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Chapter 376 Why Does He Need a Background?
The following morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed into the city.

On Changsheng Street, a group of cultivators strolled over and entered Shengjing Immortal Garden.

At that time, new proclamations had been posted.

Bathed in the morning light, the crowd gazed at the names on the notice, murmuring to themselves as they looked at each other.

They thought that after what happened yesterday, the Dao Discussion Conference might be coming to an end, but they didn't expect that the Dao Asking Sect would not call it off.

This was unexpected by everyone, but upon closer examination, it made perfect sense.

They used the pretext of the Daoist conference to stay in Shengjing and wait for Ji You's return, intending to make the world believe that they had come purely for the spiritual treasures of the ancient sages' holy land, thus exposing their own greed.

Therefore, even if they didn't get their hands on the treasure, they still wanted to see the matter through to the end for the sake of their reputation and face.

After all, they did not want future historical records to state, "In the spring of the third year of Taiwu, the Dao Discussion Conference was held in Shengjing for five days before abruptly ending. The reason for this was that an elder of a certain immortal sect was killed by Erzhi, a disciple of the Heavenly Academy. The Junior Master of Lingjian Mountain assisted the Heavenly Academy, and the three major immortal sects retreated from the capital without uttering a word."

So the members of the immortal cultivation families who had originally planned to return came to the Guandao Platform and took their seats.

The large bloodstains in the dojo had been cleaned up, and the surface of the white jade dojo was as shiny as new, as if nothing had happened.

But gazing at this familiar spot, everyone's memories are easily pulled back to yesterday.

At this moment, some people couldn't help but look up at the Guandao Tower that surrounded the entire Immortal Garden.

The people from the Dao Asking Sect had already taken their seats, their expressions neither sad nor happy, as if nothing had happened.

The Chen Clan and the disciples of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion also arrived one after another. As usual, they greeted each other with clasped hands and then invited each other to take their seats.

The people from Lingjian Mountain attended as usual. The young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain sat in the corridor of the Guandao Tower, wearing the appraiser's immortal robe, his eyes cold and clear, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

"They almost went to war yesterday, but today they acted as if nothing had happened. They were indifferent to staying or leaving, and unmoved by favor or disgrace. They truly live up to the majesty of the Immortal Sect."

"Of course, what storms haven't the disciples of the Immortal Sect weathered..."

"The young appraiser of Spirit Sword Mountain is as indifferent to the world as ever, making him impossible to understand..."

“I thought about it carefully yesterday, and when I woke up, I felt that yesterday was just an illusion caused by the seed of demonic influence in my Dao heart, which was extremely unreal.”

Amid the discussions, a commotion arose, and everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

Several figures emerged from the connecting corridor of the Tian Shu Academy's Guandao Tower, and Ji You was among them. A disciple of the Head of the Academy arranged a chair for her, and she sat down next to Zuo Qiuyang.

He was wearing a new Heavenly Academy robe today, which looked even whiter than the one he had been accused of killing and shredding.

Those who had read the notice were not surprised that he would be here today, as many of the participants in today's Daoist debate were disciples of the Heavenly Academy, and some of them were from Fengzhou.

Especially Xiang Fu, who just entered the inner academy last year, is said to be a student favored by Ji You, the instructor.

Furthermore, given Ji You's personality, it's in line with his style to step forward and embarrass the other three major immortal sects after yesterday's events.

"Yesterday, Ji You went to Wannian County and brought back the scholar Kuang from the Sixianjian. It is said that he then went to the courtyard of the young master of Lingjian Mountain and stayed there for about an hour."

"After all, they helped us out of a difficult situation, so it's only right to thank them first. And didn't we go back later anyway..."

"It is said that he stayed at the Tianshu Academy for one night and did not go down the mountain to meet anyone again."

Amidst their low voices, the group exchanged brief words.

Yesterday, when the young appraiser took out his personal handkerchief to wipe away the bloodstains, he casually took out Ji You's clothes from his gourd to change him. The city was talking about it all day, and many people didn't sleep all night.

Many people don't believe it, but they can't convince themselves, so they toss and turn all night, unable to sleep.

Therefore, everyone paid special attention to the fact that both of them were present today.

