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Chapter 287 Rejected at the "Door"
"The five-year period is almost up. Are you going back to Fengzhou after you leave the hospital?"

Lu Qingqiu was thinking about the matter of "confirming" when she heard the sound and was brought back to her senses. She was stunned when she heard the words "Fengzhou" and bit her red lips lightly.

Are they going to Fengzhou right after leaving the hospital? It seems Ji You really wants the sisters to eat something different together.

In an instant, many images flooded the mind of the eldest daughter of the Lu family.

Ji You realized he had said the wrong thing when he saw her blushing cheeks: "These past few days, while we were doing disaster relief, you kept talking about the grain in Fengzhou. You were almost saying it without thinking. What I meant was that you would go back to Yunzhou after you were discharged from the hospital?"

"According to my father's arrangement, I should join the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild after I return home."

The Lu family's cultivation talent is not high, but the two Lu family daughters are considered outstanding. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be in charge of the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild in the future. If we can persuade them to change the system, the foster care system in Yunzhou that makes the offspring of miners in debt from birth might be better.

However, judging from Lu Qingqiu's expression that seemed determined to "confirm" the rumors, persuading him with other means seemed easier than persuading him with words.

Kuang Cheng is right. Cultivation is nothing compared to a healthy body, which is more useful in the end.

At this moment, Ji You's mind was filled with inexplicable thoughts, and he thought to himself that the ancients were right, people's hearts are indeed wicked.

The two then chatted about other things, and Lu Qingqiu was called over by a maid who rushed in from the courtyard, from whom she received a thick stack of invitations.

As the new year approached, the Ling Shi Chamber of Commerce had many activities in the capital, which were mostly handled by this Miss Lu.

This year, she visited the same few people she used to visit regularly, but she received more invitations than usual.

Lu Qingqiu was well aware that the extra invitations were not necessarily for the Lu family, but largely because others knew that she had lost her virginity to Ji You.

Many people probably wanted to find out what was going on with Ji You through him, and why the Heavenly Academy was treating him so strangely.

The two then waved goodbye. Ji You turned and left the outer courtyard, walking along the mountain path to the inner courtyard, where she took the cotton shoes, floral jacket, teacup, and cotton pad that she had stored in the camphor wood box last year.

Among them was a letter from Yuan Caiwei, which Ji You had delivered a few days earlier when he went to provide disaster relief.

The Heavenly Academy is the last stop on the Pill Sect's pill-transporting route. Yuan Caiwei and Yuan Chen are coming to deliver the pills, and they specifically told him their arrival date.

This reminded Ji You of that winter day, with three people in one room, and the corner of her mouth that had been bitten open by the jealous judge.

Ah, it's getting more and more lively...

Ji You carefully put the letter away and found the disciple guarding the mountain gate.

He was not currently hospitalized, so he left the address of the Wulu Trading Company and asked the gatekeeper to inform the Danzong people when they arrived. Then he drifted down the mountain.

When he returned to Wulu Trading Company, he saw a beautiful figure in the distance.

Yan Shuyi, dressed in a flowing, fairy-like dress, looked exquisite and graceful as she strolled in front of the shop with Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu.

She was wearing a veil, with only her beautiful eyes visible. When she saw Ji You, she nodded indifferently, as if they were just acquaintances.

If you're not familiar with him, you won't get slept with.

Ji You looked at her and asked, "Have you had lunch?"

"Haven't eaten yet..."

What do you think we should eat?

Yan Shuyi was silent for a moment, then said, "I want to eat hot and sour shredded potatoes."

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, thinking that it was finally over.

After breakfast at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the judge said he would take them out for a stroll. The two thought they would visit the East Market and West Market and were secretly looking forward to it, only to find that they were overthinking it.

For two whole hours, they didn't wander beyond the small area in front of the Wulu Trading Company.

They hadn't accompanied Yan Shuyi to Shengjing Cat for the winter before, but after returning home, they often heard her talking about how she had bumped into her at Tianshu Academy and at Kuang Cheng's doorstep.

The two were puzzled at the time, wondering how there could be so many coincidences, but now they realize that these were the kinds of coincidences.

The four then entered the Wulu Trading Company. Ji You laid out the teapot and teacups, brewed a pot of tea, and then began to roll up his sleeves and cook.

