Chapter 1172: We'll Figure It Out When We Get There

Su Junhan hadn't seen Xiao Dongxu for days.

He made a special trip to Xiao Dongxu's cave abode.

The moment he stepped inside, he found the floor littered with scattered papers. They were covered in ancient runic characters, strewn about in complete disarray. Dozens more fully drafted ancient characters rested on the shelves.

Every inch of the room was covered in ancient characters!

Xiao Dongxu himself was sprawled on the floor, chewing on the end of his brush. He would freeze in thought for a moment before setting ink to paper again.

He muttered under his breath.

Su Junhan stared at the scene, thoroughly astounded.

He called out, "Young Fellow Daoist Xiao."

Xiao Dongxu didn't react at all, as though he hadn't heard a thing.

Su Junhan raised his voice. "Young Fellow Daoist Xiao!"

Only then did Xiao Dongxu hear him and snap his head around.

"Fox Lord!"

He scrambled to his feet. "Fox Lord, you're here!"

Xiao Dongxu rushed forward, grabbed Su Junhan by the hand, and dragged him into the room. "Look, look at this! I'm just a little bit away! I'm about to perfect the Ancient Character Formation! Soon—it won't be long now—we can rescue Mister Zhong and Mister Chen!"

"Look here. There was a minor record in an ancient text—this ancient character actually has the power to connect yin and yang! No one in history has ever discovered this. I found it, I found it..."

"And look at this! We were all wrong. The art of guiding souls isn't just about calling out aloud. A person's soul has always resonated with heaven and earth, much like an oath to the Heavenly Dao..."

"And here, here..."

Su Junhan watched Xiao Dongxu explain everything in the room to him like a madman.

"Have you rested at all these past few days?" Su Junhan asked.

"Huh?"

Xiao Dongxu completely dismissed the question. "What rest? Ugh, never mind that. Look at this page! These ancient characters allowed me to successfully connect yin and yang. By sheer chance, I made contact with a wandering soul in the Yellow Springs! It is truly profound, haha, hahaha..."

Su Junhan quickly patted Xiao Dongxu on the shoulder. "Young Fellow Daoist Xiao, do not be too anxious..."

"I'm not anxious," Xiao Dongxu muttered. "Right. Not anxious."

Su Junhan took a deep breath. Surveying the chaotic room, he could envision exactly what state Xiao Dongxu was in—writing like a madman, smudging, and rewriting. Those few completed pages hanging up had likely cost him an immeasurable amount of mental energy to produce.

"You still need to get proper rest," Su Junhan said. "A cultivator's energy is vast, but it isn't truly limitless."

But even as he spoke, Xiao Dongxu had already gone back to the desk. As if suddenly remembering something, he immediately began scribbling it down without pause.

"Ugh!"

But apparently having written it wrong, he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it onto the floor.

Su Junhan couldn't help him at all.

With a soft sigh, he reached out and patted Xiao Dongxu on the shoulder before he left.

A stream of pure Magical Power flowed into Xiao Dongxu's body.

This would effectively help Xiao Dongxu replenish his energy and keep him from becoming overly exhausted.

Not wanting to disturb him any further, Su Junhan left the cave abode.

...

The Dragon Lord had already sent Ruyi back to the Mortal World.

Ever since returning to Qiuyue Fang, Ruyi had been completely absentminded.

Dong Chiyu often caught her staring blankly into space. She knew Ruyi was worried about her uncle.

Dong Chiyu would frequently offer words of comfort. "Uncle Chen is blessed with immense good fortune. He's definitely going to be fine."

Ruyi snapped out of her daze. "The way you say that makes it sound like Uncle Chen is off to start a rebellion."

"That's not the same thing," Dong Chiyu replied.

Ruyi let out a long breath. "I just feel that whatever is happening this time is extremely serious. Even though the Dragon Lord said it wasn't a big deal, I could tell those were just words to comfort me."

She paused for a moment. "Uncle Chen is in very real trouble..."

"The kind that could get him killed."

Ruyi looked somewhat lost. She had always believed such a thing was impossible.

"Don't say such inauspicious things," Dong Chiyu said.

Ruyi opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately swallowed her words. She nodded instead. "I won't say it, then."

Seeing this, Dong Chiyu changed the subject. "By the way, how is Xiao Nianyi doing these days?"

Ruyi hesitated a moment, recalling the news. "Tang Xiaomei mentioned earlier that Nianyi has already headed to the Capital City for this year's metropolitan examination. If Nianyi passes, she'll become a tribute scholar."

"Speaking of which," Dong Chiyu said, "you've spent years having the people of White Night cover up her identity as a woman. The provincial exams were one thing—it's easy enough to interfere on a local level—but now that she's in Shangjing City, they might not be able to pull it off."

"I had Tang Xiaomei pass along my Princess's Waist Medallion," Ruyi said. "There's nothing more I can do for her. It all depends on her now."

"Doctor Tong and Madam Tong should be going with her, right?"

"I imagine so."

Dong Chiyu rested her chin on her hand. "If His Majesty were to permit a system of female officials, Xiao Nianyi could become the very first in the world."

Ruyi shook her head. "That won't be happening anytime soon. The views of the secular world aren't going to change that easily."

Dong Chiyu paused. "Doesn't that mean Xiao Nianyi is in danger...?"

Ruyi didn't answer that. She simply said, "But I still hope she succeeds."

Dong Chiyu looked at Ruyi.

Ruyi lifted her head. "Years ago, Uncle Chen taught Ping'an and me how to read and write. I wasn't as good at my studies as Ping'an, but I still began my schooling earlier than any of the other students in the city. If I had truly dedicated myself to it, passing the exam for a licentiate wouldn't have been too difficult..."

Dong Chiyu paused. "Then why didn't you...?"

"Because I'm a woman," Ruyi said. "I wasn't even allowed to take the exams. After that, I didn't continue my studies. I picked up some needlework and went to work at Sister Yun's embroidery workshop. Sister Yun thought highly of me and made me a manager. Later on, if Uncle Chen hadn't found me a Master to teach me martial arts, who in this vast world would even know my name? How would I have ever gotten the chance to walk out of Qingshan City and see what the world was really like? I probably would have spent my entire life as nothing more than an embroiderer, just a simple manager..."

Dong Chiyu fell silent.

As a woman herself, she perfectly understood the sentiment. Both of them were figures who yielded nothing to men, and both had read enough to fully comprehend just how unfair this world was.

Whenever Ruyi spoke of this, she always felt a lingering sense of pity, yet she never truly regretted her choices. She had very few regrets in this life.

Dong Chiyu found herself drifting off into her own thoughts, only to be jolted back to reality by Ruyi's next words.

"Let's go to Shangjing!"

Dong Chiyu stared blankly at her. "Huh?"

Ruyi gazed off into the distance. "Let's go help Xiao Nianyi."

She honestly had no idea how they could even help her.

But either way...

They'd figure it out when they got there!