Chapter 102

The next morning, the rooster announced the dawn.

Ji You woke up in his room, looked down at the rooster, and inexplicably puffed out his chest.

Afterward, he washed up, ate, and once finished, traveled by carriage with his fellow disciples to Danshan in the southwest of Xiyang County.

Looking from the foot of the mountain, the lush mountain was full of greenery, with seven dense pavilions and towers connected by corridor bridges, looking like the Big Dipper.

The Pill Sect had long received the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's visiting card, and at this moment, countless alchemists in pill robes were coming down the mountain to welcome them.

Standing below the mountain gate was a thin, proud elder; it was Dan Qiongzi, who had been to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan last time, the younger brother of the Yuan siblings and the younger brother of the Pill Sect's current abbot.

The Heavenly Tian Shuyuan group climbed the mountain road, seeing all kinds of exotic flowers and herbs along the way, and finally, their eyes fell on the Pill Sect members who had come out to welcome them.

"Junior You Buyu greets Elder Qiong."

"Junior He Lingxiu greets Elder Qiong."

You Buyu and He Lingxiu were the leaders of this "asking the Dao" trip, so it was naturally up to them to pay their respects.

As for the other disciples, they all bowed behind the two, then looked into the distance, their eyes constantly darting between the pavilions.

Among the Seven Great Immortal Sects, the Pill Sect was the most conservative and mysterious because of the Dao they practiced; usually, it was locked in deep clouds and mist, so even the mountain itself couldn't be seen clearly.

Only the post stations operated by the Pill Sect had the qualifications to travel back and forth inside and outside the mountain gate at agreed times, transporting the elixirs needed by the entire Azure Cloud world.

And these people of theirs could be considered the first batch of Immortal Sect disciples to enter the interior of the Pill Sect.

Dan Qiongzi had a kind face, smiling and saying "good" three times, then glanced at Ji You in the crowd, his expression slightly stunned.

Rumors of the coming chaotic times had been circulating since the beginning of the year, followed by the Barbarian counterattack and the Demon race's entry, which seemed to be a prelude to this.

Thus, the Pill Sect changed its attitude of keeping distance from the other six Immortal Sects and took the initiative to befriend the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, wanting to face the chaotic times together, and for this, they arranged for Yuan Caiwei to contact You Buyu.

However, Yuan Yuanchen didn't know why, but he felt that his sister should marry Ji You.

If it were ordinary times, this could naturally be seen as a joke, but after the rumors about the so-called "inherited physique" were passed around, this joke became strange.

Alliance was naturally a way to resist risks, but nothing is better than having it oneself...

Ji You's gaze happened to withdraw, crossing with Dan Qiongzi's.

"Brother Ji, that Pill Sect elder has been looking at you."

"I saw it; the old man's eyes are a bit evil; he wouldn't be thinking of taking me to refine medicine, would he..."

Ji You felt a chill and looked at Bai Rulong: "Old Bai, I feel a bit cold; open your money bag, and I'll put my hand in to warm it up."

He didn't know yet that he was at risk of becoming a breeding machine, otherwise, he would have gone down the mountain immediately.

Although this matter was exciting to think about, it was said that the Pill Sect had all kinds of mystical elixirs that could replenish physical strength and energy, letting you never stop...

Some things, while wonderful, are torture when there's too much of them.

Just like a strong ox, even if it has endless strength, it would be dumbfounded seeing the vast, boundless ten thousand acres of fertile fields.

Dan Qiongzi also withdrew his gaze, falling back onto You Buyu, and couldn't help but shake his head.

The Chu family's inherited physique made even the Immortal Sects jealous; Ji You, who was alone outside and didn't know how to protect himself, would naturally make some families covet him in ordinary times.

Unfortunately, even if he could pass it on, it would take a hundred years of constant childbearing to make a difference, but the chaotic world now told them that they couldn't afford to wait.

Therefore, You Buyu was the best choice.

