Chapter 639: Borrowing Shadows to Perceive Forms and Condense Spirits

Ying Ruoli finished her quiet chat with the large date tree, then smiled and walked a few steps away to sit at the stone table under the tree. Wei Wuwei, sitting opposite her, simply maintained his usual smile, trying to relax as much as possible.

"Mr. Wei, when did you and Uncle Ji meet? And where do you practice cultivation?"

Wei Wuwei's smile remained unchanged as he glanced towards the kitchen, where smoke was rising from the chimney.

"To answer Your Highness, I was ambushed outside the county some time ago. Upon returning to the county, I coincidentally learned of a reclusive extraordinary person living here. So, I brought my ancestral jade to Juyan Study to seek answers to my doubts, and that's how I met Mr. Ji. Later, with his assistance, my son and I were able to enter Yuhuai Mountain to cultivate."

The Dragon Girl nodded slightly. As expected, it was Yuhuai Mountain. Ying Ruoli didn't particularly favor the people of Yuhuai Mountain, but those connected to Ji Yuan were, of course, an exception. Besides, since her father had already given his approval, it wasn't an issue.

"Tell me about your family's affairs. We're just passing the time anyway, and if there's nothing too private, I'd quite like to hear about it."

Wei Wuwei naturally dared not refuse the Dragon Girl's request, and there was nothing he couldn't share.

"Since Your Highness wishes to hear, I will naturally tell you everything. My son, Yuansheng, and I now cultivate together in the sacred realm of Yuhuai. To explain how we came to be here today, I must speak of the demon tiger's hide from back then..."

Wei Wuwei had come this time not only to personally visit Ji Yuan during the New Year, but also to consult him about another matter. Their Wei family had business dealings with the Jiang clan in Luping City, Ancestral Yue Kingdom. Recently, he had received news that the public official who had saved him outside Ning'an County years ago had possibly reappeared in Ancestral Yue Kingdom. However, even Qiu Feng couldn't divine anything about this person, which instinctively made Wei Wuwei feel he was special, prompting him to ask Ji Yuan about it.

As the Dragon Girl listened to the Wei family's anecdotes as if they were stories, Ji Yuan in the kitchen finally finished boiling the water. Although his initial action was merely symbolic, since he chose to boil water with firewood, he naturally saw it through, adding a sense of ritual to life.

Ji Yuan emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with the remaining tea set.

"There's not much to offer, but please try this date blossom honey crystal tea. It's quite rare, and you can only drink it here."

Ji Yuan set down the tray, took the teapot containing the melted honey crystal, and personally poured tea for the Dragon Girl and Wei Wuwei. At the same time, his peripheral vision flickered towards the large date tree, wondering what the Dragon Girl and the date tree had been whispering about. It couldn't have been just a retelling of their previous conversation at the noodle stall, could it? Why would that require whispering? As for the topic of the public official benefactor that Wei Wuwei had mentioned to the Dragon Girl earlier, Ji Yuan had overheard it in the kitchen, but he had no intention of answering, at most he would offer a few vague prevarications from an abstruse perspective.

Half an hour later, Wei Wuwei was the first to rise and take his leave. Ji Yuan had no intention of celebrating the New Year at the Wei family's home; instead, he asked Wei Wuwei to inform Yuhuai Mountain that he might visit to inquire about matters concerning the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. During the last Immortal Gathering, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets hadn't sent even one representative because its grotto-heaven had long been sealed. Ji Yuan had long planned to visit, and after a few recent events, this idea grew stronger.

Ji Yuan escorted Wei Wuwei to the courtyard gate. Wei Wuwei stood outside the courtyard and bowed to Ji Yuan and the Dragon Girl beside him.

"I'll take my leave now. Mr. Ji and Your Highness needn't see me off!"

Being with a dragon, especially knowing that despite her gentle and polite appearance, she could be terrifying when truly angered, put Wei Wuwei under considerable pressure. He felt a sense of relief now that he was leaving.

