Chapter 249: One Quilt, Two Sisters

After passing through a brilliant glow, he stepped into a gray haze.

Ji You walked into it, feeling as if he were traversing a tunnel, his footsteps echoing with startling clarity.

After a while, a gentle breeze brushed his face, and the fresh scent of grass and trees began to drift in; before his eyes, a blinding white radiance flashed, and when he opened them again, he stood in an open expanse.

Before him stretched a vast grassland, curving forward into the distance.

Beneath a clear sky, the wind stirred a deep green sea.

Ji You halted, surveying his surroundings, and noticed that all who had entered ahead had also stopped, slowly breathing in and out; their qi shifted in ways that became mysteriously profound.

Some even emitted faint signs of imminent realm breakthrough.

These were all high-level competitors, already on the verge of their next realm; now immersed in this place where spiritual energy was nearly solid, it was as if an invisible hand had gently pushed them closer to breakthrough.

Truly an excellent place—no wonder so many fought to get in.

Ji You now began adjusting his breath, slowly inhaling and exhaling.

In an instant, spiritual energy surged into his body like a raging tide, filling him instantly.

Then, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it burst forth from his shattered lotus-like spiritual core, becoming a roaring river that surged through his limbs and bones, its power threatening to rupture his body.

At that moment, a loud "bang" echoed, and a howling gust of qi erupted.

The crowd snapped back to awareness to see the twin siblings of the Chen Shixian clan step forward first, their feet shimmering with spiritual light as they blurred into the sky and vanished.

They had come here solely to cultivate; having sensed its mystery for the first time, they had no intention of wasting time on the periphery—they were focused solely on the heart of the ancient sages' sacred ground.

Ji You now ceased his breathing, calmed his qi, and looked around.

Whenever he entered an unfamiliar environment, he never rushed toward his destination—he always first observed his surroundings.

As he looked, his brow slightly furrowed.

Zhuang Zixin, Zhu Yao, Li Yunlang, and others had entered before him and now stood atop a nearby slope, gazing at each other.

Their eyes held scrutiny, then, without words, they gathered together, exchanged a few brief remarks, and set off together toward the southwest.

These three did not belong to the same sect or family; their home regions—Zhongzhou, Lingzhou, and Yuzhou—were far apart.

Ji You had never heard they were acquainted before, nor had he seen them speak at the Heavenly Dao Assembly; their sudden alliance was unexpected.

Moreover, they had all entered for the first time, yet they seemed to have a specific destination in mind.

"Ji You."

As he pondered, a soft voice beside him caught his attention.

Fang Ruoyao, dressed similarly in white robes, stepped across the grass: "I've heard the closer you get to the center, the less barrier there is between heaven and man; once, someone here crossed three realms at once and emerged as a towering powerhouse. You've got this chance—don't waste it."

Ji You turned to him: "Where are you headed, Brother Fang?"

"Cultivation is ultimately a solitary path—I plan to find a quiet place."

"I see."

Fang Ruoyao chatted briefly, then bowed and took his leave, walking into the sea of grass.

Many others soon departed as well, following the direction of the wind.

Seeing the entrants scatter further and further, Ji You did not pause—he moved deeper, and soon encountered an even vaster expanse of grassland.

The terrain sloped downward ahead, ending in a dense forest, layered and dark, silent.

From Ji You's viewpoint, the clearest features were three low hills barely rising from within the mountains.

According to the earlier map, these three low hills marked the very heart of the ancient sages' sacred ground.

Ji You lightly pressed his feet, and as his entire body erupted with qi, his spiritual energy began to howl.

When the heat within his body surged forth, he instantly transformed into a blur of light, hurtling across the grassland and vanishing into the forest at its edge.

"Bang!"

After a muffled explosion of qi, Ji You landed on a cliffside, his waist pendant flashing incessantly.

The heavenly-human resonance here was indeed intensifying infinitely; even without meditating or activating his spiritual sense, he felt celestial principles roaring in his ears, shaking his heart.

Had he been able to confront his inner self, he might already have crossed the threshold of the Fusion Dao realm.

Ji You murmured silently, then gazed into the valley's interior.

For centuries, the ancient sages' sacred ground had welcomed prodigies every five years—it was never purely wild terrain.

