Ye Junchi tilted his head with a smile, "I have said who I am before, but you don't believe. Then, who am I?"
Her expression abruptly ashen. She turned to look at JiYuan, her gaze was flickering back and forth. Then she slowly said, "Who you are has nothing to do with me. That boy over there, is he good to you? I see you with 'thin skin and tender meat', you should come to this Great aunt here if you are not living well."
JiYuan looked at her in surprise.
Jiang Miao Miao should have guessed their true identity, why not say it out instead of turning such a big round to ask if he needed help? Could it be she was afraid that Ye Junchi would fly into a rage out of humiliation, and start a massacre?
He thought for a moment, the person beside him was obviously looking at him with a hot and anticipating gaze. In his heart, JiYuan felt it was a bit funny. He nodded to Jiang Miao Miao and said, "Many thanks for your kind intention, no need. He treats me well."
"Really...," Jiang Miao Miao's eyes looked even more complicated, "... alright then, he could protect you... the Jiang and Ji family .... forget it, you have to treat him well!"
The last part was directed to Ye Junchi, and her tone was very bad. But Ye Junchi was in a good mood so he uttered a sound of acceptance. JiYuan listened to the exchange until his forehead was full of black lines (like this o[-_-ll]o ) , "Are they marrying me off?"
"Yup, indeed marrying you off. The elder, Jiang Miao Miao is assured by Ye Junchi and is giving you to him. No doubt on that." System was laughing 'he he he', "Not bad, Jiang Miao Miao. All of the sudden, the demon lord has become her younger brother's wife... ah no, younger brother's husband."
JiYuan's face darkened, "Shut up!"
After he came back to his sense in reality, Jiang Miao Miao and Ye Junchi was already in a discussion.
Ye Junchi threw a glance at JiYuan, he didn't ask about the silkworm but instead asked of another matter, "Sun Shiyu went to look for you a few days ago?"
Jiang Miao Miao was surprised for a moment, then uttered a sneer, "Right ah, he was almost dead drunk when he came to find me. So late in the night, he didn't go to his beautiful bride but ran to my door to see me. What kind of idiocy is that? Can this Great aunt be seen whenever he wanted to see? Even dared to burst in!"
JiYuan involuntarily swallowed.
Crossing her arms with a 'hmph!', she looked at JiYuan, then turned to look at Ye Junchi. She seemed to understand something, so her previous dark expression gradually changed, and her tone was calmer.
"Should be something you have done ba. After that bastard burst into my place, he started to spit nonsense like what guilty, what he already married JiangXin, and in the future if we have fate, he will disown her and marry again, so and so .... I 'pei' (spit)! What kind of person he thought this Great aunt is?!"
With Great aunt looking so angry, it seemed that Sun Shiyu didn't manage to get a good discussion.
JiYuan who was concerned that Jiang Miao Miao would get soft-hearted, was relieved in his heart. Then he heard Jiang Miao Miao continued, "The more I listened, the angrier I get. So, taking advantages of his drunken state, I tied him up and gave him a beating. The 'not the face' type1. I know I am a bit impulsive, but god his mother what kind of person is this? I must be blind in the past to have fallen for him! If not for me remembering those hard works during the treatment, and doesn't want to waste my efforts, I would have taken back those legs (cripple him) that night!"
JiYuan : "..." Never knew Sun Shiyu could be so recklessly inviting death, and Jiang Miao Miao actually was sturdy to this extent.
Jiang Miao Miao ranted until she became vexed, then finally said, "Both of them being together is also a good thing. Mutually disgusted with each other, the worse their days are together, the happier I get. Now that they left to Ping Guang, they will come back for the Immortal Sword Assembly. Fine! Then, I would have to see both of them disgusting people again."
Ye Junchi lightly said, "It's good that you don't feel regret."
Waving her hands, Jiang Miao Miao face turned solemn, changing the topic, "You said you went to dig the grave because you wanted to inspect ZhaoYang's body, and this silkworm flew out from his coffin. Someone placed it there to break the trails of your clue and even attempted to harm you. After that, wanted to drag the Jiang family into the water â "
Ye Junchi who has erected a barrier to isolate their voices, nodded.
The day was getting late, the harsh (evening) sunlight shone over Jiang Miao Miao's face. Half of her face was red while the other part was white, giving off a bit of treacherous feeling.
JiYuan's heart coldly gave a jump.
"Do you know who is the owner of this golden silkworm?"
Jiang Miao Miao took out the silkworm.
When golden silkworm dies, or it heard the order from its mother bug, it will automatically dissipate. Although Ye Junchi has already used his strong spiritual power to force the body to stay intact, he couldn't prevent it from dissipating.
Now this silkworm is in an almost transparent state, it seemed like it could dissipate at any time.
Jiang Miao Miao's mood looked a little unstable. If she use some spiritual power to pinch the silkworm, it will definitely turn into dust and scattered in the air.
