Are You Trying to Cripple Me?
Ji Chaoyun was stiff from head to toe.
In the darkness, the other man’s breathing was far too clear. That scorching heat seemed almost tangible as it burrowed straight toward Ji Chaoyun’s ear.
Yet Feng Qi seemed completely unaware. His fingers slowly moved upward and lightly pressed against Ji Chaoyun’s chest. “Why is your heart beating so fast? Nervous?”
“Don’t... don’t touch me.” Ji Chaoyun pressed his head hard against the pillow, the end of his voice trembling slightly.
“I’m not allowed to touch you?” Feng Qi’s voice had grown somewhat hoarse, lowered until it seemed like a tiny claw scratching at Ji Chaoyun’s heart. “How can you be like this? Before we came here, you even let me touch your dragon horns to please me. Now that you’ve tricked me into coming with you, I’m not even allowed to hold you.”
“I didn’t...”
Feng Qi interrupted him. “Then am I allowed to hold you or not?”
“...” Ji Chaoyun forced the word through clenched teeth. “Hold...”
Feng Qi happily wrapped his arms around him and pulled the quilt over both of them.
Neither spoke. They simply allowed the silence to spread with the deepening night. They were like countless ordinary lovers in the mortal realm, returning home after a long day of hard work and falling asleep in each other’s arms.
Unfortunately, the tranquility did not last long.
A thin tube carrying sleeping smoke silently slipped through the gap in the window.
Ji Chaoyun abruptly opened his eyes and was about to rise when Feng Qi held him down beneath the quilt.
Feng Qi shook his head at him. The two closed their eyes again, pretending to notice nothing.
Wisps of pale smoke drifted into the room. A short while later, the door was pushed open from outside, and several black-clad figures entered carrying a long wooden chest.
“Move quickly!”
The man waiting by the door urged them in a low voice. At that moment, the clouds happened to part, and moonlight illuminated his face.
It was Third Brother Xu.
Several men in black lifted the two people lying on the bed, one at each end, and placed them inside the wooden chest. They shut the lid and swiftly carried it outside. Their movements were clean and practiced, clearly something they had done many times before.
Third Brother Xu closed the room behind them and followed the black-clad men out through a side gate in the rear courtyard.
The entire process took only moments and produced almost no unnecessary sound.
Ji Chaoyun opened his eyes in the darkness.
The space inside the wooden chest was extremely narrow, scarcely large enough for even one grown man. Ji Chaoyun had no choice but to lie sprawled over Feng Qi, their bodies pressed tightly together without even the slightest room to move.
Ji Chaoyun raised his head and happened to meet Feng Qi’s helpless gaze.
Could these fishermen not have found a larger box???
The wooden chest gently rocked as it was carried. Their body heat pressed against each other without any barrier between them. The two stared at one another in silence as some unnamed feeling gradually spread through the cramped space.
When pressed together this closely, even the slightest change could not escape the other person’s notice.
Ji Chaoyun’s expression suddenly changed. Having clearly felt something, he raised his head. “You...”
Feng Qi awkwardly turned his gaze aside.
“...” Ji Chaoyun braced his hands against the sides of the chest and quietly lifted himself, doing his utmost to move away from the scorching place pressed against him.
Suddenly, the chest jolted violently, as though someone had dropped it onto the ground.
Ji Chaoyun was caught completely unprepared and fell back onto Feng Qi, colliding with him once more.
Feng Qi sucked in a sharp breath, his expression changing instantly.
The people outside were noisily discussing something. Feng Qi weakly whispered, “Move your leg. Are you trying to cripple me?”
“...Shut up.” Ji Chaoyun’s entire neck had turned red. He shifted slightly to the side. “Can’t you... can’t you just...”
Feng Qi was also somewhat embarrassed, but he stubbornly argued, “If I held you like this and had no reaction whatsoever, wouldn’t you start doubting how sincere my feelings are?”
“At a time like this?!”
“What was that sound?” someone outside the chest asked.
The two immediately fell silent and held their breath. After a moment, another person outside said, “It was the waves. Don’t be nervous.”
The voice belonged to Third Brother Xu.
“Are we really... going to be all right doing this?” someone else asked quietly after a while.
Third Brother Xu said, “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility. Just do your part.”
“But the village chief...”
“What does that old man know?!” another unfamiliar voice snapped. “These people’s lives matter, but don’t our own family members’ lives matter too? That great Immortal from the sea said that as long as we obey him, we can exchange these people for our family members and even be blessed with long lives. He’s an immortal. Why would he lie to us?”