There aren't many green vegetables to stir-fry in winter, but potatoes are plentiful.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu went to help Ji You, while Yan Shuyi squinted slightly as she looked at the teacup on the table.

The stranger brought all her belongings from last winter, which means he anticipated that she would be unable to resist coming to him.

This also partly felt like a blow to her public image, and the feeling of being anticipated made her a little unhappy.

Ji You swung his shovel and said in a low voice to Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, "How long have you been loitering around the door?"

Ding Yao coughed and said, "It's been about two hours since Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

"I thought she could at least hold out for a day after she went back and not come to see me."

"The appraiser couldn't sleep at all last night when he got back. He kept us by the stove and wouldn't let us sleep."

"Then after you finish eating, call her to leave and see how she reacts."

"Yes, son."

After a while, the food was served, and the four of them had lunch on a leisurely winter afternoon.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu waited until their appraiser stopped eating and started to daydream before speaking: "Appraiser, we agreed with Miss Rui'er to go back after shopping for a while, so it's about time we left."

Yan Shuyi didn't even turn her head, but her eyes gradually became sharp.

The two exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves that someone was reacting, and their reaction was to pretend they hadn't heard.

After a moment of silence, a soft laugh came from the hall, which made Yan Shuyi narrow her eyes. She realized that her two maids had spoken on Ji You's orders, so she got up and walked into the hall.

A short while later, a series of crackling sounds came from the hall.

The two waited without moving, silently counting down in their minds. After a short while, they heard the sounds from the room abruptly stop, and then they pursed their lips.

Alright, the appraiser has succeeded again; he's probably sitting in someone's lap right now.

At this moment in the hall, Yan Shuyi's tongue was being rolled up, and she struggled with an icy expression, her eyes fixed on Ji You, full of defensiveness as her breathing grew heavier.

Ji You reached out and slapped her round bottom, then said lightly, "Stop fooling around, let's get down to business."

Yan Shuyi endured the burning sensation on her buttocks without rubbing them, and glanced at the letter on the table: "Snowfield Demon Stones to be supplied again?"

That was what Ji You had just written when she came in; it was a long, flowing piece of writing, and the ink was still wet.

"This time, in order to provide disaster relief, Fengzhou's grain reserves have been almost exhausted. Although Daxia provided some from the national treasury and signed labor contracts with the disaster victims for the rest, Fengzhou's accounts are now almost empty, and Jizhai's money has been completely drained."

When Yan Shuyi heard that the family's money was gone, a look of seriousness appeared in her eyes.

After drying the letter, Ji You put it into an envelope: "The snow in Fengzhou has been gradually decreasing these past few days, which has reduced the risk of transporting spirit stones. I need to bring some back. Moreover, those aristocratic families and immortal sects are supported by the people, so they should share some of the burden for the people."

Yan Shuyi raised her eyes to look at him: "The inconvenience of winter transportation is a good excuse. With the Qingyun Immortal Rules, it is difficult for anyone to make a move against you. However, if you take advantage of the transportation routes to raise prices, it will cause resentment. This is a bad strategy."

"No need to raise the price, just secretly transport a batch out and store it in the warehouse for other merchants to sell under the guise of inventory."

"You want to distance yourself? That's a good idea, but I'm afraid it will be easily exposed."

"Just deny it. What they need are spirit stones, and all I want is money."

Ji You looked up at Yan Shuyi and said, "Your Excellency has come from afar. As Wei Rui's lover's friend, I cannot neglect you. What would you like to eat tonight?"

Yan Shuyi's lips were pecked, and she stared at him coldly for a long time: "Eat hot and sour shredded potatoes."

In the following days, Shengjing City remained calm, with occasional tidbits of news causing ripples in this tranquility.

The Daoist Sect had a 300-year-old elder who passed away, and countless disciples who had traveled outside the mountain returned to the mountain to attend his funeral.

The elder's name had disappeared from Qingyun Tianxia for a long time and did not cause much of a stir. What caused the stir was something else: the sect leader of Shanhaige decided to let his disciple try to control the sacred artifact.

Mastering a sacred artifact is not something that can be achieved overnight. According to past records, it can take anywhere from five or eight years to ten or twenty years.

Even so, it's enough to spark countless discussions.

When a disciple takes control of a sacred artifact, it signifies that the leader of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion has decided to ascend to immortality in seclusion. What they will witness is the changing of another era, which cannot help but evoke a sense of awe.

