Chapter 258: So Embarrassing
West side of the Inner Courtyard of Tianshu Academy, in the front hall of the Master's Courtyard main building.
Zuoqiuyang, the Master of Zizai Hall, and Chai Hu, the Master of Chang Sheng Dian, were seated at the head, with three Elders from the Elder Council on their left and right.
The three Masters-in-charge of the Master's Courtyard stood in front of a wooden board, on which were pasted messages fed back by those traveling outside the academy, as well as records of Dou Yuankong's rumors from the past few days.
Scattered fragments could not be pieced together into effective sentences, making them elusive.
“The Evil Seed is merely a dried corpse of the Lasting Peace Race, with no clear identification, making its origin even harder to trace. Currently, the only clue is Dou Yuankong. We have been investigating around Sanli County for the past few days, trying to confirm the places he might have visited before his incident, and we now have some leads.”
Qin Rong hung a map on the wooden board: “The area around Sanli County is barren and not a good place for leisure, but a bit further away are several large cities, much more prosperous. Among them, Anyuan City is famous for its restaurants. This Dou Yuankong usually enjoys wine and women, so he might have passed through here.”
Zuoqiuyang heard Qin Rong's words, pondered for a moment, and then spoke: “Where was the body of Dou Yuankong's old servant found back then?”
Qin Rong then pointed to another location on the map: “The body was found in Bai'ai County, Nan Hong Prefecture, Qing Province, just west of Wanhe County.”
“It's quite far, but it's still a clue. Including the Anyuan City you mentioned, continue the search along these three locations.”
“Yes.”
After some discussion, the Master's Courtyard, having received the imperial order, immediately sprang into action, while Zuoqiuyang and Chai Hu left the Master's Courtyard.
However, on the way back along the mountain road, Chai Hu couldn't help but frown slightly: “Senior Brother, do you really think this matter is related to the Qi Ridge incident?”
Zuoqiuyang put his wide sleeves behind him: “It's too similar. Back then, the Evil Seed also suddenly appeared.”
“If that's the case, what is the purpose?”
“Naturally, it's for the ancient Immortal Dao within the ruins.”
Chai Hu somewhat disagreed: “Everything in the ruins goes against the Heavenly Dao and cannot be brought out at all. Even if brought out, it would be annihilated by the Heavenly Dao. How can there be a scheme?”
Zuoqiuyang frowned tightly upon hearing this: “The Immortal Dao within the ruins is indeed contrary to the Heavenly Dao, but it can't stop some people from being greedy. What if someone, like the Zheng Family Old Ancestor, also wants to seek Heaven-Defying Ascension within the ruins?”
“If it were such a large-scale operation, it would certainly be impossible to hide from our eyes, but the Master's Courtyard has already investigated, and the ruins have not been opened. The feedback from other Immortal Sects is also the same.”
“However, although the Seven Great Immortal Sects appear to be harmonious on the surface, they are actually acting independently. Some words can be believed, but not entirely. That is the temptation from the Immortal Dao; let alone Immortal Sects, even those Worldly Sect might become bolder because of it.”
The delicate balance in Qingyun World has lasted for hundreds of years, with Immortal Sects at the top, followed by thousand-year Worldly Sect, and then hundred-year Worldly Sect.
Such stability is naturally good for some people, but for some ambitious individuals, it is a lock.
In fact, ever since the Qi Ridge incident, the Seven Great Immortal Sects have been guarding against each other, all feeling that some party is secretly causing trouble, otherwise Dan Sect would not have been eager to ally with Tianshu Academy.
And the rumor of a chaotic world originated from this.
What is a chaotic world?
It is a world without rules or laws.
If it truly reaches this point, the first thing to be broken will be the balance between the Seven Great Immortal Sects.
And in Zuoqiuyang's view, with each of the Seven Great Immortal Sects holding a Sacred Artifact to command the world, the only force capable of breaking such a balance is the Seven Great Immortal Sects themselves.
Meanwhile, Ji You had returned from Kuang Cheng's residence.
Due to the appearance of the Evil Seed, the Ox-Horse Division where Old Kuang worked was very busy.
Ji You didn't waste his time, only urged him to pay attention to safety and not to get carried away even if he found something.
Because in his opinion, matters involving the Heavenly Dao are beyond human control.
