Feng Qi Was Caught Completely Off Guard and Kicked Straight Off the Bed
What happened afterward was unclear even in Feng Qi’s memory, much less Ji Chaoyun’s, who had long since lost all awareness.
From that kiss onward, everything descended into chaos.
The two had only known each other for a little over three months, and before this, they had never once crossed any boundaries.
Yet they fit together as though it were something they had been born knowing how to do.
Those scorching touches and intimate gestures felt strangely familiar.
It was like falling into a long, bewildering dream.
Years of buried longing ignited all at once, burning every shred of reason to ashes.
Through that nearly maddened night, they remained entwined beneath the bright moonlight.
The night breeze passed through the forest, scattering bamboo leaves across the ground. The koi hid bashfully beneath the lotus leaves, while deep along the mist-shrouded path, the sound of water continued throughout the night.
...
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the two sleeping figures tangled together on the bed.
Feng Qi woke beneath the warm sunlight. Without opening his eyes, he lazily waved a hand.
The gauzy bed curtains fell, blocking out the light disturbing his sleep.
He rolled over and instinctively pulled the warm, soft person in his arms even closer, intending to continue sleeping.
... Hmm?
Feng Qi’s eyes snapped open, fully awake in an instant.
Ji Chaoyun lay quietly in his arms, still asleep.
He seemed thoroughly exhausted. Even in sleep, his brows remained faintly furrowed, while the corners of his eyes were still slightly red and swollen, dampness clinging to his lashes.
Seeing that face so suddenly, Feng Qi’s memories of the previous night slowly returned.
Last night, the young man had also lain in his arms like this.
Driven until his eyes turned red, with nowhere left to escape, he could only let out weak, broken sounds that seemed caught somewhere between pleasure and pain.
As if sensing the warmth beside him moving away, Ji Chaoyun murmured unconsciously and moved toward Feng Qi again, trying to burrow back into his embrace.
With the movement, the thin blanket slipped from his shoulder, exposing several unmistakably intimate red marks.
Feng Qi’s entire body stiffened. For a moment, he could neither move closer nor retreat.
He had devoted himself to cultivation for many years, and this kind of experience was a first for him as well.
Before all this happened, Feng Qi had already planned what he would do in the future.
Whoever the person in Ji Chaoyun’s heart might be, three hundred years had already passed.
Second Highness Feng had never intended to give up simply because of a love rival who had not shown his face in years. So what if such a person existed? He could take things one step at a time and gradually let the little dragon accept him.
Who could have known Ji Chaoyun’s heat would strike so suddenly and violently, throwing every one of Feng Qi’s plans into complete disorder?
What kind of situation was this...
Feng Qi pressed his brow in despair, unable to feel even the slightest pleasure of having warm, fragrant soft jade in his arms.
This little dragon was so stubborn that once he woke up, he would probably be furious enough to stab Feng Qi outright, then pluck him bare and hang him at the gates of Hongmeng Academy for all to see.
Feng Qi shuddered involuntarily.
He lowered his head to look at the person in his arms and seriously considered whether he should escape while Ji Chaoyun was still asleep.
Ji Chaoyun finally found the most comfortable position against him and rubbed his head contentedly against Feng Qi’s chest.
Soft strands of hair brushed over Feng Qi’s neck, carrying such unmistakable attachment and tenderness that his heart nearly melted into water.
...How could he possibly leave?
Feng Qi sighed.
He pulled the blanket up and wrapped Ji Chaoyun carefully before gathering him securely back into his arms.
If plucking him bald would make Ji Chaoyun feel better, then Feng Qi supposed he could let him pluck a few feathers.
That was still better than being ignored completely afterward.
Just as Feng Qi was thinking this, he lowered his head and met a pair of confused, watery eyes.
“...”
Ji Chaoyun had only just awakened from deep sleep, his entire body felt as though it had been pulled apart and put back together.
He rubbed his eyes uncomfortably.
The confusion in his eyes gradually faded into clarity, only to give way to shock as his memories returned.
Thud!
Feng Qi did not even have time to say a single word before a foot struck him squarely in the chest.
Caught completely off guard, he was kicked straight off the bed.
In the more than three hundred years since Feng Qi was born, no one had ever dared kick him like that.
Second Highness Feng rolled miserably across the floor twice before finally stopping.
He pushed himself upright, stunned through the dull ache in his chest.
Why did this little dragon suddenly seem so much stronger?
