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Chapter 223 Sending Messages Across Time
Dongsheng Academy has been bustling with people since this morning, as the disciples of Tianshu Academy have moved in, and the northern aristocratic families have come to visit one after another.

But after the young master of Lingjian Mountain moved in, more families from the south came to pay homage, lining up from the pavilions in the east courtyard all the way to the blue stone that seemed to symbolize "the rising sun."

Many of the people there exuded profound auras and possessed deep spiritual cultivation; some even had gray hair and beards and were quietly waiting in the courtyard.

The seven major immortal sects have seven direct disciples, and the Chen clan has two, but only Yan Shuyi is the undisputed next sect leader.

After all, not everyone can master the art of wielding weapons.

They rarely get to meet the leaders of the seven major immortal sects. Even those who have come to the Heavenly Dao Assembly are not known to ordinary people. Therefore, the only leader they can contact is Yan Shuyi.

As a result, many people wanted to visit her and change the future of their families.

At this moment, in the small tea pavilion in the East Courtyard, the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain was still wearing his appraiser's immortal robe, but he had taken off his crown and was looking calmly at the old man in front of him.

He was wearing a light blue brocade robe, and he was already showing signs of aging, with a somewhat gaunt face, but his spirits remained high.

This man's surname is Zeng, and he is the head of the Zeng family in Lingzhou.

The Zeng family is considered a relatively large and powerful family, but in recent years they have had conflicts with the Deng family of Lingzhou. Their purpose in coming to meet this time is actually to use Lingjian Mountain to bully the other party.

Because, whether in terms of relationships or past interactions, the Zeng family head felt that his family was closer to Lingjian Mountain than the Deng family.

He had never met Yan Shuyi before and thought that no matter how powerful she was, she was just a young girl. But when he sat opposite her, he felt a sense of pressure, which made him immediately lower his posture.

"The Zeng and Deng families are both prominent families in Lingzhou. We should value harmony. If this kind of disturbance continues, it will not be good for anyone."

Yan Shuyi looked up at the Zeng family head: "Lingjian Mountain is unwilling to get involved in the disputes between aristocratic families. There are some things that are hard for outsiders to understand. Moreover, in my opinion, the conflict between your two families is not irreconcilable."

Upon hearing this, the Zeng family head cupped his hands and said, "But Tianjian Peak said that the clan land with abundant spiritual energy originally belonged to my Zeng family."

"Who from Tianjian Peak gave you permission?"

"Yes...it is Sect Leader Yan's golden words."

“But Tianjian Peak’s methods are useless against me. I’m different from him; I just hope that Lingzhou can be more stable.”

Yan Shuyi looked at him and said, "Patriarch Zeng may think I'm just a little girl, but little do you know that I've been able to tell who is greedy since I was a child."

After a long silence, the head of the Zeng family spoke up: "Master's teachings are correct."

“The Deng family had previously expressed a desire for peace. I can mediate between you, and let’s leave it at that.”

“But my lord, the Zeng family has also lost many members.”

Yan Shuyi did not respond, but instead said, "I heard that you have a grandson who is currently in the Tongxuan stage. My sect still has a Juxuan Pill. After that, let him join my Xuanjian Peak."

The head of the Zeng family opened his mouth, then immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your judgment."

"No need to thank me, that's your grandson's own ability, I can only help him get ahead."

May the esteemed master enjoy eternal bliss and boundless fortune.

Yan Shuyi watched him leave, then gently put down the teacup in her hand.

The Zeng family has been close to Tianjian Peak for many years, and sometimes they are quite troublesome, so Xuanjian Peak naturally leans more towards the Deng family.

However, Yan Shuyi is different from Yan Zhong; this time, she also gave the Zeng family a chance to get closer to her.

Disciples personally recruited by the sect leader are naturally different from other disciples, and the Zeng family patriarch, who lived to be a hundred years old, naturally understood this.

Yan Shuyi couldn't help but rub her temples and sigh softly.

She wasn't very good at this kind of thing, but her position required her to be good at it. She pursed her lips and then glanced at the courtyard across the street.

She saw Gongshu Chou, a disciple of the academy, walking through Rusheng Garden with an inscrutable expression, heading towards a house.

Ji You was having tea with Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui in her room when she heard a knock on the door.

Wei Rui thought it was Sister Yan who lived across the street, so she immediately ran up to open the door. But when she saw a disheveled, rough-looking man standing in front of the door, she was startled and turned to look at Ji You and Kuang Cheng.

Kuang Cheng then rose from the futon: "Brother Gongshu, it's been a long time."

