novelraw Chapter 183 : An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Acquaintance
Chapter 183 : An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Acquaintance
Chapter 183: An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Acquaintance
“Junior Brother, this is a magic robe I’ve woven during this period. Take it with you—when you’re out and about, it’ll at least serve as some protection.”
On the road heading south from the Water Dragon Sect, Ji Yuan looked at Du Wanyi, who had caught up, then glanced at the cyan robe in her hands.
Other protective magical treasures could be forged by a weapon refiner.
However, protective magical treasures like magic robes were different—they could not be made by weapon refiners.
Those capable of weaving magic robes belonged to another craft among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, known as “Spirit Weavers.”
Du Wanyi had only begun learning the art of Spirit Weaving after joining the sect.
Ji Yuan naturally knew about this.
He just hadn’t expected her to already be able to weave a Spiritual Artifact-level magic robe so soon.
It seemed true enough—everyone had their own talents; it was only a matter of how they were discovered and used.
Back when they were still in Yunyu Marshlands, Du Wanyi had tried her hand at pill refining, formations, and artifact crafting, but none suited her—she simply had no talent for them and couldn’t even get started.
It was only after joining the Water Dragon Sect that she found the Hundred Arts path that suited her.
Looking at the cyan robe Du Wanyi was handing over… a light gift but a heavy sentiment.
And in fact, a Spiritual Artifact-level magic robe was hardly a light gift at all.
But Ji Yuan was not lacking such a robe—what he currently wore was already a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact-level magic robe.
He didn’t need it, and Du Wanyi knew that too.
Yet she still gave it to him.
That alone spoke volumes.
At the side, Liu Yuan loved nothing more than to watch this sort of drama, so he grinned mischievously and said, “Junior Sister Du, your Senior Brother Liu is also in need of a magic robe—why not weave one for him too?”
Du Wanyi’s cheeks flushed slightly red.
But she refused to yield verbally.
“Then Senior Brother Liu should just keep needing one.”
The two of them had known each other for a long time. Back when Du Wanyi had just been in the Qi Refining Stage and joined the First Water Hall, she had done so through Liu Yuan’s connections.
All the more so now that both of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Seeing the situation, Ji Yuan could only accept the robe, cupping his hands and saying, “Second Sister, your thought is appreciated.”
When she saw Ji Yuan accept it, Du Wanyi finally felt at ease.
“The sect task is important, so I won’t disturb you two further. Take care!”
With that, Du Wanyi clasped her fists and quickly urged her flying boat downward, vanishing into the clouds.
Seeing Liu Yuan about to speak again, Ji Yuan likewise urged his flying boat, heading straight south.
“Let’s go, Brother Liu.”
Liu Yuan understood that Ji Yuan didn’t want to say more, so he didn’t press the matter.
Ji Yuan truly didn’t want to talk further.
Could he see Du Wanyi’s intentions?
Yes.
Not only Du Wanyi’s—he could even see Dong Qian’s little thoughts. But precisely because he could see them, he didn’t want to speak.
As for Dao companions… certainly, Ji Yuan had thought about it before.
But after the events with Xu Fugui and the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island, his heart had cooled considerably.
Why?
Because he was afraid.
With the blessings of so many buildings, Ji Yuan was confident that as long as he didn’t court death himself, forming a Golden Core in the future shouldn’t be an issue.
At worst… he could just pour in resources until it happened.
If need be, he could burn through Spirit Stones until he burned himself into a Golden Core cultivator.
But what about Du Wanyi?
It wasn’t that Ji Yuan was heartless, but without some great fortuitous encounter, the Foundation Establishment Stage… was most likely her limit.
Ji Yuan could help her reach Foundation Establishment, but when it came to forming a Golden Core… Ji Yuan himself was far from that point, let alone helping her achieve it.
He didn’t dare imagine—if they became Dao companions and spent a century together, and then, a hundred years later, he was still in his prime but had to watch his Dao companion grow old before his eyes…
Compared to that kind of pain and blow, Ji Yuan would rather never start.
