Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind-Chapter 57 - 50: Collapse Happens in an Instant

"Yo, You Su, where are you going?" asked the stubbly uncle holding a pot of wine.

"I’m going to have a meal at the City Lord’s mansion. Mr. Liu, drink a little less."

"Not bad, not bad, you’re promising now. In the future, when you come to buy fried dough sticks, I won’t charge you!" Mr. Liu laughed heartily twice, then stepped aside and walked away.

You Su walked down the street, almost everyone exchanged a few words with him.

His heart was warm. Although he was a cultivator, due to being a blind orphan struggling to support the sect alone, he naturally became a part of the vulnerable groups in the eyes of these ordinary people. Now that he was performing a comeback story, You Su could genuinely feel that they were truly happy for him.

In fact, You Su himself was very happy. His journey to the Divine Mountain had finally seen progress, and he had indeed become stronger, making a significant step forward on the path of rescuing his junior sister and master.

He took a deep breath and continued on his way, suddenly noticing something flashing before his eyes. He tried again to capture that flash with his eyes but to no avail. When he released his divine sense to perceive, he realized a lantern had been blown up by the wind, with the candle inside flickering until it finally extinguished.

You Su didn’t pay much attention to it, as he had become much more sensitive to such sudden changes in light than before. With the help of that piece of carrion, he believed that one day he would regain his sight, thus his joyful mood intensified a bit more.

In a unnoticed corner, a bat-like creature was lurking in the shadow of an eave, staring intently at You Su’s departing back, its rows of buck teeth moving wantonly.

...

In front of the City Lord’s mansion, it was bustling and brightly lit.

The guests invited by Gu Yao arrived in succession, mingling and conversing happily, yet no one chatted with You Su when they saw him blending into the group.

After entering the main hall, a servant led You Su to his designated seat. This banquet hosted many people, a total of forty-one including the sect leaders, hence it wasn’t a large dining table but rather forty-one small tables were set up in the vast main hall, with each person’s seat arranged from top to bottom according to their status.

You Su sensed his position and found it to be right below Gu Yao, Mr. Liu, and six sect leaders, with Wu Cheng sitting directly opposite him.

Soon after, Gu Yao and Mr. Liu arrived, and everyone rose to welcome them. Once Mr. Liu gave the order, everyone took their seats, and the fine wine and delicacies were served one after another.

You Su wasn’t used to such occasions, and he didn’t understand why these people, who were cultivators, were so keen on banqueting. For a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator, it’s hard to get drunk on any mortal wine, let alone those at higher cultivation levels within the Condensed Water Realm, and even more so as Gu Yao was a Great Cultivator of the Feather Transformation Realm.

Since none of them could actually get each other drunk, what was the point of toasting Gu Yao incessantly?

But he wasn’t completely ignorant of etiquette; he also silently raised his cup and toasted each of those seated above him.

You Su and the six sect leaders had barely any intersections, but he was somewhat familiar with some of their disciples. Among the six, some drank down You Su’s toast in one gulp without a word, while others with kindly faces drank and praised You Su.

During the banquet, two unfamiliar young cultivators toasted You Su and exchanged a few words, and You Su could feel that these two genuinely wanted to befriend him. As for Wu Cheng’s toast, You Su hesitated for a moment and only took a small sip before dropping it.

As the banquet proceeded, the conversation naturally shifted to the blind scholar who kept a low profile. However, Gu Yao noticed You Su’s unease and quickly redirected the conversation away from this topic through announcing the affiliation of the sub-sects.

When Gu Yao announced that Shouxi Sect was becoming a subsidiary sect of the Profound Sky Sect, no one was surprised, save for a slight dimming in the eyes of the remaining five sect leaders. Everyone raised their glasses to congratulate Mr. Qi, who responded jovially.

Next was the revelation of the night’s greatest suspense—the allocation of the Profound Sky Sect’s learning qualification.

Among those present, only a few who already knew the result did not reveal a look of nervous anticipation. The rest played along with the unfolding suspense like actors in a silent drama:

When it was announced that You Su had obtained the learning qualification, everyone’s expressions varied—some angry, some resigned, with only a select few showing approval;

When Gu Yao further announced that Wu Cheng was an exception made a formal disciple, everyone expressed extreme envy and shock, as though someone from their village had gotten into Tsinghua University. This tint of schadenfreude was visible in their eyes as they looked at You Su;

Upon Gu Yao’s explanation that it was You Su who voluntarily gave up becoming a formal disciple, those people were left with immense regret and confusion, unable to believe it. They criticized that You Su indeed lived up to being a blind man, myopic in vision indeed.

You Su was not affected by the external world. He composed himself to disregard the changing gazes, instead contemplating which dishes in front of him to pack up for his junior sister to try. Although these dishes didn’t taste particularly astounding, they were rare mountain delicacies.

The banquet finally ended, and everyone agreed to see Gu Yao off the next morning.

Gu Yao nodded approvingly. If not for the Lotus Sword Venerable’s command, he indeed would return to the sect. At this moment, it wasn’t a good idea to explicitly linger in Chuyun City, so he decided inwardly to create a false appearance of leaving, thereby secretly protecting You Su.

When parting, Gu Yao called You Su and informed him about reporting matters.

It turns out formal disciples have fixed reporting times, which are at the beginning of each spring. Learning disciples have no such restrictions; they can go any time but can only learn for a year starting from their report date. You Su was also pleased with this, wishing he could depart the next day.

However, You Su had to bring his family along and find ways not to expose his junior sister and master’s condition along the way, alongside resolving issues like travel routes. This journey to the Divine Mountain wasn’t something you could embark upon at a moment’s notice.

But compared to finding a foothold at the Divine Mountain, all these difficulties were trivial. The Divine Mountain is the pinnacle of the entire continent, and as long as they safely reach there, a way to save his junior sister and master will surely be found, knowing well he must remain cautious, not revealing too early their affliction isn’t good.

Upon returning to the sect, Ji Lingruo seemed unconvinced that You Su had already grasped Sword Intent, while she was still fumbling to move Profound Qi smoothly. In defiance, she sought You Su early to learn Qi Movement. Only after You Su’s command did she put on proper clothing to begin the lesson.

After the lesson, the first autumn rain came without warning. It poured torrentially, as if the Milky Way had fallen, washing the world anew.

You Su, amidst the rain’s roar, entered sleep with hope in his heart.

The next morning, the rain stopped.

Ji Lingruo, waking You Su, commented on the heavy fog today. He paid no mind, hurrying out to see Gu Yao off, only to be stopped by Wu Cheng on West Willow Road.

Wu Cheng bore no ill intent, bringing two pieces of news that shattered You Su:

First: A mysterious fog descended, Chuyun City was under lockdown, and everyone was advised to stay home.

Second: Gu Yao was dead.