Chapter 278: Picking Up and Snatching

Fang Jincheng announced to the outside world that he was going into seclusion, saying he was going to charge into the Middle Profound Understanding Realm.

Shortly after, news of Peng Yu taking the initiative to apply to the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard to withdraw from the Heavenly Academy also came from the Outer Court.

Added to the news that a Spirit Travel Realm elder had suffered spiritual sense damage in the early morning, causing the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard to rush up the mountain in a panic, the Inner Court disciples were no longer in the mood to cultivate, and they stood in groups with different expressions.

They knew that some major event they didn't know about must have happened last night, which had been seemingly calm.

And just when these various guesses were circulating, a figure appeared from the immortal residence on the west side of the Inner Court mountain gate.

The crowd at the high place looked down upon hearing the sound and saw Ji You walking out of a courtyard with a long sword in his hand.

He was still dressed like a scholar, looking harmless, but the storage gourd at his waist was bulging, and after leaving the door, he glanced at the peak of Nishan, then turned and left.

And what made everyone feel puzzled was that it was not his courtyard, but Fang Jincheng's courtyard.

"Why did Ji You come out of Fang Jincheng's courtyard..."

"I remember when we returned to the mountain yesterday, I saw Fang Jincheng talking to Peng Yu, it seemed to be because of the Inner Court selection."

"Could it be... a conflict?"

"There was no sound heard last night..."

Amidst the discussion, Ji You turned east, and his figure gradually disappeared.

Seeing this scene, everyone pondered for a long time, then went to Fang Jincheng's courtyard without a word.

In the faint mist, the wooden door of the small courtyard facing them was lying on the ground, and looking over, the door of the room was also open outward, but the room was already empty.

Any calligraphy, paintings, ornaments, spirit stones, jade wares, swords, magical artifacts, and even the sandalwood tables and chairs had disappeared without a trace.

And disappearing along with them was the Square Inch Platform that was originally placed in the courtyard.

This object was a spiritual treasure passed down through the Fang family, capable of enhancing heaven-man sensing and also clearing the Dao heart, making thoughts smooth.

There are thousands of aristocratic families in the Azure Cloud world, but there are always some families that can stand firm and climb step by step, and there is a reason for this.

It is said that Elder Fang also cultivated to this point by relying on this spiritual platform, entering the Responding to Heaven Realm from the threshold of the Merging with the Dao Realm, until the Boundless Realm.

And Fang Jincheng had been given high hopes since he was a child and had always been the next Fang family powerhouse expected by everyone, so not long after he entered the Inner Court, this spiritual platform was sent over to assist his cultivation.

Only this spiritual platform was gone at this moment, leaving only a six-sided deep mark pressed under where the platform had been.

Just as everyone was staring at the place where the mark had been pressed, a team of disciples coming from the back mountain arrived at this time through the morning mist and filed in from outside the door.

The leader was tall and sturdy, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with a diagonal lapel; it was Lu Da, the page under Elder Fang.

After withdrawing from the Heavenly Dao Assembly, Lu Da had gone into seclusion and only came out now; he was still in the state of having few expressions and speaking very little.

And when they arrived in the courtyard, they first looked at the original location of the Square Inch Platform, and when they saw that the spiritual platform was gone, Lu Da's expression changed slightly.

Today at the hour of the tiger, he was still in his dreams when he was summoned by Elder Fang.

First, he was ordered to send Fang Jincheng to the mountain abyss on the right side of the Elder Pavilion to let him go into seclusion immediately.

After doing all this, he was ordered to come here to retrieve the Fang family's inherited Square Inch Platform, looking extremely urgent, as if this family-inherited spiritual treasure was about to be stolen.

But in Lu Da's view, with Elder Fang's status and prestige, no one would dare to touch the Square Inch Platform even if it were dropped on the mountain path, so why be in such a hurry to find it?

But what he didn't expect was that the Square Inch Platform was truly gone.

After pondering for a long time, Lu Da turned and went out the door, walking toward the mountain, then entered the Elder Pavilion.

When he passed through the gloomy corridor paved with red carpets and arrived in front of Elder Fang, Elder Fang was sitting cross-legged in the room, his hands hanging down.

This was the posture used by cultivators to comprehend the Dao, but Elder Fang was clearly not in meditation; he was just sitting like this, his eyes full of restlessness.

"Where is it?"

"Elder, it's gone."

Hearing this, Elder Fang couldn't help but clench his fists, his eyes looking at Lu Da becoming incomparably gloomy.

