Chapter 195

As the cooking smoke rose, the rice cakes in the steamer were already soft and fluffy.

Sprinkling a layer of roasted sesame seeds, the aroma overflowed, and Wei Rui went to the kitchen to help.

Ji You entered the house and sat opposite Yan Shuyi, staring at each other, as if the battle from yesterday's kiss hadn't ended yet.

The reason for this atmosphere was partly due to personality.

She was too soft when being kissed last night, her eyes were a bit dazed, and she had melted into the arms of a strange man, so today she kept wanting to use the aura of the Lingjian Mountain Little Inspector to freeze things back.

Another part of the reason was that the jealousy regarding the tail hadn't dissipated yet.

Some things are just like this; when pretending not to know, one can remain calm, but once asked, no matter how the other party quibbles, the jealousy takes a long time to dissipate.

Before long, Ji You's knee was kicked.

That foot wearing a moon-white boot was full of arrogance, the arrogance of an Inspector's status.

The bandit Ji looked at her, pondered for a long time, and opened his mouth to make a 'pop' sound, which immediately made Yan Shuyi subconsciously touch her veil, then clench her pink fists, her eyes overflowing with killing intent.

Not a kiss, just a battle of lips and tongues.

Just then, Wei Rui brought the food to the table.

Xiang Kuangcheng also followed in, packed the rice cakes into separate baskets, and brought them to the main room, one for Ji You, one for Wei Rui, and another to be sent to the Orphanage.

"Giving so much? Isn't that inappropriate?"

Xiang Kuangcheng looked at Ji You in disbelief: "I never thought I would hear this from Brother Ji."

"It seems I'll be eating rice cakes until the New Year; this stuff gets tiresome if you eat too much."

Ji You turned to look at Yan Shuyi, seeing her nod reluctantly after pondering for a long time.

Sure enough, she was staying here for the New Year, and was actually seriously considering whether she would get tired of eating rice cakes every day in the future, even though she had felt embarrassed this morning because she had been kissed and had stubbornly said she wanted to leave.

Wei Rui set the plates and whispered to Xiang Kuangcheng: "Why hasn't Sister Yan said a word to Young Master Ji today?"

Xiang Kuangcheng couldn't help but purse his lips: "It's the jealousy of a second concubine, I suppose."

"?"

Yan Shuyi looked at Xiang Kuangcheng, which immediately made him hold his breath.

Calling her Brother Ji's second concubine made her unhappy, but Wei Rui couldn't learn the point of not talking to her beloved.

He wasn't as reckless as Brother Ji and really couldn't handle a woman with Immortal Yan's personality.

Ji You looked at Xiang Kuangcheng, thinking to himself, you really don't care about my life.

After lunch, the four of them carried the baskets to the street and walked toward the Orphanage in the Xicheng, seeing carriage after carriage passing by on the street along the way.

Among them were officials moving about the capital, cultivators visiting relatives, and several immortal manors under the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan coming from their respective provinces to make arrangements and obtain resources for the coming year.

At this time of year, the merchants in the capital make the most money.

After all, visiting relatives and friends always requires fine wine and delicacies.

As the four passed by a tavern on the street, a waiter suddenly came down from upstairs and bowed to Ji You.

"Young Master Ji, Miss Lu invites you upstairs for a chat."

"Uh, please thank Miss Lu for her kindness, but let's skip it today."

Ji You looked up at the second floor, where Lu Qingqiu and Lu Hanyan were on the left side of the pavilion, smiling at him.

Seeing him wave his hand in refusal, the Lu family sister nodded, her gaze inevitably falling on the woman beside him.

As a student of the inner courtyard of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan from a rural background, Ji You was quite unpopular in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, but as a man, he was quite popular in the marriage-seeking circles of the capital.

Now that a woman appeared by his side, although Xiang Kuangcheng and Wei Rui were accompanying them, it was still eye-catching.

"Seems like the woman I saw last year."

"?"

Lu Qingqiu couldn't see that face, but felt the figure was very similar, so she turned to her sister: "A woman came to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to find Ji You last year, probably around the New Year season too, just don't know which family she's from."

And along the way, besides the Lu sisters, other senior sisters from the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan also waved at Ji You, asking if he was willing to go upstairs for a chat.

Ji You responded politely one by one and waved goodbye.