Ji Chaoyun’s brows drew tightly together. Feng Qi, however, could not help himself and let out a laugh.
“Who? Who’s laughing?”
Feng Qi raised a hand and lightly tapped the side of the chest.
The lid flew upward as though struck by tremendous force, flipped twice through the air, then crashed to the side and shattered into pieces.
The two leapt out of the chest. Ji Chaoyun immediately took half a step aside, looking very much as though he wanted to draw a clear boundary between himself and Feng Qi.
Feng Qi said sincerely, “I really didn’t do it on purpose.”
“...”
Ji Chaoyun remained silent.
Someone among the crowd exclaimed in shock, “You weren’t knocked unconscious?!”
Feng Qi smiled bitterly. “Right now, I almost wish you had knocked me unconscious.”
“...”
“Forget it. Let’s discuss the important matter.” Feng Qi cleared his throat and looked toward Third Brother Xu. “Why did you bring us here? How many people have you killed this way? Who ordered you to do it?”
He leaned casually against the wooden chest and said, “No hurry. Explain everything one thing at a time. Who wants to speak first?”
No one answered.
They were standing inside a large hall. Dim candlelight flickered throughout the room, casting everything into vague shadows. Ji Chaoyun raised his head toward the enormous statue of the Dragon King in the main hall. Most of his face was hidden in darkness, making his expression impossible to read.
This was the Dragon King Temple.
A mortal shrine dedicated to the worship of Lingyuan Sea.
Ever since leaving Lingyuan Sea, Ji Chaoyun had been hunted by men sent by Jun Jue and had not stepped inside any temple belonging to Lingyuan Sea for a very long time.
Behind him, several fishermen exchanged glances and drew chopping knives from their waists.
Feng Qi swept his gaze over their weapons.
Under his stare, the blades seemed to be engulfed in intense heat. They rapidly melted into molten iron and dripped onto the ground.
“This!” The fishermen paled in terror. “Y-Yao! They’re yao!”
In all his years, this was the first time Second Prince Feng had ever been called a yao. His expression immediately darkened. “This Prince is an immortal! How can you people not even distinguish immortals from yao? An evil being makes you harm traveling merchants, and you worship him as an immortal. We come here to save you, and you call us yao instead?”
Among the crowd, only Third Brother Xu remained calm. “Why should we believe you?”
“I don’t need you to believe me.” Feng Qi curved his lips into a smile. “You only need to tell me whether the man who ordered you to do this calls himself the Third Prince of the Dragon King.”
The sea breeze made the half-closed temple doors creak. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating several pale faces within the hall.
With a thud, a fisherman nearing fifty dropped to his knees. “I didn’t want to! None of us wanted this! It was that great Immortal... the Third Prince of the Dragon King ordered us to do it!”
Ji Chaoyun abruptly turned around, his expression cold as frost. “What did he order you to do?”
“He... he ordered us to...”
“Shut your mouth!” The man beside him suddenly kicked him in the shoulder and sent him sprawling. “Have you forgotten what Third Highness said? Don’t you want your son to come back?!”
“But... can they really come back?”
The fisherman lowered his head, tears streaming down his face. “Ever since my son went out with the fishing boats to that so-called island, his temperament completely changed after he came back. He went out to sea more often, and now he hasn’t come back for more than half a month. Third Highness said we had to gather ninety-nine lives before my son could be exchanged back. But what immortal needs living human sacrifices? That’s clearly an evil being!”
“Ninety-nine lives...”
Ji Chaoyun stumbled half a step backward and nearly knocked over the altar before the statue.
A tremendous crack of thunder exploded outside. On the altar, an incense burner and jade vase carved with dragon patterns rolled to the ground and shattered with a crash.
“Chaoyun!” Feng Qi stepped forward and steadied him, placing his palm against Ji Chaoyun’s back as he slowly poured spiritual power into him. “Your body only just recovered. You can’t let your emotions fluctuate too violently right now. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
Ji Chaoyun’s face was pale. He drew a deep breath and nodded.
Feng Qi looked back and asked, “When did all this begin?”
“Only within the past few months,” the fisherman answered. “All the guides in this region accepted money. They lead every merchant who comes here to Linhai Village. Once they enter the village, we...”
Feng Qi said, “Once they enter the village, you use every possible means to make them stay. Then you drug them unconscious and bring them to the Dragon King Temple. Is that right?”
“Yes...”
Feng Qi closed his eyes briefly, then asked, “How many people have you killed so far?”
The fisherman hesitated before answering quietly, “Including the two of you, we’re still short by three.”
