[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-375":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},2260248,4410,"Chapter 375: The Shattered Qi of the Human Race","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-375",375,"\u003Cp>The fifth day’s Qingyun Dao Discourse was exclusively arranged for Ji You, so only one finger technique duel took place, with no further matches scheduled afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the three immortal sects have withdrawn, there is no longer any reason to remain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the eyes of the multitude, the Young Inspector waved her immortal robe and vanished in a step, leaving only a ripple of spiritual energy dissolving into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cultivates the purest Dao art, her technique of shrinking distance to boundless perfection flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, the Lingjian Mountain group departed as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zuoqiu Yang exhaled slightly in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s situation was truly perilous; had the Young Inspector not appeared, war might truly have broken out, and once war began, when it would end would no longer be within their control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ji You has gone to Wannian County to fetch someone—should we send someone to follow him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need. Since no battle has occurred now, their further action holds little meaning. Let’s return to the academy and discuss it there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Rong nodded upon hearing this, and as he prepared to leave, he involuntarily turned to gaze toward the direction Lingjian Mountain had departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group then returned to the mountain in a rush, and the Elders who had accompanied them resumed their posts in the Elder Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They removed their magical robes and artifacts, took out spirit stones and other items from their storage gourds, and handed them over to disciples for safekeeping—preparations made in anticipation of possible conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, facing the coercion of three immortal sects, no amount of preparation was excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they had returned everything to its place and brewed tea, they sank involuntarily into a daze of contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today’s events were truly perilous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, we nearly went to war—something never seen in the past thousand years of human history…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, Lingjian Mountain intervened; otherwise, today’s situation might truly have spiraled beyond control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that Young Inspector of Lingjian Mountain and Ji You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, the room fell silent. The white-haired Elders did not know how to continue the discussion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the three-versus-one scenario was perilous, and Lingjian Mountain’s appearance was unexpected—but what most defied belief was the Young Inspector’s behavior toward Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Zuoqiu, the Hall Master, know beforehand? That’s why he was so resolute?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how could these two have…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, tea houses, taverns, inns, and mansions across the land were nearly packed to capacity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene resembled those of the past few days, for after the Dao Discourse, people always discussed outcomes and insights into techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet today’s gatherings were far from lively—indeed, they were heavy with gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For too much had happened today, and too unexpectedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, Ji You killed with two fingers; then, the Tian Shu Academy’s stance against the three sects’ alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Individually, these events would have fueled endless debate from dawn to dusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment the Young Inspector appeared, all else faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Ji You killed with two fingers or the Tian Shu Academy’s stance mattered nothing—only the relationship between her and Ji You mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chosen as a child by the Ling Jian, the youngest Wuxiang cultivator in Qingyun’s history, the next Patriarch-Sage of Lingjian Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her marital prospects have always been a focal point of Qingyun’s discourse, for whom she chooses could very well reshape the realm’s balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said she would ultimately choose Shang Xiyao, her fellow direct disciple, for under the weakened Xuanjian Peak, this would be the optimal choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Tianjian Peak weakened, this view gradually faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, some claimed such a proud woman had likely already decided to remain unmarried for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet throughout, no one ever considered Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was from the south, the other from the north; one of humble origins yet arrogant, the other of noble status yet detached from the world—no one imagined they could be connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the roaring Nujiang River, it should not harbor thoughts of a tiny fish in a stream outside Shengjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This must be a misunderstanding—she is the Lingjian Young Inspector, not some ordinary woman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Talking of soulmates or suitors? Ridiculous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me ask you all: aside from the Tian Shu Academy’s previous visit to Lingjian Mountain to seek Dao, Ji You has never had any contact with Lingjian Mountain. Even if he had, how could he possibly have caught the Young Inspector’s eye?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a Shengjing tea house, Fang Jincheng shook his head as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words seemed meant to convince others, yet also to persuade himself not to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, this view drew widespread agreement; most in the upper hall nodded in assent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shiliu opened her mouth: “When grain prices rose in Fengzhou, the first to accept that price was Lingjian Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That proves nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Young Inspector’s storage gourd contains his clothes—she can pull them out at will. Only a soulmate could do that, let alone her gaze…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In my view, this is merely a tactic to halt war—proof the Young Inspector is far-sighted, instantly recognizing the key to breaking the deadlock.