Chapter 13: CH 12

Ji Chaoyun exhaled in a rush, his heart pounding quickly.

Luo Huan Building was so quiet, one could hear a needle drop. Even Bi Luo, up on stage, was stunned for a long time before reporting the latest offer by Feng Qi.

This time, there was no one who dared to compete with him.

After a final call from the stage, Feng Qi chuckled and patted Ji Chaoyun on the shoulder. “Don’t forget what you promised me just now.”

After that, he got up and walked out.

After the bid was successful, he needed to follow one of the attendant girls to pick up the goods, but Ji Chaoyun didn’t want to stay alone in Luo Huan Building. After promising in every possible way that he would not run around, Feng Qi finally agreed for him to wait outside.

Watching Ji Chaoyun walk out of Luo Huan Building, Feng Qi followed the little beauty to the back of the courtyard.

Luo Huan Building’s back courtyard was much quieter than the front hall. Passing through the carved arches and the porch, there was a row of houses in a neat line, a wooden sign hanging on each door.

This was the true play store of Luo Huan Building.

The girl steadily led Feng Qi to the deepest room in the backyard without looking back at him.

As soon as they walked to the door, it swung open.

The girl bowed and left. Feng Qi stepped into the house and first smelled the faint fragrance of peach blossoms. On a soft couch within the room laid a slender beauty reclining on it.

The woman wore a long, peach-pink dress, a peach blossom pin in her hair. Half of her hair was tied up in a bun while the other half was loose and scattered, giving off a sense of laziness.

She raised those apricot eyes of hers, yawned, and sat up as if she hadn’t yet woken up from her sleep. “They told me that you were coming, and I still didn’t believe it. My little beauties said that you brought a man here, and I couldn’t believe it.”

Feng Qi took off his mask and raised an eyebrow at the woman. “Now you believe it?”

“I still don’t dare to believe it,” the woman said quietly. “Five thousand high-grade spiritual stones, in exchange for a purse. When did the Second Highness Feng become a fool?”

Feng Qi chuckled. “I just came to get a new item to make my family’s darling happy. He wants it, so I will buy it for him. It’s as simple as that. Ah Tao, don’t you understand?”

“Throwing out gold for a beauty. This is indeed the style of Second Highness Feng.” Ah Tao opened her palm, and a purse embroidered with a phoenix pattern appeared in her hand. “But… Does Your Highness know what this thing is?”

Feng Qi said truthfully, “I don’t know.”

“What a coincidence, I don’t know either,” Ah Tao said. “There is a powerful seal on this purse. I have tried many methods, but I still can’t open it. Your Second Highness Feng’s gain may not be worth that much this time.”

Feng Qi frowned. “But you set a high price.”

“If I could have opened this thing, I would have given it an even higher price.” Ah Tao threw the object to Feng Qi and said, “That seal is a divine deed.”

Feng Qi froze.

Ah Tao said, “Your family’s beauty has good vision. Since being in Luo Huan Building, I have never come across goods from the Heaven’s Domain. To think it caught his eye at a glance.”

Feng Qi only felt that the thing in his hand weighed a thousand catties. He paused before asking in a hoarse voice, “This item… belongs to a certain god?”

In fact, there was no need to ask these words at all. The moment he held the purse, he felt an extremely powerful force. That power was definitely not what an ordinary immortal would have. This was divine power.

Ah Tao: “Perhaps. If you can find a way to open it, you must tell me what’s inside.”

“I will.” Feng Qi put away the purse. His expression returned to normal. “The spiritual stones will be delivered in three days, thank you for that.”

“Again on credit… You’re taking advantage of the fact that I like you.” Ah Tao coldly sent him away. “Won’t be sending you off myself.”

Feng Qi turned around and headed out.

It was still daytime, and there was no one in Luo Huan Building’s backyard. Feng Qi lowered his head and stared at the purse in his hand, his expression momentarily complicated.

He stared at it for a long time. As if in a daze, he gently pulled the strings.

He didn’t expect that this purse, that Ah Tao had mentioned no one could open, would be

so easily opened by him.

In the purse, a golden-red phoenix feather laid within.

Feng Qi’s expression drastically changed.

.

On the other side, Ji Chaoyun was still standing outside Luo Huan Building as he waited. After the auction room had ended, those who had no intention of seeking pleasure left one after another. Luo Huan Building’s exterior quickly returned to its original clean state.

He watched the people coming and going on the long street, and sighed imperceptibly.

After all the hardships to enter Hongmeng Academy, it was still unknown whether he could really stay. Now he even owed such a large debt.

What was all of this about?

Suddenly, Ji Chaoyun’s expression shifted, and he vaguely felt something strange.

Someone was staring at him.

Ji Chaoyun looked around. Street vendors hawked along the streets, and pedestrians came one after another. It looked the same as before, but the feeling of being secretly spied on still lingered.

At this moment, a dark shadow flashed past the narrow alley next to Luo Huan Building.

Ji Chaoyun thought for a moment, then quietly followed.