It seemed that the owner of the silkworm has quite a background. That means it is even more necessary to preserve the silkworm. Otherwise, how to confront the suspect when it's time? Not having any evidence would only let everyone think that he has instructed Ye Junchi to dig out ZhaoYang's grave, and also destroyed his body.
JiYuan's brow slightly scrunched up involuntarily, but the next moment, his shoulders were held by a warm hand. The temperature from that hand seemed to penetrate through clothes, and reached his skin.
He felt like the place where he was touched has been burned by fire, and yet gradually let him calm down. JiYuan turned to look at Ye Junchi and saw that he was not anxious or slow, just calm and unruffled. The stability in his heart increased a bit more.
With one hand on JiYun's shoulder, Ye Junchi said in a calm tone, "Your family's Head?"
Jiang Miao Miao's eyes squinted, "Correct, is my eldest maternal uncle."
Rumors said the Head of the Jiang family has calm and warm temperament, and quite loyal too. His name across the 4 major families was quite good. Jiang Miao Miao lost her father when she was young, and the Jiang family treated her and her widowed mother quite good. So, she was full of respect and admiration towards her uncle.
Before she find out the true face of JiangXin, she was totally devoted to her(JX) without asking for any returns.
"Are you suspecting me?"
Ye Junchi didn't even lift up his eyes, his gaze was calm and cold. He has always treated outsiders as such, for him to curve his lips to a smiling-yet-not-smiling smile, it was considered not bad. Not many people ever see his heartfelt smile before.
Jiang Miao Miao didn't admit her doubts with confidence, instead she became quiet. Quietly standing for a moment, she pursed her lips. She threw the translucent silkworm to Ye Junchi, and tiredly rubbed her forehead, "Do you know how people describe me in the Jiang family?"
That day, Ye Junchi didn't miss out any gossips, his expression doesn't change as he said, "Arrogant, willful, bossy and domineering."
Jiang Miao Miao gave a cold laugh.
"If I don't act like that, I'm afraid I would be married off to a random family as soon as they can. In the past, my father and mother were in love with each other, but my father is just a casual cultivator. His cultivation was quite high but he couldn't go against a big shot like the Jiang family.
In the end, he married into the family, even my surname took after my mother's family. Ever since my father entered the Jiang family, he has done so many things for the family. But when I was 4 years old, he suddenly died. My maternal uncle was the one who brought his body back.
He said they came across my father's old archenemy outside and that person is very powerful. My father died when he was covering for my uncle. I am a bit mature for my age, I don't believe that my father could be killed so easily. I sneaked away while everyone is not aware, and took a look at the injuries on my father's body â it's very obvious that he died from being stabbed from behind!"
The more she said, the darker her complexion gets. She was very different from her usual bright-like-flame look.
"I became even more determined with my idea. My father has always been cautious, he wouldn't leave his back unguarded. The person who stabbed him to death from behind must be someone he trusted."
Jiang Miao Miao slowly explained, "These few years I have been acting crazily, using the excuse of searching the cure for Sun Shiyu, and found a lot of my father's old friends. They said although my father was a casual cultivators, he was a good man. Never to make enemies with other people ... that moment, I began to suspect my uncle."
She just did not expect that the person she has respected since young was truly a problematic person.
JiYuan was dumbstruck from listening the story.
Jiang Miao Miao truly is an extraordinary person....
Originally JiYuan thought she was a 'Chuunibyou' love-minded maiden, then he found that she was actually clear-minded and sturdy. Right now, he found out that she is absolutely not stupid â other people thought that she was crazy about Sun Shiyu, that's why she roamed the corners of the world to look for cure. No one could think that she would have other purposes.
JiYuan suddenly aware that Jiang Miao Miao actually do like Sun Shiyu in the past, but it was not in an overly level â all the things she has done, part of it was to find the truth of her father's death while the other part was for self-preservation of her life.
Jiang Miao Miao is a very intelligent girl.
After Jiang Miao Miao finished her words, they were surrounded by silence for a long time. In the end, Ye Junchi was the one who broke the silence and asked, "The thing you wanted to tell me are these?"
"You can help me, and also help yourself." Jiang Miao Miao's eyes were flashing brightly. "The Immortal Swords assembly will be starting 3 days later. During the opening, uncle will be showing his golden silkworm for a moment. At that time, you will know."
"Sounds easy."
Ye Junchi lightly commented, but didn't say anything else. Calmly nodded, he turned and took JiYuan with him back to the inn.
The feud between the Zhao and Jiang family, the silkworm maybe belonged to the Jiang family... the suspicions on that family was very high. Just that the party that was hidden in the dark definitely won't be just him alone.
Recently the city was quite lively, the streets were still bustling with activities even though the autumn wind was blowing and the day was getting darker. Peddlers carrying their products in baskets shouted out in soft south accent.
