Chapter 183: The Wagging Tail
Yu Garden was destroyed in the battle; the main hall, side halls, and wing rooms all collapsed one after another, and the snow pines were all broken. It was now a scene of utter desolation, completely uninhabitable.
Therefore, a Yao Race minister, by order of the Yao Emperor, led the Human Race delegation to relocate to Spirit Garden, which was opposite Yu Garden.
Like Yu Garden, Spirit Garden was also an imperial garden not far from the Demon Emperor Palace. Its style was similar, but its area was larger.
This garden was adjacent to the coast, and from the second floor, one could see the winter sea, frozen for thousands of miles.
Because it had not been attacked, the accumulated snow here was quite even, covering the ground and tiled roofs with consistent thickness, echoing the black stone walls.
“Esteemed envoys, last night’s events were truly an unexpected incident. No one knows why the Scale Clan and Fang Clan caused such trouble, but I believe His Majesty will give everyone an explanation.”
“For today, please rest here.”
“We have arranged for physicians for you, who should arrive shortly. Additionally, meals are being prepared in the main hall of Spirit Garden.”
“You may go there at your leisure.”
“There are many matters in court now, so we shall take our leave. Please rest well.”
As the Yao Race minister bowed and departed, Spirit Garden suddenly fell silent.
At this moment, everyone walked into the central courtyard and saw the tea pavilion in the covered walkway. While feeling tired, there was also a hint of unutterable lingering fear.
Because Yu Garden and Spirit Garden were very similar, and yesterday, in almost the same location, those exquisite invitation cards, secretly harboring murderous intent, were delivered into their hands.
Just imagine, if they had really gone to the various clans’ banquets last night, they would very likely have died tonight.
Even if someone miraculously survived and escaped the banquet, facing the vast Snow Region and the thousands of miles of wilderness, whether they could successfully escape back to the Nine Provinces was another question.
After all, they had already felt the madness of the Barbarian Race when they arrived. Even if they could sneak out of the territory, they would hardly escape the Barbarian Race’s pursuit.
What’s more, even if the several Elders who accompanied them wanted to return to Hantie Pass under the pursuit of the Yao Barbarian Alliance,
It would undoubtedly be a near-death experience.
Some things are like this: you don’t know at first encounter, but only afterwards can you see the full picture.
That murderous night last night was simply the dividing line between life and death, making people tremble with fear.
At this moment, Ji You was sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed into Spirit Garden. His hands hung by the sides of the wheelchair; although he could still use them, the stinging pain was incredibly intense, even more unbearable than when he first woke up.
This indicated that Feng Yang’s acupuncture effect had begun to weaken, and his Meridians, which had been forcefully opened, were slowly returning to their original positions.
It was estimated that after noon, his hands would once again lose their ability to move.
He needed to go to the restroom first so that Master Jian wouldn't fall behind again, otherwise she would definitely cause him trouble.
Ji You exhaled, his breath turning into a wisp of light smoke in the extreme northern chill, and he turned his gaze towards the direction of the Demon Emperor Palace.
The night attack was not without benefits; at the very least, it shortened the process of the Yao Emperor making a decision.
It seemed that it wouldn't be long before they could leave the Snow Region. Although Ji You had felt like he was sightseeing in a foreign land for the past few days, after being in a foreign country for a long time,
It was inevitable that he would feel a desire to return.
At this moment, Gongshu Chou couldn’t help but ask him, “Is that Demon General Shu He really that strong?”
Ji You regained his composure and nodded upon hearing the question: “I monitored the entire West Courtyard with my Divine Thought, but even so, I almost missed his figure. My repeated sword strikes were also dodged by him, and I even nearly fell into his trap. His extreme speed is truly terrifying.”
Gongshu Chou pondered for a long time before speaking: “I’m more surprised by his Cultivation Technique. He was actually able to inflict knife wounds on you with his bare hands. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Perhaps that’s his talent. His palms and fists are like knives; he came at me with bare hands, scaring me—”
3
“Could it be that he had a hidden short knife or something similar, but didn’t let you see it due to the assassination attempt?”
Ji You suddenly became serious: “You can’t just say things like that. Forget a short knife, I didn’t even see a single hilt.”
