Chapter 221: Garden of Sages

Within his line of sight, a group of alchemists stepped onto the carriages.

Another sixty percent of the disciples from the Management Courtyard escorted them, subsequently departing for the Holy Land, while the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's carriages also continued their journey after they had left, arriving at Zhongxing Commandery before long.

At this moment, the sky-blue carriage curtains billowed and rolled in the north wind, and the carriages carrying countless cultivators ground over the parched yellow earth, dragging winding ruts across the plains.

Before long, the silhouette of Zhongxing Commandery crashed into view.

The horizon was being scorched white by the midday sun, the vast, boundless plains like an unfurled ancient scroll of mysterious yellow, every grain of sand seemingly imbued with the breath of primordial times.

Looking into the distance, a massive circular Daoist arena stood in the center of the yellow earth, resembling a giant beast crouching; the blue stone walls, eroded by a thousand years of rain, were covered in the marks of time, revealing an ancient and solemn air.

And surrounding the Human race's arena, countless palaces sat as the center, adjacent and layered, settling in all four directions.

The glazed golden roofs appeared and disappeared amidst the clouds, and the gilded owl-tail roof ornaments seemed ready to spread their wings and fly from the eaves.

Whenever floating clouds swept past, the millions of glazed tiles shimmered with rippling light, looking even more solemn than Shengjing City.

This was the place of revival for the Human race, and the name Zhongxing Commandery also originated from here, though apart from that massive arena, the other few palaces were all newly built.

At this time, countless noble families were already rushing across the plains, steeds galloping, neighing incessantly, kicking up endless waves of dust as they roared toward the city.

In this small Zhongzhou commandery city, the streets and alleys were filled with cultivators of vast aura, some with long swords tied to their waists, others holding iron blades in their hands.

And amidst the teahouses and taverns, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments wound around the ears, songs and dances continued incessantly, and the fragrance of spirit wine overflowed.

Ji You was sitting in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's carriage entering the city, and as he looked out, he couldn't help but slightly furrow his brows.

He had never seen so many cultivators, and this was the group supported by the common people of the world, facing the yellow earth and backing the sky, day after day, year after year.

While pondering, the carriage entered the Bai Yu Road.

During the journey, countless people poked their heads out from the surrounding pavilions and towers, pointing at the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's flag and discussing it in a flurry.

"It's the people from the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan who have come."

"In past Heavenly Dao Assemblies, the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan has always ranked third; I wonder what place they can get this year."

"I estimate that this year won't even compare to previous years; I'm afraid they'll fall to fourth or fifth."

"Why is that?"

"After the incident at Qiling occurred earlier, the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan sent disciples to inquire about the Dao, but they ended up fighting two matches and losing both. It is said that one of them was even crippled, and that was a personal disciple of the Hall Master. From this, it can be seen that the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan has long since lost its momentum, merely holding the empty name of a Holy Sect."

Above the teahouse, a cultivator brought up what happened last year and talked about it, causing the crowd upstairs to nod frequently.

Hearing this, everyone on the carriage had somewhat ashen faces.

Only Ji You found it somewhat amusing.

These people were all the same as Cao Jingsong, spectators of this Heavenly Dao Assembly, not participants, and the place where they, the participants, were going was not in the city, but rather they had to continue along the Bai Yu Road.

At the third quarter of the Si hour, the carriage's speed began to slow until it came to a stop.

Ji You lifted the carriage curtain and leaped down, seeing the others also disembarking in turn, subsequently looking up toward the front.

What met his eyes was a massive gate tower, with triple-layered gilded flying eaves towering in front, and nine rows of coiled-dragon caisson door nails arranged neatly on the vermilion-lacquered, copper-wrapped giant gate.

In the center of the gate tower hung a plaque with the three large characters "Garden of Sages" written on it, the gold lacquer shimmering under the sun.

Looking forward from the main gate, on the shadow wall was a picture of a white-day flying immortal carved entirely from green jade, magnificent and atmospheric, within which seemed to hide mysteries, making one feel a sense of vastness rushing toward them.

But in reality, no sages had ever lived in this garden; it was fabricated out of thin air by the people of later generations.

Because when the Human race and the Demon race decided to resist the Remnant race, the Human race's territory basically had nothing, and even the seven great sages lived only in thatched huts, with no blue bricks, glazed tiles, or towering ten-thousand-fold palaces.

At this moment, Commandant Qin also descended from the carriage and turned back to look at the group.

"The Garden of Sages is where you will all be staying from now on. This garden is divided into eight large and small sub-gardens: Chengqi, Huaiyuan, Lianxing, Rusheng, Taiping, Yongqing, Yucheng, and Jiusheng."

