Thirty Li Pu is on the west side of Yuyang County, where there is also a cultivation Dao field called Fengxian Villa.
At Chenshi today, Old Qiu took his daughter to borrow grain. When they reached the vicinity of Baishui River, they happened to encounter the Immortal who had come down from the mountain to collect offerings.
At first, Old Qiu didn't notice anything amiss. He only felt that the leading Immortal seemed to be very fond of his daughter, looking at her repeatedly and praising her as 'Spiritual Light Permeating the Head'.
Old Qiu originally thought this was a good thing.
It wasn't until he was carrying the grain sack and taking his daughter home that he met Niu Er, who was in charge of supervising the transport of offerings, coming to congratulate him, saying that his thirty percent offering for this year could be waived, and he only needed to send his daughter to the mountain. Only then did he realize that the sky was falling.
Although the practice of 'using living people for Alchemy' was not unheard of in Great Xia, the Qiu Family couple never expected it to happen to their daughter.
At that time, neighbors and relatives gathered at the Qiu Family, while Old Qiu sat on a stone pier, looking dazed and saying nothing.
“What exactly is ‘Spiritual Light Permeating the Head’ and ‘Boundless Immortal Opportunity’? Ru Ru has never even seen an Immortal. How could she have these… those Immortal lords must have been mistaken…”
“Those are Immortals! If they say it’s so, what can we humble commoners do?”
“Even Great Xia’s laws cannot control Immortals. Since they have already spoken, I’m afraid no one can save Ru Ru.”
Seeing her mother crying in the courtyard, five-year-Old Qiu Ru was greatly frightened.
She was just a bit mischievous, didn't listen to her mother, and insisted on following her to her maternal grandfather's house in Thirty Li Pu, thinking that this was what had angered her mother.
Seeing her mother crying so hard she was gasping for breath, Qiu Ru ran over on her short legs and hugged her neck: “Mom, I… I was wrong. I’ll be obedient from now on. Please don’t cry. I won’t be naughty anymore.”
“What’s the use of being obedient now? I told you not to go early on, but you insisted!”
Li Shuping was almost hysterical, pushing her daughter directly to the ground, and then immediately embracing her, sobbing uncontrollably.
Qiu Butler remained silent for a long time before raising his head, his lips trembling as he said, “I will go to the county yamen tomorrow and ask the Grand Master to think of a solution for us. After all, I had some old ties with him when I was in the Ji Family…”
Ji You had heard the rumors in the restaurant earlier and had gone outside the city. He had been watching from outside the crowd for a long time now.
After his Transmigration to Qingyun World, his life, though a bit tough, was generally quite peaceful and stable.
He had no grand ambitions; otherwise, what good person would study philosophy?
Anyway, since he couldn't go back to his previous world, he just wanted to achieve something in cultivation, and in a couple of years, prove his Dao as an peerless bandit, just to ensure he had enough food and clothing, and meat for three meals.
But he never expected that what seemed like a peaceful and stable life was actually so fragile.
When Immortals descend upon the world, if they want you to live, you live; if they want you to die, you die.
The so-called stability was merely because it hadn't fallen upon him yet.
Ji You did not stay for too long. After all, sadness is different from joy; it is not an emotion that needs to be shared with everyone.
He returned along the road to the ancestral home, pushed open the gate, and entered the second courtyard. The eccentric scholar next door was still sitting in the tree tonight, holding a scroll and constantly flipping through it. Upon seeing him return, he immediately stood up.
But this time, he did not rush to leave, but rather looked down at Ji You from above.
“Something happened to the Qiu Family.”
The scholar's name was Kuang Cheng, a young master from a scholarly Kuang Family in Yuyang County, whose residence was adjacent to the Ji Family ancestral home.
This person usually loved carrying water for widows and guiding the blind, the type of 'someone else's child'.
In Yuyang County, he was very famous, regarded as a benevolent and humble gentleman.
Because their two families were neighbors, he was one of the few people Ji You knew in this world.
When he first came to this world, he couldn't speak the Yuyang dialect, and it was only by listening to Kuang Cheng's clear reading from the tree for a long time that he could barely speak.
This was the story Ji You knew.
However, what he didn't know was that Young Master Kuang and Young Master Ji were once inseparable childhood friends.
It was just that later, Young Master Ji became idle, fond of wine and women, turning into a debauched wastrel, while Young Master Kuang diligently studied scholarly texts and was full of righteousness, so the two naturally went their separate ways.
But after learning about the Qiu Family's misfortune, Kuang Cheng still consulted countless ancient texts and found a way to break the situation, waiting for him here.
In his opinion, the Qiu Family had shown kindness to Ji You, so he was helping his old friend one last time.
After listening to the scholar, Ji You nodded: “I just returned from the Qiu Family. I already know about Qiu Ru’s matter.”
“Since you know, then you shouldn't still be here.”
“Then where should I be?”
Kuang Cheng stood up from the tree branch: “You should be at the Fang Residence, asking Fang Ruoyao for help.”
“Fengxian Villa is a branch of Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion. Let alone ordinary people, even ordinary Immortal sects might not dare to interfere in this matter. But Tianshu Academy has the responsibility to oversee the Heavenly Dao, and it is a Great Xia Holy Sect, so it naturally can.”
“Fang Ruoyao has now entered Tianshu Academy and is a Tianshu Academy Disciple. As long as you can persuade her to step forward, the Qiu Family girl might have a glimmer of hope.”
Kuang Cheng finished speaking in one breath, his gaze fixed on Ji You.
