Chapter 301: Yu Danzong in Peril

Ji You had intended to find the Night Watchman and ask him about the path of Body Cultivation, but he never expected that what he finally found was a death notice from a hundred years ago.

This indeed answered many of his questions.

For instance, why had the Night Watchman, who was clearly from the Heavenly Book Academy, left no trace among all the people he had asked there?

For a hundred years' time can truly erase many traces.

And the half-scroll of Immortal Scripture he had found—his greatest mystery had been how such a thing could be casually discarded in the wild mountains and desolate valleys.

Now he understood: if a person is dead, where his belongings end up is no longer strange.

But this answer also gave rise to many new questions.

For instance, if the Night Watchman truly guarded the four directions, why had the Immortal Sect turned on him?

And why, given the Night Watchman's crucial role, had his death stirred not the slightest ripple, leaving only one traveling opera troupe to remember him?

The most critical and most chilling question of all was…

If the Night Watchman's lineage had been severed, then what of the night he and his ancestors had guarded for generations?

Ji You stayed awake all night, pondering these questions, yet found no answers.

After all, this was an old matter from over a hundred years ago.

Had he not by chance encountered the opera troupe escorting an Immortal's funeral, he might never have learned of it.

Whether he knew or didn't know made little practical difference; the only certainty was that the path of Body Cultivation, now his sole focus, would require him to rediscover it all himself.

Through the night in the small tower he heard spring rain; at dawn, dew dripped from bamboo tips, wetting the crows.

After the rain cleared, Ji You rose from his bed, washed his face, and stepped into the courtyard.

Since the matter of the Night Watchman had reached its conclusion, he no longer needed to search; now he would focus on Body Cultivation and press forward toward his next breakthrough, so he decided to bid farewell to the troupe.

But when he entered the courtyard, he saw the troupe master, the young female lead, the martial actor, and the old male actor seated together, whispering, each face etched with unease.

"Good morning, everyone."

The troupe master looked up and saw Ji You approaching: "Ah, Young Master, did you sleep well last night?"

Ji You nodded: "Fairly well. The spring rain startled the spring—quite elegant."

"Fengxian has already steamed pumpkin. Would you care for some?"

"No, just a cup of morning tea. After I drink it, I'll be on my way."

The troupe master was surprised: "You're leaving already?"

Ji You sat on a stool and poured himself tea: "I've heard the ending of the story. No need to dwell further—I have other matters ahead."

"Then finish your tea. We'll see you off. The inn in Pingxi County lies down a secluded alley—it's not easy to find."

"Thank you."

As Ji You drank his tea, he noticed the young female lead looked uneasy, and so did the martial actor and the old male actor. After watching them for a while, he couldn't help asking: "It's barely morning—why do you all look so frightened?"

They exchanged glances and bit their lips.

They felt that since Ji You had heard the troupe's final, secret performance, the Grand Master must have deemed him trustworthy, so they didn't hide it.

"Young Master, you don't know—since we left Zhongzhou, the Lang family seems to have run into trouble."

Ji You was startled: "Trouble?"

The troupe master took over: "An Immortal's funeral lasts nine days. We only performed eight, so I didn't dare ask for payment before leaving—just left a note at Kangle County's Liu Zi General Store, planning to collect after the rites. Then it happened."

The young female lead spoke up: "Liu Zi's message came this morning—he said the Lang family's ancestor truly rose from the grave and bit a family member to death."

"What do you mean, 'rose from the grave'?"

"We don't know how it happened—we're just terrified."

As she spoke, the young female lead shrank into herself.

The young martial actor turned pale: "Liu Zi probably won't come back…"

Eating the Immortals' bread means higher pay—but also life-or-death risks. One misstep, and you're dead.

After a long pause, Ji You raised his head again: "If it truly rose from the grave, then you suspected it might happen—why?"

The young female lead replied: "Young Master, when the Lang family told us to leave, they specifically asked if we'd performed the 'Resurrection from the Grave' play. I found that strange—wondered if it had already happened. And Qiu Ge—he saw a shadow in the funeral hall during the inner chamber performance."

The martial actor immediately waved his hand: "I only glimpsed it briefly—I couldn't be sure."

Listening to them, Ji You's brow tightened.

In Qingyun Realm, there is no reincarnation; "rising from the grave" is just folk superstition. He'd never heard of an Immortal experiencing this.

Rising after death?

Could it be some longevity secret technique…

Ji You held his teacup, pondered long, then set it down.

The Night Watchman's mystery had already drained his mind—he had no energy to delve deeper into other matters. He told them Immortal techniques were countless; perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.

They didn't understand cultivation, so they comforted each other.

After morning tea, they paid respects to the frail Grand Master. Ji You formally bid farewell and left the courtyard with the troupe master, heading for the city's inn.

"The road ahead is long and steep—may you travel safely, Young Master."

"Thank you, Master. May we meet again by fate."

"By fate."

Ji You bid farewell to the troupe master and boarded the inn's carriage.

He needed to go first to Baiyang City in Qingzhou.

Though Pingxi County lay in Yunzhou, the nearest major city was Baiyang City in southwest Qingzhou.

Ji You had run out of spirit stones; only Baiyang City had a spirit stone shop.

Also, while in Kangle City, he'd left instructions for any incoming messages to be forwarded to Baiyang City for him to collect.

This trip, besides buying spirit stones, he'd also check for any messages.

At dawn, the carriage moved slowly; Ji You had closed his eyes, entering meditation to restore his spirit.

The journey from Pingyang County to Yunzhou's official road took about an hour, all over bumpy dirt paths.

By the time they reached the official road, the sun had begun to disperse the mist, slowly rising.

But just as the sun reached its zenith, Ji You felt a sudden tilt—he broke meditation, opened his eyes, and saw his carriage had veered sharply left.

"Get out of the way!"

"Immortal Sect procession—clear the road!"

A roar approached from afar; the carriage's magical device whipped up a powerful gust.

Ji You pulled back the curtain and saw a caravan from the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion passing by, their Immortal Sect banner fluttering in the wind.

Only after the caravan had long passed did the driver dare steer his carriage back onto the center of the road.

Ji You paid it no mind—until they crossed Yunzhou's border into Qingzhou, and the carriage veered again.

Yunzhou's roads, used for spirit stone transport, were relatively wide, but Qingzhou's were not.

This road was narrow; a slight tilt sent the carriage tumbling down the roadside slope.

The driver up front kept boasting about his driving skill.

Ji You said nothing, watching the caravan bearing the Chen Shixian Clan's banner pass by—his brow furrowed slightly.

Immortal Sect disciples usually sat in deep mountains; they wouldn't travel so conspicuously unless something had happened.

And Immortals could fly with spiritual energy—short distances, they'd never use vehicles. Only long journeys, fearing energy depletion, would they choose carriages or Immortal ships.

Now both Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion and Chen Shixian Clan were moving in the same direction—could something else be happening?

As he pondered, the carriage slowly entered Baiyang City in Qingzhou.

As soon as they passed through the city gate, Ji You saw the carriages he'd just seen parked and resting.

The inn's page boys fed grass to the horses; then the Immortal Sect disciples boarded again and headed south without delay.

Ji You leapt down from the carriage, paid the driver in silver, and kept watching the departing carriages.

These weren't ordinary outsiders—they had high cultivation.

He watched long, until the carriages vanished down the long street, then turned toward the city's spirit stone shop and spent a fortune.

Body Cultivation was a bottomless pit.

Ji You counted his banknotes, muttering curses under his breath.