Chapter 79: The Dragon Immortal Emperor Suffers a Catastrophe

Yuan Caimei, having taken the Spirit-Extinguishing Pill and endured constant flight, was utterly drained of her spiritual essence and went to bed early.

Ji You was still pondering the matter of the ruin, trying to sort out all the details.

He didn’t stop until he drained his tea, then reached for the teapot.

But to his surprise, what he touched wasn’t the teapot—it was a cool, smooth, jade-like little hand.

He froze slightly, daring not to look up.

Wasn’t it agreed that holding hands counted as a promise?

Yuan Chen gripped the teapot handle and shivered involuntarily: “Brother-in-law, do you want tea? Or shall I pour for you?”

“?”

Ji You lifted his head, saw who owned the hand, pulled his hand back, and thought no wonder the joints were so large: “No need. I don’t like tea.”

Yan Shuyi, meanwhile, was sipping her tea slowly, watching him with a fierce, cute gaze.

This guy just tried to touch her hand.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a voice: “Is Master Ji You here?”

Zhuo Wanqiu went to open the door. It was the teahouse’s page boy, clutching a note: “Just now… someone came to the teahouse looking for you. He asked me to keep an eye out—if I saw you, to deliver this. He described you, and I thought only one person could match such celestial grace, so I followed the trail here.”

Ji You took the letter, unfolded it, glanced once, and frowned slightly: “So that’s what I forgot.”

The page boy smiled awkwardly, rubbing his hands beside him, but made no move to leave.

Seeing this, Zhuo Wanqiu took a silver tael from her waist and placed it in his palm.

Ding Yao watched Zhuo Wanqiu’s action and found it strange—this was a matter among Tian Shu Academy disciples; why was Ling Jian Mountain paying a reward?

Zhuo Wanqiu said nothing, thinking: I’ve figured out everything.

“My senior brothers and sisters are waiting for me at the original teahouse. I need to go see them and let them know I’m safe.”

Ji You stood up, instinctively glancing at Yan Shuyi, then immediately turned to Yuan Chen: “I’ll be back. I’m staying here tonight.”

Yuan Chen blinked in surprise, thinking: My brother-in-law’s heart is truly meticulous.

This wasn’t meant for me—it was meant to be relayed to my elder sister through me.

Meanwhile, the Ling Jian Mountain’s junior examiner sat silently, cold and peerless in beauty, only the tea in her cup producing faint bubbles.

After leaving the Leisure Courtyard, Ji You met Pei Ruyi, Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and Bai Rulong at the teahouse—they had waited specifically for him, while the other disciples were lodged at the city’s inn.

"Oh? So it’s the Divine Maiden Ruyi, Immortal Zhengxin, Heavenly Sovereign Yangshu, and Dragon Immortal Emperor here waiting for me."

Ji You bowed with clasped fists: “A humble, unremarkable man with seven swords, Ji You, a rural cultivator of both martial and spiritual arts, greets the four of you.”

The four flushed red, about to wave off the titles as mere flattery, then suddenly froze, staring at the aura surrounding Ji You.

The aura of the Lower Three Realms differed utterly from that of the Upper Five Realms—anyone could tell the difference at a glance.

Ban Yangshu was the first to react, his mouth falling open: “Younger brother, you’ve entered Tong Xuan?”

Ji You nodded: “I broke through at the hour of Wu today.”

“How could you be at Tong Xuan Mid-Stage?!”

“The demonic energy in the mountains suppressed me too harshly. Once I stepped out into open sky, I couldn’t hold back any longer.”

Pei Ruyi stared at him, suddenly recalling Cao Jingsong’s words: This boy is extraordinary.

Once she had scoffed at them; now she could only learn them word by word.

The group then exchanged news about the ruin. Upon hearing what Ji You had learned, all were filled with dread.

Had they stubbornly pressed on, they might have become someone else’s immortal fortune.

“Younger brother… will you return to Tian Shu Academy?”

Ji You looked at Pei Ruyi and nodded: “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? I must enter the Inner Court. Even the Dao cannot stop me—I say so.”

Hearing this, the four exchanged glances, thinking: Chu He has finally met his match.

A rural cultivator from a remote region, first attaining insight into the Heavenly Book, then immediately breaking into Tong Xuan Mid-Stage—Chu’s second son truly has rotten luck.

They agreed on a departure time and, for safety, decided to return to the capital by Immortal Ship.

Bai Rulong glanced around curiously and asked: “Brother Ji, have you rescued your fiancée yet?”

“What fiancée?”

“Earlier, Zhuo Wanqiu from Ling Jian Mountain came to warn us—said there was danger in the mountains and we must flee immediately. She specifically mentioned you, so I told her you were going to save your fiancée.”

Ji You paused, startled: “Zhuo Wanqiu came to warn you to leave?”

Wen Zhengxin nodded: “Yes. She said it was an examiner’s imperial order—we had to evacuate immediately. I thought long and hard—perhaps Ling Jian Mountain didn’t want to fully offend Tian Shu Academy.”

Ji You stared silently at Bai Rulong: “Come on, Dragon Immortal Emperor. Let’s find a corner and explain this fiancée business.”

“?”

“Hey?”

“Big brother, I’m sorry!”

