Feng Qi’s Hand Was Still Inside His Robe
Early in the morning, the distant mountains lay shrouded in mist, while the clear sound of morning recitations drifted through the forest.
Hongmeng Academy kept an exceedingly strict schedule. Morning recitations began every day at the hour of Mao, followed by morning, afternoon, and evening lessons. Only at the hour of Hai could the day’s studies finally end and the disciples return to their courtyards.
The academy observed a rest day once every ten days. The Immortal Lords would usually choose these days to hold open lectures, answering questions and expounding upon the scriptures. There were no restrictions, and any disciple was free to attend.
Simply put, the workload was every bit as demanding as that of cultivation sects in the mortal realm, if not more so.
At the hour of Chen, the morning bell slowly rang, and the sound of recitations gradually came to an end.
The Yellow-rank disciples’ morning lesson was taught by Immortal Lord Tianquan and focused on Daoist scriptures. The subject itself was already dry and tedious, and Immortal Lord Tianquan was rigid and strict by nature. When reading the scriptures, he spoke slowly, swaying his head from side to side, somehow stretching the torment into something seemingly endless.
Of this year’s newly admitted disciples, twenty-three had been assigned to the Yellow rank. Together with the disciples already there, the Yellow rank now numbered no fewer than forty.
In less than half an hour, bodies were already sprawled across the classroom.
Amid this field of corpses, only Ji Chaoyun remained sitting perfectly upright.
“Only now do I understand what they mean when they say there is always someone greater, and a heaven beyond heaven.”
After finally enduring until the lesson ended, the disciples gradually filed out of the classroom. Ye Chenxing remained sprawled over the long desk and said weakly, “I once thought there could never be anywhere in this world more terrifying than my sect in the mortal realm. Who would have thought...”
Beside him, Bei Ran looked as though his soul had already wandered beyond the heavens. “Brother Ye, I gave it my all. Find someone else for the notes. Half an hour was my limit. Any longer and I would start questioning why I even came here...”
“It’s fine. I understand.” Ye Chenxing spoke with the weariness of someone who had seen too much of life. “I started wondering that after one incense stick.”
After saying this, the two simultaneously looked toward Ji Chaoyun’s back.
He was still seated upright at his desk, his head lowered as he wrote something.
Bei Ran sighed in admiration. “As expected of Brother Ji. He actually listened for the entire two hours.”
“Obviously. You think he’s like us?” Ye Chenxing called toward Ji Chaoyun, “Chaoyun, you’re still the most reliable one. Remember to lend me your notes later so I can take a look... Chaoyun?”
Ji Chaoyun did not respond.
The two exchanged glances and vaguely realized something.
Ye Chenxing cautiously reached out and patted Ji Chaoyun on the shoulder.
Ji Chaoyun raised his head from his book. A faint light flashed beside his ear as he dispelled the sound-blocking spell. “Were you speaking to me just now?”
Ye Chenxing: “...”
Bei Ran: “...”
Ji Chaoyun blinked blankly and closed the scripture he had been carefully copying.
From where the other two sat, they could not see what book it was. However, the slightly worn cover made one thing abundantly clear. It certainly was not the Supreme Purity Daoist Scripture: Treatise on the Two Poles that Immortal Lord Tianquan had spent the entire morning lesson lecturing about.
Ye Chenxing slowly gave him a thumbs-up.
After morning lessons, the Yellow-rank disciples were required to head to the Sword Practice Grounds for swordsmanship training.
The three left the classroom together, and Ji Chaoyun said, “You two go ahead. I still have something to do.”
Ye Chenxing did not ask further. “Then hurry. Don’t be late.”
Ji Chaoyun nodded and turned onto another path.
The classrooms stood within a pine forest west of the main peak. Through the dense green pines, only faint glimpses of white walls and blue-tiled roofs could be seen.
Ji Chaoyun followed the stone path behind the classrooms and continued deeper along the mountain trail. At the end of the path stood another classroom.
A wooden plaque outside bore a single character:
“Profound.”
Immortal Lord Tianji, who taught the Profound-rank disciples, was notoriously fond of letting lessons run long. Thus, by the time Ji Chaoyun arrived, the disciples inside had only just been dismissed.
He stepped into a secluded corner and waited for a moment. Soon, footsteps sounded behind him.
Ji Chaoyun turned and nodded to the newcomer. “Senior Brother Xiao.”
Xiao Jue was short in stature, with delicate, refined features currently pinched with unease. Only after checking that no one was nearby did he whisper, “You’re finally here. Quickly, give them to me.”
Ji Chaoyun took several books from his sleeve and handed them over.
Xiao Jue counted through them. “Why is one missing?”
Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes. “That one... I haven’t finished reading yet.”