Things as they were now… were fine.
Afterward, on the way south, Ji Yuan kept asking Liu Yuan about other matters.
For example, the Spirit Vein over at Liancheng Mountain was generally guarded by five Foundation Establishment cultivators working together.
This meant that on the Water Dragon Sect’s side, besides Ji Yuan and Liu Yuan, plus that Senior Sister Rou Yi, there were two more people.
And according to Real Person Xuan Shui’s principle of balance, the other two were most likely one from his faction and one from the Third Elder’s faction.
By that logic, the Joy Palace and the Medicine King Valley sides likely also had five Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding their respective Spirit Veins.
Altogether that made fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, three of whom were at Foundation Establishment peak—or even higher, possibly at the so-called Pseudo-Core stage.
Only a single step away from forming a Golden Core.
With such a lineup, plus the third-tier formations protecting the Spirit Vein, even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn’t be able to take advantage.
And if they failed to capture it, not only would they gain nothing, but they would also face the joint pursuit of all three sects.
Thus, guarding a Spirit Vein was actually safer than guarding a city.
No matter how arrogant the Demonic Cultivators were, they wouldn’t come to such places to plunder.
Especially newly opened Spirit Veins, which often had other methods arranged by the sects.
After finishing that topic, Ji Yuan asked about the three-colored Spiritual Eggs soon to be produced by the Chicken Coop. He hadn’t found any relevant information in the sect records.
Unexpectedly, Liu Yuan had never heard of them either.
So Ji Yuan had to let it go.
He also subtly asked Liu Yuan’s opinion of Demonic Cultivators.
Liu Yuan was straightforward and answered directly.
“If the Demonic Path unified our Cangluo Continent, then we Righteous cultivators would simply become Demonic cultivators.”
“Just like in Western Shang now—they call the Three Demonic Sects the ‘Three Holy Lands.’”
The two chatted as they flew south. After eighteen full days, Ji Yuan finally reached the area near his destination.
Along the way, although they passed countless mountains and rivers, it had been extremely safe—apart from one incident when they stopped to rest in some mountains and encountered a blind first-tier wild boar demon beast causing trouble, there had been no mishaps at all.
Even that wild boar had been killed, cooked, and eaten by the two of them.
“That is Liancheng Mountain.”
Liu Yuan pointed at the mountain range in the distance, shrouded in layers of formation light.
They paused briefly, and from within the mountains rose a Stream of Light. Before the person arrived, a voice rang out.
“This place is the forbidden zone of the three sects—leave immediately!”
The Stream of Light landed in front of them, revealing a long-faced man standing atop a flying sword.
Ji Yuan glanced at him—Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation. Judging by the sun-patterned pill cauldron on his chest, he should be a Medicine King Valley cultivator.
I wonder if killing him would be troublesome. If I made a move, it would have to be quick, before he could use any talisman treasures. Those stationed here were mostly disciples of Golden Core cultivators—it wouldn’t be strange for them to have talisman treasures… Ji Yuan subconsciously began thinking about killing.
Liu Yuan chuckled and, together with Ji Yuan, formed a hand seal to remove their disguises.
Their deep-blue robes appeared, declaring their identities.
“Oh, so you’re fellow Daoists from the Water Dragon Sect. I am Dan Chengzi—greetings to you both.”
Since they were all “fellow Daoists,” Ji Yuan and Liu Yuan naturally reported their names as well—Liu Yuan gave “Liu Yuan,” and Ji Yuan gave “Island Lord of Wuyou Island.”
After exchanging names, Dan Chengzi immediately turned back toward Liancheng Mountain.
Liu Yuan transmitted a voice message to Ji Yuan: “He’s going back to report. We’d better hurry too, so they don’t block us and make our Water Dragon Sect lose face.”
“Mm.”
Soon, as they approached the Liancheng Mountain formation, they brought out the tokens issued by Real Person Xuan Shui.
A flash of light, and they were already inside the formation.
