Chapter 157: The Human Dao, Qingyun World (Two-in-One)
Following the principle of caution, the three did not eat in the shop. Instead, they went to the counter and asked the white-haired Master-in-charge for three superior rooms.
The Master-in-charge was a Mortal. It was rare for Immortals to stay with them, and he even trembled a little when collecting the silver.
But just as the Master-in-charge was collecting the silver, a faint rattling sound came from the cabinet on his right foot, inside the counter.
Hearing this sound, the three of them looked up simultaneously.
The Master-in-charge seemed not to have noticed, still bowing his head, but his shoulders trembled slightly.
Then, in a flurry, without even using the small scale beside him for weighing silver, he grabbed a silver coin and handed it to the three. He remained bowed, his temples gradually becoming damp.
“You gave me too much change.”
“?”
The Master-in-charge instinctively raised his head and saw Ji You toss the silver coin he had casually grabbed back, his eyes slightly wide.
Then Ji You turned and left, walking ahead of Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi, making the wooden stairs creak as he quickly ascended to the second floor.
“There’s a little girl hidden in the cabinet,” Pei Ruyi whispered softly.
Ji You nodded imperceptibly: “About the same size as Qiu Ru, she should be the shopkeeper’s child.”
“It seems that in the eyes of the Feng Province commoners, we Cultivators are no different from demonic Evil Seeds.”
“Don’t belittle yourself. Demonic Evil Seeds are not as good as Cultivators.”
“?”
What Ji You said was indeed true.
In Feng Province, it was widely known that Cultivators would capture children to refine Medicinal Pills, so the image of all Immortals was like this to the people of this region.
When they entered the shop just now, the shopkeeper probably didn’t have enough time to chase the little girl away, so he had to stuff her into the counter.
However, people without Cultivation like the shopkeeper didn’t know that under the Divine Thought of a Cultivator, such hiding was meaningless—
Within the Nine Provinces, the common people all suffered, and in Feng Province, one could see all forms of suffering from the Nine Provinces.
Ji You once heard from Qiu Zhong that the old master of the Ji Family, who died four years ago, had a saying that sounded sarcastic,
But it was the truth.
Mortals who were still alive in the world were not there because they worked hard enough, but because they should be grateful that the Immortal Lords were too lazy to kill them.
Ji You now arrived at the door of his guest room and pushed it open.
Night City was close to the State Prefecture, so geographically, it should have been an excellent location. However, due to the mountains blocking it, the connection with the State Prefecture was not close, so it was not much better than Yuyang County.
The gray bricks used for the floor in the guest room were missing here and there.
This was already considered excellent.
At this moment, Ji You pushed open the window on the back wall facing outside and turned his head to look out.
The entire main city road, from south to north, was lined with informants on both sides.
The Cultivation of these informants was not high; the best were only in the early stages of the Micro-Illumination Realm, and they were all in their thirties or forties, with some even older and with lower Cultivation.
Such talent was not even comparable to the Disciples of Immortal Sects, or even some merchants doing business in Shengjing City. Yet, upon arriving in Feng Province, they could act arrogantly and oppress others. This was all because they came from a Worldly Family, inherently possessing the right to Cultivate. This was the most ridiculous thing.
Ji You now left the window and sat cross-legged on the bed, beginning to enter meditation.
The Spiritual Qi from all around began to surge towards him, constantly being inhaled into his body through the Qi Apertures and then dispersed throughout his limbs and bones via the damaged Spirit Origin.
This scene was like spring rain falling into naturally low ditches, gradually gathering into babbling streams.
As the rain continued to increase, the ditches were widened, and the streams gradually began to rush.
Then his Divine Thought moved slightly, and these surging Spirit Streams were instantly ignited.
His white robe was puffed up by the Qi, constantly fluttering, and Ji You’s brows gradually furrowed, a look of pain from enduring hardship appearing on his Face.
This was his fourteenth Micro-Illumination, and his thirteenth Spirit Fire Forging.
