Chapter 562: The Meaning of Dreaming Can Also Draw the Sword

Ji Yuan departed gracefully, but he didn't actually disappear. He turned a corner and headed towards the Yin Manor. Although he didn't deliberately speed up, his light steps made his progress through the quiet capital streets quite swift.

"Dong—dong, dong, dong!" "Tap…"

The distant sounds of a night watchman's gong and clapper reached them, followed by a clear, distant shout.

"Bitter cold night!"

In the darkness, two night watchmen, one carrying a gong and the other a clapper, walked along the side of the street, rubbing their hands together.

"Dong—dong, dong, dong!"

One struck the gong, the other followed with a tap of the clapper, then shouted.

"Tap…"

"Bitter cold night!"

After crossing an intersection, they could see the lights of Yin Manor's main gate in the distance. One rubbed his hands and blew into them, whispering to the other.

"Hey, do you think Duke Yin is almost gone?"

They would never dare say such things during the day or in a crowd, but with the street empty, they dared to whisper, using it to distract themselves from the cold.

"Hard to say. So many doctors haven't been able to cure him. Not just the imperial physicians, but famous doctors from all over have come in waves, all trying to prolong Duke Yin's life!"

His companion shook his head and sighed upon hearing this.

"Alas! Those scholars often say that thanks to His Majesty having Duke Yin, the government is now upright and the world is peaceful. If Duke Yin passes, His Majesty might well be misled by treacherous and flattering officials."

"Who says not? Which commoner doesn't wish Duke Yin a long life? I heard that in Wanzhou, people lit thousands of lanterns on Guangdong Lake several times to pray for Duke Yin's well-being."

"Yes, yes, I heard that too. But Duke Yin's illness hasn't improved. What can be done…"

The two night watchmen sighed as they spoke. Normally, commoners wouldn't discuss matters concerning high officials because they wouldn't hear about such important figures. However, Yin Zhaoxian was now practically a legendary figure in Da Zhen. Everyone had heard several versions of Duke Yin's stories. If Duke Yin were a former or deceased minister, storytellers would probably have created countless versions of his tales.

One was about to say more when the other nudged his arm with an elbow, signaling him to stop talking nonsense. His companion looked up and saw a gentleman in white slowly approaching from the street corner opposite.

"Dong—dong, dong, dong!" "Tap…"

"Bitter cold night!"

The two quickly struck their gong and clapper, performing their duties.

Ji Yuan walked towards them from a distance. Hearing their sounds, and having overheard their conversation, he merely nodded from afar and passed them. The two night watchmen instinctively smiled and nodded back at Ji Yuan. After nodding, they somewhat regretted it, then continued walking forward without looking back.

Turning at the next street corner, he entered a larger thoroughfare, Rong'an Street, directly to the right of the Imperial City. The famous Yin Manor was located there.

When Ji Yuan arrived at the Yin Manor's gate, he saw only the two large lanterns at the entrance were lit, with no light emanating from inside the residence. However, on another level, to Ji Yuan's spiritual sight, the Yin Manor appeared transparent and brilliantly lit, its righteous aura subtly illuminating the sky, making the high heavens appear clear.

"Heh heh, what's Teacher Yin up to? It's probably Qing'er's mischievous idea."

Ji Yuan showed no concern for his old friend's health. After chuckling, he wasn't in a hurry to enter. Everyone would be fast asleep in the middle of the night, hardly a time to visit a friend. But with dawn only a few hours away, there was no need to spend money on an inn. So Ji Yuan simply turned into a small alley across the street, found a relatively clean and suitable corner under the eaves of a house, sat down with one leg crossed and the other bent, rested his elbow on his knee, his fist cushioning his head, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

This sleep was not just for rest; it was also to experience the wonder of "Dream Roaming." In a trance, Ji Yuan rose from his body in an ethereal space, looked down at his sleeping form, and then glided away on a gentle breeze. This wasn't actual flight; rather, the wind seemed to follow Ji Yuan's thoughts, blowing everywhere, yet appearing utterly natural.

This was the first time Ji Yuan had so smoothly extended his "Dream Roaming" essence since the "Dream Roaming" chapter of his self-derived book was completed. Before, it either failed or dissipated after only a few steps, leading to countless revisions. Perhaps it was finally perfected, which made it so effortless this time.

Two night patrols were surveying the streets. Ji Yuan, while dream-roaming, passed by them directly, without dodging or using any other spells, yet the two night patrols remained completely unaware.

Ji Yuan knew his own abilities. Some of his techniques had been tested repeatedly over a long period, and his discerning eye was far superior to what it once was, giving him a certain confidence to accurately judge the level of his divine powers. Although he had never witnessed true "Dream Entering" techniques, making an exact comparison impossible, based on common rumors, he felt his own ability was quite similar.

Moreover, Ji Yuan wasn't entirely without a basis for comparison; for instance, he could refer to the "Mirage Great Law" he had witnessed from the old dragon.

A divine ability like "Dream Roaming" was far from simple soul-excursion; it was a profound technique equivalent to, or perhaps even superior to, the esoteric art of "Dream Entering."

