Chapter 132: The Beauty Who Brings Ruin
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
The skies over Shengjing were as clear as a polished mirror, stretching endlessly without a single cloud in sight.
A massive Flying Sword cleaved through the heavens, wrapped in roaring Spiritual Qi, as it traveled from Liang Prefecture and descended upon Mount Ni.
Elder Dan Qiong Zi of the Pill Sect, accompanied by Lu Ze, Wen Bin, and Yuan Bing Qing, all disciples of the Inner Sect, followed the elders of the Hall of Auspiciousness to the Heavenly Script Academy, seeking a cure for You Bu Yu.
At that moment, You Bu Yu lay motionless on a bed in the side hall of the Hall of Auspiciousness, his face veiled with a sickly gray hue, devoid of any vitality. You Ying Qiu, the hall master, stood beside him, her brow furrowed in deep concern. Aside from her, You Bu Yu’s parents and several other elders of the You Clan were present, each wearing an expression of distress.
“How long has he been in this condition?” Dan Qiong Zi inquired.
“Half a month now.”
Seated at the bedside, Dan Qiong Zi gently lifted You Bu Yu’s eyelids. His pupils had taken on a yellowish tint, utterly devoid of light. Next, he channeled Alchemical Qi into You Bu Yu’s body, carefully probing his condition, and his frown deepened with every passing moment.
The weight of his concern did not stem from discovering a problem—problems could be solved. Rather, it was the absence of any identifiable issue that was most troubling.
He pondered for a long time before cautiously extending his search to You Bu Yu’s Ling Yuan. When his fingertips, which rested at the edge of the bed, trembled involuntarily, a chill ran down his spine.
You Bu Yu’s Ling Yuan had turned blackish-purple, utterly unresponsive to his Alchemical Qi.
A cultivator’s Ling Yuan was their foundation. It should never appear in such a state—unless they were already dead.
Yet, You Bu Yu was still breathing.
Perplexed, Dan Qiong Zi furrowed his brows and, summoning his Seven-Colored Alchemical Light, attempted to inject a revitalizing force into You Bu Yu’s Ling Yuan. However, the moment his Alchemical Light touched the afflicted Ling Yuan, a powerful suction force yanked at it, draining the energy like a bottomless quagmire.
Alarmed, Dan Qiong Zi swiftly withdrew his Alchemical Light, sweat forming at his brow.
“What’s wrong?” You Ying Qiu asked.
“There is something inside him that does not belong to him. It is neither poison nor curse, yet it clings tightly to his Ling Yuan, fiercely repelling his own essence.”
You Ying Qiu’s frown deepened. Dan Qiong Zi turned to her. “The Heavenly Script Academy is said to possess the art of divining Heavenly Secrets. Can you trace the origin of this anomaly?”
“I only see darkness. My senior brothers have attempted as well, but they encountered the same result.”
Thus, Dan Qiong Zi remained on Mount Ni for several days, tirelessly concocting new alchemical prescriptions in an attempt to treat You Bu Yu. His disciples took turns refining various elixirs, but no matter the pill, none had any effect. Even when Dan Qiong Zi personally infused Alchemical Qi to amplify the medicine’s efficacy, its effects were utterly erased within You Bu Yu’s body.
Meanwhile, outside the hall, Lu Ze and Wen Bin exchanged glances, deep in thought.
“So, there’s no saving You Bu Yu?” Wen Bin asked.
“He may not die, but his path of cultivation is likely over.”
“The Sect Master wouldn’t let his daughter marry a cripple, would he?”
Both the Lu Clan and Wen Clan were respectable cultivation families in Liang Prefecture. They had sent their eldest sons to pursue immortality in the great sects while their second sons studied Pill Dao under the Pill Sect.
Both Lu Ze and Wen Bin had proven their talents in Pill Dao, gaining entry into the Inner Sect. Their noble backgrounds made them prime candidates to become the husband of Yuan Cai Wei.
However, after the Qiling Incident, the Pill Sect had sought to forge stronger ties with the Heavenly Script Academy through marriage.
For disciples like Lu Ze and Wen Bin, this was a devastating turn of events. Yet now, fate seemed to be shifting once more.
Among the Outer Sect disciples of the Pill Sect, all harbored the same unspoken desire—to wed Yuan Cai Wei.
Thus, as realization dawned, both Lu Ze and Wen Bin could not help but smirk.
Just then, Yuan Bing Qing emerged from the hall, clutching a letter, her steps hurried.
“Where are you off to, Junior Sister?” Lu Ze called out.
“Delivering a letter for Senior Sister Cai Wei. I’ll be back shortly.”
Lu Ze hesitated. “Wait, isn’t that letter meant for You Bu Yu?”
Caught off guard, Yuan Bing Qing blinked before chuckling. “Of course not.”
“…?”
Meanwhile, after returning from Kuang Cheng, Ji You remained in seclusion, undertaking his twelfth round of Minor Illumination, relentlessly tempering his body to be even more resilient.
This session lasted three days, the searing pain of the transformation forcing him to pause intermittently. When resting, he spent his free time meditating in the Field of Enlightenment.
Elsewhere, the Little Mirror Master of Spirit Sword Mountain spent more time in Mount Void, progressing from the Initial Heaven Resonance Stage to the Middle Heaven Resonance Stage.
She was relentless in her pursuit, striving to become the sharpest blade of Spirit Sword Mountain within the shortest time possible.
Each time Ji You visited, he would witness her ceaselessly evolving thousands of Daoist Techniques, her aura growing ever more ethereal.
However, there was one thing that never changed—each time she saw Ji You, she would raise her arms ever so slightly.