There's an old saying in Qingyun World: if an Immortal wants you to die at the third watch, who dares to keep you until the fifth watch? So this matter should have been unsolvable.
However, two Immortals from Tianshu Academy happened to be in Yuyang Town, which was a variable, and a variable usually meant the key to breaking the situation.
In his opinion, this key lay with the County Magistrate's Young Miss.
However, Fang Ruoyao had previously forcibly broken off her engagement with Ji You, and in his opinion, asking Ji You to beg her was not an easy thing to accept.
After listening, Ji You looked up at him: “Being a Disciple of Tianshu Academy can save her?”
“This is the only solution to this predicament.”
“Kuang Brother, where did you learn of this solution?”
“Naturally, I saw it in a book.”
Kuang Cheng thought he didn't believe him, so he threw the book to him over the courtyard wall.
Touching the familiar book pages, Ji You couldn't help but recall his clueless self when he first arrived.
Old Kuang's idea from the book was correct; only Tianshu Academy could make Fengxian Villa give up.
The scholar saw him silent for a long time and couldn't help but ask: “Did you see it?”
“I saw it.”
Ji You closed the book, unable to help but gaze at the fiery red sky to the north.
He saw the unpredictability of the world, saw how fate was not his own, and saw that Qingyun World would ultimately lose a remarkably talented peerless bandit.
Kuang Cheng stood in the tree, looking at him inexplicably, only to see Ji You not heading straight for the Fang Residence, but instead, with a solemn expression, pushing open the door and entering the house, covering the doors and windows with black curtains.
Junior Third Realm Completion, one enters the Immortal Registry, is not bound by laws, and can enter Tianshu Academy.
He had previously cultivated with the intention of becoming a peerless bandit, always feeling that time was not so pressing. Yet, after cultivating to this point, he was still two realms short, and he only had two days left.
Ji You sat on the bed, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around him began to continuously surge into his embrace, burning like fire within his body.
In this realm, he had to guide the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his Spiritual Spring, and he only had one day, a truly life-or-death situation…
At the same time, outside the city, at the Qiu Family, the heavy-hearted Old Qiu lay on his bed, listening to his wife's sobs, sleepless through the night.
Finally, enduring until dawn, he immediately pulled his grain cart to the grain store in the city, exchanged all the Family's remaining grain for silver, packed it in a bundle, and rushed to the residence of County Magistrate Fang Juzheng, hoping to save his daughter's life.
But before Old Qiu could approach the Fang Residence, he was stopped by the constables guarding the road.
Today, Fang Juzheng and his daughter Fang Ruoyao were hosting Immortals from Tianshu Academy from Shengjing at their residence. The residence had been busy since early morning, with servants carrying various delicacies passing through halls and courtyards, like a New Year celebration.
As it concerned his daughter's future and the Family's prosperity, the Grand Master feared that some troublesome commoner might disturb the Immortal's sacred presence. He had issued a strict order last night that he would see no one today.
But Old Qiu didn't give up. He knelt directly on the long street, kowtowing to the ground, begging for mercy from Heaven, and his cries gradually attracted a crowd of passersby.
“Isn’t that Qiu Zhong?”
“His daughter is going to be taken away for Alchemy, so he came here to beg the County Magistrate for mercy. But how could the Grand Master dare to meddle in Immortal affairs? Old Qiu might kneel to death today and still not see anyone.”
“Hey, why isn’t Ji You here?”
“I heard he secretly peeked outside the door last night and was so scared he turned around and left. You know, that’s how he was scared witless when the Ji Family offended the Immortals back then.”
From morning until evening, the Immortal banquet at the Fang Residence had long since ended, but Qiu Zhong remained kneeling in place, unable to see the Grand Master.
At this moment, a scholar in plain robes walked along the long street leading to the County Magistrate's yamen, holding a scroll of “Xia Law Immortal Regulations.” Wherever he went, people would greet him as Young Master Kuang.
He reached the place where the constables were guarding the road, and looking at Qiu Zhong, who was kneeling and appeared withered, he felt three parts of pity and seven parts of indignation.
If it were Ji You kneeling here today instead of Qiu Zhong, this matter might still be resolved.
Because the County Magistrate had forcibly broken off the engagement back then, his reputation in the county was not good. If Ji You were to kneel here indefinitely, even for the sake of appearances, the Fang Family would have to invite him in.
And as long as there was a chance to meet the two Immortal Seniors from Tianshu Academy, there would still be a glimmer of hope.
However, since last night, Ji You had been hiding at home and had not taken a single step outside.
Then he remembered that two years ago, when the Ji Family faced disaster, Ji You also abandoned his parents and fled overnight, just like today.
He didn't expect that fellow to have the courage to face Immortals, but he couldn't even bring himself to sacrifice his dignity and beg Fang Ruoyao for the sake of the Qiu Family girl.
Kuang Cheng walked towards the constables at the gate with a grim face: “Excuse me, officers, please inform her that I, Kuang, wish to see Young Miss Fang.”
“Oh, it’s Young Master Kuang. Our Young Miss is currently enjoying tea with the Immortal Senior from Shengjing and does not have time to see guests.”
“I can wait, no matter how long. After all, Young Miss Fang and I were once classmates, and she is heading north to the capital tomorrow. Today is the only day I can bid her farewell in person.”
“This…”
The constable heard that he was there to see the Young Miss off, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Then Young Master Kuang, please wait a moment. I will go into the residence and inform her.”
Kuang Cheng bowed and cupped his hands: “Many thanks.”