Chapter 25: Where Spring Meets Autumn (1)

Standing in front of Elder Luo Yunjin’s hall, Ji Yue looked at Gu Yuan with some surprise.

"You still haven’t learned a flying technique?"

"I planned to do that later," Gu Yuan replied calmly.

As an inner sect disciple, he was supposed to receive both a flying treasure and a flying technique after completing his registration, but he had yet to bother with either.

Ji Yue took out her flying sword and said, "Then it’s not a problem. You can ride with me."

"There’s no need to trouble you." Gu Yuan shook his head. "Besides, before leaving the sect, I need to go to the Mission Hall and get permission. I can also complete my registration while I’m there. Just give me some time, and I’ll be back."

"There’s no need to go through all that alone. I’ll go with you. It’ll be faster."

Before Gu Yuan could refuse again, Ji Yue had already made up her mind, leaving him with little choice but to follow her.

They first went to the Elder Hall, where Gu Yuan completed his registration as an inner sect disciple. Along with his new identity token and a flying technique, he was also given a flying treasure in the shape of a slender green leaf. It was considerably better than the standard flying treasure he should have received, a small benefit of having Ji Yue accompanying him.

Afterward, they went to the Mission Hall, where Gu Yuan obtained permission to leave the sect. With everything finally settled, the two headed toward the Teleportation Array, where Ji Yan was already waiting for them.

Only after the three finally left the sect did Ji Yan look at Gu Yuan curiously.

"What’s wrong with him?"

Gu Yuan had been wearing a dark expression ever since he left the Elder Hall, and even Ji Yan couldn’t help but notice.

"I don’t know," Ji Yue replied.

She nudged Gu Yuan lightly with her elbow, as if telling him that if he had something to say, he might as well say it.

Gu Yuan simply shook his head.

How could he possibly tell her?

Being seen together with Ji Yue by so many inner sect disciples was bound to cause rumors. Some would be true, some would be exaggerated, and others would probably have absolutely nothing to do with reality.

And all of that would eventually bring trouble to him.

But then again... he was going to become their Dao companion anyway.

Wouldn’t most of those rumors end up being true in one way or another?

Gu Yuan sighed inwardly. Once again, he was reminded why he had originally been so determined to reject the idea of becoming their Dao companion.

Exhaling slowly, he wrapped his arms more firmly around Ji Yue’s soft waist. He had suggested that he could quickly learn the flying technique and follow them on his own, but that idea had been rejected. No matter how fast he learned, it would still take time, and even if he learned it, there was no way he could match their speed yet, so for now, he had no choice but to continue riding with Ji Yue.

For a moment, Gu Yuan stared at her back, his mind still struggling to catch up with everything that had happened.

Is he really going to become the Dao companion of these two women?

The thought still felt somewhat unreal.

He eventually shook his head and turned his attention to the scenery below.

From this height, the world looked completely different. Villages and towns appeared almost miniature beneath them, while mountains and forests stretched endlessly into the distance. The wind rushed past him, strong enough that he could feel the pressure against his body, yet Ji Yue’s spiritual power kept him perfectly protected.

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

It wasn’t as though he had never experienced flying in his previous life. He had ridden airplanes before, after all. But flying on a sword was completely different.

There was no cabin surrounding him, no glass separating him from the sky, and no sense of being confined to a machine. He was simply moving through the air, free to see everything beneath him.

It was... amazing.

-------

Two days passed, and they still had not reached their destination.

Along the way, Gu Yuan saw plenty of mortal villages and towns, but strangely, he never encountered another cultivator.

Is this because of her? He glanced at Ji Yue’s back, who had apparently become so accustomed to having his arms around her waist that neither of them paid much attention to it anymore.

He was just wondering how she had managed to avoid every cultivator along the way when Ji Yue suddenly slowed down.

A moment later, the three descended into a forest.

Ji Yue looked around for a moment before nodding.

"We’ve arrived."

"Here?"

Gu Yuan looked around at the dense forest in disbelief.

"In this forest?"

"It’s a little deeper inside, but yes. This is the place."

With that, Ji Yue began walking into the forest, and Gu Yuan followed alongside Ji Yan.

Why did we suddenly stop flying?

He was curious, but there seemed little point in asking, so he simply continued walking.

Everything was normal at first. Then, at some point, Gu Yuan realized that he was walking in front while the twins followed a step behind him, one on either side.

He slowed down and finally stopped.