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the debate raged, a group hurried along the long street toward Prince Chong’s residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all families of Lingzhou, led by the patriarch of the Zeng family, each bowing low with palpable trepidation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These families had largely pushed for the tax hike, intending to exploit Fengzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after today’s events, everything had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Ma Xiang and He Ye felt impending doom due to the three immortal sects’ standoff with the Tian Shu Academy, these families allied with Lingjian Mountain now needed to clarify their stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, they needed to understand this previously unknown relationship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the entire city was demanding answers about it, the Zeng family’s visit to the Young Inspector’s residence immediately drew tidal waves of attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under all these eyes, they were received at the western residence of Prince Chong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the Young Inspector had just returned to her pavilion, sipping tea, her face expressionless—unsettling to behold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Inspector.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why has Master Zeng come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This old man was foolish and ignorant, narrow-minded as a frog at the bottom of a well. I was misled and, upon the Fang family’s urging, joined the tax hike, offending Young Master Ji. I beg the Young Inspector’s forgiveness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zeng’s rhetoric was masterful, phrased with great subtlety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clarified he had participated in the tax hike unknowingly, yet used it to probe the relationship between the Young Inspector and Ji You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For if offending Ji You could truly be forgiven by the Young Inspector, that itself implied their connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why would the Young Inspector have the authority to pardon them on Ji You’s behalf?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other families quickly echoed, pleading for the Young Inspector’s forgiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Young Inspector’s reply did not unfold as they expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you all learn to gossip?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as one walks upright and sits upright, why concern oneself with allegiances?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Zeng, your cultivation has stagnated for years, trapped at a bottleneck—this is surely because you scheme too deeply.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the main pavilion, Yan Shuyi’s face was icy, her furrowed brow brimming with anger, leaving Master Zeng trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, they were escorted out of the courtyard and immediately surrounded by everyone watching, all eager to hear how the Young Inspector had explained it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the heads of Lingzhou’s great families relayed the Young Inspector’s rebuke, countless others fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her words, though spoken, revealed nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Master Zeng remained silent, turning his teacup slowly, pondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Inspector’s reply was indeed ambiguous, revealing no clear meaning—but that ambiguity itself was meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Young Inspector has always despised others speculating about her relationships; otherwise, when the Dao Sect’s Holy Disciple came loudly to court her, she would not have left the mountain outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, if the two were truly not as rumored, she would not have been ambiguous—she would have sternly denied it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, this was not evasion—it was tacit acceptance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She accepted that their speculation was correct, yet asked them not to spread it further…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zeng’s heart trembled violently, the tea in his cup rippling with each pulse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after the Zeng family’s audience, another group of Lingzhou families, led by the Hua family, hurried to pay their respects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly, they too sought to confirm the relationship between the two, to know how to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zeng family just angered the Young Inspector—Hua family will likely be turned away before even seeing her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, it’s hard to be received when she’s in a rage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Hua family and their entourage approached the courtyard, many observers shook their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet to their surprise, the Hua family and others were also invited inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they emerged, they were immediately questioned—and their account matched the Zeng family’s exactly; the Young Inspector’s reply was unchanged, word for word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As their minds churned, the head of the Hua family met the gaze of the Zeng family’s patriarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like him, he too believed the Young Inspector had tacitly accepted it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, as time passed, others came to understand this logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she merely wished to deny it, why not roar in fury and shut it down? Why this evasiveness, this secrecy, so unlike her usual openness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only possibility was that the Young Inspector had accepted Ji You as her soulmate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, taverns and tea houses fell silent; countless people stared blankly, unsure what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jincheng, who had been so agitated moments before, sat down quietly, his heart sinking like ice as he heard the Young Inspector had not denied it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet what puzzled these cultivators was that over the next hour, more visitors still arrived at Prince Chong’s western residence, and each returned saying the Young Inspector was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when the next person came, they were smoothly admitted—leaving observers baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Li, take care on your way out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, fair ladies, no need to see me off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Li bowed backward after his audience, then hurried from the courtyard with his disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching him leave, Ding Yao and Ding Wanqiu exchanged a glance: \"The Mistress is doing this on purpose; she likes it when people ask if she's the principal wife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone in the world is talking about the Young Master and Yuan Caimei; the Mistress has long wanted others to know she's the true senior wife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But why doesn't the Mistress just say it outright?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1735,"2026-06-19T15:28:41.422Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7eb368cbd7019c2f6bbda7606e55227c13e478ced8647c350061a8fa29df946f","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-376","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-374",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]