Chapter 177: As It Was From The Beginning

The disturbance in Mount Yuhai, at least for now, did not affect others. Even some cultivators there were still unaware of the situation, so naturally, it didn't affect Ji Yuan either.

Flying high above, Ji Yuan didn't need to navigate around obstacles. The straight-line distance of over 150 li from Desheng Prefectural City to Ning'an County was no longer far for him, now that he could ride clouds.

Even Ji Yuan, who preferred a leisurely pace, rode the clouds enveloped by a gentle breeze and reached Ning'an County in less than 30 minutes.

From high above, he could faintly discern a convergence of spiritual energy in a corner of Tianniu Alley in Ning'an County. Opening his spiritual eyes, Ji Yuan could even see a subtle, glowing green light hidden within the energy.

*A jujube tree?*

Ji Yuan was slightly surprised. As a gentle breeze rustled his clothes and hair, he slowly descended on his cloud, finally landing in the courtyard of Ju'an Study.

A rustling sound...

The wind in the courtyard seemed to pick up, and the branches and leaves of the large jujube tree swayed. Each crimson jujube on it was now translucent, glowing with a red luminescence.

Plop... plop... plop...

In an instant, several jujubes dropped.

"Hold on!"

Ji Yuan extended his hand and caught the five fallen jujubes. With his left hand, he gestured, halting the large jujube tree's impulse to drop more fruit.

"Just a taste is enough," he said. "If they all drop at once, it would be too much."

The swaying of the jujube tree's branches and leaves then subsided.

Ji Yuan placed the satchel from his shoulder and four of the jujubes on the stone table. He then picked up one, sniffed it, and took a bite.

With a slurp, the pulp burst with juice in his mouth, and a fresh, sweet fragrance filled his palate.

"Delicious, delicious, even better than before! Hahahaha..."

Ji Yuan, his face wreathed in smiles, sat down at the stone table, continuing to enjoy the delicious fruit in a relaxed manner. Behind him, the Green Vine Sword floated, occasionally shifting its angle as if observing Ju'an Study.

After finishing the five jujubes, Ji Yuan looked up at the tree in the courtyard, feeling quite moved. The tree was no longer blurry in his eyes; he could see the vitality of its veins. Even more remarkable was its ability to gather spiritual energy.

"Very good," he murmured. "Peaceful and serene, without any demonic aura. It can be considered to have achieved cultivation!"

Ji Yuan's soft praise caused all the jujube tree's branches and leaves to sway rhythmically, as if performing a joyful dance.

However, even as Ji Yuan praised, his gaze meticulously searched the gaps between the branches and leaves, but for a long time, he saw nothing.

*No flowers this year, a bit of a pity...*

Ji Yuan sat in the courtyard for a while before walking towards the main house. Seeing the lock hanging there, he paused for a moment before waving his sleeve to take out his money pouch. He rummaged through it and pulled out a key.

"It's a good thing I always kept the key in my money pouch and didn't lose it with the old satchel," he chuckled. "Otherwise, it would lack a sense of ritual, hahaha!"

Still chuckling, Ji Yuan inserted the key into the lock, and with a click, the door unlocked.

Creak.

The creak of the wooden door hinge was still so familiar, and there was no musty smell inside.

Upon entering, Ji Yuan casually ran a finger across the tabletop. Only a small amount of dust slid off his finger, indicating it had been cleaned recently.

Although the bed consisted only of wooden planks without bedding, the cupboard held quilts and other items that still carried the scent of sunshine.

"It seems little Yin Qing didn't go to Wanzhou after all!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, he brushed away the meager dust on the bed. He then took out the bedding and arranged it. Ji Yuan placed the Green Vine Sword by the bed and lay down on his long-absent bed.

"It's still most comfortable at home!"

With a soft sigh, Ji Yuan closed his eyes and quickly drifted into sleep.

The Green Vine Sword rested quietly by the bed for a moment, then slowly floated up and flew to the main door. It pushed shut the door that Ji Yuan hadn't closed properly before flying back to the bedside.

In the old Yin family residence, just as the large jujube tree at Ju'an Study was swaying vigorously, the red fox sleeping beside Yin Qing twitched an ear, raised its head, and listened.

After listening for a while, it concluded it was probably just a strong wind and lay back down to sleep.

Although Ji Yuan hadn't voiced that thought, that night, in the latter half of the night, the large jujube tree in the Ju'an Study courtyard sprouted flower buds. Yellow-green jujube blossoms bloomed, covering its branches, and by dawn, a subtle fragrance filled Tianniu Alley...

This was an ordinary morning in Ning'an County, yet it seemed different from usual.

Villagers in Tianniu Alley and even neighboring markets woke up to a refreshing fragrance.

