Will You Tell Me Everything About Feng Xiao?
Inside Cloud-Ascending Tower, the lamps burned brightly.
Ji Chaoyun sat in a chair along one side of the first-floor hall and tiredly pressed a hand to his brow. He had exhausted himself too much over the past two days and was already struggling to hold on.
Feng Qi kept glancing at him from time to time before saying softly, “Chaoyun, why don’t you go back first?”
“No need.” Ji Chaoyun shook his head. “If I leave, am I supposed to let the two of you start fighting here?”
Feng Qi looked away and muttered, “I never said I was going to fight him.”
“I understand the old grudges between the Dragon and Phoenix Clans better than you do,” Ji Chaoyun said. “If it were so easy to restrain yourselves, the two clans would not have hated each other for so many years.”
“But you don’t hate the Phoenix Clan at all.” Feng Qi paused, then finally gave in to the question that had been bothering him for some time. He probed carefully, “Three hundred years ago, you were only in the mortal realm for three months. How did you and Feng Xiao become so...”
A subtle change passed through Ji Chaoyun’s eyes, but for a moment, he did not answer
Feng Qi hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just wondering why you didn’t end up clashing with him too.”
“Who said I never clashed with him?”
Ji Chaoyun gave a soft laugh, as though recalling something particularly amusing and sweet. “Sometimes, when the difference in strength is too great, even if you want to clash, it isn’t so easy.” It was the first genuine smile he had shown all night.
Feng Qi paused, only for that familiar sourness to rise in his heart once more.
So basically, he just wasn’t strong enough yet.
...Bastard Feng Xiao.
While they spoke, footsteps sounded outside Cloud-Ascending Tower.
The two exchanged a glance and fell silent in perfect understanding.
The doors of Cloud-Ascending Tower opened, revealing a tall, slender figure outside.
Jun Ruzhuo stepped inside. He paused slightly upon seeing Feng Qi seated in the main position, then turned to Ji Chaoyun.
“I heard you were looking for me?”
“We were looking for you,” Feng Qi cut in lazily. “Tell me, Jun Ruzhuo. How does it feel to poison the older brother who raised you with his own hands?”
Jun Ruzhuo’s expression changed sharply.
“What did you say?”
“The wound salve.” Feng Qi tapped his fingertips against the jade bottle placed on the table.
The flawless white jade was carved with dragon patterns that looked almost alive beneath the lamplight.
“This is medicine from Lingyuan Sea. You gave it to Chaoyun at the academy gate on the day of the drawing, correct?”
“So what? There’s no way there could be anything wrong with that medicine—”
“We’ve already confirmed that it contains an herb unique to the Demon Clan. It has no effect when used by ordinary immortals, but if used by yao or demons, it causes a sudden increase in spiritual power.”
Feng Qi added, “You know about Chaoyun’s constitution. Once his yao power is released, he loses control. What were you trying to do? Get him expelled from the academy?”
Jun Ruzhuo’s face instantly went deathly pale. He shook his head, disbelief written across his features.
“Impossible... There can’t be anything wrong with that medicine. You’re framing me!”
Feng Qi said, “If you don’t believe us, we can find a spirit beast and test it. Then we’ll know.”
“Fine! Test it! You think I’m afraid of you?”
Ji Chaoyun looked at the boy standing below and let out a nearly imperceptible sigh.
“Ah-Zhuo, tell me the truth. Was it really not you?”
Jun Ruzhuo glanced at him, then coldly turned away.
“Would you believe me even if I said it wasn’t?”
“I would.”
Feng Qi started to speak. “Chaoyun...”
Ji Chaoyun said, “I believe you would never harm me. As long as you say it wasn’t you, I’ll believe you.”
Jun Ruzhuo trembled slightly. His hand, hanging at his side, clenched tightly into a fist. Only after a long while did he say hoarsely, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Ji Chaoyun nodded. “All right. I believe you.”
Feng Qi frowned. “Chaoyun, you can’t just...”
“I know Ah-Zhuo’s temperament. If he says it wasn’t him, then it wasn’t.” Ji Chaoyun looked at Jun Ruzhuo. “Tell us. Who gave you this medicine?”
Jun Ruzhuo replied, “Before I left Lingyuan Sea, Third Cousin gave it to me, but he gave me many bottles of medicine. I just grabbed one at random. How could...”
“...So it was him.” Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes.
Then he asked, “You said you still have some of the medicine he gave you. Can you bring the rest here so we can examine it?”
“You really suspect Third Cousin? But he doesn’t even know you’re here...”