The short road from the city to the Xicheng was full of obstacles, as if everyone wanted his life.

Wei Rui wrapped her small coat tightly: "Why does the wind blow wherever we go on this road?"

Xiang Kuangcheng lowered his voice: "This seems to be sword Qi; I've seen it on Brother Ji before..."

"?"

Princess Changle also had a banquet with the immortal sect disciples who came to the capital, and greeted them when the four approached.

But this greeting wasn't for Ji You, but for Wei Rui.

Zhao Yunyue actually didn't want Wei Rui to have too much contact with the people from the Immortal Supervision Bureau, so she wanted her to go up and introduce some talents from the immortal sects to her, but was refused by Miss Wei with a wave of her hand.

"Thank you, Sister Yunyue, for your kindness, but Rui'er has something to do later."

Princess Changle didn't force it, her gaze glancing at Ji You inadvertently, and noticing the woman beside him, she carried some resentment: "As the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, people are divided into groups; sister should keep her eyes open to avoid disappointment."

Before Wei Rui could answer, she felt a gust of energy.

And at this time, the Lingjian Mountain disciples sitting upstairs shifted their gaze to Yan Shuyi, with an uncertain feeling in their eyes.

The Spirit Inspector could hide aura and conceal heavenly secrets, even those in the Approaching Immortal Realm couldn't see through it; they just felt this figure was somewhat familiar, but couldn't be sure.

Zhao Yunyue sat back in her chair, her brows slightly furrowed, her heart troubled.

Although the Great Xia imperial power was under the immortal power, as a Great Xia princess, and having received the inheritance of Lingjian Mountain, her status was actually not bad.

Among the many women she had come into contact with, only Lu Qingqiu could compete with her.

Yet both of them had failed in their request to become Dao companions with Ji You.

She had originally thought Ji You was extremely ambitious and was thinking of the eldest daughter of the Pill Sect, wanting to enter the Pill Mountain as a son-in-law.

Who knew that just these past few days at the banquet, she heard from Heavenly Tian Shuyuan disciples that a woman with no spiritual energy fluctuations had moved into Ji You's courtyard and had already stayed for nearly ten days and nights.

Zhao Yunyue actually couldn't save face regarding this strange behavior.

Because it was like someone saying that her multiple identities added together couldn't compare to a mortal woman.

Liu Junchi spoke at this moment: "Yan Shimei Yunyue, is there any progress on the matter I asked you to inquire about a few days ago?"

"I've inquired; the Pill Sect's caravan should arrive in these few days."

"Will there be Qianyuan Pills?"

"There should be, but you also know that such elixirs are scarce, and even if you have money, it's extremely difficult to buy them; basically, they are all bought up in advance before they even enter the sales market."

Liu Junchi frowned slightly: "Junior sister, you must help me."

He hadn't been in the Upper Realm of Merging with the Dao for long, and his actual combat power and Heavenly Dao comprehension were a step behind, requiring a long time to temper.

However, because the Heavenly Dao Assembly was to be held next year, he wanted to get a ranking in the Heavenly Dao Assembly and enter the Sages' Enlightenment Ground to cultivate, so long-term seclusion was impossible, which was why he hoped to get a Qianyuan Pill.

This elixir could only be refined by the Pill Sect, and it had miraculous effects on realm stabilization, enhancement of heaven-man resonance, and comprehension of Dao laws.

The seven major immortal sects have a quota of Qianyuan Pills every year, and Lingjian Mountain has them too.

But as soon as these elixirs are delivered, they are basically taken away by some elders.

Even if a few are luckily left, they are booked in advance by some families with marriage ties to the immortal sects, and very few can flow into the hands of the disciples who truly need them through normal channels.

So his visit to the capital this time, besides inquiring about the snow region demon stones and seeing Princess Changle, the main purpose was for this elixir, so he entrusted Zhao Yunyue to help him keep an eye out.

The official roads in the Qingyun world are maintained and repaired by Great Xia, and the post stations along the way are also operated by Great Xia, so it is not difficult to inquire about the Pill Sect's whereabouts.

Zhao Yunyue looked at Liu Junchi's earnest eyes and then nodded.

The two of them had been in contact under the instruction of Prince Chong these past few days and were quite satisfied with each other.

But at this initial stage of acquaintance, being asked to help do this and that still made Zhao Yunyue feel somewhat used.

