Chapter 200: Arm in Arm
The close relationship between Ji You and the Dan Sect, and his ability to purchase priceless Medicinal Pills from the Dan Sect, indeed spread quickly.
Thereafter, the letters sent to Tianshu Academy were not only from Tianshu Academy and Shengjing, but even bore postmarks from Yun Province and You Province.
Most of the senders were mid-level cultivators from the Worldly Sect in the middle reaches.
Regarding this matter, the two Elders of the Dan Sect who received the money adopted a 'turn a blind eye' attitude. They merely met with him symbolically, shared a cup of tea, and did not interfere excessively.
The Dan Sect's attitude was not surprising.
For thousands of years, their direct sales channels have only been through Immortal Sects and Millennium Worldly Sect. Only backup Medicinal Pills would flow out at an increased price through merchant associations like Wanhua Pavilion and Wannian Xuan.
This was not because the Dan Sect genuinely refused to sell; part of the reason was also due to the constraints of the world's situation.
Immortal Sects did not wish for more powerful Millennium Worldly Sect to emerge, Millennium Worldly Sect did not wish for more powerful Century Worldly Sect to emerge, and Century Worldly Sect did not wish for new ordinary Worldly Sect to emerge.
Therefore, the circulation of Medicinal Pills has always been closely monitored.
This involved the balance between the nine provinces, and even the attitude of the Six Great Immortal Sects and those Millennium Worldly Sect towards the Dan Sect.
The Dan Sect's status was indeed lofty, far surpassing Millennium Worldly Sect, ranking among the Seven Sects, but this could not change the fact that the Dan Sect generally lacked combat power.
Having experienced the dark era when alchemists were captured and confined, the Dan Sect has always adhered to the attitude of 'the less trouble, the better' in recent years, strictly controlling the sales channels of Medicinal Pills.
It was like how they possessed poisonous Medicinal Pills capable of killing those at Upper Five Realms Perfection, but only dared to use them for self-protection, never selling them externally.
Because sometimes hatred is not only directed at the killer, but also at the weapon used for killing.
Especially since the hostility of many Worldly Sect towards the Dan Sect has never disappeared; it is merely constrained by the current balanced situation, preventing them from acting.
In fact, this was similar to Yun Province's cautious attitude towards Ji You; the reason they dared not act rashly was that while they were watching Ji You, they themselves might also be under surveillance.
There were several deeply rooted Worldly Sect within Tianshu Academy, such as the Fang Family and the You Family, whose mid-level members had always been very interested in Yun Province's Spirit Stone business.
If they were to act against Ji You, it would be akin to giving others a reason to act against them.
At that time, whether it was Worldly Sect claiming to protect Tianshu Academy Disciples, or those raising the banner of upholding qingyun immortal rules, they could legitimately take a share from Yun Province.
Therefore, upper-middle-class Worldly Sect like the Lu Family were often the strongest supporters of the qingyun immortal rules.
This was similar to when Ji You went to State Prefecture to establish a Worldly Family, and although Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Bai Rulong were worried to death,
they still dared not participate due to their Family's stance.
Similarly, the Dan Sect was the same.
Although Medicinal Pills could be sold to anyone, some money would burn one's hands.
Now that someone was willing to help them bear the risk of Medicinal Pills flowing downwards, it would not be a bad thing for them; it would even increase the operational space for the Dan Sect's grey Medicinal Pill circulation.
More importantly, this matter was justifiable both within the immortal rules and in reason.
After all, everyone in Qingyun World now knew that there was a private affection between the Dan Sect's daughter and Ji You, so even Immortal Sects and Worldly Sect could not accuse the Dan Sect over this matter.
Qingyun World was like this; in Ji You's words, it was a stack of very high building blocks, swaying precariously, seemingly about to collapse yet maintaining a delicate balance.
Subsequently, the news that Ji You of Tianshu Academy, having a good physique, gained the favor of the Dan Sect's daughter and publicly sold Medicinal Pills, began to spread through the fermentation of rumors: "I heard that Ji You sold many Medicinal Pills in Shengjing."
"Medicinal Pills?"
"Dry Yuan Pill, Changbai Pill, Dragon Elephant Pill, Tianhe Pill, Bilin Pill—"
"?!"
"How can these Medicinal Pills be sold so casually?!"
"I've already asked the Senior Brother at Tianshu Academy, it's true. This Ji You, I don't know where he got such luck, it seems he's going to marry into the Dan Sect—."
Although Feng Province was vast and barren, the spread of news was not as rapid as in other provinces, but the people who came here to establish Immortal Villas were themselves descendants of Worldly Sect from the other eight provinces.