At this moment, the ignited Spirit Fire was constantly colliding within his body according to his will, then breaking through and refining from the inside out, penetrating his skin.
At first, it was just sporadic, flickering flames, then they increased and spread, like flowing fire burning on an oil layer.
It began to emerge from his abdomen, moved along his skin, and enveloped his entire body as time passed.
The Condensing Essence Realm in the Lower Three Realms was roughly like this, except that the Spirit Origin that should have been burned was now Ji You, a living person.
Several hours later, Ji You was sweating profusely as if steaming. As he held his breath and exhaled, his shoulders instantly drooped, and he was panting, the golden light in his eyes slightly dimming.
Both external observation and internal vision required the use of Divine Thought.
External observation allowed one to see a thousand miles away, while internal vision required meticulous observation.
At this moment, sweat from his forehead dripped to the ground, mixing with the dust to form turbid water droplets.
Even when he had resisted Elder Qi’s final “Si Wu Xie” at Lingjian Mountain that day, it was no more than this. It was clear that this fourteenth Micro-Illumination was indeed not easy.
“It’s all burned out—”
“I need to leave some time to recover my Divine Thought and Spiritual Qi—”
Outside the inn, in the tea houses and taverns, many people were still staring at the inn, and the discussions had not ceased. Everyone knew that a student from Tianshu Academy had learned the Spiritual Sword Mountain Sword Dao.
They were curious about Feng Province’s final outcome, but they were actually more curious about his sword.
Now, the outside world said that during the Autumn Tournament at Tianshu Academy, Chu River, despite possessing the Huantian Technique and being unparalleled, was ultimately defeated by him.
Therefore, those who had only heard about it but never seen it were very eager to witness that unparalleled Sword Dao.
“It’s been two hours. Will they leave the city today?”
“Not necessarily.”
“How can you tell?”
“The carriage has already been unhitched and pulled to the backyard by the stable boy, instead of using the trough in front of the shop.”
Amidst the discussions, a commotion suddenly arose in the tea house, and some gazes began to look down the street.
In the early morning, because a large number of Cultivators entered the city, the people of Night City, who had never seen such a grand display, had already closed their doors or fled outside the city, leaving the main city road deserted.
However, at this moment, within everyone’s sight, a sword-wielding man in a dark blue short robe appeared on the street.
He walked towards the inn, pondered for a long time upon reaching the door, and finally lifted his robe and entered.
“Who is that person?”
“Luo Pingshan, Deputy Master of the Broken Moon Immortal Villa, in the early stage of the Tong Xuan Realm, a descendant of the Luo Family of Zhongzhou. This Luo Family is not a top-tier Worldly Family in Zhongzhou, but several of their clan elders are on good terms with Tianshu Academy.”
“He is—?”
“It seems that not all of these Immortal Villa people want to fight. If they can talk, they still hope to. After all, Ji You is now a registered Disciple of Tianshu Academy’s Inner Courtyard.”
In the tea house, Cultivators who were already familiar with these Immortal Villas couldn’t help but speak up to clarify for everyone.
Hearing this, a traveler from the Chen Clan who had come to join the fun couldn’t help but frown.
“This situation is very similar to the scene when Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the Tianjian Peak lineage of Lingjian Mountain jointly confronted our Chen Clan.”
This Chen Clan Disciple spoke with extreme caution. After the Qi Ridge incident, the Chen Clan was clearly besieged, but he skillfully replaced it with the word “confronted.”
However, the rest of the people did not care about his choice of words at the moment, but were more concerned about the deeper meaning of his analogy.
When Mountain and Sea Pavilion and Tianjian Peak of Lingjian Mountain besieged the Chen Clan, their stated purpose was to seek justice for their deceased Disciples.
But everyone in the Qingyun World, whether Worldly Families or Immortal Sects, understood that what they truly wanted was profit.
So, in the end, the Chen Clan secretly conceded a lot, which led to that battle ultimately not happening.
And this Chen Clan Disciple’s meaning might be that the current situation in Night City is very likely to develop like the Chen Clan’s situation back then.