Ji Chaoyun interrupted him.
“I’m not accusing anyone right now. It’s only a possibility.”
Jun Ruzhuo let out a long breath and finally gave in. “Fine. I’ll go back and get the medicine now.”
“Wait.”
Feng Qi stood.
“We’re going with you.”
It was not yet the hour of Hai, and evening lessons had not ended. Hongmeng Academy was quiet. Feng Qi and Ji Chaoyun waited along the mountain path leading toward the disciple peaks.
Before long, a young disciple hurried over and pulled something from his sleeve, handing it to Feng Qi.
He said nervously, “Your Highness, you have to return this quickly after using it. If anyone finds out...”
Feng Qi cut him off calmly.
“If anyone finds out, I’ll say I stole it. Relax.”
Only then did the young disciple look slightly reassured. He bowed to the two of them and quickly left.
Ji Chaoyun turned his head and saw that Feng Qi was holding a passage token.
Each disciple had only one token for their assigned peak. To enter another disciple peak, one needed a special passage token issued by the Inspection Hall.
This had to be one of those.
“...”
Feng Qi asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ji Chaoyun was silent for a moment before asking, “Do the rules of Hongmeng Academy truly mean nothing to you?”
“Depends on the rule.” Feng Qi smiled proudly. “The academy rules fall into two categories for me. The ones I feel like following, and the ones I don’t.”
“Have you ever encountered one you felt like following?”
“Of course.”
“For example?”
“...” Feng Qi paused, tossed the passage token into the air, then caught it again as though nothing had happened.
“Come on. Let’s hurry to Lucun Peak. Once evening lessons end, it won’t be as convenient to move around.”
The seven transportation arrays leading to the disciple peaks were located atop a mountain west of the main peak.
The two walked up the mountain and soon saw Jun Ruzhuo waiting outside the transportation array to Lucun Peak.
Ji Chaoyun was just about to step forward when Feng Qi grabbed him.
“What is it?”
Feng Qi glanced toward Jun Ruzhuo in the distance and lowered his voice.
“You already know who’s trying to harm you, don’t you?”
Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes.
“There is no evidence. We cannot make accusations recklessly.”
“Was it also because you were searching for this so-called evidence that you returned to Lingyuan Sea from the mortal realm?”
Ji Chaoyun paused. “You...”
Feng Qi released him and continued unhurriedly, “Jun Ruzhuo said you went to the mortal realm for three months. By the time you returned to Lingyuan Sea, your dragon pearl was already gone. The Dragon King wanted to save you, yet you exhausted everything you had to escape and return to the mortal realm.
I didn’t understand it at the time. Feng Xiao clearly told you to wait for him in the mortal realm, so why did you secretly return to the Dragon Clan? What were you trying to confirm?”
Ji Chaoyun looked at him.
Perhaps because they were connected by blood, the more time Ji Chaoyun spent with Feng Qi, the more traces of Feng Xiao he seemed to find in him.
After a long silence, Ji Chaoyun said, “...You really are very clever. I did go back to confirm something.”
“Confirm what?”
Ji Chaoyun shook his head.
“I can’t tell you yet.”
Feng Qi stared at him without saying a word.
The two looked at each other for a long moment before Ji Chaoyun said calmly, “You’ve basically figured it all out already. You’re only asking because you want confirmation from me. Once the matter here is settled, I’ll tell you.”
Feng Qi’s eyes moved thoughtfully as he asked tentatively, “Then... can you also tell me how you came to know Feng Xiao?”
Ji Chaoyun asked, “Why do you always want to know about Feng Xiao and me?”
“Curiosity.”
Along the mountain path, the only light came from the faint, serene glow of spiritual power within the stone pillars on either side. That dim light fell over the two of them, yet Feng Qi’s eyes remained piercingly bright.
“Look, I’ve helped you so much. If it weren’t for me, who would have vouched for you? Who would have investigated the truth for you? When the dust finally settles, tell me everything about your past, will you?”
“...”
Ji Chaoyun finally gave in beneath his relentless gaze.
“Fine.”
Only then did Feng Qi smile in satisfaction and stride forward.
Behind him, Ji Chaoyun watched his back.
Even he failed to notice the faint smile appearing on his own face.
“Why are you so slow? It’s almost the hour of Hai.”
The moment they approached, Jun Ruzhuo complained impatiently.
Feng Qi was clearly in an excellent mood and answered lazily, “What’s the rush, Young Master Jun? Your medicine is sitting there perfectly safely. It’s not going to grow legs and run away, is it?”
