Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 318 Nine-Bend Courtyard (Part Two)

"That's right. Because of these things, life in Tianjing Town is getting worse day by day. If it were before, we wouldn't be so poor as to resort to robbery in the streets. The monthly welfare payments that Jingtian Manor gives to the surrounding forces are enough to cover our expenses..."

In the dark alley, the slightly smaller younger brother added, continuing the conversation.

"I see..." Han Yi asked thoughtfully, "What was the name of the previous head of Jingtian Manor?"

"This..." The younger brother looked troubled. "We don't know either. We've only heard about many things, and since Master Zhao Ziyang took office, he's ordered a ban on discussing these matters..."

"All we remember is that the manor owner back then was a generous and magnanimous man; everyone called him Brother Tian..."

......

......

Han Yi watched the two brothers limp out of the alley and leave, but ultimately did not make a move.

He was relatively mild-mannered; he wouldn't kill unless absolutely necessary, as there was no need to.

If we were to kill everyone we met, whether it was a disagreement or a minor conflict, just like those characters in the stories, wouldn't we be no different from demons?

These two were first-time offenders and hadn't succeeded. They were just ordinary people; there was no need to kill them outright.

Besides, his previous blows had broken at least a few bones in both of them, and it would take them a year and a half to recover from the injuries alone, which could be considered a punishment.

“Nine-Bend Academy…Nourishment Academy…” Therefore, Han Yi didn’t take these two people seriously at all. However, some information they revealed sparked his thoughts.

…....

…....

Jingtian Manor, Huahu Villa, the outer courtyard disciples' training ground.

"Han Yi, are you crazy?" Huang Rong's beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. "Such a good opportunity, and you didn't seize it, you actually refused!"

She reached out to touch Han Yi's forehead to see if he had a fever, but Han Yi dodged her hand.

The seven courtyards of Jingtian are all very different, but Yangzhi Courtyard is undoubtedly the best among them.

She really couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't go to Yangzhi Academy, which was the best in terms of strength and resources.

"I've heard that the Nine-Bend Academy has the most lenient rules for its disciples, and I also prefer quiet self-cultivation," Han Yi said with a smile. Indeed, the Nine-Bend Academy is inferior to the Cultivation Academy in every aspect, ranking last among the seven academies.

But being a nobody also has its advantages: fewer people and fewer rules.

With fewer people around, he doesn't need to spend a lot of time on interpersonal relationships and can focus on cultivation.

Fewer rules mean more freedom; there's no need to fight for resources, and time to do what one wants.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons.

Another important reason... is the news I heard last night.

The Seven Heroes of Jingtian and the Seven Academies of Jingtian each possess their own unique set of martial arts skills.

These seven techniques are actually evolved from a complete set of true skills. When combined, they form the Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution True Skill.

Since these seven techniques are different branches and types of a true skill, they naturally have different differences, power, and effects. The Nine-Bend Academy was once the head of the Seven Academies of Jingtian.

The true skill within the courtyard, the Cold Yin Nine-Bend Palm, is hailed as the strongest skill evolved from the Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution!

His purpose in coming to Jingtian Manor was to find true martial arts skills to cultivate.

Don't even think about getting the complete Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution True Skill from the very beginning.

Therefore, his initial goal was any one of the seven different techniques derived from the Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution True Skill.

Of course, you can just pick one at random. That's what they say, but wouldn't it be better to choose the best one?

Therefore, if the conditions are right in the Nine-Bend Courtyard, and the True Skill has the greatest potential among the seven skills, there is no need for him to go to other courtyards instead of seeking it elsewhere.

As for the issue of the amount of resources that Huang Rong mentioned, he was even less concerned.

Anyway, he has plenty of system points, so he can just force a breakthrough if necessary. With fewer people, fewer rules, and no one paying attention, he can better utilize the system's functions, which aligns with his principle of developing quietly and making a fortune in silence.

With this in mind, Han Yi made up his mind again.

"Besides, now that Jiuqu Academy has approved my application, if I rashly switch to another academy, it will not only damage my reputation, but I will also offend an academy head for no reason, which is even more unwise." He told Huang Rong a reason.

“Oh, you…” Huang Rong shook her head, “Everyone else is scrambling to get into the best villas. But you’ve done the opposite and chosen one of the lowest-ranking ones.”