But Kuang Cheng had read extensively since childhood, and his passionate nature made him easily excitable; he feared he would get involved in something bad.
On his way back, he saw large groups of Master's Courtyard Disciples leaving the academy again.
He had just heard from Cao Instructor today that as early as when the Evil Seed first appeared, Tianshu Academy had sent out some Master's Courtyard Disciples, and now another batch had gone out, indicating an expansion of the search.
Ji You did not linger much in the Outer Courtyard but stepped back into the Inner Courtyard, pushing open the door to his own yard.
From leaving last summer to returning this summer, a period of about a year, this courtyard had been uninhabited.
However, the Disciples of the Master's Courtyard were quite responsible, often coming to clean, so it wasn't desolate.
But due to the continuous heavy rain for months, his clothes and bedding in the room were very damp.
Ji You had just spent an entire day drying his bedding when he received several invitations.
There were invitations from He Lingxiu and Xiao Hanyan, as well as invitations from some Worldly Family Young Masters in the capital, both acquaintances and strangers.
In fact, attending banquets was not the purpose; for them, the purpose was to see if Ji You was truly still in the Tong Xuan Realm. Just as Ji You was looking through those invitations, a vast Divine Thought suddenly swept in from the distant mountains.
That Divine Thought enveloped him, scanning him several times, then silently retreated.
At this moment, Ji You couldn't help but look up, gazing in the direction from which the Divine Thought had come.
This Divine Thought should have come from one of the Five Great Immortal Halls. It seemed even the Hall Masters of Tianshu Academy were very interested in the fact that he had entered the Xianxian Holy Land but had not broken through his Realm.
However, the following days became quiet, with no more invitations or banquets.
Besides Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu who often came to find him, Lu Hanyan also occasionally came back to greet him, expressing her desire to continue learning swordsmanship. After that, not many people came back to disturb him.
This was probably because everyone had confirmed Ji You's current Realm, and the level of attention given to a Tong Xuan Realm cultivator was no longer what it once was; they simply regarded him as a fallen individual who had hit a Bottleneck.
They shifted their attention from him to the matter of the Evil Seed.
During this time, Ji You received a letter from Dan Sect.
Yuan Caiwei had also heard the news of his exit from the Xianxian Holy Land, and then learned from those traveling outside the sect that he had returned to Tianshu Academy, so she specifically wrote to ask if everything was well with him.
In fact, the news of Ji You not breaking through his Realm also affected her.
Previously, various rumors had circulated in Qingyun World, saying that she liked Ji You and wanted to marry him.
Regarding this matter, her father and some Elders in power had not prevented it; they basically turned a blind eye.
But ever since this news spread, her father and the Elders within the sect constantly tried to persuade her to change her mind through subtle hints.
Yuan Caiwei was still very important to Dan Sect, partly because of her extremely high Aptitude in alchemy, and partly because she could influence Yuan Chen's decisions as the future sect master.
However, Yuan Caiwei did not mention this in her letter, only telling him about recent events in Dan Sect, as well as her own and Yuan Chen's recent situations.
Additionally, she also “betrayed” Yan Shuyi, saying that after he entered the Xianxian Holy Land, she and “Elder Sister Yan” went to Feng Province together.
These girls are all quite clever, knowing to run home.
However, the Lingjian Mountain Master Jian seemed a bit clumsy; she denied it verbally, but her body was quite honest.
She even secretly went home again while I was in the Xianxian Holy Land.
Ji You pursed his lips, then picked up his pen to write back to Yuan Caiwei, also telling her about his general situation over the past six months, a lengthy letter.
Logically speaking, since Yuan Caiwei knew about his return, the Lingjian Mountain Master Jian should also know.
However, until Yuan Caiwei received his reply, the letter from Lingjian Mountain never came, so Ji You personally wrote a letter and sent it to Ling Province.
Lingjian Mountain had been much more stable during this period. The newly admitted Disciples had good Aptitude, and due to the influence of a certain actor, all of them entered Xuanjian Peak.
To enhance her prestige among the Disciples, Yan Shuyi even made three appearances, appearing cold, beautiful, and with an Aura like an Immortal, her lofty image inspiring admiration in many.
And the more this was the case, the more people found it hard to imagine what kind of divine being could become the beloved of such a Heavenly Immortal.