In fact, Lu Da had already heard the discussions of his fellow disciples before they arrived, knowing that Ji You had come out of the courtyard before they arrived.

If Elder Fang asked, he would definitely say so; after all, he didn't have any friendship with Ji You, so there was no need to cover for him.

But who knew Elder Fang didn't ask, just gripped the teacup in his hand so tightly that the cup wall shattered without saying a word, then his face became very ugly, and even the corners of his wrinkled eyes were twitching constantly.

Seeing his reaction, Lu Da lowered his head instantly.

He suddenly realized that the Square Inch Platform Elder Fang was thinking about day and night hadn't been stolen, but snatched.

Because only if it were stolen would one ask who it was; if it were snatched, there was no need.

"Does the Elder have anything else to order the disciple to do?"

"You go arrange for someone to send food to Fang Jincheng in the mountain abyss every day."

"I have already made arrangements for this."

"Then withdraw..."

"Yes."

Watching Lu Da leave, Elder Fang was silent for a long time, then stood up and went down the mountain, eventually arriving at the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard.

The three managers of the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard had just finished dealing with Elder Lu's illness and hadn't even sat down when they saw Elder Fang come here, so they immediately stood up to welcome him.

"Elder Fang, what brings you here?"

Elder Fang was silent for a long time: "I lost a spiritual platform passed down through my family."

The three managers furrowed their brows: "?"

"Someone saw that the Square Inch Platform was picked up by Ji You, so I ask the three managers to work hard and help me ask."

"May I ask Elder Fang, where was the Square Inch Platform lost?"

"It was in my great-grandson's courtyard."

The three managers of the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard fell into endless silence after hearing him.

Things disappearing in one's own courtyard is not called losing; that is being snatched away by someone.

They realized that they hadn't guessed wrong earlier; Elder Lu and Elder Fang had both suffered a big loss last night.

The three managers looked at each other, clearly not wanting to get involved in this matter.

Ji You was no longer the Ji You of the past; even Elder Lu couldn't hold his own, let alone them.

But the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard existed to handle these things, and some things were hard to shirk.

So they left the Qin Zhangshi's Courtyard and eventually arrived at the courtyard where Ji You was located.

Ji You had taken a nap after returning from Fang Jincheng's courtyard and had just woken up, currently holding a hoe and digging a hole in the courtyard.

The three managers stood in his courtyard waiting for him to do all this, their eyes involuntarily looking at the cold crow that had been placed in the hole.

That cold crow had no injuries on its body, but there were bloodstains outside all its orifices, clearly having had its soul shattered; from this, one could see how terrifying the life-and-death situation that occurred here last night must have been.

Ji You filled the hole and turned to look at the managers behind him: "What brings the three of you here?"

"It's nothing major, just entrusted by Elder Fang to pass on a word."

"What word does Elder Fang want you to pass on?"

Qin Rong looked at him: "He said he lost a Square Inch Platform, which was picked up by a kind-hearted person, and asked us to come and find it."

Ji You's brow arched slightly: "What Square Inch Platform? I haven't even seen a person, so how could I have seen a platform?"

Qin Zhangshi Qin took out a gift box, which contained countless elixirs and spirit stones, and at the bottom was a scroll of secret techniques: "This is a thank-you gift from Elder Fang. Actually, those family-inherited treasures all have family imprints, and one can know where they are just by moving one's thoughts."

"Elder Fang is just too polite."

"Then the Square Inch Platform...?"

"I haven't seen it."

Ji You said indifferently and reached out to pull the ribbon of the gift box.

Qin Rong subconsciously tightened his grip on the ribbon, but when he saw the expression on Ji You's face that no longer had a smile, he remained silent for a long while before letting go and turning to leave.

Elder Fang's hands were trembling after hearing this answer, then he returned to the Elder Pavilion without a word.

In fact, many elders in the Elder Pavilion had heard of the Fang family's Square Inch Platform and knew that its value was so great that even a thousand-year aristocratic family might not be able to bear it.

Because spiritual treasures are rare, and spiritual treasures that can be passed down from generation to generation to allow every disciple to comprehend the Dao are even scarcer; this was simply taking half of the Fang family's life.

However, there were also elders who advised that the Square Inch Platform had the Fang family's imprint and couldn't be lost, telling Elder Fang to just treat it as having lent it to Ji You and ask for it back when there was an opportunity in the future.

In fact, these words were quite heart-piercing, and many elders unrelated to the matter felt they couldn't endure it after hearing them. ===== CHAPTER 279 =====