However, the two did not exchange any words at this moment. They sat upright with cold and arrogant eyes, as if they did not know each other, making it impossible for anyone to make any judgment.

In fact, this was the result of Yan Shuyi's serious warning to Ji You yesterday, saying that in order to avoid further "misunderstandings," communication in public places was not allowed.

Although Ji You disliked her for being stubborn, he knew the old saying that showing off your love will lead to a quick breakup, so he agreed to this cold treatment approach.

Thus, the situation became one where yesterday's affair was clearly just beginning to unfold, but now it's as if they don't even know each other.

"How long do you think the appraiser can hold out without looking at his son-in-law?"

"It can only last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no more than that..."

"A stick of incense? Impossible, I think it's less than half a cup of tea. Shall we bet ten taels of silver?"

"bet."

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu stood side by side to Yan Shuyi's left front, near the pillar, whispering as they organized a bet against their own appraiser.

At this moment, the Dao Discussion Competition began. Two disciples from the Immortal Sect who participated in the competition stepped onto the stage and demonstrated the art of magical evolution, which is also the most basic means of refining magical techniques.

However, although it is the foundation, after thousands of years of evolution, the methods of evolution among different sects have gradually become different. Which method is more stable and simple has become one of the competition items in each debate.

On the platform, as the gong sounded, two disciples of the immortal sect began to demonstrate the evolution of their techniques.

The young appraiser's gaze instantly turned serious, devoid of emotion, revealing neither admiration nor disdain.

Ji You also leaned forward slightly, with an inscrutable expression, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

The only two people who didn't focus their energy on the discussion were Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, because they were counting.

The difference between half a cup of tea and a stick of incense is quite significant. The former can be counted in about two or three hundred pieces, while the latter can be counted in about twice as many pieces.

"one……"

"two……"

"five……"

"Eight……"

"eleven……"

"..."

The two were counting in sync, but it stopped abruptly after only a short while.

As soon as they counted to thirteen, they noticed that their appraiser's gaze had shifted to the left, and his eyelashes began to tremble slightly.

At that moment, the crowd below the viewing platform also stared in disbelief.

The lack of communication between the two made the situation unpredictable, even shaking those who had already believed in the matter, and encouraging those who insisted on not believing.

Look, Ji You is sitting upright. He hasn't been a bystander since he appeared. Just like everyone else, he doesn't dare to look directly at the goddess who has descended to the mortal world. He doesn't look like a master and his Daoist partner at all.

But when they couldn't help but look at the young appraiser, they found that he seemed to have turned his gaze unintentionally and was looking at Ji You.

It's true that a consensus was reached, but after arriving here and meeting Ji You, the young appraiser realized that he had been hasty.

The first time she let the outside world know that she had a husband, she couldn't help but want to glance at him to see if he was looking at her too.

She quickly noticed that someone was watching her, so she propped up her cheeks with her hand, and her beautiful phoenix eyes began to grow more powerful with the sword energy, instantly lowering the gazes that were staring at her.

But as she looked around, she saw someone come from behind and hand her a note.

"Let's go out and play later."

"?"

The discussion has a mid-session, which serves as both preparation and rest time.

At that moment, Yan Shu also rose gracefully from his seat, then left Guandao Tower and headed towards the backyard. He then went out into the alley and met Ji You.

Shengjing is crowded and chaotic, and there aren't many good places to go. After wandering around, the two entered the backyard of Wulu Trading Company from the back alley.

Since the New Year's Eve celebration here last year, Yan Shuyi hasn't had a proper chance to come back and see the paper lanterns he made last year still hanging on the eaves, fluttering gently in the wind.

"Have you met Zuo Qiuyang?"

"Yes, after investigation, it was indeed a fragment of the human race's destiny. It seems that there is a major problem within the Holy Land of the Sages."

Yan Shu also turned his gaze away from the paper lantern: "If there is a problem, then there must be a solution. However, we cannot enter the sacred site of the sages when it cracks. Its natural repair will take endless years. Therefore, it seems that only the Dan Sect can solve this problem."

Ji You nodded: "So he asked me to go to Danshan as an intermediary, hoping that the Yuan family could restore the sacred site of the sages so that the entrance could be opened to explore the truth."

“He is clever. He knows that Yuan Caiwei is in the Dan Sect. Even though Dan Mountain is still sealed by an array, he also knows that you will be able to knock on the door of the Dan Sect.”

