[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-200":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Watching the Immortals Fall",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260073,4410,"Chapter 200: Walking Arm in Arm","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-200",200,"\u003Cp>Ji You’s ties with Yu Danzong ran deep, and the fact that he could obtain Yu Danzong’s priceless elixirs spread quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, letters sent to Tian Shu Academy no longer came only from Tian Shu Academy or Shengjing—they began bearing seals from Yunzhou and Youzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of these correspondents were mid-tier cultivators from middle-rank immortal families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Yu Danzong Elders who received the money turned a blind eye, meeting him only briefly, sharing a cup of tea, and offering no further interference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Danzong’s attitude was not surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For millennia, their direct sales channels had been limited to Immortal Sects and millennia-old families; only reserve elixirs leaked out at marked-up prices through merchants like Qionghua Pavilion and Wannian Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not because Yu Danzong refused to sell—partly due to constraints imposed by the world’s political landscape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immortal Sects did not wish for stronger millennia-old families; millennia-old families did not wish for stronger century-old families; century-old families did not wish for new rising families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the flow of elixirs had always been closely watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It involved the balance among the Nine Provinces, even the attitudes of the Six Immortal Sects and the millennia-old families toward Yu Danzong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Danzong’s status was indeed exalted, far surpassing millennia-old families and ranking among the Seven Sects, but this did not change the fact that Yu Danzong generally lacked combat power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After enduring the dark era when alchemists were captured and kept captive, Yu Danzong had long adhered to the principle of avoiding trouble, strictly controlling elixir distribution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like possessing a poison elixir capable of killing even a peak fifth-rank cultivator—but daring only to use it for self-defense, never selling it outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because hatred was not always directed at the killer—it could also be aimed at the weapon that killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since many families had never ceased coveting Yu Danzong, merely restrained by the current balance of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was much like Yunzhou’s cautious stance toward Ji You: they dared not act lightly because while they watched Ji You, others might be watching them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Shu Academy harbored several deeply rooted families, such as the Fang and You clans, whose mid-tier members had long been interested in Yunzhou’s spirit stone trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they moved against Ji You, they would give others a legitimate reason to strike at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, whether under the banner of protecting Tian Shu Academy disciples or upholding immortal laws, other families could justifiably claim a share of Yunzhou’s spoils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, mid-to-upper-tier families like the Lu family were often the staunchest supporters of the Qingyun Immortal Laws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the same as when Ji You went to Fengzhou to establish a family—Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Bai Ruilong, though terrified, dared not join due to their families’ positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, Yu Danzong was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though selling elixirs to anyone was still selling, some money burned in the hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that someone was willing to shoulder the risk of elixir distribution downward, it was not a bad thing for them—it even expanded the operational space for Yu Danzong’s gray-market elixir channels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More crucially, this matter was defensible both under immortal law and common sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, all of Qingyun knew that Yu Danzong’s daughter had a romantic relationship with Ji You, so neither Immortal Sects nor families could accuse Yu Danzong of wrongdoing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingyun’s world was like this: as Ji You put it, a towering stack of blocks, wobbling, seemingly ready to collapse yet still maintaining a fragile balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, rumors spread that Ji You of Tian Shu Academy, favored by Yu Danzong’s daughter due to his robust physique, was publicly selling elixirs…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard Ji You sold many elixirs in Shengjing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elixirs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qianyuan Elixir, Changbai Elixir, Dragon-Elephant Elixir, Tianhe Elixir, Biling Elixir…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could these elixirs be sold so casually?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked a senior from Tian Shu Academy—it’s true. Ji You has some incredible luck; it seems he’s about to become a son-in-law of Yu Danzong…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Fengzhou was vast and poor, and news traveled slower than in other provinces, those who established immortal estates here were all scions of families from the other eight provinces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ji You and his two disciples beheaded the heads of the five immortal estates—Ri Sheng, Tai Zhen, Fu Yan, Qi Yun, and Chang Qing—at Yecheng Mountain, Ju Guang, Tian Yan, and Dong Sheng became Fengzhou’s three largest foreign estates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Ji You, under the pretext of tax tribute, promoted joint harvesting and joint excavation across Fengzhou, many of their lower-rank disciples went to participate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three estate heads turned a blind eye, not stopping them—they intended to choke Ji You during the spring planting season by reorganizing the tax tribute shares on a new table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had even decided to emulate Ji You by seizing the reclaimed land as their own estate property and making peasants work it for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they wouldn’t even need to collect taxes—they’d be overflowing with wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when news of Ji You selling elixirs reached them, Ju Guang, Tian Yan, and Dong Sheng fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No cultivator didn’t crave higher realms; they had come from afar because their talents were low and their families looked down on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to pleasure and greed, the realm was the most persistent, most inescapable obsession among all their desires…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, in Tian Shu Academy, Lu Qingqiu received two Ju Xuan Elixirs delivered by a disciple from the Inner Court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Effective elixirs for lower-rank cultivators breaking through to Tongxuan were scarce—only two existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one available on the market was Bu Shen Elixir—the very kind Ji You had once longed to taste upon entering Tian Shu Academy, but could never afford even with Cao Jinsong’s help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Xuan Elixir’s effects far surpassed Bu Shen Elixir—it was the unobtainable version.