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Chapter 286 The Warmth of Human Life
The verbal battle that had started at the slightest disagreement was interrupted by a noise outside the window and stopped briefly, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that no one had come in.

Logically speaking, the battle should continue, because the heartless and loveless fairy has no intention of stopping.

But it felt very strange that only one person continued, and it was the one who had been the most stubborn before.

Amidst the swaying firelight, Yan Shu sat quietly in Ji You's lap, watching him intently.

Almost instantly, the bewilderment on her pretty face vanished, and her eyes became even sharper.

Seeing this, Ji You straightened up and sealed her red lips with his own again.

He and Yan Shuyi had known each other for a long time and were very familiar with each other's temperament.

The young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain is very concerned about her reputation, so you must not laugh at her for "being devoted to the immortal path and having no feelings or love" at this time, or you will be courting death.

After a long while, Yan Shuyi returned to her seat, staring at the flames in the furnace, and expressionlessly wiped her red lips.

Before long, Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui, having finished washing the dishes, walked towards the room.

Seeing this, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu also came in, their minds still echoing the tsk-tsk sounds they had just heard, their eyes darting around.

[Aspiring to the Path of Immortality]

Cut off all feelings and love.

[Rui'er's lover's good friend]

Upon meeting again, it was merely a matter of exchanging pleasantries.

So this is how old friends greet each other when they meet...

Just then, Kuang Cheng, having dried his hands, brought out a large earthenware basin from the house and placed it next to the stove.

The basin contains glutinous rice soaked in water, each grain sinking to the bottom and separating from the water.

Then Kuang Cheng took out a small stone mill and placed it next to the earthenware basin. He then heated his hands in front of the stove for a while before washing the rice and putting it into the stone mill.

"what is this?"

"Grind rice into a paste."

"Oh, I have to make rice cakes again."

Ji You quickly realized that the new year was approaching, and remembered that Kuang Cheng had also made rice cakes around the same time two years ago.

At this moment, Kuang Cheng filled the gap in the center of the stone mill with rice grains: "Some of the ones I made the first two times didn't take very good shape, so I changed the method this year. I soaked the rice in warm water to soften it first and then tried again."

"Would you like some help?"

"Come back in a few days when we're pounding the rice cakes."

Kuang Cheng gripped the handle of the stone mill and began grinding it in circles. Soon, rice paste began to flow out from the small opening of the stone mill.

In ancient times, if it snowed in winter, it would get dark just after 3 PM. Since there were no activities to do, people could only do these things by candlelight.

As the stone mill spun faster and faster, the people sitting by the stove watched the rice paste flow quietly, lost in thought.

The life of cultivators is always one of sitting in seclusion, cultivating in seclusion, and breaking through to higher realms. They have little contact with the outside world and rarely have the opportunity to gather together to make noodles and spend their days waiting for the festival to arrive.

As they watched, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu suddenly exchanged a glance.

He suddenly understood why cultivators had to live in seclusion; although such a life seemed ordinary, it could truly immerse one in it.

Ji You looked up at Ding Yao and asked, "What's wrong? Have you lost your Dao heart?"

Ding Yao hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then nodded slightly: "A little."

"The reason why cultivators disregard the common people is because they have always been told that the mortal world is a prison of suffering compared to the immortal world. So even if they cannot ascend, they do not think that the mortal world is worth cherishing."

"Then, through generations of inheritance, the immortal cultivators who have lived in seclusion for many years have come to dislike this bustling human world, which is why they are so indifferent to all things. But one day, when you see it, you will realize that you have not lost your instinct to love life."

Ding Yao was slightly taken aback after hearing this, then blinked and pondered the other person's words for a long time.

At the same time, the aloof young master of Lingjian Mountain gently raised his head and looked at Ji You.

From a young age, she was taught by her parents to be a judge, a leader, to ascend to immortality, and to continue the great power. So she has been in seclusion in the mountains ever since.

For decades, she has been waited on hand and foot, to the point that she doesn't even know how to tie a belt.

Although the other scions of noble families were not as noble as her, they were all unproductive and supported by the mortal world, so their situations were not much different.

Without pain, one cannot feel joy, just as without fatigue one cannot feel ease, and thus cannot understand that life is worthwhile.

She did indeed come to find Ji You on a whim, and spent the entire winter with him. It was only then that she broke free from her previous longing for the immortal realm and began to notice the subtle things around her.

So I thought that if I could continue living like this, I might not necessarily need to seek immortality.