"?"

Ji You smelled a sour scent and thought to herself, "We've flown together, and you even shared it with me. Why are you still jealous?"

Yan Shuyi glared at him intently: "When are we going?"

"I have set out conditions for Zuo Qiuyang, and I will set off once he has met them."

"Remember to go early and come back early..."

Looking at her slightly jealous face, Ji You couldn't help but pinch it gently: "The next show is about to start, do you still want to go back?"

Yan Shuyi glanced at the fairy garden on the west side, then turned his gaze to the main hall directly opposite.

Because everyone left right after the New Year's Day two years ago, the house remains as it was before, with the stove used for heating in winter right next to it.

"I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes," Yan Shuyi said softly.

"Then let's not go back. Let's roast sweet potatoes instead. But if we're both not there, people outside will start speculating again."

"It's just gossip. We are upright, so why should we be afraid of being criticized? Let people talk, what does it matter?"

Ji You stepped into the room, cleaned the stove, and thought to herself, "Where are we being righteous? We're practically slumped into bed."

Yan Shuyi had already sat down on her small stool, watching Ji You start a fire and put sweet potatoes into the stove. Although her expression was aloof, she also seemed very obedient.

Meanwhile, in the Shengjing Immortal Garden, countless people looked up slightly, gazing at the two empty spaces on the north and west sides.

The halftime break wasn't very long, and they were already gearing up for the next match. They were discussing the young master of Lingjian Mountain looking at Ji You when they realized that both of them were absent.

One is a weapon wielder of Lingjian Mountain and the next sect leader, while the other is an ordinary inner disciple from Fengzhou. The difference in their status is enormous, and no one would think much of it before any clues emerge.

But once a clue appears, some things become clear.

They knew that the young master of Lingjian Mountain and Ji You must have left together, and were now together...

People from the Daoist Sect, the Chen Clan, and the Mountain and Sea Pavilion were also looking at the two empty chairs, their expressions not very pleasant.

Especially Shang Xiyao, whose gloomy eyes were filled with hostility.

Seeing that murderous gaze, everyone couldn't help but shudder. They knew that Shang Xiyao was infatuated with the young appraiser and had made countless high-profile moves in the past, so they naturally understood how terrible his state of mind was right now.

"I still can't figure it out. It's not just because of Ji You. I can't imagine that someone as aloof as the Master of Appraisal would like someone. I can't even imagine such a scene."

"Different personalities naturally lead to different ways of liking things."

"What method did they use?"

"They probably treated each other with the utmost respect, often sitting down to discuss philosophy and comprehend sword techniques and such."

"?"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly pictured the two sitting opposite each other.

The appraiser in the picture is unsmiling, watching the despicable Ji You talk eloquently with self-righteousness, a hint of condescending admiration flashing in his cold eyes.

Gollum—

In the backyard of the Wulu Trading Company, Ji You took a roasted sweet potato from the stove, peeled it, and handed it to Yan Shuyi, quietly watching her eat it.

This is already the second one that the arrogant little devil has eaten; he has an amazing appetite.

She was also very greedy when she was in Jizhai, but none of the food she ate turned into fat.

As Ji You looked at her, his gaze involuntarily drifted down and landed on her slender waist.

"Xin Yuan has made so many attempts, why is there still no movement?"

"?"

Yan Shuyi looked at him upon hearing the voice, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes: "I don't know what you're talking about..."

Ji You glanced at her: "I think maybe we haven't tried hard enough."

"Disciples of Little Heavenly Academy must not be rude."

"Procreation is a major matter, that's what you said."

The young appraiser, with a serious expression, nibbled on the sweet potato, ignoring his words.

The sweet potatoes were quickly eaten up. Yan Shuyi pursed her lips, looked up and was about to wipe her mouth with a handkerchief when her mouth was smacked.

The disciples of Xiaotian Academy must not be rude. Yan Shu also had a watchful eye on her. However, as Ji You lowered her head again, she still couldn't help but obediently move closer. When she was carried to the bed, she kicked and punched Ji You in a normal emotional way.

Actually, Ji You was somewhat burdened before the matter was made public.

After all, if she were really pregnant, she couldn't hide her father's identity from him, but at this moment she felt no burden at all.