“No.” Ji Chaoyun suddenly spoke, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
Feng Qi turned toward him. Ji Chaoyun’s face had gone deathly pale.
“Neither of us is mortal, so we cannot be counted,” Ji Chaoyun said. “That means apart from us, you’re still short by five.”
His gaze slowly swept over the people before him.
One, two, three...
Apart from Ji Chaoyun and Feng Qi, exactly six people were present.
Ji Chaoyun’s gaze finally settled on Third Brother Xu, who had stood at the very back of the group with his head lowered the entire time.
Spiritual light gathered in Ji Chaoyun’s right hand and transformed into a long, slender sword pointing directly at him. “Jun Jue, reveal your true form!”
“Heh...” A strange smile appeared at the corner of Third Brother Xu’s mouth.
Silver light suddenly surrounded his body as his figure rapidly lengthened and changed. Fine silver robes replaced the coarse clothing he had worn before, his long hair was bound beneath a crown, and a handsome young man emerged from the light.
Jun Jue raised his head, gently fanning himself with a black bamboo folding fan. “It’s been a long time, Elder Brother.”
“H-How can this be? Isn’t he Third Brother Xu?!”
Ji Chaoyun said coldly, “The man before you is the very Third Prince of the Dragon King you were speaking of.”
Jun Jue idly played with the folding fan in his hand. “Elder Brother is as clever as ever. I went through so much trouble to learn the demons’ possession technique, yet I still couldn’t fool you.”
“Jun Jue, three hundred years ago you defected before the battle and nearly brought ruin upon the Immortal Realm. Now you collude with demons and harm mortal lives. Father entrusted Lingyuan Sea to you. Is this how you repay him?”
“Three hundred years...” Jun Jue sighed. “It’s been three hundred years since Elder Brother last lectured me. Hearing it again now is strangely nostalgic.”
“Chaoyun, don’t waste words on him.” Feng Qi stepped sideways in front of Ji Chaoyun and looked toward Jun Jue. “Third Dragon Prince, was it? Since this is our first meeting, do you have any last words?”
Jun Jue chuckled. “I nearly forgot you were here. I truly am curious. What sort of charm does this elder brother of mine possess? It wasn’t enough that he seduced that ancient heavenly god, even the god’s descendant is hopelessly devoted to him. Second Prince Feng, what exactly is so good about him? Would you enlighten me?”
“Those are your last words?” Feng Qi raised a brow. “Sorry, but in my eyes, everything about him is good. If I really started explaining, I’d be talking for days and nights. I can’t be bothered telling you.”
“Just as I expected.” Jun Jue said, “Crown Prince Jun Yan of the Dragon King. From the moment he was born, he received endless love and favor. Everyone loved him. Everyone had to live beneath his brilliance. Do you know, Elder Brother? Even after Father announced that you had betrayed and fled Lingyuan Sea, many clansmen still refused to believe it. Some even tried to search for you.”
“...So I was left with no other choice. Everyone who protected you had to be eliminated, one by one.”
Ji Chaoyun’s eyes flickered. The hand holding his sword trembled slightly.
The smile in Jun Jue’s eyes deepened. “Elder Brother, do you know how much blood of our own clansmen has stained my hands during these three hundred years? Even I can no longer count.”
“You...” Ji Chaoyun’s voice was hoarse. “You madman...”
“I am indeed mad. And...” Jun Jue’s smile widened. “I can be even madder.”
The instant his words fell, the entire Dragon King Temple began to tremble.
Every door and window slammed shut. Centered beneath Jun Jue’s feet, a blood-red array spread across the floor.
“Stop!”
Ji Chaoyun and Feng Qi lunged forward at the same time, but they were already too late. Jun Jue vanished from where he stood, and several threads of blood shot out from the array, tightly binding their hands and feet.
At that very moment, the fishermen suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed.
“What is this? This is... ah!”
Their pupils widened as wisps of their vital souls slowly drifted out through the crowns of their heads and were drawn into the exquisite, translucent glass bead in Jun Jue’s hand.
Jun Jue floated in midair and looked down upon the two of them, the same elegant smile remaining in his eyes. “This glass bead stolen from the Heavenly Fox clan truly is useful. Once it has absorbed the vital souls of ninety-nine mortals, we can finally open the seal over the Demon Realm.”
Ji Chaoyun dropped to one knee. Under the array’s power, his entire body was immobilized. “So your goal truly was the seal over the Demon Realm?”
“Naturally.” Jun Jue said, “The demons promised to support me as Dragon King and even taught me their cultivation arts. Isn’t it only proper that I help them in return?”
