Chapter 227: Gathering Immortals

Against the evening sky, Ji You followed the Tian Shu Academy group out of Rusheng Garden, crossed the white marble path, circled Huxindao, and arrived at Yongqing Garden.

The sky had not yet darkened, but the vast garden was already brightly lit.

Through the gate arch, Ji You saw a scene teeming with figures.

By the pond, on the arched bridge, beneath the pavilions, cultivators moved back and forth among the gardens, laughing and chatting.

Due to the cultivators' spontaneous breath control, the spiritual energy around Xianxian Garden now gathered in the air above, shimmering silver-blue under the dim twilight.

In this environment, factional divisions became strikingly clear.

Some clearly clustered together, sharply distinct from those around them, while others moved among many factions, constantly raising cups in toast.

Ji You followed the group through the moon gate into the noisy scene; after glancing around, he noticed He Lingxiu, Shi Junhao, and others dispersing.

They each had their own families and familial alliances, and naturally attended such banquets with their own circles.

As Ji You passed through the front garden, he saw elders guiding younger ones, exchanging greetings; he saw men and women in different family robes walking through elegant bamboo groves and fragrant flower gardens.

Only he, like an out-of-place tourist, wandered aimlessly.

This was not merely his own feeling—those around him looked at him the same way: puzzled, with scrutiny.

"Who is this man?"

"Never seen him before. Very unfamiliar."

"He somewhat resembles Zhao's second son."

"Zhao's second son is already thirty-five. Old Huang, you're joking, hahaha."

"Thirty-five? I didn't realize that during my cultivation seclusion, the mortal world had changed so utterly…"

Cultivator introductions and connections were always facilitated by senior family members.

Families brought promising descendants to such banquets to be remembered by other clans—either to form marital alliances or to be compared against.

Ji You, as a lone outlier, naturally had no place among them.

But this didn't trouble him; what troubled him was the complete absence of isolated individuals, leaving almost no chance to develop clients.

As for those in groups, Ji You disliked them—he feared poor service.

He passed through the front garden's arched gate into the right garden, continuing to search for potential clients, when he unexpectedly spotted two familiar figures.

Princess Zhao Yunyue, Wei Rui, the object of Kuangcheng's affection, and two other women, whose attire suggested they were imperial relatives.

"Young Master Ji!" Wei Rui suddenly waved.

Ji You walked over: "Miss Wei, why are you here? Where's my sworn brother, Master Kuang?"

"The Ju Xian Banquet is managed by the Si Xian Jian—he's the Director of the Reception Office, still busy coordinating. He'll arrive later. Oh, by the way, let me introduce you."

Wei Rui turned to the two women beside her: "This is Princess Jia Ren, and Princess Chang Jing."

Jia Ren and Chang Jing were two daughters of the Great Xia dynasty's former emperor, not of the current emperor's line—strictly speaking, they were idle princesses living off imperial stipends, with only Weizhao-level cultivation.

Zhao Yunyue, the only one who had known Ji You before, now looked at him and spoke up: "Young Master Ji, wandering alone—can't you find anyone you know?"

"Exactly."

Ji You replied softly, thinking: Not a single isolated person to be found—truly no opportunity at all.

Zhao Yunyue had noticed Ji You earlier than Wei Rui, observing his silence, solitude, quiet despair, and solitary wandering.

He had defeated Chuhe, established a clan, served as envoy to the Snowlands—his name was renowned; he had even refused her request to become his Dao partner, appearing as if he stood supreme, self-important.

But how did he fare at this gathering of immortal clans? This rustic self-cultivator had clearly been exposed.

No one knew him, no way to fit in—he seemed like an outsider who had accidentally slipped in.

Just as his luck had allowed him to enter Tian Shu Academy, he remained utterly out of place among them.

In truth, Zhao Yunyue's own position here, though better than Ji You's, wasn't much better.

She was a princess, yes, but insignificant among the great clans.