For her, cultivating Dao while being held seemed to be the most efficient way to progress.
However, there was still no progress regarding “Yan Shu Yi, call me brother.”
“You Bu Yu… I fear he may never recover.”
“?”
At midday, Wen Zheng Xin, Ban Yang Shu, and Pei Ru Yi arrived at the Elegant Garden by Azure Lake. However, they came empty-handed, which left Ji You somewhat dissatisfied.
But soon, his attention was drawn away by the news they brought from the Inner Court.
“He won’t recover? Is his injury that severe? Have they buried him already?”
Ban Yang Shu’s lips twitched slightly. [Junior Brother, your mouth is truly vicious.] He sighed and said, “He’s not dead yet. At worst, he’ll just never be able to cultivate again.”
Ji You frowned upon hearing this. [That’s quite the shame.] “Where exactly is he injured?”
“It’s not an injury. I overheard some disciples from the Hall of Auspiciousness gossiping. They said… there’s something inside him that does not belong to him.”
Something inside him that does not belong to him…
Ji You pinched his teacup, pondering for a long while. His eyes narrowed slightly. [Why does that phrase sound so improper?]
Pei Ru Yi set her cup down and spoke, “I’ve been wondering if this incident has something to do with Spirit Sword Mountain. But then again, it doesn’t make sense. Since our Heavenly Script Academy and they both suffered losses in the Dao-seeking duel, why would they go through the trouble? Moreover, He Ling Xiu was unharmed.”
Ban Yang Shu lowered his voice. “Could it have happened before he even ascended the mountain? Didn’t You Bu Yu say that night, an expert from Spirit Sword Mountain had attempted to strike him down but was forced to retreat after an exchange of words?”
Ji You immediately waved his hand. “Impossible. If they already decided to make a move, why not just finish the job? He must have offended some dazzlingly handsome man.”
“?”
“Or… maybe he ate something filthy.”
The three of them looked at Ji You.
“How could something like that be caused by eating?” Pei Ru Yi asked.
Ji You met their gazes and stated, “Before heading to Spirit Sword Mountain, You Bu Yu consumed a large quantity of alchemy pills for cultivation. Who knows if he took something strange by mistake?”
At that moment, Wen Zheng Xin’s curiosity suddenly sparked. “By the way, Junior Brother Ji, ever since you returned from Spirit Sword Mountain, I’ve had a question—Is Ding Yao really your fiancée?”
Ji You smirked. “If she were, would she have begged Gong Shu Chou to spare me at the ruins? Senior Sister, your guess is way off.”
“But I saw how she behaved around you—so obedient and docile.”
Ji You chuckled lightly. [Isn’t that just because she failed to tame her master and ended up taming herself instead?] “Perhaps cutting through Sword Forest moved her heart.”
Wen Zheng Xin let out a knowing “Oh~” and teased, “So, on the night you cut through Sword Forest, she found out you sleep late, and you yourself said you were sore all over. It seems you have countless fiancées.”
“Senior Sister, just because I am handsome and elegant doesn’t mean you should always slander me.”
“Your protests are meaningless. Bai Ru Long has been spreading rumors in the courtyard these past days, saying that your trip to Spirit Sword Mountain left you engaged to multiple women. Now, everyone knows about it. What’s the point in hiding?”
Ji You pressed his lips together. “Seems Immortal Emperor Ru Long’s coin pouch is getting itchy again. I might have to give it a little scratch.”
Just then, a series of knocks resounded from outside the door. Soon after, someone pushed it open and entered.
The group turned their heads and saw a young woman—not clad in the immortal robes of Heavenly Script Academy, but in the alchemy robes of Pill Sect.
Ji You was slightly taken aback but then lifted his head to look at her. “May I ask what brings you here, Miss?”
“Young Master Ji, my name is Yuan Bing Qing. My Senior Sister asked me to deliver a letter for you to personally open.”
“Your Senior Sister?”
“My Senior Sister is Yuan Cai Wei, the daughter of the Sect Master of Pill Sect.”
Hearing this, Ban Yang Shu, Wen Zheng Xin, and Pei Ru Yi all exchanged glances. [And you claim you don’t have a fiancée? Try denying this one!]
Ji You took the letter and thanked her before opening it for a quick read.
Truthfully, ever since Ji You returned to Heavenly Script Academy, Yuan Cai Wei had wanted to send him a letter. However, she hesitated for a long time, unable to put pen to paper.
The main reason? The Little Mirror Master from Spirit-Mirror Mountain had already sent a letter, inquiring about what she had seen from Ji You. She demanded an honest confession.
This made Yuan Cai Wei feel guilty, as though she had stolen another girl’s man.
So, though the letter had been written earlier, it was never sent.
Then, when someone from Heavenly Script Academy sought help to treat You Bu Yu, she took the opportunity to entrust the letter to her Junior Sister for delivery.
The letter was mostly pleasantries, mentioning Yuan Chen’s recent affairs and her own, but at the very end, she once again pleaded with Ji You to forget that night—when she had sat in his lap, wearing only a traditional undergarment.
Though she asked him to forget, her words vividly and beautifully described that night’s scene—her jade-like feet, her plump, delicate figure…
This was not a plea to forget. It was a guided recollection of their shared bath that night!
“A calamity of beauty…”
“Ji You, you are truly a calamity of beauty!”
Wen Zheng Xin, Pei Ru Yi, and Ban Yang Shu all sipped their tea while staring at Ji You, inwardly cursing him for being shameless.
The phrase “calamity of beauty” was not a compliment. It referred to a woman who brought ruin to nations. Yet, for the first time, they had heard it used to describe a man!