Chapter 93: Breaking Their Dao Heart Through Battle
Dou Yuankong’s self-aware statement was met with looks of idiocy.
Because only a woman, like Yuan Caiwei, could truly understand the regret and unwillingness in such an expression.
At this moment, Lu Qingqiu’s emotions were complex.
She had previously used Dan Sect and the Yunzhou Lu Family as examples, but in reality, even after a thousand or ten thousand years, the Yunzhou Lu Family would not be fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Dan Sect.
Precisely because of this, she, this Young Miss of the Yunzhou Lu Family, naturally could not be compared to the Eldest Daughter of Dan Sect.
During the street ambush last time, she had indeed harbored thoughts about Ji You. After all, a young woman in love always dreams of a white-robed Sword Immortal descending from the heavens.
Just like that night, at the brink of life and death, he reached out and pulled her away, then attacked the enemy with surging Sword Qi.
In three to five moves, the enemy was defeated, yet his clothes remained spotless.
However, considering Ji You’s family background, even with numerous fantasies, Lu Qingqiu could only give up.
But at that time, she had never considered the possibility that Ji You might refuse her.
In her eyes, Ji You came from a remote place, and if he were to gain the favor of the Yunzhou Lu Family, he would naturally be overjoyed.
However, Ji You’s recent defense of Yuan Caiwei also pierced the heart of this Young Miss Lu.
He could even reject the Eldest Daughter of Dan Sect, using polite language to clear their relationship, so what was she, a Worldly Family Young Miss, worth?
“Young Master Ji’s actions are truly out of the ordinary. He doesn’t even care for the Eldest Daughter of Dan Sect. I wonder if he’s playing hard to get—”
“I think he’s telling the truth.”
“Qingqiu, could it be that you’ve forgotten the Fairy-like figure who came to Tianshu Academy to find her that day?”
Only then did Lu Qingqiu recall the woman she had seen at the Wudao Field that day, who was also of mysterious identity and noble temperament, not like a mortal being.
And it wasn’t just their table, but also Wei Rui, who was at the same table as Ji You, who couldn’t help but whisper.
She was already sitting with Yuan Caiwei, so her observations and feelings were naturally clearer than Lu Qingqiu’s.
“Young Master Ji is so popular! That Young Miss Lu at that table has been looking at him for a long time—”
Hearing Wei Rui’s soft whispers, Kuang Cheng spoke with a righteous expression: “He brought someone else earlier, and I criticized him with my words. Kuang is destined to be different from this dissolute fellow.”
“?”
Ji You looked up at him, thinking, “How did a gentleman as righteous as me become a scumbag in your mouths?”
Then he noticed Wei Rui couldn’t help but look up at Kuang Cheng, then her cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn’t help but lower her head.
Flirt, Scholar Brother, who can flirt better than you?
Ji You pouted, stabbing a chopstick into the pheasant.
At this banquet, only Miss Yuan understood that I was considering her reputation, and understood me, this humble gentleman.
But in fact, Yuan Caiwei didn’t understand. She was just thinking that when they first met, she shouldn’t have said that he wasn’t within her standards for choosing a husband.
After Guyu, the weather quickly turned clear, and the earth was warming up.
The Evil Seeds that emerged from the ruins lost their vitality after the Evil Qi dissipated following Zheng Family Old Ancestor’s Ascension, so the Immortal Supervisor was discussing relocating the refugees Wai in Shengjing City back to their original residences.
After all, their illnesses had all disappeared, and they couldn’t be settled if they stayed outside Shengjing City for too long.
The Dan Sect siblings departed early the morning after the banquet at Hongding Restaurant, returning to Dan Sect with Elder Dan Qiongzi.
Before leaving, Yuan Caiwei went to Ji You’s small courtyard alone to bid him farewell in person.
Yuan Chen didn’t follow for some reason, so the man and woman stayed alone in the courtyard for a long time.
When she left, Yuan Caiwei still gave him a fragrant handkerchief, which left Ji You in a daze.