When Ji You's letter arrived, Yan Shuyi was listening to Zhuo Wanqiu's report on the Evil Seed matter.
During the Qi Ridge disaster that year, she had personally investigated the Zheng Family Old Ancestor's residence and had seen with her own eyes the Evil Corpses confined in cages.
Therefore, regarding this matter, she always had her own concerns.
Those traveling outside the sect in the north had now been dispatched by her to investigate Dou Yuankong's disappearance, but so far, only fragmented and low-value information had been returned.
At this time, Ding Yao came along the mountain, holding a letter, and ascended to the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace on Xuanjian Peak.
"Master Jian, Young Master's letter has arrived."
Yan Shuyi turned her head upon hearing this: "He really came out of the Xianxian Holy Land. What did he say?"
Ding Yao handed over the letter: "Just four words: I'm back."
The Young Master Jian took the letter and glanced at it, a trace of Sword Qi rising in her eyes.
Since returning from the Tiandao Conference, her Dao Heart had been in disarray due to some unfamiliar matters. To eliminate her fear of the unknown, she secretly went down the mountain and bought a Secret Manual detailing Bloodline reproduction techniques. However, after reading that Secret Manual, she became even more confused.
The clothes and pants she changed into after bathing the previous night always needed to be changed again the next morning.
Now, receiving a letter from the culprit, she couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.
She was no longer the same Lingjian Mountain Master Jian as before; her mind was filled with much more knowledge, and she knew how that little Tianshu Academy Disciple intended to mess with her.
Although it hadn't happened in reality yet, Yan Shuyi had experienced it several times in her dreams, so she blamed him for all the new and old grievances, becoming incredibly fierce.
Then she asked Ding Yao to fetch paper and brush, and with a flourish, her brushstrokes were like swords.
Ding Yao stood in the hall, carefully observing Master Jian's expression.
She had heard earlier about Ji You returning from the Holy Land but failing to break through his Realm, and she had many questions, not understanding why it turned out that way.
She really wanted to know Master Jian's thoughts, but Master Jian had never discussed it with them, so they didn't dare to ask.
In fact, Yan Shuyi knew that Ji You was on the Body Refining path, and she understood that although he hadn't broken through his Realm, he was definitely not the same person he was before entering.
But the more this was the case, the more the Young Master Jian felt afraid.
She finished writing the letter, then folded it neatly and handed it to Ding Yao.
Actually, she and Ji You didn't need such troublesome communication; they could meet simply by going to Void Mountain.
However, Yan Shuyi didn't quite dare to go now.
Void Mountain could solidify Divine Thought into colored Qi, and many thoughts had nowhere to hide there; they couldn't be concealed by merely being stubborn.
And before Ji You returned to Tianshu Academy, she had tried a few times, and each time it was yellow.
Ji You received the reply three days later, but calling it a letter wasn't entirely accurate, because inside the envelope was another stick figure drawing.
A female stick figure, characterized by long hair, held a forty-meter-long sword and pierced a male stick figure, characterized by short hair, through the heart with an arrow, then hoisted him on the tip of the sword.
There was a similar drawing last time, due to the Yaozu Gongzhu's tail, but this time it was definitely not.
He had lived in Xianxian Holy Land for more than half a year; how could he have met any other women?
After much thought, he felt that Yan Shuyi still had a feeling of both wanting him to return and wishing he would return slowly, which was why she sent such a reply.
Ji You held the Young Master Jian's reply, and a bunch of mischievous stick figures popped into his mind, wanting to draw them and send them to her.
For example, 'I also have a forty-meter-long stick; one stick into the belly, and the stick techniques change endlessly whether sitting, lying, or standing.'
But after much thought, Ji You decided that if he really sent such a letter, he might get a good beating when they met again.
Then he saw another small line of text on the letter: "Strange man, our fate is over; may we forget each other in the Qingyun World, never to meet again in this life."
"Pfft."
Because she was afraid of pain, she didn't even want her husband anymore. After this, news from outside constantly spread in Shengjing.
The Si Xian 監 had basically cleared out the Evil Seeds that could cause trouble within the Nine Provinces, and those not cleared were strictly guarded.
However, the Si Xian 監 still hadn't found any clues about their origin.