After the Masters of the Five Great Xian Villages — Risheng, Taizhen, Fuyan, Qiyun, and Changqing — were beheaded by Ji You and his two Disciples on Night City Mountain, Juguang, Tianyan, and Dongsheng became the three largest foreign Immortal Villas in Feng Province.
When Ji You promoted joint harvesting and joint excavation in Feng Province under the pretext of tax offerings, many of their Lower Three Realms Disciples from the Immortal Villas participated.
The three Masters had always turned a blind eye and did not stop them, actually intending to seize Ji You by the throat during the spring of joint cultivation and joint farming, reopen the card table, and reshuffle the tax offering shares.
They had even decided to emulate Ji You, taking ownership of the cultivated land for their Immortal Villas and having the common people cultivate it for them.
At that time, they wouldn't even need to pay tax offerings, and they could still make a fortune.
But when the news of Ji You selling Medicinal Pills arrived, Juguang, Tianyan, and Dongsheng suddenly fell silent.
No cultivator did not yearn for a higher Realm; they traveled far because their talent was not high and they were looked down upon by their Family.
Compared to pleasure and greed, Realm was the most Haunt and unforgettable of all distractions for them—
And at this moment in Tianshu Academy, Lu Qingqiu received two Juxuan Pills brought out from the Inner Courtyard by a Master's Courtyard Disciple.
There were only two types of effective Medicinal Pills for breaking through to the Sky Soaring Realm for those at Junior Third Realm Perfection.
The one available on the market was the Buxin Pill, which Ji You had wanted to taste when he first entered Tianshu Academy, but which he and Cao Jinsong together couldn't afford.
The efficacy of the Juxuan Pill, however, far surpassed that of the Buxin Pill; it was the version that couldn't be bought.
However, Lu Qingqiu initially did not think she could buy it, because Ji You had just fallen out with their Ling Shi Merchant Association a while ago.
But she still managed to buy it. The problem was that Fang Jincheng and Puyang Xing couldn't.
There shouldn't be many backup Juxuan Pills, and when the quantity of goods is small and the number of buyers is large, the seller can choose buyers according to their preference.
Lu Qingqiu didn't expect that even after the Ling Shi Merchant Association was at odds with Ji You, he would still choose to sell to their sisters first.
"Why did Ji You sell this Medicinal Pill to us?"
"Ji Gongzi said you often invited him to eat."
"That meal was actually worthless. I know Fang Jincheng actually offered three times the price for this Juxuan Pill."
"Ji Gongzi said that for the poor, that meal was very valuable."
The Master's Courtyard Disciple bowed and said, "I still need to deliver Medicinal Pills for Ji Gongzi, so I'll take my leave."
The number of backup Medicinal Pills was not too many, and before long, news of the Medicinal Pills being sold out spread.
At this time, the New Year Festival quietly arrived.
The East and West markets had closed two days in advance. As dusk began to fall, octagonal glazed palace lanterns hung from the vermilion eaves,
and twelve zodiac gauze lanterns hanging between the archway pillars lit up together, instantly transforming the entire long street into a starry river of peas.
Then, flower stands were erected high, and the sound of drums and music startled the copper bells on the eaves into a series of clear chimes.
Furthermore, several gardens in the capital, such as Spring Pool Garden and Winter Palace, were also rented out by the Worldly Sect in the city, with red carpets laid out to host guests.
Amidst clinking cups and tea brewed over a stove, idle chatter never ceased.
At gatherings of cultivators, the topics of conversation naturally revolved around cultivation, and cultivation matters could not be separated from Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills.
During these lively conversations, sudden halts often occurred, because now neither the topic of Spirit Stones nor Medicinal Pills could avoid the name of that one rural rogue cultivator.
In fact, both the Juxian Banquet at Spring Pool Garden and the Ascension Banquet at Winter Palace had sent invitation cards to Ji You.
However, the invited guest did not come, because at this moment, Ji You was sitting in Kuang Cheng's courtyard, looking at the exquisitely surveyed map of Feng Province. Within these two days of selling Medicinal Pills, the Immortal Observation Bureau had already selected the transportation routes for Feng Province, which were now presented to Ji You.
After much discussion with Kuang Cheng, Ji You felt that the Immortal Observation Bureau's current route design was acceptable, so they finalized it.
"The official road is estimated to take half a year to build. The Immortal Observation Bureau plans to use the old road on the west side of Feng Province for transportation first."
"Alright, then let the snowy region demon stone enter the pass first."
Kuang Cheng nodded lightly and put away the Immortal Observation Bureau's map, then lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Ji, how have you been these past few days?"
Ji You snapped back to reality and glanced at him: "Good, why wouldn't I be good?"
