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Chapter 225 Morning Stroll
At dawn, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and the entire Sage Garden was completely silent.

Ji You got up early, washed up, and went out. Her gaze swept over the layers of scenery between the East and West Gardens, and she glanced at the small building opposite.

Although it was still early, he could already see the faint candlelight and Zhuo Wanqiu carrying water.

Zhuo Wanqiu also saw him, so she quietly waved.

The judge got up very early today and spent a long time choosing a dress, but didn't say what she was going to do. It turns out she was going out with her son-in-law.

Ji You watched Zhuo Wanqiu carry the basin of water into the gate, then walked towards the archway of Rusheng Garden, passed through the gate of Xianxian Garden, and arrived at the city of Zhongxing County.

Although it was still early and there were still some shadows, all the shops in the county town had already opened.

Some restaurants, brothels, and other entertainment venues even stayed open all night because drunk guests stayed overnight.

Zhongxing City has developed to its current state thanks to the Tiandao Gathering held every five years. Therefore, for the merchants here, a few months of hard work can make them rich for five or six years, so staying up all night is nothing.

He stopped on the only way from the Pantheon and found a secluded corner to sit down and wait.

During the process, he couldn't help but recall the image from last night: the pillar-shaped shadow falling on that stunningly beautiful face...

It's true that timing is everything; the location was perfect...

Boundless Realm, indeed, it's something special!

At this moment, the steam from the breakfast stall began to slowly dissipate, and soon gathered into the clouds.

As a series of graceful footsteps sounded, a slender and graceful figure appeared on the white marble path leading from south to north.

At this moment, the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain had changed out of his immortal robe and was wearing a lake-blue brocade dress. He had pearl pendants carved from spirit stones on his ears, and three strings of small pearl hair ornaments hanging in his hair. His eyebrows were like distant mountains, and his lips were the color of cherries.

Upon seeing Ji You sitting in the corner, Yan Shuyi seemed to realize something, and gently looked away, her cold face turning red.

She had been confined to the mountains since childhood, knew little, and there were some things no one would specifically tell her.

But after discovering the "secret" yesterday, she finally understood what it was that had been bothering her every time they engaged in a verbal battle, from the beginning of the year until now.

After a long silence, the young appraiser took out a veil from his hand, covered his stunningly beautiful face, and gave Ji You a look that signaled him to leave.

Last night she said she wouldn't attend court and was going to stroll around the county town, but actually she just wanted to meet up with a strange man.

People began to appear on the road, but few paid attention to the two of them.

Because the cultivators with high cultivation levels are all in the Sage Garden, those in the county city are not very powerful. Moreover, Yan Shu also used the Spirit Mirror to conceal the secrets of heaven and his aura, so he naturally did not attract attention.

The two went to a breakfast stall and ordered three baskets of steamed buns, two bowls of millet porridge, a plate of pickled vegetables, a plate of chili sauce, and a plate of fragrant vinegar before sitting down.

Did you sleep well last night?

"Um……"

Yan Shuyi nodded slightly, then her cold face flushed red again.

Before Ji You could speak again, a wisp of sword energy emanated from the chopsticks in the other person's hand.

Actually, she regretted it a little. She had subconsciously taken the shoes away last night, otherwise she would never have admitted that she had gone back again.

Ji You couldn't hold back any longer and pushed the millet porridge in front of her.

The freshly steamed buns smell incredibly delicious. One bite and they're bursting with juice, the savory aroma instantly melting on your tongue and flowing down your throat.

Yan Shuyi, like a small animal, ate the thin-skinned buns coated in red oil in small bites: "I'd like some more chili."

"They can handle spicy food quite well."

"We'll also need some vinegar."

Ji You got up and fetched her another dish, placing it in front of her: "I forgot to ask last night, how did you explain to your family when you returned to the mountain with a wound on your lip?"

Yan Shuyi looked up at him: "Naturally, they repeatedly asked me who bit me and offered a reward for their head."

"This is in line with my expectations."

Ji You drank her rice porridge and nodded gently after hearing her answer.

My daughter, whom I've raised for twenty years, has never left my sight since she was little. Although she's lost some of her vibrancy, at least she's safe and sound.

Then one day he suddenly disappeared without leaving any message, and he was gone for a month.

