Chapter 278: Take or Seize

Fang Jincheng publicly announced he was entering seclusion to break through to the Mid-Stage of Tongxuan.

Soon after, news spread from the Outer Court that Peng Yu had voluntarily applied to withdraw from the Heavenly Book Academy.

Coupled with the morning's report that a Divine Traveling Realm Elder had suffered spiritual damage, causing the Administration Court to scramble up the mountain in disarray, the Inner Court disciples could no longer focus on cultivation, their expressions varied in every gathering.

They knew something major must have happened last night, though they knew nothing of it.

Just as rumors swirled, a figure emerged from the Immortal Residence on the western side of the Inner Court's mountain gate.

Those atop the heights heard the sound and looked down to see Ji You walking out of a courtyard, holding a long sword.

He still looked like a scholar, harmless and unassuming, but his storage gourd was bulging crookedly at the mouth; after stepping out, he glanced once toward the peak of Nishan, then turned and left.

What puzzled everyone was that this was not his courtyard—it was Fang Jincheng's.

"How did Ji You come out of Fang Jincheng's courtyard…?"

"I remember yesterday when we returned to the mountain, I saw Fang Jincheng speaking with Peng Yu—something about the Inner Court's student selection."

"Could it be… a conflict?"

"But we didn't hear any noise last night…"

Amid the murmurs, Ji You turned eastward, his figure fading from view.

Seeing this, the crowd pondered long in silence, then quietly made their way to Fang Jincheng's courtyard.

Amid faint mist, the wooden gate of the small courtyard lay overturned; the main room's door stood wide open, but the interior was empty.

All paintings, ornaments, spirit stones, jade artifacts, swords, and treasures—even the sandalwood tables and chairs—had vanished without a trace.

Also gone was the Fangcun Platform that had once stood in the courtyard.

This artifact was a family heirloom of the Fang clan, capable of enhancing the connection between Heaven and Humanity, clarifying the Dao heart, and smoothing the flow of thoughts.

Though thousands of aristocratic families dotted the Qingyun Realm, some endured and rose steadily—there was always a reason.

It was said that Elder Fang himself had used this spiritual platform to ascend from the Fusion Dao threshold into the Yingtian Realm, eventually reaching the Boundless.

Fang Jincheng had been raised with great expectations since childhood, universally anticipated as the next great Fang clan powerhouse; soon after entering the Inner Court, the platform was sent to aid his cultivation.

Now the platform was gone, leaving only a hexagonal depression beneath the stand where it had rested.

As everyone stared at the depression, a group of disciples arrived from the back mountain, emerging through the morning mist and entering the courtyard in sequence.

Leading them was a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black slanted-front tunic—Lu Da, Elder Fang's personal attendant.

After withdrawing from the Heavenly Path Preliminaries, Lu Da had entered seclusion and only now emerged, still as expressionless and taciturn as ever.

Upon entering the courtyard, their eyes immediately went to where the Fangcun Platform had stood; when they saw it was gone, Lu Da's expression shifted slightly.

At the Yin hour today, he had been roused from sleep by Elder Fang.

First ordered to escort Fang Jincheng to the southern mountain abyss beside the Elder's Pavilion, to immediately enter seclusion.

After completing that, he was then ordered to return here and retrieve the Fang clan's ancestral Fangcun Platform—urgently, as if the heirloom were about to be stolen.

But in Lu Da's view, given Elder Fang's status and authority, even if the platform were left on the mountain path, no one would dare touch it—why the urgency?

Yet he never imagined the platform had truly vanished.

After long contemplation, Lu Da turned and left, ascending the mountain toward the Elder's Pavilion.

After passing through the dim corridor lined with red carpets, he arrived before Elder Fang, who sat cross-legged in his chamber, hands hanging limp.

This was the posture for Dao contemplation, but Elder Fang was clearly not in meditation—he simply sat, his eyes filled with agitation.

"Where is it?"

"Elder, it's gone."

Hearing this, Elder Fang clenched his fist, his gaze toward Lu Da turning dark and venomous.

