Chapter 310

In the dim elixir chamber, golden light flickered incessantly within the furnace, emitting an aura that resonated with the deepest longing of a cultivator's heart.

Ji You stared at it for a long time, the golden glow in his eyes constantly interweaving with the light from the furnace.

Yuan Caimei's expression was much the same, even more solemn.

Logically, all things under heaven are born of the Dao and naturally contain its power—but such a pure fruit, entirely composed of Daoic energy, she had never seen before.

This thing's efficacy surpasses every elixir in Yu Danzong designed for awakening the Dao.

Could it be that the Immortal Sect has found an Immortal Fate?

But how could such a fruit, brimming with Immortal energy, form in a ruin sealed off for millennia, where malevolent qi blocks the Dao?

"Besides Daoic energy, are there other components?"

"There are some constituent materials, but unrelated to the fruit's true nature."

Ji You frowned slightly: "What if I eat it directly?"

Yuan Caimei turned to look at him: "Cultivators awaken the Dao by absorbing Daoic energy."

"Treat today's events as if they never happened. Neither Master Yuan nor Yuanchen must know."

"Caimei understands."

The daughter of Yu Danzong had been calmed last night; though she said nothing aloud, her mind had unconsciously yielded, and at Ji You's words, she nodded obediently.

At dusk, the setting sun burned crimson along the horizon, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

The refined substance from the furnace was sealed in a jade vial, which Ji You stored in his own storage gourd.

This thing could not remain in Yu Danzong—he had to take it away.

Yet taking it away did not mean he intended to use it for his own cultivation.

He had witnessed the devastation of Qiling firsthand; the word "ruin" still unsettled him, and he did not believe anything emerging from such places could truly be beneficial.

Moreover, he feared failing to stabilize his Dao and falling into demonic deviation—he had long suppressed the Dao's repeated calls for him to break through, and he would not deliberately court disaster.

The two then left the elixir chamber and returned to the small pavilion.

Beneath the dim glow of red candles, Ji You bent over the desk and wrote a letter detailing the refined substance, intending to give it to Qi Zhengyang to deliver to Yan Shuyi.

For thousands of years, countless humans in Qingyun have devoted themselves to cultivation and realm advancement—yet now an Immortal Fate capable of crossing realms has appeared, and it will shatter the existing cultivation order.

Even if the object itself is harmless, entangled with humanity's greed, it may not yield a good outcome.

Especially those who were meant to die but now will not—the consequences will be intricate and tangled.

The succession dispute between Xuan Jian Peak and Tian Jian Peak may intensify, possibly even sparking a holy artifact conflict within the Immortal Sect.

After all, one fruit equals a hundred years of cultivation; in this oppressive Qingyun world, who would willingly submit beneath another?

In this light, the world's balance may grow even more complex.

He hoped Yan Shuyi would not be caught off guard, so he wrote at length.

After folding the letter and tucking it into his sleeve, Ji You turned to Yuan Caimei: "The storm in Yu Danzong has passed. Master Yuan has decided to seal the mountain, so I've decided to leave tomorrow."

In the dim lamplight, the beautiful daughter of Yu Danzong sat by the bed, lost in thought; upon hearing this, she could not help but look up: "Leaving so soon…?"

"The ruin has been opened. Though the refined substance shows no signs of harm, I feel uneasy—I want to go down the mountain and see for myself."

"Father once told me this isn't just Yu Danzong's calamity—it's Qingyun's. I don't know what he meant by 'calamity,' but I'm sure it's not good. Young Master, please be careful."

Ji You nodded: "Unless absolutely necessary, I won't act recklessly."

Yuan Caimei looked at him, hesitated a long while, then suddenly trembled: "That… last night's calming wasn't finished."

"Hm?"

"Medicinal energy has accumulated in your body—it's dangerous."

The daughter of Yu Danzong gazed up at him, patiently explaining how residual medicine could trigger toxicity within the body.

Last night, after probing his condition with elixir qi, she knew his medicinal energy had fully dissipated—but she pretended it still needed calming, only to be reversed instead; since then, neither had mentioned it.

Yet she felt that since they'd already begun this charade, they couldn't just pretend it never happened.

Otherwise, she feared Ji You would conclude last night's calming was unnecessary—and suspect she'd merely wanted to touch her sister's man.

Yuan Caimei had always wished to maintain a dignified image before Ji You, so she intended to carry out the act fully.

Upon hearing this, Ji You's eyes flickered with something strange.

He knew perfectly well he no longer needed calming—so the word "calming" took on another meaning in his ears.

"Last night… wasn't it already calmed?"

"The medicinal energy had just entered your body when… anyway, it hadn't been fully activated—it's insufficient."

Yuan Caimei spoke seriously, but when she reached the word "when," her cheeks flushed, and she dared not clarify what had happened the moment the elixir qi entered.