After anxiously waiting for a long time, they finally came back, only to find that their daughter's mouth had been bitten by some blond-haired kid. They then discovered that he had gone to meet someone he met online and had been taking advantage of every day for a month.

If this happened to him, he'd be finished; nobody would survive.

Ji You felt angry just thinking about it, but quickly realized that he was the real deal when it came to yellow hair, so he glanced at the little appraiser and said, "I still have my head, so I guess you didn't tell anyone."

"If you bite me again next time, I'll tell them."

Yan Shuyi frowned after speaking, thinking to herself that such a threat didn't seem to stop him from biting at all...

After breakfast, the streets gradually became lively, and the two walked along the road, passing through the streets.

Zhongxing County was developed thanks to the Heavenly Dao Society, so almost all the shops in the city cater to cultivators.

Shops selling spirit stones, magical artifacts, and weapons abound, and even some common ornaments sometimes conceal hidden secrets.

The two strolled along the street, visiting many stalls.

Yan Shuyi must have been cooped up during his seclusion, because he was strolling around with great enthusiasm, not at all like the next sect leader of the Immortal Sect.

Whenever she encountered something that interested her, she would bend down and look closely for a long time.

If she decides to buy, she will turn to look at Ji You, or reach out and grab his sleeve.

If the heads of the families who saw her at Rusheng Garden yesterday were to witness this scene, they would probably be astonished, thinking that these were twins with identical appearances but completely opposite personalities.

Ji You also saw a lot of things, such as spirit wine and Dao swords. He picked them up and examined them for a while. The quality varied, but the prices were not much different. They were twice as expensive as in ordinary places. In short, they could not fool the poor.

Yan Shuyi, who had been browsing around, turned back and saw Ji You fiddling with a box in front of a magic artifact stall. She then asked, "What is this?"

"It's a magical artifact, probably something that can shoot out needles, used as a hidden weapon." Ji You fiddled with the iron box in his hand.

"Want to buy it?"

After Ji You put it down, he clapped his hands and said, "The things sold here are too expensive. They're ripping off idiots. You can get them for half the price outside."

Yan Shuyi looked at the pile of things in her hand and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Ji You paused for a moment: "If you buy it, it doesn't count, because you're good-looking."

Yan Shuyi glanced at him: "What you're saying sounds more like you're trying to fool a fool."

"Let's go take a look over there."

"I've already explored that area."

Yan Shuyi originally wanted to explore the other side, but he pulled her over by the hand.

Feeling the other person's warm, large hand enveloping his own, the young appraiser sighed softly.

Although I don't want to admit that we kissed, and always say it's just our tongues fighting, you can't lie to yourself.

Since they could put their mouths together, holding hands was nothing to them, and they couldn't cause any more trouble, so they obediently followed to the west side.

In fact, Zhongxing County, a city that caters specifically to cultivators, lacks a sense of everyday life and is not as interesting as Shengjing City.

As the junior appraiser of Lingjian Mountain, Yan Shuyi had seen all kinds of magical artifacts and spiritual treasures. These goods sold at the stalls were basically not worthy of her attention. Only some strange and unusual items could catch her eye.

However, the appraiser often ignores some stick-shaped objects, quickly moving away upon seeing them, seemingly somewhat afraid.

Examples include iron rods, scrolls, twisted dough sticks, roasted corn, hitching posts, etc.

So, within a short hour, the young appraiser bought many things that looked good but were useless, while Ji You spent a lot of money that was both good-looking and useful.

However, money can't buy her happiness.

Ji You didn't really care about spending money on Yan Shuyi, but she couldn't help but start thinking about developing clients.

At this moment, the young appraiser sat on a stone stool, holding the flower rope he had just bought on the street, and turned his head to look at his hair.

In the following half hour, Ji You led Yan Shuyi to the end of the long street and found the inn with the address Cao Jingsong had given him, so they went up to take a look.

The inn was in a very remote and simple location, much like the one where Kuang Cheng stayed when he went to the capital for the imperial examination.

What's worse, the place across from them wasn't a brothel where people would shout "Come and play, grandpa!" all night long.

However, this humble abode perfectly reflected Instructor Cao's lack of effort over the years. Ji You was unsure of their arrival time, so he wrote a note for them staying at Rusheng Garden and handed it to the innkeeper: "A guest named Cao Jingsong will be arriving in a couple of days. He's a fat man. Please pass this on to him."