"Why am I in front?"

Ji Yue answered as though the explanation were perfectly obvious.

"Men are supposed to walk in front. I remember reading that somewhere a long time ago."

Gu Yuan blinked.

"Why?"

"To protect us..."

Ji Yue paused, seemingly reconsidering her own argument.

"Weak women?"

Gu Yuan stared at her.

"Since when did cultivation care whether someone was a man or a woman?"

Ji Yue remained completely unfazed.

"Regardless, you’re already there, so just keep walking."

"..."

Gu Yuan looked at Ji Yan, hoping she might at least say something sensible.

She remained silent, apparently having no intention of getting involved.

In the end, Gu Yuan could only sigh and continue walking at the front.

Fine. Let me see what kind of trouble you two are planning this time.

He continued like that for several hours, the dense forest around him seemingly changing very little. Eventually, Gu Yuan stopped and looked around with a frown.

"Doesn’t it feel like the scenery hasn’t changed at all?"

"That’s because it hasn’t," Ji Yue replied. "We’ve been circling the same area."

Gu Yuan’s expression slowly stiffened.

"You knew that and stayed silent?"

"Consider it training for you. Naturally formed arrays are already rare. Finding one that is also harmless is even rarer. You don’t need to worry about losing your life here, so it’s a good opportunity to experience one and figure out how to get out of it yourself."

Gu Yuan stared at her for a moment.

"So you deliberately let me walk around in circles for several hours?"

"Would you have learned anything if I had simply told you the way out?"

"...Maybe?"

Ji Yue chuckled at his uncertain tone, ending the matter without another word, and Gu Yuan could only turn his attention back to the forest.

Fine, if this was supposed to be training, then he would treat it seriously.

He began examining everything around him more carefully. The arrangement of the trees, the terrain, the flow of Spiritual Qi, even the direction from which the wind came. At first, none of it seemed unusual, but the longer he observed, the more he noticed that certain things repeated themselves.

A particular tree appeared more than once.

The same patch of moss kept turning up beneath his feet.

Even the flow of Spirit Qi seemed to subtly change whenever he walked in a certain direction.

It took him several attempts before he finally understood that the forest itself wasn’t changing. The array was distorting his perception of space and repeatedly guiding him back toward the same area.

Once he understood that, escaping became a matter of finding the point where the array’s flow was weakest.

It was easier said than done.

Several times, Gu Yuan thought he had found the correct direction, only to end up back where he started. Whenever he became stuck, Ji Yue would occasionally offer a vague hint without giving him the answer outright.

"Think about why the Spiritual Qi changes there."

Or:

"You’ve already walked past that tree three times."

Ji Yan was no better. She mostly watched him struggle with an amused smile, but every now and then, when Gu Yuan was truly stuck, she would casually point out something he had overlooked.

"Did you notice that the birds never fly over that area?"

That small hint would often be enough for Gu Yuan to rethink his approach.

They spent days like this.

Gu Yuan gradually began to understand the principles behind the naturally formed array, and with every failed attempt, he became a little better at reading it. What had initially seemed like an endless maze slowly became something he could actually understand.

Even then, it took him an entire month before he finally found the correct path.

The moment he stepped through the final barrier, the scenery before him suddenly changed.

The dense forest disappeared behind him, replaced by a vast plain covered in grass.

Gu Yuan stopped.

An enormous ancient tree stood at the center of the plain, its trunk so massive that dozens of people would probably be needed just to encircle it. Yet what caught his attention even more was the strange division running through the entire landscape.

One half of the plain was filled with vibrant green grass, fresh and full of life, while the other gradually shifted from golden yellow to orange, brown and fading crimson. Even the ancient tree seemed divided by the same boundary, one side covered in lush green leaves while the other carried leaves colored like autumn.

It was as though spring and autumn had been forcibly brought together and frozen in the same place.

Gu Yuan stood there for a moment, completely captivated.

The scenery was strange, almost unreal, yet there was a natural harmony to it that made it difficult to look away.

He only came back to himself when he felt a soft hand slip into his.

Ji Yue gently took his hand and pulled him forward.

Gu Yuan followed her toward the enormous tree, still occasionally glancing at the scenery around them.

When they finally stood before it, Ji Yue released his hand and turned toward him.

She spread her arms slightly, a stunning smile appearing on her face as she looked at the ancient tree and the strange land surrounding them.

"Here is where the sacred ceremony will take place."