Moreover, Prince Chong could no longer influence tax revenues, and Yunzhou's spirit stones had lost their appeal to cultivators due to the impact of Snowland demon stones—Chong Prince's influence had weakened further.

Yet she still held one status: disciple of Lingjian Mountain.

But as a foreign disciple who had never trained within the mountain, she was not close to its members.

The only people she knew well were Liu Junchi's group, who had come to Shengjing to intercept reserve elixirs; they had arranged to meet here, but had not yet arrived.

Still, Zhao Yunyue felt she was ultimately superior to him.

Seeing this, Wei Rui couldn't help speaking up: "Young Master Ji, would you like to wander with us?"

She really wanted to ask when he would visit Miss Yan—but she knew she couldn't say that.

After a moment's thought, Ji You looked at Wei Rui: "No, I'll keep exploring first. I'll come back later. If you see Kuangcheng, tell him to wait for me."

He still needed to develop clients—bringing women along would make it harder.

Especially since the two princesses were only Weizhao, and Wei Rui had no cultivation at all—standing nearby and clapping could be dangerous.

Princess Jia Ren watched him depart, then turned to Zhao Yunyue: "Young Master Ji's name is known throughout Shengjing—how is it he can't even find a single friend?"

Zhao Yunyue snapped back to attention and explained patiently: "In Qingyun's world, what matters is family background. No matter how much he stirs up trouble or how famous he is, here he's simply invisible."

"Like my maid—no matter how skilled her needlework, she's still just a maid?"

"Your analogy… is surprisingly apt."

Ji You, unaware he had just been compared to a maid, continued deeper into the right garden. Though he found no isolated individuals, he encountered several familiar faces.

First came the disciples of Wenda Sect—about thirty of them, all dressed in indigo immortal robes—who, upon seeing Ji You, filled their eyes with murderous intent.

Ji You had killed many of their senior brothers at Qiling; the old grudge was still remembered.

Min Cheng, who had once tried to lure Ji You with silver and nearly been killed by him, was among them.

Too many people—poor service. Forget it.

Ji You avoided their hostile glares and continued westward, realizing he knew quite a few people—for example, Jiang Chenfeng, Jiang Yan, Jiang Yuerou, and Huo Hong, younger brother of the Shanhai Pavilion's direct disciple.

Ji You had journeyed to the Snowlands with all of them; they had shared life and death, so he couldn't help exchanging a few words upon meeting.

"Young Master Ji, your arm is healed?"

"It's fully recovered. Thank you, Immortal Miss."

Jiang Yan and Jiang Yuerou still remembered his heroic presence in the Wilds and held favorable impressions of him, so their demeanor was excellent.

Jiang Chenfeng, Huo Hong, and others, however, felt slightly relieved to see he was still at Tongxuan.

Ji You's combat prowess during the Snowlands mission had been terrifying; if his cultivation speed matched his combat ability, it would have shaken their Dao hearts.

Fortunately, he was still Tongxuan.

In fact, many who knew Ji You likely held this thought—even members of Tian Shu Academy themselves.

He's still Tongxuan. That's very good.

Beyond these, Ji You also saw people from Yunzhou's Lu family.

The Lu family was large and wealthy in Yunzhou, but among all cultivators gathered here, they ranked far from the top.

Lu family patriarch Lu Xiong stepped forward to greet Ji You, avoiding mention of the Snowland demon stones, yet thanked him for teaching Lu Hanyan sword art.

Ji You had no fondness for spirit stone clans due to his dealings with Jiyang Pavilion, but in this setting, he did not embarrass Lu Xiong, offering only brief replies.

Yet what puzzled Ji You was the strange look directed at him by a lady standing beside Lu Xiong.

The strangeness lay in her condescending scrutiny—she gazed at him as if an elder assessing a junior, picking him apart, as if searching for something.

"Young Master!"

"?"

As Ji You reached the edge of a clear lake, he heard a call and turned to see Ding Yao and Ding Wanqiu.