Unfortunately, seeking immortality is the prevailing trend in Qingyun, and very few people in the world want to live each day to the fullest.

Like those elders who sit in the deep mountains and immerse themselves in the path of immortality for most of their lives, even if they know that the path of immortality is difficult to achieve, they will not find the mundane matters of daily life interesting, and thus they cannot empathize with ordinary people.

After thinking for a while, a knock came from the wind and snow outside the window. Ding Yao came back to her senses, got up with Zhuo Wanqiu, and then went to the courtyard to open the gate.

A pretty girl, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, stood outside the door, her hair in two buns, looking at them.

"Pearl? What brings you here?"

"Um, greetings to both fairies. I've come to find my young lady. It's too dark, and my mistress says she should go home."

Wei Rui's maid, Zhu'er, spoke softly, her clear voice ringing out in the wind.

In fact, the people in the Wei family had always known that Wei Rui was dating Kuang Cheng, but because of Ji You's presence, they hesitated between stopping her and not stopping her.

Even if they turned a blind eye, they would never let their daughter stay in a man's house until late at night.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu nodded after hearing this, then brought in Zhu'er's message, and after speaking, they sat down on the stools again.

But to their surprise, as Wei Rui reluctantly got up to go home, their appraiser also stood up from his chair.

So the two of them, who hadn't even warmed their seats yet, got up and looked at their appraiser with blank expressions.

Goodbye is nothing more than a polite greeting.

[Try it briefly, then return home quickly after eating.]

Ji You straightened up and looked at Yan Shuyi, who then gave him a haughty look before walking out of the courtyard and leaving a trail of small footprints in the snow.

"Is the appraiser going back to the Wei family's villa?"

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu followed behind the appraiser, and only spoke softly after walking a few steps.

Yan Shuyi turned his head slightly: "Young Master Kuang and his friend originally invited Sister Rui'er to their home. It was already impolite of us to come uninvited. Now that Sister Rui'er has left, and we are not familiar with her, how can we continue to bother her?"

She was so embarrassed that she didn't dare go back to spend the night with her son-in-law.

The two maids immediately understood what he had just said and couldn't help but cough.

It seems that even a kiss won't soften her firm little mouth. All that cuddling in the room just now didn't count. The son-in-law is still "Rui'er's lover's friend".

At this moment, Wei Rui looked at her idol, Sister Yan, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Under the wind and snow, the gate to the courtyard was closed. Ji You slowly withdrew his gaze and saw Kuang Cheng looking at him with some worry in his eyes.

"what happened?"

"Have you and Fairy Yan truly severed all ties?"

"?"

Kuang Cheng stopped the stone mill in his hand: "Rui'er said that Fairy Yan told her that from now on she would devote herself to the Dao, not fall into the mortal world, and forget you on the path of immortality. I thought you were playing a game with strangers again, but Fairy Yan left without saying a word just now. What's going on?"

Ever since they learned that Yan Shuyi had come to Shengjing, Qi Kuang Shusheng and Wei Rui had been wondering why Ji You hadn't come.

So Kuang Cheng asked, and after Kuang Cheng left, Wei Rui also asked.

Seeing that they kept asking, Yan Shuyi earnestly told Wei Rui that this is how cultivators are. When they reach a certain level of cultivation, they must sever all emotions and love, and leave behind all past worldly affairs. At this moment, she and Ji You have already severed all ties.

Wei Rui didn't believe it at first, but seeing the young appraiser's serious expression and the fierce indifference in his eyes, she became a little apprehensive.

Just then, Ji You sent Kuang Cheng to invite someone, so Wei Rui called Yan Shuyi to come along and see what was going on.

While washing the dishes, Wei Rui told Kuang Cheng about her worries. Kuang Cheng didn't believe her at all, thinking to himself that she had just fed her cured meat.

He advised Wei Rui to relax and ignore the two people, and even slowed down his dishwashing to give them some time alone.

When they entered the house, they found that the two people acted as if they didn't know each other. One was focused on tending the stove, while the other remained silent, as if they hadn't communicated at all.

Most importantly, in the end, Fairy Yan left with Wei Rui without saying a word, and Fairy Ding and Fairy Zhuo also had complicated expressions. This scene made even the usually confident scholar Kuang a little uneasy.

Ji You's lips twitched as she listened to his description, thinking to herself that this arrogant guy was trying to fool her.

There was absolutely no communication? She was just sticking her tongue out a moment ago.

