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Chapter 188: Cutting off the Lion's Head

It was dry and cold in Shengjing at this time, even though it was not snowing. At the same time, the cold wind kept blowing on the streets, making it impossible for the peddlers in the city to move their hands and feet.

The merchants along the street all hung thick curtains in front of their doors and lit up the stoves, which were burning brightly to drive away the cold of winter.

The man pulling the cart was wearing a worn cotton coat with his sleeves rolled up to reveal his dark and strong arms. He was sipping a bowl of hot tea in front of a merchant's door. After taking a few sips, he saw three horse-drawn carriages driving into the city.

Soon a group of people got off the car, and one of them walked straight towards him.

When the man pulling the cart looked down in panic, he found a hand reaching out from the side, and a few more copper coins appeared in the bowl of the beggar squatting next to him.

"We're going to have a cold winter, why don't you give us more? It's all from Brother Bai's pocket anyway."

"Hey, you scholar?"

"You were busy with spring ploughing a few days ago, and I was teaching students with Master Chen."

"No wonder you are so clear-headed."

"So why not give more?"

"If a beggar can enter Shengjing to beg, there may be someone behind him. If he gives less, he may not care too much, but if he gives too much, it may not be his anymore."

"It would be better to just buy him some food."

"But maybe he doesn't want food, but he has a sick mother at home who needs medicine?"

Ji You responded to Kuang Shusheng's question, and then walked along the road with Instructor Cao and others, heading towards Mount Ni. He couldn't help but say in his heart, I, the bandit Ji, am back again.

This was the seventh day of his journey back from the Snowland, and he had been staying in Fengzhou for some time.

Rest, recuperate, listen to Master Chen preach the way of banditry, and meet some owners of immortal manors who came to visit empty-handed.

When he entered Fengzhou Prefecture with his sword, he did not give any face to any immortal manor, so after he came back from the Snow Region, the owners of those immortal manors should not have come to visit him.

But after hearing that he had killed the Soldier King with a sword in the Snow Region, these manor owners changed their minds, and not bringing any gifts was their last act of stubbornness.

After finishing these trivial matters, they took a day's boat ride and finally arrived in Shengjing. The temperature had begun to drop sharply.

At this time, Ji You moved away from the beggar, put the piece of silver that he accidentally took extra into his sleeve, and looked at Bai Rulong with a twitching mouth.

Damn, I got bitten again.

Is it possible that I, the Immortal Emperor Rulong, am destined to face many disasters and tribulations in this life?

Practice, I will practice hard after I go back!
Ji You turned a deaf ear to him, then walked forward breathlessly.

Now the establishment of aristocratic families has weakened taxation.

The envoy was sent to the demon tribe to avoid war.

This may be far from the best times, but for Fengzhou, it is already a pretty good year of harvest.

As for the world, Ji You now feels that it is out of reach. The only way is to practice diligently, improve his strength, and train the old man in the Heavenly Book Hall.

I just hope that this hard-earned stability can last a little longer, so that I can have more time to improve my strength...

Just as I was thinking about it, a well-behaved and beautiful girl suddenly appeared at the entrance of an alley on Yong'an Avenue.

She was wearing a light green jacket with a fur coat on the outside. At this moment, she was looking at the scholar beside Ji You with a loving gaze, her red lips slightly pursed, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

So everyone stopped, looked at the scholar in surprise, and then walked over step by step.

"Son..."

"Miss Rui'er..."

Ever since Ji You and Kuang Cheng left Beijing, Wei Rui had been waiting in Shengjing City without any appetite, feeling like she was waiting for something unseen.

When she finally saw him, she was frightened by his address, so she raised her head, and her cheeks instantly turned rosy as her eyes moved.

Kuang Cheng's old face turned red, and he couldn't help but glance at Ji You behind him.

Brother Ji is indeed a man who can conquer the world with his body.

Ji You raised the corner of his mouth and thought to himself, See, I told you that you would be able to learn good things by following me.

Rui'er was too intimate, and Miss Wei was too distant. Kuang Cheng was troubled by this issue for seven days and didn't even write a letter to express his safety. Later, Ji You told him that it was most appropriate to call her Miss Rui'er.

