Chapter 387

“What’s going on today? Why are so many people here? Wasn’t it agreed that everyone would boycott any tavern owned by Ji You?”

“The demon clan’s envoy is coming to the capital again; we came to observe…”

“The envoy is arriving in the capital soon?”

“They’re already outside the city and will enter any moment.”

On Yong’an Street in Shengjing, the waiters at Hongding Pavilion ran tirelessly up and down the stairs, so busy their shoes nearly fell off.

Their frantic movements corresponded to a sea of tea patrons, clustered in small groups, whispering and debating incessantly.

After the fall of Youyun Two Provinces, the human race’s pride in standing above all other races was nearly shattered, and their perception of the barbarian and demon clans shifted drastically.

No one now regarded them as uncivilized savages; instead, they were seen primarily as a threat emerging from the northern frontier, making the demon clan’s envoy visit to the capital a matter of intense interest.

Everyone was curious: why, with their alliance with the barbarians, would the demon clan send envoys to the human imperial capital?

Soon after the northern city gate opened, the city fell noticeably quieter; all eyes turned upward, and within moments, a group of majestic four-legged demon beasts entered the city, their heavy footsteps shaking the stone pavement with thunderous rumble.

The aura radiating from the riders atop them caused everyone to freeze in stunned silence.

“Who is that man in front?”

“The demon prince—he visited Shengjing four years ago during the demon-human trade negotiations.”

“Ah… that was the time Ji You drew his sword on the demon in the street?”

“Correct. The one wielding the long spear is his bodyguard.”

“What about the person in the carriage? Seems like a woman.”

“Never seen her before, but according to the leaked delegation list, she must be the prince’s younger sister, Princess Fengyang of the demon clan—her aura confirms she’s a great demon.”

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the party reached the imperial city and was lodged at the Shengjing Immortal Garden; after half a day’s rest, they were summoned to the palace.

The task of the Immortal Supervision Office was to escort the demon envoy to the capital and present them to the current Emperor of Xia; once they witnessed the demon delegation enter the palace, they disbanded on the spot.

Kuangcheng took a detour into Chunhua Alley, intending to check on the progress of his house’s renovation.

As soon as he entered the alley, a continuous clinking and hammering echoed through it.

On the collapsed foundation, hired craftsmen were chiseling stones and stacking walls; the ruined house was gradually taking shape.

But what caught Kuangcheng’s attention wasn’t the construction progress—it was the two figures standing at the gate, watching the craftsmen lay the bricks.

“Brother Ji, ah, and Young Master Yuan—what are you doing here?”

Yuan Chen, holding a storybook, looked up at the sound and waved immediately: “Brother Kuang, long time no see!”

Ji You turned his head, stared at Kuangcheng for a long moment, then reached out and touched Kuang the scholar’s neck, his expression grave and concerned, as if fearing his friend had been beheaded.

Kuangcheng felt slightly unnerved by the touch, his expression stalling: “What’s wrong, Brother Ji?”

“I’m checking if you blabbed something foolish to the demon clan and got your throat slit.”

“I’ve read the sages since childhood—how could I blab nonsense?”

“Because Gongshu Chou’s writings are pure fiction.”

Kuangcheng immediately understood Ji You meant the demon princess; his lips twitched as he recalled Princess Fengyang’s glistening gaze at Wanzhuo Mountain, and he fell silent.

Fiction? Yet I feel Gongshu was writing realism.

Seeing his silence, Ji You assumed he’d been thoroughly rebuffed and patted his shoulder: “How long will your courtyard’s renovation take?”

Kuangcheng snapped back: “Once the house is done and the yard leveled, that’s it—they say it’ll be finished before New Year. By the way, Brother Ji, weren’t you in seclusion at the Sage Land? Why are you suddenly back in Shengjing?”

“Yuan Chen was going mad cooped up at the Sage Land, so I brought him out for a stroll. My own cultivation hit a snag—I need to think it through.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Right now, it’s just a slight concern—probably nothing serious.”

Ji You paused, then gave an ambiguous answer.

Whether he could achieve spiritual roaming after reaching the ninth level of physical refinement was his greatest current worry.

Though Qingyun had no records of physical spiritual roaming, it did have insights on the Dao Enlightenment realm of spiritual roaming; Ji You planned to reverse-engineer it, but the outcome remained unknown.

As they spoke, Yuan Chen suddenly rubbed his stomach, then looked up at Ji You: “Brother-in-law, I’m hungry.”

