Chapter 23: The Martyr

The new selection of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan happens every year and hasn't received much attention, only because Chu He entered the academy this year, it attracted a lot of attention.

But no one ever thought that the one who sensed the Little Little Tian Shu would not be Chu He.

Ji You?

There is no family surnamed Ji in the Azure Cloud World, so the light of the Little Little Tian Shu that night triggered countless discussions.

When Cao Jingsong heard the news, it was already late at night, and he was almost crying with joy.

This person found from Yuyang County is truly extraordinary, truly extraordinary!

And besides him, there was another person who arrived at the Bishui Lake Garden early, waiting outside the door, and handed over an invitation after Ji You came out.

The invitation came from Prince Chong, congratulating him in sincere words, and also saying that he came in a hurry on the day of entrance, didn't bring enough invitations, and felt very ashamed, and also said that he heard he sensed the Little Little Tian Shu yesterday, so he specially set up a banquet in the Prince's Mansion, inviting him to drink and talk happily.

Ji You looked at the invitation and smiled, returning it to the servant.

He had no good feelings for the Immortal Sect, and even less for the bureaucrats.

If the Immortal Sect is the culprit for the people's suffering, then Great Xia may not be considered an accomplice.

Instead of saying some polite words with politicians in the officialdom, it's better to go to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to seek the Dao.

Thinking of this, Ji You suddenly recalled the red-skirted woman he saw yesterday, and those delicate and small snow-white jade feet.

Well, foot Dao is also Dao.

Ji You stretched, walked out of the courtyard gate, and headed to the Immortal Dining Hall. As soon as he entered, he bumped into Lu Qingqiu and her group, among whom Fang Ruoyao was following behind.

Lu Qingqiu looked at him, suddenly revealed a faint smile, and bowed slightly to him.

If Ji You was just a wild private cultivator yesterday, but today... it was different.

Being able to sense the Little Little Tian Shu meant one foot had stepped into the inner courtyard. Even for this young lady from Yunzhou, she seemed to have some intention of making friends.

Ji You didn't become arrogant because he sensed the Little Little Tian Shu, bowed to her, and headed to the dining counter.

After looking at the dazzling array of dishes, he chose a portion of stir-fried Immortal-Gathering Grass, and then because his purse was shy, he began to ponder today's robbery list...

After eating, Ji You returned to the Bishui Lake Garden, but saw another servant standing at the door waiting for him.

He originally thought it was Prince Chong's invitation again, took it in his hand and looked at it, but his brows furrowed, and then he went down the mountain.

At this time, government soldiers were posting imperial notices on Yong'an Street in Shengjing City. Ji You glanced at it and then turned around and arrived at the Chunhua Post Station in Chunhua Lane.

"Top Graduate...?"

Xiang Kuangcheng had been sleeping for three days and three nights, and at this time, he nodded full of spirit: "Hmm."

Ji You looked at Xiang Kuangcheng blankly: "How much is the salary? Can you split half with me?"

"Without a real position, where would there be a salary?"

Ji You was stunned for a moment. He received a note from Xiang Kuangcheng this morning, which had the two words "High School" written on it.

And what surprised him even more was that Xiang Kuangcheng had actually become a Top Graduate. He sighed all the way here, thinking to himself that Yuyang County was indeed full of talents.

As a result, there was no salary...

Xiang Kuangcheng thought for a long while before speaking: "Actually, I still have to thank Brother Ji for this."

"Thank me for what?"

"I wrote an article with 'Since ancient times, no one has ever died, let the loyal heart shine on the history books', and was personally appointed as the Top Graduate by His Majesty..."

Hearing this, the playful smile on Ji You's face slowly disappeared.

He knew that the Great Xia Emperor had long wanted to revitalize imperial power, but was troubled by the fact that the imperial court was controlled by the alliance of Minister Wei and Prince Chong, and there was no one available to use.

So he opened the imperial examinations widely this year and invited the Northern God General to come back to sit in town, just to rectify the administration.

But the Emperor didn't use just anyone; what he wanted was the kind of person who wasn't afraid of death and dared to die.

"Xiang Kuangcheng."

"Hmm?"

Ji You looked at him with burning eyes: "Don't be a martyr for the Emperor."

Xiang Kuangcheng was slightly stunned, and after a long silence, he smiled faintly: "I naturally won't be so stupid..."

"You have to understand clearly, the sentence 'Since ancient times, no one has ever died, let the loyal heart shine on the history books' is a lie. I can't even do it myself, let alone you?"