Gongshu Chou imagined a figure fighting with bare hands as if gripping a knife: “Your Physical Body is clearly extremely difficult to break through, isn’t it? If he truly had no weapon, I still find it hard to believe he could injure you.”
Ji You looked up at him, his brow gradually furrowing.
Don’t keep talking, you’re about to solve the case, damn it.
“Gongshu, please take me back to my room. I’m a bit tired.”
“Alright.”
Gongshu Chou pushed Ji You, walking towards the room, still muttering about inflicting knife wounds with bare hands.
At this moment, the Human Race Prodigies, whether standing or sitting, all looked up and stared at his departing back for a long time.
They had not seen Shu He alive, so they naturally didn’t know how strong he was, but they were well aware of the strength of his Physical Body; after all, it was a body that could engage in close combat with the Barbarian Race.
That Demon General Shu He could inflict knife wounds on him with bare hands, indicating his dangerousness.
The result was that such a person died silently at Ji You’s hands, without even making a ripple.
Extreme speed?
Concealment?
They hadn't seen it, they only remembered the position where he lay prostrate after entering the West Courtyard, and knew that he hadn't even been able to touch the threshold of the envoy's room.
Jiang Yan couldn't help but say, “Although Ji You’s Realm is not high, his Divine Thought should be the strongest among us.”
“This can be seen from his method of controlling his sword.”
1
Jiang Chenfeng raised his eyes: “There’s a difference between seeing and striking. He needs a fast sword.”
Yan Qiubai looked up upon hearing this: “The Dao Sword, ‘Gui Qu Lai’, that is a sword from my Lingjian Mountain, the fastest sword.”
“This fellow didn’t die unjustly, but if it wasn’t him guarding the West Courtyard that night—”
Upon hearing this, Prodigies such as Huo Hong, Shi Junhao, Jiang Chenfeng, and Xiao Hanyan all couldn’t help but frown, their palms clenching.
Because if they considered it from their perspective, if they had been guarding the West Courtyard that night, it would have been very difficult to stop that Demon General. And if they put themselves in the Demon General’s shoes, they felt that Ji You might even be able to kill them.
Huo Hong was silent for a long time: “It was a coincidence, he just happened to meet someone whose talent could deal with him.”
Jiang Yuerou raised her eyes and glanced at him: “You can’t say that.”
“Why?”
“Divine Thought, Physical Body, Sword Dao—apart from his low Realm, he is actually exceptionally strong in other aspects. His combat power, being able to block a punch from a Barbarian Race Soldier King, truly cannot be viewed from a narrow Realm perspective.”
Upon hearing this, the Prodigies couldn’t help but fall silent again, the three words “Tong Xuan Realm” constantly appearing in their minds.
Close combat with the Barbarian Race, sword-slaying a Soldier King, and now counter-killing a Demon General—
Along the way, the combat power displayed by this Tong Xuan Realm Disciple from Tianshu Academy was truly absurd, even more absurd than inflicting knife wounds on an opponent with bare hands. Meanwhile, Elder Ge of Tianshu Academy listened to everyone’s conversation and couldn’t help but fall silent.
Although a high-Realm strong practitioner watching a low-Realm practitioner fight is like watching children fight, it must be said that Ji You had truly exceeded too many expectations.
Such a person should not be treated as an ordinary Disciple.
This made him somewhat regret that he shouldn’t have allowed Ji You to fend for himself due to the influence of the Inner Courtyard Disciples, but rather should have tried his best to protect him.
However, back in the wilderness, when the Barbarian Race Soldier King shot an arrow, he did not intervene to save him, so it would be hard to say in the future.
In his opinion, such a Disciple could at least become a personal Disciple of a Hall Master. Fortunately, Ji You was merely a commoner, so it wasn’t that regrettable, but it was still somewhat regrettable after all.
The Ge surname originated from Zhong Province, and it used to be a small Worldly Family until he became an Elder of Tianshu Academy, after which the Ge Family successfully ascended to a middle-tier Worldly Family.
However, due to its short existence and not many descendants, the Ge Family had little foundation.
What Elder Ge regretted was that he could have taken Ji You as his personal Disciple.
