Tear Off One of His Dragon Scales and Send It to Hongmeng Academy
Several streaks of light descended from the sky and landed in the market town at the foot of Hongmeng Mountain.
The town was usually bustling with activity, but now it was deathly silent. The streets were in complete disarray, with several bodies lying along the roadside. The disciples scattered after stepping out of the teleportation array. Ji Chaoyun walked to a body lying facedown beside the street, crouched down, and probed its spiritual meridians. His expression abruptly darkened.
“Senior Brother Bai, these bodies are still warm. Every one of them was killed with a single sword strike.” Behind Ji Chaoyun, a disciple reported their findings.
Bai Qiuyue wore a sword at his waist. He nodded to show he understood, then noticed Ji Chaoyun was still crouching on the ground and walked over. “Little Dragon, did you find anything?”
“No.” Ji Chaoyun said, “The killer appears to have extremely high cultivation. For now, I can’t discern their movement techniques or martial style.”
Bai Qiuyue considered this for a moment before ordering, “Split up and search. See if there are any survivors, and look for clues about the killer.”
“Yes.”
Ji Chaoyun was about to leave when Bai Qiuyue suddenly called after him, “Little Dragon.”
“Is there something else, Senior Brother Bai?”
“Nothing much. I just wanted to remind you to be careful.” Bai Qiuyue smiled. “We’re short on higher-ranked disciples, and most Profound- and Yellow-ranked disciples are busy preparing for the quarterly examination. That’s why I recommended you to Immortal Venerable Tianshu. You absolutely cannot let anything happen to you, or that phoenix of yours will skin me alive.”
Ji Chaoyun said, “I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother Bai.”
With that, he followed the footsteps of several disciples ahead.
The market town was not particularly large. Ji Chaoyun searched around for a while and quickly reached its end.
Beyond the town lay a pine forest.
Ji Chaoyun did not stop. He walked straight into the forest. A figure followed close behind, but Ji Chaoyun soon vanished among the trees without a trace.
The person stopped and searched left and right, only to be suddenly yanked from behind.
Ji Chaoyun dragged him into the cover of the trees and asked coldly, “Why are you following me, Ah-Zhuo?”
Jun Ruzhuo’s face seemed slightly pale. He forced himself to remain composed and straightened his robes. “W-Who said I was following you?”
They were already far from the disciples outside. With the pine trees and undergrowth concealing them, no one beyond the forest would even notice that two people were standing there.
Ji Chaoyun’s expression was icy, and the gaze he fixed on Jun Ruzhuo was cold enough to pierce bone.
Although Ji Chaoyun’s cultivation had advanced rapidly of late, he was still no match for Jun Ruzhuo. Yet under that gaze, Jun Ruzhuo instinctively felt afraid.
Ji Chaoyun was angry.
In Jun Ruzhuo’s memory, this person had never once been angry with him. Back when they still lived in Lingyuan Sea, Ji Chaoyun held the highest status among their generation, was the eldest, and also had the gentlest temperament.
He treated every younger brother and sister in the clan with kindness, whether they belonged to the main bloodline or a collateral branch, and never showed the slightest prejudice.
Yet now, he was angry.
Ji Chaoyun said, “Tell me what happened here.”
“I don’t know.”
“Jun Ruzhuo!”
Jun Ruzhuo flinched, his momentum instantly weakening. “I-I truly don’t know...”
Ji Chaoyun said, “Everyone in this town was struck in a vital point with a single sword. The killer acted cleanly and decisively, and their cultivation is no weaker than yours. The sword techniques they used are also secret techniques of Lingyuan Sea, never taught to outsiders.”
“...Jun Ruzhuo, what exactly is going on?”
With every word Ji Chaoyun spoke, Jun Ruzhuo’s face grew paler. Yet he did not answer. He only lowered his head, not even daring to meet Ji Chaoyun’s eyes.
“...Stop pressing him.” A voice came from the trees behind them. Ji Chaoyun started in surprise, and all color instantly drained from his face.
A tall, upright man slowly stepped out from the pine forest.
He wore silver robes, with long silver-white hair flowing down his back. A crown held his hair in place, jade pendants hung at his waist, and his bearing was extraordinary. He still looked young and handsome, though the space between his brows now carried a trace of weariness and age.
Ji Chaoyun’s fingers trembled uncontrollably. Every sound lodged in his throat, leaving him unable to speak.
He watched as the man walked past him, approached Jun Ruzhuo, and patted his shoulder. “Ah-Zhuo truly knows nothing. His only task was to lure you out alone. There is no point questioning him.”