"We are staying in Rusheng Garden, and the disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain are also staying in Rusheng Garden with us."

"How could it be Spirit Sword Mountain?"

Upon hearing the group's discussion, Commandant Qin waved his hand: "There is no need to be so surprised. Rusheng Garden is quite large. Although we are staying in the same garden, our two sects will be separated into the east and west courtyards; it will be difficult to run into each other unless intentional."

Upon hearing this, Ji You's expression suddenly became somewhat subtle.

He did not know how this garden was allocated, and while he felt the probability of it being a coincidence was not zero, upon closer thought, it did not seem like a coincidence at all.

Among the Seven Great Xian Sects, there are about three that are on good terms with Spirit Sword Mountain, while the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan is clearly not among them.

Tsk, it's a bit strange. Could there be some secret marital connection?

Ji You felt very frustrated.

Subsequently, the group followed the Commandant's Office and stepped through the main gate of the Garden of Sages, only then realizing what Commandant Qin meant by "boundless."

Because looking ahead, there was a vast pond with gentle ripples, upon which countless green jade bridges stretched across the water's surface, while in the center was a ring-shaped tree island where countless thousand-year-old ancient trees towered, growing endlessly as far as the eye could see.

Following the long road of white marble forward, there were towering rockeries, the highest of which was piled with nearly ten thousand stones, and the surrounding pavilions and towers were countless.

Just before entering the city, they had seen on the road countless palaces standing on all four sides of the human race's Dao arena; in fact, they were part of this garden.

At this time, figures were coming and going everywhere in the garden.

They were either wearing long robes embroidered with family crests or draped in the immortal robes of some Xian Sect, mostly younger cultivators, in groups of two or three or four or five, scattered among the mountains, lakes, and palaces.

They were probably also somewhat surprised by the vastness of the Garden of Sages, wandering aimlessly through it, either looking up or bowing their heads to observe closely.

And besides these people, in the quiet ancient forests, wisteria gardens, and emerald bamboo mountains, there were cultivators sitting on meditation cushions seeking enlightenment, drawing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth to gather here.

Ji You's gaze swept over these figures, then looked at the fellow disciples from the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan who had come with him, discovering that everyone was revealing a trace of disdain.

Showing off; if they were going to cultivate so diligently here, why didn't they do it earlier?

Blocking the road to cultivate—isn't this clearly just to show others?

The group continued to walk forward, and then they saw a group of cultivators wearing the attire of the Chen Clan Xian race coming toward them; there were over a dozen of them, and upon seeing the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan group, they slightly raised their hands and bowed.

"Commandant Qin."

"Elder Wuxing, it has truly been a long time. May I ask where the Elder is headed?"

"I am heading to Taiping Garden this time to pay a visit to several fellow Daoists from the noble families."

All disciples under the Chen Clan Xian race carry the surname Chen; even if they do not originally have the surname Chen, they must change it upon entering the sect, so everyone is accustomed to calling cultivators of the Chen Clan Xian race by their given names.

The Elder before them was a Boundless Realm expert from the inner clan, named Chen Wuxing.

Ji You actually found it quite interesting; with an Elder Chen, couldn't Brother Chen tour the entire Chen Clan?

And on the way to Rusheng Garden, such encounters were not just once.

They encountered the Xu family from Qingzhou and the Du family from Liangzhou in succession.

Ji You had never heard of the Xu family, but it was said to be a prestigious family; this family mostly relied on the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, so there were not many people with the surname Xu in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, and a wild private cultivator like Ji You naturally had no way of knowing.

However, he knew the Du family from Liangzhou, and the Du family from Liangzhou also knew him.

During the Autumn Tournament that year, everyone was focused on Ji You and Chu He, while the other person, Du Zhu, was rarely mentioned, and this Du Zhu came from the Du family.

Because the Du family had gone to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to watch the Autumn Tournament process, they naturally knew Ji You clearly.

However, the problem was that even though it was Chu He who had slashed Du Zhu back with a sword, the Du family instead held some hatred toward Ji You, and while bidding farewell, they did not forget to look at Ji You and snort coldly.

He Lingxiu, Xiao Hanyan, and the others frowned slightly and turned to look at Ji You, only to find Ji You smiling very brightly, his expression somewhat puzzled.

"What is Ji Shidi smiling at?"

"Nothing, I just feel the Du family... is somewhat amiable."

"?"

Ji You watched the departing Du family and thought to himself that his previous prediction was indeed correct; he would definitely meet many clients at the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

So when he has time, he must go out more; getting rich is always on the road.