The alley was secluded. In the past, no one ever passed it so a lot of debris and dust had piled up on the ground. Ji Chaoyun carefully stepped over the litter, and was turning at the corner of the dark alley when he heard the sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air.

He instinctively blocked the attack with his sword when he saw the person in front of him— a black hooded robe and a black mask was hiding his face.

Ji Chaoyun’s heart pounded.

Broken memories of the past emerged without warning. Rainy nights, footsteps, men in black… In his previous life, in the mortal world, he had never cultivated. Facing those high-level assassins, he had no power to fight back, not even able to clearly see the face of his opponent.

Was it the same person again?

This thought flashed in Ji Chaoyun’s heart for a moment, and he subconsciously swung his sword to counterattack. The shadows of the swords in the dark alley left dazzling sparks. The two quickly exchanged several moves, but the more they fought, the more puzzled Ji Chaoyun became.

This sword style was not as murderous as the men in black that had attacked him before. This was even… quite familiar?

The blades engulfed in spiritual power struck each other, and the two retreated a few steps at the same time. Ji Chaoyun suddenly had the answer flash in his mind.

The latter also seemed to have realized something, and any movement suddenly stopped.

“You…” Ji Chaoyun spoke in confusion, but before he could finish speaking, the latter turned and rose into the air, about to disappear from his sight.

In the next second, a golden light flew obliquely from the alleyway, binding the black-robed man who had firmly jumped into the air.

The black-robed man fell to the ground, embarrassingly rolling on the lane a few times before stopping by Ji Chaoyun’s feet.

The eyes of the two briefly met. Bearing a guilty conscience, the black-robed man looked away.

Feng Qi strolled in from the entrance of the alley and stepped on the stranger’s chest. “Where did this little thief come from? Daring to act in this sea marketplace, you don’t want to live anymore?”

The black-robed man groaned after being stepped on, but didn’t answer.

Feng Qi exerted further force to his foot, icily stating, “Speak. Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?”

In a weak voice, Ji Chaoyun requested, “Wait… Feng Qi, he seems to be…”

“Shut up,” Feng Qi reprimanded. “Didn’t I ask you to wait for me outside Luo Huan Building? Why are you running around by yourself?”

“…” Ji Chaoyun looked very hesitant. He looked at the man in the black robe, looked up at Feng Qi, and whispered, “We… may know him.”

Feng Qi suspiciously raised his eyebrows. He bent down, and pulled off the mask of the man.

A familiar face appeared.

“—Jiang Cheng?!” Feng Qi was surprised. “Are you sick, dressing like this?”

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth, his face flushing red. “You dead phoenix, take your foot away from me!” 1

Feng Qi stepped back and smoothly took away the golden chain that bound Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng quickly got up. He had just rolled on the ground several times; his body was covered with dust, there was a footprint on his chest, and he looked particularly embarrassed.

Feng Qi looked at him up and down for a long while, vaguely understanding things. He joked, “What, Dufeng Island is finally bankrupt, and has to send their young master out to block the road and steal to make a living?”

“Fuck off. Even if the Feng clan goes bankrupt, we won’t!” Jiang Cheng took back his mask, glanced at Ji Chaoyun, and said with a guilty conscience, “It’s just a little misunderstanding. I have something to do. Will leave first.”

“Stop.” Feng Qi stopped in front of him and said slowly, “I’m afraid it’s not just a misunderstanding, right? You just came out of Luo Huan Building?”

Jiang Cheng flatly replied, “What Luo Huan Building, I don’t know, I haven’t been in.”

“If you haven’t been in, why do you have the unique incense from Luo Huan Building on your body?”

Jiang Cheng was startled. He subconsciously sniffed his clothes. “How can there be the smell of incense… Are you a dog, such a good nose?!”

Feng Qi calmly explained, “I didn’t smell it, I lied to you.”

Jiang Cheng: “…”

Feng Qi said, “Since you admit that you have been to Luo Huan Building, things are easier to handle. Am I right, Number 22?”

Ji Chaoyun was surprised. “You are that Number 22?”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes avoided their own. He refused to admit it. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Feng Qi was not surprised by his reaction. “If you don’t recognize it, do you want me to take you back to Luo Huan Building to find a little beauty as a testimony? If it’s really not you, I’ll return Young Master Jiang’s innocence.”

Jiang Cheng couldn’t hold on to his face2. Annoyed to anger, he scolded, “So what if it’s me? Luo Huan Building opened its door to do business. What’s the problem with me coming to participate in the auction?”

“Why is it okay?” Feng Qi gritted his teeth. “You idiot. You have cost me more than two thousand spiritual stones in vain. Shouldn’t you pay this bill?”

Jiang Cheng said in annoyance, “What shit. I didn’t know that it was you! If I knew, I wouldn’t have—”

His voice abruptly stopped.

Usually, Jiang Cheng was used to showing off in the academy. It was rare for him to have this guilty look. His eyes shifted from left to right, not daring to look at the two people in front of him.

Ji Chaoyun questioned, “Why did you go and bid? And why did you attack me just now?”