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Lu Qingqiu never expected she could buy it, since Ji You had recently broken ties with their spirit stone guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she still bought it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was, Fang Jincheng and Pu Yangxing had both failed to get any.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reserve Ju Xuan Elixirs were also scarce; when supply is low and demand high, sellers can choose buyers by preference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingqiu hadn’t expected that after the spirit stone guild’s feud with Ji You, he would still choose to sell first to her and her sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did Ji You sell this elixir to us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Ji said you often invited him to meals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That meal… was worthless. I know Fang Jincheng offered triple the price for this Ju Xuan Elixir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Ji said for the poor, that meal was very valuable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciple bowed and said, “I still have to deliver more elixirs for Master Ji. Excuse me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The number of reserve elixirs was not large; soon, word spread that they had sold out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, the New Year Festival arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The East and West Markets had closed two days early; as dusk fell, eight-treasure glass lanterns hung beneath vermilion eaves, and twelve-zodiac silk lanterns lit up between the market pillars, turning the entire street into a winding river of stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then stages rose high, drums and music startled the bronze bells beneath the eaves into clear chimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, several gardens in the capital—Chunchi Garden, Donggong—had been rented out by city families, red carpets laid for banquets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid clinking cups and heated tea, idle chatter never ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At gatherings of cultivators, conversation inevitably centered on cultivation—and cultivation inevitably revolved around spirit stones and elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid this laughter and merriment, conversations often fell abruptly silent, for now, whether discussing spirit stones or elixirs, all paths led back to one name: a rustic private cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, both Chunchi Garden’s Immortal Gathering and Donggong’s Ascension Banquet had sent invitations to Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the invitees did not come, for Ji You was now sitting in Kuangcheng’s courtyard, studying a detailed map of Fengzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During these two days of elixir sales, the Si Xian Jian had already selected Fengzhou’s transport routes, now delivered to Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much discussion with Kuangcheng, Ji You deemed the current route design acceptable and approved it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Road repairs will take about half a year; the Si Xian Jian plans to use the old western route first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. Let the Snowland Demon Stones enter the pass first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng nodded lightly, tucked away the Si Xian Jian’s map, then lowered his voice: “Ji Brother, have you been well these days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You snapped back to attention and glanced at him: “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I heard Miss Yuan arrived at Tian Shu Academy, I had nightmares for days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of nightmares?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I dreamed you had your legs broken, crawling along the Nishan Sacred Path. I woke up drenched in sweat, and kept wanting to go to Tian Shu Academy to check on you—but I feared I couldn’t bear the news.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Kuangcheng spoke, he couldn’t help recalling the dream, his eyes filled with lingering dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You spun the teacup between his fingers: “You don’t understand my family’s domestic order. Even if Yan Shuyi were an Empress of the Yingtian Realm, how could she overturn my household?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng stared at the wound on Ji You’s lip: “Ji Brother, stop pretending. That’s from Yan Xianzi’s nails, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A pure-hearted scholar knows nothing. This is a reward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Chen sat beside them, having understood nothing of their earlier discussion about spirit stone routes, and now he didn’t understand this “reward” either…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You lifted the teacup, sipped slowly, then turned his gaze toward the courtyard’s entrance, fixing it on three women in the teahouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Shuyi sat in the innermost seat, lashes fluttering as she sipped tea with regal composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Caimei held her own teacup, serene like a refined lady, but her eyes kept flickering toward the corner of Yan Shuyi’s mouth, partially hidden by the cup—where a faint, tooth-shaped wound was barely visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wound matched the one Ji You had on his lip the morning before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Jianzhu, are you overheated?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Shuyi nodded without expression: “Shengjing is drier than Lingzhou. One slip, and you’re overheated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Rui sat with them, quiet and obedient, but had been secretly observing the two sisters with her peripheral vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet her gaze lingered longest on Yan Shuyi—studying every gesture, every expression, leaving nothing unexamined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the sun began sinking westward; outside the courtyard, the streets were already growing noisy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five of them had come out from Tian Shu Academy to visit the lantern festival, and the hour was right—they decided to go out. But their groupings were peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only Ji You and Yan Shuyi walked together, Ji You might try to hold her hand—Yan Shuyi would let her sword qi whistle briefly, then allow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he walked with Yuan Caimei, Ji You might try to hold her hand—Yuan Caimei would blush, whisper, “Master, how could you?”—then obediently let him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… since the crowd was thick, they ended up walking arm-in-arm: Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caimei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Kuangcheng hadn’t yet held a hand, but the faint tug on his sleeve from behind by Wei Rui was equally sweet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Ji You looked at Yuan Chen beside him, listening to his constant chatter about going to the street to hear storytelling, and began to doubt his own life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ji Brother originally thought he had only one person, so he didn’t plan to stroll for New Year—but when Yan Xianzi came to Shengjing, he was delighted. He never expected two to arrive at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, two isn’t bad. Ji Brother has two arms. Now I’m wondering—what if the Demon Clan’s princess arrives?