[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-284":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Watching the Immortals Fall",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260157,4410,"Chapter 284","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-284",284,"\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng and Ji You had returned home together many times, from Fengzhou and the northern frontier; each time, he would disembark first, while Ji You continued on the carriage toward the Book of Heaven Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Ji You remained motionless, waiting at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Ji?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outside air was freezing, the wind biting; Kuang Cheng said nothing and climbed onto the carriage: “Why are you waiting here for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You tossed him a blanket: “It’s too cold. You, a bookish scholar with no strength, would catch a chill walking back alone. I’m returning to the capital anyway with nothing urgent to do, so I waited. Where are you headed after this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After being away so long, I want to return to my courtyard and tidy up first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know you’ve been away so long—why didn’t you go see Miss Wei first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng lifted his gaze: “I should meet her, but she’s a woman and can’t wander freely from her household. Most often, she chooses a suitable time to come find me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You said nothing more, then followed Kuang Cheng back to his courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had left the capital just as the snow was heaviest; now, the courtyard was buried under deep snow, each step sinking past the knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Kuang Cheng borrowed a iron shovel from the neighboring courtyard and began shoveling snow, glancing at Ji You now and then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You had lit a fire in his main hall, set a kettle of water to boil, and was rummaging through his dark brown cabinet for tea leaves—clearly not planning to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long thought, Kuang Cheng pulled out his money pouch: “Brother Ji, my monthly stipend hasn’t been paid yet, but I still have some savings…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You’s eyes lit up at the silver, reaching out to take it: “True brother indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last time, our neighbor Official Chou gave me a slab of cured pork—want to take it back with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who said I’m going back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng froze: “Brother Ji took the silver but won’t go home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You tucked the silver into his robe and dropped the tea leaves into his cup: “Master Cao is in seclusion, Sister Wen and the others are in seclusion too. Here, at least, I have someone to talk to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does Miss Rui know you’re back? Shall I write her a letter for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You picked up Kuang Cheng’s usual brush and paper, waving them at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng paused his shoveling: “The city gate guards have people from the Wei household—before, I never needed to send letters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re so blunt—you don’t realize a girl wants to know you’re back, but also wants to receive a letter from you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You couldn’t help shaking his head, thinking this lad was beyond teaching, then ground ink, filled his brush, and began writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a flourish of elegant script, he lifted the letter to dry, then handed it to Kuang Cheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng took the letter, glanced at it twice, and blushed furiously at lines like “sleepless nights of spring, longing burning like wildfire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The later phrases—“the beauty of missing you, your smile, your white socks”—made the scholar cry out in horror: “Unseemly! Unseemly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I send this letter, I’ll be captured by the Wei household and drowned in a pond.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You’s lip twitched, thinking: If you can’t even handle written words, how will you ever handle real life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a knock came at the door; a young servant entered and handed over a letter, faintly scented with perfume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading it carefully, Kuang Cheng’s expression turned grave: “Brother Ji, the Immortal Surveillance Office needs me—I must go at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You had just poured the tea, raising his eyes to him: “You just went there—why are they calling you again so soon? What’s so urgent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Erm, just a small matter, nothing for you to worry about. Stay here and wait for me—I’ll buy wine and dishes on my way back and get drunk with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s urgent—I can’t wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You studied him a long moment, then rose from the hall: “I’ll go home first, tidy up my courtyard, and come find you at Shen Hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng saw him to the door: “I’ll try to return before Shen Hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s cold and windy—go inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You waved farewell, took a few steps east, then suddenly stopped, lightly leapt up, and landed on the roof of the opposite house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuang Cheng had half-closed the courtyard gate and continued clearing snow; once he’d made a path, he went inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he emerged again, he wore a scholar’s robe embroidered with silver thread, then walked out of the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This scholar… is quietly flirtatious…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You murmured to himself, then quietly rose and followed. He saw Kuang Cheng turn left, then right, arriving at a secluded villa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villa bordered the Wei household—a Wei family retreat, also buried under snow, its eaves’ bronze bells frozen with ice, silent in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You halted on the street and watched as Kuang Cheng pushed open the vermilion gate carved with scrolling vines and stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He concealed his qi, relying solely on physical strength to leap lightly and land on the hip roof of the neighboring courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>",892,"2026-06-19T15:28:41.422Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf4153d8f9aa77a5a5157cce58ce1ecfb6939509a6e9e29218ec441d29e287f9","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-285","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-283",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]