At this time, the group suddenly heard a whistling sound resounding from overhead, and then a figure rode the void and came, skimming over the mountains, lakes, and pavilions toward the outside of the garden, their graying beard and hair dancing continuously in the wind.

This was an impatient person who had no mood for sightseeing, so they skimmed directly past the forest garden.

The Heavenly Tian Shuyuan group walked along the road past one garden after another, then turned south, walked for several miles, and passed many strange and rugged wonders before finally arriving at Rusheng Garden.

After entering the gate, there was a three-zhang-tall shuttle-shaped blue stone, inscribed with the four large characters "Sun Rising in the East," the vermilion lacquer shining brightly.

Ji You looked at it for a long time, thinking to himself that this kind of momentum is truly incomparable to ordinary places; even the Great Xia Imperial Palace, in front of such an immortal academy, would only have the temperament of a side hall.

The only thing that could be mentioned in the same breath, besides the Dao arenas of the Seven Great Xian Sects, was that Demon Emperor City in the Snow Region.

But immortals have never engaged in production since ancient times, sitting in mountains and forests to cultivate; there is naturally no doubt about where every brick and tile in this garden came from.

Crossing the shuttle-shaped blue stone, the path split into two.

Only now could Ji You understand why Commandant Qin said "even if staying in the same garden, it is difficult to meet unless intentional," because most of Rusheng Garden was scenery.

Walking forward was a dense forest of bamboo, deep in greenery, followed by a mirror lake, surrounded by a few pavilions, pine forests, and rockeries, while there were only two building complexes.

One was located on the east side, and one was located on the west side, not close to each other, and the scenery between them was dense and well-arranged.

The Heavenly Tian Shuyuan was arranged in the east courtyard, and Spirit Sword Mountain was presumably in the west courtyard.

Ji You stood at the fork in the road between the east and west courtyards for a long time, looking toward the west courtyard; after watching for a long time, he found no figures moving, so the Spirit Sword Mountain disciples must not have arrived yet.

"Ji Shidi Ji, we must go."

"Coming."

Ji You regained his senses, followed He Lingxiu's voice, and was led into the east courtyard.

Here sat twenty houses with flying eaves and upturned corners, black bricks, black tiles, and black pillars, entirely black, contrasting with the surrounding emerald bamboo, which was quite elegant.

However, these twenty-some houses shared a courtyard, in which there were a few small pitch-black stone ponds with water lilies in full bloom and koi swimming, as well as a stone platform and a pavilion.

The courtyard was not empty, as there were dozens of maids and hundreds of servants waiting in the halls.

Seeing the group enter, a maid stepped forward and bowed slightly.

Ji You was not used to this, dodged to the side, and then walked toward one of the houses; pushing the door open to enter, he saw rows of wooden cabinets carved from rosewood, with incense tables, tea tables, and writing desks all complete.

In the middle-back position was a large bed, the bead curtain had already been lifted, and the bed was covered with silk satin bedding.

Wen Siyuan, a disciple of the Commandant's Office, followed him in at this time; he had also come with the carriage and was responsible for Ji You's competition this time.

Wen Siyuan saw Ji You sit on the chair and took a step forward: "Is Ji Shidi Ji satisfied with this?"

Ji You looked at him: "The Emperor probably uses a golden hoe to hoe the ground."

"What does this mean?"

"It has already exceeded the imagination of a wild private cultivator like me."

Ji You paced back and forth in the room at this time, touching this and that, thinking to himself that everything within his sight was something that poor people like us could not afford.

Wen Siyuan smiled softly after hearing this: "If Ji Shidi needs anything else, feel free to find me. During the Heavenly Dao Assembly, I will be responsible for all of Ji Shidi's affairs."

Ji You was facing away from him at this time, and after hearing this, he spoke softly: "Who came up with the genius idea of having Spirit Sword Mountain and the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan stay in the same courtyard?"

"I heard it was agreed upon by the Abbot."

"So that's how it is..."

Ji You nodded after hearing this, thinking to himself that this might not be a coincidence.

Little Yan Shuyi, she really has a playful heart; this isn't sneaking out, but coming to attend the meeting as the Little Inspector, yet she actually wants to secretly stay in the same courtyard.

"Uh, if the things in this garden are broken, do I need to pay for them?"

Wen Siyuan looked at Ji You's back: "This... probably needs to be compensated."

Ji You was silent for a long time: "How much?"

"Probably... compensation at the listed price."

Ji You looked at the box-shaped magic tool broken into two halves in his hand at this time, unable to help but frown tightly, his face covered in dark clouds.

In places with lush water and grass, there are usually many mosquitoes and insects; this magic tool should be specifically for preventing mosquitoes.