Earlier in Ningcheng County, he and Yuan Caiwei had agreed that their business was settled.
Now, why does she really seem to be lusting after my body?
Afterward, Yuan Caiwei took Yuan Chen to the Inner Courtyard and bid farewell to He Lingxiu and You Buyu, without any further scenes of being alone together.
This contrasting comparison of the same event led to much discussion and many thought-provoking interpretations in both the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard, and also caused You Buyu’s Face to remain extremely gloomy all day.
As a direct Disciple of a hall in the Inner Courtyard, he and the Eldest Daughter of Dan Sect should have been a perfect match.
But now, these differing attitudes made everyone in the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard say that his direct Disciple status was inferior to an Outer Courtyard Disciple, which was simply a joke.
He came from a Worldly Family, and his aunt was one of the five Hall Lords of Tianshu Academy. What was that Ji You? An Outer Courtyard Disciple was bad enough, but he was also a private Cultivator from the countryside!
You Buyu sat in the Dao Palace of Jixiang Hall, the teacup in his hand crushed with a crack, warm tea flowing through his fingers, Killing Intent overflowing.
“Many people in the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard now find you very irritating.”
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“Chu River is eyeing the Inner Courtyard spot, and those close to the Chu Family naturally dislike you. The contact between Yuan Caiwei and You Buyu represents the good relationship between Dan Sect and Tianshu Academy, but your existence makes many people lose Face,
especially You Buyu.”
After returning from the ruins, Ban Yangshu had been stabilizing his Realm. At this time, he came to Ji You’s courtyard to see him, and incidentally brought some news.
In the past, Ji You was always compared to Chu River, but this time it had risen to the level of a direct Disciple of the Inner Courtyard.
The Worldly Sect and aristocratic clans are intertwined, and their relationships are complex. In short, now there is no one in the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard who doesn’t hate him.
It is said that after the Dan Sect siblings left, You Buyu privately chatted with a friend and even said that if some messy people entered the Inner Courtyard, the entire Tianshu Academy might lose Face.
Although he didn’t directly mention who, even with one’s heel, one would know who You Buyu was referring to.
However, the good thing is that he is, after all, a direct Disciple of a hall, and due to his status, he wouldn’t openly attack an Outer Courtyard Disciple. But secretly, things might be uncertain.
“There are many senior students in the Outer Courtyard whose five-year term is up and are about to leave the academy. There are also those in the Tongxuan Middle Stage. Considering that they still have a future to pursue after leaving Tianshu Academy, some might plan to do someone a favor, attacking you on behalf of You Buyu to break your Dao Heart.”
The reason Ban Yangshu had such concerns was precisely because of his own experience.
He had been stuck at the Integration Realm bottleneck for nearly five years and had made plans for after leaving the academy early on, which is why he initially went all out to help Chu River and Lu Qingqiu.
But after the ruins, he successfully broke through, so he naturally no longer had such concerns.
However, a considerable number of people still leave Tianshu Academy every year. If it were him, he would also choose to do You Buyu a favor before leaving the academy.
Thinking of this, Ban Yangshu was also very emotional. This Junior Brother Ji of his, hated by the Inner Courtyard before even entering it, was truly rare in ancient times.
“Can Tianshu Academy Disciples engage in private duels?”
Ji You had gone to the outskirts of the city after returning from the ruins. He had just caught his breath today and got a headache hearing Ban Yangshu’s words. Ban Yangshu said: “You can send a challenge under the guise of a spar within the same Realm, but in the past, everyone was dedicated to Cultivating the Dao,
so such things were rare. Also, some people were afraid of losing Face if they lost. But the departure period is coming, and many things don’t matter anymore, so everyone will naturally seek revenge and settle grievances.”
“Then, Senior Brother, do you think anyone in the Outer Courtyard, within the same Realm, can defeat me?”