“You...” Ji Chaoyun’s voice was low and roughened. “You did this?”
The man turned back, revealing features that bore a slight resemblance to Ji Chaoyun’s.
“Yan’er, after so long apart, are you truly unwilling to call me Father King once more?”
☁
Night descended. Firelight flickered inside a mountain cave, illuminating the jagged stone walls.
Ji Chaoyun knelt beside one wall, his hands bound before him by a slender silver chain. His expression was calm and indifferent.
Outside the cave, Jun Ruzhuo’s voice could faintly be heard. “Uncle, you clearly said you only wanted to use this as an excuse to lure Feng Qi out. Why did you kill everyone in that town? And why did you take Cousin—”
Many guards stood watch outside the cave. The Dragon King turned and quietly gave an order to one of them before interrupting, “Ah-Zhuo, you only need to keep watch over him. There is no need to ask about anything else.”
“But...”
The Dragon King cast him a cold glance. Jun Ruzhuo’s words immediately died in his throat. He bowed and returned to the cave.
Jun Ruzhuo went to the stone table and poured a cup of water. He returned to Ji Chaoyun, crouched down, and held the cup to his lips.
Ji Chaoyun did not even raise his head. He turned away and ignored him.
“Uncle said that once Hongmeng Academy hands Feng Qi over, he’ll let you go.” Jun Ruzhuo said quietly, “He won’t hurt you.”
Ji Chaoyun closed his eyes. “Even now, you still believe him?”
Jun Ruzhuo lowered his gaze without answering.
Ji Chaoyun said, “It’s my fault for leaving too early. Jun Jue taught you for these past three hundred years, and somehow raised you into someone who can no longer distinguish right from wrong.”
“I...” Jun Ruzhuo’s expression flickered. “I only want to know the truth.”
Half of Ji Chaoyun’s face was illuminated by the shifting firelight, his expression placid. “You want the truth? Fine. Then I’ll tell you.”
“You should already know that the demon army that attacked Feng Qi and me at Mount Sumeru was actually created from mortals. We followed that clue and eventually traced it to the Dragon King Temple in Linhai Village. There, I met Jun Jue.”
“But he wasn’t there to subdue demons. He deliberately lured me there because he wanted to use the artifact in my possession to break the seal on the Demon Realm.”
Jun Ruzhuo’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you...”
Ji Chaoyun ignored him and continued, “You’ve always wanted to know why I left Lingyuan Sea three hundred years ago. In truth, it wasn’t only because Jun Jue wanted to kill me. It was because I learned that Lingyuan Sea had already turned against our side on the battlefield and defected to the Demon Clan.”
““The war between gods and demons ended three hundred years ago. I thought that even if the Dragon Clan had once gone astray, after the war ended and the Demon Realm was sealed, they should have returned to the proper path.” Ji Chaoyun said calmly, “But I never imagined that Jun Jue’s connection with the demons had never been severed throughout these three hundred years. He... No.”
“What?”
Ji Chaoyun lowered his gaze to the silver chain around his wrists. A chill slowly rose in his heart. “The one connected to the demons was never Jun Jue.”
Jun Ruzhuo stared at him, his voice trembling. “You mean... Uncle?”
Ji Chaoyun said, “I never understood before. Even if the Dragon King of Lingyuan Sea was gravely wounded during the great war and remained in seclusion, how could he know nothing of Jun Jue’s actions for so many years? Now it seems he did know. He was allowing it.”
Jun Ruzhuo was silent for a long while. Suddenly, he stood and reached for the silver chain around Ji Chaoyun’s wrists.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking you away from here.” Jun Ruzhuo said quickly, “I know nothing I say now will help. I trusted the wrong people. I don’t expect you to forgive me. We’re not far from Hongmeng Mountain. I’ll lure the guards outside away in a moment, and you escape.”
Ji Chaoyun caught his hand. “And you?”
Jun Ruzhuo said, “Uncle wants you. Nothing will happen to me.”
Some secret art seemed to have been placed on the silver chain, and Jun Ruzhuo could not pull it apart. He rose, drew his sword, and slashed down at the chain.
The instant the blade struck the chain, a blinding white light erupted throughout the cave.
The next moment, Jun Ruzhuo was thrown backward and slammed heavily against the opposite stone wall.
“Ah-Zhuo!”
Jun Ruzhuo barely managed to sit upright, a thin trail of blood sliding from the corner of his lips.
“See? I told you this nephew of yours couldn’t be trusted. And sure enough.”
A voice came from outside the cave. Both men turned toward the entrance.
The Dragon King walked inside. Beside him floated a glazed light mirror.
