Chapter 118: Trouble Arises

Meanwhile, in an inn in Juntian Prefecture, Ji Yuan, who was cultivating on his bed, felt a stir and opened his eyes, looking towards the window.

About two breaths later, a streak of light flashed by as the Azure Vine Sword flew into the room, hovering excitedly in front of Ji Yuan, its blade humming.

Seeing the Azure Vine Sword in such an excited state, Ji Yuan smiled in relief. It seemed the demon extermination had been successful.

"Hmm? Were there any unexpected complications?"

The Azure Vine Sword and Ji Yuan were connected by mind, but Ji Yuan could only perceive its emotions, grasping the general idea but not its exact meaning.

"Oh, so everything's resolved?"

The Azure Vine Sword spun its blade once, as if seeking praise.

"Alright, alright, alright, you're the best!"

Ji Yuan chuckled. He didn't know the exact details of what had happened, but a spiritual sword could sense whether a matter was resolved more clearly than an ordinary person, so there should be no problem.

With that thought, Ji Yuan reached out and grasped the Azure Vine Sword, gently drawing the blade and looking closely. He found that the invisible "Slash" character etched on it had only dimmed slightly, but strands of profound yellow energy still faintly intertwined within the sword.

"A single strike didn't fully sever it?"

Ji Yuan asked, then felt another proud vibration from the Azure Vine Sword. It seemed it truly hadn't unleashed its full power.

Ji Yuan thought to himself that it made sense. He might have accumulated too much power before, causing a significant consumption of the profound yellow energy within his mental landscape.

However, this was also greatly beneficial for the Azure Vine Sword. Ultimately, Ji Yuan hadn't lost out.

After all, he had been exposed to a lot of internet culture in his previous life. Whether from observation or speculation, this profound yellow energy, seemingly merit, gathering in the spiritual sword, not only tempered and compensated for the original deficiencies in the Azure Vine Sword's material but also contained a deeper, mysterious transformation.

Ji Yuan sheathed the sword and placed the Azure Vine Sword diagonally at the head of his bed. He stretched his limbs and looked out the window at the stars hanging in the sky.

"It's time to sleep."

He lay on his side on the bed, using his hand as a pillow, and with each breath, spiritual energy naturally circulated, the Five Elements energy within his body flowing with his respiration.

Ordinary people breathed to their chest, martial artists to their abdomen, but for Ji Yuan, with every inhale and exhale, the spiritual energy reached his toes and circulated throughout his entire body.

The next day, at the sound of the rooster's crow, Ji Yuan naturally woke up. Because the matter that had weighed on his mind was resolved, his sleep had been exceptionally peaceful the previous night, and he had even gained a subtle bit of cultivation progress.

"Heh heh, alright, it's time to head out!"

He stood up and put on his outer garment, picked up the satchel hanging at the head of the bed, and walked towards the door. Meanwhile, the Azure Vine Sword, which had been quiet all night, floated up and followed Ji Yuan, its blade angled, flying about two fist-lengths behind him.

With a creak, he opened the inn room door. On the stool outside the door were willow twigs, a pinch of salt, and a face towel, prepared by the inn's servant.

However, Ji Yuan was now impervious to dirt, and apart from occasionally wanting to splash some water on his face to freshen up, he no longer needed to brush his teeth or wash his face.

He went downstairs to the counter, checked out of his room, and collected his deposit. Then Ji Yuan left the inn.

This Hong'an Inn was the very one Ji Yuan had stayed in years ago. Staying here again, he had also harbored the thought of whether he could recover the luggage he had lost back then.

However, three years had passed. The satchel and umbrella naturally couldn't be found. There was nothing else of note, except for the bamboo-scroll Go manual, which was a bit regrettable. After all, it had been a gift from Old City God Song, and might well have been burned as firewood by now.

Juntian Prefecture was as bustling as ever. As he walked through the city, Ji Yuan occasionally caught a faint scent of osmanthus, unsure which courtyard's osmanthus tree was blooming.

From the inn entrance, he walked all the way to the west gate of the prefecture city. Along the way, he bought a dozen dried biscuits and a bamboo-canned bucket of pickled vegetables and also acquired another umbrella. Then, without looking back, he stepped out of Juntian Prefecture and headed into the distance.

About six or seven li outside the prefecture city, he widened his eyes and looked back. The direction of the prefecture city was filled with rising human aura, colorful and converging into clouds above the city, filled with emotions, desires, hatred, and grievances—a common sight in any bustling city.