In his sight, Ji You saw a long path paved with stone slabs, flanked by a few dusty stone lanterns.

Near the lanterns stood several thatched huts, their patched wooden planks evidence of repeated repairs.

These huts had been built by past cultivators who entered to train, later maintained by generations of immortals.

Before them stood a wooden tea table and several tree stumps serving as seats—crafted from local materials.

After pausing to observe, Ji You descended from the cliff, found a clear patch of ground, sat cross-legged, and gently closed his eyes.

Chen Luo and Chen Xi had also arrived at the northern side of the three low hills; upon seeing Ji You, their expressions turned startled.

They had departed earlier than Ji You, yet had arrived later.

At that moment, the siblings suddenly noticed the spiritual energy in the area beginning to flow, gradually converging toward Ji You, coalescing into a vortex that poured into him.

A cultivator's realm advancement stems from heightened heavenly-human resonance—it should not require vast amounts of spiritual energy.

They felt puzzled, but before they could ponder further, a trembling heat rose from the valley; as the heatwave struck their faces, their arm hairs stood on end.

At this moment, Ji You had ignited the fierce spiritual fire within him, burning along the surging river of qi in his body.

During the past few days of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, besides duels and kissing, he had focused solely on body refinement; the aching sensation signaling an impending breakthrough had begun to surface.

So he intended to use this place's pure, dense spiritual energy to first strike at the next threshold of his physical realm.

"Strange cultivation method…"

"A country hermit aiming for the top of the Heavenly Dao Assembly? That's not strange—it's the only thing that would be strange. Still, it's a heretical path."

The spiritual energy within the ancient sages' sacred ground was even purer than that in spirit stones, approaching the density of spirit cores.

Qi naturally flows from dense regions to sparse ones; thus, since the opening of the Mystic Light Gate, spiritual energy had been continuously seeping out into the surrounding forests.

Countless onlookers outside the gate could not resist closing their eyes to inhale, hoping to steal a bit of benefit.

But as Ji You and others moved away from the grassland entrance, the Mystic Light Gate slowly closed, the flow of spiritual energy thinned, and finally ceased.

Those who had entered meditation opened their eyes, staring at the fading Mystic Light with complex expressions.

Even outside the gate, the benefits were boundless—what wonders awaited inside, especially at the deepest core? They dared not imagine.

This Heavenly Dao Assembly's duels, though varying in strength, were all within the same realm; from today onward, the gap between those inside and those outside would widen ever more.

Cao Jingsong couldn't help trembling; images of his disciple emerging as a Heaven-Responding cultivator flashed in his mind: "How long until they emerge?"

"Depends on their insight."

"Insight?"

Qin Zhishi nodded: "Celestial principles permeate the ancient sages' sacred ground. Without sufficient insight, forcing enlightenment may cause backlash. They'll naturally realize when it's time to leave."

Yan Shuyi stood proudly atop her palanquin, gazing at the fading Mystic Light, her eyelashes, tinted gold by morning sun, trembling slightly.

Though she secretly hoped Ji You would take longer to emerge, since his figure vanished behind the Mystic Light, she found herself already missing him.

Upon reflection, this longing arose because she knew he'd be gone for a long time—unlike before, when she could meet him in the Spirit Mirror or exchange letters; now, her emotions began to churn prematurely.

Yuan Caimei, daughter of Yu Danzong, shared the same thoughts.

She had spent little time with Ji You, and their kiss had been cut short.

As if guided by intuition, both turned their heads simultaneously, curious what the other looked like while thinking of the same man—and their gazes met.

Since they had locked eyes, neither could look away; they walked toward each other.

"Sister Caimei, are you returning to your mountain now?"

"Yes, my younger brother is attempting to wield the Sacred Artifact—it concerns Yu Danzong's future, I cannot neglect it; as his elder sister, I must return to guard his path. What of you, Master of the Mirror?"

Yuan Caimei had not yet prepared herself to call her "sister," but she had dropped the word "little sister."

Yan Shuyi glanced toward the direction Ji You had vanished: "I cannot stay away from Lingjian Mountain long. The Heavenly Dao Assembly is over—I must return immediately to resume my seclusion."

Yuan Caimei nodded: "Then we must part here. It's a pity we haven't seen each other in so long—we can't spend more days together."

But if we truly become "sisters under one quilt," we'll have many more chances to be together.

