Chapter 286: The Warmth of Mortal Life

The verbal battle that had erupted without warning was interrupted by a sound from the window, pausing briefly, but upon closer inspection, no one had entered through the door.

According to simple logic, the fight should have continued, for the heartless immortal had no intention of stopping.

But when only one person kept going—the same one who had been the most defiant—it felt deeply strange.

Amid the flickering flames of the stove, Yan Shuyi sat quietly in Ji You's lap, watching him.

In an instant, the confusion on her lovely face vanished, replaced by a sharper, colder gaze.

Seeing this, Ji You straightened up and sealed her lips once more.

He had known Yan Shuyi for a long time; he understood her nature well.

The Little Inspector of Spirit Sword Mountain cared most about face—never mock her "devotion to the Dao, free of emotion and love," or you'd be asking for death.

Long after, Yan Shuyi returned to her seat, staring at the flames in the stove, wiping her red lips expressionlessly.

Not long after, Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui, having washed the dishes, walked toward the room.

Seeing this, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu followed them in, their minds echoing the earlier murmurs, eyes darting around.

【Devoted to the Immortal Dao】

【Cut Off Emotion, Sever Love】

【The Beloved of Rui'er's Lover】

【Meeting Again, Only Polite Greetings】

So this is how old friends greet each other now…

At that moment, Kuang Cheng, having dried his hands, carried a large earthen basin from the room and placed it beside the stove.

Inside were glutinous rice grains soaked in water, each one sinking, separate from the clear liquid.

Kuang Cheng then took out a small stone mill and set it beside the basin; he held his hands before the stove to warm them, then began rinsing the rice and pouring it into the mill.

"What is this?"

"Grinding rice paste."

"Oh, you're making niangao again."

Ji You quickly realized the New Year was near—he remembered that last year, Kuang Cheng had made niangao around this same time.

Kuang Cheng now filled the hollow center of the mill with rice grains: "The last two batches didn't hold shape well. This year I've changed the method—I soaked the rice in warm water first and tried again."

"Need help?"

"Come back a few days later when we pound the niangao."

Kuang Cheng gripped the handle of the mill and began turning it in slow circles; soon, rice paste began seeping out through the mill's small spout.

In ancient winters, when snow fell, darkness came just after the Shen hour, with no activities to speak of—so people lit candles to do these tasks.

As the mill turned faster, the few seated beside the stove watched the rice paste flow, falling into quiet reverie.

Immortal cultivators' lives were always solitude, seclusion, and breakthroughs; they rarely interacted with the outside world, never getting the chance to gather together, knead dough, and wait for a festival to arrive.

Watching, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu suddenly exchanged glances.

He suddenly understood why cultivators must withdraw from the world—this life, though seemingly dull, truly drew one in.

At that moment, Ji You looked up at Ding Yao: "What, has your Dao heart cracked?"

Ding Yao hesitated, then nodded slightly: "A little."

"Cultivators ignore mortals because they're constantly told the mortal world is a prison compared to the immortal realm—so even if they can't ascend, they don't find this world worth cherishing."

"Generation after generation, cultivators who live in seclusion have grown to no longer love this warm, bustling world, becoming indifferent to all things—but suddenly, when you see it, when you witness it, you realize you never lost your innate capacity to love life."

Ding Yao froze slightly, then blinked slowly, pondering his words for a long while.

Meanwhile, the cold and proud Little Inspector of Spirit Sword Mountain lifted her gaze slightly toward Ji You.

She had been raised since childhood to be an Inspector, a Sect Master, to approach the Immortal Realm, to ascend, to perpetuate power—and so she had spent her life in mountain seclusion.

For decades, she had lived with servants dressing her, feeding her, so much so that she barely knew how to tie her own sash.

Other noble youths, though not as exalted as her, were equally unaccustomed to labor, sustained by mortals—similar circumstances.

Without suffering, one cannot feel joy; without fatigue, one cannot feel ease—and thus, they cannot understand why the mortal world might be worth anything.

She had indeed come to find Ji You on a whim, following him through the entire winter, and only then had she broken free from her former longing for the immortal realm, beginning to notice the small details around her.

She had thought: if she could live like this forever, perhaps immortality wasn't truly necessary.