On their way back, Ye Junchi bought a stick of 'Tanghulu' (candied fruit) for JiYuan.
Eating tanghulu with both bulging cheek pouches in the public is obviously a serious OOC offence, so JiYuan solemnly took the candied fruit back to the inn.
Ye Junchi leisurely followed JiYuan from behind, he was looking forward to see JiYuan opening his bright red and moist lips, biting on the red hawthorns one by one. Then stuffed his little mouth full with the fruit, and his cheek pouches swelled up. It would be quite fun to poke at it ...
After he finished eating the candy, his lips would be coated with sticky sugar. The youth should be using his ruby red tongue to slowly lick it off ...
Just imagining it a bit, Ye Junchi already couldn't take it. He followed JiYuan into his room while thinking if he could personally help JiYuan to lick off those sugar coating his lips.
JiYuan's footsteps paused, his face was expressionless, "You have something with me?"
Ye Junchi nodded with a light smile.
Seeing him(YJC) with some inexplicable excitement in his eyes, JiYuan silently shuddered. It couldn't be anything good. Deliberated for a while, he lightly said, "You can choose to stay in this room, or I leave the room."
Ye Junchi showed a hurt expression on his face, he has yet to start sweet-talking himself into JiYuan's room when a voice-message talisman suddenly flew in from the outside. His fun being interrupted, so Ye Junchi pinched the talisman with a bit of dissatisfaction. Then he paused, upon learning the content of the message, he frowned.
"What happened?"
Ye Junchi raised his head to look at him, "Something problematic seemed to happen at Jiang Miao Miao side â I will go and check it out. You stay inside the inn and bring Gui Chi with you, don't go anywhere else."
Nodding, JiYuan subconsciously asked, "Your pills?"
"Still have some." Ye Junchi couldn't help but laughed, "Are you worried about me? Then, let me take a bite? It has been a long time since I last tasted you."
His voice was low and soft, plus it was slightly hoarse. It sounded very ambiguous, causing the whole sentence to take a meaning from an entirely different direction.
JiYuan's ears turned red from those words, he clenched his teeth and said, "Go out quickly and get back early, scram!"
As someone who never ill-treated himself, Ye Junchi dipped down to place a kiss on JiYuan's lips. Then smiled and turned away, like a cat who just stole a fish.
JiYuan watched as his(YJC) slender and tall figure disappeared from his line of sight, his heart beats like a drum. JiYuan slowly lowered down his head, couldn't stop his face from turning red, his heart from beating fast. It took a long while before he could calm down his chaotic heartbeat. Just as JiYuan wanted to take a bite from the tanghulu to calm down, he inadvertently raised his head â
Not sure when, there was an extra person beside him.
A chill rushed up from his sole of his feet to his heart. JiYuan's scalp prickled and he shivered, nearly jumped up. System immediately consoled him, "He has a shadow, is human. Don't be afraid."
JiYuan tightened his spirit as usual, then turned towards the sudden intruder with preparation.
Admittedly if it was a ghost, it would be scary. But if it was a human, it would probably be worse â because sometimes human are even more terrible than ghosts; him being so scared of ghosts, was no thanks to his half-brothers and sisters. Moreover, this person quietly sneaked into the room, that won't give any good feeling to JiYuan. 'He who comes uninvited (secretly) is surely ill-intentioned'.
JiYuan maintained his calm on the surface, coldly asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
That person looked left and right, seemed to be very interested of the things in the room. He then turned around, the gaze in his brown eyes was soft. He looked at JiYuan with full interest. His(JY) face was obviously an alert expression of a modest nobleman, and yet there was an unclear gloom abruptly appeared in the middle of his eyebrows.
JiYuan was getting WTF in his heart, "System, why didn't you alert me of him?! If he is coming to kill me, I would have died a hundred times now!"
System : "WTF, I am shocked by him too, alright?! He suddenly appeared, I just found out too! Next time, I won't accept assignments from these worlds with supernatural powers!"
JiYuan continued WTF-ing, "Next time please be more alert ah ah ah really scared me!"
"Baby, even if I alerted you, please don't forget that you are a weak chicken. If you deserved to die, you will still die."
JiYuan : "At least let me prepare myself mentally before dying ah."
System : "..."
JiYuan actually recognized this person who suddenly appeared in front of him. That day when the younger generations of Zhao and Ji clashed in a conflict, he was watching by the side with cold eyes, the one ZhaoHe called as 'Yun Cheng'.
There are a lot of people with the surname 'Yun', but to be able to be called as sworn brothers with ZhaoHe, afraid there was only the family from South Lake.
Such rotten luck, to get involved with the son of the Alliance's leader.
A sheen of cold sweat covered JiYuan's forehead.