Gongshu Chou clasped his hands in a fist and said, “Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye, but it feels like yesterday when I think back on it. But seeing you again today feels like a lifetime ago.”

Ji Youfeng clapped his hands nonchalantly: "Well said, close the door and see the guest out."

"?"

Kuang Cheng was also taken aback: "Brother Ji, are you mistaken?"

Ji You looked at Gongshu Chou: "You can write books, right? Your writing is quite good, and it's very vivid. How much royalties have you earned?"

Gongshu Chou was also taken aback: "What, writing a book?"

"History of travel to the snowy region".

"Oh, Brother Ji, where did you find out?"

Gongshu Chou was invited into the tea room by Kuang Cheng and looked at Ji You with some disbelief.

His epic masterpiece, which he had painstakingly created, was confiscated by his own appraiser before it could even shine. Although he later recounted a few passages from memory, they were mostly inferior to the first edition, which was as good as Si Ru Niao Beng.

Therefore, few people know that his first version was carefully edited into text.

Ji You glanced at him: "Don't worry about it, just say yes or no."

"I can't keep this from you anymore, it's true."

Kuang Cheng was puzzled after hearing this: "What book?"

Ji You turned to look at Kuang Cheng: "Brother Gongshu wrote a book about my entire journey to the snowy region. He fabricated it so vividly that it was as if I were there myself, and then brought it back to Lingjian Mountain."

Gongshu Chou raised his eyebrows and cupped his hands: "You flatter me. It is just my humble work, and there is still room for improvement."

Kuang Cheng muttered the words "history of the journey to the snowy region," then glanced at Gongshu Chou, and then thought of Lingjian Mountain, and then of the figure on the chariot. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

They had meticulously analyzed in the carriage who Ji You had been following in the snowy region, and then he recalled the golden light that had flashed in Gongshu Chou's eyes at that time.

He had also instructed Gongshu Chou that this matter was merely a figment of his imagination and that he should never reveal it.

Later, Fairy Yan came to Shengjing to hibernate, looking like she was about to bite someone. Ji You said that Fairy Yan knew about the tail.

Kuang Shusheng was puzzled at the time, thinking to himself, how could something that only Heaven, Earth, you, and I knew be known? He never imagined that Gongshu Chou had such a deadly hobby as writing books.

Gongshu Chou looked at their expressions and said, "What's wrong? What I wrote wasn't anything bad!"

"Isn't this a bad thing?"

"How can this be a bad thing? I wrote the part where you killed the King of Soldiers with your sword in the Wilderness very well, and the part where you fought back against the Demon General in the Demon Emperor City was also very vivid."

Gongshu Chou rested his arm on the table: "Do you know how difficult it was to describe the battle? I tried every possible way to make it believable that a demon general could be beaten up by you with his bare hands and covered in knife wounds!"

Ji You's lips twitched: "Then I should thank you?"

"No need for that, because no matter what, we're practically brothers in arms."

"Do you think I'm praising you? Keep explaining."

Gongshu Chou frowned, a puzzled look on his face: "What else do you need to explain?"

Kuang Cheng coughed at this moment: "Explain about the tail."

"Tail? Oh."

Gongshu Chou suddenly remembered: "I had a hard time writing that part at the end. I've never had a Daoist partner, and I had to highlight the demon princess's secret crush on you, as well as your heroic and extravagant nature. I put in a lot of effort!"

After he finished speaking, his eyes sharpened, and he wondered where the murderous aura came from.

Kuang Cheng couldn't help but grin: "Brother Gongshu, didn't we agree on this in the carriage? Although the matter of the tail was based on my rigorous reasoning, none of us actually saw it with our own eyes. Things we haven't seen are just conjectures, and we shouldn't talk about them, right?"

Ji You looked at Kuang Cheng: "You're also an expert."

Kuang Cheng swallowed hard: "I didn't mean to. Who knew he had this bad habit of writing books?"

Gongshu Chou looked up at him and said, "But I think your reasoning is very clever and absolutely accurate."

"Brother Gongshu, you'd better not praise me..."

"But since ancient times, there has never been a shortage of beautiful women in epic novels, because a beautiful woman paired with a hero is attractive enough. If I wasn't afraid of the demon race messing with me, I would have written that the demon princess was pregnant in my sequel."

Gongshu Chou picked up his teacup and took a sip: "I don't understand what Brother Ji is afraid of. You don't have a lover on Lingjian Mountain."

After saying this, he paused slightly: "Could it be that Junior Sister Ding Yao is really your lover? I knew it, Elder Yan Chuan couldn't have protected you for no reason back in the Wilderness." Ji You immediately raised her hand, interrupting his creative urge that was like a burst of urine: "You spread my stories without permission, and some of them were even fabricated out of thin air. It's really hateful, but I'll let it go since you haven't caused too much of an impact. But if I find out again in the future, I will definitely break off all ties with you."