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If all three show up, where would the princess go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng couldn’t help muttering, worried for Brother Ji…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lantern festival was packed with people, a crush of shoulders and elbows; gradually, the crowd began to scatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng and Wei Rui deliberately drifted apart, seeking out quiet corners to slip into—but none dared take action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they met Ji You again, it was midway along Lantern Street. Yan Shuyi stood with arms crossed, cold and proud by the riverbank, like a fairy descending to earth—until Ji You pinched her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng expected Ji You’s rudeness to earn him a beating, but Yan Shuyi’s expression held only murderous intent—no real anger at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the two walked eastward. Wei Rui noticed Yan Shuyi deliberately lagging behind Ji You. Before she could make sense of it, she saw Sister Yan quietly reach out, tug Ji’s sleeve, then let go at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not long after, Yan Shuyi seemed to realize Ji You hadn’t noticed—so she reached out again, grasping his sleeve and holding on tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when she caught the uncontainable curve of Ji You’s lips did she suddenly understand—her gaze sharpened instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth encounter happened on the west side of South Street. The young master of the Mirror Hall had wandered off again, while Ji You and Yuan Caimei met at a small stall selling jewelry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This stretch of South Street had far more stalls and far more people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked, Ji You instinctively shielded Yuan Caimei—only to find the daughter of Yu Danzong kept perfectly timing her stumbles into his arms, making him unable to resist pinching her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d thought only Yan Shuyi was this mischievous; he hadn’t expected someone who seemed so refined and cultured to be the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the fourth encounter, Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caimei had linked arms again, trailing behind Ji You toward the performance pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng and Wei Rui stood on the arched bridge of South Street, elevated enough to see dancers on the pavilion, their waists swaying, navels exposed, skin as white as snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They noticed Ji You subtly turning his head several times, casting a critical glance at the dancers with their snow-white waists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, passersby nearby instinctively pulled their clothes tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s really busy, my dear Brother Ji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuangcheng couldn’t help sighing, once again thinking of Ji You’s dream of climbing the Divine Path—he felt somehow, one day, he might witness it truly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they weren’t the only ones watching them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the lantern-lined pavilions along the street sat Princess Lele, Lady Lu Qingqiu of Yunzhou, her younger sister Lu Hanyan, and several other disciples from immortal sects and young ladies from the capital—all gazing downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You himself was already captivating enough, let alone the daughter of Yu Danzong, Yuan Caimei—but what truly intrigued them was the veiled woman, utterly devoid of spiritual aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Caimei’s status was extremely high: she was the daughter of the head of Yu Danzong and a top-tier fifth-rank alchemist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Lu Qingqiu was the eldest daughter of a spirit stone clan and Zhao Yunyue was a princess of Daxia trained under Lingjian Mountain, neither could compare to such an immortal sect bloodline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how could a woman of such exalted status accept sharing a husband with a mortal woman?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she could accept it, how could Yu Danzong permit it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet what puzzled them was that what they’d deemed impossible was unfolding before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more unbelievable was the dynamic between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The veiled woman had always lived in Ji You’s courtyard; Yuan Caimei had been leaving his courtyard each evening and returning each morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, Yuan Caimei should have seemed subservient—and by custom, even more so, since this was clearly the ritual of a secondary wife paying respects to the principal wife…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps others saw nothing in it, since Yuan Caimei hadn’t yet married Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if she was truly the daughter of Yu Danzong, even if unmarried, unable to stay overnight in his courtyard, she shouldn’t allow another woman to reside there—let alone return the next day willingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only possible explanation: Yuan Caimei didn’t see this as an offense at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yunyue couldn’t understand it. She thought the only possibility was that Yuan Caimei was too soft, unable to control Ji You’s harem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Lu Qingqiu couldn’t help pulling out the two pills from her sleeve, her heart stirring slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she first learned of Ji You and Yuan Caimei’s connection, she’d felt hollow—but now, seeing Yuan Caimei unable to even dominate a mortal woman, new thoughts stirred within her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long contemplation, Lu Qingqiu handed the pills to her younger sister, Lu Hanyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hanyan, who had been gazing downward, only snapped back to attention when her sister tapped her shoulder. At the sight of the pills, she froze slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew the Spirit Stone Guild had clashed with Ji You, and that Fang Jincheng had paid triple the price for the pills—she’d assumed they’d be impossible to obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingqiu looked at her sister: “After the New Year, work hard in your cultivation. Strive to enter the Inner Court by autumn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Hanyan suddenly bit her red lips, mist rising in her beautiful eyes: “I will never disappoint Brother Ji’s expectations of me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night fell swiftly; the city’s lanterns glowed brighter, and the scent of wine drifted into the winter wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, where you wandered or when didn’t matter—it was who you wandered with. The five of them, circling East Street, West Street, lantern alleys, and arched bridges, were deeply content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Yuan Caimei felt, at times, something was missing—but couldn’t recall what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2884,"2026-06-19T15:28:39.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ba99251b241aa226103323acd4ce4f27a0495f7d7b52ea1ba7233da594b23bda","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-201","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-199",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]