"You don't need to worry about this. This is her current public persona."

Kuang Cheng looked at him strangely: "What is a persona?" Ji You threw a few embers into the stove: "It's an identity created because people think that as long as they 'sever all ties,' they won't have to 'get hurt.'"

"I don't quite understand some of it..."

"You're not at that stage yet, so you don't need to understand. But how can we say that since she's from our own family, we can only cooperate. I can't beat her right now, but be careful of Wei Rui. Make sure Wei Rui doesn't learn from her."

After listening, Kuang Cheng seemed to be deep in thought, and then nodded solemnly.

Relief efforts in the five states of Qingyun are ongoing, and all work is currently being overseen by the Directorate of Immortals.

If everything proceeds as originally planned, there shouldn't be any major problems, so Ji You didn't pay much attention to it anymore.

After resting overnight at Wulu Trading Company, Ji You got up and left the courtyard as the morning mist rose, and then headed to Tianshu Academy.

More than a month passed between his visits, and the Heavenly Academy remained as quiet as when he had arrived.

The disciples in the courtyard were cultivating at the moment. When they saw him return in white, they couldn't help but stare at him for a long time, as if they were looking at someone who was rarely seen.

His return to Beijing was not concealed, so some people saw him return yesterday, and the news spread quickly under the cover of night.

The supply of spirit stones for disaster relief was cut off, which angered the noble families of the Nine Provinces, who gathered in the capital. In the end, Elder Fang dismissed them with a single sentence. The thousand-year-old noble families took the spirit stones without saying a word, and the shops in Shengjing still have "sold out" signs hanging on them.

All of these factors made people feel a sense of disorientation when they saw him.

Qin Rong was standing halfway up Mount Ni when he looked at Ji Jingyao and Lang Hetong after gazing at them for a long time: "How long has Ji You been in the hospital?"

"It's been more than four years."

"Wow, that's fast. Those who were admitted to the hospital around the same time as him will be discharged in about six months."

Lang Hetong was slightly taken aback when he heard this, and then realized that it was true.

Ji You's class actually had many students, but because of his great reputation, apart from a few who could barely keep up with him at the time, the names of the others were not remembered.

It was only after Qin Rong's reminder that he realized that the students whose names had not been remembered were facing the day of their departure from the hospital.

"The difference in their social status is truly like heaven and earth."

In fact, the fourth-year students who were admitted to the hospital with Ji You, such as Qian Yunxiao, Sun Zhilan, and some whose names Ji You did not remember, such as Luo Rui and Bian Yun, were actually in the nearby corridor.

Their cultivation levels weren't bad either; over the years, anyone with decent aptitude had reached the Perfect Realm.

However, when they saw Ji You, an indescribable emotion still lingered in their hearts.

When he was admitted to the hospital, almost everyone referred to him as a "rural hermit," thinking he was just an interlude on the path of cultivation, never imagining he would become the main theme.

Fang Ruoyao was also in the tea pavilion at this time, gazing at his figure for a long time, feeling more deeply than the others.

More than four years ago, they left Yuyang County together, crossed the turbulent Nujiang River, and arrived at Tianshu Academy.

Time flies, and she is still stuck at the threshold of the Condensation Realm. After leaving the academy, she probably won't have any chance to break through.

Moreover, given her status as the daughter of an ordinary official, if she doesn't have the opportunity to enter the Immortal Manor as a worshipper, then her descendants will also be ineligible to cultivate immortality.

In fact, she was not stupid. Pei Ruyi was not lying when he said that she had good aptitude. It's just that there are countless noble families in Qingyun, and only a few can truly enter the upper five realms.

And her fiancé...

Fang Ruoyao's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fair fingers clenched a little.

Her fiancé rose to prominence step by step, establishing a powerful family that forced other powerful families across the land to yield.

Amidst the discussions, Ji You arrived at Cao Jingsong's backyard.

He was quite comfortable staying at the Wulu Trading Company. His main reason for returning to the Tianshu Academy was to visit Cao Jingsong, who was in seclusion and breaking through to a higher realm.

Old Cao had been in the Fusion Realm for many years, but his bottleneck was not deep. One of the reasons why he had not been able to break through the realm for so many years was because of Ji You.

Ji Hanfei is too much troublemaker. He hasn't stopped since he was admitted to the hospital, leaving him no time to focus on his cultivation. The reason he decided to go into seclusion this time is because Ji You no longer needs his care.

