Chapter 685: First the Immortal Body or First the Immortal Heart?

Min Xian's mindset clearly hadn't fully shifted yet, but his body's reactions were already reminding him to face the harsh reality.

Just glancing outwards, the abyss beyond the peak made Min Xian dizzy. He instinctively leaned inwards, his steps extremely cautious, as there wasn't much space to move around. The feeling of weakness in his body made him very uncomfortable, terrified that he might lose his balance and slip off the cliff if he wasn't careful.

However, Min Xian clearly overestimated his current sense of balance. His foot slipped, loose stones rolled, and he immediately lunged forward.

"Ah…"

With a "thud," Min Xian bumped into the Golden Armor in front of him. Still shaken, he looked up at the Golden Armor, who remained motionless, gazing straight ahead. It merely cast a sidelong glance at Min Xian without even lowering its head, and while there was no smile, its gaze conveyed a silent mockery.

"Min… my apologies…"

Min Xian stepped back and bowed, but the Golden Armor remained rooted to the spot, neither speaking nor returning the bow.

Ji Yuan observed all of Min Xian's reactions but did not mock or scold him.

"Even if your sect could find you again, which would be difficult, and even if they possessed immense power, you would still be unable to re-enter cultivation."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan extended his hand and made a beckoning gesture towards the base of the mountain. Sensing his call, two branches with tender leaves flew up from below. By the time they reached the peak, their bark and excess parts had automatically peeled away, revealing two smooth wooden staffs.

Ji Yuan unfurled the painting in his hand, and the two wooden staffs automatically wrapped around its top and bottom ends, forming a simple scroll. Ji Yuan then slowly rolled it up.

Throughout the process, Min Xian, who had somewhat calmed his unease, stared blankly as Ji Yuan rolled up the painting. Filled with reluctance and increasing bewilderment, he wanted to reach out, to speak, but ultimately held back.

Ji Yuan had already confiscated all of Min Xian's talismans and cultivation items. Now, Min Xian had nothing left to rely on.

After placing the scroll directly into his sleeve, Ji Yuan looked at Min Xian, who seemed utterly lost.

"Let's go. I can't very well make an old man climb down this sheer cliff by himself. I'll take you a bit further."

With that, Ji Yuan waved his sleeve, and clouds rose beneath his feet. He, along with the Golden Armor and Min Xian, slowly ascended into the air, then proceeded at a relatively slow pace towards Dayun Prefecture in Tong Province.

The journey was less than two hundred *li*, and Ji Yuan could have covered it in an instant. However, he deliberately flew slowly, taking more than half an hour to reach the skies above Dayun Prefecture. This was intended to give Min Xian more time to adapt, but judging by Min Xian's somewhat dazed expression, Ji Yuan clearly felt he wouldn't adapt anytime soon.

Although Dayun Prefecture was not the capital of Tong Province, it was among the top cities. Compared to the entire Great Zhen, it might be considered merely average, but it was undoubtedly a prosperous and wealthy place compared to Zuyue. Before Ji Yuan even landed, he could hear the bustling sounds of carriages and horses from a hundred *zhang* in the sky, a lively scene unfolding below.

The clouds descended slowly and silently, drawing no attention. They finally settled on a relatively quiet street on the edge of the bustling market, where only a few stalls were visible in the distance and foot traffic was light.

Once the clouds dispersed, Ji Yuan, Min Xian, and the Golden Armor stood steadily in the middle of the street.

The weather wasn't particularly warm yet. As the cold wind blew and his initial excitement faded, the long-absent chill was the first thing to make Min Xian feel the weakness of old age. He instinctively hunched his shoulders and rubbed his arms.

Ji Yuan looked at Min Xian's relatively thin clothes. He hadn't taken them, but they were not any remarkable magical robes, just silk and satin fabric. After losing his cultivation and strong physique, they could not provide an old man with enough warmth in this temperature.

"Min Xian, there are many rules in the mortal world, unlike the carefree life of an immortal cultivator. I'll leave you with a little something."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan extended a hand towards Min Xian, who quickly used both hands to receive it. When Ji Yuan released his grip and withdrew his hand, the old man's palms held only a few small pieces of broken silver and half a string of copper coins.

"Use this money wisely. I guarantee you'll be able to survive. As for how you choose to live, that's entirely up to you."

"Junior… thank you, Mr. Ji…"

Although Min Xian knew Ji Yuan couldn't offer him any hope, seeing only a meager amount of money still filled his heart with despair.

"Hmm, go buy a cotton coat to keep warm first. And remember, don't flash your wealth. I'm leaving."

Min Xian was still staring blankly at the money in his hands when he heard Ji Yuan's last remark. Suddenly, a feeling of abandonment washed over him, and panic and fear surged to their peak.

"Sir, Mr. Ji! Sir…"

Min Xian desperately wanted to say something to make him stay, but he found himself at a loss for words, unable to find any reason to persuade Ji Yuan to remain.

The old man took a few steps and tried to jog after them, but Ji Yuan and the Golden Armor's figures receded further and further down the street. After chasing for a dozen steps, he stumbled and almost fell. By the time he steadied himself and looked up again, Ji Yuan's silhouette was already a blurry distant shape.