Jun Jue toyed with the glass bead in his hand. “It’s only unfortunate that after several hundred years of effort, we managed to open no more than a narrow crack in the seal and release a single Demon Protector. To completely break the seal, we could only rely upon the three sealing keys Feng Xiao left behind.”
Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes. “You deliberately lured us here.”
“Elder Brother truly is clever. You understand with the slightest hint.” Jun Jue smiled. “Elder Brother carries two of the sealing keys. Since we couldn’t take them from you by force, we could only lure you out.”
Ji Chaoyun asked, “If that was your plan, why did you try to kill us on Mount Sumeru? And why turn so many mortals into a demon army?”
“That wasn’t my idea. It was Xi Chen’s.” Jun Jue spread his hands, looking somewhat helpless. “Demons are simply impulsive in the way they do things. We could have lured our prey deeper into the trap, yet he insisted on personally trying to seize the artifacts. But he was a Demon Protector, so I could only obey him.”
“Things are better now. You killed him, so I no longer need to suffer his temper.”
The blood-red glow of the array reflected in Ji Chaoyun’s eyes. He asked quietly, “So... the crack in the Demon Realm’s seal should be here?”
“Right beneath your feet.” Jun Jue said, “The phoenix golden feather you carry, the sword obtained from Mount Sumeru, and this glass bead in my possession, combined with an array empowered by ninety-nine vital souls, will be enough to break through the seal Feng Xiao left behind.”
He lowered his gaze toward Ji Chaoyun, a trace of regret appearing in his eyes. “Goodbye, Elder Brother. I’ll bring your corpse back to Lingyuan Sea so you can finally return to your homeland. Of course, that assumes the demons don’t tear both of you to pieces once they break through the seal.”
Jun Jue loosened his hand.
The glass bead rolled from his palm and embedded itself in the center of the array.
A violent gale suddenly erupted within the formation, sending objects throughout the hall tumbling in every direction. Ji Chaoyun and Feng Qi knelt within the array, strangely calm amid the howling wind.
Jun Jue frowned.
He finally sensed that something was wrong.
Before he could think further, someone suddenly kicked him hard from behind.
Jun Jue fell from midair and crashed face-first onto the ground.
Feng Qi landed steadily and planted one foot squarely between Jun Jue’s shoulder blades, forcing him back down just as he tried to push himself upright. “That kick was punishment for disrespecting your elder brother. He’s simply too gentle. If I had a younger brother this rotten, I would’ve cut him down before he even reached adulthood.”
“You damned phoenix...”
“What are you calling me? No manners at all.” Feng Qi pressed down harder, drawing a muffled groan from Jun Jue.
The array dispersed.
Ji Chaoyun straightened, while the “Feng Qi” beside him transformed into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.
Ji Chaoyun bent down, picked up the glass bead that had rolled across the ground, and walked to Jun Jue. “At this point, do you have anything else to say?”
“H-How is that possible...” Jun Jue struggled to speak. “You didn’t bring those two objects with you?”
“No, I brought them.” Ji Chaoyun crouched down and said softly, “But you were mistaken. The phoenix golden feather isn’t a sealing key.”
Jun Jue froze. “It isn’t? But the Phoenix clan doesn’t possess any treasure Feng Xiao left behind. How could...”
“Actually... there were never three physical sealing keys to begin with.” Ji Chaoyun smiled faintly. “The so-called sealing keys refer to something else.”
Even Feng Qi was slightly startled by this.
“Before leaving Fengming Valley, I asked His Majesty the Phoenix Lord about it. Only then did I learn Feng Xiao’s original words.” Ji Chaoyun said, “After Feng Xiao sealed the Demon Realm, he told those who came after him that he had left three treasures in this world. If the seal ever weakened, gathering the three ‘keys’ would allow the seal to be reinforced.”
Feng Qi frowned slightly. “Doesn’t that still mean three keys exist?”
“They do, but not in the way the rumors claim.” Ji Chaoyun gently rubbed the glass bead in his hand. “Rumor says that one key is held by the Heavenly Fox clan, one by the Phoenix clan, and one at Mount Sumeru in the mortal realm. In truth, only the object kept on Mount Sumeru is genuine.”
“...My guess is that the Heavenly Fox and Phoenix clans were deliberately drawn into the story by their clan leaders at the time, to guard against anyone within their own clans harboring ulterior motives. Neither clan leader revealed the truth. Once they passed away, no one remained who knew the secret.”
Ji Chaoyun stood and looked down at Jun Jue. “Do you understand now?”