"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. When do you plan to go to the inner courtyard?" She could tell that Han Yi had made up his mind, so she didn't bother to waste any more words on this topic.

At first, she thought that if they both went to the same department, they could help and support each other.

Now… her feelings had faded. “Let’s go now, there’s no time to lose.” Han Yi didn’t want to waste any more time in the outer courtyard.

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Nine-Bend Courtyard, a waterside pavilion by the lake.

Blue sky and white clouds, birds singing and flowers blooming, the lake surface is a light blue, smooth as a mirror, with wisps of water vapor rising from it.

However, Zhong Yunxiu, sitting at the stone table in the waterside pavilion, had no time to appreciate the beautiful scenery before her. She held a piece of paper in her hand and looked unpleasant.

"Fang and that old dog, it's always this, saying all this again. All they do is bully us orphans and widows. If Brother Tian were still here, would you dare to do this!"

By the end, her face had turned ashen, and she was trembling with rage.

Bang! In the waterside pavilion, she slammed the letter onto the stone table with a backhand.

*Pfft pfft pfft!*

The paper shattered, each piece resembling a blade, piercing the stone surface.

Fang He, the deputy head of Jingtian Manor, actually wrote to her.

He had already promised Chen Ying that Zhong Han and Chen Ying's son could go on a picnic alone, and hoped that Zhong Yunxiu would arrange a date.

"This is outrageous! Did you even ask for our opinion when you arranged the date? You have a daughter too. If you want to send your daughter, use your connections. Why don't you send your own daughter instead of my Hanhan?" Zhong Yunxiu became increasingly angry as she thought about it. Her anger flared up, and she smashed the teacup on the stone table with a slap.

Snapped!

Tea splashed everywhere, instantly spilling onto her pale white dress.

"Du Zhen, if Fang He sends anyone to deliver a message again, don't bring it in. Just tell him to go back to where he came from!" She paused, calmed herself down, and gave the order to the gatekeeper outside the pavilion.

But strangely, after waiting for a long time, no one answered.

She stood up and glanced outside.

Du Zhen was standing outside the pavilion, looking troubled and smiling wryly.

How could he dare to accept? In Jingtian Manor, if he didn't give face to the deputy manor lord Fang He, he probably wouldn't see the sun rise the next day.

Therefore, he dared not interrupt the affairs of the two important figures and pretended not to hear anything.

Just do what you're supposed to do, honestly stay with your wife and kids, and be a dutiful doorman.

"Du Zhen, why aren't you saying anything!" Zhong Yunxiu asked coldly.

"Uh..." Du Zhen had no words to express his bitterness and could only force a bitter smile.

"You!?..." Seeing that Du Zhen was hesitant to agree and considering his current behavior, Zhong Yunxiu understood the reason immediately. A nameless anger rose in her heart, and she was about to curse him.

Du Zhen was given a job as a gatekeeper by Brother Tian because he felt sorry for him, as he couldn't even afford to eat and spent his days causing trouble in Tianjing Town, doing petty theft.

She was about to say something, but in an instant, she saw the helpless expression on Du Zhen's face, and his outstretched arm slowly fell down.

She knew why Du Zhen dared not agree, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart.

He's not the little beggar he used to be. Now he has a wife and children, and he has to consider others in many things.

Thinking of this, the anger in her heart, when it reached her lips, left only unspeakable bitterness and sorrow: "Never mind, you can go now."

She is not a qualified head of the hospital. Many years ago, Brother Tian said so about her.

For a senior manager, being soft-hearted and gentle is not a compliment, but rather a major flaw.

However, Tian told her that these very characteristics of hers were what he liked most about her.

Since Brother Tian said so, Zhong Yunxiu did just that.

So over the years, she has maintained a gentle personality.

Whether dealing with the manor lord or the disciples in the academy, he was always gentle and sincere, and always considered things from other people's perspectives.

Even in educating her daughter, she hopes that her daughter can treat others with sincerity and exchange sincerity for sincerity.

But what was the result of her constant compromise and concessions, her yielding and retreating in the face of pressure? The result was that the oppression became even more rampant and unscrupulous!

Don't Fang and his family have any beautiful daughters or granddaughters of their own?

Why not send them over there to be used as a tool for marriage alliances with the Three Mountains Sect?

Does her daughter have to make sacrifices and contributions?

