Chapter 344: Ji You Awakens

On sparse paulownia leaves, the moon’s white dew first gathers.

On this deep autumn day, the mountain’s trees brimmed with millions of golden leaves; whenever the cold wind swept through, they fell in a cascade, carpeting the ground in gold and dyeing the peaks.

In the Jixiang Hall at this moment, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu crouched in the side chamber, having prepared warm water in a porcelain basin, then gently began undressing Ji You.

From outer robe to inner tunic, then finally the undergarments.

Since he had collapsed in the ruins, three full months had passed.

Ji You’s condition had improved considerably; his withered meridians had gradually returned to their original state, no longer shrinking back as they had at first whenever treatment ceased.

This was what they called the stable state achieved after natural healing.

Thus, since half a month ago, the Heavenly Book Academy had begun administering elixirs to him—first a quarter dose, then half—gradually increasing the dosage while giving him ample time to adapt.

Danyangzi also visited daily, using elixir light to assist in treatment, dissolving the medicine’s potency while nourishing his body.

Now his complexion far surpassed its former state, and the vitality within him had grown increasingly rich—yet he still had not awakened.

To ordinary people, this pace of recovery seemed excruciatingly slow, but both the newly appointed Headmaster You Yingqiu and Danyangzi considered it extraordinarily miraculous.

For an ordinary person to suffer such injuries, let alone survive, would require a full year to recover even to this degree.

This had begun to make You Yingqiu and Zuoqiu Yang reevaluate the Body Refinement path.

Yet due to the medicine’s nature, after each treatment Ji You would break out in a fine sweat and needed to be washed clean.

This task naturally fell to Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, who attended him closely.

As each garment was peeled away, Ji You’s muscular, scarred body appeared before them, then they jointly arranged him into a “ Da ” shape.

Though they had seen it many times, both women still blushed, glancing away with flustered eyes.

To be fair, their Lord was truly formidable.

Splash—splash—

The brocade cloth was soaked in warm water, then wrung half-dry.

Ding Yao took it from Zhuo Wanqiu’s hands, gripped it, and began gently wiping his body.

When passing over his chest, the strong beat of his heart brought them both a sense of relief.

“The medicine smell on the Lord is so strong.”

“The Shengsheng Zao Hua Elixir the Lord gave has potent energy; it’s natural for the scent to spread.”

Ding Yao lifted her head slightly: “Has the Lord taken it?”

Zhuo Wanqiu nodded: “He took it at noon the day before yesterday, so the strong smell is normal—it means the Young Master has fully absorbed it, and he’ll recover soon.”

“But it smells strange. Go to the back chamber and fetch some soapberry powder to dissolve in the basin.”

“You go.”

“?”

“I’m afraid you’ll sneak a feel,” Zhuo Wanqiu cut straight to the truth.

Ding Yao narrowed her eyes: “Last time you washed the Lord’s hair, I fetched the comb for you.”

“I didn’t sneak a feel.”

“Who’d believe that…”

After a moment’s thought, Zhuo Wanqiu stood up: “Fine, just this once.”

Ding Yao wiped Ji You’s shoulder without expression: “Next time it’s your turn.”

Hearing this, Zhuo Wanqiu said nothing—neither yes nor no—only turned silently toward the back chamber and returned with the soapberry powder, by which time Ding Yao’s cheeks were even rosier.

After dissolving the soapberry powder in the basin, a faint, clean herbal fragrance slowly rose.

The two women replaced the brocade cloths and washed Ji You again, then dressed him in a fresh inner tunic, before gently laying him back on the bed.

“You take out the water, I’ll get the food.”

“Alright.”

Zhuo Wanqiu responded, lifted the used warm water, and exited the main hall with Ding Yao—one heading to the western drainage ditch, the other to the hall’s entrance to await the disciple bringing meals.

This was how they lived day after day: quiet, slightly dull, the only thing of interest being washing their Young Master.

When Zhuo Wanqiu had emptied the water, washed and hung the cloths, Ding Yao returned with breakfast.

The Heavenly Book Academy’s hospitality was excellent; the meals served were far superior to what ordinary disciples ate in the Immortal Dining Hall, and perfectly paired.

After sitting down, Ding Yao ate while staring blankly at the fried dough sticks in the dish, lost in thought—until suddenly she noticed Zhuo Wanqiu had lifted her head, her gaze distant.

Her eyes were fixed on the direction of Ji You’s bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Lord’s hand seems to have moved,” Zhuo Wanqiu snapped back to attention and looked at Ding Yao.

Ding Yao froze, then looked up—after watching for a long while, she couldn’t help saying: “No movement at all. You must’ve imagined it.”

Zhuo Wanqiu frowned slightly: “Maybe I just wish too hard for the Young Master to wake up.”

“He’ll definitely wake up. Didn’t Headmaster You say that at this recovery rate, he’ll awaken within half a year? Eat first.”

“Mm.”

Zhuo Wanqiu nodded and began chewing her spirit grain slowly.

But as she ate, she suddenly noticed Ding Yao had also lifted her head—before she could ask, a long, slow breath echoed from the hall, freezing her swallow mid-throat.

In an instant, both women leapt up, faces alight with joy, racing toward the distant bed—where Ji You, lying still, had slowly opened his eyes.

He felt he had dreamed a long, long dream: of the Linchuan orphanage, of his younger siblings, of Yan Shuyi with her ponytail, of Yuan Caimei in denim shorts, both of them strolling the streets, each holding a chubby baby.

The dreams tangled together, muddling his thoughts so thoroughly he had no idea where he was.