Jiang Cheng did not answer, but Feng Qi replied in his stead, “Since you don’t want to tell, then I will do it for you. Someone indulges his subordinate’s reckless behavior. Now his conscience finds that he wants to make up for it, but he didn’t expect his bid to lose to me, so he wanted to play some tricks. He might have heard about our relationship in Luo Huan Building but was unsure of our identity, so he wanted to attack you to force me to hand over the item.”

Jiang Cheng was furious. “This young master doesn’t do that kind of a thing. I wanted to talk to you before buying the stuff back!”

Feng Qi laughed. “Fine. Give me six thousand spiritual stones, and I will sell it to you.”

Jiang Cheng was shocked by his shamelessness. “You rotten phoenix, how shameless can you be! Besides, if it wasn’t for you who kept raising the price, I could have won it in less than three thousand!”

“Say it straight if you can’t afford it.” Feng Qi tilted his head and smiled. “Well, as I know that Young Master Jiang is poor, I’ll give you a discount. Three thousand spiritual stones, how about that?”

“That’s more like it…” Jiang Cheng nodded, and immediately realized that something was wrong. “Wait, you both bought the item already. Why should I give you money?”

Feng Qi spread his hands. “Didn’t Young Master Jiang say that he wants to buy it back? Taking your words back now?”

Jiang Cheng didn’t want to entangle with Feng Qi anymore. His head was hurting. “Fine, fine. You give me two days, and I will give you the spiritual stones.”

“Will wait for the good news.”

Jiang Cheng snorted, then turned to look at Ji Chaoyun. The latter stood silently, saying nothing. Jiang Cheng’s lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent and quickly left the dark alley.

Feng Qi stared at Jiang Cheng’s back and grinned. “Look, isn’t someone sending money to our door automatically?”

Ji Chaoyun hesitated. “Why would he…”

“Why do you care about him?” Feng Qi glanced at Ji Chaoyun intentionally or unintentionally, and vaguely said, “He is a man who is accustomed to being domineering, and he is the most face-saving. He can make things difficult for you in front of others, but he will never endure other people’s trickery. This kind of insidious trick… Anyway, this person is very annoying. Keep away from him.”

Ji Chaoyun silently looked at him.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

Ji Chaoyun averted his gaze, expressionlessly stating, “No, I just feel that the phrase ‘arrogant and domineering’ coming out of your mouth is a bit strange.”

Feng Qi: “Are you indirectly scolding me?”

“…No.”

Feng Qi looked at him suspiciously, and decided not to continue the argument. He simply took out the purse from his sleeve and handed it back to Ji Chaoyun.

The purse had been re-fastened, and there was no trace of it being opened. Ji Chaoyun held his purse tightly, felt the slight heat from inside, and finally calmed down from his uneasy mood.

Ji Chaoyun: “Thank you.”

Feng Qi didn’t say a word. He watched Ji Chaoyun’s appearance, and with a little bit of sourness, he asked, “What the hell is this that makes you treasure it so much?”

“This is… from a friend of mine.”

Feng Qi asked, “What friend? Who is he? Do you have a good relationship? How did you meet?”

“…”

Feng Qi coughed lightly. “Just simply asking.”

Ji Chaoyun placed his purse carefully back into his sleeve and apologised in a soft tone, “Sorry, his identity… is not convenient to say.”

Feng Qi’s brows subtly furrowed.

The feather plume in that purse was something that all Feng clan members possessed. With the faint divine power attached to the feather plume, it showed that its owner’s status was extraordinary.

If he really was a person from Heaven’s Domain, Ji Chaoyun mentioning that it was inconvenient to say was indeed not a lie.

But he was just a demonic dragon. How could he know someone from Heaven’s Domain? What was their relationship?

Feng Qi felt a slight displeasure in his heart, but he did not show it, only saying as usual, “Well, it’s late. Let’s head back to the academy.”  3

“Alright.”

When the two returned to the academy, it was past haishi4. After the evening class ended, there was a curfew in the academy. There were no people in sight on the main peak, only a few dim lights hanging on both sides of the road.

Ji Chaoyun subconsciously walked towards the direction of Dengyun Tower, but was held by Feng Qi and then led back. “Where are you going?”

“Dengyun Tower.”

“What are you going to do in Dengyun Tower?”

Ji Chaoyun didn’t understand what he was looking for, and stared at him blankly. “Should I not go to Dengyun Tower?”

Feng Qi righteously exclaimed, “Forgot what you promised me at the auction site? You sold yourself to me to pay off the debt. Before the debt is paid off, you will naturally be my attendant and serve me personally day and night.”

“…”

Feng Qi walked back and smiled in satisfaction. “Come. Go back to Wenqu Peak with me.”

The author has something to say:

Phoenix: Day and night. Close to the body. Serving. Remember wo~

Little Dragon: …This person is indeed really annoying

Cohabitation get√

Amber: This and the previous chapter were the reason why I wanted to translate this novel hehee

Bubbles: So he’s been stepping on him throughout? LMAOOOO

Aka pride.

Musk: lmaooo is he jealous of himself

9-11pm.