“You—”
These two were incapable of speaking peacefully to one another.
Ji Chaoyun helplessly interrupted, “Stop arguing. Let’s go.”
Only then did they stop bickering.
Feng Qi glared at Jun Ruzhuo, pulled Ji Chaoyun along, and entered the transportation array first.
Unlike Wenqu Peak, which was protected by Feng Qi’s spells and experienced the changing seasons, Lucun Peak was like the other disciple peaks.
Snow covered it year-round.
Green pines lined the roads, their branches still heavy with accumulated snow.
The moment Ji Chaoyun stepped out, the cold wind made him shiver.
Feng Qi instinctively moved to block the wind for him, then removed his outer robe and tried to drape it over his shoulders.
Ji Chaoyun dodged, but Feng Qi swiftly wrapped him in the robe and pulled him back.
“What are you dodging for? I’m not afraid of the cold. Put it on.”
“...”
Feng Qi adjusted the collar for him.
“Good thing Xu Zixing wanted to make things difficult for you and assigned you to my place back then. If you had to live somewhere like this for years, how would you survive?”
Ji Chaoyun turned his head away awkwardly.
“Why wouldn’t I survive? I’m not a mortal.”
“Still pretending to be tough. With that constitution of yours, you’re barely tougher than ordinary flesh.”
Feng Qi continued, “And you called me delicate. If I’m delicate, what does that make you? Frail?”
“You—”
Before Ji Chaoyun could argue, Jun Ruzhuo’s irritated voice came from ahead.
“Are you two finished yet? Are we investigating this or not?”
Feng Qi: “...”
Ji Chaoyun: “...”
There were thirteen disciple courtyards on Lucun Peak.
The two followed Jun Ruzhuo to his residence.
An ordinary disciple courtyard naturally could not compare with Feng Qi’s private residence on Wenqu Peak.
The courtyard contained only two simple rooms and a stone table with several stools in front, nothing more.
Second Prince Feng rarely concerned himself with the hardships of ordinary disciples.
Along the way, his disdain was impossible to hide. Every other sentence seemed to express how fortunate it was that Ji Chaoyun had not been assigned somewhere like this to suffer.
Jun Ruzhuo looked ready to kick him straight out of Lucun Peak.
Jun Ruzhuo entered the room to retrieve the medicine.
Ji Chaoyun and Feng Qi remained in the courtyard.
Ji Chaoyun glanced around, his brows slowly drawing together.
“What is it?” Feng Qi asked.
Ji Chaoyun shook his head. “I don’t know. Something feels wrong.”
Feng Qi paced thoughtfully around the courtyard for a while before looking toward the tightly shut door of the other room.
He called loudly, “Young Master Jun, who lives with you?”
Jun Ruzhuo’s voice came from inside. “My study companion!”
Feng Qi scoffed. “Coming to the academy to cultivate and still needing a study companion. How pampered.”
“What did you say about me?”
“Nothing.”
Feng Qi denied it without hesitation, then asked, “Why is this taking so long? It’s only a few bottles of medicine. Can you find them or not?”
Jun Ruzhuo did not answer.
Both of them felt their hearts tighten. They exchanged a glance and immediately stepped inside.
Ji Chaoyun asked, “Ah-Zhuo, what happened?”
An open wooden box sat before Jun Ruzhuo.
It was completely empty.
“I... I remember putting them right here. How are they gone?!”
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned heavy.
Ji Chaoyun asked, “Are you certain all the medicine was kept here?”
Jun Ruzhuo said, “I’m certain. Third Cousin gave me this box himself. It was filled with secret medicines from Lingyuan Sea... but why is only the medicine missing?”
Ji Chaoyun frowned deeply.
Exhaustion made his head feel heavy, yet his thoughts remained clear.
Lingyuan Sea’s secret medicine.
A spirit herb that only grew in the Demon Realm.
The Dragon King’s Third Prince...
His thoughts churned chaotically. Then a sudden noise sounded outside the window.
All three abruptly turned.
A dark figure flashed past the courtyard.
Ji Chaoyun instinctively moved to chase after it, but Feng Qi stopped him.
“Stay here. I’ll go.”
After saying that, he turned to Jun Ruzhuo.
“Protect your cousin properly. If he loses even a single hair, I’ll pull out your dragon tendons and boil them into soup!”
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Feng Qi: Dragon-tendon-soup warning issued.
A certain immortal surnamed Li who wishes to remain anonymous: ???
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