Being swept left and right by Yun Cheng's interested gaze, JiYuan almost lost his control and break into a run. Must not be impulsive... it would be better not to run. If he started running, Yun Cheng would definitely attack. But the odd thing was why would this person come and look for him? And how did he managed to find him(JY)? Is it possible that he(YC) found out both his and Ye Junchi's identity?
Then again, a large portion of people in the world doesn't recognize his face and Ye Junchi was wearing a mask. The 'wanted notice' that the cultivators have been shouting in a frenzy, has the line 'one male and one female' as one of the requirements, that alone was way off the truth.
Unless... Jiang Miao Miao betrayed them.
This thought caused JiYuan to feel absolutely horrified. Just now Ye Junchi was called out to the Jiang residence via voice message talisman, and now this Yun Cheng appeared in his room, that really let people's imagination roam wild.
Yun Cheng leisurely stared at JiYuan for a long time, then with a seemingly gentle smile, "Little brother, are you here to join the Immortal Sword assembly?"
Not able to understand clearly what Yun Cheng actually wanted to do, JiYuan could only randomly nodded. He was still vigilantly staring at him(YC), praying for Ye Junchi to quickly come back.
Yun Cheng : "What a coincidence, same here. I'm a casual cultivator from Ping Guang, what about you?"
JiYuan looked at him coldly, not saying a word.
"Just now passing by this inn, I detected an auspicious aura1 flowing from it. Thinking that there is an elite or genius staying inside, I couldn't help but went upstairs to check it out. It's this one's fault for being offensive."
Yun Cheng spun nonsense without changing his expression, then sized up JiYuan in a glance, "This one couldn't see how high or low level of your cultivation, it seems that the auspicious aura was emitted from this young brother's body."
JiYuan was indifferent, "..."
Hu hu, if he haven't meet Yun Cheng before, and knew that he was talking nonsense starting from the part where he claimed as a casual cultivator, JiYuan would believe in his words. As for the depth of his(JY) cultivation, he(YC) could even see it (whether it's high or low) even though JiYuan has none to start with. My dear friend, you are also a special person, one in a million. Your ability to make something out from nothing is very strong, incredible.
JiYuan suddenly suspected that Yun Cheng doesn't know who he is actually, so he(JY) just have to pretend properly until Ye Junchi returns.
Yun Cheng's gaze was odd, "Little brother should be a casual cultivator ba? Since both of us are the same, how about going together to the Immortal Sword assembly, at Jiang residence 3 days later ?"
Throwing a glance at him, JiYuan thought in his heart 'Wait until Ye Junchi come back, then you're doomed, still trying to dupe someone?' but he still opened his mouth and lightly said, "Alright."
Yun Cheng patted his shoulder. When he retrieved his hand, he looked a bit unconvinced and astounded. JiYuan looked at him quietly, knowing what he was thinking, he(JY) sneered in his heart; suddenly thinking that the pre-set gender as a lady with big 'bird' was not so annoying anymore. Yun Cheng should be suspecting him but after he came over to test him, and found out that he(JY) is truly a man, he begun to have some doubts. Outsiders knew the original body as a girl, with the exception of those few people who already knew, no one should be thinking to the direction of 'male dressing as female'.
Secretly feeling relieved, JiYuan stood up to see the visitor out, but his leg accidentally knocked down Gui Chi which was reclining by the side of a stool. Gui Chi was quite substantial, and was casually wrapped with a strip of cloth. When it fell onto the ground, it issued a dull sound, and a portion of the black hilt was revealed. Yun Cheng turned towards the sound to see, and JiYuan's heart nearly leaped into his throat. He quickly picked up the sword and opened the door, not turning back as he leave, and went into Ye Junchi's room.
Yun Cheng who was watching JiYuan leaving, sneered. Just as he wanted to follow, his body violently trembled all of a sudden. His shaking hand supported his forehead, and his expression was at a loss. Those dark clouds gathering at the space between his eyebrows dissolved like water ripples. As if wiping some water mist off glazed tiles, the youth's beautiful and clean face resurfaced bit by bit. His expression back to normal, Yun Cheng froze for a moment. Then, he seemed to aware of what happened just now, his expression changed tremendously. He furiously roared a sentence 'Get out!', his whole body was slightly trembling.
Separated by a room, JiYuan furrowed in to the quilt, even buried his head inside.
Living in the inn for a long period, the quilt was full of a light rosin fragrance from Ye Junchi's body. At this moment, his(JY)body was shrouded within this smell. It felt like snuggled inside 'someone's arms', giving him an unmeasurable amount of peace. His rapidly beating heart caused by Yun Cheng's abrupt appearance gradually calmed down, JiYuan wiped away his cold sweats and asked, "System, what do Yun Cheng want to do?"
"I'm guessing he got the wind from somewhere which said that you are JiYuan. Although you are originally JiYuan, but he was not sure if you are JiYuan..."
"...break it off here, don't say this one, say the bottom half."