With a chuckle, Ji Yuan's travel speed began to change, his steps seeming to shrink the ground beneath him, and he began to hum a tune, half-singing, half-reciting.

"Treading and singing as I go... seeking my destiny... The world bustles... all for gain..."

After the game of Dao, Ji Yuan often unconsciously visualized his mental landscape in relation to the real world. This was also the case now. While traveling, he wasn't consciously performing any illusionary spells, yet his figure was ethereal as mist, and with the blending of his state of mind and inner world, he felt a natural oneness with heaven and earth.

Originally, Ji Yuan had considered returning to Desheng Prefecture first, but a shift in his thoughts led to another idea.

Earlier, when he used the white chess piece to clash with the demon from afar, through a brief sensing of their qi, Ji Yuan had known that Yin Zhaoxian had a new surge of scholarly qi. Combined with the distant sensation of the City God's furious roar, he was certainly not in his old hometown of Ning'an.

The timing was such a coincidence, and with the newly developed scholarly qi, Ji Yuan could deduce that Master Yin must have passed the imperial examinations with high honors. Therefore, he would definitely go to the capital next spring to participate in the metropolitan and palace examinations.

Once Yin Zhaoxian passed the imperial examinations, he would surely have to return to Ning'an County first. Then, at an ordinary person's speed, even with potentially a long journey by boat or carriage, to travel from Ning'an to the distant Zhili Capital Prefecture, he would likely have to depart immediately.

Da Zhen was already an important step in the overall human destiny Ji Yuan had set in motion. His friend Master Yin was also a crucial piece in this plan. Sooner or later, he would have to visit the imperial capital to observe its aura. Since that was the case, Ji Yuan decided to meet Master Yin in the Capital Prefecture next spring.

Moreover, it would be convenient to visit the Tongtian River along the way. Ji Yuan's second friend in this life, and the first dragon he had ever met, resided in that Tongtian River. He didn't know if it was a river deity or simply a resident of the river.

It was now noon on the second day after Ji Yuan left Juntian Prefecture. Ahead, beside the official road, was a tea stall with several carriages parked nearby, which served as a good resting spot for travelers. Ji Yuan couldn't see clearly from afar, but he could discern the amount of human aura and thus roughly tell how many people were there.

Perhaps many guests had just arrived. The two tea stall owners, one old and one young, were a bit overwhelmed. When Ji Yuan arrived at the tea stall, he saw them pouring tea and clearing tables, and even having to tend the stove in between to ensure the hot water didn't run out.

The old man, who was pouring tea, shouted towards Ji Yuan, "Customer, please find a seat first. We'll be right with you!"

"Don't worry about it," Ji Yuan replied. "Please carry on with your work!" He looked around the tea stall's eight tables. Almost every one was full, with people chatting, conversing, drinking tea, and eating biscuits. Only two tables in a corner at the other end had empty seats, so Ji Yuan went over there.

At one of the two tables were two women with a child. The child had inverted a teacup and was incessantly tapping it with a chopstick, making "bang-bang-bang" sounds, while the two women ate rather unappealing snacks and drank tea.

At the other table was a burly man. A straw hat rested on his table. Ji Yuan, without a second thought, walked to the burly man's table.

"Esteemed sir, may I sit here and rest for a while?"

The burly man had already seen Ji Yuan. Seeing that he actually intended to sit there, he replied impassively, "Feel free!"

"Thank you!"

Ji Yuan cupped his hands towards the burly man, then sat down, leaning his umbrella against the table, and waited for the owners to come and serve him.

The burly man pushed his teapot forward slightly and gestured to a teacup on the table as he spoke to Ji Yuan. "If you don't mind, sir, you can drink this first."

"I happen to be a bit thirsty," Ji Yuan said. "Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Facing such a man, who to an ordinary person would appear to have a menacing face, Ji Yuan naturally felt no pressure. He picked up a teacup, took the teapot, and poured himself a cup.

"Heh heh heh... Sir, you are quite uninhibited, not at all like an ordinary scholar. Seeing you walk alone from far down the official road, without any animal for transport, don't you feel tired?"

Although the burly man's tone was flat as he spoke, it sounded different to Ji Yuan's ears.

He turned his head to look at the other table nearby. Apart from the child still diligently tapping the teacup, two women, seemingly dressed in martial attire, were also looking at him. He vaguely felt a sense of familiarity.

Moreover, it was as if the burly man's words had stirred something. Ji Yuan felt that the qi of many people in the tea stall had also changed.

'What in the world is going on?' Ji Yuan thought. 'I'm just having some tea, and now I've stumbled into trouble?'