It was Ji Yuan’s first time seeing a Spirit Vein… well, not exactly seeing it, since Spirit Veins were underground, invisible to the eye.
From mid-air, what could be seen was a mountain whose top had been sliced off, the cut surface perfectly smooth.
Whoever had done it had likely used a single strike.
Ji Yuan guessed it had been the work of a Golden Core Real Person—not just any Golden Core, but probably one in the mid-stage.
At the foot of that smooth-cut mountain face was a pitch-black cave mouth, which appeared to lead directly to the underground Spirit Vein. Outside the cave stood cultivators from all three sects, stationed as guards.
This was only the entrance to the Spirit Vein.
The stationed bases of the Three Sects were not here.
Ji Yuan did not dare to use his Divine Sense and only swept his gaze over with the naked eye.
The Water Dragon Sect’s base was beside a lake to the north of Liancheng Mountain, where a water fort had been built, and houses had been erected along the shore.
The Medicine King Valley’s base was halfway up Liancheng Mountain, where several caves had been dug into the stone cliff.
As for the Joy Palace’s base, Ji Yuan didn’t see it—most likely it was on the southern side of Liancheng Mountain.
Their gazes swept over quickly without taking a close look, and before long they had already arrived in the air above the Water Dragon Sect’s base…
…
A while later.
Ji Yuan met the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty here.
The leader was naturally Rou Yi, who was at Foundation Establishment peak. The two had met once outside Linshui City before, so they were not strangers. She still carried that familiar giant sword on her back.
As for the other two, one of their identities surprised Ji Yuan somewhat.
The Island Lord of Linmu Island, Yang Taian.
That was the elder brother of Yang Shunan, the early Foundation Establishment cultivator Ji Yuan had killed with the Great Toad back then in order to upgrade the [Meditation Room].
After joining the Water Dragon Sect later, Ji Yuan had secretly inquired into the matter.
He discovered that Yang Taian had not pursued the issue of Yang Shunan’s death, so Ji Yuan had let the matter drop—never expecting that he would meet him here today.
Could it be that he had also taken some Golden Core Real Person as his master?
While Ji Yuan was still wondering, Liu Yuan quickly sent a voice transmission explaining.
“I just asked my Senior Sister about the situation. This Island Lord of Linmu Island wanted to join the Third Elder’s side, but hasn’t succeeded yet. I reckon he must have offered something good, so Xiao Chengyi requested for him to stay here. The other one is Senior Sister Yun Miao—she’s a disciple of the Sect Master Martial Uncle.”
Oh?
Someone Xiao Chengyi arranged to stay?
Ji Yuan gave Yang Taian across from him another look.
The latter naturally thought Ji Yuan was being friendly and even gave him a warm smile.
Ji Yuan: “…”
The other, Island Lord Yun Miao, wore a snow-white long dress and a pure white veil over her face. Sitting there, she radiated a “strangers keep away” air.
Just from her eyes, her looks should be quite good.
“This is Junior Brother Liu Yuan and Junior Brother Wuyou. For the next few years, we’ll all be working together. I don’t care what you do in private, but I have just one thing to say.”
When Rou Yi spoke, she had one leg crossed over the other and didn’t even open her eyes to look at them.
To Ji Yuan, she seemed like a big-sister figure from the streets.
“As long as you’re here in Liancheng Mountain, you follow my orders. If you won’t, then get back to the sect right now.”
Rou Yi raised her right thumb, pointed it at herself in reverse, and said.
Ji Yuan naturally had no objection—here in Liancheng Mountain, Rou Yi was indeed the one in charge.
“No words? I’ll take that as agreement. This is the situation in Liancheng Mountain—get familiar with it. You’ll have three days to adapt, then take shifts.”
Rou Yi said this and tossed out a jade pendant, which landed between Ji Yuan and Liu Yuan.
By the time Ji Yuan reacted and looked over, Senior Sister Rou Yi had already vanished.
Quite the decisive sort… Ji Yuan sent his Divine Sense into the jade pendant, and after a moment, he had some understanding of Liancheng Mountain’s situation.
