Chapter 85: The Path of Pill Dao
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
Ji You later sought out Kuang Cheng, who, in turn, brought a Inspector named Mu Jing from the Immortal Overseer Office. Upon hearing Yuan Chen’s report, they quickly mobilized to isolate the sweat thieves in a more remote forest area.
As for Ji You, he was escorted back to the Heavenly Script Academy by Mu Jing. Fortunately, Ji You’s storage gourd contained an alchemy furnace and various herbs, so there was little else to prepare. All that remained was to refine the black qi to find a cure for the sickness.
“I heard the Direct Disciple of the Pill Sect went to treat the refugees outside the city today?”
“Yes.”
“The Chen Clan’s gravely ill Sect Master begged the Pill Sect numerous times, but no one was willing to assist…”
“They say it was a Heavenly Script Academy disciple who brought them out there. At that time, he was distributing congee to the refugees.”
As the day passed amidst the bustling activity, dusk gradually fell.
Finding a method and crafting pills is an intricate process, requiring patience. There was no rushing it, so Ji You went to the Field of Enlightenment and began practicing spiritual senses in flight. Since he chose to return to the Heavenly Script Academy and resume his cultivation path, it was only proper to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to it.
As his spiritual senses ventured forth, he entered a realm of interconnected caves, only to be met by a translucent, snow-white jade foot. Instinctively on guard, Ji You reached out and grasped the delicate jade foot firmly.
Mount Void was peculiar; even spiritual senses could physically interact there. Perhaps it was touching the soul itself.
The Mirror Master, Yan Shu Yi, instantly turned crimson-faced, struggling for a while before finally pulling her foot away.
“Stop playing around. I have serious business today—I didn’t mean to be late!”
Yan Shu Yi gazed at him, her demeanor somewhat obedient. “Truly?”
Ji You nodded. “A group of refugees arrived outside the city, many of whom are afflicted with a plague. I originally went to find Kuang Cheng—the scholar you saw last time. He’s now handling the refugees, so I brought Yuan Chen along to help treat them.”
“Oh,” Yan Shu Yi murmured, deciding not to throw a tantrum. She looked up at him.
Since returning from Ningcheng County, this was their first meeting. For some reason, she felt a newfound closeness to him. The discomfort she once felt when his voice changed—a voice that had made her want to kill him—now seemed to have subsided. It was as if she had accepted his presence, allowing him to witness this side of her without resistance.
Still, she noticed something different about Ji You. His gaze was steady, his right arm held before him, while his left arm hung naturally at his side. It was a posture reminiscent of a scholar—a touch pretentious but unexpectedly charming.
In the past, she would find such airs boring and often wandered to the nearby towns to listen to storytellers weave tales of scholars as main characters. These descriptions would paint them as refined and elegant.
As Yan Shu Yi drifted into thought, Ji You glanced at his hand, which had just held her jade foot, and remarked, “I think I won’t wash this hand for a long time.”
“Huh?”
“Scoundrel!” Yan Shu Yi exclaimed, her silver teeth clenching tighter as she noticed the increasingly yellowish aura gathering around Ji You’s spiritual senses.
Ji You, now slightly dazed, also noticed a pinkish mist rising around Yan Shu Yi. Though their reactions differed, he had still managed to stir something within her.
The two locked eyes for a moment until Yan Shu Yi, unable to bear it, looked away first, conceding defeat.
“How is the Spirit Sword Mountain’s Sect Gathering going?” Ji You asked.
Yan Shu Yi, regaining composure, tucked her foot beneath her skirt and replied, “Heavenly Sword Peak wants to merge with Sword Inquiry Peak, but I opposed it. The sect is a bit unsettled now.”
Ji You recalled something. “Ding Yao saw me pinch your face.”
Yan Shu Yi squinted. “Indeed, my parents now know you pinched my face. They plan to chop off your hand. Let’s see if you dare be so audacious again.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Then I’ll still do it. Next time, I’ll pinch you at Spirit Sword Mountain.”
Yan Shu Yi, observing his earnest expression, thought, [If he ever surpasses me, he’ll probably dare to pinch other places, too. I should have drawn my sword and poked a few holes in him the first time he pinched me. Now, I’ve let it slide, and he’s grown bolder.]
Ji You noticed her silence and asked, “So with Spirit Sword Mountain in such turmoil, do your parents plan to marry you off to the Dao Seeking Sect?”
“My path is mine to choose. No one else can dictate it.”
“But you seem quite burdened.”
Yan Shu Yi glanced at him. “What, are you suggesting I marry?”
Ji You shook his head. “I’m suggesting you don’t. Everyone at Mystic Sword Peak watches Heavenly Sword Peak closely, but shouldn’t they be just as wary of the Dao Seeking Sect? Wolves and tigers are no different.”
“That’s precisely my thought. If I’m not the strongest sword in this era, marrying anyone is meaningless. But if I am, I’ll decide who to marry.”
“By the way, have you thought about the matters of the Heavenly Script Academy?”
Yan Shu Yi paused, startled by the words she overheard. [Marrying into the Heavenly Script Academy? That’s practically marrying far away, isn’t it?] However, before her thoughts could settle, Ji You’s voice rang out again by her ear.