Xiao Jue fell silent for a moment but did not make things difficult for him. “Forget it. Finish it quickly and return it to me. The longer this drags on, the more likely something will go wrong.”
“But...” Ji Chaoyun hesitated before asking, “Regarding what I asked Senior Brother before, is there truly no way?”
“Chaoyun, it isn’t that Senior Brother is unwilling to help you. It’s just that fellow...”
A voice suddenly came from behind them. “Xiao Jue, what are you doing here?”
Ji Chaoyun was no stranger to that voice.
His brows furrowed slightly as he turned around. Sure enough, it was Xu Zixing, the administrative disciple who had assigned him to Wenqu Peak on the day of admission.
Most of Hongmeng Academy’s administrative disciples were selected from the Profound and Earth ranks, so encountering him here was hardly strange.
Xiao Jue stiffened, unsure how to answer.
Ji Chaoyun spoke first. “Thank you, Senior Brother Xiao, for explaining the disciple examination requirements to me. I’ll take my leave.”
Ji Chaoyun moved to leave, but Xu Zixing blocked his path.
“Examination requirements... You’re already asking about them this early?”
“What of it?”
Xu Zixing looked him up and down and sneered. “I nearly forgot. Our Junior Brother Ji possesses the sort of inferior spiritual root the academy hasn’t seen in a hundred years. If you fail the seasonal examination three months from now, you’ll be expelled. I suppose you really should start preparing early.”
Ji Chaoyun did not rise to the bait. He asked coldly, “Is there something else?”
“What do you think?” Xu Zixing finally dropped the pretense and gritted out in a low voice, “What kind of demonic spell did you use on me before? You made me lie in bed for a full—”
He stopped before finishing and unnaturally looked away, his expression turning exceedingly ugly.
Ji Chaoyun took in every change in his expression and suddenly gave a soft laugh.
The corner of his lips curved mockingly, yet there was no laughter in his eyes. Instead, a strange and chilling coldness seeped from them.
The sight sent a chill down Xu Zixing’s spine. He stiffened his neck. “What are you laughing at?”
“That wasn’t a demonic spell.”
Ji Chaoyun leaned slightly closer and whispered beside Xu Zixing’s ear, “They were only a few little things I keep. They haven’t seen strangers in a very long time, so they’re terribly curious.”
“Senior Brother Xu had best not come too close to me. Otherwise... they might sneak out again.”
Xu Zixing’s expression changed drastically, and he instinctively stumbled several steps backward.
He quickly came to his senses and forced himself to stop. “You’ve got some nerve! Hongmeng Academy expressly forbids the use of demonic arts. Aren’t you afraid I’ll—”
“Do you have proof?”
Xu Zixing’s words died in his throat.
He had no proof.
Worse, to this day he still didn’t even know what had actually afflicted him. There had been no traces of a spell, no wounds left behind, and even the immortal physicians could find nothing wrong with him.
However, the agonizing pain and itching that had tormented him for three full days had certainly been real.
Ji Chaoyun said calmly, “Without evidence, I hope Senior Brother will refrain from falsely accusing others. As far as I know, that also violates academy rules.”
After speaking, he gave Xu Zixing a slight nod. “If there is nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Xu Zixing was furious but did not dare stop him. Only after watching Ji Chaoyun disappear at the end of the path did he grit his teeth.
“Just you wait!”
He turned around and saw Xiao Jue lowering his head, trying to slip away.
“Stop right there.”
Xu Zixing’s eyes shifted. “What are those in your hands?”
Xiao Jue hastily tried to tuck the books into his robes. “N-Nothing...”
Xu Zixing vaguely understood what was going on.
He walked forward, placed a hand on Xiao Jue’s shoulder, and smiled. “I’ll give you one more chance. Did he really come to ask you about the seasonal examination?”
☁︎
“...That is what happened. Xiao Jue conspired with Ji Chaoyun to steal books from Cloud-Ascending Tower. The evidence is conclusive. I ask Your Highness to handle the matter impartially.”
In Cloud-Ascending Tower, Xu Zixing stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he spoke steadily to the man seated behind the desk.
Xiao Jue stood beside him without saying a word, not even daring to raise his head.
Feng Qi’s gaze swept over the two of them. His voice remained perfectly calm. “I understand. You may leave.”
“Second Prince, books from Cloud-Ascending Tower have never been permitted to leave. Surely you aren’t planning to shield...”
“Your name is... Xu Zixing, correct?”
Feng Qi lightly tapped his knuckles against the tabletop. “I remember you’ve been following Jiang Cheng for quite some time, so perhaps you have some misunderstanding about me.”
“What this prince hates most is someone standing before me, pointing fingers and telling me how I ought to conduct myself.”