This address is both intimate and polite. It is not abrupt, but it is a bit shabby and makes people feel itchy.

Seeing this scene, the Immortal Emperor Rulong couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Ji You glanced at him and said, "Where is that round-butt sister you hooked up with in my name?"

Bai Rulong opened his mouth: "After she knew I was not you, she ignored me..."

"It's okay. You are still young and there are plenty of opportunities. Look, Instructor Cao is so old and still has no Taoist partner."

"?"

Wei Rui then turned her gaze away from Kuang Cheng and slowly saluted the others: "I heard that Master Ji's hands were injured. I wonder how he is recovering now?"

"It can be used, but it is a serious injury after all, so we can't rush it."

Upon hearing the voice, Ji You raised his hands and showed his "untrained arms", which were shaking a little when he bent them.

He seldom uses muscles to exert force now. Instead, he uses his spiritual energy to lift his arms, bypassing the muscles and meridians, and using external force to drive the arms to move. He can do simple movements.

Judging from the current recovery situation, it will probably be mostly healed before the New Year and back to normal before spring.

After Ji You finished speaking, he looked at Kuang Cheng and said, "Let's say goodbye here. We will go back to the mountain. You... do what you need to do. I will arrange a time to ask you for the meal you promised me when we left Beijing."

"Then... I will bid farewell to Brother Ji here."

"Kuang Cheng, my house is still empty."

Wei Rui followed Kuang Cheng and turned away. After hearing Ji You's last words, she couldn't help but feel a little confused: "What house?"

Kuang Cheng rolled up his sleeves in front of him: "People's hearts are yellow..."

Wei Rui thought about it for a long time but couldn't understand, so she followed him obediently, looking him up and down, thinking that Kuang Lang seemed to have lost a lot of weight.

Ji You was looking at their backs at this time, thinking that since Kuang Cheng had changed his name to Miss Rui'er, should Wei Rui change her name to Kuang Lang?

Kuang Lang Kuang Lang...

Oh, this name does sound a bit bumpy.

Bai Rulong still remembered that Kuang Cheng asked Ji You to take more silver. Looking at their leaving figures, he couldn't help but said, "Lunch time is almost here, this scholar, he doesn't even know how to be polite."

Ban Yangshu shook his head: "This is not surprising, because as long as someone dares to be polite, Junior Brother Ji will dare to eat."

Ji You glanced at Ban Yangshu, then turned to look at the west side of the long street: "Wait for me for a moment, I have something to do, and we will go back to the mountain together later."

"?"

At this time, Princess Changle Zhao Yunyue was in the teahouse next door, surrounded by some young men and women from aristocratic families in the capital, all staring at Ji You intently.

She and Wei Rui were like sisters, so she knew the news of Ji You's return to Beijing early in the morning. There was nothing wrong with saying that she happened to see him while drinking tea, but there was also nothing wrong with saying that he came to see her on purpose.

As for the purpose, it’s nothing.

But when I thought about how this man had been ungrateful, I became filled with anger. From the bottom of my heart, I didn't want to see him return safely, so I came here to confirm whether his hands were really intact.

It’s a pity that what I saw was not what I wished for.

Princess Changle took a sip of tea with a cold face, and then saw Ji You, dressed in white, walking towards the alley facing the street at an unhurried pace. Then he walked straight through the alley, walked onto the Tiansheng Street next door, and disappeared from sight.

"?"

"Tiansheng Street..."

Suddenly, a clear and passionate sword chant was heard, like a thunder exploding from the ground, rising suddenly from the opposite street and rushing straight into the sky.

As the sword chanted, tremendous energy surged up like a raging tide in an instant.

The slight chill that originally filled the entire city was instantly engulfed by the extremely sharp sword energy, like a group of wild beasts that had broken free from their reins, rushing wildly towards the east and west streets, wreaking havoc.

In an instant, everyone on Yong'an Avenue felt a chill that penetrated their bones, and the banners of countless merchants were shaken violently.

Cao Jinsong and his companions had just managed to steady themselves in the oncoming cold waves when they saw a bright sword shadow pressing down on Tiansheng Street with tremendous force, and a rumbling sound echoed throughout the long street.