“Spirit Sword Mountain joined forces with the Dao Seeking Sect to lay siege to the Heavenly Script Academy. My instructor, Cao Jin Song, says that once the storm passes, the academy will undoubtedly demand an explanation from Spirit Sword Mountain. What do you think about that?”
“I’m well aware of that, and I’ve been considering it.” Yan Shu Yi turned to Ji You and said, “Your Heavenly Script Academy has always regarded itself as a sacred sect. Being besieged like this is a tremendous loss of face. But Spirit Sword Mountain won’t apologize. The competition for celestial opportunities is a matter of life and death. Spirit Sword Mountain also has its dignity and cannot bow its head.”
“But my senior sister narrowly escaped death, all because your sect wanted the spiritual stones she carried. She wasn’t even trying to snatch your celestial opportunity. This is simply unreasonable.”
Seeing the sudden seriousness in his expression, Yan Shu Yi replied hesitantly, “Then… how about this? Next time, I’ll go in person and apologize to her directly. Would that suffice?”
Ji You pondered for a moment before nodding. “That would work. But Spirit Sword Mountain will still not issue a public apology or openly bow to your Heavenly Script Academy.”
The Mirror Master added, “Especially me. If I were to publicly apologize to your academy, the disciples within my sect would lose all respect for me.”
Ji You understood that this was a dilemma with no easy solution. This wasn’t merely a personal matter but a conflict between entire factions. In the previous confrontation, Pei Ru Yi had been injured, and Yan Shu Yi’s apology to her was a personal gesture. However, even if Senior Sister Pei held no grudges, the Heavenly Script Academy wouldn’t let the matter rest. The injury dealt to Senior Sister Pei was an affront to the academy’s reputation.
Similarly, Yan Shu Yi couldn’t publicly bow to the Heavenly Script Academy. Such an act would sow discord among her sect’s disciples and play right into Heavenly Sword Peak’s hands. The outcome would likely fuel rumors that Spirit Sword Mountain—under the leadership of Heavenly Sword Peak—had once dominated the sects, only to lower its head to the Heavenly Script Academy because of the Mirror Master.
In this situation, the academy’s response was uncertain. The only potential resolution seemed to be marriage. If it truly came to that, how would I decide? Perhaps, I would sacrifice myself for the sake of the Heavenly Script Academy.
Ji You’s thoughts brimmed with righteous fervor. [If I don’t enter the tiger’s den, who will?]
Yan Shu Yi glanced at Ji You, enshrouded in the pale mist, and wondered what he could possibly be thinking, even while discussing such a serious matter.
As the season of Grain Rain arrived, the capital of Sheng Jing was graced with unrelenting rain. Yuan Chen, familiar with the nature of the illness, prepared several batches of pills and personally brought a batch beyond the city to deliver to Qing Wa, mixing them into water for him to take.
It had to be said: the Pill Sect’s alchemy techniques were truly extraordinary. After a few rounds, Qing Wa’s symptoms began to fade, and the other children who took the medicine also showed signs of recovery. Soon, several physicians revisited and confirmed that the patients were out of danger.
Commoners were often overlooked in this world, and refugees were treated with even greater disdain. Yet, when the Pill Sect became involved, the situation took on an unusual significance.
“A batch of pills refined for refugees? And personally crafted by a direct disciple of the Pill Sect?”
“Yes, they say Ji You was the one who sought him out.”
“That… that’s a bit of a waste, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. If I knew a direct disciple of the Pill Sect, I’d demand a pill that could help me break through my current realm.”
These past few days, Yuan Cai Wei had been wandering around the inner disciples, observing her younger brother’s tireless efforts. One day, she found him seated in front of the alchemy furnace, his expression unusually serious. Curiosity compelled her to follow him and witness him administering medicine to the refugees.
At times, Yuan Cai Wei felt a strange unfamiliarity with her younger brother. While Yuan Chen had held the privileged position of a direct disciple in the Pill Sect, he had never shown much interest in alchemy, preferring to sneak off and read serialized tales about cultivation. Even the occasional scoldings from their family had fallen on deaf ears.
But this time, for the first time, she saw a look of earnest dedication on her brother’s face as he worked at the alchemy furnace.
“I used to despise alchemy,” Yuan Chen said, breaking the silence. “No matter how exceptional the pills I refined, they were always sent away. Who used them, and how they fared after taking them, felt irrelevant to me.”
“But this time, it’s different. Because… I saw the way they looked at me.”
Yuan Chen turned to Yuan Cai Wei. “Sister, do you think we’ve been transmitting the Dao the wrong way?”
Yuan Cai Wei frowned deeply. “The wrong way?”
“Do you think, when the Heavenly Dao passed the Immortal Cauldron to us, it wanted us to drive away evil and heal the sick for all beings, rather than refining pills solely for cultivators?”
“This…”
Yuan Chen continued, “Yesterday, I asked several disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy if they could name each generation’s leader of the Pill Sect. They all said they didn’t know.”
Yuan Cai Wei chuckled lightly. “The Pill Sect has always been known for its mystique.”
“No, Sister. They’ve been forgotten. The succession of Pill Sect leaders should be proclaimed to the world. Calling it ‘mystique’ doesn’t explain it. They don’t know because those names have been erased by time.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Brother-in-law once told me: ‘Heaven and earth gave birth to me. I must leave behind stories for future generations.’”