However, the Qingyun world is like this; it's rare to see someone with genuine sincerity.

"How about this, senior brother, when the Pill Sect arrives in a few days, I will ask someone to invite the Pill Sect siblings to my banquet as guests, and you can purchase through them, but whether you can get it depends on you, senior brother."

Liu Junchi bowed after hearing this: "Then thank you, junior sister."

Zhao Yunyue smiled, then remembered the scandal between the Pill Sect's eldest daughter and Ji You, suddenly feeling that something fun was about to happen.

If the scandal is fake, it's also fun.

If the scandal is true, it's even more fun.

After all, Ji You's courtyard now houses a mortal woman; I don't know what kind of rumors will spread then.

At this time, Ji You and his group of four had already delivered the rice cakes to the Orphanage, and incidentally took a few children to the West Market for a stroll to buy them some shoes and socks.

Ji You, who returned from the snow region, was now a wealthy man, and of course, he was a target waiting to be slaughtered.

The Lingjian Mountain Little Inspector bought a lot of things, and the money was also taken from Ji You's pocket.

She had money herself, a lot, but she didn't spend it.

"Young Master Xiang said that Young Master Ji is actually quite stingy; for so many years, only Sister Yan and the children could make him willing to spend money, and without the slightest look of heartache."

Yan Shuyi nodded after a long silence: "I know."

By her bedside still hangs a sword that others think is not worthy of his quality, but which she treasures immensely.

Wei Rui picked up a small box placed on the stall: "Is there osmanthus scent?"

Yan Shuyi turned to look: "Green salt?"

"Yes, does sister want some?"

Green salt is a fine salt powder, not very grainy, suitable for cleaning the mouth and teeth, sometimes mixed with other things like mint leaves, dried osmanthus, or some clearing Chinese medicine, to remove scale and kill bacteria, making the mouth fragrant.

Yan Shuyi had her own customary green salt and had no need to buy it, but after pondering for a long time, she couldn't help but ask: "Is there chili flavor, but not spicy to oneself after brushing?"

Wei Rui was stunned, a flash of confusion in her eyes: "Then who is it spicy to?"

"To the lecher."

"?"

Wei Rui and Xiang Kuangcheng hadn't even held hands yet, so they couldn't understand the picture in the Little Inspector's mind.

Yan Shuyi naturally couldn't buy such strange green salt, then left the stall and walked to Ji You: "Ji You, I want to eat candied fruit."

Ji You took a piece of broken silver from his pocket and put it in her hand: "Buy more, keep it at home for you to eat during the New Year."

"Also need to buy some roasted sweet potatoes and charcoal, we're out at home. I heard Wei Rui say that these merchants will rest in a few days, and the East and West Markets will be changed into Lantern Streets, and then we won't be able to buy them."

"Charcoal... no rush, I'm looking around the Five Great Halls these two days; as for sweet potatoes, I'll go to the vegetable market next door to see."

Ji You said, thinking to himself that the jealousy in this girl's heart seemed to have dissipated a lot, but hopefully no cat with a raised tail would pop out again.

Waiting for Ji You to leave the stall and walk toward the vegetable market, Yan Shuyi returned toward Wei Rui with the candied fruit.

Xiang Kuangcheng had already returned with the shoes, socks, and cotton clothes for the children of the Orphanage, and besides Wei Rui, there were two women standing in front of him.

One of them had her head down and chest contained, clearly a maid from her attire, while the other wore a cyan cloud-water skirt, standing like a young lady, but was still a cultivator in the Dim Illumination Realm.

On the way back, Yan Shuyi saw the young lady-like woman watching her, seemingly very concerned about her.

"Miss Fang doesn't plan to go home for the New Year, staying at the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan?"

"Not going back, I plan to go into seclusion in the academy for a while, and there are several banquets among the fellow cultivators in the sect. Although cultivators value being free from external things, some face still needs to be given."

Fang Ruoyao smiled and answered Xiang Kuangcheng.

The daughter of the Yuyang County Magistrate, who entered the academy to cultivate with her brother's military merit quota, but was still in the Dim Illumination Realm until now, unable to make progress.

She didn't accept her fate at first, and before Pei Ruyi left, she had asked her: Sister, didn't you say my aptitude was excellent in Yuyang County that day?

