Chapter 230: I Don

Ji You was much slower than Yan Shuyi; by the time he returned to the courtyard, he heard continuous music from the far eastern end of the eastern compound.

It was a private banquet.

For many cultivation clans, the Gather Immortals Banquet at the Former Sages Garden was merely a public gathering to meet or make contact, but very few actually ate anything during it.

According to Gongshu Chou, who was still a green youth fifteen years ago, the real places for drinking and merrymaking were the private banquets hosted by the major clans.

He Lingxiu and the others must have all gone to the private banquet, leaving the house without a single lamp lit, eerily quiet as if uninhabited.

Ji You now returned to his own residence, opened the window, and gazed outside.

The moonlight tonight was unusually bright, illuminating the courtyard clearly.

He stood before the window, staring at the small building across, and soon saw a woman in a bright red nightgown flit past, then the Little Mirror Master appeared at the second-floor window.

Her long hair was still damp, her exquisite face as fresh and dewy as a lotus emerging from water; she shot Ji You a deadly glare that made the emerald bamboos across from her rustle violently, then turned and went inside, picking up a small porcelain basin and hiding it in the corner.

This girl was fine when she returned earlier—what did I do to upset her now?

Ji You stood at the window, pondering for a long while; he remembered it couldn't have been these past few days, and after much thought, he turned in confusion, entered the room, and flicked his finger to light the oil lamp.

As the candle flame flickered to life, half the night around the desk was dispelled; only then, by the dim yellow light, did Ji You notice a folded document on his table.

He paused slightly, then walked to the desk, picked up the document, and unfolded it—discovering it was the list of opponents for the Tongxuan Realm matches in the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

Wen Siyuan was specifically assigned to oversee Ji You's matches, so this document must have been delivered by him.

He was penniless and never locked his door. Besides, against the power of cultivators, locking the door meant little. Wen Siyuan must have seen he was away and left the document on the table.

Ji You examined the document carefully by lamplight, his eyes scanning the paper, and soon finished reading its entire contents.

The list itself wasn't long, but the sheer number of names made the eyes dizzy; in summary, there were only two key points.

First, the Heavenly Dao Assembly's format used a six-to-one elimination system.

Many cultivators participated in the Tongxuan Realm matches—three hundred and sixty in total, from immortal sects and clans, divided into sixty groups of six each.

Within each group, a two-to-one elimination was used, with opponents determined by lottery; the three winners advanced to the second round, again competing two-to-one, with some receiving byes and facing off last for replacement spots.

Then, the final winner among these ten would face the winners of the other fifty-nine groups in a final two-to-one elimination.

The second key point concerned Ji You's own match: his first bout was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, against a man named Tang Jingming, a cultivator from a Zhongzhou clan with no notable reputation.

He also checked the other members of his group—none stood out, and none had been specifically mentioned by Ding Yao.

His main target for soothing sleep, Yan Hao, was placed in another ten-person group.

Because his group's ranking was higher, Yan Hao had a match scheduled for tomorrow morning.

The Rongdao Realm's format was roughly similar to the Tongxuan Realm's, following the same structure.

After finishing the document, Ji You closed it and placed it on the desk, deciding to begin cultivation.

But not to prepare for his opponents—mainly because he wanted to marry whoever he pleased, and had no fear of anyone knowing.

Just as he arranged his cushion and prepared to enter meditation, footsteps suddenly sounded in the courtyard of the Heavenly Book Academy.

Ji You opened his eyes slightly and heard the footsteps slowly approaching.

Soon, a loud "bang, bang, bang" came at the door; Ji You rose from bed, opened the door, and saw He Lingxiu standing outside.

"Senior Sister He, it's so late—what do you need?"

"I've hosted a small banquet with several private friends and other senior and junior siblings at the Water Pavilion in the garden. I saw you returned early, so I came to ask if you'd like to join us for a drink."

As she spoke, He Lingxiu pointed toward the Water Pavilion east of the eastern compound—the very place Ji You had seen upon entering the academy.

Ji You looked at He Lingxiu and couldn't help smiling.

He Lingxiu smiled back faintly: "What are you smiling at, Junior Brother?"

