Chapter 44: Did You Forget I’m in the Heaven Resonance Stage?
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Cultivators possess heightened senses—a realization Ji You reached after stepping into the Immortal Way. Thus, when he spoke, his voice was barely audible. What Ji You didn’t realize, however, was that cultivators in the Infinite Arts Stage are renowned for their mastery over the Heavenly Dao laws. Among these abilities, Wind Hearing and Sound Tracking was a foundational skill.
Ji You’s heart trembled as he quickly masked his unease, turning his head to feign calmness. “Brother Kuang, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet…”
“Instructor Cao is treating us. Will you join?”
Kuang Cheng waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not particularly acquainted with Immortal Cao. I think I’ll pass.”
“Oh, come on,” Ji You urged, waving him off. “What’s there to worry about? He’s not coming anyway.”
“?” Kuang Cheng was momentarily stunned. How could someone invite guests but not show up? “What kind of etiquette is this?”
Setting his teacup down, Ji You explained, “We’ll pack a meal for him to take later. He doesn’t like spicy food, so eating together is out of the question anyway.”
Even so, Kuang Cheng declined with a shake of his hand. “Forget it. You have your own companions and paths. I’ll wait until you safely return to the capital to catch up.”
“Are you afraid of getting beaten up?” Ji You teased.
“I just can’t stand the sight of blood…” Kuang Cheng replied sheepishly.
Ji You chuckled softly, thinking to himself, [At most, she’d just kick me a few times. She wouldn’t actually draw her sword.]
After their farewell, Ji You led the young appraiser from Spirit-Mirror Mountain away from this remote courtyard.
As he had predicted, Yan Shu Yi didn’t draw her sword to make trouble for him. However, she stubbornly walked ahead, her left hand tucked behind her back while her right hand rested on her sword. She remained silent, her icy expression seeming to say she was above trivialities.
Little did she realize that this only made her appear more endearing in Ji You’s eyes. To him, her aloof demeanor was irresistibly charming.
He almost forgot that the girl before him was the next Sect Master of Spirit-Mirror Mountain and the era’s mightiest direct disciple in the Heaven Resonance Stage.
The two soon arrived at a modest tavern named Abode of Ascendant Fortune. Compared to the likes of Grand Cauldron Tower or Harmony Pavilion, this place was less renowned. Yet its braised bone dishes were said to be exceptional.
Unfortunately, such fare hardly suited a refined lady. Yan Shu Yi, unable to find a proper way to eat it, kicked Ji You under the table twice.
“I’ll be leaving soon. Do you have somewhere to go?” she asked, tossing the bones onto her plate.
“I’m leaving tomorrow too, heading to Qing Prefecture,” Yan Shu Yi replied. “A group of disciples from Spirit-Mirror Mountain has gone missing there. That’s why I’m here. It’s just on the way for you.”
Qing Prefecture was between Ling Prefecture and the capital, though not conveniently so. Despite this, she insisted on calling it a stop along the way.
Ji You frowned at her words. “Even Spirit-Mirror Mountain’s disciples have gone missing?”
“They’ve been gone for several days. Before I left the mountain, I sent disciples near Qing Prefecture to investigate. By now, there should be some clues.”
“Previously, disciples from the Heavenly Script Academy also vanished. Their disappearances were closely tied to Malignant Beings. Be careful,” Ji You warned.
Yan Shu Yi nodded slightly at his advice. “Don’t worry. I’m in the Heaven Resonance Stage, after all.”
By the time they finished their meal, the sky had already darkened, the night gradually descending with the sun’s fading light.
Walking back through the alley, the ever-stubborn and cold-faced appraiser continued to walk ahead. Step by step, they approached a popular inn for cultivators in the capital. Spirit-Mirror Mountain disciples traveling outside the sect often stayed here. Just the night before, a disciple had even reserved an extra room, though it went unused.
Yan Shu Yi paused before the entrance, glanced at the inn, then turned away as if she hadn’t noticed anything. She continued walking toward the Heavenly Script Academy.
Following behind her, Ji You also cast a glance at the Everabundant Inn, his lips curving into a faint smile.
But before his thoughts could wander further, his expression suddenly stiffened. He turned to look at the alley they had just passed.