Jun Jue lowered his head and asked quietly, “What do you intend to do?”
“Jun Jue, you colluded with demons and harmed innocent mortals in Lingyuan Sea’s name. I cannot allow you to live.” Ji Chaoyun raised his hand, and the sword lying on the ground automatically flew into his grasp. “I’ll send your body back to Lingyuan Sea. You can rest assured of that.”
“You’re going to kill me?” Jun Jue turned his head toward the sword point only inches away, disbelief filling his eyes. “You aren’t going to hand me over to the Immortal Realm, but kill me instead? I understand... I understand now...”
Jun Jue gave a low, mocking laugh. “You want to protect Lingyuan Sea this way?”
“Jun Yan, if you kill me now, you have no rightful cause. Do you know the crime for murdering the Third Prince of the Dragon King?!”
The hand holding Ji Chaoyun’s sword trembled slightly.
“Heh...” Jun Jue’s voice was hoarse. “If you kill me today, everyone in the world will believe you did it to avenge a personal grudge. Lingyuan Sea won’t tolerate you. Hongmeng Academy won’t tolerate you. The entire Immortal Realm won’t tolerate you!”
“You’d destroy yourself just to preserve the Dragon clan’s reputation. How noble of you, Jun Yan.”
“Shut up...” Ji Chaoyun swayed slightly, his fingers trembling so badly he could almost no longer hold the sword.
“Do it, Elder Brother.” Jun Jue struggled to lift his head, a vicious smile spreading across his lips. “Why aren’t you doing it? Ah, I nearly forgot. You were willing to fall from immortality and become a yao just so you could ascend to the Immortal Realm again. If you kill me now, you’ll never be able to return to the Immortal Realm. Trading my one life to make sure you can only ever remain a yao dragon? That’s worth it. Go on, do it”
Ji Chaoyun’s eyes were red. He suddenly swung his sword downward, but the blade stopped only inches from Jun Jue.
Feng Qi had caught the blade in his bare hand.
Blood slid down the sword in a thin stream.
Feng Qi slowly pulled the sword out of Ji Chaoyun’s hand, then raised his other hand and gently brushed his fingertips beneath Ji Chaoyun’s reddened eye. “Did you forget again that I’m still here?”
“You...” Ji Chaoyun asked shakily, “What are you going to do?”
“Help you with one small thing.” Feng Qi looked at him and said softly, “Be good, little dragon. Go outside first.”
“No, Feng Qi, you can’t—”
Feng Qi leaned forward and swiftly kissed Ji Chaoyun, stopping every word upon his lips.
The brief kiss ended almost as soon as it began. Feng Qi gazed longingly into Ji Chaoyun’s eyes, his fingertips slowly brushing across his lips. “Once this is over, I’ll kiss you until I’ve had my fill.”
“Feng—”
Before Ji Chaoyun could finish speaking, Feng Qi exerted force with his palm and pushed him firmly outward.
A current of wind swept Ji Chaoyun out of the Dragon King Temple.
Feng Qi looked back at the slowly closing temple doors. The last trace of gentleness in his eyes finally vanished.
He lowered his gaze, and a sword materialized in his palm.
“When I said earlier that I’d kill you, did you think I was joking?”
Feng Qi slowly dragged the sword point down from the back of Jun Jue’s neck, his handsome eyes filled with a vicious darkness. “You made him lose his home. You forced him to fall from immortality and become a yao. And now you still want to ruin his name?”
“You wouldn’t dare kill me!” Jun Jue’s pupils contracted as he rasped, “The Dragon and Phoenix clans have been enemies for generations. If you do this, you’ll only deepen the conflict between them. For nothing more than Jun Yan, you’ll regret this!”
“Regret?” Feng Qi laughed coldly. “The only thing I regret is being born too late. If I had been there three hundred years ago when you harmed him, I would have stripped your skin, torn out your tendons, ground your bones to dust, and scattered your ashes.”
“How dare you...” Fear finally appeared on Jun Jue’s face. “How dare you!”
Expressionless, Feng Qi drove his sword forward and shattered the dragon pearl within Jun Jue’s chest with a single strike.
Then he flicked the blade upward and out through the back of Jun Jue’s neck. A blood-soaked dragon tendon was hooked out along the sword’s edge and fell onto the ground nearby.
A shrill scream echoed throughout the Dragon King Temple, only to be swallowed by several tremendous crashes of thunder overhead.
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
This chapter basically counts as two chapters in one because I really wanted to finish this part of the plot quickly. Once this arc ends, we’ll return to the Academy. The spiritual cultivation only comes after they go back.
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