"When I heard that Miss Yuan had arrived at Tianshu Academy, I had nightmares for several days straight."
"What nightmares?"
"I dreamed that your legs were broken, and you were crawling around on the Nishan Sacred Path. I woke up in a cold sweat, and so I wanted to go to Tianshu Academy to inquire about your news repeatedly, but I also felt that I couldn't bear the bad news."
When Kuang Cheng said this, he couldn't help but recall the scene in his dream again, and a lingering fear showed in his eyes.
Ji You at this moment lightly spun the teacup on the table with his fingertips: "That's because you don't understand my Family's imperial status. My Ji Family has strict household rules, so how could a mere Fairy Yan, even if she's an Yingtian Realm Empress, cause an uproar in my backyard?"
Kuang Cheng looked at the wound on his mouth at this time: "Brother Ji, don't be stubborn. Fairy Yan scratched this, didn't she?"
"A pure scholar knows nothing, this is a reward."
"?"
Yuan Chen was sitting next to them at this time. He didn't understand what the two of them were saying about the Spirit Stone transportation route in Feng Province, and now he didn't understand the reward his brother-in-law mentioned.
Ji You at this moment picked up the teacup, took a light sip of tea, then turned his head to look outside the courtyard, his gaze falling on the three women in the tea pavilion in the courtyard.
Yan Shu was sitting in the innermost position, her eyelashes trembling slightly, arrogantly drinking tea.
Yuan Caiwei also held a teacup in her hand, as serene as a young lady from a noble Family, but her eyes kept glancing at Yan Shu's mouth, which was obscured by the teacup. Where her gaze fell, a faint, tooth-mark-like wound was visible.
This wound was the same as the one seen on Young Master Ji's lips yesterday morning.
"Jianzhu Sister is also feeling hot?"
Yan Shu nodded imperceptibly: "Shengjing is drier than Lingzhou, so it's easy to get inflamed if you're not careful."
Wei Rui also sat with them, appearing quiet and well-behaved, but in fact, she had been secretly observing the two older sisters in front of her with her peripheral vision.
However, her gaze was mostly fixed on Yan Shu, watching very carefully, not missing any of her movements or expressions.
At this moment, the sun began to set towards the west, and the area outside the courtyard was already faintly bustling.
The five of them came out of Tianshu Academy today to go to the Lantern Festival, and it was almost time, so they decided to go out, but the combination for going out was somewhat subtle.
Because if only Ji You and Yan Shu went out together, and Ji You wanted to hold hands, Yan Shu would probably let her Sword Qi roar for a while, and then she would allow it.
If he went out with Yuan Caiwei, and Ji You wanted to hold hands, Yuan Caiwei would probably be shy for a moment, then softly say, "How could Young Master be like this?" and then she would obediently let him hold her hand.
But because there were many people now, in the end, Yan Shu and Yuan Caiwei walked hand in hand through the streets.
On the other side, although Kuang Cheng hadn't yet held a small hand, the feeling of Wei Rui gently pulling his sleeve from behind him was also quite intimate.
Only Ji You looked at Yuan Chen beside him, listening to him constantly muttering about wanting to listen to stories on the street, and couldn't help but feel a bit doubtful about life.
"Brother Ji originally thought he was alone, so he wasn't planning to visit during the New Year, but he was very happy when Fairy Yan came to Shengjing. However, he probably didn't expect two to come at once.
"Actually, two is fine, Brother Ji has two arms after all. Now I'm wondering what to do if the Yao Race's Princess comes."
"If all three are here, where will the Princess go?"
Kuang Cheng couldn't help but mutter, feeling a bit worried for Brother Ji. There were so many people at the Lantern Festival, an almost shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, and everyone gradually began to get separated.
Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui naturally separated on purpose, specifically looking for less crowded places to squeeze into, but no one dared to make a move.
By the time they met Ji You again, they were already in the middle section of the Lantern Street. Yan Shu stood coldly with her hands behind her back by the riverbank, like a Fairy descending to the mortal world, but she was quickly pinched on the cheek by Ji You.
Kuang Cheng thought Ji You would be beaten for being so rude, but found that Yan Shu only had a murderous expression, but actually showed no sign of anger at all.
Then the two walked towards the east. Wei Rui noticed that Yan Shu seemed to be deliberately walking behind Ji You. Before she could figure it out, she saw Sister Yan secretly reach out and tug on Young Master Ji's sleeve, then quickly let go.
However, not long after, Yan Shu seemed to realize that Ji You hadn't noticed, so she reached out again and held onto his sleeve, not letting go until she saw Ji You's uncontrollable smile, then she suddenly realized something, and her eyes became much sharper.