Ji You turned to Kuangcheng: “Yuan Chen hasn’t eaten since morning. Since you’ve just returned, let’s take you out for a welcome dinner.”

“Brother Ji, you’re too generous.”

“I never said I’d pay. Business trips require travel expenses, don’t they?”

“?”

Shengjing’s taverns were packed due to the demon envoy’s arrival; finding an empty seat was no easy task.

But fortunately, all the taverns belonged to Ji You; they didn’t bother squeezing in, so they found an empty courtyard next door and ordered a full table of dishes.

Afternoon passed, the sun set, and the demon envoy departed the Xia imperial palace, returning to the Immortal Garden; rumors of the audience began spreading through Shengjing.

According to officials present, the demon clan declared they had once dwelled in the Nine Provinces, and Yunzhou—now under their control—had once been their ancestral land; their invasion of the Nine Provinces was inevitable, but they had no desire to confront the human race directly.

They also stated that Yunzhou and the northern frontier were sufficient for their people’s needs, and they had no intention of provoking war, hoping for peaceful coexistence between the two races.

As for the second point, the demon prince claimed he had long admired the Seven Immortal Sects of the human race and hoped to send clan members to study under them in the future.

In return, the demon clan would continue supplying spirit stones and Yunzhou’s spirit stones to the human race.

The Xia dynasty was merely a vessel for information—it could receive but not act; as the city buzzed with speculation, the details of the first meeting were swiftly sent to the Heavenly Book Academy.

After You Yingqiu entered seclusion, the academy’s affairs had been managed by Zuo Qiuyang; naturally, this meeting’s content landed on his desk.

“We could never accept the demon clan’s claim to rightful ownership of Yunzhou, and everyone knows they don’t cultivate the Heavenly Dao—this isn’t their true motive for sending envoys.”

Zuo Qiuyang rolled up his sleeves: “Send people to track their movements closely—watch for any subtle clues.”

Qin Rong bowed and replied: “By the way, Your Grace, Ji You has returned to the capital.”

“Wasn’t he secluding himself at the Sage Land, absorbing leaked essence spiritual energy? Why return now?”

“He likely encountered an issue—he came straight to the Library after arriving and spent half a day silently reading books on physical refinement and spiritual roaming.”

Zuo Qiuyang stroked his long beard, thought for a moment, then nodded: “He’s pondering the spiritual roaming realm.”

Qin Rong looked up, eyes wide with shock: “In such a short time, he’s aiming for spiritual roaming combat power?”

“He already possesses the combat power of the Boundless Realm; after such a long seclusion, seeking spiritual roaming isn’t surprising. But the real question is whether physical refinement has another level beyond this—this is the critical issue. Spiritual roaming relies entirely on Heavenly Dao insight; even I don’t know how a physical cultivator can break through.”

“This…”

“His problem must be solved by him alone—we mustn’t interfere. Your duty is to track the demon clan—no mistakes allowed.”

“As Your Grace commands.”

Qin Rong bowed and withdrew, hurriedly leaving Zizai Hall, then descended the mountain to assign his disciples to monitor the demon clan’s movements in the city.

The human race’s invitation of the demon envoy was meant to break the barbarian-demon alliance and minimize the risk of renewed war; thus, to show goodwill, they imposed no restrictions on the demon clan’s movements within the city.

The demon clan, regarding themselves not as invaders but as returning to ancestral lands, did not stay secluded; instead, they frequently appeared in bustling markets and even made contact with noble families that had traded spirit stones.

Since they didn’t travel together, the Hall of Affairs disciples split into several groups, each following one member.

The next day at noon, Wen Siyuan, a disciple of the Hall of Affairs assigned to follow the Lin Clan’s heir, Yashan, rested at a teahouse, compiling the results of his half-day surveillance.

Yashan had sat idly in a tavern, chatting with several people, during which he inquired about ancient ruins.

Soon after, another disciple named Luo Jiu arrived at the teahouse; he had been following Prince Yehan, who had met with officials from Prince Chong’s Inner Immortal Faction and discussed spirit stone sales and human prodigies.

The two exchanged information, then another disciple, Sun Ye, who had been trailing the demon princess, arrived at the teahouse, drenched in sweat.

“I thought only human women could wander endlessly down a single street—I never expected demon women to be the same! My shoes are worn out!”

“Did Princess Fengyang visit many places?”