Ji Chaoyun noticed nothing unusual about himself.
He sat upright on the bed and stared coldly at Feng Qi, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
“You...”
“Chaoyun, y-you need to calm down.”
The situation gave Feng Qi no time to think about anything else.
He did not dare approach again and remained sitting on the floor as he deliberately softened his voice.
“Yesterday was a misunderstanding. We... I was affected by your heat. I-I don’t know how things ended up like that either...”
“Heat...”
Ji Chaoyun closed his eyes.
The tension in his expression eased slightly.
He had lived for so many years. Of course he understood how strongly a heat cycle could affect another beast.
However, because of that heat, he had actually done such a thing with the person before him...
A wave of blood and qi surged in Ji Chaoyun’s chest, but not a trace of color remained on his face.
He turned away, hiding the moisture gathering in his eyes.
“...I’m sorry.”
Feng Qi had still been wondering how to calm him and did not process the words at first.
“What did you say?”
Ji Chaoyun closed his eyes once more before looking back at him.
His gaze fell on Feng Qi’s shoulder.
“Your injury...”
The wound that had been properly bandaged had opened again during the chaos of the previous night.
When Feng Qi rolled off the bed just now, he accidentally tore it further, and blood immediately soaked through his plain white inner robe.
It looked rather alarming.
Feng Qi gave it a casual glance and did not seem concerned.
“It’s fine. A little wound like this is nothing.”
“How can it be nothing? I’ll take you to the medical immortal...”
Ji Chaoyun threw off the blanket and tried to get out of bed.
The moment his feet touched the floor, however, his legs suddenly gave way beneath him.
He nearly collapsed.
Feng Qi’s heart almost stopped.
He quickly stepped forward to catch him, but before Feng Qi could touch him, Ji Chaoyun reacted sharply and moved away.
Feng Qi’s hand froze in midair.
After a brief pause, he naturally looked elsewhere.
“No need. How am I supposed to see a medical immortal looking like this?”
“Huh?”
Ji Chaoyun did not immediately understand.
He looked up in confusion.
Only after drawing closer did he notice that beneath Feng Qi’s loosely arranged robes, deep and shallow scratch marks covered him from shoulder to neck and all the way down to his collarbone.
They very obviously came from fingernails.
“...”
Ji Chaoyun snapped his gaze away instantly, his ears flushing scarlet.
Feng Qi did not miss that fleeting change in him. A faint itch stirred in his heart, and he could not resist saying softly, “Those little dragon claws of yours are quite good at scratching people. It hurt terribly.”
Ji Chaoyun: “...”
Ji Chaoyun did not dare respond nor did he dare raise his head to look at the person beside him.
Despite having lived for so many years and experienced two lifetimes, no one had ever taught him how he was supposed to deal with something like this.
He stared awkwardly at the floor.
His gaze wandered back and forth several times.
Unable to endure the atmosphere any longer, he finally stammered, “Then I-I’ll help dressing it again.”
Feng Qi stared at the bright red tips of his ears for a long moment before nodding.
“All right.”
The room was completely silent, save for the rustle of fabric as they moved. Once fully dressed, Ji Chaoyun stood beside the bed and helped Feng Qi dress his wound again.
Feng Qi turned his head and quietly watched him.
After a long silence, the two suddenly spoke at the same time.
“Last night, you...”
“I’m sorry.”
Feng Qi was taken aback.
Ji Chaoyun did not raise his head.
“What happened last night began because of me. I apologize.”
“...” Feng Qi looked as though he thought he had misheard. “You’re apologizing to me?”
“Yes.”
Ji Chaoyun’s hands did not stop moving, and his voice remained steady.
“I know it’s impossible to ask you to pretend nothing happened, but... last night truly was an accident. If you don’t want to see me again, I can leave Wenqu Peak.”
Feng Qi was caught between laughter and disbelief.
“Why would you think that?”
Ji Chaoyun looked at him, genuinely confused. “Then what am I supposed to think?”
“...”
Feng Qi did not answer.
He had considered countless possible reactions.
He had never imagined Ji Chaoyun would respond like this, but then again, this was exactly his personality.
For Ji Chaoyun, the best possible outcome was probably for both of them to pretend nothing had happened.
But could Feng Qi truly pretend nothing happened?
A sour ache rose in his chest as he looked toward Ji Chaoyun.
The other man appeared perfectly calm, but on closer inspection, his fingertips were trembling faintly.