Especially since everyone in the academy was saying that his Innate Dao Heart Clarity could be passed down. While pondering, a series of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the Spirit Garden gate. Due to last night’s attack, everyone was already on edge. Upon hearing the movement, they immediately channeled their Qi and looked sharply towards the gate, only to see a group of Yao physicians carrying medicine chests walking in. Their vigilance then gradually eased.
In last night’s battle, most people only suffered external injuries, as the attacks of those Profound Demon Generals were mostly intercepted by the Elders.
And Chu Butian, who was the most seriously injured, had only his arm pierced by a longsword.
Additionally, Tu Xu had suffered an arrow wound from the Soldier King in the wilderness, and his wound had now reopened.
However, for cultivators, as long as vital points like Spirit Origin, Meridians, head, or heart are not injured, it’s not a major issue.
So they asked these physicians to bandage them up, but did not allow them to perform further treatment.
Ultimately, they were unsure whether last night’s events were solely the private actions of the Scale Clan and Fang Clan, and whether no one else was aware.
Being in a foreign land, it was not excessive to be highly vigilant about exposing wounds to others.
Jiang Yan’s injuries were relatively minor, mostly blunt force trauma, with only her wrist injured. As she watched the physician approach, she rolled up her sleeve and said, “We have another companion who was also injured last night and is now in his room.”
Upon hearing this, the Yao physician looked up at her but did not speak, continuing to focus on treating the wound.
Their movements were extremely meticulous. They picked out any debris, rinsed the wound, and then bandaged it, the entire process unhurried.
Jiang Yan felt somewhat puzzled by the physician’s silence, thinking she might be too busy, but when she looked around, she realized that several physicians had already finished bandaging the lightly injured but had not moved.
“They don’t seem to have any intention of treating Ji You?”
“Is it because Ji You killed a Demon General?”
“Can that be? This Yao Race acts too petty.”
Just as they were speaking, another set of footsteps sounded from outside Spirit Garden. Everyone turned to look, their eyes slightly widening.
At the entrance of Spirit Garden, Princess Feng Yang walked in, also carrying a medicine chest on her back.
Her figure was excellent, with a slender waist, tall stature, and exquisite and delicate features. Her curled eyelashes shimmered with a faint golden light in the morning sun, exuding an air of nobility and serenity.
She was not wearing the plain dress from the morning, nor a physician’s white robe, but had changed into one that better accentuated her figure.
After entering the courtyard, she did not look at them but walked gracefully upstairs with her medicine chest, heading directly towards Ji You’s room.
Seeing this scene, everyone was slightly stunned, then looked at each other.
In fact, they had just met Yaozu Gongzhu this morning. At that time, she had brought the Imperial Guard to stop the assassination and had escorted all participants from the Scale Clan and Fang Clan to Demon Emperor City.
Such a major incident had occurred in the Yao Race, and the subsequent handling would certainly be very troublesome. In their view, Yaozu Gongzhu should not have been able to get away in a short time, but they did not expect her to appear again so quickly.
“So it wasn’t that she wouldn’t treat him, but that Feng Yang Gongzhu wanted to treat him personally—”
“Yaozu Gongzhu just escorted those people to the Demon Emperor Palace this morning. It takes a lot of time to go back and forth, but she still made a special trip.”
“She seems to have changed her dress—?”
During this time, Huo Hong silently got up and returned to his room without a word.
At the same time, Ji You was in his room, holding two short blades with his increasingly painful arms, and then carefully admiring their edges.
As expected, the material of these short blades was indeed extraordinary. Both their hardness and sharpness had reached an excellent level. Even when not wielded by anyone, they exuded a wonderful aura.
【Wild Knife】
Just then, his door was pushed open from the outside.
Ji You quickly put away the two short blades, then turned his head and saw Feng Yang Gongzhu entering from outside the door. She met his gaze, then carried her medicine box in and placed it beside him.
“The effect of the needles should be almost over. Let me check your arm.”
“The pain has indeed started to become noticeable.”
Feng Yang Gongzhu nodded upon hearing this, then smoothed her skirt, squatted on the ground, and opened the medicine box. The outline of her buttocks appeared round and plump, full and perky.
