I’m in love with Him
“Now you understand why I believe the Dragon Clan is connected to the Blood Lotus Lingzhi?” Ji Chaoyun asked.
“Mm.” Feng Qi answered softly, though his reaction came half a beat late. His thoughts still seemed caught in everything he had just heard.
Leaning against the bamboo couch, he stared at the person seated beside him, his emotions tangled beyond description.
The more he learned about Ji Chaoyun’s past, the worse he felt.
Partly because of that love rival he could never hope to surpass, and partly because of... the Dragon Crown Prince who could never return.
Still, Feng Qi had never been one to dwell on sorrow. Those feelings lingered only briefly before he tossed them aside.
He cleared his throat.
“You think Lingyuan Sea’s connection with the demons never truly ended?”
“I didn’t think so at first.” Ji Chaoyun said. “No matter how many immortal clans defected to the demons during the war three hundred years ago, the Demon Clan was completely defeated by Feng Xiao. I didn’t believe the immortal clans would continue serving them afterward. However, the appearance of the Blood Lotus Lingzhi proves otherwise.”
Feng Qi thought for a moment, then asked, “You said the black-robed men you encountered in the mortal realm wanted to steal your phoenix golden feather?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Ji Chaoyun shook his head.
“The phoenix golden feather was something Feng Xiao left behind to protect me. However, its power gradually began to fade starting about a hundred years ago. By now, only a trace of spiritual power remains. I truly don’t understand why they want it. Could it simply be because they want to keep Feng Xiao and me from ever meeting again?”
“No. I don’t think it’s that simple.” Feng Qi paused. “How many people know that the phoenix golden feather exists?”
“Jun Jue.” Ji Chaoyun said. “Three hundred years ago, he tried to assassinate me and was injured by the phoenix golden feather. He is the only person who knew I had it.”
“He has no reason to steal it.” Feng Qi said. “Your conflict with Jun Jue was over succession. Back then, it made sense for him to want you dead. However from the moment the Divine Realm closed its gates, you were destined to be unable to recover your dragon pearl for a thousand years.
In a thousand years, Jun Jue would have long since taken the Dragon King’s throne. Why would he still need to hunt you down? And now that you’re half-yao, you pose even less of a threat to his position.”
Ji Chaoyun understood what he was implying. “You think Jun Jue isn’t the one behind this?”
Feng Qi drawled, “Your bastard third brother is definitely involved somehow. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent Jun Ruzhuo here. And I don’t believe an outsider could tamper with medicine from Lingyuan Sea and then use a Lingyuan Sea study attendant as a scapegoat. Though I still don’t think he’s the mastermind.”
“Why?”
“Instinct.” Feng Qi said. “And I also have a feeling that this may be connected to the seal over the Demon Realm.”
“...”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.” Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes. “I just suddenly remembered that he also trusted his instincts very much.”
“He clearly realized that there was something wrong with the medicine I gave him, but he still said nothing, because he believed I didn’t want to hurt him and that someone else must have been behind it.”
Feng Qi suddenly laughed.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing. I just think that probably had nothing to do with instinct.”
“What do you mean?”
Feng Qi reached over and plucked a fallen leaf from Ji Chaoyun’s hair, his gaze softening.
“That silly, innocent little dragon. How could he possibly have been some treacherous person secretly poisoning others? If it were me, I wouldn’t have believed you did it either. He kept quiet because he wanted to protect you.”
Protect him.
Protect him from learning that there might be a demon spy within Lingyuan Sea.
Protect him from becoming disappointed in his own people.
Thus, he would rather secretly pour away the medicine than tell him the truth.
That ancient god whose status stood far above others had always protected that kindhearted, innocent young dragon in such a gentle way.
Ji Chaoyun turned his head away, his eyes suddenly stinging.
“So... that’s how it was.”
“...”
Feng Qi stared silently at Ji Chaoyun and wished he could go back a moment in time and shut his own mouth.
Why was he speaking up for that bastard for no reason?
Was he asking to suffer???
Feng Qi sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“In any case, things are still unclear. Be careful while you’re in the academy, and try not to go anywhere alone.”
However, Ji Chaoyun did not answer immediately. His expression seemed hesitant.