As Ji Yuan returned the bow, just as Wei Wuwei was about to turn, he suddenly spoke.

"Patriarch Wei, although you didn't attend the Immortal Gathering, I presume you've heard about the Immortal's Crossing, haven't you?"

"Uh, yes, I am aware."

Wei Yuansheng had already told Wei Wuwei about this, so he was naturally familiar with it. He just wondered why Ji Yuan was suddenly bringing it up at their farewell.

Ji Yuan smiled.

"The Immortal's Crossing, a marketplace for cultivators, is actually quite good for practitioners from all directions to gather, exchange, and mutually benefit. Patriarch Wei, you are a great talent in commerce; you should give this matter more thought."

Wei Wuwei paused for a moment, then a light seemed to flash in his eyes as he looked intently at Ji Yuan, who, in turn, looked at Ying Ruoli beside him.

"Yuhuai Mountain has its own profound heritage. Patriarch Wei, go back and ponder this carefully. There might be great potential, and since the dragon race is wealthy, they might be able to offer assistance."

Ji Yuan said this in front of Ying Ruoli, essentially telling her that if there was a real possibility, he wanted the dragon race, at least the lineage of the Old Dragon, to provide assistance, or even to join in. Ying Ruoli herself was a Great River God and had a bright future in cultivation, making her highly promising and qualified to participate in discussions.

Given Ying Ruoli's intelligence, she understood Ji Yuan's meaning without a hint of hesitation and immediately smiled as she spoke.

"Uncle Ji is absolutely right. Patriarch Wei, you can go back and think more about this. Or, you only need to inform Yuhuai Mountain; besides lending a name, they don't need to help you much. I myself will assist you."

Wei Wuwei's heart suddenly pounded a few times, his thoughts racing like lightning, his spirit invigorated.

"I understand, I will ponder this matter carefully!"

After bidding farewell repeatedly, Wei Wuwei departed in an excited state. The Wei family was now considered a Xianxiu family (immortal cultivators) under Yuhuai Mountain, hidden in the mundane world. If they could indeed advance several steps further by utilizing the Immortal's Crossing and the marketplace, their future would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

Wei Wuwei left, but Ying Ruoli remained, stating that she needed to help the large date tree complete a crucial step in its cultivation. Ji Yuan found this reason difficult to refuse and naturally allowed it. He was also very curious, eager to understand how Ying Ruoli, a flood dragon who previously didn't comprehend the cultivation of plant spirits, suddenly knew how to assist a spiritual root wood like the date tree.

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, that very night, Ji Yuan stood in his room, the door tightly shut. Yet, through the paper window, he could see Ying Ruoli sitting cross-legged beneath the large date tree, both person and tree emanating their own distinct aura.

The small paper crane and a group of tiny characters were all stuck to the door, cautiously observing outside, not even making a sound.

Ying Ruoli remained seated under the tree, which swayed with the wind, her clothes fluttering. She opened her eyes and looked towards the main house opposite. The lamp inside had been extinguished, and she could no longer sense Ji Yuan's presence, thinking, "Uncle Ji must be asleep." She looked up at the date tree's canopy and smiled as she spoke.

"Uncle Ji's path of cultivation emphasizes following nature and embracing the wonders of heaven and earth. Under his protection, you've avoided many detours. However, you haven't taken this crucial step yet. Are you afraid of not taking it well?"

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

The branches and leaves of the large date tree swayed gently, responding to Ying Ruoli's words.

"Originally, I didn't understand the cultivation of plant spirits, let alone a heavenly spiritual root like you. But now I do understand. You weren't cultivating incorrectly; it was about capturing and observing the subtle essence. I know how to help you. This assistance will help you make a big leap forward. All in all, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Just remember our agreement, okay?"