As for the Heavenly Academy, no students have been able to sense the Heavenly Book this year.

This is the third year, the third year without the Heavenly Book's influence. This has led to the continuous growth of rumors such as "the headmaster of the Heavenly Book Academy is unwell" and "there is a problem with the Heavenly Book."

However, since those students who had previously sensed the Heavenly Book are still able to comprehend the Dao through it, not many people believe such rumors.

As for Ji You, he has been busy restoring the supply of spirit stones during this period, and has been exchanging messages with Qiu Zhong and He Zhang of Fengzhou many times.

The first batch of spirit stones as planned appeared at the Qionghua Pavilion's stall. The quantity was small, and it was quickly bought up at a high price by a nearby aristocratic family.

Then came the third and fourth batches, which were also snapped up by similar aristocratic families who had caught wind of the scheme.

Picking up the goods yourself is actually quite troublesome, especially with the increased road tax in Fengzhou and the difficulty in gathering the goods needed by the demon race. In fact, buying them out at a high price like this would be much more convenient. The subsequent sale of spirit stones became more scattered, but the quantity increased considerably, supposedly due to long-term stockpiling, attracting many cultivators to make offers.

During this period, Ji You went to the Ministry of Agriculture to inquire about the cultivation of spirit seedlings. Then, he purchased various seedlings from the Sun family in Liangzhou at a high price and sent them to Fengzhou.

Besides these things, he did not forget his spiritual practice.

Every morning, he would set aside time to train his body, igniting spiritual fire to temper himself as before.

Snow occasionally falls in Shengjing, but it always melts into vapor as it lands on the ground, so much so that many people have seen billowing white mist in the vicinity.

Then, after each body-refining session, he would rush to sit at the door at 7:45 AM.

Yan Shuyi would stroll here every day at this time, and then "reluctantly" be invited home for dinner by "Rui'er's lover's friend".

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu would also go along, and their faces would get much fuller.

They discovered that their son-in-law really doted on the appraiser. Even though the appraiser was so stubborn, the son-in-law didn't expose her and let her do whatever she wanted.

She can be an unparalleled appraiser if she wants, indulge in food if she wants, and be stubborn if she wants.

However, Yan Shuyi still insists on her persona, believing that she won't get slept with if she's not familiar with someone.

However, every time she coldly and ruthlessly returned from "Rui'er's lover's friend's place," she would personally wash her pants in her room, living up to Ji You's initial description of her as "Little Water Tiger."

However, some people here are immersed in their own world, filled with worry.

"Fairy Ding".

"Miss Rui'er, why aren't you asleep so late?"

"I'm about to go to sleep, where's my appraiser sister?"

In the cold night, Wei Rui walked gracefully through the corridor and couldn't help but ask Ding Yao a question after they met.

Upon hearing this, Ding Yao spoke up: "Master has gone back to his room to rest. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Um... I ran into Young Master Ji when I went out today. Young Master Ji said he misses his sister."

"?"

Ding Yao looked at Wei Rui, a hint of doubt in her expression.

Since they had spent the entire day with the young master, Wei Rui shouldn't have had much time to see him.

Wei Rui was not good at lying, so she avoided eye contact and said, "Um, Sister Ding, please pass on my message. I'm going to sleep now. There's some white fungus soup in my room. If you're hungry, you can ask Zhu'er to get some."

"Okay, thank you, Miss Ruier."

"You're welcome……"

Wei Rui returned to her room along the corridor and sat on the bed, feeling worried.

Her sister-in-law, the appraiser, always had a cold expression. Apart from cultivating Taoism, meeting with the disciples who delivered messages, she would go out for a stroll as if she were an immortal. She truly witnessed the arrogant and domineering demeanor of the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain.

The overwhelming sense of oppression was just like the feeling Wei Rui had when she first met her at the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

During these past few days, she never mentioned Ji You. Her state of mind was as if she had truly severed all ties of love and affection, which made Wei Rui feel a sense of shattered dream that she might not be able to marry into Fengzhou with Sister Yan.

After a restless night, Wei Rui got out of bed.

From early morning until noon, I kept observing my appraiser sister.

The disciples from Lingjian Mountain sent another message. After reading the message, her sister's aloof gaze made her heart pound.

It wasn't until Yan Shuyi dismissed his disciples and called Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu out that Wei Rui finally made up her mind, realizing that things couldn't continue like this.