The people who were originally busy shouting and bargaining in the streets and alleys now seemed to be under a spell. Their movements stopped abruptly and they involuntarily turned their heads to look towards Tiansheng Street on the west side.

About halfway down the street, smoke and dust were already rising in front of a mansion gate.

Then, Ji You stepped back from the smoke and dust and looked at Cao Jinsong: "Let's go back to the mountain."

Cao Jinsong opened his mouth: "What did you do?"

"Warning certain people not to return to Beijing in this lifetime."

"?"

Zhao Yunyue stood up from the teahouse and looked at the servant beside him: "Go and see what happened!"

The servant immediately bowed: "Yes!"

At this time, many people were gathering towards Tiansheng Street, and soon the place was packed with people.

The servant of Chong Wangfu hurried away, squeezing through many people before returning to the teahouse: "Princess, I am back."

"What happened?"

"There were two stone lions in front of the Dou Mansion, and their heads were... chopped off by the imperial sword."

Zhao Yunyue was silent for a long while after hearing this. She thought to herself, as expected, she knew that Ji You would not be a soft persimmon that could be bullied by others. Although some people said that he was willing to go to the Snow Region, it did not mean that anyone could get involved. Fortunately, Dou Yuankong ran fast...

Minister Dou hurried out of his house after hearing the noise. Seeing that his stone lion had lost its head, he immediately turned to look at the gatekeeper: "What happened?!"

The concierge swallowed his saliva and said, "The one called Ji You from Tianshuyuan has been here..."

Upon hearing this, Minister Dou was stunned.

He knew that his son was involved in sending Ji You to the demon tribe, but after coming to his senses, he clenched his fists: "I have never met the private cultivator from the academy that day, what does he mean by this!?"

The doorman opened his mouth and said, "He said that the young master should never come back to Beijing in this lifetime."

"Insolent, really insolent. He thought that he had established a so-called aristocratic family in Fengzhou. Did he become a child of an aristocratic family? No, he is still alone, a private cultivator in the countryside!"

Minister Dou felt that he could tolerate the lion being chopped off, but how could he tolerate not allowing his son to return to the capital, so he rushed out of the mansion and went to the Sixianjian.

How could a rural private cultivator, even if he had the identity of a student of Tian Academy, act like this?

Report to the police, I want to report to the police!

But what responded to him was silence in the whole courtyard, as if no one heard him, which immediately made Minister Dou look puzzled.

What the Great Xia imperial power fears in its decline is the complicated and intertwined aristocratic families. Even if a person at the Tongxuan realm has unparalleled combat power, how can he make the Sixianjian turn a deaf ear to this matter?

Zhao Yunyue had already come out of the teahouse and walked slowly to the Sixianjian: "Minister Dou, go back."

Minister Dou turned and looked at him: "My Lord, is it true that my son cannot return to the capital? What's the reason?"

"It's useless for you to shout here. The current director of the Sixian Bureau is Wang Mingchang's disciple when he was young. Lord Wang had a hard time in his later years and had a strange temper. He dared to lead the people under his rule to bear the tribute. After returning to the court, he was even more dissatisfied with everyone. Even His Majesty had to fear him."

"I know Wang Mingchang's temper, but so what?"

Zhao Yunyue glanced at him and said, "When Wang Mingchang returned to the capital three days ago to report, he wrote a poem on the spot. He was so heroic and dignified that he risked his life to defend his country. He cared about the people and wielded his sword. He should be honored by the history books for generations to come."

Minister Dou was stunned for a moment: "What do you mean, Princess?"

"I just want to tell you that he wrote that poem to Ji You."

At the same time, countless people in Tianshu Academy looked towards the mountain gate.

Because they also saw the previous sword.

And in Tianshuyuan, a place that has advocated pure Taoism since ancient times, there is only one person with such a majestic sword energy.

Sure enough, not long after, they saw a group of people stepping onto the Nishan Sacred Road. The man in white had his hands hanging down, and the sword intent on his body had not yet completely subsided.

And on the mountain road through the vast forest, countless inner court students were looking in the direction of the White Jade Platform for Ascension. Among them, He Lingxiu stood at the front, with Xiao Hanyan and Shi Junhao behind him.

