After a brief moment, Ji Yuan had put away the silver-white fox hair, while Hu Yun was still in a state of tranquility. It was obvious that he had gained something in the past day and night, which made Ji Yuan nod slightly.
Ji Yuan only warned Hu Yun to be attentive but did not tell him the difficulty of it, for fear that Hu Yun would have a psychological burden. However, it seems that the fox has indeed made a lot of progress. It is quite good that it can remain stable and not wake up immediately after a day and night of evolution. As for the rest, according to Ji Yuan's estimation, Hu Yun can only hold on for another day at most.
Hu Yun experienced a whole day and night in his artistic conception, but it was very short in the outside world. At this moment, Sun Yaya had just entered Tongshufang not long ago. Today was the winter solstice, and Sun's noodle stall had closed early, so Sun Yaya did not run into her grandfather on the way back. Sun Yaya had not even seen the door of her home at this moment. Her heart was intertwined with excitement and melancholy, full of longing for the future and reluctance to leave home.
I have heard and read many books since I was a child. Whether it is the stories passed down by the elders in the village or some written biographies of immortals, they all reveal a sense of difference between immortals and mortals. This does not mean that immortals are indifferent and will ignore the life and death of mortals. On the contrary, these stories are mostly about the entanglements between immortals and mortals. This is why they are not so widely circulated. However, immortals are transcendent, and the immortal mountains and islands are far away from the secular world. In other words, they are far away from home.
As she got closer to home, Sun Yaya felt more and more sad. The previous few months were full of anticipation and joy, but now the sadness of home prevailed. She was absent-minded even when she met acquaintances and greeted them.
As they walked, Sun Yaya had already arrived at the door of her home. Sun Fu, who was coming out of the woodshed with some chopped firewood, saw his granddaughter coming back and greeted her with a smile.
"Yaya is back?"
Sun Yaya looked up and smiled, then said "hmm". However, Sun Fu could tell at a glance that something was wrong with his granddaughter, so he quickly put the firewood in the kitchen. When he came out again, his granddaughter had already reached the living room.
"Yaya, did Mr. Ji criticize you for not learning well?"
Sun Yaya put the book box on the table in the living room and shook her head.
"No, the teacher praised me today, saying that I made great progress by writing 'Song of the Dragon'."
"Then why are you so unhappy?"
Sun Yaya still shook her head.
"I'll tell you tonight."
After nightfall, the Sun family sat around a table for eight in the living room. The atmosphere was a bit depressing. Even though Sun Yaya hadn't said it out loud, Sun Fu and Sun Yaya's parents had already guessed something.
Dinner was over, but the whole family ate less than usual. They did drink some wine. Even Sun's mother and Sun Yaya, who never drank, drank two small glasses, which made their cheeks flush.
The whole family was waiting for Sun Yaya to speak. After a long silence, Sun Yaya finally spoke.
"Mr. Ji asked me to pack my things and will probably take me away from home the day after tomorrow. I don't know how long I will be gone or when I will be back..."
Sun Yaya stopped talking here. Her family was mentally prepared, but they still couldn't hide their melancholy.
"Well, this is a good thing, right Dad?"
"Yes, this is a good thing! It's a good thing that many people can't wait for."
"That's right, it's a good thing that even the nobles can't hope for!"
"Yes, yes, you should be happy. It's not like you won't come back!"
"Yes, don't look so sad. What if Mr. Ji thinks you don't want to go?"
"What do you want to bring? Mom will help you pack!"
The three elders in the family spoke one after another without any pause between their words. They looked very happy and lively, or at least tried their best to pretend that way.
Sun Fu said that this was not a battlefield and it was not a farewell of life and death, but Sun Yaya couldn't help but lose control of her emotions when she heard this and left the table twice on the pretext of going to the toilet.
…
As Ji Yuan expected, Hu Yun maintained his tranquility for another ten hours. In the afternoon of the next day, the red fox sitting cross-legged under the jujube tree opened its eyes and the first thing it saw was Ji Yuan who had been standing in the yard, as if he had never left.
"Mr. Ji, how long has it been? It can't be many years, right?"
Hu Yun had a reason to ask this. After the first day and night as a nine-tailed fox demon, he had no accurate sense of time when he entered a state of tranquility. It seemed like only a moment had passed, but it also seemed like an extremely long time. Coupled with the moment he woke up, he felt as if he was in another world, and it was difficult to figure out how much time had passed.
"Hehe, it's not long, it's just the afternoon of the next day. How do you feel?"
Hu Yun breathed a sigh of relief, stood up from his cross-legged position, and saluted Ji Yuan.
"Hu Yun has benefited a lot, thank you Mr. Ji for your help."
"Take this opportunity to go to the mountains and consolidate your training. It will be worth it if you can find your own way. After returning to the mountains, this training should be short rather than long, and don't run around just because you want to have fun."
"Yes, Hu Yun has noted it down!"
After Hu Yun agreed, he didn't dare to delay and was about to leave immediately. However, he stopped and took out a mountain-shaped jade stone from his tail.
"Mr. Ji, this is a pen holder made of jade. Do you want it?"
"Oh, you did a good job. Why, you didn't intend to give it to me before, but only gave it to me after you got some benefits?"