Yuan Caimei silently thought this, then noticed the young mistress narrowing her eyes, watching her with wary suspicion—as if she, too, had just realized the same thing.

After bidding farewell to Yuan Caimei, Yan Shuyi returned to her palanquin.

Yuan Caimei also boarded her carriage; before departing, she lifted the curtain and waved gently toward Yan Shuyi.

The red palanquin then rose with the spiritual energy, soaring into the sky, while other immortal sects and noble families headed toward their own domains, swords and carriages cutting through the air, dust swirling beneath them.

After flying for a while, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, who accompanied her, suddenly saw a golden expanse slowly unfolding ahead.

As the breeze blew, waves of wheat rolled in layers, and many people used spiritual energy to wield sickles, harvesting the grain.

Their eyes widened in astonishment; after a long pause, they turned to their mistress.

Cui'er, gazing at the unfamiliar landscape below, also felt bewildered: "Mistress, I think we've gone the wrong way…"

Yan Shuyi spoke calmly: "We don't know how long it will be before we descend again. Ding Yao complained about being bored on the mountain—so before returning, I thought we'd take a little detour."

Ding Yao: "?"

Cui'er suddenly understood: "Ah, so that's why."

Lingjian Mountain was in autumn, its slopes now covered in crimson leaves, a magnificent sight.

But everyone had seen this scenery for over a decade—it grew dull no matter how beautiful.

The mistress closed her eyes for half a year to a year at a time; this rare chance to descend, a little extra wandering was perfectly reasonable—Cui'er understood.

Only Ding Yao, named in the remark, thought: The mistress's mouth is truly stubborn—she clearly just wants to go back and hear them call her "Ji's wife" and "Young Mistress," yet pretends it's because I'm bored on the mountain…

(←_←)

Yan Shuyi noticed Ding Yao's gaze and felt she was teasing her; she narrowed her eyes, fixing her with a stern look.

The palanquin flew on, soon landing in a county town.

After entering, they reached the city's main road, where a massive stone archway came into view; all around, women were cooking outdoors over open fires, and upon seeing the celestial carriage descending from the sky, they turned to stare.

It was harvest season now; in previous years, even the elderly, weak, women, and children in households had to work the fields, let alone these women.

But with cultivators now involved, harvesting required far fewer hands, so these women took on the heavy responsibility of preparing large pots of food.

At that moment, the gauze curtain of the carriage parted, and Yan Shuyi stepped down, drawing murmurs from the crowd.

"Look, Lady Ji has returned again."

"Lady Ji… so dignified."

"I said last time—Lady Ji must be a young lady from a cultivation sect."

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu exchanged glances, watching Yan Shuyi's deliberately cold and haughty expression, yet the faint, involuntary upward curve of her lips, and couldn't help but share a knowing look.

The Mirror Master had never admitted she liked Ji You, believing that as the next sect leader and wielder of the Sacred Artifact, falling in love would tarnish her dignity—so she constantly called Ji You "that strange man." Yet she truly loved being called "Lady Ji."

Cui'er walked behind them: "?"

Yan Shuyi then arrived at the Ji family's old residence, halted at the gate, and looked at the three of them: "Go explore somewhere else."

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu thought: Your Mirror Master is so pragmatic—you won't even step inside if the son-in-law isn't home; you came here just to hear a few "Lady Ji"s, didn't you?

But where to go, what to do—of course, it was up to the young Mirror Master.

So the carriage soon departed from Yuyang, heading toward Fengzhou Prefecture.

Yuyang County was Ji You's hometown; Fengzhou Prefecture was the true Ji clan's ancestral seat—both had to be attended to.

Half an hour later, the carriage landed before Ji Zhai's gate. Yan Shuyi lifted the gauze curtain with deliberate solemnity, then stepped down.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were already familiar with the routine; only Cui'er, staring at the gate plaque bearing the characters "Ji Zhai," wore a completely baffled expression.

First, she couldn't understand whether the plaque had a typo.

Second, she couldn't understand why the Mirror Master had claimed this was just a casual stroll, yet the entire journey felt oddly purposeful.

And those village women calling her "Lady Ji"—it seemed they were addressing the Mirror Master, leaving her even more confused.