The fourth encounter was on the west side of South Street. The little Master Jian didn't know where she had wandered off to, while Ji You and Yuan Caiwei met at a small stall selling accessories. There were more stalls and many more people on South Street.
As they walked, Ji You subconsciously protected Yuan Caiwei, but found that this daughter of the Dan Sect would accurately fall into his arms every time.
He had thought that only Yan Shu would be so mischievous, but he didn't expect that someone who usually appeared well-behaved would also be like this.
By the fourth encounter, Yan Shu and Yuan Caiwei had linked arms again and were following behind Ji You, walking towards the flower house where performances were held.
Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui were currently on the arch bridge on South Street, a relatively high position. With a slight lift of their gaze, they could see dancing girls with swaying waists, exposed navels, and snow-white skin on top of the flower house.
They noticed that Ji You subtly turned his head several times, looking at the singing girls with snow-white waists with a slightly critical gaze.
Before long, people passing by them instinctively pulled their clothes tighter.
So busy, my Brother Ji.
Kuang Cheng couldn't help but sigh, and once again thought of Ji You's dream of climbing the Sacred Path, always feeling that one day he might see it in reality.
And it wasn't just Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui who had their eyes on them.
Above the flower houses along the street were also Princess Changle, Young Miss Lu Qingqiu from Yunzhou, Second Young Miss Lu Hanyan, and some other Immortal Sect Disciples and Young Misses from the Capital, all looking down.
Ji You himself was attractive enough to them, not to mention Yuan Caiwei, the daughter of the Dan Sect. But what truly piqued their curiosity was the woman wearing a veil, with no fluctuations in her aura.
Yuan Caiwei's status was extremely high, as she was the daughter of the Dan Sect's Master and also a fifth-grade Alchemist.
Although Lu Qingqiu and Zhao Yunyue were, respectively, the eldest legitimate daughter of a Spirit Stone Worldly Family and a Great Xia Princess who studied at Lingjian Mountain, they simply could not compare to such an Immortal Sect Bloodline.
But the question was, how could a daughter of the Dan Sect, with such high status, accept sharing a husband with a mortal woman?
Even if she could accept it, how could the Dan Sect allow it?
But what puzzled them was that what they had thought impossible was now happening before their eyes.
And even more unbelievable was the way Yuan and the others interacted.
The veiled woman had always lived in Ji You's courtyard, while Yuan Caiwei had been leaving Ji You's courtyard in the evening for the past few days and then returning in the morning of the next day.
By common sense, Yuan Caiwei seemed somewhat humble, and by custom, it was even more serious, because this was clearly the rule for a second wife to pay respects to the main wife.
Perhaps to others, this didn't mean anything, because Yuan Caiwei hadn't married Ji You yet.
But the problem was, since she was noble as the daughter of the Dan Sect, even if she was still unmarried, she shouldn't allow another woman to stay overnight in Ji You's courtyard, much less willingly go back the next day.
So the only possibility was that Yuan Caiwei simply didn't consider this an offense.
Zhao Yunyue couldn't figure it out, thinking the only possibility was that Yuan Caiwei was too soft-natured, to the point where she couldn't control Ji You's backyard.
At this moment, Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but pull out the two Medicinal Pills from her embrace, her heart stirring slightly.
After first learning about Ji You and Yuan Caiwei's situation, she had actually felt a bit empty, but now seeing that Yuan Caiwei couldn't even control a mortal woman, she couldn't help but have ideas again.
After much thought, Lu Qingqiu handed the Medicinal Pills in her hand to her sister, Lu Hanyan.
Lu Hanyan was also looking down at this moment, and only came back to her senses when her sister patted her shoulder. She was slightly stunned the moment she saw the Medicinal Pills.
She knew that the Ling Shi Merchant Association and Ji You had a conflict, and she also knew that Fang Jincheng had bought the Medicinal Pills at three times the price, thinking they would be unobtainable.
Lu Qingqiu looked at her sister: "After the New Year, I will teach you to cultivate diligently, and strive to enter the Inner Courtyard in the autumn."
Lu Hanyan suddenly bit her red lips tightly, and a layer of mist rose in her beautiful eyes: "I will definitely not let down Senior Brother Ji's expectations of me."
"?"
The night deepened quickly, and the city's lanterns appeared even more prosperous, with the scent of wine gradually spreading into the cold winter wind.
Actually, sometimes where to stroll or when to stroll doesn't matter, what matters is with whom you stroll. So, whether it was East Street, West Street, lantern alleys, or arch bridges, the five of them were quite satisfied with their back-and-forth strolls.
Only Yuan Caiwei, a few times during the outing, felt as if something was missing, but she couldn't recall what it was.