Ji You bent down and saw Yan Shu also kick him with her snow-white foot, so he reached out and grabbed her.

Soon, the icy jade foot held in her hand tensed instantly, and the young appraiser who had "led her lover into the room" let out a touching whimper, and couldn't help but hug Ji You's neck tightly, and began to line the path to welcome her.

Perhaps because he had neglected her a few days ago, Ji You's actions were very gentle. Unlike before, he didn't insist on subduing her and making her call him "husband." Instead, he seemed to be pampering his wife. This different feeling made her feel a little uncomfortable and shy at the same time.

"A mere disciple of the Heavenly Academy... Waaah..."

"Call Xianggong."

"Let...let Yuan Caiwei call her."

Yan Shuyi spoke coldly through teary eyes, then paused for a moment after speaking, before fiercely punching Ji You.

He even jumped up when Yuan Caiwei was mentioned, you scoundrel...

However, the young appraiser soon burst into tears, her intense jealousy dissipating in her heart.

The water for brewing tea, which was placed on the stove, had already boiled. It bubbled and gurgled against the lid of the kettle, and the steam slowly rose and filled the room. It was like the deepest feeling of the little appraiser, making her body weak and her eyes hazy. She breathed softly and incessantly, and her beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with nothing but her scoundrel husband.

As the sun set, the air in the city was still warm.

As the final session of the day's discussion came to a close, the returning participants couldn't recall anything about what had been discussed. They only remembered the location of the two empty chairs, and even the colors of the chairs were clearly remembered.

Zhao Yunyue returned to the mansion at this time and vaguely came to the tea table, where she happened to see Wei Rui walking along the corridor in the mansion and heading towards the west courtyard.

After Kuang Cheng was captured, Ji You was probably extremely nervous, so he didn't let Kuang Cheng leave. Instead, he arranged for him to stay in the West Courtyard of Lingjian Mountain, so that he could be protected.

Wei Rui came over yesterday after receiving the news, and she came again today, so she must also be here to see Kuang Cheng.

Actually, Zhao Yunyue knew her sister quite well; she didn't like cultivating immortality or immortals.

Having witnessed the collection of taxes before, they still harbored a certain fear of members of immortal sects or aristocratic families.

However, she moved in and out of Lingjian Mountain's temporary residence quite naturally. Especially yesterday, she clearly knew the two maids of the young master, and they were quite familiar with each other.

This means they knew each other beforehand, rather than meeting for the first time.

Zhao Yunyue sipped her tea, lost in thought, and sat there until nightfall before she saw Wei Rui emerge from the west courtyard.

After a moment's thought, Princess Chang Le put down her cup and stood up.

"Rui'er!"

"?"

Wei Rui stopped and looked over: "Sister Yunyue."

Zhao Yunyue chuckled softly: "I know you came to see Kuang Cheng, but you didn't even chat with me when we met. You've really forgotten your sisters now that you've found your lover."

"I haven't forgotten, I just can't remember it for a moment." Wei Rui blushed and immediately walked over.

"Would you like tea?"

"Thank you, Sister Yunyue."

Zhao Yunyue raised her hand and poured him a cup of tea: "You and the young appraiser... knew each other before?"

Wei Rui knew that this matter was already known, so she felt relieved and nodded sincerely: "Yes, I call her sister outside, but at home I call her sister-in-law."

"at home?"

“We, Xinyuan, stayed in Fengzhou for a while.”

"It seems I really am the matchmaker for the young appraiser..."

"?"

Wei Rui's eyes showed a hint of confusion: "What matchmaker?"

Zhao Yunyue raised her eyes: "Back then at the Heavenly Dao Society, wasn't it because of my connection that he was invited to the Appraiser's private banquet and thus got to know the Appraiser? Later, his combat strength became apparent, which is why the young Appraiser took a liking to him?"

After yesterday's events, many people are still unclear about why they formed a relationship in private.

She had been thinking about this matter repeatedly for the past few days, and finally focused her attention on the private banquet that the young master had invited her to at the Xianxian Garden.

Ji You was right next to her at that time. She felt that it was because of that private banquet that Ji You caught the eye of the young appraiser. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a matchmaker.

In other words, if it weren't for her doing a favor, Ji You might have been eliminated by the Immortal Sect long ago.