Only when he saw Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu rushing to the bed did his awareness begin to sharpen.

“Young Master.”

“Lord, you’re awake?”

Ji You’s unfocused gaze slowly gathered, fixed on them for a long moment, then hardened: “Chu Xian is dead. Where’s the moody ghost?”

His last thought before blacking out had been severing Chu Xian’s head; after that, nothing.

Now he still clung to his final thought from three months ago in the ruins: that the demonic cultivators of Linxian had seized the Sacred Artifact, and the moody ghost was in the greatest danger.

“Lord, the Lord of the Mirror is unharmed.”

“Truly?”

Ding Yao nodded: “Yes. After you were severely wounded and brought back to the Heavenly Book Academy, we immediately returned to Lingjian Mountain. The Lord of the Mirror is perfectly fine—she even arranged for us to come here and guard you without leaving your side.”

“Did she win?” Ji You asked, his lips dry from months without water.

“We don’t know. When we arrived at Lingjian Mountain, the Zhu family demon was dead. The Lord of the Mirror was injured, but not seriously.”

Even now, many still wondered how the young Lord of Lingjian Mountain had survived the Sacred Artifact crisis with only a Wujiang-level cultivation base.

Even Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu didn’t understand how she had slain the demon.

But for them, as long as the Lord of the Mirror was safe, nothing else mattered.

“How is Yu Danzong now?” Ji You asked, returning to his senses.

“Yu Danzong’s Great Furnace was sealed by the ancient restrictions of the Six Immortal Sects, so it wasn’t the demons’ first target. They remain under mountain lockdown and have suffered no attacks.”

Hearing this, Ji You slowly exhaled, his tense gaze relaxing, revealing a trace of weakness.

He felt as if a dozen elephants had trampled him—every part of his body ached.

Damn Chu Xian. Too hard to kill.

When he used the Dao Sword as the foundation of the Astonishing Immortal Sword Array, he truly felt every breath within him being violently drained. Even now, recalling it sent chills through him.

As he pondered, Ji You glanced around: “Is this the Heavenly Book Academy? How long have I slept?”

Zhuo Wanqiu answered: “Young Master has slept for three months.”

Ji You frowned, his head feeling foggy.

Seeing this, Ding Yao immediately massaged his temples: “Lord, to kill Chu Xian, not only were your meridians drained, your spiritual sense was overexerted. Rest a while longer—we’ll notify the others.”

“Bring me more food. I feel like I could eat an ox.”

“Alright.”

After brief exchange, Ji You closed his eyes again, while Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu rushed out.

One headed to the Immortal Dining Hall, the other to find You Yingqiu, Danyangzi, and Cao Jinsong.

Seeing their Young Master awake, they were overjoyed—but did this mean he was truly out of danger? Were there other unhealed injuries? These required professional examination.

You Yingqiu was currently in the Purple Bamboo Meditation Grove, answering disciples’ questions about their cultivation.

When she entered the Inner Court, her master had never personally taught her, so since taking office, she had placed special emphasis on this.

Then came the report: “The Young Master is awake.”

You Yingqiu immediately rose mid-teaching, stepped into the air, and flew toward the Jixiang Hall, leaving behind a group of bewildered young disciples.

Before they could begin whispering, they saw a figure sprinting from the northern Immortal Guest Courtyard toward the Jixiang Hall—it was Danyangzi, the Yu Danzong Elder currently staying at the academy.

At the same moment, Zhuo Wanqiu had already raced down the mountain to Cao Jinsong’s courtyard.

“Master Cao.”

Before the breathless Zhuo Wanqiu could finish speaking, Cao Jingsong sprang to his feet and headed toward the inner courtyard.

Before Zhuo Wanqiu could finish speaking, Cao Jinsong leapt to his feet and dashed toward the Inner Court.

Zhuo Wanqiu followed, stopping to summon Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu along the way.

By the time the three arrived, Ji You had slipped back into deep sleep.

But unlike when he was comatose, his current slumber carried a faint, rhythmic snore—immediately easing their worries.

You Yingqiu and Danyangzi, who had arrived earlier, stood beside his bed: the former observing his expression, the latter using elixir light to peer inside his body.

After a moment, Danyangzi retracted his palm’s elixir light and gently stroked his beard: “He’s recovered nine out of ten. He’s merely exhausted from prolonged fasting, which is why he’s fallen back asleep.”

Given Ji You’s physical strength, taking three months to awaken already indicates a severe injury; his smooth passage through the crisis was due entirely to the timely treatment he received.

“What’s needed next?” You Yingqiu asked, turning her head.

Dan Yangzi stroked his beard and said, “To consolidate the foundation and nourish the primordial qi—I must return immediately to light the furnace and brew medicine specifically for this purpose.”

“Then we’re in your debt, Elder. Should you require anything during the alchemical process, simply instruct the Administration Hall.”

“Thank you, Master You.”

At this moment, Cao Jingsong also raised his hand slightly, bowing respectfully to Dan Yangzi, who returned the gesture before stepping out of the grand hall.

“How long until Brother Ji awakens?” Wen Zhengxin could not help but look toward You Yingqiu.

“Wait a while—it won’t be long, just a midday nap.”

Perhaps because he had received reassurance from Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, Ji You slept deeply, without even a single dream.

Only when the sun rose high at noon, its warm light driving away the lingering chill of late autumn and spilling a golden glow, did he slowly awaken.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Cao Jingsong and the others seated in the grand hall; they immediately surged forward as one upon seeing him awake.