The jade pendant mainly contained an overview of the duties for these Foundation Establishment cultivators.
First was guarding the Formation Core.
For a Spirit Vein without a stationed Golden Core Real Person, the third-tier formation became the most important.
This duty, barring accidents, was handled entirely by Rou Yi, the Foundation Establishment peak cultivator.
The second duty was mining.
This duty… was extremely important.
According to Rou Yi’s description, the miners digging beneath the Spirit Vein were all early-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
Before going down the mine, they had to be thoroughly scanned by a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s Divine Sense to prevent them from carrying storage pouches or similar items inside.
And while mining underground, a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s Divine Sense had to constantly check them to ensure they didn’t seize the chance to absorb Spirit Stones.
If discovered, they were to be killed without mercy.
Of course, for a place as critical as a Spirit Vein, it couldn’t possibly rely solely on these Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The entire Spirit Vein was shrouded in formation, and any Spirit Stones extracted from it bore a special restriction. Unless this was removed by the three sects’ special methods, even if it was “private goods,” no one outside would dare accept it.
Ji Yuan had heard of this.
If anyone was found trading “private goods,” they could report it to the Water Dragon Sect. Reporting one case would earn ten times the amount in Spirit Stones.
In other words, if someone was caught using one piece of middle-grade Spirit Stone “private goods” in a trade, reporting it would yield ten middle-grade Spirit Stones, and the user of the private goods would certainly be killed by the Water Dragon Sect.
The profit was huge and without repercussions, so no matter who encountered a cultivator using private goods, they would choose to report it.
This was one of the Six Immortal Sects of Eastern Shang’s methods of controlling strategic resources like Spirit Veins.
In addition, Foundation Establishment cultivators like Ji Yuan also had to protect the safety of the miners.
Because inside the Spirit Vein there could appear a type of exotic beast called the “Spirit Crystal Beast.”
Although all the high-tier Spirit Crystal Beasts had been eliminated by Golden Core cultivators, there were inevitably some that equaled Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators in strength. Upon encountering these, Foundation Establishment cultivators would have to act.
Other than these two duties, the third was comparatively light—patrolling.
For example, that Dan Chengzi they had met upon entering was currently the patrol cultivator.
His main task was to protect the safety of Liancheng Mountain. Passing cultivators were ignored, but if they lingered nearby, they had to be driven away.
Overall, it was all manageable.
Nothing beyond Ji Yuan’s expectations.
He could also see that of the three duties, the easiest was actually guarding the formation—there was nothing to do there except cultivate in peace.
Unfortunately, Rou Yi had chosen to keep that duty for herself.
“Junior Brother Wuyou, if you need to know anything, you can always come to me.”
Just as Ji Yuan was thinking, Yang Taian’s voice sounded in his mind.
He looked somewhat surprised, raised his head, and nodded toward the Island Lord of Linmu Island across from him.
As for Island Lord Yun Miao, she had already left earlier—truly carrying that “keep strangers away” attitude.
After that, Ji Yuan went to look at his residence here in Liancheng Mountain. It was decent enough—a three-section courtyard. He didn’t think too much about it; as long as it was livable, it was fine.
The very first thing he did upon entering was to set up the Stellar Whirl Cloud Barrier Formation.
On this point, Liu Yuan, who lived next door, did the same.
When away from home, carrying a basic protective formation was the most normal thing in the world.
Over the next two days, the two of them also took a stroll around Liancheng Mountain. The site of the previous chaotic battle was no longer visible—according to reports, several Foundation Establishment earth-element cultivators from the Medicine King Valley had come and used the “Earth Dragon Turns Over” technique to fill in all the battle-scarred areas.
The reason given was that leaving them there was unsightly and not conducive to cooperation between the three sects.
Which was true—if one’s eyes were met every day with traces of a previous bloody battle, and one thought of the fellow sect members who had died or been injured there, it would inevitably leave some lingering feelings.
