Chapter 216: 荒驿夜雨

Ji Yuan climbed out of bed, inhaling the floral scent drifting through the courtyard. It was fresh and subtle, not particularly miraculous, but effective in calming the mind and spirit. At least the people in Tianniu Alley slept exceptionally soundly at night, and Ji Yuan himself did too. Otherwise, his dreams over the past six months would not have been so tranquil. In the first half of these dreams, his cultivation was primarily mental, while in the latter half, his consciousness was so ephemeral that he didn't even know if he was cultivating.

Still, he felt excellent upon waking, so it must have been quite effective.

He pulled back his sleeve to look at his arm. Although slightly thinner, it wasn't exaggerated. The five-element qi within him was still a mere trickle, but its essence was complete and self-sustaining. Being able to absorb spiritual energy in his sleep allowed him to replenish his five-element vital qi, nourishing his entire body. At the very least, he wouldn't starve easily.

He gathered his long, unbound hair into a bun and retrieved the ink jade hairpin from his bedside to secure it. With strands at the front and the rest flowing down his back, it had a distinctive charm—a skill many young people in his previous life likely wouldn't understand.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that the ink jade hairpin had become much more translucent. Even the peddler who sold it to Ji Yuan wouldn't recognize it as the inferior jade hairpin it once was.

Perhaps it was the influence of his immaculate body, or perhaps the immaculate body itself was a result of some transformation within him; Ji Yuan didn't dwell on these thoughts. He only knew that the benefit was often saving the effort of washing and grooming, and his belongings had become much more sturdy and durable. At least his three sets of clothes—one white, one gray, and one blue—had not torn again.

He put on his outer robe, took the brocade pouch containing the paper crane, and tucked it into his embrace. As Ji Yuan walked towards the door, the Green Vine Sword floated up from beside the bed and followed behind him.

He opened the door, letting the bright sunlight stream in. Outside, the large date tree in his courtyard was blooming, and swarms of bees danced among the branches, collecting the extraordinary pollen.

Ji Yuan could eat less, but that didn't mean he disliked food. Similarly, it certainly didn't mean he didn't feel hunger; though the sensation could be weakened or even almost eliminated, eating was one of Ji Yuan's great pleasures in life, and he wouldn't give it up.

For instance, the date blossom honey brewed by the bees in his own courtyard's large date tree might not be the best in the world, but it would certainly have a unique flavor. There weren't many beekeepers near Ning'an County, so these were likely wild bees.

"I wonder where their hive is?"

Upon hearing this, the paper crane in his brocade pouch nudged outwards, a tiny paper head peeking out and tilting sideways to look up at its master. Ji Yuan, sensing its movement, also looked down.

"You know?"

As soon as he asked, almost unconsciously, the paper crane's movements became more animated. In just a few quick motions, it skillfully wriggled out of the pouch, spread its wings, and flew up.

"Hey, hey, hold on, hold on."

Ji Yuan watched the eager little paper crane, which was so keen to be a guide, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"The date blossoms have just opened. Even if they make honey, it won't be ready so soon. Next time!"

In truth, Ji Yuan could have found the hive by following the bees' flight path. He had merely said it casually.

The courtyard gate of Jüan Small Pavilion had not been opened for half a year, and the county residents probably thought Ji Yuan was still away. Calculating the days, Master Yin's second child was due soon, and Master Yin would certainly have sent letters, likely stored at the county office.

Ji Yuan went directly to the county office to pay a visit and indeed found three letters waiting for him: two from Yin Qing and one from Yin Zhaoxian.

After eating a meal outside and returning, Ji Yuan sat in the courtyard of Jüan Small Pavilion and opened the three letters.

The first letter from Yin Qing detailed his academy life, with the latter half loosely mentioning his unborn younger brother or sister. The words betrayed a complex mix of emotions, and he also asked Ji Yuan if he was going to Wanzhou and when he would depart if so.

The second letter was written nearly two months ago. It seemed he had written to friends in the county and learned that Ji Yuan had "traveled far away," so he wrote to inform Ji Yuan that he and three friends from the academy had already set off on a study tour to Wanzhou, expressing hope that Mr. Ji would also come.

Yin Zhaoxian's letter was a direct invitation for his friend Ji Yuan to come to Wanzhou, asking him to attend either the full-month celebration or the hundred-day banquet for the baby. If Ji Yuan arrived early, they would hold the full-month celebration; if he arrived late, it would be the hundred-day banquet. His words made it abundantly clear how much he hoped Ji Yuan would attend.

"Hmph, if I don't go, Master Yin wouldn't break off our friendship, would he?"

With Master Yin's righteous qi, his wife would not experience an unstable pregnancy; the baby would certainly be carried to full term and born after ten months. Ji Yuan counted on his fingers and found there was still about a month to go.

Since that was the case, Ji Yuan no longer procrastinated. He went inside to pack his things, which weren't many: besides books, he had only his brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and two other sets of clothes.

His cultivation over the past few years had not been in vain; at least he had gained some insight into the Sleeve Universe technique. Although he didn't know when he would reach the envisioned stage of "storing objects like weaving, displaying myriad transformations, devouring all things and returning to origin," he had at least grasped some principles of "transformation"—both transformation of form and transformation of storage—which differed significantly from the simple object storage of ordinary spatial techniques.

Naturally, with progress in his cultivation, the volume of items he could store also increased, and he could still squeeze these things in.

He then left the small pavilion without leaving the paper crane at home. This time, he simply decided not to inform Hu Yun and Lu Shanjun of his whereabouts, as they were cultivating quite peacefully in the mountains anyway.