The shopkeeper nodded, then looked at the small, crooked braid on his head: "Sir, you... you really have a unique style."

"Thank you for the compliment..."

Ji You chuckled twice and turned to look towards the doorway.

Yan Shuyi was standing with her hands behind her back at the entrance of the inn, pretending to scrutinize the long street. When she felt the gaze behind her, she turned around, gave him a cold look, and her eyes were full of condescending indifference, as if the braid had nothing to do with her.

An hour passed quickly, and the first rays of dawn slowly appeared on the horizon.

In another half hour, the street will be teeming with people. With so many eyes and ears around, there will always be some unexpected accidents that are hard to guard against.

So the two strolled back, but their pace was much slower than when they came. They even went through several alleys along the way, and when they came out, their lips were red.

The Heavenly Way Society has plenty of time ahead of them; they can go out and wander around all they want. They might even have a movie with three people, so they might as well enjoy it for a while.

The two of them walked to the secluded corner where they had come from. Ji You paused slightly, took out a pair of original white socks from his pocket and handed them to her. Yan Shuyi suddenly fell silent. Before Ji You could speak, she was punched. Her lips were a little red and swollen, but much lighter than the little appraiser's cheek.

Yan Shu, too, was boundless in his realm, coming and going in haste, naturally taking the lead.

Ji You glanced at her hands; the white socks she'd given to the arrogant devil still lingered in her hand…

He then waited on the street for a long time before returning to Rusheng Garden at 3:45 AM.

At this moment, in the dimly lit east courtyard, He Lingxiu and Yu Shiliu were sitting opposite each other at the tea table.

They had gotten up very early and were now drinking tea while watching the disciples of Lingjian Mountain practice their swordsmanship, their expressions showing a hint of solemnity.

When Ji You returned bathed in the morning light, He Lingxiu immediately turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a hint of doubt: "Junior Brother, why are you up so early?"

"It's probably because of the change of environment that I don't sleep for long and I wake up early."

"You just came back from outside? Hmm, what happened to your lip?"

Ji You touched her slightly swollen lips: "It's nothing, I just tripped and fell while sightseeing in the county town."

He Lingxiu glanced at the crooked braid on his head, and nonchalantly picked up an overturned teacup: "Would you like to have a cup of tea together? It's the kind the Qiu family sent last time."

After pondering for a moment, Ji You sat down: "Thank you, Senior Sister. Do you know when the competition list will be released?"

"According to usual practice, it should be today. We should be able to get the list after the Gathering of Immortals."

"A banquet for immortals? What's that?"

"There's no particular intention behind it; it's just a custom that has been passed down since ancient times. It's held every year. In the past, cultivators would come together to thank the heavens for their blessings, but now it's mostly about mutual banquets."

Ji You nodded after hearing this, and seemed to understand.

This is probably what is known as a business cocktail party, whose main function is to get to know each other and chat.

After all, there are few times when the seven great immortal sects and the families of the nine provinces gather together like this. Even those who are not participating in the competition are here, but joining in the fun is just a side thing. The main point is that they feel this is an opportunity to make friends with each other.

Just like yesterday, when the heads of those prominent families from the south came to pay homage to Yan Shuyi, they would never normally have such an opportunity to meet him so easily.

Just then, another door opened.

The three of them looked over and saw that the door of the house on the southeast side was open. Shi Junhao, a candidate for the position of successor, walked out of the house and stood on the open ground in front of the house, scratching his head and ears, his hands almost too busy to do anything.

He scratched himself as he walked toward the outhouse, seemingly cursing as he went, as if he were very angry.

He Lingxiu had originally intended to invite him over for tea, but upon seeing this scene, she couldn't help but feel puzzled: "Shi Junhao... how did he get bitten like this?"

"There are probably a lot of mosquitoes here."

"But there is a mosquito stove in the room that can be used, so this shouldn't be the case."

Ji You calmly picked up her teacup: "Probably just unlucky type O blood."

Yu Shiliu and Ji You were not familiar with each other, so they didn't have much to say to each other and continued to watch the Lingjian Mountain disciples practice their swordsmanship.

However, as she watched, her eyes suddenly widened in surprise. She saw the young appraiser, dressed in a fairy-like gown, appear from the window and glance coldly at their East Courtyard. She couldn't help but be startled.