Immortal masters had kind hearts and could not bear the sight of a battlefield ruin.
Better to bury it now.
Ji Yuan also got to see the Joy Palace’s base. Unlike the Water Dragon Sect’s lakeside cottages, or the Medicine King Valley’s mountaintop cave dwellings…
The Joy Palace’s base was actually a lavish palace.
From a distance, Ji Yuan looked several times before confirming—it was an Upper-Grade Spiritual Artifact, standing in the middle of the valley, extremely eye-catching.
“So it’s her who came.”
Liu Yuan seemed to know who this was.
Ji Yuan seized the chance to ask, “Who?”
“Lady Meiru, a Pseudo-Core cultivator, extremely skilled in dual cultivation techniques.”
Liu Yuan transmitted via voice.
“Very strong?”
“Let’s put it this way—she once escaped alive from the hands of a Golden Core cultivator.”
“That is indeed very strong.”
Ji Yuan had never heard of a Foundation Establishment defeating a Golden Core. Not to mention anything else—just the crushing might of a Golden Core’s Divine Sense alone was something a Foundation Establishment could not endure, let alone counterattack and kill.
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to escape alive from a Golden Core’s grasp already spoke volumes of her strength.
After this bit of understanding, Ji Yuan originally thought to go take a look at the underground Spirit Vein, to see if he could trigger the activation of the [Spirit Vein] building.
Unfortunately, no other cultivators were allowed to enter.
If Ji Yuan wanted to see it, he could only wait until it was his turn on duty.
Three days later.
Ji Yuan and the others once again came to Rou Yi’s residence.
“Tomorrow we’ll be going down into the mine, so let’s make a simple division of tasks now.” Rou Yi swept her gaze over Ji Yuan and Liu Yuan. “You two just arrived and aren’t too familiar with things, so let the two old hands here each take one of you.”
As soon as her words fell, Yang Taian spoke up: “Then I’ll go with Junior Brother Wuyou.”
Rou Yi’s gaze again landed on Ji Yuan.
“Alright, then I’ll trouble Senior Brother Linmu.”
Ji Yuan agreed.
And so the division was set. As it happened, the next day was precisely Ji Yuan’s and Yang Taian’s turn to go down into the mine.
That suited Ji Yuan well—he had long wanted to take a look.
The next day, Ji Yuan rose early and, together with Yang Taian, arrived at the Spirit Vein entrance. Four Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Medicine King Valley and Joy Palace had already arrived.
Yang Taian took the opportunity to introduce their identities to Ji Yuan.
Whether Joy Palace or Medicine King Valley, those going down into the mine this time were all at Foundation Establishment mid-stage. Only the Water Dragon Sect had an early Foundation Establishment cultivator—Ji Yuan.
So Ji Yuan transmitted to Yang Taian right from the start: “This junior brother’s cultivation is shallow and I’m not skilled in combat. If any trouble arises in the Spirit Vein, I ask Senior Brother to look after me a bit more.”
“Of course.”
Yang Taian transmitted back with a smile: “Follow me, Junior Brother, and you can set your mind at ease a hundred percent.”
If Ji Yuan hadn’t learned about Yang Taian’s character back when he killed Yang Shunan, he might really have believed him to be a good and kind person.
As for why he was being so friendly now…
Ji Yuan could faintly guess the reason.
“Alright, it’s about time to set off.”
Dan Chengzi from the Medicine King Valley, seeing that the early Qi Refining stage miners were ready, stepped forward and spoke.
“Alright.”
Then those miners, who lived on the open ground near the Spirit Vein exit, lined up and passed one by one before the Foundation Establishment cultivators, submitting to Divine Sense inspection.
Before long, the inspection was complete—not a single miner dared to court death.
Seeing the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the other two sects already heading down into the mine—
Yang Taian turned to Ji Yuan and said:
“Junior Brother Wuyou, let’s go as well.”
Looking forward to the [Spirit Vein] for a long time, Ji Yuan immediately plunged into the tunnel.
Into the mine!