"Under the circumstance of uncertainty, Yun Cheng didn't inform ZhaoHe about this but came to you alone. He was lucky to have avoided Ye Junchi. Then he found out that you 'have a stick' and hesitated. He will probably stay near you and observe for a few days."
"Then, Ye Junchi?"
"Looks like he(YC) doesn't know someone was here with you, to push people into the fire pit like this ..."
System thought for a while and said, "Speaking of which, there is a casual cultivator previously who came to provoke you. He went missing by Ye Junchi? His sister almost cause trouble with you too, but was scared away by Ye Junchi... I guessed maybe those several casual cultivators saw that you looked similar to the painting of JiYuan. They are not sure but they wanted revenge, so they arranged for Ye Junchi to go away, then mentioned you in front of Yun Cheng."
"... it seemed probable if you think hard about it."
System proudly replied, "I know right."
"Then, what is Yun Chen doing now?"
"He is ..." System looked over for a bit, its voice was a bit weird, "Is he also a freak? You don't go and provoke him ... he is exerting his spiritual power to beat his own abdomen, seemed to want to spit out something, currently vomiting blood."
JiYuan tried to imagine the scene, felt some vicious chill.
Listening to System analyzing the situation, JiYuan became slightly relaxed.
He wrapped himself with the quilt and leaned against the bed, idly chatting with System about everything that happened today. Not sure when, he started to doze off but all of a sudden, he was woken up by System, "It's already in the middle of the night, Ye Junchi still haven't come back!"
JiYuan woke up with a quiver.
The spot beside him on the bed was empty, and the moon has risen up to the middle of the sky. Could it be Ye Junchi encountered some troubles? With Ye Junchi's level of cultivation, there shouldn't be any trouble ah.
JiYuan was fairly calm earlier, but the more he thought about it, the more panicked he gets. Especially when he thought about the smile Ye Junchi showed him, after he kissed him. That panic abruptly turned into cold water, pouring all over him causing him to feel freezing inside out.
"System, Ye Junchi.. will he, will he ... "
Couldn't be that Ye Junchi was found out when he went over to there, and gets surrounded by thousands of cultivators ... in trouble? After all, 'two fists couldn't win against four hands'. Even if he has the ability to pierce the sky, facing so many cultivators at once, there could be only one possibility...
His throat became dry, JiYuan couldn't bring himself to say that word.
"Relax, Ye Junchi won't be so easily get knocked down. Maybe he just got delayed by someone."
System comforted with a sentence, then pondered for a moment, "You should be careful, Yun Cheng's movements are kinda weird. I'm afraid he would harm you."
Not having Ye Junchi beside ... was really inconvenient.
JiYuan shivered. Under the moonlight, he gathered his courage and went down from the bed. He went to the table to light up the oil lamp and saw the tanghulu at the side of the table. JiYuan hesitated for a moment, but didn't eat the candy. The weather was cold anyway, so it won't melt that easily in a short while. Just wait until Ye Junchi come back... then decide ba (what to do with it).
With the lights from the oil lamp to accompany him, JiYuan buried himself back into the quilt. He stared at the flickering light, was at a loss for a while. Feeling low, "System ..."
"Hmm? What is it? Are you afraid? Do you want me to tell you some stories?"
"It's nothing ..."
JiYuan tightened his hold on the quilt, only exposing a pair of light-colored eyes. His eyes reflecting the light on the table, looking like there were flames in his eyes. System patiently waited for him to open up slowly.
Everyone have their own old story, that they have been reluctant to tell other people. Then when they wanted to say it out, they couldn't find the words to speak at that moment. JiYuan thought for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth.
"It was just like now when I was young. My mother didn't give birth smoothly to me so she treated me very coldly. She is a strong woman, and was disappointed with my loose father so they got divorced. She didn't take me with her â I have a miserable time from the start, always sitting along in the room. When I couldn't sleep and doesn't want to turn on the lights, I would lit a candle. Then I would cover myself with the quilt and stared at the candle slowly burning. When the candle burned until it left only the bottom wax, I would be able to fall asleep."
Countless lonely nights, he could only watch silently as the candle slowly burned.
Like the candle, he burned away the excess of his mental power and energy, and when it melted to the end he was left with a condensate loneliness.
System was a bit stunned, it wanted to say something but doesn't know what to say.
Artificial intelligence could mimic human feelings, but it couldn't understand.
It only knows JiYuan at this moment should be feeling bad, it would be fine if someone could accompany him, and Ye Junchi would be the best choice.
"... later, someone came to accompany me. That was my half-younger brother, just that I didn't believe in him."
JiYuan paused, his tone was calm and gentle.
"Actually, I couldn't quite remember his face anymore, but I still remember he was a very sunny child... System, you are right. I just wanted to return to my own world, and continue acting like a 'sick cat'. When the opportunity comes, I will seize the neck of those heartless people, and die together with them."