When Ji You arrived at the courtyard and saw him, he could already see the changes in Instructor Cao's aura.

Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and others also received a message that Ji You had returned and that they would meet him in Cao Jingsong's courtyard midway through their journey.

"Is the snow disaster really that severe?"

"Not an exaggeration at all."

"After the spirit stones were shut down, did any powerful families actually go to collect them themselves?"

"That's right, I've also earned a lot of road tax because of this."

Amid the murmurs, another series of footsteps echoed from the courtyard.

Lu Qingqiu arrived wearing a green gauze dress and entered Cao Jingsong's courtyard.

Since Lu Hanyan entered the inner courtyard, this eldest daughter of the Lu family has been very close to them, so her arrival here is not surprising.

This time, however, everyone couldn't help but look at her with a strange expression, glancing at her and then at Ji You.

Distinguished families gathered at Mount Ni, arriving and departing swiftly, leaving behind only a few rumors as if they hadn't taken anything with them.

For example, the fact that the Lu sisters both lost their virginity to Ji You was a topic of much discussion among the people in the courtyard.

These people had drunk tea and chatted together before, but they never imagined that Ji You and the two Lu family girls had actually done such exciting things in private.

Wen Zhengxin thought that Lu Qingqiu and Lu Hanyan were really physically strong, and that they could actually withstand it. She definitely wouldn't dare to do it herself.

Cao Jingsong felt that with Yan Shuyi in charge, it was a miracle that his unfilial disciple had survived until now.

Seeing the inappropriate gazes directed at her, Lu Qingqiu knew what they were thinking. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she glanced at Ji You, only to find that Ji You's eyes were also filled with complicated emotions.

Thanks to his body-refining abilities, his five senses far surpassed those of most cultivators, and he heard many discussions during his trip.

He was quite concerned about the fact that the sisters served him and that he was quite fortunate in love.

The problem is he knows what it means, but he doesn't remember it...

Ji You snapped out of her daze and pretended not to know anything, continuing to chat with the others.

There must be some misunderstanding. We can only acknowledge something after we've done it.

The chatter continued until 9:00 AM, when Ji You got up to leave, while Lu Qingqiu, who hadn't spoken until now, couldn't help but open her lips slightly.

She had come here to host a banquet to welcome Ji You, so she got up and invited everyone to go together.

However, Cao Jingsong and the others were at the critical stage of breaking through their cultivation realms and needed to continue their seclusion, so they politely declined her offer.

In the cold wind, Ji You walked out of Cao Jingsong's courtyard and looked at Lu Qingqiu who was following behind him: "Let's postpone the meal until next time. Isn't your sister about to break through to the next realm? It's not too late to eat together after she comes out of seclusion."

Upon hearing "eat together," Lu Qingqiu's cheeks suddenly flushed slightly, and she didn't dare to speak for a moment.

Ji You frowned, thinking to herself, "I meant eating, I really meant eating, not anything else."

Wei Rui has that jealous little devil who could level the Heavenly Academy, what am I supposed to feed you two sisters?

However, upon thinking of this, Ji You paused slightly.

Yan Shuyi had lived in Shengjing for a long time, and she should have heard the rumors that even the reclusive Cao Cao knew about.

Ji You turned to look at Lu Qingqiu: "Have you seen any disciples of Lingjian Mountain recently?"

Lu Qingqiu gently raised her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes: "I've never seen it before."

"Have you ever seen two women traveling together? Both carrying long swords, one likes to wear a pink gauze dress, and the other has a jade pendant hanging from her sleeve."

"Does the young master really know them?"

"?"

"After the aristocratic families left, two young ladies did come to see me. They seemed very interested in the fact that Hanyan and I served you together."

Ji You looked at her seriously: "It's just a rumor."

Lu Qingqiu blinked: "Uh, yes, it's a rumor..."

"and then?"

“I told them the truth, that it was just an excuse to appease my parents, and then they left. I thought at the time that they should know the young master.”

Ji You nodded, thinking to herself, "I see."

Lu Qingqiu looked at him quietly for a while, then looked away.

In fact, her statement was only half true and half false, and she did not fully tell Ji You the truth.

The truth is that after Lu Qingqiu was found by those two girls, he initially stubbornly tried to "confirm" the matter.

But for some reason, the two girls insisted on asking her how it felt and whether it hurt. They seemed really curious, but she, being inexperienced, naturally said she didn't know how to describe it, and her stammering revealed her secret.

(End of this chapter)