Upon hearing "insufficient," Ji You looked up at Yuan Caimei, his expression serious.

Just moments ago, her buttocks had still been sore from the elixir refining—he hadn't planned to trouble her again—but now he heard "insufficient."

This phrase, like "can't," "too short," or "not enough time," strikes at a man's dignity.

So Ji You looked at her: "Now?"

Yuan Caimei lifted her head, her eyelashes trembling: "Since you're leaving tomorrow, it must be tonight."

Hearing this, Ji You rose and walked toward the bed.

Yuan Caimei had always politely called him "Young Master," never "husband," making it hard for him to feel truly close to her.

But since the woman had abandoned her reserve and taken the initiative, Ji You couldn't act like a scoundrel—taking what he wanted and then pretending he'd never meant to give more.

As Yuan Caimei watched his hand reach for her, a flicker of confusion passed through her eyes.

As night fell, darkness slowly gathered, and stars gradually blanketed the sky.

A night breeze blew steadily, thudding against the paper windows.

Ji You sat on the edge of the bed and gently drew the daughter of Yu Danzong into his arms.

As she settled, Yuan Caimei clung tightly to his neck, lips clenched, toes curling on the wooden bed, her heart whispering: This isn't how it was supposed to be.

The calming she meant was real calming.

No, not entirely real—but pretending to calm was still calming, not this.

Yet as the sensation of being reversed slowly deepened, the daughter of Yu Danzong offered no resistance; instead, she quietly submitted.

Then, calming.

The bamboo bed, crafted from slats, matched the pavilion's overall atmosphere perfectly—and was remarkably springy.

As they moved, the bamboo slats beneath the bed bent and rebounded, bending again, rebounding again.

Ji You gripped her slender waist, gradually shifting from stillness controlling motion to motion controlling stillness, repeating the cycle many times, his murmured whispers filling her ears.

Hearing this distant form of address, Ji You was unsure what kind of scene this was.

The calming lasted until dawn, when a soft pop echoed—and the thick night began to slowly drain away.

At dawn, the red sun rose above the mountain peaks.

As the east brightened, the endless mountains gradually came into view, their contours outlined in crimson, glowing softly.

From afar, layered peaks shimmered green, waterfalls cascaded, springs flowed.

Ji You rose early at Mao Hour, then packed his belongings inside the room.

Yuan Caimei awoke at Mao Hour and thirty minutes, lying quietly on the bed for a while before helping him fold his washed clothes—but, shy, she said nothing.

Seeing the silence, Ji You the bandit wanted to cross his arms and ask if it was enough this time.

But Yuan Caimei's skin was too thin—she hid even her drawings—and he feared he'd make her cry.

Yesterday was strange: she'd said it wasn't enough, yet later cried and begged that she couldn't go on.

Just then, a knock came at the door—Yuanchen and Jiyue arrived at the bamboo pavilion courtyard.

Jiyue was Yuan Caimei's personal maid, arriving every morning at the same hour; Yuanchen came to see Ji You, but upon hearing he planned to leave the mountain, his face filled with reluctance.

"Brother-in-law really must leave?"

"Yu Dan Mountain has a protective sect array; Fengzhou has none. I killed five Wujiang, drew immense hatred—I can't hide here forever."

After hearing this, Yuanchen leaned against the table: "No one knows when the mountain seal will lift. Brother-in-law, please come visit me when you can."

Ji You stored his belongings in his storage gourd: "You've said this hundreds of times—I know."

"Last time you didn't promise."

"That's tacit consent. Besides, even if I didn't come to see you, I'd come to see others—I'll return anyway."

Hearing this, Yuan Caimei's heart stirred, and she handed him the folded clothes: "Young Master, your Tian Shu Academy robe is badly torn—Jiyue cut off the sect emblem and made you a new one."

Yuanchen turned to Yuan Caimei in confusion: "Didn't yesterday's golden honeysuckle tea help? Why is your voice even hoarser?"

At these words, Yuan Caimei shot him a cold glance, her mature elder-sister aura fully exposed.

Yuanchen looked bewildered, then turned to Jiyue—only to find Jiyue's gaze darting elsewhere, pretending she heard nothing.

So he turned again to Ji You.

Ji You cleared his throat: "Calming tired me out."

"?"

Yuan Caimei glanced at him and saw he was looking at her—her cheeks instantly flushed.

The calming she meant last night was real calming—not the whole thing.

Worse, this time she hadn't even had time for vows of eternal love before helping her sister serve the man again…

After packing, the three accompanied Ji You all the way to the front mountain.

Beneath brilliant sunlight, the people of Yu Danzong had gathered before the mountain; all watched as he stepped across the nine tiers of stone steps.

In the gentle breeze, Yuan Caimei stood before the mountain gate and softly waved toward the distance.

Yuanchen, however, stared at his elder sister, his eyes narrowing.