“One or two would naturally be fine, but what if there are more than ten? If they fight in turns, it will inevitably shatter your Dao Heart, and even annoy you to death. So Junior Brother, try not to go out these days.”
Ji You pondered for a moment after hearing this, then picked up his teacup: “It seems the ancients were indeed correct.”
Ban Yangshu came back to his senses: “What did the ancients say?”
“A beauty is a source of trouble.”
Ban Yangshu thought for a moment and then nodded: “Although it’s a bit rude, it’s true. That Miss Caiwei had been in contact with You Buyu for a long time under the instruction of her Elders, so she shouldn’t have secretly developed feelings for Junior Brother again. It’s not wrong to call her a source of trouble.”
In recent days, rumors in the academy had been deep, and he also knew that the matter of the fiancée was a misunderstanding, but he also felt that this matter was truly unfair to Junior Brother Ji.
Ban Yangshu pondered for a long time: “Without Ascension to Immortality, Cultivators cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires, and beauty, money, and power,
will all attract resentment.”
Ji You looked at him after hearing this: “I said I am the source of trouble.”
“It seems that a battle between Lingjian Mountain and Dan Sect is perhaps unavoidable.”
Ban Yangshu looked at him with a calm expression, thinking, “What does this have to do with Lingjian Mountain?”
Sometimes, things are spoken into existence. The two had only been sitting and drinking tea for a single morning when someone arrived outside the courtyard, holding a challenge letter, which they propelled into the courtyard with Spiritual Qi.
Paper can sometimes be sharper than a sword, especially when propelled by Spiritual Qi.
If Ji You’s Divine Thought hadn’t been strong enough to wave his hand and block the letter, his hair ornament might have been sliced off.
“Indeed, as Senior Brother said, someone really wants to beat me up.”
“Sun Bin? I think I know this person. He’s over thirty, stopped at the Tongxuan Middle Stage five years ago and couldn’t advance further.
He’s leaving the academy this year.”
Ji You turned to look at Ban Yangshu after hearing this: “Can I refuse?”
Ban Yangshu was slightly stunned: “Of course you can, but in the past, considering Face, people would usually accept.”
Ji You waved his hand, directly throwing the challenge letter over the wall.
He didn’t even know this Sun Bin, only that he was an uncle about to leave the academy, so why bother with him.
Just then, a golden light flew out from the peak of Ni Mountain, piercing through the layers of clouds in the sky, wavering in the Void Realm for a moment, and then scattering in all directions.
He looked up at the vibrant golden light gradually fading in the sky, his eyes meeting the clear sky.
This was a large-Realm technique, likely from one of the Hall Lords, probably a four-directional message about the ruins.
So many people died in the ruins, and the reckoning is only just beginning, but such matters had little to do with a small fry like himself.
“Senior Brother You, Sun Bin from the Outer Courtyard just sent a challenge letter to Ji You.”
In the Jixiang Hall of the Inner Courtyard, deep within the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.
You Buyu, the direct Disciple of the Hall Lord, was exchanging Spiritual Qi with heaven and earth, sitting in meditation to comprehend the Dao. Hearing the sound, he couldn’t help but open his eyes: “Did he accept?”
The Disciple who came to relay the message was named Wang Yue. Hearing the question, he said: “He didn’t accept. Ji You threw it over the wall.”
“This Sun Bin is also muddled. Delivering a challenge privately will inevitably be rejected. If it were me, I would publicize this matter,
make a big fuss. Ji You always cares about Face. Once the momentum builds, he won’t be able to refuse.”
Wang Yue nodded upon hearing this, as if he understood something, then chuckled and exited the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.
You Buyu now reined in his aura, looking at the rolling sea of clouds at the peak of Ni Mountain, his gaze deep.
Just now, his aunt had called him to the hall and personally inquired about the progress of his relationship with Yuan Caiwei, and then said that his Cultivation had been a bit lax recently, telling him to go into seclusion and focus on Cultivation after Yuan Caiwei left.