“What do you want to say?”
“I don’t think hiding is necessarily the best solution.” Ji Chaoyun said softly. “Ever since I left the mortal realm and came to the academy, I haven’t been able to escape their pursuit. The enemy is hidden while I am exposed. That leaves me far too passive. If you hadn’t been there during the duel, I might truly have killed innocent people on the platform.”
If that had really happened, regardless of whether he had extenuating circumstances, neither the academy nor Baizhang Domain would have let him off.
Feng Qi nodded.
“I understand what you mean. I’ll continue investigating this lead. You go back and focus on your studies and cultivation. You are not allowed to interfere, and you are especially not allowed to secretly do anything on your own.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Feng Qi cut him off. “With your current cultivation and your body in this state, don’t tell me you actually want to use yourself as bait to lure them out?”
Ji Chaoyun muttered, “That wouldn’t necessarily be impossible...”
“Of course it’s impossible. What if something happens to you?” Feng Qi flatly refused. “In short, stay put and behave yourself. If I find out you’ve secretly done anything, just wait and see how I deal with you.”
Ji Chaoyun gave a small “Oh,” and did not argue further.
He stood from the bamboo couch.
Feng Qi immediately asked, “Where are you going?”
“To study.” Ji Chaoyun turned back toward him. “I’ve already fallen behind on several days of lessons.”
“Oh. Go on, then.”
Ji Chaoyun turned to leave, but Feng Qi suddenly called out again.
“Wait.”
Feng Qi gazed at him, hesitating for quite a while before finally asking, “In your heart... is the gap between Feng Xiao and me really that great?”
Ji Chaoyun looked confused, as though he could not understand why Feng Qi would ask such a question.
To Feng Qi, that look basically screamed that he had brought humiliation upon himself.
Feng Xiao was an ancient god who had saved the entire Immortal Realm through his strength alone.
And him? Although his talent and cultivation were exceptional, compared to a god, he still stood no chance at all. He couldn’t compare in strength or achievements. Aside from this face of his, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had nothing going for him.
Oh, right. He’d nearly forgotten. Even this face of his closely resembled Feng Xiao’s.
The more Feng Qi thought about it, the more courageous he felt for even asking.
His voice weakened.
“Forget it. If you don’t want to answer...”
“The difference isn’t that great.”
Feng Qi froze.
Ji Chaoyun continued softly, “At first, I really didn’t like you very much.”
“You were domineering and arrogant, no different from all the spoiled immortal descendants I had encountered along the way...Yet only now do I realize that was nothing more than my own prejudice.”
“Even among mortals, there are good people and bad. The same is true of immortals,” Ji Chaoyun said. “I admit that after what happened three hundred years ago, I was deeply disappointed in the Immortal Realm, even disgusted by it. Yet that doesn’t mean there are no good people in the Immortal Realm.”
Ji Chaoyun looked directly into Feng Qi’s eyes and said sincerely, “I was the one who misunderstood you all, whether it was you or Jiang Cheng.”
“...”
Feng Qi’s smile stiffened on his face.
Wait.
Why was he being mentioned in the same breath as Jiang Cheng?
So in Ji Chaoyun’s heart, he and Jiang Cheng were actually on the same level?
Second Highness Feng suddenly felt deeply insulted. He even wanted to go pick a fight with Jiang Cheng.
Unfortunately, Ji Chaoyun couldn’t read Second Highness Feng’s thoughts. After saying this, he turned and went back to the bedroom, leaving behind a Feng Qi who was inexplicably sulking at who knew whom.
☁
Immortal Lord Tianshu had suspended Ji Chaoyun from classes for three days and given them those same three days to uncover the truth.
On the morning of the third day, however, news reached Wenqu Peak.
The study attendant from Lingyuan Sea had died inside the Inspection Hall.
“The medical immortal has already examined him. Wen Yi destroyed his own spiritual meridians and died. The two disciples responsible for guarding him last night also confirmed that no one approached this room.”
Outside the confinement room, Jiang Cheng’s expression was dark.
“In other words, he committed suicide out of guilt.”
The Inspection Hall was responsible for overseeing all affairs within the academy and held greater authority than the Disciplinary Hall, which handled the punishment and sentencing of disciples.