The emotions he tried to hide in his lowered eyes were almost spilling over. He was nowhere near as unaffected as he pretended to be.
Feng Qi watched him for a moment, then helplessly looked away and spoke against his own conscience.
“Fine. In any case... we’re both men. Helping each other through a heat once in a while isn’t going to cause any trouble, so don’t take it to heart.”
The words sounded unpleasant even to Feng Qi himself.
If anyone else had dared say something like that in front of him, he would have used his golden whip to send them flying three hundred li away, but Ji Chaoyun seemed visibly relieved.
He softly answered, “All right.”
Feng Qi let out a long internal sigh.
His chest felt unbearably stifled, with nowhere for the frustration to go.
So once again, he dragged out that so-called Phoenix Clan predecessor who had vanished for three hundred years without a word and viciously cursed him in his heart.
By the time Feng Qi finished cursing him, Ji Chaoyun had also finished treating the wound.
“Rest properly. I’ll return to my room first.”
Feng Qi stopped him.
“Wait.”
“Is there something else?”
“Yes.”
Feng Qi nodded and told him what had happened in the council hall the previous day.
Ji Chaoyun was still suspected of cheating.
At Hongmeng Academy, this was a serious offense.
If he could not clear his name quickly, he would face having his cultivation abolished and being expelled from the academy.
“Tianshu gave us three days.” Feng Qi said, “Within those three days, we have to uncover the truth. Think carefully. Over the last few days, did you eat anything unusual or use anything of unknown origin? Do not leave out a single thing.”
Ji Chaoyun fell silent.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “From the end of the secret realm trial until the day of the drawing, I stayed entirely on Wenqu Peak. Aside from the medicine you gave me for my wounds, I didn’t come into contact with anything else.
On the day of the drawing, I went down the mountain with Ye Chenxing and the others. I did eat some pastries from Changyuan Pavilion.”
Feng Qi said, “I ate those pastries too. There shouldn’t be a problem with them.”
“Mm.” Ji Chaoyun nodded. “Besides those, there was only...”
“The medicine Jun Ruzhuo gave you.” Feng Qi’s expression darkened. “Do you still have any left?”
“Yes.”
Ji Chaoyun took the jade bottle from the storage ring he carried with him. He was about to hand it over when he suddenly remembered something and stopped.
Feng Qi immediately noticed.
“What is it?”
“There’s one more thing.”
Ji Chaoyun lightly turned his storage ring, and an exquisite wine flask appeared in his hand.
“On the day of the drawing, I met Immortal Yaoguang outside the Supervisory Hall. He gave this to me and said it was a congratulatory gift for placing first in both examinations.”
Feng Qi accepted the flask, immediately suspicious.
“Yaoguang loves wine more than his own life and is famously stingy. He actually gave you wine this good?”
Ji Chaoyun said, “I thought it was strange at the time too. I don’t particularly enjoy drinking, so I never opened it.”
Feng Qi pondered briefly.
“I understand. I’ll have someone check these two things for anything unusual. Also, when the medical immortal examined you, he only determined that some type of secret drug caused your spiritual power to lose control. He couldn’t identify exactly what it was. So we’ll need another approach.”
“What approach?”
“The sea market.”
Feng Qi explained, “The Sea Market of the Nameless Sea serves as a crossroads for the Immortal, Yao, Divine, and Demon Realms, and extraordinary individuals abound there. If the immortal physicians of the Immortal Realm cannot determine exactly what that secret drug is, we can only seek help elsewhere.”
Ji Chaoyun frowned slightly. Then he understood the implication. “You mean... the drug might not come from the Immortal Realm?”
“It’s only a guess for now. We can’t be certain yet, but...”
Before Feng Qi could finish, Ji Chaoyun’s expression suddenly changed.
He turned sharply toward the door.
“Someone’s here.”
Feng Qi started in surprise. Only then did he belatedly sense that someone had passed through Wenqu Peak’s barrier just moments ago.
The barrier around the disciples’ peaks could only be crossed by carrying a teleportation token. Each person was issued one token, and it could not be lent to anyone else.
Aside from that, only the Inspection Hall under Immortal Lord Yaoguang’s charge could, with permission from the head of the academy, issue a special access token that allowed its bearer to travel anywhere within the academy.
If someone could enter Wenqu Peak, it was most likely the attendant disciple Tianshu had assigned to accompany them during the investigation.
Tianshu had informed Feng Qi of this beforehand, so he had already expected someone to come.