'I can't catch them, I can't…'

Min Xian stood motionless on the street, clutching the money in his hands. His fellow cultivators, his respected master, and the bizarre world of immortal cultivation all seemed so distant. A cold wind blew, making him shiver and pulling him back to reality, as two streams of old tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

"Excuse me, old sir, why are you crying alone on the street? Is something troubling you?"

A voice came from beside him. Min Xian turned, seeing a middle-aged man who looked like a farmer, carrying a pole, watching him. Although he had lost all his cultivation, Min Xian instinctively cupped his hands together after just a glance at the man's face, letting out a hoarse, bitter laugh.

"It's nothing, nothing. I brought it upon myself, that's all. It's nothing, hehehe…"

With that, Min Xian walked forward with slightly faltering steps. Although he knew he couldn't catch up to Ji Yuan, he didn't want to go the opposite way. The city was so unfamiliar, the people so unfamiliar, and so too was the rest of his life.

"Just an old madman…"

The middle-aged man mumbled to himself, glancing at Min Xian's retreating figure a few more times, especially at his hands. After a moment of hesitation, he eventually picked up his carrying pole and departed.

Ji Yuan had actually ascended into the sky once he was far away, watching Min Xian slowly walk forward. The once high-and-mighty immortal had now lost his immortal body, and even his immortal heart had disintegrated so quickly.

Which came first, the immortal body or the immortal heart?

At this moment, Min Xian not only had no more supernatural powers or magic, but even his face was different from before. His originally gaunt face had gained some flesh, making him appear less frightening.

"Take care of yourself!"

Ji Yuan sighed this remark, then suddenly turned to look at the Golden Armor beside him, and at the little paper crane that had, at some unknown point, settled on the Golden Armor's head.

"What do you two think?"

The little paper crane instinctively looked down at the Golden Armor, who was also looking up. Their gazes met, but neither spoke.

Ji Yuan shook his head and chuckled.

"I was actually thinking, what if one day I, too, end up like Min Xian, without any supernatural powers or magic? Hmm, if I were just an ordinary half-blind accountant, life would be much harder. I hope my ears can still work well."

"Chirp…"

The little paper crane chirped, then flew from the Golden Armor's head to Ji Yuan's shoulder.

Ji Yuan said no more. He patted the little paper crane, took one last look at Min Xian, who seemed to be aimlessly wandering the city streets, then turned and, with sleeves swaying, rode the clouds northwards.

Taking out the scroll containing Min Xian's "furnace of intent" once more, Ji Yuan held the painting with his left hand and the White Jade Thousand-Measure Pot with his right. He poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth while suspended in the air, laughing heartily.

"This technique is truly marvelous, and the painting is exquisite. It's worth rewarding myself with three measures of wine, hahahaha…"

This time, Ji Yuan combined the art of dream travel. With Min Xian having released his own "intent," Ji Yuan directly extracted his cultivation. While it couldn't be called a resounding divine ability, it was certainly a miraculous and ingenious technique.

In contrast to Ji Yuan's current mood, somewhere far away, Min Xian's sect could no longer sense his presence. They only knew that Min Xian was not dead, but whether he was trapped or otherwise was unknown.

The weather was gradually warming. The war, which had been slowed by the severe cold, was expected to intensify soon. Given the current state of the conflict, Zuyue had already played all its initial "three axes," while the Great Zhen, having realized the situation, was sending more and more manpower and resources to the frontier.

Ji Yuan no longer needed to concern himself much with the war. In truth, he never believed the Great Zhen would lose. Had it not been for repeated "cheating" by others, he wouldn't even have bothered to intervene.

After leaving Tong Province, Ji Yuan returned to Zuyue within half a day. Although the previous event was more than a mere interlude, it wouldn't interrupt Ji Yuan's original plans. This time, however, he didn't go to Nandao County; instead, he traveled a distance further north.

That night, Ji Yuan arrived at the former Wei family manor outside Luning City. Since the Wei family's incident occurred and their deeds were exposed years ago, the place had been completely abandoned. Some Wei clan members had fled, others were captured, and all the household servants had long since run away.

Furthermore, because some people spread rumors that the Wei manor was an inauspicious place, haunted by ghosts and monsters, no one dared to pass by even during the day, let alone at night. So, when Ji Yuan arrived, the vast manor was already overgrown with weeds, and there was no human presence whatsoever.

However, Ji Yuan's hearing was exceptionally keen. Although he had approached from outside, he already heard movement inside while in the front yard of the manor. He feared neither ghosts nor monsters, so he naturally walked straight in without hesitation, with the Golden Armor, topped by the little paper crane, silently following behind.

As he walked towards the inner courtyard, a lively clamor grew increasingly distinct, and Ji Yuan could faintly see lights in the distance.

"Interesting. What do you think?"

Ji Yuan turned and asked the Golden Armor. The latter remained expressionless, but because Ji Yuan had spoken, it still managed to utter a few words.

"Reporting to you, honored one, I have no thoughts."

"And you?"

"Chirp!"

The little paper crane chirped, then flapped its wings and flew off into the distance.

"Alright, a wasted question."

Ji Yuan chuckled and continued forward.

"Come on, let's join the fun. It looks like a feast is underway."