Kuang Cheng's teacup trembled, and tea splashed all over the table.

Wei Rui, unaware of what had happened and completely confused, looked up upon seeing this scene and asked, "What's wrong with Young Master Kuang?"

"It's nothing, I just think Brother Ji is right..."

"Young master's face turned pale."

"Hot..."

Gongshu Chou had no choice but to agree after hearing Ji You's words.

Ji You looked at the small building across the street, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "How is your appraiser now?"

Gongshu Chou was not surprised that he asked his own appraiser right away. In his opinion, all the cultivators in the Nine Provinces should be curious about the appraiser: "Just a few days ago, he broke through to the Boundless Realm and cut through the rain that fell from the sky on the Spirit Sword Mountain with a single sword. The Heavenly Sword Peak was so intimidated that it dared not make a sound for a long time."

Ji You nodded, and after thinking for a while, she returned to the topic she had just discussed: "Other stories can still be written."

Gongshu Chou puffed out his chest: "Have you had any new material lately? Tell me about it."

Ji You pressed her leg down, pondered for a while, and then stared at him: "There really is a story behind it."

"tell me the story."

“During the Xinyuan period, a woman came to my courtyard. She was very beautiful and stayed here for the winter… After she left, I always thought about her, wondering if she was doing well and if she was happy.”

Kuang Cheng opened his eyes wide and looked at Ji You in astonishment, thinking to himself, "My brother Ji is the real master."

Ji You raised the corners of his mouth as he watched Kuang Shusheng's reaction, knowing that Kuang Shusheng understood. He revealed a subtle, calculating smile, as if he were plotting to conquer the world.

Gongshu Chou looked at the two of them in confusion: "That's it? What's the point of this? Let's get something exciting going."

Ji You looked at him with a strange expression: "This isn't interesting? No wonder you can't find a cultivation partner..."

"I like fighting and killing, preferably the kind where there is life and death."

"You're the kind of person who can urinate in the same pot as Yuan Chen."

Gongshu Chou took a sip of tea, put down his teacup, and pressed on, "So, does it exist or not?"

Ji You frowned: "Remember this story first. Later, I can tell you a story about Ji Bochang, who was exceptionally talented, defeated two people of the same realm with four swords, forced the Elders' Pavilion of Lingjian Mountain to back down, and left behind the words 'My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens' under the clear blue sky!"

Gongshu Chou's expression instantly turned serious: "Tell me that story again, and I'll remember it well."

"Then listen carefully."

"..."

After a long while, Gongshu Chou walked out of Ji You's residence with a shocked expression and his eyes burning with excitement.

With boundless ambition, who can rival me? With my sword in hand, watch me slay the dragon with a single strike!
He stood in the courtyard for a long time, unable to come back to his senses, but the desire to create was flowing from his heart, and he couldn't suppress it.

Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao were on the second floor. They looked at Gongshu Chou and then walked downstairs after exchanging a glance.

At this time, Yan Shuyi had already met with several heads of prominent families, such as the Hua family, the Shangguan family, and the Yuan family.

They either have conflicts with other powerful families, disputes over interests, or have children in Lingjian Mountain hoping to make a future there, or they want to invite him to a banquet.

Yan Shu sometimes smiled faintly, and sometimes remained expressionless, employing a combination of kindness and severity.

This is something she has been practicing since she was a child. Although it is not something she is truly good at, she can still perform it flawlessly.

Being the sect leader is actually quite difficult. The Heavenly Academy now has many factions that are interconnected, mainly because the sect leader has become a hands-off manager, which sometimes makes her envious.

At this moment, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu walked in from outside: "Master, Gongshu Chou has returned from the other side."

Yan Shuyi raised her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "Recently, there have been leaks of secrets from Lingjian Mountain. I don't know who is responsible. Call him next door and ask him carefully what he and that outer sect disciple talked about."

"Yes, Master."

Gongshu Chou had indeed just returned from the other side, and he was so eager to create that he felt like nine oxen couldn't stop him. But he didn't expect to be stopped by Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu as soon as he got back, who asked him what he had said to that outer courtyard disciple.

This rough-around-the-edges man with a brilliant pen was mainly looking at Ding Yao, thinking to himself, "As expected."

No wonder Ji You was so angry about him writing about the princess's tail, and even wanted to break off their friendship.

So he picked out some key points and told Ding Yao about them in fits and starts.