That is, to make concessions, negotiate, and see if an agreement can be reached.
“After the Primordial War, the Human Race recuperated for many years. As long as the benefits are sufficient, they won’t easily resort to fighting.”
“All under heaven come for profit, and all under heaven go for profit. All wars are nothing but unequal distribution. In other words, if the distribution is equal, harmonious coexistence is not impossible. It just depends on how much these Immortal Sects are willing to offer.”
“One-tenth, two-tenths, three-tenths—”
“I heard that Ji You is extremely fond of money. It just depends on how much those Immortal Sects will offer to move him.”
The fact was just as this Chen Clan Disciple said; the Immortal Villas in Feng Province were indeed constantly wavering between fighting and not fighting.
And ever since Ji You entered Night City, right on the front line, someone proposed to test the waters first. That Luo Pingshan,
At this moment, he was the envoy.
The condition they offered was that Ji You could establish a Worldly Family in Feng Province, but he could not take all the tax revenue. He could only take one-tenth.
The so-called tax revenue was not just grain.
Feng Province also had some small Spirit Mines and Spirit Seed fields, which were also included.
Of course, Feng Province’s resources were indeed scarce, but taking one-tenth of the tribute from such a large province was already good. Some foreign Immortal Villas that had operated here for four or five years might not even be able to get one-tenth.
In their opinion, Ji You was alone.
Even if he were to thrive, it would take decades to establish a large Family, so one-tenth already showed sufficient sincerity.
At this time, many intelligence reports had been sent out with the outside travelers, and the situation in Feng Province was gradually becoming known to the major Immortal Sects and Worldly Families.
For Tianshu Academy, if the two sides could truly reconcile, whether one got more and the other less, it would be excellent.
And for other Worldly Families, it was also the same.
However, soon, the people in the tea house saw Luo Pingshan emerge from the inn, frowning, and leaving in a hurry.
“It seems they didn’t reach an agreement—”
“That’s how the rules are. No one can reach an agreement with a single offer. Those Immortal Villas are actually suppressing the price; it’s estimated they’ll raise it again.”
As expected, not long after, Luo Pingshan returned again and entered the inn.
This time, the Immortal Villa offered one-point-two-tenths of Feng Province’s tax revenue.
Then he came out, went in, came out, went in. This share kept increasing, from one-point-two-tenths to one-point-eight-tenths, but Luo Pingshan, who then emerged from the inn, still had a furrowed brow.
And by the eighth time he came, they didn’t even mention one-point-nine-tenths, directly offering two-tenths of Feng Province’s tax revenue. This was an astronomical price.
One must know that the Human Race territory in the Qingyun World had a total of nine provinces, with thousands of Worldly Families. Being able to get two-tenths was almost approaching that of a Millennium Worldly Family.
In many people’s eyes, being able to bid to such an extent was also because these Immortal Villas were giving Face to Tianshu Academy. If Ji You were a smart person, he should have agreed by now.
But what surprised everyone was that when Luo Pingshan came out of the inn again, his brow was even more furrowed.
“Two-tenths is already too much.”
“Indeed, even if Feng Province is barren, such a large share already affects the Face of our Tianshu Academy.”
The three Masters-in-charge of the Master's Courtyard had specially arranged for Immortal Communication, and upon seeing the result now, they couldn’t help but frown deeply.
Actually, Ji You was in the right at the beginning of this matter, but as the price continued to climb, some people really felt that he was a bit too greedy.
At this time, in Shengjing City, Princess Changle, Dou Yuankong, and other Worldly Family scions were also discussing endlessly, while Wei Rui sat by, listening intently.
Because she knew that Young Master Ji was Young Master Kuang’s closest friend.
“Ji You is already arrogant; I’m not surprised at all that he didn’t agree to even 20% of this.
”
Zhao Yunyue sneered, “When I cut down Chu River that day, I sent him a hairpin, wanting to form a Dao Companion with him, but he still looked down on me. How could this 20% tax offering enter his Dharma Eye?”