As for the details of the trip, the inner court disciples had already known most of them from Xiao Hanyan and Shi Junhao's personal accounts. Seeing the figure of the "Forty-nine Mountains" in the story, the ups and downs of the past few days seemed to settle down in an instant.

"Killing the King of Soldiers with a sword, this should be his limit, right?"

“That’s the limit.”

In fact, after what happened in the Snow Region was reported back to Tianshu Academy, it was hard for everyone to believe the fighting power displayed by Ji You.

But after thinking for a long time, he found that although Ji You won both the night of Qiu Dou and Ye Chengshan's "suppression of bandits", it did not mean that his limit was there.

Because in those two famous battles, Ji You was not injured.

In other words, neither the second son of the Chu family, who had learned the [Hun Tian Technique], nor the owner of the Risheng Villa, who was in the Rong Dao realm, had ever pushed him to his limit.

It was not until the barbarian soldier king's punch that everyone realized Ji You's limit.

At this time, Ji You, who was about to step out of the mountain gate, was stopped by a disciple from the Head Office: "Junior Brother Ji, there is a letter for you."

"?"

The disciple of the Head Office handed a letter to Ji You: "It was mailed from Dan Sect two days ago. I have been keeping it for you."

Ji You thanked him and then opened the letter to read it.

This is Yuan Caiwei's reply. At first glance, you can see a line of beautiful handwriting on the paper.

"Sir, you don't have to be so polite about the elixir. You saved Caiwei's life in Qiling, and I can't repay you with any elixir. Although staying up all night to refine the elixir is tiring, Caiwei is willing to do it."

"I heard that the injury in your arm was caused by damaged meridians. If the pills in the medicine box are ineffective, you can only take care of it slowly."

"In addition, Tianshu Academy has ordered a batch of elixirs from our Dan Sect, which will be escorted by Yuanchen and I. Although the date has not yet been determined, I think there will be a chance to meet before Spring Day."

"During this time, I will look for some medical books to see if there are other treatments."

"Also, ever since you went on a mission to the demon tribe, Yuanchen has been calling me brother-in-law all day, worrying about your safety. If you write back, please comfort Yuanchen."

Ji You’s feelings towards Yuan Caiwei are better than that of a fellow Taoist.

However, Yuan Caiwei's offensiveness in every letter was quite fierce, and she would often mention the word "brother-in-law" in Yuan Chen's tone.

This is actually similar to the mentality that Kuang Cheng had when he wrote to Wei Rui in Jizhai. Miss Wei, Rui'er, and finally became Miss Rui'er.

Yuan Caiwei called Yuan Chen's brother-in-law because she felt that the young master was too distant. She wanted to call him Ji Lang but felt it was reckless, so in the end she treated Yuan Chen as a tool.

At this moment, Ji You remembered the name that the Little Master of Lingjian Mountain called him: "Hey, that strange man I have only met x times."

Thinking of this, Ji You frowned slightly, then looked at the disciple in charge of the academy: "Anything else?"

The disciple of the Head Office shook his head: "No more."

"impossible."

"That's right," Bai Rulong stepped forward, "My brother Ji has many fiancées!"

Wen Zhengxin glanced at him and said, "Rulong, you also have a lot of money."

Bai Rulong: “…”

Upon hearing this, the disciple from the Head Office searched for another copy, but finally shook his head: "There really is only this one."

Ji You suddenly felt a little puzzled, thinking to himself, didn't the young master of the imperial palace write back?

Although the distance between Tianshuyuan and Lingjian Mountain is much farther than the distance between Tianshuyuan and Danzong, there should be a reply after five days. Could it be that he is waiting for me in Xuwu Mountain...

Ji You put the letter away, then looked towards the enlightenment field: "I'm going to get enlightenment."

"?"

Bai Rulong opened his mouth: "There's no need to work so hard, right?"

Wen Zhengxin crossed his arms at this time: "Perhaps it is because the mission to the demon tribe has indeed made Junior Brother feel the gap in strength, so he can't wait to start practicing."

Cao Jinsong couldn't help but stroke his beard: "You are worthy of being my traitor."