The Hall Master of the Auspicious Hall was a powerhouse at the perfection of the Upper Five Realms; there were very few such people in the whole world.

"Everyone, please come in!"

Dan Qiongzi waved his large sleeve and led the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan disciples into the mountain; walking along the mountain road, directly in front was a huge pill furnace, consistent with the one on their pill robes.

However, although this pill furnace was indeed modeled after the Great Furnace, it actually had no mystical use and was purely for decoration.

Bypassing the bronze furnace, walking to the hillside, and crossing a clear lake, directly in front was the Yuheng Hall, one of the seven halls of the Pill Sect.

By this time, the Yuheng Hall was already full of people; in the middle was a man as tall and thin as Dan Qiongzi, looking very similar to Yuan Yuanchen, wearing the abbot's holy robe, dignified and awe-inspiring; this was the Pill Sect's current abbot, Patriarch Yuan Li.

And Yuan Caiwei was standing beside him, having changed into a silk immortal dress, looking beautiful and elegant, gazing toward the outside of the hall with moist eyes.

She first saw You Buyu walking in the front, then her eyes continued to search, stopping only when they landed on Ji You.

Yuan Caiwei, wearing a pill robe, was also stunningly beautiful, but she lacked some feminine softness; only now did she truly make people stare.

You Buyu's heart trembled, and then he unswung his sword and entered the hall.

"You Buyu, direct disciple of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's Auspicious Hall, greets the Pill Sect Abbot and Miss Caiwei here."

"Before leaving, my aunt asked me to send her regards to you both, and said that if there is a chance next time, she will definitely come in person."

You Buyu was originally the son-in-law arranged by the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan for the Pill Sect, so naturally, no one stole his limelight, and he was the only one talking in the hall.

Talking about his current realm and the greetings his aunt asked him to bring, the whole hall was harmonious.

Ji You was a bit dazed, thinking that if he could have this atmosphere at Spirit Sword Mountain, it would be truly wonderful.

And Yuan Caiwei was looking at Ji You, seeing him absent-minded, her eyes couldn't help but wander.

"Is this Ji You?"

Ji You was pulled back to his senses by this steady question, looking up at the Pill Sect Abbot: "I am Ji You, an outer court disciple of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, greeting the Abbot."

Patriarch Yuan Li sized him up: "I must thank you for saving Yuan Yuanchen and Caiwei from the mountain."

"I collected money; the relationship between Yuan Yuanchen and me is one of employment; saving people is what I should do, so the Abbot doesn't need to be so polite."

At this moment, the gazes in the hall also turned toward him.

Outer court disciples of the major Immortal Sects actually didn't count for much and might not be remembered by anyone, except for Chu He of the Chu family.

But they all knew that the most dazzling person in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's outer court wasn't Chu He, but Ji You, who was very good at stirring up trouble.

He was an anomaly, said to have a very unexpected style of doing things.

On the day the direct disciples snuck out of the mountain, they only spent a thousand taels to hire him to go through life and death...

And hearing Ji You mention Yuan Yuanchen, Patriarch Yuan Li couldn't help but turn his head to look at his daughter, remembering the word "brother-in-law" his son had been chanting in his ears these days.

When he first picked them up, he thought the "brother-in-law" his son was talking about was You Buyu, thinking his son was more sensible than his daughter, having already understood the stakes between them.

But later he learned that the brother-in-law in Yuan Yuanchen's mouth wasn't the same person as the nephew of the Auspicious Hall Master.

The Pill Sect was closed off, not particularly connected to other sects, and didn't care about immortal affairs, focusing only on the Dao of pills, so their news wasn't well-informed.

He then ordered people to find Ji You's information and read it carefully for a long time.

Patriarch Yuan Li came to his senses: "How old is Young Master Ji?"

"Twenty years of age."

"Where is your home?"

"Yuyang County, Fengzhou."

You Buyu had been sitting upright just now, but at this moment, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

He was the protagonist of this trip, having an ambiguous relationship with the Pill Sect, or at least that's what he thought.