And although the results of the Seven Great Immortal Sects' investigation into Dou Yuankong's whereabouts were not made public, rumors continued to spread back to Shengjing.
Cultivation was dry and boring, so such news was naturally attractive enough.
The first to find clues was the Mountain and Sea Pavilion.
They searched eastward from where Dou Yuankong's old servant was found and discovered that he had once drunk alcohol in a nearby city called Anyuan City.
It was said that he also hired three courtesans and spent a good night with them.
When those three courtesans were found, they were interrogated with extreme detail; even what they wore, what they carried, and what songs they sang that night were meticulously recorded.
This was not surprising, as such casual conversations might contain clues spoken by Dou Yuankong.
For example, whether he mentioned where his next stop was, or where he wanted to go, or if he had met anyone along the way.
Those three courtesans were ordinary women; how could they withstand an Immortal Family's interrogation? They immediately revealed everything.
They even said that Dou Yuankong only 'poked' one of them thirteen times before finishing, and after finishing, he insisted on asking if she was comfortable.
As for the other two courtesans, they sat idly the entire time, quite helpless.
Other things didn't spread widely, but this matter spread very comprehensively, causing people to burst out in snorts of laughter.
"There's even such a thing? I love hearing it."
"If Dou Yuankong were still conscious, he'd probably just die right away—"
"Indeed, if it were me, I'd just die outside; what's the point of living?"
"Brother Dou probably never thought at the time that so many people would be concerned about his whereabouts."
"It's fine, Brother Dou is crazy anyway; he doesn't need Face anymore—"
"Seriously, when I saw him wet his shoes while peeing, I knew Brother Dou was probably crippled, but I never expected—"
The Worldly Family Disciples in the capital discussed animatedly, a hint of emotion appearing on their Faces as they mentioned their old friend.
And Dou Yuankong did not only stay in Anyuan City for one day, but seven days, and during these seven days, he went to a brothel again.
He still drank, but unlike last time, this time Young Master Dou hired five courtesans.
As soon as this news spread, it immediately led to countless people commenting on his "poor skills, big addiction."
He wasted two out of three, and next time he had the courage to ask for five; it's unclear whether he was deceiving others or himself.
However, this investigation also yielded results, not just how many times Dou Yuankong could 'poke,' but also his method of operation.
When Dou Yuankong was forced to leave the capital, he was wandering aimlessly.
According to the three courtesans, Dou Yuankong went to drink at the brothel each time at the invitation of local friends.
This also explained why Dou Yuankong, despite being a 'noob,' always ordered three to five.
Because when you're out and about, you give yourself Face.
But thinking about it differently, Dou Yuankong's route was very likely to be visiting friends, which would make it traceable.
Of course, more people were puzzled by the Seven Great Immortal Sects' detailed investigation into Dou Yuankong's whereabouts.
Although a large portion of them did enjoy hearing stories about how Dou Yuankong was 'crippled' after a few 'pokes,' they felt that the Seven Great Immortal Sects shouldn't be so bored.
"Dou Yuankong has injuries caused by Evil Seeds, and recently Evil Seeds have been appearing all over the Nine Provinces. Could there be a hidden agenda behind this Evil Seed incident?"
"Looking at the current actions of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, it's probably not a natural disaster but a man-made one. Otherwise, why would they need such a detailed investigation, stripping Brother Dou of all his dignity and Face?"
"If it's man-made, what's the purpose?"
"Perhaps it's related to the Qi Ridge incident, after all, the last time Evil Seeds appeared was like that?"
"If it's truly related to Qi Ridge, then it's too big. Many people died last time; who knows what will happen this time..."
Worldly Family Disciples had their own sources of information and were not truly foolish; they easily smelled something strange, as the appearance of Evil Seeds could easily be linked to the Qi Ridge incident.
This was not a good thing, as it involved Heavenly Dao and Immortal Dao, which could easily cause turmoil in the Qingyun World, especially with the Yao Race and Barbarian Race still eyeing them from abroad.
Thus, the major Immortal Sects gradually began to suppress news about this matter.
However, even so, many Worldly Sect kept an eye on Dou Yuankong's situation and secretly sent their Family Disciples to the Feng Province area.
This feeling was quite similar to when rumors of Immortal Fate appearing in Qi Ridge spread back then, and countless people flocked there, unwilling to fall behind.