During the journey from Fengzhou to Shengjing, Ji You asked Cao Jinsong every now and then whether he had paid two months' salary during this period, which made Cao Jinsong call him a traitor all the way.

But the fact that the rebel was so motivated was gratifying to him as his teacher.

At the same time, Fang Jincheng, Lu Hanyan, Puyang Xing and many outer courtyard disciples were all in the enlightenment field, when they suddenly saw a burst of light from the sky, a buzzing sound in all directions, and endless mysterious light falling from the sky. They thought that they had comprehended the heavenly book.

Especially Fang Jincheng, he was almost ecstatic with joy.

But when he saw Ji You sitting cross-legged in the back, with mysterious light all around him, the smile on his face instantly froze.

No one in the Heavenly Academy was able to sense the Heavenly Book this year, but now seeing him sitting here so easily and attracting vast immortal light, his Taoism heart almost collapsed in contrast.

So easy?

He Lingxiu stood on the mountain path and watched this scene, frowning slightly.

The allocation of resources between the inner and outer courtyards is unequal. Take the matter of enlightenment as an example. The enlightenment venue is far inferior to the Zizhu Zen Temple.

But even if she sensed the heavenly book in Zizhu Zen Temple, it was only this fast.

He Lingxiu pondered for a while and could only sigh that he was indeed talented.

What Lu Hanyan was more concerned about was the timing of the skylight falling.

Because she was close and was the first to turn her head, if she saw correctly, the light in the sky had already begun to brew before Ji You sat down.

It didn't feel like he was sensing the Heavenly Book, but rather like the Heavenly Book was expecting him to sense it.

This reminded her of what he had said on the day the freshmen were admitted to the hospital: It is the Heavenly Book that is informing me, not me that is informing the Heavenly Book.

Although this sentence was later spread, many brothers in the inner courtyard joked that the Heavenly Book and the immortal cultivators were mutually inductive, and that Ji You was just playing word games, but after seeing this scene, Lu Hanyan still felt that what Brother Ji said was true.

At this time, Ji You's spiritual consciousness finally returned to the Void Mountain after flying to a vast cave two months later.

Just like when he left, the Void Mountain had not changed at all, but the fairy with snow-white jade feet was no longer there, and the entire Void Mountain was empty.

"Ok?"

"There is no letter, and it is not in the Void Mountain..."

"Have you encountered a bottleneck in breaking through the realm?"

Cao Jinsong had already returned to the yard at this time and met Liu Jianan who came to visit him.

On the day of the winter solstice, Liu Jianan came with gifts but did not meet Lao Cao. When he heard that Lao Cao had returned, he specially prepared a generous gift, which made Cao Jinsong call him his beloved disciple.

Later, Xiang Fu and Cong Yi, two students from Fengzhou, also arrived.

Liu Jianan gave a jar of the best spiritual wine, Xiang Fu gave a small ornament carved from spiritual stone, and Cong Yi brought a painting, but it was said to be a magic tool and did not have much effect, but gazing at it could calm one's mind.

Cao Jinsong called his disciple his beloved disciple all the time, but the smile didn't last long and froze on his face.

The three of them were slightly stunned and looked outside the door, only to see Ji You walking towards the yard in white clothes.

Uh, the rebel is coming.

Cao Jinsong watched him walk over and sit in front of him: "Aren't you going to practice?"

Ji You looked at the things on the table that he hadn't had time to put away: "Why did you prepare so many gifts for me?"

"Shut up, traitor, stop talking nonsense!"

"What is the purpose of this calligraphy and painting?"

Cong Yi looked at Ji You and bit her lip lightly: "Brother, this calligraphy and painting is a magical instrument. It doesn't have much effect. It just helps you calm down by looking at it on a daily basis."

Cao Jinsong was very nervous: "Why are you suddenly interested in calligraphy and painting? You can't understand it either. How come your practice is over so quickly?"

Ji You raised his head when he heard the voice: "I've thought about it, and there's no rush for this matter."

"In fact, after I came back, I thought about it and realized that you really shouldn't be too anxious about your practice. At least during this period of time, I don't recommend that you continue to practice hard."

"Ok?"

Cao Jinsong stroked his long beard and said, "You should have heard about the Tiandao meeting that takes place every five years."