"Don't worry, Brother Ji, my responsibility is to revitalize the Xiang family. I won't easily give up my life. I am very timid, unless you become the Abbot of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to support me."

Ji You saw that he wasn't forcing it and finally felt relieved: "I also have good news. Yesterday, when everyone was sensing the Little Little Tian Shu, the Little Little Tian Shu came to sense me."

Xiang Kuangcheng widened his eyes: "As expected of us!"

"The days ahead will get better."

Xiang Kuangcheng looked at Ji You, not knowing whether he was talking about the days of the two of them, or the days of the people of Yuyang County, or both.

However, mentioning Yuyang, he suddenly thought of one thing.

On the night before they set off for the capital, he suddenly saw the starlight all over the sky falling in his courtyard at home, like fireflies, continuously flying.

The young scholar had never seen such a strange scene, so he called his family, but his family said they saw nothing, as if only he could see it.

He wanted to ask Ji You what that was, but in the end, he didn't say it.

He wasn't a cultivator, so how could he see the starlight falling all over the sky? He thought he must have just been dazzled.

Afterward, the two left the inn and used the remaining few taels of broken silver to find a small restaurant and ordered three vegetarian dishes and a pot of thin wine.

Although it looked a bit shabby, it could be considered mutual congratulations.

And on the street next to this small restaurant, in the magnificent Xihe Restaurant, a group of outer courtyard disciples of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan were drinking in silence.

This should have been the best time to cultivate the Dao, but the fact that Ji You sensed the Little Little Tian Shu last night shattered their already not-so-much Dao hearts.

Thinking of the day they first went to the Enlightenment Field to seek the Dao, everyone was laughing at the wild private cultivator for wasting time practicing martial arts.

But in the end, it was he who sensed the Little Little Tian Shu.

And their so-called forgetting to eat and sleep became a complete joke.

Chu He was also in Xihe Restaurant at this time, but he wasn't with the others, sitting alone in a private room on the third floor, surrounded by empty wine jars.

Beside his seat, a singing girl was lying on her back, covered in bruises from fists, her life or death unknown.

As the second son of the Chu family, he had always considered himself extraordinary. In order not to live in the shadow of his elder brother, he gave up the Profound Origin Immortal Mansion and resolutely chose the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, determined to walk a path that belonged only to himself.

His elders at home praised him for his lofty ambitions and supported him one after another.

But he didn't expect that just after he entered the academy, a wild private cultivator would replace his elder brother and become his new shadow.

Last night, Ji You gathered two streaks of spiritual light.

At this speed, how could he compare?

However, why was it him? A wild mortal whom he could crush by stretching his hand in ordinary times now made him lose face. How could he let it go?

Just at this moment, the waiter of Xihe Restaurant came up to deliver wine, and seeing the miserable state of the singing girl, he was so scared that he almost dropped the wine jar in his hand.

Chu He looked over suddenly, killing intent splashing in his eyes.

In his view, Ji You, like this waiter and this singing girl, should have been a mortal who lived his life properly.

However, just at this moment, the page boy serving Chu He hurried upstairs, saving the waiter's life.

"Young Master, Young Master, someone from home is here, right outside."

"What?"

Chu He sobered up in an instant, looked at the panicked page boy, and suddenly realized that the fact that he had lost to a wild private cultivator was probably already known at home.

He got up in a panic, stumbled downstairs, and saw an old man with a hooked nose.

This was not a member of the Chu family, but a retainer who used to serve around his elder brother.

This retainer with a hooked nose had a livid face at this time, took Chu He to a secret street alley, and handed over a box of pills and a letter.

Die with a full name, or do not disgrace the glory of the clan.

There was only one short sentence in the letter, but it made his eyes tremble and his face pale.

After a long while, he remembered the box of pills, so he reached out and opened it.

I don't know if his eyes were dazzled, but the moment he saw the pills, Chu He seemed to see ten curled-up and struggling infants, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by a majestic immortal machine.

That immortal machine was like the heavenly light when Ji You sensed the Little Little Tian Shu, making Chu He full of shock.

"I thought the Second Young Master would definitely be able to enter the inner courtyard, but I didn't expect to be stepped under the feet by a wild private cultivator in less than three days. It's a pity for this hard-won divine pill."

"This is... what kind of pill is this?"

"This pill is rare in the world. It can stimulate all your potential and make your cultivation speed far exceed ordinary people. Take one pill first, and then one pill every seven days. I will protect the Dao for you when you take the medicine."

"There is such a fierce pill in the world, will there be any side effects?"

The old man with the hooked nose looked indifferent, looked down at him, and didn't open his mouth.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 24 =====