Chapter 8: Strike Them Down at the Gate!
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Rumors are fickle things; some believe them, while others question their validity. Especially after Ji You returned home and remained secluded, doubts began to sprout. Before long, someone seized on the logical inconsistencies of the tale, analyzing with great conviction why Ji You could not possibly be an Immortal.
This detractor was Wang San, a man from Southward-Edge River. Two and a half years ago, he worked for the Ji family but was expelled for petty theft. On the day the Ji family met their calamity, he was the first to cheer at their misfortune. Now, hearing that Ji You had become an Immortal, he refused to accept it.
Some tried to counter him with the fact that the young girl from the Qiu family had returned safely, but Wang San dismissed such claims with a curt, “Let’s not dwell on those matters.”
However, the arrival of several families from Archway Street changed things. These were households with moderate wealth who brought grains and livestock, nervously awaiting at the Ji family gate. Their presence silenced Wang San.
These families had profited from the Ji family’s downfall, greedily taking oxen, tools, and other goods that the Ji family could not carry when they fled. For over two years, they believed their actions justified, especially as Ji You, the Young Master, appeared to be wasting away on the streets. They saw their spoils as natural compensation from the heavens.
That is, until Elder Fang summoned them to the County Magistrate’s Hall and revealed the truth. Faced with impending retribution, panic consumed them. Gathering what they could, they hastily came to beg for forgiveness. Yet, the gate to the Ji mansion remained firmly shut, with no one answering their calls, leaving them drenched in cold sweat.
A shrewd one among them proposed an alternative solution, and they rushed to the Qiu family’s home outside the city to return their ill-gotten gains.
“These people have ties to Elder Fang. They even seized two of our fields for their own!”
“It seems the rumors in the county are true…”
“Hey! Stop gawking and leave quickly. The presence of Immortals forbids noisy gatherings!”
Just as the murmurs grew louder, a group of constables arrived, wielding Intimidating Cudgels. Among them, a few bore swollen cheeks. In that moment, the awe of Ji You’s Immortal status began to spread its shadow over the county.
In truth, Fang Zhong Zheng, the County Prefect, also wished to offer his apologies. Earlier, after conducting street patrols, he returned home to find his courtyard littered with broken chrysanthemums. Furious, he questioned his servants and learned about Ji You’s ascension. For a long while, he sat silently, grappling with the revelation.
Who could have predicted that the man he once dismissed as an unworthy son-in-law would rise so high that even the mighty Immortal Worship Mountain Manor dared not utter a word of protest?
But just as Fang Zhong Zheng was preparing to leave for the Ji family estate, his daughter Fang Ruo Yao intercepted him.
“Father, your daughter will also be an Immortal of the Heavenly Script Academy, though I started later than Ji You. Why must you lower yourself so?”
“Ruo Yao, matters of Immortality are not to be trifled with.”
“If you go to apologize, you’ll only confirm to the entire county that two years ago, I acted disgracefully and disloyally!”
Fang Ruo Yao, now emanating faint Immortal majesty, stood firm, and Fang Zhong Zheng abandoned his plans. Though unfamiliar with the ways of cultivation, her reasoning struck a chord. As fellow disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy, there was no reason for one to bow to another.
Settling down with tea to review his ledgers, Fang Zhong Zheng was startled when Cao Jin Song stormed out of the County Magistrate’s Hall, sword in hand, rage palpable. Moments later, Cao Jin Song soared into the sky, cursing profusely.
“Xiao An, where is Cao… where is the Immortal headed?”
“Master, he sensed a surge of spiritual qi in the air. The Immortal Worship Mountain Manor people are back, likely trying to recruit Ji You. He’s livid and has sworn to strike them down at the gate with his sword!”
The young servant, tasked with tending to the two Immortals, hurriedly followed after him. Meanwhile, the air echoed with Cao Jin Song’s curses, leaving Fang Zhong Zheng silent. Eventually, he packed silver coins and headed to the Qiu family estate beyond the city.
Aside from the County Prefect, the opportunistic families, and the representatives of the Immortal Worship Mountain Manor, there was another who sought an audience with Ji You.
As the sun dipped low, casting a quiet stillness over the world, Kuang Cheng approached the Ji Clan’s ancestral mansion from a secluded alley. He paused before the gate, gazing at the faded couplets, now mottled with red and black stains.