Too bad, seeking the Immortal Dao remained the dominant trend—few in the world cared to live each day well.

Like those Elders who had sat in deep mountains, immersed in the Dao for most of their lives—even knowing the Dao was unattainable, they found no interest in mortals' daily bread, salt, oil, and vinegar, and thus could never empathize with them.

After deep thought, a knock came through the snow-laden wind outside the window; Ding Yao snapped back to awareness and rose with Zhuo Wanqiu, walking to the courtyard to open the gate.

Outside stood a delicate girl, about fifteen or sixteen, her hair tied in twin buns, gazing at them.

"Zhu'er? What are you doing here?"

"Um, greetings, Immortal Ladies. I've come for my mistress—the night is too dark, my lady says it's time for her to return home."

Wei Rui's maid Zhu'er spoke softly, her clear voice ringing through the wind.

Wei's household had always known Wei Rui was spending time with Kuang Cheng, but because of Ji You's presence, they had wavered between stopping her and letting it be.

Even if they chose to pretend not to notice, they would never let their young mistress stay overnight at a man's home.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu nodded, then delivered Zhu'er's message before sitting back down.

But they hadn't expected that as Wei Rui reluctantly rose to leave, their own Little Inspector also stood from her chair.

So the two, still barely seated, rose as well, staring blankly at their Little Inspector.

【Farewell, Only Polite Greetings】

【Taste a little, then leave quickly】

Ji You also rose, watching Yan Shuyi, who gave him a haughty glance over her shoulder before walking through the courtyard to the gate, leaving a trail of tiny footprints in the snow.

"Is the Inspector returning to the Wei family's villa?"

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu followed behind, walking a few steps before speaking softly.

Yan Shuyi turned her head slightly: "Lord Kuang and his friend invited Rui'er as a guest—we came uninvited, already impolite. Now that Rui'er is leaving, and we're not familiar with them, how could we continue to intrude?"

Afraid to return home with the young master.

The two maids instantly translated that sentence in their minds, stifling a cough.

It seemed even a hardened mouth, even after being kissed, couldn't soften—those long moments inside had meant nothing; the young master was still "the friend of Rui'er's lover."

At that moment, Wei Rui looked at her admired Yan sister, a flicker of worry in her eyes.

Beneath the snow and wind, the courtyard gate closed; Ji You slowly turned his gaze back and saw Kuang Cheng watching him, his expression also uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you and Miss Yan truly severed ties?"

"?"

Kuang Cheng paused the mill in his hands: "Rui'er said Miss Yan told her she would now devote herself entirely to the Dao, abandon the mortal world, and forget you on the path of immortality. I thought you two were just playing 'pretend not to know each other' again—but Miss Yan just left without a word. What's going on?"

Ever since Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui learned Miss Yan had come to Shengjing without seeing Ji You, they'd harbored doubts.

Kuang Cheng had asked her; after Kuang Cheng left, Wei Rui had asked too.

Seeing them keep asking, Yan Shuyi had seriously told Wei Rui: cultivators must cut off emotion and love once they reach a certain realm—their mortal pasts are cast aside; she and Ji You were now severed.

Wei Rui had refused to believe it at first, but seeing the Little Inspector's serious expression and the coldness in her eyes, she began to waver.

Just then, Ji You sent Kuang Cheng to invite them over, so Wei Rui brought Yan Shuyi along to see for herself.

While washing dishes, Wei Rui had voiced her worries to Kuang Cheng, who didn't believe a word—he'd just seen her feed him cured pork.

He'd urged Wei Rui to relax, ignore the two of them, and slowed his dishwashing deliberately to give them privacy.

But when they entered the room, they found the two acting as if strangers—one focused on the stove, the other silent, no exchange at all.

Most crucially, Miss Yan had left without a word alongside Wei Rui, while Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu wore complex expressions—this scene made the usually confident Kuang scholar feel a flicker of doubt.

Ji You listened to his description, his mouth twitching—he thought the stubborn brat was pulling a fast one.

No exchange at all? She'd just stuck out her tongue.

"You needn't worry—this is just her current persona."

Kuang Cheng looked at him strangely: "What's a persona?"