Then she lifted Ji You’s arm, and after a long time of pulse-taking, she said, “The forcibly opened Meridians have begun to retract, and sensation has also returned, so the pain will be very intense. I will help you block the pain again.”
Ji You looked up at her voice: “Won’t that worsen the injury?”
“No, only forcibly opening Meridians will worsen the injury. Blocking the pain will not.”
Ji You looked at Feng Yang Gongzhu, feeling that her voice sounded much more affected than before, but she herself seemed not to notice, still maintaining the demeanor of a “Proper Physician.”
Feng Yang raised her delicate face, and after seeing his gaze, she looked confused: “What’s wrong?”
“I was just wondering what will happen to the Yao Race members who participated in the assassination?”
“Tomorrow morning, the Imperial Heavenly Demons will escort them to Snow Peak and imprison them in the Cold Prison.”
Ji You felt the slight pain of the silver needles piercing his skin, and after a long silence, he said, “That was truly a close call—.”
Feng Yang softly hummed, then spoke again: “If you hadn’t been prepared in advance, a war would have truly begun. But regarding the matters of the Scale Clan and Fang Clan, how did you find out?”
“Before the Demon Emperor made a decision, a Yao Race member impatiently sent an invitation. It was a bit too eager. Moreover, the owner of that invitation was surnamed Mu, the same surname as the Scale Clan leader who strongly demanded war in the Demon Court that day.”
“That’s his son. The Scale Clan has always been responsible for the mining of Yao Race Spirit Stones.”
“As expected—”
Feng Yang now held his palm, feeling it somewhat warm and broad, then slowly inserted the next silver needle: “Blocking Soldier King, stopping Demon General Shu He, are you really not afraid of death?”
Ji You felt the silver needle enter his body and said, “If I didn’t do this, the people of our Feng Province would be finished.” “Feng Province?”
“It is the poorest province of our Human Race, without Immortal Sects or Worldly Families. I am the only cultivator in Feng Province. This year, to reduce taxes, I killed many people, but I finally defended it. Now that good days are just beginning to show promise, they cannot be ruined by war again.”
Ji You suddenly pursed his lips: “A man should die on the path of saving others, otherwise he will surely regret it.”
Immediately after, as the silver needles were inserted, Ji You’s pain gradually became blocked, and the pain caused by the retraction of his Meridians rapidly diminished.
At this moment, he looked down at Yaozu Gongzhu, his gaze drawn to the round chair leg hidden in her hair. The Yao Race has many more parts than the Human Race, and chair legs are one of them.
However, this kind of chair leg should be a hard keratinized tissue, without nerves or blood circulation, so it should not be able to move and would not have any sensation.
Feng Yang released Ji You’s right hand and then reached out to hold his left hand: “It’s this one now.”
Ji You watched her actions, thinking that the last time she applied needles, there wasn’t this part where both hands were held together.
However, Yaozu Gongzhu’s small hand was slender and smooth, tiny, and slightly cool against his palm, which did not make Ji You feel uncomfortable. He wondered if her feet were the same.
Ji You pondered for a long time, then a tender white foot suddenly flashed before his eyes, assuming a fierce posture, making him hold his breath.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been kicked. My Dao Heart is somewhat clear; I need to rein it in quickly.
Although Yan Shuyi kept calling him “stranger,” she was actually a jealous person.
She had been secretly competing with Yuan Caiwei before, and adding another one would probably cause a fire.
Feng Yang now gracefully stood up and looked at the silver needles on his arm: “You should no longer feel pain in your arm now, but the recovery of your Meridians will still take a long time. During this period, your arm will still be unusable.”
“Thank you for your help, Your Highness.”
“No need to be polite. It’s just that you should cherish your life more in the future. Being unafraid of death like you are, sometimes it’s also a sickness.”
Ji You raised his eyes: “Being unafraid of death is also a sickness?”
Feng Yang Gongzhu nodded upon hearing this: “Being unafraid of death is sometimes the same as wanting to die. The fatality rate is even higher than actual diseases.”
Ji You raised his eyes: “Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness.”
“I already said no need to be polite.”
“Alright.”