Only...
Feng Qi looked thoughtfully at Ji Chaoyun, a trace of confusion passing through his mind.
When had this little dragon’s senses become so sharp?
Ji Chaoyun did not notice Feng Qi’s strange expression.
“I’ll get the door.”
He turned and walked outside.
Ji Chaoyun quickly crossed the stone bridge and reached the courtyard gate, opening it before the visitor could knock. The person outside wore the uniform of a high-ranking disciple, his figure tall and straight.
It was Jiang Cheng.
Ji Chaoyun frowned.
“Why is it you?”
Jiang Cheng clearly had not expected Ji Chaoyun to answer the door. His expression immediately stiffened, and he awkwardly looked away.
“I’m looking for Feng Qi.”
Ji Chaoyun stepped aside, his tone cool. “Come in.”
On the other side of the courtyard, Feng Qi had also stepped outside.
His clothes were loosely arranged, and his hair had not been tied back, making him look especially casual and unruly.
Compared with earlier, he had merely thrown on an additional outer robe to hide the intimate marks covering his body.
Feng Qi walked to the reclining chair beside the lotus pond and sat down.
When he saw Ji Chaoyun leading Jiang Cheng inside, he immediately looked displeased.
“Why is it you?”
“...”
Having been greeted by the same question from both of them, Jiang Cheng became painfully aware of just how unwelcome he was on Wenqu Peak.
He snapped, “You think I wanted to come? If Immortal Kaiyang hadn’t ordered me to assist you, I wouldn’t bother!”
“Assist?”
Feng Qi sneered. “You mean monitor us.”
Jiang Cheng turned his head away without answering.
Feng Qi narrowed his eyes and studied him.
Ever since discovering the existence of that mysterious “Phoenix Clan predecessor,” a certain instinct in Feng Qi had improved at an astonishing speed.
Something suddenly occurred to him.
He asked suspiciously, “Why would Immortal Kaiyang send you? Where’s Song Zhifei?”
“Zhifei has something important to handle.”
“And as the chief disciple of the Supervisory Hall, you’re somehow this free?”
Feng Qi gave him a suspicious look. “Don’t tell me you volunteered to come?”
Jiang Cheng’s face immediately turned bright red.
“Damn phoenix, what nonsense are you spouting? Why would I volunteer for this miserable job?!”
Feng Qi merely smiled and said nothing.
Unable to maintain his composure, Jiang Cheng quickly changed the subject.
“Immortal Lord Tianshu only gave you three days to uncover the truth. Half a day is already gone, and instead of investigating, you’re lounging around here?”
Feng Qi replied lazily, “What does that have to do with you?”
“You—”
“Enough arguing, both of you.”
Ji Chaoyun was developing a headache listening to the two of them.
He turned to Jiang Cheng. “Before you arrived, we were discussing the source of the secret drug. We may need to leave the academy.”
He briefly explained their suspicions.
Jiang Cheng nodded. “Fine. Then let’s leave now.”
“Leave for what? Did I say we were going?”
Feng Qi crooked a finger at Ji Chaoyun. “Come here.”
Ji Chaoyun frowned but obediently walked over.
“What now?”
Feng Qi sat upright.
He glanced toward Jiang Cheng by the stone bridge, then lowered his voice so only Ji Chaoyun could hear.
“You didn’t sleep properly last night. You shouldn’t be traveling today. I’ll first have those two things you gave me examined. You stay on Wenqu Peak and rest. We can go to the sea market tomorrow.”
Ji Chaoyun shook his head. “We should go as soon as possible, in case something changes.”
Feng Qi’s ears grew faintly warm.
“But your body...”
Ji Chaoyun awkwardly looked away.
“I’m really fine. Believe me.”
“...Fine. Whatever you say.”
One incense stick later, an immortal carriage departed from the gates of Hongmeng Academy and headed toward the Nameless Sea.
Inside the carriage, Ji Chaoyun touched the seat beneath him, which had been absurdly padded with several extra layers of soft fur blankets.
Then he looked at Feng Qi, who was sitting beside him as though nothing were unusual.
Across from them, Jiang Cheng was muttering about how comfortable the carriage was and how Fengming Valley was truly wealthy beyond measure.
Ji Chaoyun fell silent.
...Was this really necessary?
Feng Qi had already brought Ji Chaoyun to the sea market once before, so this time Ji Chaoyun was familiar with the way.