So when he found that everyone's attention was shifted to Ji You, he naturally felt unhappy.

In addition, the Pill Sect Abbot had only asked him about the internal affairs of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan or the situation of the Hall Masters, which was more of a polite greeting.

But asking Ji You's age and where he lived made people feel strange.

You Buyu thought for a moment and waved the thought away, thinking that this might be because the You family was famous, so there was no need to ask where they were.

And for a rustic private cultivator like Ji You, asking was natural.

Patriarch Yuan Li opened his mouth again: "How many people are in Young Master Ji's family?"

Ji You thought, why are you checking my household register, but he still responded politely: "There are nearly eighty."

"So many?"

"Didn't you say you were a rustic private cultivator?"

"Clearly it was said that there was no one left in the family, so how can there be eighty?"

"Perhaps... he's just saying it to put on a show?"

He Lingxiu pursed her lips upon hearing this, thinking that Ji You's family situation was known to everyone in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, so there was no need to fake it here.

You Buyu spoke directly: "Ji Shidi Ji You, you must not speak nonsense in front of the Pill Sect Abbot; are you trying to fabricate a family?"

Ji You kept his mouth shut and put on a smile: F*** you!

The Pill Sect Abbot didn't really want to make Ji You his son-in-law, but he was certainly strange because Yuan Yuanchen kept chanting it in his ears; this questioning was also subconscious.

Afterward, the meeting in the hall ended, and the Pill Sect Abbot arranged a sumptuous welcoming banquet for them.

Because one table couldn't fit everyone, they were divided into three tables.

Ji You didn't want to sit with You Buyu, so he turned and went to the side hall, sitting at a table with Bai Rulong and the others, commonly known as the "kids' table."

Wen Zhengxin didn't get along with He Lingxiu, so she also went to the kids' table.

The only ones left were You Buyu, He Lingxiu, Ban Yangshu, Pei Ruyi, as well as Wang Yue, Fang Linchao, and others, with Yuan Caiwei accompanying them.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, there was some exchange, and someone brought up Ji You's claim that he had more than eighty people in his family, and couldn't help but chuckle.

It felt like everyone knew he was a rustic private cultivator whose family had been destroyed, but he was deliberately putting on an act in front of figures like the Pill Sect Abbot.

"Ji Shidi didn't say he had more than eighty people in his family."

Pei Ruyi, hearing their discussion, picked up a "Gathering Immortal Seedling" and said: "He said nearly eighty."

The smile on You Buyu's face gradually faded: "Isn't his family destroyed? Did I hear fake news?"

Ban Yangshu didn't know the details either, and couldn't help but look at Pei Ruyi upon hearing this.

"Ji Shidi joined the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to protect a six-year-old girl; you should have heard about this a few days ago, right?"

"I heard about it; the Xuanyuan Immortal Mansion has had the habit of taking people to refine medicine since ancient times; wasn't that girl targeted by them?"

Pei Ruyi looked at them calmly: "Yes, and after Ji Shidi Ji joined the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, he immediately adopted seventy-two children from poor families as his foster sons and daughters."

In the hall, Yuan Caiwei's chopsticks paused slightly, and she heard Pei Ruyi's voice again.

"If it were another occasion, Ji Shidi might say he is alone, but in big occasions where rumors are easily spread, he will insist that he has many family members, because those children are still under the nose of the Xuanyuan Immortal Mansion, under his protection."

Pei Ruyi ate the seedling: "This is the family he protects."

At this moment, the table suddenly fell silent.

What Ban Yangshu thought of was the saying, "The great among immortals live for the people."

So that wasn't a story; that was Ji Shidi Ji's path.

And what Yuan Caiwei thought of was the sentence her brother kept chanting: "Born between heaven and earth, one must leave some stories for future generations to see."

(Seeking monthly tickets, seeking monthly tickets~~)

(End of chapter)