Feng Qi raised his eyes, a trace of coldness appearing within them.
“Get out.”
“You—”
Xu Zixing did not dare provoke him. He cast one final glance at Xiao Jue, gave a cold snort, and swept out with a flick of his sleeves.
Once silence settled over Cloud-Ascending Tower, Feng Qi said, “Now that the outsider is gone, tell me. What happened?”
Xiao Jue stammered, “Your Highness, I didn’t deliberately steal the books. I only...”
Feng Qi asked, “Only what? Did Ji Chaoyun hold a sword to your throat or did he kidnap your entire family?”
“No...”
Xiao Jue’s gaze darted away, but Feng Qi continued watching him calmly. His expression remained unchanged, yet the pressure of that gaze felt like a cold blade against Xiao Jue’s back.
After the two remained at an impasse for a moment, Xiao Jue finally told the truth.
“It really was my own decision to help him.”
“...One of the disciples admitted this year is my younger brother. Both of our parents are wandering immortals, so neither of us could enter the academy directly. We could only pass the wandering immortal admission trials.”
“My younger brother climbed the mountain with Ji Chaoyun and received a great deal of help from him along the way. Without Ji Chaoyun, my brother certainly wouldn’t have made it up Hongmeng Mountain.”
“When they first arrived at Changqing Garden, I secretly slipped out to see them. I wanted to repay Ji Chaoyun somehow, so...”
“So while I was away from the academy a few days ago, you stole books from the tower and borrowed flowers to offer the Buddha?”
Xiao Jue’s knees weakened. He hurriedly pleaded, “I know I was wrong! Your Highness, please spare me just this once. Whatever you do, please don’t tell the Immortal Venerable!”
Feng Qi smiled without answering and casually flipped through the book beside him. “He wanted more than this one, didn’t he? What else did he ask for? Tell me.”
Xiao Jue answered, “Aside from these, there were both volumes of the Supreme Constant Clarity Scripture, as well as Volumes Three and Four of the Supreme Splendor Scripture. Everything has already been returned except Volume Four of the Supreme Splendor Scripture. But...”
“But what?”
“He wanted several other books as well, but after Your Highness returned to the academy, I told him I couldn’t continue taking books from Cloud-Ascending Tower, so...”
“You certainly know how to read the situation.” Feng Qi gave a mocking laugh. “What else did he want?”
Xiao Jue hesitated before taking a folded sheet of paper from his sleeve and handing it over. “Everything he wanted is written here.”
Several book titles had been written across the paper in neat, elegant handwriting.
Feng Qi swept his eyes casually over the list and immediately understood.
“The Supreme Splendor Scripture is a cultivation text. He should have finished cultivating the first three volumes by now. However, Volume Four is considerably more obscure and difficult than the earlier volumes. No wonder he wanted these scriptures as supplementary references.”
Xiao Jue kept his head lowered like a frightened quail and did not dare respond.
Feng Qi picked up a vermilion brush and quickly made several marks across the paper. He crossed out a few unnecessary scriptures, then added two others.
He opened his palm, and the sheet of paper floated by itself toward Xiao Jue.
“Fetch the books according to this list. They’ll work better than the ones he asked for. Go.”
Xiao Jue looked up in astonishment, staring at Feng Qi as though meeting him for the first time. “This...”
Feng Qi casually tossed the vermilion brush onto the desk and smiled. “What? Worried I’m trying to harm him?”
“No, it’s just...”
Xiao Jue looked at the paper in his hand, then at Feng Qi. Suddenly, realization dawned across his face.
“I understand! I’ll take care of it immediately!”
“No, wait.” This time it was Feng Qi’s turn to be confused. “What exactly do you understand?”
Xiao Jue gave Feng Qi a knowing smile and solemnly promised, “Your Highness need not worry. I’ll be sure to tell Chaoyun of your thoughtfulness. Once he knows, he’ll certainly be very grateful to you.”
“?”
Feng Qi was stunned.
Seeing Xiao Jue enthusiastically heading for the door, he hurriedly called, “Come back!”
Feng Qi pressed a hand against his twitching brow and took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice even.
“You’ve misunderstood. I don’t feel that way about him...”
“Your Highness doesn’t want anyone else to know?” Xiao Jue immediately understood. “I see. Your Highness need not be embarrassed. I’ll keep it secret for you.”
“Keep it secret, my—” Feng Qi gritted his teeth and swallowed the curse on the tip of his tongue.
Too lazy to explain further, he merely said, “In any case, don’t tell him this was my idea.”
Xiao Jue gave him a look that plainly said, I understand everything, and solemnly replied, “Yes.”