Ji Yuan said something teasing and Hu Yun shook his head like a rattle.
"No, no, I was afraid that my husband would not like this little thing. I made several and still felt dissatisfied, including this one. That's why I never dared to give it to you. But I didn't know when you would come back next time, so I took it out."
Ji Yuan waved his hand, and the jade pen holder in Hu Yun's hand fell into his palm.
"Okay, go ahead, I'll take it."
"Well, Hu Yun goodbye!"
After saying goodbye, the red fox thought for a moment and then rushed out of the courtyard wall.
Ji Yuan watched the red fox leave, then looked at the crystal clear jade pen holder in his hand. It felt delicate and smooth to the touch, and it was obvious that the quality of the jade was good.
After putting away the pen holder, Ji Yuan, who had been standing there for ten hours, walked into the house, muttering to himself.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind if you gave me some more gold nuggets..."
…
On the morning of the third day, Ji Yuan got up very early. Before Sun Yaya came to Ju'an Pavilion, he had already arrived outside the Sun family courtyard in Tongshufang. The Sun family members obviously got up not late either. When Ji Yuan arrived, he saw that the door of the Sun family's living room was wide open.
The Sun family had just finished breakfast, and Sun Yaya, who was helping her mother clean up the dishes, saw Ji Yuan coming out of the yard.
"Sir, you are here?"
When Ji Yuan saw Sun Yaya's red eyes, he knew that this girl must have cried many times in addition to staying up all night. Ji Yuan walked into the courtyard and returned the greetings to the Sun family members who greeted him, and then looked at the bookcase and the bundle with an umbrella in the living room, which were obviously packed.
"The day we will be apart won't be too short, but it won't be too long either. Just think of it as when you went to study at the academy in Chunhui Mansion. Immortal cultivators don't completely cut off worldly ties. How can unfilial children and grandchildren be worthy of cultivating immortals?"
Ji Yuan's joke amused Sun Yaya and the Sun family, and everyone in the Sun family said "yes" repeatedly.
"Oh, by the way, keep all the words Yaya wrote earlier. If you need help in the future, you should be able to earn some money by selling them."
When Ji Yuan said this, Sun Fu smiled and shook his head repeatedly.
"How can we bear to give it up? Besides, although our Sun family is not a wealthy family, we are well-off and don't need it."
Ji Yuan glanced at Sun Fu, then looked at Sun Yaya and nodded.
"That's good that you don't need it. Okay, Yaya, pack your bags, we're leaving now."
"Why!"
Sun Yaya hurried to the table. Her father lifted up the bookcase and helped her carry it. Her mother helped her tidy up her clothes. Sun Fu handed the bag and umbrella to his granddaughter. The three of them looked reluctant to leave.
"Sir, how do we get there?" "Uh, yes, Mr. Ji, how about I call a carriage for you?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I know a driver who travels long distances. Should I go and get him?"
Originally, Ji Yuan did plan to walk for a while, at least out of Ning'an County, but seeing the Sun family in such a state of separation, he changed his mind, also to reassure the Sun family.
So when he heard the Sun family’s suggestions, Ji Yuan shook his head and smiled.
"No need, I'll leave now, Yaya, and say goodbye to my family."
Upon hearing this, Sun Yaya walked away a few steps, knelt down with her book box on her back, and saluted to her family.
"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, take care!"
"Hey Yaya, get up!" "Your clothes are all dirty!"
"Be careful with the things in the bookcase!" "Yes, if it gets messed up, we have to sort it out again, which wastes Mr. Ji's time!"
Sun Yaya was moved and couldn't help laughing at her family's reaction. She turned to look at Ji Yuan, only to find that Mr. Ji had already gone outside.
Ji Yuan flicked his long sleeves, and clouds of smoke appeared under his feet.
"Yaya, come here."
Sun Yaya responded with a slightly stunned expression, and hurriedly walked to Ji Yuan with her luggage on her back. When she stepped into the range of clouds and mist, the thin white mist immediately turned into a white cloud at a speed visible to the naked eye, lifting Ji Yuan and Sun Yaya three feet off the ground.
Whether it was Sun Yaya above the cloud or the Sun family members below the cloud, they all opened their mouths and stared, unable to speak.
Ji Yuan stood on the cloud and bowed to the Sun family.
"Everyone take care, Yaya will be fine. I'm leaving now!"
After saying that, the white cloud slowly rose into the sky. After staying for a few breaths above the Sun family, it turned into a ray of cloud light and went straight up into the sky.
This impactful scene diluted the sadness and the grief, and brought more excitement and joy. Only the Sun family saw it, while the other people in Tongshufang were unaware of it.
In just a moment, the white clouds had already flown over Niukui Mountain. Sun Yaya changed from her usual gentle demeanor and screamed in excitement without any image.
"Sir, we are flying! I am flying! Sir, can I learn this? Can I learn this? Where are we going? Are we going to the Immortal Gate?"
Sun Yaya asked a series of questions in excitement, and Ji Yuan answered with a smile after he calmed down.
"The art of flying is just a minor skill. You can learn it naturally. We are going to the Immortal Sect, but more precisely, the Taoist Sect. We are going to the Yunshan Mountain in Bingzhou."
... ...
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