Pei Ruyi told her, yes, quite good.

To this day, she had actually accepted her fate halfway.

The accepted half was that her cultivation aptitude was actually not good; let alone compared to the students in the outer courtyard, she couldn't even compare to those merchants in the capital who had some cultivation because they had some connections with families.

But when facing the three mortals Xiang Kuangcheng, Wei Rui, and this unknown woman, she still had a kind of arrogant immortal posture vaguely existing in her attitude and words.

At this moment, Fang Ruoyao looked at Xiang Kuangcheng, and couldn't help but think of the half of her fate she hadn't accepted.

And that half was Ji You.

Her former fiancé had established a manor in Fengzhou, set off with the mission, killed the soldier king with his sword, and persuaded the Demon Emperor. Although the inner courtyard didn't like Ji You, it couldn't deny the fact that his talent was outstanding.

And that marriage contract back then was the half she couldn't let go of.

Thinking of this, Fang Ruoyao couldn't help but look at Yan Shuyi again, her gaze falling subconsciously on her lower abdomen, watching for a long time, and then her face gradually turned slightly pale.

When Ji You returned from buying sweet potatoes, Fang Ruoyao had already left. At this time, Yan Shuyi narrowed her beautiful eyes, like a cat that was jealous everywhere.

The docility she had inadvertently revealed when given candied fruit seemed not to have existed at this moment.

"Met a cat with a raised tail again?"

Xiang Kuangcheng had just come to his senses after his astonishment, looking at Ji You: "We just met Miss Fang."

Ji You's mouth twitched, remembering the obstacles of today: "Not checking the almanac before going out today was truly a major mistake."

"That's not important, Brother Ji, what's important is the offspring!"

"?"

Xiang Kuangcheng was a bit excited: "Miss Fang just asked me to convey her congratulations on your having offspring. I suddenly realized, Brother Ji is truly Brother Ji!"

Wei Rui came from afar, holding a pair of vivid tiger-head shoes, her excitement no less than Xiang Kuangcheng's.

Ji You was stunned, turned to look at Yan Shuyi, and found the Little Inspector blinking as if nothing had happened.

She actually knew many things.

She knew Princess Changle and Lu Qingqiu wanted to marry him, and also knew he originally had a fiancée named Fang Ruoyao. Sometimes even if she couldn't recognize them at a glance, she could judge from their conversation.

The strange man's former fiancée had been staring at her stomach, seemingly wanting to confirm if she had already conceived his child.

Only in the Dim Illumination Realm, unable to project her spiritual sense too far, yet she still reached out to probe her.

Just don't know what kind of mentality she had, the Little Inspector didn't block her weak spiritual sense, and gave her the illusion of being pregnant, which wasn't difficult for her in the Realm of Responding to Heaven.

Ji You's cultivation was much higher than Fang Ruoyao's, so he could naturally see it. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, thinking that this Lingjian Mountain Little Inspector was truly a bit wickedly bad.

Returning from the capital to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, the furnace in the room was ignited again.

On the lacquered red wooden cabinet were several kinds of candied fruit bought, and in the corner were several sacks containing vegetables and sweet potatoes.

And at this time, the Little Inspector was sitting in the strange man's arms with a cold and arrogant expression, her lips and teeth slightly parted, her tongue being teased, her eyes calm and composed.

From this angle, she could see the dolls she had bought earlier.

Frogs, butterflies, all the kind without tails.

Besides these two dolls, there was a pair of tiger-head shoes on the lacquered red wooden cabinet, which Wei Rui had specially bought for them after believing slander.

This made her couldn't help but recall Ji You's audacity back then, asking her how many she wanted to have.

Thinking of this, Yan Shuyi suddenly began to bite him with her pearly teeth again, and after a few times, she saw Ji You gently open his eyes.

Seeing the other's eyes, the Little Inspector immediately made her gaze sharper, looking down from above, staring straight ahead like a sharp knife, forcing Ji You to close his eyes.

Yan Shuyi smelled very fragrant, but it wasn't the thick scent of powder, but more like the faint fragrance of flowers, refreshing to the heart.

This fragrance could usually only be smelled by her personal maid, but now the strange man Ji You was the one who knew this scent best.