He had seen this thing in the Qionghua Pavilion, but he didn't know the price, nor the usage, and even less did he know that this thing would break with a light snap.

Too unlucky; haven't even found a client yet and have to pay silver first?

Ji You pondered for a long time, not even noticing Wen Siyuan bidding farewell and leaving, then took the magic furnace and went out the door, looked left and right, and walked toward another house on the southwest side.

This house was where Shi Junhao lived; at this time, he had just sat down in the room and just brewed a pot of tea.

Before the tea fragrance could drift out, he saw Ji You enter his room, his eyes somewhat puzzled: "What are you doing here?"

"Does Senior Brother have confidence in dealing with the Realm of Merging with the Dao?"

"Since I've come, naturally I have confidence, but what does this have to do with you?"

Ji You looked at him: "After all, I am also a part of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan. Just now on the street, I heard them insulting my sect, and I was unhappy in my heart; naturally, I hope that everyone in our academy can win."

Shi Junhao was silent for a long time: "That's true."

"Has Senior Brother found a Dao companion?"

"No, cultivators seek immortality with one heart and crave the Great Dao; I don't have that plan for the time being."

"So that's how it is; then how many people are in Senior Brother's family?"

"?"

Shi Junhao felt it was inexplicable and felt somewhat uncomfortable all over, thinking to himself that even if he were chatting, he should be looking for He Lingxiu, not him.

Ji You then wandered around his room for two laps, asked some messy questions, then bid farewell to him, returned to his own house, and then placed the mosquito furnace on the table.

The Heavenly Tian Shuyuan was not far from here, and besides the noble families who had rushed over first, they were considered to have arrived relatively early.

At this time, Ji You had nothing to do, so he began to sit cross-legged on the bed to refine his body, igniting spiritual fire to temper his flesh.

By the time he opened his eyes again, it was already the time of the evening meal.

Ji You rose from the bed, and through the doors and windows, he heard a noisy sound rising continuously.

So he walked to the window and looked out into the courtyard, discovering that a group of cultivators had arrived here, making the originally quiet and elegant courtyard instantly become bustling with noise.

Sitting on the south side was the He family from the Central Province, which was the noble family where He Lingxiu was.

Then there was the Shi family where Shi Junhao was, the Xiao family where Xiao Hanyan was, the Chai family where Chai Ze was, as well as the Wang, Yu, and Gu families; everyone gathered here, their faces glowing with health amidst laughter and talk.

And besides these families, there were also other noble families behind several Elders who followed; all of them had the demeanor of immortals and the posture of high-ranking people.

Commandant Qin of the Commandant's Office also heard the news and came to the courtyard to exchange greetings with these family heads and Elders.

It was not the first time they had met; one could tell from their expressions and conversations that they were extremely familiar.

Even, he heard people from different families addressing each other as relatives, such as brother-in-law, cousin, or aunt, uncle.

This is the intertwined relationship of the noble families in the Qingyun world; you have me, and I have you, like a giant net woven for a thousand years, from which no one can escape.

Ji You listened for a while and felt somewhat bored, so he pushed the door open and went out, intending to see if there were any potential clients.

Seeing his figure appear in the courtyard, the people who were chatting couldn't help but turn their heads to look.

Ji You had quite a reputation in the Qingyun world, but not many people had seen that face, so everyone's eyes revealed a trace of doubt.

However, for a Realm of Profound Understanding expert, everyone naturally didn't have much curiosity, so seeing him walk out of Rusheng Garden, they returned to their previous topic.

Holding an iron sword, his gaze like a tiger, he wandered the streets aimlessly.

He would lock eyes with any cultivator he caught, his gaze revealing strong aggression, making all the passing cultivators frown deeply.

However, he didn't get into a fight with anyone, nor did he develop anyone into a client.

No matter how vicious the gazes were along the way, no matter how heavy the killing intent was, no one truly drew a sword to attack or offered silver.

Ji You wandered from Rusheng Garden to Taiping Garden, and then wandered back from Taiping Garden, without meeting a single client.

Thinking carefully, Ji You could actually understand this phenomenon of having no clients.

The people in the Garden of Sages were basically the geniuses of the major noble families and Xian Sects; if you pulled out any one person, you might drag out a whole family behind them.

So even cultivators who were usually extremely arrogant had to be three times more vigilant here than usual.

He couldn't shout to the world that he was a wild private cultivator with no big shots behind him, telling people to come and hit him; that wouldn't attract clients, but would instead be treated as a lunatic.

Ji You stood at the edge of the mountain lake, leaning on his iron sword, looking toward the white jade stone path.

(End of chapter)