Dou Yuankong also couldn’t help but snort, “He probably thinks that the Feng Province’s tax offering is inherently his, so how could 20% satisfy him?”
Wei Rui couldn’t help but speak at this moment, “No, Young Master Ji is for the people of Feng Province; of course, he won’t compromise now!”
“Rui’er, you’re too easily deceived. If Ji You really cared about the common people, he would have drawn his sword by now. Why would he pretend to hide in the inn, waiting for someone to make an offer? That scholar surnamed Kuang, who is with him, is also the same kind of person.
We are greedy, that’s true, but we never hide it, unlike them who conceal themselves so deeply!”
Zhao Yunyue picked up her teacup at this moment, “Next, those Immortal Villas probably won’t make an offer, but will directly ask Ji You how much he wants.”
At noon, Luoping Mountain came to the inn once again.
He was already familiar with the routine, stepping up to the second floor, pushing open the door, and walking into Ji You’s room: “Young Master Li,
making such an offer is meaningless and only wastes time. My Villa Master, and several other Villa Masters, want me to ask you, how much will satisfy you?”
Ji You slowly opened his eyes upon hearing this, his lips parting slightly.
At this moment, in the vast and boundless land of Feng Province, farmers holding empty bowls wept in the wilderness.
Paper money carried by the autumn wind, new sorrow added to the farming families.
Meanwhile, Luoping Mountain in the guest room, after hearing Ji You speak every word, his Face changed drastically, then he rose indignantly and quickly left the inn.
At the teahouse at this moment, everyone witnessed this scene and was greatly astonished.
Not long after, a brilliant light suddenly erupted from the mountain range behind Night City, and intense Immortal light began to surge skyward, illuminating all directions, even coloring the clouds.
Immediately after, countless Immortal Villa Disciples rushed towards Night City, and a message spread.
A Innate Spirit Treasure appeared in Night City Mountain, and a group of private Cultivators and bandits entered the mountain to seize it. The major Immortal Villas of Feng Province are now going to jointly suppress the bandits, so the area within thirty li of Feng Province State Prefecture is under complete martial law. No one is allowed to enter or exit, and violators will be killed without mercy.
Upon hearing this news, the Cultivators in the teahouses and taverns were in an uproar and rose to their feet.
There are many coincidences in the world, but it couldn’t be this coincidental.
So everyone knew that the talk of a Spirit Treasure appearing in the mountain was definitely false, and the bandit suppression was also fabricated.
The only truth was that Feng Province was under martial law, and the foreign Immortal Villas here were going to join forces to kill people.
Since Ji You establishing a Worldly Family here is legitimate, even if they were to act, they would need a grand and proper reason.
And those lies were the reasons.
With Feng Province State Prefecture under martial law, if someone were to trespass into the mountain and be besieged, whether the killed person was a bandit or not, they would be considered a bandit.
In other words, Ji You and these Sects had a falling out.
And while everyone was still recovering from this sudden news, they suddenly saw a figure walk out of the inn.
He was dressed in white, carried seven long swords on his back, and his Sword Intent surged as he walked along the main road in the city, his gaze sharp and resolute.
Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi followed closely behind him, their swords already unsheathed, their gazes equally solemn, as they entered the mountain with him, Killing Intent rising.
The people seated in the teahouse were mere spectators. At this moment, they watched them until they reached the West City Gate, and seeing them walk into the mountain, they suddenly came to their senses.
A war is about to begin!
As this thought arose, the Sect wanderers immediately began to hastily send out messages, quickly transmitting this sudden news.
More people, however, were bewildered and shocked, their mouths agape as they watched the three figures heading towards the mountain.
“Why would a war suddenly break out? How much did he ask for?”
“Yes, how much did this Ji You ask for?”
“The Immortal Villas in Feng Province originally had the intention of negotiating, it was just a matter of how much, there shouldn’t have been such a drastic reaction!”
At this moment, as this sudden news was rapidly transmitted, countless people’s expressions changed.