After a while, the sweet and fragrant little mouth was released. Ji You looked at Yan Shuyi, who was breathing non-stop, and found that the other party still had a calm expression, but there was already a layer of fine sweat on her nose.

"Ji You, your eye for choosing a fiancée is really bad."

"I already said she's not my fiancée, and besides, it wasn't my choice before the engagement was broken."

Yan Shuyi wiped her little red mouth: "Whether it is or not has nothing to do with this Inspector, it's not me getting married, and the one who ends up unlucky is you."

Ji You leaned down, leaned forward, and saw the Little Inspector raise her slender jade neck very docilely, her red little mouth slightly parted in her breathing, and her fragrant tongue couldn't help but probe out slightly.

Seeing this, Ji You stopped the action of kissing her and straightened his back again.

The Little Inspector immediately curled her feet, couldn't help but punch him, and said coldly and arrogantly: "If you look for a fiancée again, remember to call me to vet her for you. After all, women understand women's hearts best, it's always better than you picking with your terrible eye."

Ji You said I believe you: "You have a lot of opinions about Fang Ruoyao?"

"Extremely poor character, only in the Dim Illumination Realm but still wants to put on airs in front of old friends, very jealous, and even carried a resentment hoping I would die when she saw me. She happens to be the kind of woman I dislike most on weekdays. If I chose for you, it would definitely be a thousand times better."

Ji You stared at her slightly pink face for a long time, thinking your abacus beads are about to pop onto my face.

But answering yes or no at this time would probably inevitably lead to a hole being poked in his heart. Ji You knew too well about this kind of hypocritical pretense.

Especially after knowing Yan Shuyi pretended to be pregnant and made Fang Ruoyao's face turn pale with jealousy, Ji You had a brand new understanding of her level of wickedness.

The Little Inspector was watching him quietly, waiting for his answer. Those amber-like eyes were deep and boundless, and the hidden emotions couldn't be seen.

However, without getting any response, she found the strange man leaning over again, close to her beautiful face, capturing her mouth, causing her long eyelashes to tremble slightly.

Ji You didn't open his eyes to look at her expression this time, kissing deeply and devotedly.

Before long, Yan Shuyi couldn't help but stretch out her arms to wrap around his neck, her brocade sleeves sliding to her elbows, her jade arms white and scalding, and her breathing began to rise.

Wintering is like this, you always have to find something to pass the time.

Hopscotch, stick-beating tiger chicken eating worm.

Hopscotch, stick-beating tiger chicken eating worm, kissing.

Hopscotch, kissing, kissing.

Kissing, kissing, kissing.

Ji You currently didn't dare to do other actions because he felt his current physical body couldn't handle it.

Taking the soldier king as a baseline, he knew that the Realm of Responding to Heaven could still kill him, and in the long run, it was also a waste.

So this calm wintering life began to not be limited to the courtyard. Yan Shuyi would sometimes hide her aura and cover her face with a veil, being taken out for a walk by the strange man.

When meeting some women from the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, Yan Shuyi would ask him from above if he liked this one, acting as if she were really choosing a fiancée for him, seemingly completely forgetting that she had just been kissed for a long time in the courtyard.

Ji You commented one by one on the points where they were inferior to the Lingjian Mountain Little Inspector, appearance, figure, and smoothly passed through every pit.

In the evening, when the sunset dyed the sky, Yan Shuyi received a message from Zhuo Wanqiu.

Her time down the mountain this time was quite long, making Yan Jingxiang come to the Cloud Top Palace every day to ask, and Zhuo Wanqiu relayed it as told, asking when she would return.

The proposal of "visiting relatives" was given by Zhuo Wanqiu, but as time went on, Zhuo Wanqiu also became a bit afraid.

She wasn't afraid for the Inspector's safety; after all, the current Inspector had the Spirit Inspector to protect her, and even those at the peak of the Upper Five Realms would have to spend some effort to make a move on her.

What she was worried about was whether one day the Inspector would return holding a big fat boy.

Yan Shuyi had just returned from a stroll with Ji You, and after seeing this message, she thought silently for a long time, frowning and pursing her lips from time to time, her gaze solemn, and it took her a long time to remember who Zhuo Wanqiu was.

"Staying here for the New Year, will go back after a long time."

(Seeking monthly votes, also, book friends who won prizes at the beginning of the month, remember to register your addresses.)

(End of chapter)