Lu Da had already overheard the whispers among fellow cultivators—he knew Ji You had emerged from the courtyard before they arrived.

If Elder Fang asked, he would have told him, since he had no ties to Ji You and no reason to shield him.

But Elder Fang didn't ask—he merely gripped his teacup so tightly the cup wall cracked, yet said nothing, his face darkening, the wrinkles around his eyes twitching uncontrollably.

Seeing this reaction, Lu Da instantly lowered his head.

He suddenly understood: Elder Fang's cherished Fangcun Platform hadn't been stolen—it had been taken by force.

Only stolen items warrant a question of "who"; taken by force, no question is needed.

"Elder, do you have any other orders for your disciple?"

"Arrange someone to deliver meals daily to Fang Jincheng in the abyss."

"I've already made those arrangements."

"Then you may leave…"

"Yes."

Watching Lu Da depart, Elder Fang sat in silence for a long while, then rose and descended the mountain, eventually arriving at the Administration Court.

The three Administrators had just finished attending to Elder Lu's illness and hadn't even settled into their seats when they saw Elder Fang arrive and immediately rose to greet him.

"What brings Elder Fang here?"

Elder Fang remained silent for a long while: "I lost an ancestral spiritual platform."

The three Administrators frowned: "?"

"Someone saw Ji You pick it up. I ask you three to kindly inquire about it."

"May I ask, Elder Fang, where exactly was the Fangcun Platform lost?"

"In my great-grandson's courtyard."

Upon hearing this, the three Administrators fell into endless silence.

Something lost from within one's own courtyard isn't "lost"—it's been seized.

They realized their earlier suspicions were correct: both Elder Lu and Elder Fang had suffered great losses last night.

The three Administrators exchanged glances—they clearly didn't want to get involved.

Ji You was no longer the Ji You of old; even Elder Lu couldn't withstand him, let alone them.

But the Administration Court existed precisely to handle such matters—some things couldn't be avoided.

So they left the Administration Court and made their way to Ji You's courtyard.

Ji You had slept after returning from Fang Jincheng's courtyard and had just awakened, now digging a hole in his yard with a hoe.

The three Administrators stood in his yard waiting for him to finish, their eyes unconsciously drawn to the crow placed inside the pit.

The crow showed no external wounds, but blood stained every qi orifice—clearly its spiritual soul had been shattered; this revealed how terrifying the life-or-death struggle had been last night.

Ji You filled the pit, then turned to face the Administrators: "What brings you three here?"

"Nothing major—just carrying a message from Elder Fang."

"What message does Elder Fang want you to deliver?"

Qin Rong looked at him: "He says he lost a Fangcun Platform, and a kind soul picked it up. He asked us to find it."

Ji You's eyebrows lifted slightly: "What Fangcun Platform? I didn't even see a person—how could I have seen a platform?"

Qin Administrator produced a gift box filled with elixirs and spirit stones, beneath which lay a secret technique scroll: "This is Elder Fang's token of gratitude. Such ancestral treasures always bear family seals—you can sense their location with a thought."

"Elder Fang is far too courteous."

"And the Fangcun Platform…?"

"I've never seen it."

Ji You spoke calmly, reaching for the ribbon of the gift box.

Qin Rong instinctively tightened his grip—but when he saw Ji You's face, now devoid of any smile, he fell silent, then slowly released the ribbon and turned away.

Upon hearing this reply, Elder Fang's hands trembled; without a word, he returned to the Elder's Pavilion.

Many Elders in the Pavilion had heard of the Fang clan's Fangcun Platform and knew its value—so great that even a thousand-year aristocratic family might not bear the loss.

Spiritual treasures were rare; those capable of being passed down through generations, enabling every descendant to cultivate through them, were even rarer—it was like cutting off half the Fang clan's life.

Yet some Elders advised that since the platform bore the Fang family seal, it couldn't truly be lost—that Elder Fang should simply consider it lent to Ji You, and reclaim it later when the opportunity arose.

Such words were deeply cruel; many Elders uninvolved in the matter found them unbearable.