After he finished his words, his expression has become colder and even looked a bit numb.
For the first time, System doesn't know what to say.
JiYuan doesn't need System to say anything either. After staring at the lamp light for a moment, he rubbed his forehead and sighed. He breathed in the fragrance that calmed his heart, and fell asleep.
'***
The situation is a bit grim.
There was no news from Ye Junchi after he left, he still didn't come back after a whole night. JiYuan was restless, especially when that Yun Cheng with some weird behaviors tried to get him in a conversation.
After a session of heartfelt talk, JiYuan resumed his lively self. He watched with a cold face as Yun Cheng leave the room after finished talking all by himself (because JY didn't reply). He quickly shut the door and leaped back onto the bed. Once he hit the bed, he hugged Ye Junchi's quilt and tearfully called out, "Big bro, ah, big bro."
System : "Do you know you looked very similar to 'Amah Rock'?"
JiYuan thought for a while, then changed his tone to a melancholic one, "Big bro ah..."
"Stop howling already, you sounded like a young wife guarding an empty chamber. Nothing will happen to your big bro, relax."
JiYuan replied with grief, "He won't, but I will ah!"
"..." Can't refute that.
Three days passed by in a flash as JiYuan and System were 'deeply worried and sick at heart' for Ye Junchi and he was still not back. The Immortal Sword assembly has officially started.
Yun Cheng smilingly looked for JiYuan to attend the assembly together, but JiYuan declined a few times. Seeing him so firm with his invitation, he(JY) afraid if he still refuse the invite, he would be directly grabbed and sent to the venue instead.
JiYuan was feeling helpless, he afraid that Ye Junchi would come back after he went out to the assembly. He could only secretly leave a letter, putting it under the tanghulu. Then, taking Gui Chi and that dagger with him, he went with Yun Cheng to the assembly.
The main road was quite crowded. Being pushed here and there by the crowd, JiYuan missed the Demon lord Daren1 even more and more â
That someone surnamed Ye has tall and slender stature, so it was extremely easy to shield him(JY) from the crowd. Unlike now, his feet has being stepped onto a few times, not sure whose poisonous feet was that.
Just as he was being pushed until feeling dizzy and confused, Yun Cheng who was beside him raised an eyebrow. Seemed to be unable to watch anymore, he stretched out his hand to pull JiYuan into his arms, shielding him. With a faint smile, he said, "Little brother is really strange, would rather carry your sword than getting on it to sword flight."
If he could do that, would he still be here?! (JiYuan sarcastic retort)
In his heart, JiYuan secretly roasted Yun Cheng for a while, his mind and body were rejecting Yun Cheng's embrace. Quietly pushing him away, his face was still calm without waves, and he pursed his lips, not speaking.
Yun Cheng also doesn't mind, he sighed like he was a bit sad, "Little brother is really cold. The total of words you have spoken to me in these few days was not more than ten words. The longest sentence was when we first met and you asked me who I am."
JiYuan indifferently uttered an 'Oh'. Maybe because of his cold attitude towards Yun Cheng (he is 80% sure), Yun Cheng no longer try to speak with him.
The Immortal Swords assembly was not far from the Jiang residence. On that many times enlarged practice field which boasted an extremely large area, a rough glance could see that accommodating ten thousands of people was not an impossible task.
The venue of the assembly looked like a stadium that JiYuan has seen before. In the middle of the venue was a lot of raised platforms, and the surrounding area was stone steps for Spectators to sit down and watch.
JiYuan himself doesn't have any cultivation, and he was used to the sight of Ye Junchi's power. He has no interest in the fighting stances of these cultivators, so he glanced over once and stopped looking at them.
In order to regulate the level of the participants, the casual cultivators won't be going against the cultivators from prestigious families and clans right from the start. The venue was separated to two parts (lower levels fight first), and the rules of the competition were also simpler and crude. A person would go up the stage, and as long as he/she could win over 10 challengers, he/she would be eligible to participate in the main event.
There were a lot of cultivators who came to the venue, but most of them came to watch the fun. Yun Cheng brought JiYuan to squeeze through the throng of people to the casual cultivators' part (the lower level stage area), and sat down at the most front line of seats. He(YC) supported his chin with his hand and looked at the casual cultivators fighting with flashy 'ping ping pang pang' (sound effect) on the stage. A flash of undetected contempt flitted across his eyes.
"Little brother, when will you be prepared to go up there?"
Pausing, JiYuan turned sideways to glance at Yun Cheng. There were 'no ripples or waves' (no emotion) in his light-colored eyes, just like a mirror. Yun Cheng was a bit stunned by his gaze, he felt like he could see his own shadow from that pair of translucent, light-colored eyes. For a moment, he doesn't know how to start the conversation again.