"Qiu's young lady is there too, isn't she? I'm laughing because you truly have great perseverance."

"Junior Brother, you're quite perceptive. Very well—I won't hide it from you: Qiu's young lady is indeed a guest at the Water Pavilion."

Originally, He Lingxiu had wanted Ji You and Qiu's young lady, Qiu Hanyue, to meet at the Gather Immortals Banquet, thinking the crowd would ease their awkwardness—but when she found Qiu Hanyue and turned back to look for Ji You, he was gone.

She even asked Shi Junhao and Xiao Hanyan to keep an eye out for him, unaware that Ji You had been dining in the private disciples' courtyard, off-limits to outsiders.

So He Lingxiu decided to arrange their meeting at the private banquet, and came out into the night for this purpose.

Earlier, when they sat in the courtyard, Yu Shiliu had brazenly speculated about Ji You's relationship with the Little Mirror Master of Lingjian Mountain; He Lingxiu thought there was some truth to it, but didn't believe it.

The idea that two people with such a vast difference in status could be paired together seemed absurd.

But Gongshu Chou's extravagant praise of Ji You only strengthened He Lingxiu's resolve to draw him closer.

Qiu Hanyue was still quite beautiful, delicate and charming; He Lingxiu believed that with Ji You's reputation as a man surrounded by unmarried brides, there must be some truth to the rumors—that he merely kept his mouth shut, but once he saw her, he'd take her in.

Ji You leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching He Lingxiu: "Senior Sister He, with such firm recommendation, Miss Qiu must be an excellent woman—but I, your junior brother, truly have no such intention."

"Junior Brother, you're so stubborn…"

"I know you mean well. If you ever need my help in the future, I won't refuse."

For men in Qingyun Tianxia, the position of principal wife truly required careful consideration—it concerned the family's future and the continuation of the main lineage's bloodline.

But taking concubines? Most never gave it a second thought—it was simply mutual convenience.

Like her father, who had eight concubines, yet only two or three actually lived with him in his courtyard.

He Lingxiu simply couldn't understand why Ji You was so resistant—especially when Yuan Caimei was so obedient.

As she pondered, she suddenly heard the sound of splashing water from across the courtyard, turned to look, and when she turned back, Ji You was standing perfectly upright.

He Lingxiu paid it no mind, sighed: "Junior Brother, you're so stubborn—even taking a concubine requires such caution. I've never seen anything like it."

"To me, it's a matter of life and death."

"?"

Ji You lifted his eyes slightly and saw a slender figure dash past with quick footsteps.

He Lingxiu had her own temper—after being refused so many times, she felt her pride wounded, turned, and left without another word.

Following the night, she returned to the Water Pavilion, sat down, and noticed someone missing—upon closer look, it was Qiu Hanyue who had left.

Her brow furrowed, and she lifted her wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

At that moment, she suddenly frowned, gazing into the distance; Shi Junhao, Xiao Hanyan, Chai Ze, and the other Tongxuan Realm cultivators all sensed the disturbance at once and looked around.

Also at that moment, Ji You, standing before his residence, raised his head.

His eyes glowed with thick golden light, scanning the night, sensing the flow of spiritual energy.

Someone was attempting to break through—more than one.

After the Heavenly Book Academy selected its candidates for the Heavenly Dao Assembly, Qin, the head of the Administration Office, gathered them to explain several critical matters, and also mentioned another issue that made everyone frown.

He said that even if someone broke through during the entire competition period, they would still compete under the original list.

So many cultivators, to improve their chances, held back their breakthroughs until the list was finalized, then rushed to break through immediately afterward.

Though it's only one step, breaking through from Tongxuan to Rongdao is a complete difference in realm—the gap in power is astronomical.

Tonight, many had already begun secretly attempting breakthroughs.

Because cultivation paths, inherited techniques, and innate talent cause differences in combat strength even within the same realm, if some succeed in breaking through now, it will introduce unpredictable variables into the Heavenly Dao Assembly matches.

Ji You retracted his gaze, the golden light in his eyes fading, then returned to his residence, closed the doors and windows, and began body refinement.

