Chapter 843: Elves Meet Elves

Zao Niang came out with a teacup and placed it on the stone table.

“Sir, please have some tea. Who is this?”

Zao Niang looked at Xiezhi, clearly seeing that it was not its true form and lacked any sense of flesh and blood.

Before Ji Yuan could speak, Xiezhi stood up, bowed respectfully to Zao Niang, and his demeanor was clearly much more deferential.

“My surname is Xie, Zao Niang. You can call me Mr. Xie. I am Mr. Ji’s friend.”

This woman before him was no mere rural cultivator; she was a true spiritual root of heaven and earth, impossible for anyone to ignore. In this era, she was considered a legendary being by most cultivators.

“So it’s Mr. Xie!”

Zao Niang gracefully returned a deep curtsy, but the small characters in the courtyard began to clamor.

“Nonsense, he’s not Mr. Xie at all!” “Exactly, he’s just a painting!”

“That’s right, that’s right, you’re just a Xiezhi from a painting, not Mr. Xie!”

“Right, he freeloads so much from Sir!” “Shameless!”

“No shame!” “Shame, shame, shame!”

Xiezhi grinned, sweeping his gaze playfully over the small characters shimmering with faint ink light in the courtyard.

“Your Sir invited me, so who are you to talk? I’ll keep eating, and eating!”

Xiezhi deliberately spoke to the small characters in an exaggerated tone. To Ji Yuan, there was only one word to describe that tone: “punchable.”

The small courtyard instantly erupted. Even the small characters who hadn't been surrounding Xiezhi rushed over, chattering noisily around the stone table, trying to argue with it. But Xiezhi, who knew these little fellows' temperaments well, simply picked up the teacup, happily sipped the tea poured by Zao Niang, and completely ignored them, leaving the characters feeling powerless.

After scolding for a while, the characters' voices quieted down, and they each went off to wander and play in the courtyard.

This scene was an eye-opener for Ji Yuan; it felt as though this painting and these characters had clashed countless times while in his sleeve.

“A distinguished Xiezhi like you, stooping to the level of children.”

Xiezhi drank his tea, then picked up a jujube and took a bite.

“A bunch of children? These children are quite something. If I didn't have some skill, they'd annoy me to death. Arguing with them occasionally is a good way to pass the time.”

In Xiezhi's eyes, all these small characters were actually very different from each other. Some, like “Sword” or “Sharp,” possessed extreme keenness and unparalleled sharpness, while others, like “Change,” were exceptionally nimble and unpredictable. Clearly, each character had its own direction of cultivation.

“Alright, eat your fill. Don't even think about the fire dates, but you can have more of these regular dates.”

As he spoke, Ji Yuan put down his teacup and took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, intending to take the opportunity to write down what he had gained from his sword discussion with Tu Yi.

When Ji Yuan spread out the white paper, the small courtyard quieted down. Even Xiezhi's chewing on the dates softened considerably, as it craned its neck to watch the paper while eating.

The single sword strike Ji Yuan delivered in his drunken dream earlier had not only shocked the Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven and Buddha Seal Mingwang. In fact, even Xiezhi didn't fully understand what had happened during the process; it only knew that Ji Yuan must have killed Tu Siyan in his dream. This wasn't some soul-exiting or astral projection technique, as Xiezhi hadn't sensed anything out of the ordinary while in Ji Yuan's sleeve.

Zao Niang had already sat down under the tree with a book. Many small characters gathered around her, quietly telling her about Ji Yuan's travels: small matters like teaching a child to read and write in the Southern Barrens, and grand scenes like using thunder magic to bring down heavenly tribulation and annihilate countless demons. They also mentioned how he had killed Tu Siyan with some unknown divine ability after his drunken sword discussion. Zao Niang listened with great interest, occasionally glancing at Ji Yuan sitting there, imagining the look and mood of the Sir when he performed these feats.

The characters written by Ji Yuan's brush were like ripples on a calm water surface, merging directly into it and then forming waves of ink on the paper. At first glance, they were mere words, but upon closer inspection, they transformed into scenes from his previous sword discussion with Tu Yi. Sword intent overflowed, and even the scent of wine wafted through the air.

“Buzz…”

The Green Vine Sword behind Ji Yuan emitted a soft hum, and sword intent permeated the entire Ju'an Pavilion. Apart from Ji Yuan himself, only the Green Vine Sword truly understood what had happened with the killing in the dream.

Days passed with sunrises and sunsets. The people of Ning'an County went about their usual lives, and more and more discussed the new citizens of Dazhen, yet no one knew that Ji Yuan had returned.

Although the sword script was profound, writing down a sword discussion didn't take too long. The crucial part was the final sword art. About a month and a half later, Ji Yuan had nearly finished writing.

Xiezhi had been watching all along, and only now did it finally understand what had happened back then.

“So your final move in the sword discussion with Tu Yi wasn't unfinished because you were drunk, but because it struck Tu Siyan.”