In fact, at this moment, Ji Yuan's physical body and soul remained seated in one place, and even his aura showed no change. What manifested was merely a wisp of spiritual thought, yet it was far more than that.

His true body still had sensations, able to perceive subtle sounds and feel the gentle breeze. And his roaming consciousness, though seemingly ethereal, could also perceive changes in its surroundings. What was particularly strange was that "the distant Ji Yuan" could even feel his own divine abilities and the Azure Vine Immortal Sword. Even though the Azure Vine Sword hung behind his true body, it felt as if he could draw the sword at will.

This sensation was so strong that Ji Yuan felt eager to try. After roaming for nearly half of the capital city, Ji Yuan finally couldn't resist. He ascended high into the sky in his dream form. Once aloft, he concentrated on the Azure Vine Sword. Without looking back, Ji Yuan reached behind him with his right hand, and a faint sensation arose in his palm.

"Zheng—"

A sword light flashed in the void.

Like a bursting bubble, before the sword was even fully drawn, Ji Yuan's wisp of dream-roaming essence shattered and dissipated...

"Hoo…"

In the alley by the back wall of the house, Ji Yuan exhaled deeply, opened his eyes, looked around, then rubbed his forehead. His mental power was certainly formidable now, yet he still felt a slight headache from this attempt, indicating that drawing the sword halfway was no trivial matter.

Even so, Ji Yuan was very happy. He continued to rub his head, a smile playing on his lips. If the setting had been more appropriate, he might have burst into laughter.

The Azure Vine Sword appeared, slowly flying in front of Ji Yuan, fluttering and dancing in the night wind for a few circles, seemingly confused by what had just happened. It had always been by its master's side, and its master hadn't moved, yet why did it feel an urge to unsheathe itself according to its master's will just now, even though its blade had not actually left the scabbard?

"Hah hah hah hah hah…"

Seeing the Azure Vine Sword's expression, Ji Yuan, who still didn't fully understand what had happened, finally burst out laughing. He reached out and grabbed the Azure Vine Sword, scrutinizing the characters on its scabbard and the intertwining azure vine. After a careful caress, he let go, allowing the Azure Vine Sword to fly around for a bit before returning to his back.

However, after this experience, Ji Yuan was genuinely a bit tired. Maintaining his previous posture, within a few breaths, he was already resting his head on his fist, asleep.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…"

After the fifth watch, rain began to fall in the capital city. It wasn't a downpour, but this continuous spring rain wasn't light either. Unlike a thunderstorm, it didn't dissipate quickly; instead, it showed no sign of stopping until dawn.

Ji Yuan remained asleep in the corner under the eaves. Outside, rain fell steadily, and the stone ground beyond the eaves was already covered in small streams. Occasional raindrops and splashes hit Ji Yuan, but they didn't affect the quality of his sleep.

It was already daylight, but Ji Yuan hadn't woken up yet. At this moment, a sound came from behind him.

With a creak, the back door of the house opened from within. A man, holding a basin of murky water, stood at the doorway and vigorously splashed the wash water outside. As he was about to close the door, his peripheral vision caught sight of the wall corner outside.

"Hmm?"

The man leaned halfway out to look closely, seeing a gentleman, dressed in gray like a scholar, sitting against the wall in the corner under the eaves. Beside him were the heavy rain and ground puddles, and half his body was already wet.

"Husband, what is it?"

Hearing his wife's voice from inside, the man finally reacted.

"Oh, there's someone sitting behind our house."

"Ah? A beggar?"

His wife also came to the back door. The man stepped aside, allowing his wife to come out and see.

"Looking at his clothes, he doesn't seem like a beggar…"

"Oh dear, he's soaked!"

After a moment of hesitation, the man handed the basin to his wife, then carefully walked over to Ji Yuan. Seeing occasional rises and falls in his chest, indicating he was still breathing, he felt relieved and patted Ji Yuan's shoulder.

"Sir, Sir! Wake up, Sir, wake up!"

"Hoo…"

Ji Yuan exhaled slowly, opened his eyes, and looked at the man in front of him, calmly stating.

"I slept a bit too soundly."

Ji Yuan said, sitting upright and stretching his arms.

The man stepped back two paces. Although Ji Yuan might have fallen on hard times, there was a natural air of clarity and dignity about him even while sitting in the rain, which inexplicably earned the man's admiration. A more status-conscious scholar would probably be embarrassed by now, as that's how most scholars he'd encountered behaved.

"Sir, if you don't mind, please come inside and sit by the fire. Have a bowl of congee to warm yourself."

"Yes, Sir," his wife chimed in, "we respect scholars. Please come in and rest."

Although inviting strangers into one's home was generally not advisable, Ji Yuan's inherent approachable aura, combined with his non-threatening appearance, easily put people at ease if they had no ulterior motives.

Ji Yuan stood up, looked at his clothes, then at the couple's auras. After a moment of thought, he nodded and smiled.

"Very well. I respectfully accept your kind offer. Your good hearts will be rewarded."

"Oh, what 'good hearts' and 'reward'? Don't be so polite!"

The man chuckled. This scholar, half soaked, should have been shivering from the cold, yet he was still speaking so formally.