According to the *Comprehensive Records of a Hundred Prefectures*, Lishun Prefecture in Wanzhou was known for its beautiful scenery and abundant resources, especially its silk weaving industry, which was unparalleled, at least at the time the book was written, indicating good governance and harmonious people.

However, in the present era, if this were a story told by a storyteller, the word "formerly" would have to be added to the opening of "Wanzhou's Past."

The enormous profits from Wanzhou's silk weaving industry boosted its economy but, over time, also led to significant problems, summarized by the words "greed" and "profit."

Wealthy households and merchants colluded with some officials, annexing land to plant mulberry trees for profit, yet bringing no benefit to the displaced farmers. This led to widespread public grievances in many parts of Wanzhou. Such accumulated public resentment often gives rise to evil and attracts demons and malevolent spirits, which is one of the origins of the ancient saying that demons and evil spirits always cause trouble in times of chaos.

On this day, four scholars, carrying their book boxes, were hurrying along a mountain path. They wore headscarves and long blue robes, stained with a bit of mud and dust. They were four students from Huiyuan Academy: Yin Qing, Lin Xinjie, Lei Yusheng, and Mo Xiu.

Being able to attend the new child's banquet of Duke Yin of Jizhou was seen as a very prestigious matter. So, when Yin Qing extended a polite invitation, the other three immediately agreed.

Applying to the academy head and masters for a study tour for such an occasion was naturally bound to be approved, which led to these dorm mates traveling together.

"Oh, this road is truly difficult to walk, Mo Xiu, you truly give us no rest by picking this path!"

Lin Xinjie complained for what must have been the umpteenth time.

The person being addressed could no longer hold back and retorted.

"When I suggested crossing Datong Mountain, weren't you the most enthusiastic to second it, saying something about enjoying spring flowers in the forest and hiking in the mountains? Now it's all my fault?"

"Hey, hey, alright, alright, everyone agreed at the time. We were all greedy to take a shortcut."

Lin Xinjie immediately changed the direction of his verbal attack.

"Yusheng, you have the nerve to speak! If you hadn't insisted on making the coachman change course to see that inkstone workshop, would we have taken so many detours and wasted so much time, ultimately being forced to come this way?"

"That's right! It wasn't that I suggested this route; it's that if we didn't take it, going back and then to Lishun Prefecture would have taken us more than a month longer!"

"You two..."

Lei Yusheng was so cornered by the two of them that he couldn't speak. Yin Qing quickly stepped in to ease the tension.

"Stop, stop talking. Things are as they are, and it's not what we wanted. Who knew that a section of the mountain road here in Datong Mountain would collapse, making it impossible for carriages to pass? Otherwise, seeing the inkstone and enjoying the mountain flowers would have been a wonderful thing!"

"Yes, yes, exactly!"

Lei Yusheng quickly agreed.

"Alas... this is a natural disaster, unforeseen by us."

"Indeed, not a fault of strategy..."

Yin Qing shook his head and smiled.

"Let's go, let's go. No more sighing. Talking too much makes us tired of traveling. We have plenty of supplies. Just bear with it until we're out of Datong Mountain. Following this mountain path, it'll only be seven or eight days."

Although Datong Mountain was desolate, it had a mountain path, not very wide, which had once been a golden road during the early stages of Wanzhou's weaving industry. However, nowadays, silk and other goods were mostly transported by more convenient water routes and other main roads in large quantities, so this golden road gradually became abandoned, and fewer and fewer people walked it.

But the path was still there, and following it would prevent them from getting lost. Along the way, there were also some abandoned relay stations built into sheltered mountain cliffs. Though most had long lost their attendants, they could still offer travelers a place to rest their feet.

As the four walked, they finally saw an abandoned relay station beside a distant hillside. It was half-embedded in the hillside, with faint wisps of smoke rising, suggesting someone was making a fire.

"Let's go, let's go! I'm exhausted. We're sleeping there tonight!"

"Hurry, hurry! It looks like there are people there. Let's see if we can beg for a bowl of hot water!"

"Yes, yes!"

Including Yin Qing, all four's spirits brightened, and they walked quickly forward. As if they had heard footsteps and voices, two people emerged from the abandoned station's entrance, each with a chopping knife hidden behind them. They looked at the newcomers vigilantly but felt a little relieved upon seeing four scholars. They turned and re-entered the station.

Inside the abandoned station, though some tables and chairs remained, it was still quite spacious, about five *zhang* square (roughly 200 square meters in Ji Yuan's previous life). There were about a dozen other people inside, and in a corner, large back baskets covered with straw cloaks and bamboo hats were stacked. Judging by their gear, this group seemed to be itinerant merchants.

"Uncle Lu, there are four scholarly-looking people outside. They're wearing long robes and carrying book boxes; they look quite refined, probably true students."

The two who had gone out reported to the people inside.

"Mm, sit down."

Soon after, Yin Qing and the other three also entered the abandoned station. Seeing the dozen-odd people inside, and noticing that almost everyone had a chopping knife near them, and that they were all staring, the scholars' hearts began to pound.

Yin Qing looked at his friends, then stepped forward.

"We are scholars on a study tour. The mountain road is difficult. We would like to shelter from the wind and rest here. Would you gentlemen be so kind as to permit us?"

A gray-haired elder sized up Yin Qing, then said,

"The station is spacious. We dozen or so itinerant merchants won't take up much room. Gentlemen, please make yourselves at home!"

"Thank you!"

Yin Qing cupped his hands in a bow, and the three beside him quickly followed suit.

"Thank you!" "Thank you, thank you!"

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a peal of thunder reverberated outside, startling the two scholars closest to the door, who cried out, "Oh dear!" This also amused some of the itinerant merchants.

"Mountain rain is coming..."

The leading merchant remarked.