As Ji You’s voice fell, silence descended upon the room.
Since the silver needles needed to remain in his arm for a sufficient time, Feng Yang Gongzhu could only stand in front of him and wait.
This atmosphere, where neither knew what to say, made one feel somewhat uncomfortable.
After a long while, Feng Yang looked around and suddenly spoke: “The consequences of your forced use of your arm are still unknown. If there is sudden pain or any other questions you want to ask later, you can call for me at any time.”
Ji You pondered for a long time before tentatively speaking: “Your Highness, I do have a small matter I’d like to ask about, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to mention.”
Feng Yang turned to look at him: “What is it?”
“Uh, actually, it’s not a big deal. It’s mainly that the Human Race and Yao Race are mutually wary of each other, almost causing a great disaster. In the end, it’s because they don’t understand each other. I actually hope that the Human Race will understand the Yao Race more, so I have more points of curiosity. For example—do Yao Race women really have tails?”
Feng Yang Gongzhu was first stunned, then a blush gradually appeared on her cheeks, and she stood dumbfounded.
“Uh, if it’s inconvenient to say, then forget it. Anyway, it’s not what I want to ask; it’s a friend of mine who’s quite curious.” “Actually, they do.”
“Really?”
Feng Yang was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke. A bulge behind her gradually pushed open the folds of her skirt, and she whispered, “It’s like this. Normally, it can be hidden—”
Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke. Discovering that Ji You was staring at her back, she couldn’t help but avert her gaze, gently biting her red lips.
Ji You slightly regained his senses at this moment, feeling a bit emotional.
He thought to himself, so that’s how it is. No wonder I couldn’t see it. It’s just like me, except the position isn’t quite right. Then the air fell silent again, and Ji You continued to ponder.
Feng Yang Gongzhu also began to zone out while waiting, not knowing what she was thinking, but soon, the tail in her skirt began to sway uncontrollably towards him, seeming to be an unintentional action.
Ji You watched for a long time: “Is Your Highness very happy now?”
“?”
Feng Yang glanced at him, her tail instinctively stopped wagging, then she shook her head blankly: “Such a big incident happened today, almost causing an unmanageable disaster. I have nothing to be happy about.”
Ji You nodded after hearing this, then the two fell silent again. After a long period of quiet from Feng Yang Gongzhu,
That bundle of tail began to gently sway uncontrollably again.
He wasn’t sure what it meant for a Yao Race member to wag their tail, but he didn’t dare to ask. He figured it wasn’t entirely controllable, just like his own, so he pretended not to see it.
After a long while, the needling time finally ended. Feng Yang, who had been wagging her tail, came back to her senses and began to lean over to remove the needles for him.
At this point, Ji You could no longer feel the pain from his arms, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of profoundness.
“I will come for a follow-up visit tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Feng Yang put the needles back into their case, tidied up her medicine box, and walked out: “No spicy food until your arm recovers.”
R
She dropped a sentence and walked out, got into the carriage parked outside the garden, reached out to touch the demon tail in her skirt, and started to space out a little again.
The tail of a Yao Race woman is actually considered a private part and cannot be shown casually. She didn't know why she acted that way just now, but it was covered by clothes anyway, so it was nothing. After the silence, the carriage had returned to the Princess's residence, and her imperial brother, Night Chill, was standing in front of the mansion gate.
“Where did you go again?”
“I went to treat a Human Race person again.”
“Ji You?”
Feng Yang glanced at her imperial brother, then nodded.
Night Chill’s gaze became somewhat strange: “Didn’t you say you didn’t like him very much? How come as soon as you left the palace, you went to treat him without even returning to the mansion?”
“I did return. I even changed my clothes.”
“??”
Due to the extremely cold climate in the Snow Region, there are not many crops that can grow, so Feng Yang has not had many dresses since she was a child.
The one she was wearing now was actually brought back by Night Chill when he went to Kyushu, and she loved it dearly,
But she had never brought herself to wear it.
Night Chill stared at her blankly, feeling that things seemed to be going awry.
(Everyone, remember the monthly ticket lottery. If you cast a monthly ticket between the 1st and 10th, you are automatically entered into the lottery.)