The vague outline of a person could be seen inside the mirror, blurred beyond recognition.
The Dragon King ignored the figure within it. He quickly walked to Jun Ruzhuo’s side, bent down, and pressed several spiritual points on his body. “Do not circulate your cultivation for one shichen, or you’ll suffer a backlash.”
The turbulent spiritual power inside Jun Ruzhuo gradually settled. He stared in surprise. “You...”
The Dragon King withdrew his gaze and did not look at him again.
The person inside the mirror spoke again. “His Majesty the Dragon King is still too softhearted. A traitor like that should simply be killed. Why bother saving him?”
The Dragon King said coldly, “Yan Huaqing, don’t forget what you promised me.”
“Not to harm a single member of the Dragon Clan. I remember.”
The voice was clear and even seemed to carry a smile, yet it was as cold as a venomous serpent, sending a chill straight down the spine.
Yan Huaqing.
Ji Chaoyun’s eyelashes trembled as he remembered when he had heard that name before.
Back then, Feng Xiao’s long and bitter struggle against the Demon Realm had been largely because of this man.
“The Demon Realm itself is not difficult to deal with. There is only one person who is exceedingly troublesome.”
“Yan Huaqing, Sovereign of the Demon Realm.”
“That man possesses extraordinary talent and uses methods that are vicious and ruthless. It is said that he was once a servant of the previous Demon Venerable. A hundred years ago, he personally killed his master and seized the position of Demon Venerable. Afterward, it took him only a century to rebuild the fading Demon Realm into the power it holds today.”
“If he is eliminated, the Demon Realm will collapse without a fight. As long as he remains alive, the threat of the Demon Realm can never truly be eradicated.”
“Yan Huaqing...” Ji Chaoyun looked up at the Dragon King. “So you truly are working with the demons?”
“What if I am?”
Ji Chaoyun said, “Have you gone mad? You know how many people he killed back then. Even Ah-Xu died because of him. Why would you still help him?! If the Demon Realm returns to the world, what will happen to the Immortal Realm? What will happen to the mortal realm? How can you—”
He struggled violently against the chain around his wrists, making it clink and rattle.
The Dragon King did not look at him. He said indifferently, “You misunderstand. This time, the Venerable has come only to avenge Jue’er. We have already laid an inescapable net throughout this cave and its surroundings. Once Feng Qi is dead, we will stop.”
Ji Chaoyun suddenly went rigid.
The Dragon King raised a hand and summoned a guard. “Send word to Hongmeng Academy. Tell them Jun Yan is in my hands and have Feng Qi come see me.”
The guard answered, “Yes.”
“Wait.”
The voice from the light mirror sounded again, carrying a soft smile. “I hear Feng Qi has already been in seclusion for quite some time. That old man Tianshu is also his uncle and will certainly protect him. If you merely send a letter, they may refuse to hand him over.”
The Dragon King frowned. “What do you suggest?”
The light mirror floated toward Ji Chaoyun and turned its blurred surface to face him.
Ji Chaoyun stared coldly into the mirror, yet an inexplicable chill crept through him, as though someone were watching him from the other side.
The voice said softly, “Tear off one of his dragon scales and send it to Hongmeng Academy along with the letter.”
The Dragon King shouted, “Yan Huaqing, enough!”
“Enough already? I haven’t even finished.” The person in the mirror laughed coldly. “Tell them that every half shichen, another scale will be torn off. I hear that you dragons have more than nine thousand six hundred scales covering your bodies. I’ve always wanted to know whether that’s actually true.”
“...”
“What is it? His Majesty the Dragon King can’t bring himself to do it? Understandable. I hear this is the son you cherish most. Naturally, you can’t bear to watch him suffer such torment. Shall I help you?”
“No need.” The Dragon King’s voice was hoarse. He closed his eyes briefly, as though finally making up his mind. “I’ll do it myself.”
The person in the mirror laughed softly and moved aside.
Ji Chaoyun watched the man slowly approach him, every trace of color draining from his already pale face.
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
I’m sorry, let me kneel to everyone first. Tomorrow’s chapter is a tiny bit painful, but everything will be resolved within that one chapter, so don’t be scared【???】
Also, I went to the hospital for an examination this morning and it took up most of the day, so the update came this late. Sorry _(:з」∠)_
Jade-Slip Fortune Draw
The road feels a little quieter today, catto. Unroll the jade slip and see what the heavens have already written for you. ♡
One fortune per browser day, catto. Even beneath quiet skies, the Heavenly Dao does not rewrite what has already been drawn.
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