At this very moment, Wang Youhong had arrived outside Ning'an County. Previously, he hadn't known about this small town, but now, guided by a strand of Ji Yuan's hair, he could sense his way here to find him.

Of course, he hadn't come empty-handed. As instructed by Ji Yuan, he carried a withered blood peach tree.

Initially, Wang Youhong was a bit disoriented upon entering Ning'an County, unsure of Ji Yuan's exact location. But gradually, following his intuition, he entered Tianniu Lane and naturally walked further in.

As he approached the small alley, he saw a red fox running from the opposite direction. The two stopped just outside the alley and observed each other.

“You are neither human nor immortal.”

Hu Yun pointed at Wang Youhong and spoke first. He could sense the young man's strangeness but wasn't afraid of him. Anyone who could come to Ning'an County and walk down this alley was most likely looking for Mr. Ji, and certainly not someone who would cause trouble.

“Aren't you also neither human nor immortal?”

Wang Youhong said lightly, but Hu Yun squatted up, one paw on his hip, the other pointing at his own nose.

“Nonsense, isn't my appearance obvious? Are you here for Mr. Ji? You've come at the wrong time, Mr. Ji isn't home.”

“Huh? No way?”

Wang Youhong frowned, thinking that Mr. Ji should definitely be here. After a moment, he decided to follow his intuition and check for himself. Hu Yun didn't stop him, as he was also heading to Ju'an Pavilion, though Zao Niang would most likely not see strangers.

However, when the man and the fox arrived at the entrance of Ju'an Pavilion, they found the door had already opened slowly before they got there. Ji Yuan and a stranger were sitting in the courtyard; the former was writing, and the latter was leisurely drinking tea, with a pile of jujube pits on the table.

Hu Yun's expression was very similar to Zao Niang's earlier. A clear look of surprise and delight appeared on the fox's face, and it darted into the small courtyard in a few bounds.

“Mr. Ji, you're back! How long have you been back? How long can you stay? I brought a young man with me…”

It wasn't until Hu Yun saw Ji Yuan writing that he quieted down, listening to the nearby small characters answer his questions on Ji Yuan's behalf.

Ji Yuan, meanwhile, looked up at the doorway. Wang Youhong was still standing there, but his gaze was not on Ji Yuan himself, but on Zao Niang, who was sitting under the tree.

He had originally come to meet Ji Yuan with trepidation, but now, looking at the graceful, quiet, bright, and charming Zao Niang, a strong sense of familiarity made it difficult for Wang Youhong to tear his eyes away. Only when he saw the woman glance his way did he blush and quickly avert his gaze.

At this moment, Ji Yuan put down his brush, looked up at the doorway, first at Wang Youhong, then at the perplexed Zao Niang, before turning his gaze back. Xiezhi, meanwhile, spoke before him.

“Oh, isn't that Miss Wang? Did you get the withered peach tree?”

Hearing Xiezhi's words, Wang Youhong suddenly shivered. He hastily shifted his attention to Ji Yuan and the other formidable person, quickly took a few steps closer to the door, and bowed respectfully to both of them.

“Wang Youhong greets Mr. Ji and Grandmaster Xiezhi! I have retrieved the withered peach tree. If it is convenient for you, Sir, I will present it now.”

Ji Yuan nodded and looked at the fox on one side.

“Just place it here in the courtyard. Hu Yun, close the door.”

“Understood!”

Hu Yun sat motionless under the tree, but after responding, a ghostly figure emerged from his shadow, transformed into a phantom, flickered briefly in front of Ju'an Pavilion's door, then returned to Hu Yun's shadow and merged back into it.

And the courtyard door of Ju'an Pavilion had already shut with a “bang,” even latching itself.

This was clearly Hu Yun showing off for Ji Yuan, and his goal was achieved. This scene drew sidelong glances from others and greatly impressed Ji Yuan, who found it quite commendable.

Wang Youhong also subconsciously gave the red fox another look. He had never seen such a spell before. Anyone connected to Mr. Ji, even an unformed fox, was not to be underestimated.

Without further hesitation, Wang Youhong flicked his sleeve. A beam of blood-red light emanated from it, and a blood peach tree, as thick as a water vat and as tall as a two-story building, appeared in the courtyard of Ju'an Pavilion.

The blood peach tree had clearly been uprooted; nearly half its trunk was decayed. Naturally, it bore no green leaves or red flowers, and was even accompanied by a faint stench of decay.

Hu Yun clutched his nose and hid by Zao Niang's side. The small characters in the courtyard flew about, chirping “So stinky, so stinky!” What they smelled wasn't just a physical odor, so their reaction was even more exaggerated.

The stench made Ji Yuan somewhat unbearable. He turned his head to look at Xiezhi, who was staring blankly at the peach tree.

“Are you going to eat this thing?”

Xiezhi also shivered violently.

“What kind of joke is that? I'd rather eat dirt than this! It's utterly corrupting to the primordial spirit. Burn it quickly!”