Seeing that Yun Cheng stopped trying to stir things up, JiYuan turned back to the front. He carefully clutched to Gui Chi, silently praying for Ye Junchi to return to the inn as soon as possible, then come here quickly after reading the note he left on the table.
On the stages, casual cultivators were fighting intensely with various fighting methods. They probably used to fight in the wild so they started the battles with heavy hits. Very quickly, blood started to appear. JiYuan only gave the stages a few glances before shifting away his line of sight.
System gave a 'tsk' and asked, "That terrified?"
"... I am a gentleman, not used to killing scenes."
System uttered a 'qi'. [T/N : A softer version of Tsk ð ]
Yun Cheng was just sitting normally for a while, then his body shook. He pressed at his forehead and lowered his head, his forehead was wet with cold sweat. If someone paid attention, they would certainly find a wisp of black cloud over his face. Yun Cheng clenched his jaw, his expression was quite ferocious. His face showing a painful struggling expression for a long while, then Yun Cheng gradually calmed down. His brown eyes looked empty for a second, before his normal look was restored.
Slowly leaning towards JiYuan, his tone carried a smile, "Who are you waiting for? The person who was with you?"
JiYuan's pupil shrank.
"Don't wait anymore, he is dead." Yun Cheng gently laughed, an undisguised malice was shown on his face, "Killed by Jiang Miao Miao -"
A struck of lighting thundered inside JiYuan's mind. He abruptly stood up and stared at Yun Cheng in surprise, the hand shrunk inside his sleeves couldn't stop trembling. Although Yun Cheng looked a little bit strange, he looked quite modest overall. Using such strange tone to speak suddenly, is he exposing his true face, or ... what?
He(JY) moved his lips to speak but his legs suddenly felt like being controlled, abruptly walked himself up to a fighting stage. JiYuan was feeling a bit blurred, he turned around to look at Yun Cheng and saw him clasping his fist; his eyebrows were thick with gloom, the smile on his lips seemed mocking. In a flash, he has uncontrollably stood on a stage. The moment he reached the stage, a cultivator was already stabbing a sword towards JiYuan. The cultivator was shrouded in black robe, but it can be vaguely seen that she is a slender woman.
JiYuan did not pay attention to what was happening around him, he just absentmindedly asked System, "System, Yun Cheng said Ye Junchi has ... died?"
System unhesitatingly replied, "Nonsense! Don't trust him, trust your man."
"I trust your mother ... ah!"
Just as the sword came very close to his face, JiYuan immediately came back to reality. Knowing that he himself is a weak chicken, and that anyone also could casually poke him to death, JiYuan tried to dodge the tip of the sword when he heard a 'Dang!' sound. Gui Chi which was wrapped very tightly with a cloth flew out from his back, steadily blocked the sword.
System was relieved, "Towards you, Big bro really took a lot of trouble. Giving you his own sword, and let such a spiritual sword to protect you. Are you really not considering marriage? If you get married (to YJC), I could get some bonus, it's the best of three worlds ah..."
When her stab was blocked, the cultivator thrust another stab, each moves were ruthless with killing intent. JiYuan practiced 'Sanda' before, so his moves at lowering down his chest, dodging then stood up were quite agile. But his hand that was holding Gui Chi, uncontrollably lifted up and slashed down.
He spat out, "pei Marry your grandfather! If you want a marriage, then you marry. After I left this world, you can take this body and play all you want yourself."
"The thing the other person liked was not your body, what's the use of your empty shell?"
".... Ha?" JiYuan's footsteps paused, "What did you said? Like? Ye Junchi liked me? Ha ha ha ha ha System I am fighting now don't crack a joke with me now."
System : "You are having a guilty conscience now."
JiYuan silently ignored its words. The casual cultivator on the other hand became more agitated when none of her attacks actually hit him. Her attacks became increasingly ruthless, though her stances turned a bit chaotic. They ran a few rounds on the stage, the spectators keep boo-ing and jeering. Taking advantage of an opening from the stance, Gui Chi controlled JiYuan's attack and ruthless struck out. Looking from the posture, it was aiming to kill.
Surprised, JiYuan used his whole body strength to pull back the uncontrollable sword. Gui Chi was like a willful child, after getting into a stalemate with JiYuan for a short moment, it aggrievedly gave way. But at the same time, JiYuan was pulling backwards with force so he caught unprepared and heavily fell down onto the ground. The pain was so intense, he sucked in a cold breath ...
The casual cultivator who just got back her life didn't stop attacking, but immediately uttered a 'Ha!' sound, and stabbed towards the JiYuan who was lying on the ground without any defense. JiYuan didn't expect that this Miss would be returning good will with hatred, he gently hissed, then subconsciously raised Gui Chi to block the attack. Then 'RIIIIP', a sound of cloth tearing could be heard â
The cloth used to wrap all over Gui Chi was ripped.