Just as Yan Shuyi stepped down from the carriage and prepared to walk toward Ji Zhai, a carriage galloped up and came to a slow halt before the gate.

That carriage looked familiar—as if they'd just seen it.

The curtain was gently lifted, revealing Yuan Caimei's beautiful oval face.

She had heard Yan Shuyi had already visited the Ji family; though she said nothing aloud, she was secretly filled with envy.

Alchemists cultivated alchemy—on a grand scale, they could revive the dead and restore flesh to bones—but possessed no combat power. The Alchemy Sect lay in the southeast of Liangzhou, thousands of miles from Fengzhou; travel was difficult.

That was why Yuan Caimei had secretly come, taking advantage of Fengzhou's proximity to make a quick visit.

At that moment, the two fake sisters exchanged glances, silent, their gazes frozen.

【My younger brother is attempting to wield the Spirit Artifact; I must return to the mountain to guard his path.】

【I cannot be away from Lingjian Mountain for long—I must return immediately to cultivate.】

【It seems we must part here.】

Yan Shuyi had departed Fengzhou in the afternoon; Yuan Caimei had left around the same time. Before leaving, they had wandered extensively through Fengzhou and even dined at Ji Zhai.

On the return journey in the carriage, Cui'er remained dazed, unable to make sense of many things.

The Mirror Master had never been to Fengzhou, yet she seemed familiar with every corner; the people in Ji Zhai clearly listened to her—not as guests, but as if she were the mistress.

Even stranger, Fengzhou was in harvest season, and some of the grain appeared destined for storage.

But they couldn't agree on the exact proportion to send, so a group of local Fengzhou officials came together to consult their Mirror Master.

The Mirror Master said she didn't understand, yet the local officials insisted she give a number—as if whatever she said would be final.

So their own Mirror Master actually studied it seriously, then made a decision for Fengzhou, a place as distant from Lingzhou as heaven and earth—and after deciding, she seemed genuinely pleased.

As the next leader of Lingjian Mountain, the Mirror Master's every decision affected the entire Qingyun realm.

Grain collection was a mundane affair—how could it possibly concern the Mirror Master?

Yet whenever she made decisions for Lingjian Mountain, she resisted; but when she made decisions for Fengzhou, she felt immense satisfaction.

Another odd thing was the lunch before they left.

The Mirror Master clearly wanted to treat Yuan Caimei of the Alchemy Sect as a guest, calling her a distinguished visitor from afar; but Yuan Caimei didn't want to be a guest—she wanted to be family. Upon hearing "distinguished visitor," she immediately served food to her younger brother, saying, "Distinguished visitor, eat more…"

Cui'er pondered long, her expression vacant.

Meanwhile, Cao Jingsong's group, along with Kuangcheng and others, had also begun their return to Shengjing.

After a full day and night of travel, they finally arrived at dawn on the second day.

Cao Jingsong stepped into the Heavenly Book Academy, chest puffed out, radiating disdain for everyone he met; he pointed and whispered about Ding Jiaoxi and Ma Jiaoxi as he passed.

In past years, Cao Jingsong, due to his origins in Fengzhou, had been the least respected among the instructors, always the one being pointed at.

But now, upon his return, he began pointing and whispering indiscriminately at everyone.

Even, he pointed and whispered at two Inner Courtyard Elders—yet they merely wore complex expressions, pretending not to notice, saying nothing.

"Damn Cao Jingsong—he's gotten way too full of himself!"

"Don't blame him. If I had a disciple like Ji You who topped the Heavenly Dao Assembly, I'd be floating too."

"Hey, speaking of Ji You, did you hear anything from Chu He at this Heavenly Dao Assembly? Logically, he should've reached the Upper Realm of Tongxuan by now. He must've been furious after losing to Ji You—yet he didn't even participate. Do you know why, Ding Jiaoxi?"

"I don't know. Though he was once my student, I've had no word from him since he left the Academy. Come to think of it, Youzhou has been strangely quiet lately."

"Strange?"

"The Autumn Duel has ended, and I've begun preparing for this year's recruitment—but all the Youzhou youths I favored have refused me."

"Is our Academy's reputation… really that bad now?"

"Ji You won first place—who dares say our Academy is bad?"

"That guy's clearly an anomaly—a student like him appears once every few hundred years. You can't use him as a benchmark."

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(End of Chapter)