After saying this, Ying Ruoli slowly rose, turned around once, and began to stroll around the date tree as if dancing gracefully. Moments later, she started to fly around the date tree, carried by the spiritual breeze in the courtyard. Gradually, vague silhouettes appeared throughout the courtyard, each representing a different state of Ying Ruoli's changing form, including not only dance poses but also various postures of walking, sitting, standing, and lying down.

These silhouettes, indistinct like ink yet exquisitely ethereal, appeared misty and illusory. Ying Ruoli's movements did not cease, and she occasionally exhaled faint white mist, shrouding the courtyard of Juyan Study in a haze.

"Woo... woo-woo-woo..."

The spiritual breeze, imbued with the vitality of spring, swept through, not only stirring the fallen leaves in the courtyard but also lifting the blurred silhouettes. Like a gentle wind carrying smoke, they too began to dance around the date tree. As the wind passed the treetops and swirled around the tree trunk, these shadows became increasingly indistinct.

At night, Ying Ruoli never slept in the side building Ji Yuan had arranged. Every night she stayed in the courtyard, assisting the large date tree. One day, two days, three days passed. By the fourth day, the blurred, misty silhouettes in the courtyard looked less and less like Ying Ruoli herself.

"Borrowing shadows to comprehend form?"

Ji Yuan observed the forms and shadows in the courtyard, and a slight realization dawned on him. At least now he understood that for the date tree to condense a spirit, it also needed a process of observing the Dao, just like ordinary cultivators comprehending the Dao. However, this particular Dao involved approaching a Dao-aligned physical form.

Among tree demons and spirits, many exhibit a strange phenomenon of having both male and female voices. This reminded Ji Yuan of the Tree Demon Granny from *A Chinese Ghost Story* he watched in his previous life. This might be due to the plant spirit not having an autonomous choice, or finding it difficult to choose, at a crucial step, which, while not incorrect in cultivation, can lead to a somewhat peculiar outcome.

Ji Yuan understood with a moment's thought that the large date tree likely preferred to take on a female form. Otherwise, wouldn't he, Ji Yuan, be a suitable figure to observe for a Dao-aligned form?

This was the Dragon Girl's fourth night in the courtyard of Juyan Study, and it was also New Year's Eve of the Bingwu year. Ji Yuan withdrew his gaze from the courtyard, walked to his bed, leaned the Green Vine Sword against the headboard, and after removing his outer clothes, lay on the bed, covered himself with a blanket, and closed his eyes.

Tonight was New Year's Eve, and everywhere was filled with a joyous atmosphere of family reunion. Soon, the New Year would arrive, and the pure qi would ascend. Ji Yuan lay in bed, cultivating through sleep, not at all worried about the date tree's cultivation.

"Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop..."

A burst of firecrackers exploded. On the morning of the first day of the lunar New Year, similar firecracker sounds were blasting throughout Ning'an County. Ji Yuan also opened his eyes, sat up from bed, and glanced at the door. The small paper crane and all the tiny characters were still stuck there, seemingly unmoved throughout the night.

The morning sun of the first day slanted across the front of the main house and onto the date tree, casting dappled light spots across the courtyard.

Ying Ruoli sat smiling by the stone table. In her line of sight, beneath the date tree, a young woman in a green silk dress was curiously and joyfully examining her hands, then her feet, her face betraying a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Creak."

The main house door was opened from within by Ji Yuan. The two outside looked together at Ji Yuan, who stood in the doorway.

"Good morning, Uncle Ji!" "G-Good morning, Grand Master!"

Ji Yuan's gaze fell upon the very nervous young woman in green, and he smiled as he spoke.

"To have condensed a spirit is truly a joyous step forward, yet it cannot compare to a fully transformed physical body, nor can you stray far from your original date tree form. However, you can now speak, and your spiritual consciousness will no longer be confined solely within the tree's body."

Seeing no displeasure on Ji Yuan's face, the green-clad woman secretly let out a long breath and gracefully bowed to him.

"Thank you for your guidance, Grand Master. Zao Niang understands!"