She tried to see the judge many times afterward, but was inexplicably unable to do so, and could not find the answer until now.

She felt that it must have been because she and Fang Jincheng stood together and mocked him during the preliminary rounds of the Heavenly Dao Tournament that Ji You held a grudge, which led to the Master of Appraisal never seeing her again.

"No, they knew each other even before that; the Heavenly Dao Society happened much later."

"really……"

Zhao Yunyue blurted out the word "as expected," which she had prepared beforehand, but her eyes widened slightly as she realized that the answer was not what she had thought.

"Before that?" She turned to look at Wei Rui.

Wei Rui nodded: "They've known each other for a long time. Before the Heavenly Dao Assembly, we even spent New Year's Eve together in Young Master Kuang's courtyard. At that time, I didn't know she was the Little Master of Lingjian Mountain. I only knew to call her Sister Yan. I was quite surprised when I saw her arrive in her fairy robes at the Heavenly Dao Assembly."

"How could that be? He was just an ordinary Tongxuan Realm cultivator back then. Ninety percent of the people who participated in the Heavenly Dao Assembly didn't even know who he was. How could the Master of Appraisal possibly have taken a liking to him?"

"Sister Appraiser likes him. There's no need for reason when you like someone. Just like how Father always asked me to look at the young men in the capital, but I still think Young Master Kuang is the best."

After Wei Rui finished speaking, she looked up and said, "By the way, speaking of that fairy banquet, it wasn't actually because of Sister Yun Yue's influence. Sister Jianzhu just wanted to have dinner with Young Master Ji, but inviting only him would be too conspicuous, so she invited us as well. We even went boating on the lake together after dinner."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Yunyue's smile faded away.

How could things have progressed this far? She was received by the Master of Appraisal because of her superior swordsmanship talent, and she even used Senior Brother Liu's influence.

"Since he met the Master of Appraisal so early, why was he sent to the Snow Region to die, and why was he so bullied at the Heavenly Academy?"

"Young Master Ji is confident. Young Master Kuang says no one can suppress him."

"But doesn't he know that the whole world laughs at him for being a country bumpkin? They mock him for having no background and looking like a villager?"

“I know, but I heard my father say that no one dares to use the phrase ‘private repair in the countryside’ anymore. Even the law has been changed, saying that such a term is no longer allowed to be used with derogatory connotations.”

In the Elder Hall of the Heavenly Book Academy, a group of elders who had returned from the Immortal Garden of Shengjing looked at Elder Peng: "Are you saying that he and the Little Master of Appraisal had an affair long before the Snow Region?"

Elder Peng nodded: "At that time, we were about to approach the snowy region when we were chased by the barbarian king. At that time, an arrow was shot at Ji You. I was ordered by Elder Fang not to take action, but the elder from Lingjian Mountain who was traveling with us hurriedly took action."

“During the preliminary selection of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, we saw that he had no background and banned his sword. If he has such a background, why did he remain silent?”

“Even if swords are forbidden, didn’t he still kill so many people in the courtyard that no one dared to fight him? Just like he could kill Huo Ku with a single finger. I think he probably never thought much of our methods.”

"True geniuses never need a background..."

In the hall, Gu Zetao and Wang Gaocen, who had come to seek guidance from the patriarch for the upcoming discussion, listened for a long time before quietly leaving the Elders' Pavilion and heading towards the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.

Ji You and the young master of Lingjian Mountain had known each other for a long time. Elder Peng said that when they were in the Snow Region, there were elders from Lingjian Mountain who protected him all the way.

The two walked and talked, leaving everyone in the inner courtyard sitting at the stone table speechless.

He Lingxiu recalled that she felt Ji You was not good enough for her, so she arranged for Qiu Hanyue to marry him, which he did not agree to but patiently refused.

According to Qiu Hanyue, when she went to Ji You to privately break off the engagement, he readily agreed and did not say anything sarcastic.

Upon realizing this, they suddenly understood that all these years, Ji You had only seen a bunch of incompetent clowns relying on their aristocratic backgrounds.

Perhaps even earlier than that...

He Lingxiu suddenly remembered the Spirit Extinguishing Pill she had taken when she went to Spirit Sword Mountain to ask the Dao.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)