In Shengjing City, Princess Changle, Dou Yuankong, Wei Rui, and other imperial relatives and high-ranking officials’ descendants.
Lu Qingqiu, He Lingxiu, Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and other Tianshu Academy Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard Disciples, as well as the three Master-in-charge of the Master’s Courtyard.
Besides them, the two Palace Masters of Tianshu Academy, who were playing chess, also failed to make their moves.
At the same time, in the majestic and profound palace, His Majesty, who was dedicated to the new policies, also walked out of the main hall.
How much did Ji You ask for, that those Immortal Villas didn’t even consider it and directly resorted to such a massive killing spree?
“He must have asked for everything.”
“Everything?”
“He was in such a hurry to go to Feng Province State Prefecture precisely for all the shares of Feng Province. If he hadn’t asked for everything,
those Immortal Villas wouldn’t have reacted so violently!”
“News has arrived.”
“?”
“What Ji You wants—”
Not all Immortal Villas in Feng Province participated in the war, just like those spies in the Micro-Illumination Realm, who would be cannon fodder if they got involved.
But they knew how much Ji You wanted; when the Sword Qi soared into the sky earlier, the Cultivators guarding Night City had already asked him, and the news was now rapidly transmitted in all directions.
Zhao Yunyue couldn’t help but lean forward at this moment, “How much did he ask for?”
“He wants—”
“Speak.”
“He said he wants all the children in every Family to grow up, for those who leave home to always return, no matter how late, for the ghosts who have lost their Dao Heart to have justice in their eyes, and he also wants all Dao in this Human Race world to be under the Qingyun World——.”
As the words fell, Shengjing City’s restaurant suddenly fell silent.
Inside and outside Tianshu Academy, everyone couldn’t help but look up at the sky filled with clouds.
“!”
Night City Mountain is vast, but mostly consists of small hills; the terrain is not steep, which is why those Immortal Villas chose to set the battlefield here.
At this moment, Ji You stepped onto the mountain, and his surging Sword Intent made the winds in the mountain roar with it.
Seeing this, all the Cultivators on the mountaintop narrowed their eyes, and Killing Intent suddenly howled.
They were mostly in the Tong Xuan Realm, eighteen of them in total, renowned experts within their Villas. Among them were either honored guests or deputy Villa Masters, some with higher talent still had black hair, while others already had white hair growing.
They were Worldly Family Disciples from other provinces who, due to insufficient talent, could not Cultivate in Immortal Sects.
Some had even entered Immortal Sects but failed to break through their Realm by the deadline, so they had no choice but to leave. Through years of tempering and Medicinal Pill accumulation, they entered the Upper Five Realms, yet they also knew that their Immortal path had reached its end in this life.
Such Cultivators are ubiquitous in the Qingyun World.
And when they saw the end of their lives, knowing that Immortal Ascension was hopeless, the desires they had suppressed for the sake of Cultivation would intensely rebound, making them even more greedy for wealth and power.
Such people would never sit idly in deep mountains, stubbornly guarding their Dao Heart; instead, they would be driven by their emotions and desires.
So they left their Worldly Families, came here, and began to dominate one region, their minds filled with distractions.
“Instructor, Senior Sister, you go ahead.”
“Okay.”
The Tong Xuan Realm couldn’t stop the Rongdao Realm. Even if the sheer number gave them a chance, it wasn’t necessary for them.
Because they knew that behind them, there were five Villa Masters overseeing the situation.
Their target was Ji You, who was also in the Tong Xuan Realm, and he was the key to this matter.
Whether they killed him or crippled him, the other two would be useless even if they reached Feng Province State Prefecture.
So Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi went ahead, heading deeper into the dense forest.
“It is said that Ji You is very strong, but no matter how strong, he is still only in the Tong Xuan Realm, and we have eighteen Tong Xuan Realm Cultivators.”
“Indeed, when Villa Master Poyue wanted to offer 10% of the tax to appease him, I thought, why bother?”