He only thought his aunt was concerned about the alliance between Tianshu Academy and Dan Sect, but he didn’t know that Hall Lord Yu was actually thinking deeper.
She couldn’t confirm Ji You’s identity, but she also knew he was no ordinary person. She had originally wanted to summon him to Jixiang Hall, but Master had a holy decree, telling her not to meddle or overthink.
Master’s original words were, ‘The less a person thinks like the Heavenly Dao, the more they think, the more wrong they become.’
She still couldn’t clearly see the matter of Karma, so she acted much more cautiously, not wanting her nephew to form an enmity with Ji You.
But just as Ban Yangshu said, Cultivators cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires without Ascension.
And for a man, it’s extremely irritating when a girl he likes prefers another man who is inferior to him.
Meanwhile, in the Outer Courtyard, gongs and drums sounded by Bi Shui Lake, and another challenge letter was delivered outside Ji You’s door,
attracting countless onlookers.
“What happened? Why are there gongs and drums outside?”
“It’s Senior Brother Sun Bin from the Outer Courtyard. He wants to challenge Ji You to a battle.”
“How did these two become enemies?”
“Perhaps Ji You has been too high-profile lately, which naturally caused dissatisfaction.”
“The Outer Courtyard hasn’t been this lively in a long time. When will they fight?”
“He didn’t accept it at all. It was thrown out again.”
Sun Bin’s three attempts to deliver the challenge letter without acceptance did not calm things down; instead, more letters were sent.
They were all uniformly from the Tongxuan Middle Stage, and most of them were middle-aged, with some who had stayed in their rooms for years, having given up on comprehending the Dao and just waiting to leave the academy.
Ban Yangshu joked that this was the foundation of the Outer Courtyard, but there was hidden worry in his laughter.
Because Ji You refusing to accept the challenge letters wouldn’t be a long-term solution.
If these people came with gongs and drums every day, they could disturb Ji You so much that he wouldn’t even have a quiet moment to comprehend the Dao,
this was the most insidious part.
And once Ji You couldn’t stand the disturbance, he would inevitably act.
But with more and more challenge letters, Ji You would undoubtedly lose in a prolonged battle, and then his Dao Heart would shatter, with even more severe consequences.
“Did he accept?”
“Reporting to Senior Brother Wang Yue, he didn’t accept.”
“Doesn’t he care about Face?”
“I heard from people in the Outer Courtyard that he prefers silver over Face.”
Ji You was a pauper, even Min Cheng of Asked the Dao Sect knew to bait him with silver, so this was naturally no secret.
So, at the same time the eleventh challenge letter arrived, another piece of news came.
Senior Brother Wang Yue of the Inner Courtyard found this matter very interesting, so he offered a reward of a thousand taels for Ji You to accept these challenge letters.
Because the commotion was quite big, people like Bai Rulong, Pei Ruyi, Wen Zhengxin, as well as Qian Yunxiao, Lou Siyi, and others gathered in Ji You’s courtyard.
At first, they were a bit worried that Ji You would act impulsively, but seeing him calmly drinking tea despite the arrogant atmosphere outside, they gradually relaxed.
Until this moment, the news of the reward reached Bishui Lake Garden, astonishing everyone and making their hearts leap into their throats.
Damn it, they really found a way.
As expected, Ji Hanfei immediately narrowed his eyes and stood up upon hearing this, his Sword Intent suddenly rising.
“Someone has grasped my weakness.”
“Are you really going to accept the challenge?”
“I’m just going to earn some money and come back.”
“There are too many people who want to challenge you. Even if you are invincible within your Realm, you will eventually lose in a prolonged battle. This is not worth it. You should just endure it and wait for them to leave the academy.”
“Not earning silver when I see it doesn’t conform to my bandit Dao. I have a more cost-effective method.”
Ji You got up, pushed open the courtyard door, and walked out. He saw a crowd of Disciples gathered outside. After his gaze swept back and forth, it landed on the bushy-bearded middle-aged man in front.