The news of Ji You’s recent endeavors quickly reached the Kuang family. Knowing that he and Kuang Cheng had been childhood friends, the elders decided to send Kuang Cheng to pay him a visit. In times like these, forming ties with an immortal could be a lifeline.
Kuang Cheng, braver than most, hesitated only briefly before pushing open the gates of the Ji Clan’s ancestral mansion and stepping inside. He advanced to the second courtyard, finding the estate barren. The Ji family had cleared out all possessions during their flight, leaving only broken bricks, shattered ceramic shards, and knee-high wild grass. A thin layer of moss coated the ruins, exuding an air of desolation.
“The ways of the world are strange indeed. The people are gone, yet the grass thrives so abundantly,” Kuang Cheng murmured. His words seemed to awaken a response, for Ji You’s voice echoed from within the main hall, tinged with an almost otherworldly prescience.
“So you’ve noticed. Strange, isn’t it?”
Startled, Kuang Cheng looked up. Ji You’s voice carried an unnatural clarity—a trait no doubt linked to his status as a cultivator of the immortal path. Kuang Cheng paused at the doorway, gazing inward before speaking after a prolonged silence.
“Over the past few days, even as others insulted you from beyond the walls, accusing you of cowardice, you pretended not to hear. I suspect you’ve been dedicating yourself to breaking through your current realm?”
“What? Someone dares call me a coward?” Ji You’s sharp response echoed through the room.
Kuang Cheng awkwardly rubbed his nose. “No, no, perhaps I misheard.”
Ji You fell silent for a moment before replying, “I sought to live among you as an ordinary person. Yet all it brought me was estrangement. Very well, the pretense ends here.”
Kuang Cheng stepped forward, his tone more insistent. “So that evening, when I mentioned the Heavenly Script Academy, your first thought wasn’t to seek Fang Ruo Yao for assistance but to become a disciple yourself?”
“How could one place hope in someone who would rush to annul an engagement during her fiancé’s family tragedy?” Ji You’s voice carried a note of disdain.
“I see,” Kuang Cheng replied with a bitter chuckle. People often mocked scholars for their rigidity, yet Kuang Cheng had always dismissed such criticisms as baseless stereotypes. Now, facing his own inadequacies, he realized he had spent more time complaining than taking meaningful action.
After a pause, he bowed stiffly. “Young Master Ji, I’ve wronged you in the past. My father rebuked me harshly upon hearing about this. Tonight, he wishes to host a banquet to apologize to you properly.”
Ji You remained silent for a long moment before finally saying, “There’s no need. I’ve already eaten. Please take your leave.”
“A simple drink, perhaps? Surely that wouldn’t trouble you?”
“Leave.”
Kuang Cheng froze, then bowed deeply and turned to go. He wasn’t one to ingratiate himself unnecessarily. If not for his family’s insistence, he wouldn’t have come at all. Seeing that Ji You wasn’t inclined to accept their overtures, he didn’t linger. Yet, he felt a sense of relief. His childhood friend still held kindness in his heart, and that was enough for him.
As for their past camaraderie, Kuang Cheng didn’t dwell on it. Ji You had become a disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy, reaching the pinnacle of the Lower Three Stages—a position of prestige far removed from the mortal world. The gap between them now was vast.
Kuang Cheng recalled how Fang Ruo Yao had changed as well, growing aloof as her cultivation advanced. She had once explained that a cultivator’s heart needed to remain untainted by worldly emotions to ascend the path of the Dao. Whether true or not, it was something Kuang Cheng could accept.
But as Kuang Cheng reached the threshold, a loud crash from inside the hall halted him. It sounded like furniture overturning, followed by a muffled groan. Alarmed, Kuang Cheng hurried back in.
Inside, he found Ji You collapsed on the floor, one hand clutching an overturned wooden chair. Blood stained his lips and had spread across his white robes, some dried and darkened, clearly from earlier episodes.
“I told you not to come in, yet you barged in anyway! Foolish child! Now that my Coughing Blood Divine Art is complete, I’ll use you for practice!” Ji You’s voice rasped, but his feeble state undermined the threat.
“?”
Kuang Cheng stared at him for a long moment, utterly unconvinced.
Ji You, realizing his charade had failed, sighed and joined him in awkward silence.