Since leaving the Celestial Radiance Pavilion, Ji You had felt as though someone was tailing him. Yet whenever he extended his Spiritual Consciousness, he found nothing.
Only just now had he detected a trace of an unfamiliar aura. However, it quickly disappeared again, its presence entirely concealed.
Although the aura seemed devoid of malice, its persistent presence puzzled him.
Ji You retraced his steps and stood staring into the empty alley, his brows furrowed in deep thought. He remained there until Yan Shu Yi’s voice called him back. Turning, he left the alley and returned to the Heavenly Script Academy.
Just like the previous night, the two sat together in the quiet room under the dark sky. They kindled the furnace, enjoying the leisure of simply gazing out the window.
The sweet potatoes from the previous evening were all gone, but Ji You still had some peanuts. He tossed them into the pot.
Somehow, the appraiser girl seemed to have adapted to this lifestyle after just one night. As she entered, she watched him stoke the flames, the rising firelight illuminating her delicate features.
“I feel like I forgot to bring someone their meal,” Ji You mused.
“Never mind. It’s not important.” Yan Shu Yi dismissed the thought.
Ji You pulled a wooden stool from the corner of the room and placed a newly bought cushion upon it for Yan Shu Yi’s use. The young master appraiser smoothed her dress as she sat down gracefully. She slipped off her pale moon-white boots trimmed with green and extended her dainty, jade-like feet toward the furnace, warming the soles inch by inch.
Her feet, perpetually cold, found solace in the warmth. She had always preferred walking barefoot, even back in the mountains. When they first met yesterday, she had restrained herself. Now, her toes curled slightly before the fire, savoring the growing heat without a hint of care.
Before long, the peanuts in the pot were ready. Ji You reluctantly tore his gaze away, poured the peanuts into a bamboo basket to cool, and then handed them to her. Yan Shu Yi picked one up, peeled it with ease, and popped it into her mouth. The scene before her sparked a memory of a humble family she had once seen in a mountain town. The wife mended clothes inside while the husband worked odd jobs by day. At night, they would gather around a fire, chatting about trivial matters.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. Yet now, as she sat here, a gentle warmth spread through her heart.
…
Immortals did not require sleep. The two sat before the furnace, chatting through the night. Ji You recounted stories of his time in Yuyang County and speculated about the familiar scholar they’d seen earlier. Yan Shu Yi shared tales of her life on the mountain, her voice soft and murmurous.
As words flowed between them, dawn crept in through the window. By the hour of chen, Yan Shu Yi had packed her belongings and stood in the courtyard, a slight melancholy hanging over her.
She hadn’t intended for things to go this way. Her plan was simply to meet once, then travel the Jianghu with a frosty detachment to find the missing disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain. But somehow, she had spent two days here, growing accustomed to the idle comfort of sitting by the furnace.
As she realized this, a thought surfaced—this was merely her first encounter with the man.
“Take good care of my cushion,” she said.
“And my bedding. That belongs to me.”
“Oh, and the cup with gold threads—don’t let it gather dust.”
Her tone was firm as she listed her instructions, though the lack of a formal farewell betrayed her lingering attachment. Ji You, standing in the doorway, replied with a small smile, “I’ve already put them away. You mentioned it last night.”
Yan Shu Yi paused, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. She almost voiced a desire to stay another day, but the jade token at her waist glowed with radiant light. The missing disciples she had tasked others to locate had finally revealed a clue.
“Ji You, when you pinched my cheek and called me cute, did you forget I’m in the Heaven Resonance Stage?”
“?”
Before he could respond, she smiled. Suddenly, an overwhelming surge of celestial aura burst from her, like roaring waves far surpassing anything Ji You had encountered. In an instant, she disappeared, soaring across a thousand miles like a comet streaking through the daytime sky.
She didn’t care for formal goodbyes, believing that departures should be swift and clean. Her figure vanished like a falling star, cutting through the serene blue heavens.
Ji You stood motionless, staring at the whirlwind left in her wake. His breath caught in his chest as he realized how fortunate he’d been not to act rashly over a pot of peanuts. He truly couldn’t match this era’s mightiest direct disciple of Spirit Sword Mountain.
Still, her parting display of dominance had its charm.