Gui Chi's name stayed in the Top 10 Magic Weapon chart in the cultivation world. Even though most people never seen the real thing before, it was quite possible that half of the people in the assembly today who could recognize it in one glance.
JiYuan's heart thumped, he immediately retrieved the sword back into his arms, rolling to a side in a sorry manner. The sword stabbed deep into the stage's stone floor. If not for Gui Chi first blocked a portion of the attack, this sword would fiercely pierce through JiYuan's body. JiYuan couldn't help frowning, "This Miss, do you have any grudges with me?"
The casual cultivator slowly pulled out her sword from the ground. With a sneer, she flipped open the hood of her black robe, revealing a face that still could be considered beautiful and cute.
... a bit familiar.
Then, it means this is really a enemy?! From the Ji family?
JiYuan was still stupidly stunned, when he heard System's voice, "Indeed, it's those few casual cultivators from last time! This is some 'good' they have done. This little girl was directing her attack on your sword just now. It seems that she wanted to see the appearance of your sword underneath the layer of cloth. The motive has been identified."
As soon as System mentioned it, JiYuan started to recall. This person in front seemed to be sister of the dude who Ye Junchi has gotten rid of... no wonder, each attack was fiercely and fatal. JiYuan was a bit helpless, he doesn't wanted to hit a woman, plus a common mortal like him couldn't really go against a cultivator.
The cloth covering Gui Chi was torn almost to shreds. Later when the girl attack again, and the cloth flies away, the thousands of cultivators present in the assembly would find out that he is holding the demon lord's sword...
That would be a big news.
When JiYuan thought of the consequences of exposing Gui Chi, he shivered. Tightly clinging to Gui Chi, he said in a low voice, "I admit defeat."
According to the rules of the assembly, if one side admitted defeat, the other side will not be able to attack again. JiYuan nodded to the girl who was looking ashen. Even though his hair and robe was in a sorry mess, his temperament was cold and quiet as usual. Just when JiYuan almost walked to the side of the stone stage, a hint of confusion flashed through the woman's eyes. She called out in a high-pitched voice, "You...."
JiYuan turned back to look at her quietly.
The woman blankly looked at JiYuan for a moment, then her expression sharpened. She screamed shrilly, "Slut! Return my big brother's life!"
As soon as she finished her words, she struck out with any further talking towards the unprepared JiYuan. The moment this sword struck its mark, JiYuan would be pierced and immediately take his last breath.
System sighed, "Don't be sad, I still remember the reincarnation chants."
JiYuan heard it until he get a headache, "Shut the fxck up!"
System : "... why didn't you ask if you should say it?"
JiYuan coldly replied, "Because I need to say it."
[T/N : For those who don't understand or couldn't remember, whenever JiYuan wanted to say the F-word, he usually say 'I have an F-word not sure if I should say it' :v But JiYuan really wanted to say the F-word this time XD]
Everything happened in the blink of an eye, JiYuan only have time to converse a few seconds with System. The sword's killing intent was really forceful, so except from tightly clinging to Gui Chi, he couldn't even move his footsteps. JiYuan unconsciously opened his eyes widely.
He doesn't want to die.
His body was trembling a bit. In his eyes, the incoming sword was enlarged numerous times, it felt like an overwhelming sword covering the skies. In trance, JiYuan seemed to notice that the hilt of this high quality sword, there was a small cloud pattern. The next moment, it was all darkness in front of his eyes.
JiYuan's voice was shaking, "System, why can't I feel any pain? Am I dead?"
System went silent for a moment, then said, "Didn't die, what a pity. You only see a piece of darkness, right? That is because someone covered your eyes..."
In the midst of the sudden fear, his 5 senses went on strike but now that they have returned, JiYuan took a deep breath and realized that his eyes were covered by a warm palm. When the sense of sight was blocked, the sense of smell would became much more sensitive. His nose unconsciously twitched, he smell a hint of light and nice smell of rosin. JiYuan paused, he tugged away the hand covering his eyes. That hand was quite accommodating, it left his eyes and turned to clasp at his waist instead.
He(JY) doesn't care about that and looked up. Then he found out that the man behind him has only lifted a long, slender finger. The finger pointed emptily in the air, suspending that sword which was condensated with spiritual power in mid-air.
A lock of long and soft black hairs hung softly from the man's head over JiYuan's face and neck. The itch could be felt deep in his heart. They were standing too close, so much that JiYuan felt like he could hear the sound of that strong heartbeat of that man. JiYuan stood blankly, his lips unconsciously trembled. His nose felt acidic and tingly, the rim of his eyes abruptly reddened.
The man behind him coldly humphed. His finger pointed again and brought the sword down and crushing it on the ground. It scared the female cultivator to turn pale white. The man slowly opened his mouth, in that magnetic elegant voice which usually calm and carrying smiles in it, there was a thread of thick killing intent, "You dared to touch him?"