuan Chen didn't dare stay there either, and hurriedly got up from the table: "Brother-in-law, I'll go with you, I'm really good at chopping wood!"

As Ji You stepped out the door, Yuan Chen pulled her aside: "Brother-in-law, why are you living with the Master of Appraisal?"

"She's been keeping to herself and getting a bit irritable. She came to Shengjing to spend the winter with me and has been staying there for quite a while now. But you guys, why didn't you even tell me you were coming?"

"I was originally planning to surprise you; I dressed up so beautifully, I was even trying to seduce you..."

Ji You lifted the pot lid: "The young appraiser can hear everything you say."

Yuan Chen immediately lowered his head: "I'd better go chop wood."

Yuan Caiwei was sitting in the house, throwing cards as she looked at Yan Shuyi: "I didn't expect Young Master Ji to be able to cook."

The young appraiser rested his chin on his knees and said calmly, "The cooking is alright, I've eaten here many times, and the shredded potatoes are the best."

"Weren't his hands injured before?"

"Yes, I was injured and unconscious for several days. After waking up, I couldn't move at all. Now I seem to have recovered quite a bit. With the help of spiritual energy, cooking is no problem, but using a sword still seems a bit difficult."

At this moment, Yuan Caiwei took out a set of ancient books and a pill from her bag: "I found some ancient prescriptions at home, and then made a pill to nourish the meridians. With the help of the massage, it should help Young Master Ji's arm recover."

Yan Shuyi looked at her calmly: "What method?"

"After taking the pill, use its energy to activate the four major acupoints, and apply the medicinal power directly to the arm for three days of nourishment."

"The four major acupoints?"

Yuan Caiwei nodded gently: "Abdomen, chest, back and waist."

Yan Shuyi narrowed his eyes like a cat guarding its food, thinking to himself that Yuan Caiwei was indeed well-prepared.

(End of this chapter)