The next morning, no sunrise appeared, no morning light fell—only relentless wind howled, rattling the window frames.

Ji You opened his eyes on the bed, surrounded by a pile of dead mosquitoes.

These mosquitoes must have been drawn by his body heat, trapped by the aura around him—unable to bite, unable to escape, suffocated in frustration.

He rose from bed and heard a commotion; looking outside, he saw He Lingxiu, Xiao Hanyan, and others already up and heading toward the outer gate of Rusheng Garden.

Some were participating in today's matches; others were there to watch someone they cared about—everyone was rushing to the arena.

Ji You closed the window, bathed, washed his face, tied his hair into a crown, and after morning meal, stepped outside.

Ji You had no match today, but his main target for soothing sleep did.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu both advised him to be cautious; Ji You didn't want to be overconfident, so he'd go watch—just to have a clear picture.

Ji the Bandit suddenly thought of Yan Shuyi and couldn't help glancing across.

After refining his body last night, he'd slept about two hours, had a dream—Yan Shuyi's solo performance, and it was miserable.

He generally controlled lust well, but perhaps the bamboo grove incident had been too intense, triggering the dream.

But it didn't matter—no one knew.

Ji You stepped outside and immediately felt a chill wind hit his face.

Opportunities to feel cool in summer were rare—this meant rain was coming.

Ji You looked up and saw dark clouds gathering in the sky.

Shouldn't Instructor Cao be here today?

He hated spending silver—his absence the past two days was understandable, but the Heavenly Dao Assembly was about to begin; he shouldn't delay further.

Also, Long Xiandi—his family's contestants had arrived; he'd glimpsed a few at yesterday's Gather Immortals Banquet, but neither he nor the Bai family head showed up—no one knew why.

Ji You pulled his clothes together slightly and stepped into the courtyard.

Two young women sat in the courtyard now, at the stone table where they usually drank tea and chatted—one wore a sky-blue wide-sleeved immortal robe, the other a flowered smoke-silk blouse; both were seventeen or eighteen, still looking somewhat youthful.

Seeing them, Ji You felt puzzled.

Because those living in Rusheng Garden were either Heavenly Book Academy disciples or Lingjian Mountain disciples, and he'd never seen these two women before; moreover, with the matches already underway, no visitors should be arriving now.

As Ji You entered the courtyard, the two young women rose, hesitated a moment, then walked toward him.

Seeing this, Ji You realized they had come for him.

But he didn't recognize them—their faces were completely unfamiliar, and he was certain he'd never seen them before.

Given the precedent of Fang Ruoying and Fang Ruoyao, Ji You searched his memory for anyone he knew—no familiar features came to mind.

At that moment, the two women stopped before him, and the one in the sky-blue wide-sleeved robe spoke.

"Are you Ji You?"

"Yes. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Qiu Hanyue."

Upon hearing this name, Ji You instantly understood: this was the Qiu family's young lady He Lingxiu had always wanted to introduce to her.

He had never intended to meet this Qiu family daughter at the Ju Xian Banquet or the Ru Sheng Garden private gathering; last night he had made it absolutely clear to He Lingxiu that there would be no further contact. Yet after all this back-and-forth, he still ended up meeting her.

Ji You snapped back to attention: "May I ask what business the Miss Qiu has with me?"

"Ji You, I don't want to marry you."

Qiu Hanyue looked at him, her voice slightly cold: "I don't want to go to Fengzhou, and I don't want everyone saying I married some backwater private cultivator. Can you just let me go?"

This Qiu family daughter was a true immortal sect miss; though the Qiu family wasn't powerful, she had grown up in silk and jade, surrounded since childhood by heirs of other immortal clans.

In her world, she had always assumed she would eventually marry someone of comparable immortal lineage.

He didn't have to be a prodigy with heavenly fortune, or a storm-raising figure of renown—just someone good-looking, with a family status equal to hers, and that would be good enough.

But she never expected that not long ago, He's immortal maiden came to her home to propose a marriage.

The Qiu family had long been subordinate to the He and Zuqiu clans; her father immediately agreed with delight.

She was of marriageable age, just at the threshold of first love, and had secretly harbored some anticipation.