The three put on their masks, stepped down from the carriage outside the city gates, and soon entered the city on foot.
“Why are we going to Luohuan Hall again?” Ji Chaoyun asked when he saw the familiar building.
Returning to the same place somehow gave Feng Qi the guilty feeling of being caught by his wife visiting a brothel.
He did not dare look at Ji Chaoyun and hurriedly explained, “I don’t want to come here either, but the owner of Luohuan Hall is extremely knowledgeable. She’s probably the only person who can identify that drug. I really don’t come here often, and I’ve never ordered any of the immortal maidens here...”
Feng Qi turned his head as he spoke.
Ji Chaoyun had already walked ahead into Luohuan Hall.
Only Jiang Cheng remained beside him, staring at him with an indescribable expression.
“...Why are you explaining all this to me?”
Feng Qi: “...”
He turned away expressionlessly and hurried after Ji Chaoyun.
An immortal maiden immediately approached as soon as the three entered.
Before she had a chance to speak to Ji Chaoyun, Feng Qi quickly explained why they had come and sent her to report to the owner.
They waited in the main hall for a short while.
Soon, another immortal maiden arrived and led them into the rear courtyard.
After passing through the covered corridor, the three arrived at the innermost room. The door opened automatically before them.
Feng Qi gestured for Ji Chaoyun to enter first.
Jiang Cheng was about to follow when Feng Qi raised an arm and blocked his path.
“Sorry. House rules. The owner only receives one guest at a time.”
Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth. “...Then why can you go inside?”
“I already told you. The owner and I are friends.”
After saying that, Feng Qi slammed the door shut, leaving Jiang Cheng standing alone in the empty courtyard.
Jiang Cheng: “...”
The interior looked no different from Feng Qi’s previous visit.
Ah-Tao, the owner of Luohuan Hall, sat behind the table.
Amid the curling smoke of incense, she covered her lips and laughed softly, her gaze moving repeatedly between Feng Qi and Ji Chaoyun.
Feng Qi frowned. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” Ah-Tao gave them a meaningful smile. “It’s just that the scent on the two of you is really...”
Ji Chaoyun understood at once exactly what scent she meant, his face flushing hot instantly.
Feng Qi also looked somewhat uncomfortable.
He coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject.
“Forget that for now. Ah-Tao, I have something very important to trouble you with. My...”
He abruptly stopped.
“Ahem. My friend was drugged, causing his spiritual power to go out of control, but even the medical immortals of the Immortal Realm couldn’t identify what it was. Can you examine him and tell us what kind of substance it was?”
“Sigh. I knew it. Nothing good ever happens when you come looking for me.”
Ah-Tao raised one delicate brow and lazily leaned against the table. She beckoned Ji Chaoyun over and motioned for him to sit beside her.
Ah-Tao placed her fingers against Ji Chaoyun’s pulse.
“I’ll say this beforehand. I can’t promise I’ll be able to identify it. If you—”
Her voice abruptly stopped and her expression changed instantly.
“No... impossible. How could this be...”
Feng Qi immediately asked, “What is it?”
Ah-Tao lowered her eyes, offering no answer. The teasing expression from earlier had completely disappeared.
She carefully checked Ji Chaoyun’s pulse again.
Only after a long while did she finally release his wrist.
Ji Chaoyun asked, “Miss Ah-Tao, have you reached a conclusion?”
Ah-Tao did not answer directly. Instead, she asked, “Have you discovered who administered the drug?”
Feng Qi said, “No. If we had, we wouldn’t have traveled all this way to trouble you.”
“True. If you already knew, you wouldn’t need to ask me.”
Ah-Tao looked up at Feng Qi.
Then she spoke slowly, one word at a time.
“If my judgment is correct, the drug given to this young master does not belong to the Immortal Realm.”
“...It appears to be something from the Devil Realm.”
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Feng Qi: Other people are all lovey-dovey and sweet with each other after their first night together. And then there’s me, kicked straight out of bed by my wife. My life is too hard.jpg
————
This chapter doesn’t seem particularly fat, but I did my best orz
I’ve been dealing with insomnia for several days straight, so I’m not in the best condition. Tomorrow’s update might not be on time. If the chapter still hasn’t appeared by nine, keep an eye on the synopsis and the comments section. I’ll let everyone know the updated posting time there.
There were so many new readers today, which made me super happy. Fifty more red packets for comments on this chapter. Thank you so much for liking the story!
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