Therefore, until the truth of this matter came to light, Wen Yi had been temporarily detained in one of the Inspection Hall’s confinement rooms.
The room was small and windowless on all four sides. Nothing inside could be seen from outside, and the sole entrance was guarded by disciples day and night.
The young disciple with delicate features now lay flat on his back in the middle of the confinement room, blood flowing from all seven orifices, his eyes wide open. He had long since stopped breathing.
Feng Qi pressed a hand to his brow, doing his utmost to suppress his anger. “Suicide out of guilt? Does he look even remotely like someone who killed himself out of guilt? Jiang Cheng, what did you promise me before? This is the result of your investigation?!”
Jiang Cheng’s expression was colder than ever, yet for once, he did not argue back.
“Feng Qi, calm down.” Ji Chaoyun tugged at Feng Qi’s sleeve from behind, then turned to Jiang Cheng. “What about the previous few days? Did anyone come into contact with him?”
“Only a handful of Inspection Hall disciples.” Jiang Cheng said. “I’ve already sent people to investigate them.”
Ji Chaoyun sighed.
“He confessed to his crimes, and now he has supposedly killed himself out of guilt. I’m afraid...”
He did not finish, but everyone understood.
Apart from interrogating Wen Yi, Jiang Cheng had spent the past few days searching everywhere for evidence, but nothing had turned up.
Now that Wen Yi was dead, continuing the investigation would become extremely difficult.
Silence settled outside the confinement room.
At that moment, a disciple hurried over.
“Immortal Lord Tianshu summons Ji Chaoyun to the Hall of Inquiry.”
“All right.”
Ji Chaoyun, however, was not surprised. The moment something happened to Wen Yi, the Inspection Hall had already reported it to the Immortal Venerable. Now that the three-day deadline had arrived, even if none of this had happened, Immortal Lord Tianshu would still have summoned him.
Feng Qi suddenly grabbed his arm. “I’m coming with you.”
Ji Chaoyun neither answered nor refused.
The disciple, however, said nervously, “But Immortal Lord said he only wanted Junior Brother Ji...”
Feng Qi gave him a cold look.
The rest of the disciple’s words died in his throat.
Second Highness Feng running rampant through the academy was never merely a rumor.
A short while later, Feng Qi and Ji Chaoyun arrived at the Hall of Inquiry.
Inside, Tianshu Immortal Lord sat at the head of the hall while Immortal Lord Yaoguang stood beside him.
When Tianshu saw Feng Qi walk in behind Ji Chaoyun, his eyelid visibly twitched. He seemed about to say something but ultimately endured it.
Tianshu said, “I already know what happened. Since Wen Yi has suffered the consequences of his own actions, the suspicion surrounding Ji Chaoyun can also be considered cleared. This matter will end here.”
“How can it end here?” Feng Qi frowned. “There are suspicious points everywhere in this case. There must be someone behind Wen Yi. How can we...”
“Suspicion cannot serve as evidence.” Tianshu interrupted calmly. “Hongmeng Academy is, after all, a place for cultivation. We should not waste too much time on these matters.”
“I gave you three days, and what you have uncovered is already enough. Furthermore, the trail has now gone cold. Are you planning to make Ji Chaoyun continue missing classes while you investigate indefinitely?”
“I—”
Feng Qi was left speechless.
Immortal Lord Yaoguang stepped in to smooth things over.
“What Immortal Tianshu means is not that the investigation must stop entirely. It’s simply that the two of you should focus on your cultivation. Investigating matters like these was never supposed to be your responsibility.”
He paused before continuing, “I’ve already spoken with Lord Tianshu. From now on, leave this matter to me. Neither of you is to interfere further. If I find any clues, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Feng Qi said coldly, “The man died inside your Inspection Hall. Why should I trust you?”
Yaoguang spread his hands, baffled. “Feng Qi, surely you don’t suspect me? Why would I do such a thing? Don’t forget, if I hadn’t gone to the Supervisory Hall and argued with Lord Kaiyang back then, Chaoyun would have already been sent away from Hongmeng Mountain.”
Feng Qi lowered his eyes.
“This disciple did not mean that.”