Ji You nodded after hearing this.

He had indeed heard people discussing this matter in the enlightenment field just now.

The Tiandao Conference is the most prestigious event for cultivating immortals in the world of Qingyun. It is held every five years and is attended by the seven major immortal sects and the aristocratic families of the Nine Provinces every year.

Senior Sister Wen and Senior Brother Ban both plan to attend, and those people in the inner courtyard probably won't miss this opportunity.

However, Ji You did not take it too seriously, because he was not the kind of immortal cultivator who would sit in the mountains, meditate in peace and quiet, and spend his years like a day.

For him, the Tiandao Conference is still a long time away.

However, what Cao Jinsong was considering was his cultivation.

"This is the fourth year. After the new year, it will be the fifth year. You can participate in the competition. No one in the Tongxuan realm should be able to beat you. But if you break into the Rongdao, there are still some risks. So no matter how fast you practice, you should suppress it for a year."

Cao Jinsong said: "The winner of the Heavenly Dao Association can enter the place where the ancient sages of the human race attained enlightenment and practice. That is the place closest to the Heavenly Dao. One year is equivalent to ten years of hard work, and this is just a humble statement."

Ji You played with the calligraphy in his hand and asked, "Where is this ancient sage's enlightenment place?"

"At the junction of Zhongzhou and Fengzhou, we took a boat from Changning Ferry to the south and passed a waterfall. It was probably to the west of that location. However, because the place where the sages attained enlightenment was sealed by the sages of the human race after the ancient war, it is difficult to see."

"Such a holy place for cultivation should be divided up, so why is it sealed up?"

"Because the power of the holy weapon sent down by the Heavenly Dao at that time was too great, the world there almost collapsed. In order not to affect the safety of Qingyun World, it was sealed up. However, the world has its own ability to repair itself, but it takes five years for the Dao to circulate, so the Heavenly Dao Conference will only be held every five years."

Ji You understood: "So the instructor hopes that I can maintain the Tongxuan realm until I finish participating in the Tiandao Conference."

Cao Jinsong nodded: "That's right, because if you participate in the competition with the Tongxuan realm, it can be said that you are almost certain to win, but if you reach the Rongdao initial stage, it will be a bit risky to face the Rongdao upper stage."

"But I still plan to hurry up and enter the Dao Rong realm."

"Why?"

Ji You stretched out his hand towards the spiritual stone ornament: "During the reclamation and spring plowing, a large number of cultivators are needed to participate. I am afraid that something unexpected will happen. Compared with the holy land, cultivation is particularly important to me."

Cao Jinsong placed his fist on the table and said, "Actually, it doesn't take a year. Although the date of the Tiandao Conference has not yet been determined, according to convention, half a year will be enough."

"Half a year is enough time for a lot of things to happen to me."

"This……"

After hearing this, Cao Jinsong was stunned for a moment and thought to himself that this was indeed true.

Other cultivators have the support of aristocratic families and can practice without distraction, but people like Ji You have no support and will always encounter various disasters.

Half a year is certainly not a long time for someone who sits alone in the mountains, but it is enough for him to get into a lot of trouble.

Cao Jinsong raised his head and found Ji You reaching out to the jar of spirit wine. His expression instantly frowned: "Leave one for me!"

Ji You smacked his lips and took his hand back: "I'm just taking a look."

Cao Jinsong held the wine jar in his arms and said, "Now that you have entered the inner courtyard, I can't give you much advice. Since you have made up your mind, I won't waste my words on it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciple from the Head Office who had just delivered the letter at the door appeared again: "Junior Brother Ji, the Head Office wants to see you."

Ji You turned to look at him, then stood up: "What a coincidence, I also have something to ask them..."

"By the way, Junior Brother Ji, I have a letter for you here."

"Didn't you just say no?"

"It has just been delivered."

Ji You reached out to take the letter handed to him by the disciple of the Head Office and glanced down.

[Nanhua City——Ding Wanqiu]

(Lao Cuo has no talent for poetry. Wang Changming's line is a doggerel generated by AI. Just know the meaning. Don't criticize me. Also, I want to make up for the number of words I owed yesterday. Please give me a monthly ticket.)

(End of this chapter)