At Shuangjingpu in Tianniu Alley, people were already fetching water, washing clothes, and cleaning vegetables early in the morning. The sounds of clothes being beaten and women chatting filled the air.

"It suddenly smells so good this morning!"

"Yes, yes, this scent is wonderful, where is it coming from?"

"Oh, you've forgotten! It must be the fragrance of the jujube blossoms from Ju'an Study. We used to sleep so much more comfortably when we smelled it at night!"

"Right, right, I remember now!"

"Wow, that jujube tree hasn't given off such a strong fragrance in a long time!"

"How wonderful, heh heh heh... Does this mean we'll have jujubes to eat this year, hahahaha..."

"Oh, all you think about is eating!"

The clear, bell-like laughter and playful banter of the women at Shuangjingpu continued without cease. Some people fetching water also joined in the conversation, and the entire neighborhood of Tianniu Alley walked with a lighter step that morning.

Yin Qing woke up early and hurried towards the school with Hu Yun. Nowadays, Yin Qing wasn't the only one attending school; the red fox also went along to listen in, as the master's teaching skills were, after all, superior.

However, having smelled the fragrance that morning, the boy and the fox deliberately passed by Ju'an Study to take a look. Indeed, they saw the jujube tree blooming profusely and were quite surprised. But they didn't think much of it, and being in a hurry for school, they naturally couldn't unlock the door to examine it closely; they simply ran straight to the school.

The red fox relied on its rudimentary illusion spell to cling to Yin Qing's back and traverse the streets and alleys. However, in reality, it was because the City God turned a blind eye to it; otherwise, such a trick could never deceive the Day and Night Patrol Spirits.

About half an hour after Yin Qing and the red fox Hu Yun went to school, Ji Yuan finally stretched comfortably and emerged from the house. Sleeping until late morning had always been his habit at Ju'an Study, and upon his return, he naturally reverted to this routine.

Looking up at the jujube tree covered in blossoms, Ji Yuan cupped his hands to it as if greeting a cultivator. He then tidied his bun, inserted his black jade hairpin, and headed out.

On a street outside Tianniu Alley, the Sun family's noodle stall was still open for business. Time seemed particularly unfair to the elderly; in just about six years, Old Man Sun had aged considerably.

However, when the stall cart was pushed to this spot today, a refreshing, invigorating fragrance could be smelled. His movements became much more nimble, and both Old Man Sun and his customers were in good spirits.

Having just cleared away the customers' dishes, Old Man Sun scooped water from the vat behind the stall to rinse and scrub the bowls and chopsticks. He then placed them by the stove to dry for a while.

"Old Man Sun, do you still have braised noodles and offal today?"

A familiar voice, yet one he couldn't immediately place, sounded at the stall. Old Man Sun instantly stood up and looked over. In what had been an empty seat, a distinguished gentleman with wide sleeves and a white robe sat, looking refined and kind. His appearance was so familiar.

"You are... You, are you Mr. Ji?"

Old Man Sun's expression shifted from a puzzled frown to a blossoming look of surprise.

"Mr. Ji, you're back? It's good you're back, it's good!" he exclaimed. "Oh, yes, you asked about braised noodles and offal, yes, we have them, both of them. For offal, we only have lamb offal. Tomorrow, I'll go to some nearby villages to ask if they have beef offal!"

"No need, no need, lamb offal is fine," Ji Yuan replied. "The usual, one bowl of braised noodles, one bowl of offal! Old Man Sun, you're still so vigorous!"

Ji Yuan smiled and cupped his hands to Old Man Sun.

Old Man Sun wiped his hands on his apron and returned the gesture, feeling even happier seeing Ji Yuan.

"Mr. Ji, it's you who hasn't changed after all these years! Please wait a moment, I'll prepare your noodles right away!"

Old Man Sun nimbly prepared Ji Yuan's meal and carefully brought it to his table.

Seeing Ji Yuan pick up his chopsticks, take a bite, and then look up to praise, "The taste is still as good!", he returned contentedly to his wooden cart stall to tidy his utensils.

From time to time, Old Man Sun chatted with Ji Yuan about the past few years, mainly mundane family matters like his grandson attending school. He also asked Ji Yuan how he had fared outside.

Aside from listening, Ji Yuan mostly just smiled and replied, "Very well."

During this time, some villagers passed by or came to dine at the stall. Occasionally, someone, like Old Man Sun, would suddenly recognize Ji Yuan, but most did not know him. However, everyone inevitably discussed the floral fragrance wafting through the air that day.

Although Ji Yuan used to be the 'extraordinary person' villagers talked about after meals, in truth, few people genuinely knew him well enough to recognize him at a glance. About six years can change many things: the young grew up, and the old aged.

Yet, ultimately, the sense of tranquility Ning'an County offered Ji Yuan remained unchanged.