So she changed her clothes, put on her cotton robe, opened an oil-paper umbrella, went out the door, and walked along the chilly street to the Wulu Trading Company.

She felt that matters of the heart should be like those depicted in vernacular novels, something that could never be severed.

She felt she should start by persuading Ji You to try and win back Sister Yan; perhaps there would be a glimmer of hope.

Wei Rui stepped into the backyard of Wulu Trading Company, took a deep breath, and then reached out to push open the cold wooden door. However, as soon as she stepped over the threshold, her eyes froze.

Her sister, the ruthless and heartless appraiser, was currently in the backyard of the Wulu Trading Company, making paper lanterns with Fairy Ding and Fairy Zhuo.

Hanging paper lanterns is a custom of the New Year Festival, and Wei Rui had done it with Kuang Cheng before.

At this moment, Yan Shuyi had already skillfully tied one of them up. After looking at it for a while, she chuckled and then handed it to Ji You with an arrogant expression. When she saw the other party give her a thumbs up, she revealed a hint of pride.

Upon seeing this, Wei Rui narrowed her eyes.

She suddenly understood why Sister Yan's lips had been getting redder and redder these past few days.

Ding Yao then saw Wei Rui: "Miss Rui, what brings you here?"

"You're just worrying unnecessarily."

"?"

Wei Rui sat down in front of them and looked at the still-dazed young master of Lingjian Mountain, saying softly, "So I'm the only outsider here."

Ding Yao glanced at her: "What outsider?"

"My heart is set on the path of immortality, devoid of emotion and love."

"You believed that?!"

Ding Yao stared at Wei Rui in astonishment, thinking to herself, "How can anyone believe my appraiser's acting skills are so bad?"

Wei Rui felt incredibly stupid, and a hint of grievance appeared in her eyes: "You all conspired together just to deceive me?"

Ding Yao couldn't help but shake her head: "The appraiser wanted to deceive everyone, even herself, but no one believed her, not even herself. Only you believed her."

"So, Sister Yan has been going out for walks every day these past few days, actually to see Young Master Ji?"

"Otherwise what? Haven't you noticed that the appraiser can't sit still whenever she hears the young master's name, and she's been going home later and later these past few days?"

Yan Shuyi had just come to her senses when she turned to look at Wei Rui: "Sister Rui'er is here?"

Wei Rui looked at her with a scrutinizing expression: "Sister, you're not familiar with Young Master Ji, are you? How come you secretly came to visit my lover's friend with just the two of you?"

"We bumped into each other on the street while I was out for a stroll."

"?"

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu looked at Wei Rui, who had a questioning look on her face, and whispered to Wei Rui that this was another of my appraiser's tricks.

Wei Rui was completely confused after hearing this, finding the way the appraiser was acting quite strange.

If Young Master Ji were like my own son, Kuang Lang, he might really think he had been rejected and would part ways with him forever.

So Zhuo Wanqiu leaned close to her ear and whispered something for a long time, making Wei Rui's face turn red to the roots of her ears instantly.

I see, so the appraiser really is going to shut Mr. Ji out...

Yan Shuyi was watching them closely, and even without using her divine sense to eavesdrop, she could tell what they were chirping about.

It's too big, that definitely won't work...

This was something she confirmed while Ji You was asleep in Anyuan City last time, and just thinking about it made her feel embarrassed.

In addition, after thoroughly studying the secret manual she bought from the foot of the mountain, she discovered that many of the positions required her to be on the bottom, which she did not accept.

Furthermore, if she were to become pregnant, her maternal instincts would definitely affect her Dao heart.

The young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain pondered this, unaware that he never resisted giving Ji Yousheng one.

While the group was lost in their own thoughts, the rumbling sound of a carriage came from the back door of the Wulu Trading Company.

Before long, a shout from the brother-in-law came from outside the door.

Ji You glanced at Yan Shuyi and saw that the little appraiser had already narrowed her eyes, knowing that her best friend from the previous night had arrived.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu couldn't help but straighten up, thinking to themselves, "Master, you're so shameless, aren't you? Now someone who isn't shameless has arrived."

As the word "brother-in-law" faded, the back gate was pushed open, and Yuan Chen and Yuan Caiwei walked in.

"Sister and brother-in-law, it's been a long time!"

"Caiwei greets the young master and her elder sister."

(End of this chapter)