After a long while, the Dragon Immortal Emperor returned to the teahouse, clutching an empty money pouch, drooping like a flower doused in boiling water.

Damn it, I ran into bandits.

Ji You had truly struck gold this trip—he sat down grinning, then looked at Ban Yangshu with slight puzzlement: “I’ve entered Tong Xuan now—why can’t I still perceive your aura?”

Ban Yangshu smiled faintly: “Tong Xuan Upper Stage held me back for years—I’d given up on merging with the Dao. But after nearly dying, I broke through.”

“I see.”

Wen Zhengxin couldn’t help speaking up: “We killed many demonic seeds back then. He swore he heard the cosmic roar from ancient tales, muttered all the way—and somehow, he broke through.”

Ban Yangshu knew she was teasing him, so he said: “Perhaps I identified with it most deeply.”

Bai Rulong listened but said nothing—he, too, had felt something inexplicable while carving the characters.

Later, when thunder cracked in the sky, the feeling intensified; now he sensed he was nearing a breakthrough, but hadn’t fully clarified it yet.

Pei Ruyi interrupted their chatter and said to Ji You: “Let’s eat first. This meal is on me—as thanks for saving your younger brother.”

Ji You couldn’t help raising his thumb: “Sister, kind of you—but I suggest Rulong pay.”

“Brother Ji, I have no money left…”

“You can borrow mine. Pay me back with interest when we return.”

The Dragon Immortal Emperor’s lips trembled—he thought having a fiancée was prestigious, why was Ji You so vengeful?

Ji You had left the Leisure Courtyard in the evening; after dinner, night had fallen. Wen Zhengxin offered to take him back to the inn, but Ji You refused—he’d stay with friends.

He stepped out of the restaurant, walked dozens of steps, then suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

Since the heavens opened at Wu Hour, they had finally seen true night—suspended above them, a crescent moon.

But…

The blood-red scar across the sky had grown larger.

Even now, Ji You didn’t know what the scar was. He’d asked many people—only that it had existed since ancient times.

After long thought, he found no answer, then pushed open the door to the Leisure Courtyard.

After days of turmoil, the whole group was utterly exhausted—Yuan Chen and Zhuo Wanqiu had already fallen asleep.

Only Yan Shuyi remained in the courtyard, sitting on the wooden railing, swinging a dogtail grass between her fingers, yawning sleepily.

These past days, she’d been tense too—because someone ascending to Immortality meant the Dao lineage had a flaw, and she carried Ling Jian Mountain’s Dao lineage.

Hearing the door open, Yan Shuyi turned her head, her eyes shimmering as she watched him approach step by step.

[Zhuo Wanqiu came to warn us to leave—and specifically mentioned you.]

[They said it was the examiner’s imperial order.]

Ji You’s mind replayed the earlier conversation. He walked over, reached out, and pinched Yan Shuyi’s left cheek—cool to the touch, yet as smooth and delicate as jade cream.

The junior examiner froze, looked up at him, eyes fierce.

Ding Yao hadn’t slept yet.

Her mind churned with too many thoughts—whether to report the position to Wen Dao Sect, what Min Cheng was doing now—she lay awake, turning restlessly.

Like most small courtyards, this one had a window opposite the bed. Pushing it open revealed the night sky, so Ding Yao reached out and slid the window open.

In that moment of looking out, she saw a shocking scene beneath the moon.

The examiner sat on the wooden railing, head tilted up, while Ji You, the Tian Shu Academy disciple, stood before her, pinching the examiner’s cheek.

This man is asking for death!

She already imagined blood splattering everywhere, that filthy hand severed at the root.

But unexpectedly, Yan Shuyi merely glared at him—then let him pinch her cheek, kicking her feet idly as she gazed at the night sky.

After a while, she flicked the dogtail grass twice and handed it to Ji You.

Ji You took it and tucked it behind his ear.

Neither spoke a word during this exchange—only the moon and wind remained.

After sitting quietly for a while, Yan Shuyi yawned again, slid off the railing, stretched lazily, and returned to her room. Before closing the door, she couldn’t help swinging her fist.

Seeing this, Ding Yao quickly shut the window, sat on the bed, and stared blankly for a long time, utterly confused.

She had always assumed Ji You could speak with the examiner only because he knew Yuan Caimei—but now it was clear that wasn’t the case.

That man and the examiner had known each other long before—and their relationship was far from ordinary.

Once this thought took root, Ding Yao felt something suddenly clicked into place.

Ji You’s restraint, the examiner’s clipped tone, Zhuo Wanqiu’s strange expression…

But it made no sense—their statuses were utterly unequal.

In this world, everything required matching status and mutual benefit—only a contemporary direct disciple could be matched with another contemporary direct disciple. That was the only logical explanation.

Yet this illogical guess fit all her observations perfectly—it was the most reasonable.

But how could a Tian Shu Academy outer disciple compare to a Wen Dao Sect direct disciple? She couldn’t understand what the examiner was thinking.

Thinking of this, Ding Yao suddenly felt sorry for that direct disciple of the Wenda Sect.

He had fawned over her for a long time, yet never managed to exchange more than a few words with the Mirror Master—but now this man could pinch her cheeks at will.

(End of Chapter)