Before Yu Shiliu could confirm if she was seeing things, Ji You, who was next to her, picked up a stone bench and took a step back, creating a half-step distance between them...

"Junior brother, why are you sitting there? How can you even reach the tea?"

"I can reach it. It grows all over me, including my hands."

Before He Lingxiu could say another word, Yu Shiliu patted her on the shoulder and then pointed to the small building across the street.

It is common knowledge that the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain is always mysterious.

Before reaching Yingtian Realm, she had been confining herself to Xuanjian Peak to cultivate diligently.

Apart from a very few people who have actually seen her, almost everyone in the entire Kyushu region has only heard of her name or seen her portrait, which is as beautiful as a fairy, but has never seen her true face or heard of her descending the mountain.

This is actually a form of protection.

Even though she was recognized as a master by the spirit, she was too fragile at the time, like a porcelain doll, unable to withstand potential risks.

It wasn't until the last two years, as she became completely in sync with Lingjian, that people gradually began to hear about her.

For example, the Holy Son of the Daoist Sect went to congratulate her on breaking through to the next realm; another example is that she once led her disciples to the Chen Clan to inquire about the mountain; and there are rumors that she has been trying to seize power in the Spirit Sword Mountain in recent years.

Despite becoming more active, very few people have actually seen her. This is perhaps because her identity has led to a great deal of involvement, requiring her to maintain a certain level of mystery.

But this morning, in Rusheng Garden, He Lingxiu and Yu Shiliu felt they had seen a bit too much...

Once, twice, three times, four times...

The mysterious Little Master of Lingjian Mountain would occasionally dart to the window, mostly showing his profile, but occasionally his face, and a few times his back. He would linger at the window for a long time, his snow-white skin shining like a sculpted jade in the sunlight.

"The young appraiser of Spirit Sword Mountain seems to be very busy...?"

"He seems to have something on his mind, which is why he paces back and forth by the window."

Ji You took another step back, glancing at the profile that flashed past the window, pretending to be a stranger.

He Lingxiu, however, noticed his gaze and couldn't help but smile: "Junior Brother, why do you look like you want to look but dare not? And you're avoiding it?"

Ji You sat up a little straighter: "I didn't expect that Senior Sister could see through this."

"The young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain has an extraordinary appearance, like a goddess descending to earth. Most people in the world are like this. They feel satisfied after just one glance. This is a compliment, so there is no need for you to hide it, junior brother."

"The main reason is that I feel that if I see such a fairy in my heart, I probably won't be able to forget her. Thinking about her day and night will easily disturb my Daoist mind."

As soon as the words were spoken, He Lingxiu and Yu Shiliu's expressions changed slightly, and their hearts skipped a beat.

It is true that Rusheng Garden is very large, but given the distance, if the young appraiser is attentive, these words will not escape her ears.

Given the other party's status and position, she naturally wouldn't feel any aversion to looking up to them, but such a rash statement is not the same as looking up to them.

It's one thing to think about it during the day, but to think about it at night? What are you thinking about at night? If this gets overheard, you'll be condemned to a thousand swords.

"Junior brother, be careful with your words!"

"Senior sister is absolutely right."

Ji You nodded gently, took a sip of tea, and suddenly saw the figure inside the window seem to jump up and down.

Just then, footsteps came from the courtyard. The three turned around and saw that it was an official from the Imperial Observatory who came closer and stopped, bringing about twenty invitations.

This invitation is the Immortal Gathering Banquet that He Lingxiu just mentioned, hosted by the Great Xia Dynasty, inviting immortal sects from all directions to attend.

After delivering the invitations, the messenger turned and headed towards the west courtyard, then handed another stack of invitations to the disciples of Lingjian Mountain.

Ji You was looking at the invitation in his hand when he saw Shi Junhao float in, staring at him with sharp eyes.

Upon seeing this, Ji Bochang immediately adopted a nonchalant demeanor, appearing calm and fearless.

Seeing his expression, Shi Junhao frowned, beginning to doubt his reasoning throughout the night.

Aside from him inexplicably entering his room and asking some random questions, no one else had ever entered his room.

The more confused he became, the more Shi Junhao wanted to use Ji You's expression to corroborate his judgment.

"Senior Brother O, you've been staring at me like that, is something wrong?"

"?"

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(End of this chapter)