But this time he was smarter. He didn't say a word about keeping a woman in the courtyard or how much he missed her after leaving. He fiercely protected Ji You.

If Ji Bochang weren't here, he would definitely be marveling at how I could have two such brilliant and talented individuals like you and Kuang Cheng by my side!
Yan Shuyi was right next door. With the strength of her divine sense, she could easily hear every word the other person said, but her face remained expressionless.

Ding Yao then looked at Gongshu Chou: "Senior Brother Gongshu, are you aware that news has been leaking within the sect recently? Even when the Master of Appraisal arrived in Zhongxing County is known to everyone. If you are hiding anything, you may be at risk of being expelled from the sect. Whether it is what you said or what Ji You said, you need to tell us every single word."

Zhuo Wanqiu nodded: "This matter could be a big deal or a small deal, you need to think it through carefully."

Gongshu Chou swallowed hard, thinking to himself, "Is it that serious? I just heard a story and it's already leaked the secret."

Ding Yao looked at him and said, "Opportunities don't come often."

"Ji You also mentioned the matter of Xinyuan, but it certainly has nothing to do with the leak."

"New Yuan? Go on."

"Um, Ji You said he kept a woman in Xinyuan, and he's been thinking about her a lot since he left. He keeps wondering if she's doing well and if she's happy."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Shuyi raised her eyes slightly, and her feet couldn't help but sway gently.

Gongshu Chou was subsequently released, while the young master of Lingjian Mountain continued to receive guests in the pavilion.

The last person Xiao Jianzhu came into contact with was the head of the Cheng family in Lingzhou. His son forcibly severed his emotions and desires in order to break through to the Dao realm, resulting in mental instability and injuring many other family members.

This has led to the Cheng family being besieged and in a very dangerous situation.

Upon hearing the words "severing all emotions and desires," the young appraiser's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his expression became thoughtful.

It wasn't until nightfall, when the bright moon shone through the pines, that he ordered his disciples to bring back the remaining people he hadn't seen.

The group from the Heavenly Academy spent half a day looking around the courtyard, recognizing many figures who had once been powerful and influential but had later retired to a semi-secluded life. They also caught glimpses of the figure dressed in the Immortal Robe of the Master of Appraisal through the small window several times.

"It's a pity I only saw him a few times; he was the youngest Boundless Realm expert..."

He Lingxiu spoke up upon hearing this: "Realm level is secondary. The most important thing is that the sacred artifact is in his hands. Do you remember how many times you have seen the true form of the Heavenly Book?"

Xiao Hanyan raised her eyes at this moment: "If it weren't for the deep conflict between my Heavenly Academy and it, I would have liked to go and see the Holy Face."

"The Zeng family, the Deng family, and the Hua family are all families that rely on Lingjian Mountain. If it were us, we might not have met them. In fact, living in the same courtyard is already quite lucky. Ji You has seen far more than we have."

As they were talking, Chai Ze reached out and swatted a mosquito on his arm: "There are too many mosquitoes."

He Lingxiu glanced at him and said, "This garden has dense vegetation and quite a few mosquitoes. It's also quite annoying that all the spiritual energy has dissipated. Why don't we go back?"

Xiao Hanyan stood up and said, "Let's call it a night. Everyone go back and get some rest. We'll go for a stroll in the city tomorrow."

Goodnight, everyone.

Shi Junhao finished his tea and returned to the room, heading towards the incense table to the west of the bed.

Cultivators can use spiritual energy to repel mosquitoes, but not when they fall asleep or enter a meditative state, because they are not in a state of conscious awareness at that time.

Many cultivators dislike the feeling of waking up with mosquito bites after a night of cultivation, and this candidate for the direct disciple position is no exception.

Fortunately, mosquito stoves had already been prepared in the academy, so the Dao mind would not be disturbed by tiny mosquitoes.

Shi Junhao reached out and picked up the mosquito burner placed on the incense table. Just as his palm tilted, he heard a whooshing sound.

After a long silence, a look of bewilderment appeared in the eyes of this candidate for the position of protégé.

How could it be bad?

He picked up the broken half from the ground, then suddenly turned his head. He vaguely sensed a presence coming from the west, but it vanished quickly before anyone could catch it.

"I'm going out for a stroll in the garden."

In the small red-curtained building, Yan Shuyi, dressed in a red robe, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and a ripple of spiritual energy instantly appeared in the air. Her exquisite figure disappeared into the pavilion.

Zhuo Wanqiu glanced at Ding Yao and thought to herself that although the garden was elegant and beautiful, in the eyes of the appraiser, the only place worth visiting was probably the scenery inside the son-in-law's bed.

(End of this chapter)