One wore a moon-white water lily robe; the other, a small blouse embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns. They bowed to Ji You, and then Ding Wanqiu added softly, "Master-in-law."

Ji You looked at them: "Where's your Jian Master?"

Ding Wanqiu replied: "The Jian Master is in the rear garden meeting several clans she missed upon arrival. We had some free time, so we came out to stroll."

They had wandered beyond the rear garden without knowing where to go, following visible paths—now that they saw Ji You, they suddenly felt they had found their anchor.

The Jian Master was the master; the Master-in-law was also the master.

It was a subtle feeling, especially for Ding Yao.

She had served Yan Shuyi since childhood, never lowered herself to serve others—even at Lingjian Mountain, she directed others.

But as her Jian Master grew closer to Ji You, even biting his lips like that, she had developed an instinctive obedience toward him.

In contrast, her relationship with Wenda Sect had changed.

This banquet was attended by many Wenda Sect disciples.

In ordinary times, Ding Yao would have mingled with them—but now that her Jian Master had made her stance clear, she knew Lingjian Mountain and Wenda Sect had little chance of forming an alliance.

Continuing to cultivate ties with Wenda Sect no longer held any meaning.

Ding Yao suddenly remembered something and spoke up: "The Jian Master told us earlier—if we met you outside, we were to introduce you to certain people. Do you have time now?"

"Introduce me to people?"

"Your opponents to watch out for."

Ding Yao and Ding Wanqiu then led him around, pointing out several Tongxuan cultivators.

One was Zhu Yao, a newly risen Dao prodigy of Wenda Sect and one of this year's competitors, said to have held his own against a Rongdao senior brother.

Another, not a sect disciple but a clan scion named Wei Bo, had been secretly trained for years by Yongzhou's Wei family and had defeated every clan member upon his debut.

Also on the list of special attention was Zhuang Zixin, younger brother of Zhuang You, chief disciple of Tianjian Peak.

Then came Wei Yingmeng, daughter of the Shanhai Pavilion's branch master; Murong Yu, daughter of the Yuzhou Murong family; and Li Yunlang of the old imperial Li family of Zhongzhou.

Each carried immense background, backed by powerful forces—names that inspired awe.

Precisely because of their powerful backgrounds, their combat abilities were also formidable.

Not only Ji You and his companions watched them—many others, especially fellow Tongxuan competitors, secretly observed them as they passed.

These competitors also had their sources of information; though they knew far less than the Young Master of Lingjian Mountain, even managing to uncover what cultivation arts each used, they at least knew these few were among the top contenders in this Tian Dao Hui's Tongxuan Realm competition.

As for Ji You, he attracted far less attention.

After all, many had just emerged from the Long Guan, and as previously mentioned, few knew what he even looked like.

Ji You now turned to Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu: "Doesn't my Tian Shu Academy have any Tongxuan Realm cultivators worth worrying about?"

Zhuo Wanqiu opened her mouth, then closed it again: "The Tongxuan Realm cultivators from Tian Shu Academy are all solid, but none stand out particularly. You're a disciple of Tian Shu Academy—you naturally understand them better than we do."

"Tian Shu Academy really has no prestige at all…"

"Uh, Young Master, you're really blunt…"

The three then moved on, heading toward the southwest corner of the right garden, where they found their final opponent of note beneath a towering artificial mountain of stacked stones.

He was a young man standing beneath a crabapple tree, clad in a pale moon-white brocade robe embroidered with subtle auspicious beast patterns, a broad black jade belt cinched at his waist; when the robe's hem fluttered in the wind, the inner robe's river-and-cliff motifs flickered into view.

Ding Yao hesitated before identifying him, but finally spoke: "This man is Yan Hao, the personal grandson of the Peak Master of Tianjian Peak, a high-level Tongxuan cultivator, skilled with heavy swords, and possessing extraordinary sword talent…"

Ji You studied Yan Hao carefully, then gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, Ding Yao's heart grew complicated—after all, Yan Hao's participation represented Lingjian Mountain's face.