Amidst the discussions, a black-haired Tong Xuan Realm Cultivator stepped forward, looking at Ji You, who was approaching with his sword from the slope: “I was once a Tianshu Academy Disciple, but even during my time in the academy, I never acted so arrogantly because of my Sect’s prestige. You, young man,
are truly a bit too self-important.”
As soon as his words fell, the response was seven Spirit Origin-filled Dao Swords suddenly rising into the sky.
Intense Sword Qi soared like white clouds, and the heavy Sword Intent instantly shook the mountains.
【Spiritual Sword Mountain Sword Dao, Seven Chong Mountain】
Upon seeing this, the eighteen Tong Xuan Realm Cultivators on the mountain instantly took flight, their blades, spears, swords, and halberds glinting with cold light as they charged forward.
Boom!
Ji You suddenly swung his arm, and the seven great swords slammed down towards the mountaintop. The black-haired Tong Xuan Realm Cultivator at the very front raised his sword to meet them, but his pupils suddenly constricted in terror before the Sword Intent even arrived, and then he was greatly shocked.
With a splattering sound of blood, the falling swords sounded like thunder, and the entire cliff Face was directly crushed.
And the swordsman in the wind and waves, his long hair flying, his entire body radiating a fiery aura that continuously roared.
“This is the rumored Spiritual Sword Mountain Sword Dao—.”
At this moment, the spectators who had been sitting in the city for half a day had already caught up, standing not far away, watching the seven figures fly backward, blood overflowing from their mouths and noses.
There is, after all, a difference between Immortal Sect Disciples and Immortal Villa Disciples.
And the difference between Immortal Sect Outer Courtyard Disciples and Immortal Sect Inner Courtyard Disciples is even greater.
Even in the same Realm, the Realm they painstakingly forged by consuming Medicinal Pills and enduring years is still far inferior to this young Tong Xuan Realm Cultivator before them—this is a fact.
Of course, only those who have been accustomed to acting arrogantly in Feng Province would look down on everyone, thinking that the arrogance of the person in front of them originated from Tianshu Academy—
But those who are well-informed, like the wanderers from other Sects, actually know that ever since Tianshu Academy sought the Dao from Lingjian Mountain,
half of Tianshu Academy’s arrogance comes from him—
At this moment, all eighteen Tong Xuan Realm Cultivators’ Faces changed drastically, some of them bleeding profusely, their eyes filled with terror.
Ji You stepped forward, his massive and heavy Sword Qi rising once again, but he saw several people around him about to retreat into the mountain forest, and his eyes instantly narrowed.
“Don’t retreat. Whoever retreats today, I will kill first.”
“?”
Upon hearing this, all the surrounding spectators were stunned.
Because they knew that Ji You’s purpose for this trip was to go to Feng Province State Prefecture, to establish his own Worldly Family.
Earlier, he had drawn his sword ferociously, clearly scaring these people. Letting them leave now would save him effort, which would naturally be for the best, but for some reason, he wouldn’t let them retreat.
Ji You approached with his sword, looking at those Tong Xuan Realm Cultivators and slowly spoke, “Some things, whether it’s the retirement home or exchanging children for food, you feel sorrow when you see it once, but when you see it often, for a long time, it turns into anger. I think that in this world, good people may not necessarily have good outcomes, so how can you all have a good end?”
“So when I left Yuyang County, I had already decided that not a single one would be left today. So it’s not that you are stopping me; it’s that I’m turning your plan against you to kill you.”
“Because there are bandits tonight, and those who enter the mountain will be killed without mercy, do you remember? You all have Worldly Families behind you, and I am just a private Cultivator from the countryside, so if I miss today, how else can I find a reason to freely draw my sword against you?”
Ji You stood amidst the scattered rocks and slowly raised his hand, an incredibly sharp Sword Qi soaring into the sky.
(Pulling for average subscriptions, so it’s a two-in-one chapter. Please give monthly votes—)
(Recommending a friend’s book, “Exploding Life Professions, From Ant to God of Martial Arts.” There’s a direct link in the author’s notes below.)