But she never imagined the immortal maiden wanted her to marry a backwater private cultivator from Fengzhou, the son of a fallen commoner family with no noble lineage whatsoever.

She didn't want to be sent off to the remote, impoverished Fengzhou, nor did she want to be mocked behind her back afterward.

Did you hear? The Qiu family's daughter has been married off to Fengzhou.

The Qiu family's daughter's husband is a backwater private cultivator from Fengzhou.

A woman marrying far from home is already a source of anxiety; how much worse when it's like this?

If she ever heard her childhood friends whispering such things about her, Qiu Hanyue felt she simply couldn't bear it.

So last night, when she received He Immortal's invitation to the banquet and learned she was to be brought to meet Ji You, she slipped away without a word.

But when she returned home, she found her father in a furious rage, forcing her to kneel for half the night and ordering her to go apologize to He Immortal.

Her mind in turmoil, she arrived early at Ru Sheng Garden today, just as He Immortal was about to enter the competition—only to find the woman ignored her completely, face grim, and floated away without a word.

In truth, He Immortal's anger stemmed partly from Ji You's outright refusal, not entirely from her running off.

To He Lingxiu, meeting wasn't the same as marrying immediately—yet Ji You wouldn't even agree to that, which was a direct insult to him.

This was a perfectly normal thought; anyone else would think the same, and consider Ji You excessively cold-hearted.

But how could she know that upstairs in the opposite building lived a jealous spirit—one no one could defeat?

But to Qiu Hanyue, she knew none of these twists; she assumed last night He Lingxiu had summoned Ji You, and when she ran off without a word, that was why he flew into such a rage.

She understood the Qiu family's precarious position, and knew the He clan, as an upper-tier noble house, could not be offended.

But she simply despised Fengzhou, refused to be married off to that rumored hellhole, and couldn't bear the thought of never being able to return home or visit friends again.

So Qiu Hanyue devised a plan: bypass He Lingxiu entirely and go straight to Ji You, persuading him to release her.

Since she didn't know Ji You's nature or temperament, she brought along her close friend from another noble family, Huang Rou, to bolster her courage.

After all, in the Qingyun world, it wasn't uncommon for a marriage alliance to be proposed—only for the other side to refuse outright.

Now, Qiu Hanyue stared at Ji You, hoping to crush his interest with the firmest tone and most hostile words possible.

And Ji You now realized: He Lingxiu wasn't just pressuring him—he was playing both sides, outmaneuvering even him, the bandit.

"I can understand your thoughts, Miss Qiu."

"No, you don't understand."

Qiu Hanyue looked at him: "Your background is different from ours. You're outside the noble networks—you have no idea how unbearable this is for me."

Ji You spoke: "This marriage will never happen. I already made it clear to Sister He last night—I shut the door on it completely. Miss Qiu, rest assured: I will never marry you."

"?"

Qiu Hanyue froze, startled beyond expectation.

She had never met Ji You before; naturally, she had no idea what he truly thought.

But knowing he wanted to marry her, her first instinct was that he was interested in her—this wasn't strange.

The Qiu family daughter was beautiful beyond compare, and had absolute confidence in herself—she had never imagined Ji You would respond like this.

Women are always like this: even if they don't know the man, hearing him say "I will never marry you" still stings a little.

Because in the Qiu family daughter's view, it should be her rejecting his family's status—not him rejecting her.

Yet despite the slight sting, this outcome aligned perfectly with her lifelong wish; the faint resentment vanished instantly beneath relief and joy.

"So we're agreed?"

"Agreed. Miss Qiu, rest easy. If there's nothing else, we'll end here."

"Alright..."

Watching Ji You walk away, the Qiu family daughter broke into a smile: "Perfect, Rou'er—I won't have to marry some backwater private cultivator."

Huang Rou nodded: "I didn't expect him to be so reasonable."

"Probably because my 'backwater private cultivator' comment really hurt him. That's exactly what I planned to say—it's his most shameful weakness."

"Since it's over, don't think about it anymore. Let's go?"

"Mm."

The Qiu family daughter, her wish fulfilled, left Ru Sheng Garden with her friend.

(End of Chapter)