Xiao Jue turned to leave, but Feng Qi suddenly asked, “Which disciple courtyard does Ji Chaoyun live in now?”
Xiao Jue turned back and hesitated. “He... doesn’t live in a disciple courtyard.”
Feng Qi’s brows drew together slightly.
Xiao Jue continued, “I heard Junior Brother Ji stays in the classroom every night, saying he needs to review his lessons. The night patrol disciples have found him there several times, but Immortal Lord Yaoguang turns a blind eye. He said that as long as Ji Chaoyun doesn’t wander around, they can leave him be.”
Staying in the classroom...
For no apparent reason, Ji Chaoyun’s pale, thin face surfaced in Feng Qi’s mind.
The Yellow rank had the heaviest workload of all. How could his body endure going so many days without proper rest?
“Isn’t this nonsense?” Feng Qi frowned. “If Yaoguang is so protective of him, why hasn’t he arranged a new disciple courtyard for him yet?”
“A disciple courtyard?” Xiao Jue looked confused. “I haven’t heard anything about Ji Chaoyun wanting to change courtyards. Besides... no one has ever seen him return to any of the disciple peaks. Nobody knows where he lives.”
Feng Qi lowered his eyes.
After a moment, he suddenly said, “You don’t need to fetch the books anymore. Go back to class.”
Xiao Jue: “Huh?”
“I changed my mind. Is that not allowed?” Feng Qi had no desire to explain himself and simply drove him out. “If I catch you doing something like this again, don’t even think about entering Cloud-Ascending Tower ever again. Get out.”
“...Yes.”
☁︎
Night had grown deep.
The night patrol disciples had just completed their final round. The pine forest was deserted, so quiet that only the occasional chirp of insects and birds could be heard.
The night wind passed through the trees, making a half-closed window creak softly.
Within the entire pine forest, only the Yellow-rank classroom still held the faint, flickering glow of a single lamp.
Hongmeng Academy had no changing seasons. Only the cycle of day and night remained the same as in the mortal realm.
Immortals did not ordinarily need to live like mortals, rising with the sun and resting at dusk. Yet the academy’s studies were so demanding that by the end of each day, ordinary disciples could barely keep their eyes open and wanted nothing more than to return to their rooms and collapse into bed.
A wisp of light swept through the window with the night wind.
A figure silently appeared inside the classroom.
Beneath the dim yellow oil lamp, a young man was asleep over his desk.
Ji Chaoyun did not seem to be sleeping comfortably.
The long desk was low, forcing him to curl his limbs inward, his head resting upon his arm. His brows were faintly furrowed from the discomfort, making his already slender figure appear even smaller.
The weak, flickering lamplight made his complexion look even paler.
A thin blood-red mark ran across the back of his hand. Perhaps because it had never been properly treated, the injury was still slightly swollen. Against skin so pale it was nearly translucent, the wound looked especially striking.
It was rare for Feng Qi to see Ji Chaoyun looking so completely unguarded.
He crouched beside the desk, his gaze slowly tracing every inch of Ji Chaoyun’s face.
This person truly was beautiful.
Even Feng Qi, who had seen countless beauties, had to admit that much.
His gaze settled upon Ji Chaoyun’s smooth forehead.
Remembering the pair of dragon horns that had appeared there that day, Feng Qi suddenly felt his throat go dry.
He leaned closer, intending to wake him, when something at the edge of his vision suddenly caught his attention.
The edge of a small pouch was faintly visible from within Ji Chaoyun’s robe.
The pouch was made of exceptionally fine material, embroidered with pale golden patterns. Feng Qi could not make out the design clearly, yet for some inexplicable reason, it gave him an intense sense of familiarity.
He stared at it for a long moment.
Then, as though compelled by some unseen force, Feng Qi reached into Ji Chaoyun’s robe, intending to pull the pouch out for a closer look.
However, just as his fingers touched its edge, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Feng Qi raised his head.
He found himself staring into a pair of icy vertical pupils.
The oil lamp on the desk had not been refilled in quite some time, and its glow had already dimmed considerably. Yet somehow, that faint light made Ji Chaoyun’s vertical pupils appear even clearer and brighter.
Separated only by the flickering flame, the two silently stared at one another.
After a moment, the pale light within Ji Chaoyun’s eyes gradually faded, returning them to their usual black and white.
He lowered his gaze, to find Feng Qi’s hand was still inside his robe.
Feng Qi: “...”
Ji Chaoyun: “...”
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Little Dragon: Sneaking in in the middle of the night to feel me up, you pervert!!
Phoenix: I didn’t! That’s not what I was doing...
IsitRo: Still no fixed sched yet, probably not until I hit 20 chaps at least das myyy plan :') Sooo more chaps tomorrow and probably Sunday as well!
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