In her view, their Young Master had sold Yan Hao out for the sake of her lover—too fixated on personal sentiment, unlike the former Young Master who always prioritized Lingjian Mountain above all else.

That was why she had hesitated—but she could not disobey the Young Master's direct order.

After staring at Yan Hao for a long while, Ji You spoke: "Go back and tell Yan Shuyi—I'll handle this."

Ding Yao froze: "Handle it… what?"

"The proud little ghost's greatest wish right now is to weaken Tianjian Peak's influence within the mountain. Remember how he forcibly seized twenty percent of the elixirs during the New Yuan? If Yan Hao loses—and loses badly—it'll shake a great many Tianjian Peak disciples."

Ji You rolled up his sleeves: "Imagine if even the Peak Master's own grandson is this weak—what reason do those disciples with fewer resources have to stay on Tianjian Peak? Don't worry—I'll handle this. This is the only thing I can do right now."

As Ding Yao listened, her eyes slowly widened in shock.

After a moment's thought, she opened her mouth again, turning back toward Yan Hao, who was laughing and chatting with his friends.

How could he interpret it this way?

She had never imagined the Young Master meant this.

But now, hearing Ji You's words, she suddenly understood: beyond Lingjian Mountain's public image, the real issue within the sect was the hidden rivalry between Tianjian Peak and Xuanjian Peak.

The Young Master had held power for only a short time, while Tianjian Peak still possessed the deepest roots.

Each year, new disciples chose Tianjian Peak first—because it had the most Elders, meaning more opportunities.

But if the Peak Master's own grandson lost—and lost disgracefully—it would inevitably alter how disciples chose their peaks.

But no one else would think this way, would they? Ding Yao turned to Ji You. If it were anyone else, they'd probably just think it was wonderful to have a wife in such a high position…

Zhuo Wanqiu, unlike Ding Yao, focused on the latter half: "Young Master, Yan Hao is no one to underestimate. You must be cautious—don't take him lightly."

Ding Yao now snapped back to awareness: "Zhuo Shimei is right—Yan Hao's strength is truly formidable."

Outside Tian Shu Academy's own disciples, few knew Ji You had earned his spot by defeating two peers with four sword strikes, forcing the Elder Council to yield it to him.

This was different from when he shattered the Tianjian Peak Sword Grove or was sent to the Snowlands—those deeds brought glory to Tian Shu Academy. But if this became known, it would shame the Elder Council.

So Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu didn't fully grasp Ji You's current strength—they lacked context, and thus worried.

Ji You nodded upon hearing them: "I'll go watch a few matches first. I won't be overconfident. Return now—if others see you two with me, your Young Master and I will have no way to explain it."

Zhuo Wanqiu couldn't help coughing—wasn't it already impossible to explain?

The proud little ghost…

Her scalp prickled—only he would dare call the Young Master that. Who else in the world would?

"Will Young Master go to the back garden to see the Young Master?"

"Can anyone just walk into the back garden?"

"All sect heirs are in the back garden, so you need to submit a formal request—but Young Master, of course, doesn't need one. Just call for us."

Ji You listened, then considered: "If I find a suitable reason, I'll go. If not, forget it. The relationship between Tian Shu Academy and Lingjian Mountain is still poor."

Zhuo Wanqiu bowed slightly and took her leave from Ji You.

Ding Yao followed her, her expression still troubled; after walking half the distance, she couldn't help speaking: "I thought the Young Master valued Young Master Ji You more than Lingjian Mountain…"

Zhuo Wanqiu looked at Ding Yao: "Lingjian Mountain will always be the most important to the Young Master—we shouldn't doubt that. But we should be grateful—grateful that the Young Master-in-law thinks the same."

"But… how did the Young Master know Ji You would understand right away?"

"Maybe the Young Master truly only wanted her lover to win? Maybe it's the Young Master-in-law who truly wants to do something for her."

(End of Chapter)