Yes, indeed, back then, Brother Tian did destroy the secret realm, which is why many martial arts techniques in the manor lack the resources to be practiced, causing Jingtian Manor to decline day by day.

However, as you all know, if Brother Tian hadn't done that back then, it wouldn't just have been the secret realm that was destroyed; whether our Jingtian Manor could still exist is another matter entirely.

More than a decade ago, in the Jingtianzhuang Secret Realm, a powerful demon tore through the weak boundary wall, intending to destroy the earth vein points, transform the Jingtianzhuang Secret Realm into a demonic domain, and use it as a springboard to invade Yunzhou.

If it weren't for the Jing Tian Manor Master stepping forward and making a decisive move to enter the secret realm alone and self-destruct the passage, Yunzhou would have long since become a demonic realm.

Thinking of Brother Tian's instructions before he left, and his every word, every smile, and every move.

Zhong Yunxiu couldn't help but feel sad and upset again.

More than a decade has passed. In all these years, if it weren't for her daughter Hanhan, she would have left this world long ago to go and find Brother Tian.

Thinking of her daughter, she suddenly became determined again.

Zhao Ziyang, Fang He, Guan Chan, you all said such nice things back then, talking about taking care of them, showing concern for them, and treating them like your own daughters.

By now, those words are like farts; you've long forgotten them, haven't you?

She gave a cold laugh.

If that were all, you would have been fine, but you even attributed the decline of Jingtian Manor to Brother Tian, ​​blaming him for destroying the secret realm?! You always think I'll back down, that I'm easy to talk to, that I'll pay the price for the foundation that Brother Tian is determined to protect with his life?!

No, this time, it's different!

A cold glint suddenly flashed in her eyes.

She would do anything for her daughter!

Zhong Yunxiu sat on the stone chair, watching Du Zhen silently take his leave, and she thought about many things.

Although she was very tired, both physically and mentally, she would not give up or back down for her daughter's sake.

A gentle lake breeze was blowing, carrying the fallen leaves piled up on the shore. The leaves rustled softly in the wind.

She just sat there, motionless, without getting up at all.

I don’t know how long it took.

“Mother, I knew you’d be here!” Zhong Han walked in with a smile from outside the pavilion. “It’s Hanhan, what’s up?” Zhong Yunxiu returned the greeting with a gentle smile.

“Mother, a while ago, some new outer court disciples applied to our Nine-Bend Academy. This time, two of them met the admission requirements, and another one mastered the True Body Tempering Technique in just two months!” Zhong Han said happily.

"So fast?" Zhong Yunxiu was surprised.

The True Skill Body Tempering Method, although unrelated to Qi, blood, and strength, is merely a test of comprehension and compatibility.

Two months is enough time to demonstrate this person's talent, even if it doesn't match the geniuses of the inner academy in the past. Either he has good comprehension, or he is extremely compatible with the Cold Yin Nine Curves Palm, or both.

"Didn't they cause any trouble?" Zhong Yunxiu continued to ask.

The strength of the seven branches of Jingtian affects the allocation of resources, and the relationships between the branches vary in terms of closeness and distance.

In addition, the deputy head of the manor, Fang He, has been suppressing the Nine-Bend Academy recently, causing many branch academies to change their attitude towards it. "They" refers to several branch academies that have a poor relationship with the Nine-Bend Academy.

"Them?" Zhong Han was taken aback, then quickly realized, "They did try to poach people, but I stopped them all. Mother, you know that those few people are no match for me."

Zhong Han is quite talented. At the young age of nineteen, he has already mastered the true skills and is considered one of the strongest among his peers in the entire inner courtyard.

“That’s really good. Come over here with your people in a bit, and I’ll take a look.” Zhong Yunxiu forced a smile and said gently.

“Okay, Mother, I’ll go right now.” Zhong Han nodded, turned around quickly, and ran out of the courtyard.

A short while later, she led two male disciples to Zhong Yunxiu.

One of them was Han Yi.

Beside the pavilions and terraces by the lake. "Disciple Han Yi." "Disciple Sun Zheng."

"Greetings, Head of the Academy!"

The two men were respectful and bowed with clasped hands.

After the first and second selections within the inner court, and with the head of the academy agreeing to meet them, it signifies the initial establishment of a master-disciple relationship.