The atmosphere inside the Hall of Inquiry immediately grew heavy.
After a while, Tianshu asked, “Ji Chaoyun, what do you think?”
Ji Chaoyun lowered his voice.
“This disciple only wishes to remain in the academy and cultivate properly. I will follow whatever arrangements the Immortal Lords make regarding the rest.”
“Good.” Tianshu said. “Today, I will have the Supervisory Hall publicly clarify the truth on your behalf. You may return to class as usual tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Immortal Venerable.”
“There is one more matter.” Tianshu continued. “You lost control during the duel. According to the rules of the Supervisory Hall, Jin Ting should be declared the winner. However, Jin Ting refuses to accept that result.”
“He proposed that if this matter proved to have extenuating circumstances, he wished to fight you again fairly and determine the result anew. What do you think?”
Ji Chaoyun paused, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Thank you, Immortal Venerable. This disciple is willing.”
Tianshu gave several more instructions before allowing Ji Chaoyun and Yaoguang to leave, while keeping Feng Qi behind.
Feng Qi repeatedly warned Ji Chaoyun to wait outside the hall and not wander anywhere before finally letting him leave.
He paid absolutely no regard to Tianshu, who was still seated in the hall.
Once the doors closed again, Tianshu finally asked faintly, “When did your relationship with Ji Chaoyun become so good?”
Feng Qi countered, “Wasn’t Uncle the one who told me to take better care of him? Shouldn’t I be doing exactly that?”
“But he is still a dragon...”
“He’s only a yao dragon. It isn’t as though we have grudges with every dragon in existence.” Feng Qi deliberately added, “Besides, isn’t the old feud between Fengming Valley and Lingyuan Sea?”
A strange look flashed through Tianshu’s eyes before quickly disappearing.
He picked up the tea before him and took a sip, only to hear Feng Qi continue, “And even if he is from Lingyuan Sea, I’m still willing to take care of him and protect him forever.”
“Cough, cough!” Tianshu nearly choked half to death on his tea. He asked in disbelief, “You... what did you say?”
“Was I not clear enough?”
Feng Qi stepped half a pace forward, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he said softly, “I’m in love with him. I want to be with him forever and protect him for the rest of my life.”
Tanshu’s expression went blank for a moment. It took him a long while to recover. “You... you and him... Wait, he agreed to this too?”
Feng Qi clearly had not expected that question.
A trace of guilt flashed through his eyes, but he immediately put on a perfectly natural expression.
“Of course.”
“...”
Tianshu fell speechless and remained silent for a long while.
Feng Qi asked suspiciously, “Uncle, what’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing.” Tianshu let out a long breath. His voice was strained, and he sounded extremely hesitant. “If he agreed... then naturally, that’s good. From now on, treat him well. Be more patient with him, give way to him more, and don’t bully him. Understand?”
Now it was Feng Qi’s turn to be confused.
“I... understand.”
“Good. Off you go.”
Feng Qi left with his head full of questions.
Inside the Hall of Inquiry, only Tianshu remained seated where he was, the baffled and peculiar expression on his face lingering for a very long time.
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Feng Qi: I love him, he loves me, and we’re together now. 【proud face】
Uncle: This brat somehow managed to make himself his own love rival. Impressive.
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IsitRo: Just a terminology heads-up because these two are ridiculously easy to mix up, especially when using AI-assisted translation: the Inspection Hall (督察殿, dūchá diàn) and the Supervisory Hall (督考殿, dūkǎo diàn) are two different things. Both begin with 督 (dū), “to supervise/oversee,” but 察 (chá) means “to inspect/examine/investigate,” while 考 (kǎo) refers to examination or assessment.
The Inspection Hall oversees broader academy affairs, while the Supervisory Hall is associated with examination supervision/review. I have been keeping a close eye on these two so they don’t accidentally get swapped every now and then or getting treated the same lol
Oh, also I cannot WAIT for the day I can freely use italics for inner thoughts again! I’ve barely been italicizing em because I wanna make sure you cattos can immediately tell that it’s a past POV/flashback. I don’t want anyone wondering if we suddenly jumped three hundred years into the past when our lil dragon cutie is just having thoughts~
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