CH 3

Translator: Amber.es | Editor: Bubbles | Proofreader: musk

It wasn’t until Feng Qi stepped onto the white jade stage that Ji Chaoyun woke up from his daze.

That face was exactly as per his memory, but other than that, it was not at all familiar.

That person would never look at him in such a way.

Ji Chaoyun’s turbulent mood slowly calmed down. He watched the other party stand in front of him, shaking his right wrist slightly. The scarlet gold bracelet tied around his wrist fell down, turning into a long whip.

The golden spiritual light of the long whip quickly faded, revealing a slender whip thong entwined with gold threads.

“I, I’m not…”

Ji Chaoyun’s eyes moved slightly, about to explain something, when the golden gong sounded and the third match began.

Before he could react, he felt a strong wind approaching him.

Years of martial arts practice made Ji Chaoyun instinctively lift his sword to block. The whip slid against the long blade, sparks bursting from the clash of weapons. Ji Chaoyun staggered two steps back. In his heart, he instantly felt an unusual aura surging.

The strength of this person was completely different from the previous two.

Ji Chaoyun closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.

He couldn’t go on like this.

If this went on, he would truly be driven away.

He needed to enter Hongmeng Academy.

Ji Chaoyun took a deep breath. Flicking his eyes up, the momentum of his whole body changed. The sword that was previously brushed aside changed direction and stabbed towards Feng Qi without any hesitation.

Ji Chaoyun had fought for two consecutive matches, one of which was against the tenth-ranked master of the academy. His physical exertion could be imagined.

The people in the audience, however, suddenly realised that this person had not used his full strength at all in the prior matches!

There was a sharp sound from the sword’s blade cutting through the void, and Ji Chaoyun’s movements were faster than before. Quickly, it approached Feng Qi’s side. The hearts of the spectators were tense, but Feng Qi just took a half step to the side without a hurry, and gathered the long whip to protect his side, subtly dissolving the opponent’s menacing sword intent.

Then, Feng Qi changed his previous tactic, only defending but not attacking, forced by Ji Chaoyun to retreat step by step.

In the audience, someone suddenly let out a loud laugh. “Second Highness Feng, you’re obviously making things easy for him.”

The joking words were exclaimed by the same disciple who’d come down from Dengyun Tower with Feng Qi.

This group of people had followed Feng Qi throughout the years and unlike others who were afraid of him, they even started teasing, “Your Highness has learned to pity and cherish jade.1 Although this isn’t a big competition, it wouldn’t look good if you lose. Don’t be impulsive.”

“First defeating Jiang Cheng, then Feng Qi. Might as well change the owner of Dengyun Tower to this little newcomer.”

“Everyone, shut up!”

Ji Chaoyun had been forced to exert all his strength. Even when facing such swift sword attacks, Feng Qi could split his attention to curse and laugh with the audience. Just as he turned his head back, Ji Chaoyun’s long sword had reached his side, about to pierce Feng Qi’s neck.

Ji Chaoyun’s eyes flashed, and the sword’s edge suddenly stopped!

In such a highly-focused duel, any flaws and hesitations would become fatal. The next second, Feng Qi waved the long whip in his hand, tightly wrapping around Ji Chaoyun’s sword.

“If you didn’t hesitate, it would have been your only chance to win,” Feng Qi spoke, with a trace of regret in his eyes. “Based on the fact that you haven’t enrolled yet, I gave you nine moves. It’s a pity… I still have something to do. Apologies.”

As Feng Qi’s voice fell, his whip suddenly tightened around the sword. Before Ji Chaoyun could react, he suddenly felt a sharp tingling pain coming from the back of his hand.

Though the long whip in Feng Qi’s hand looked malleable, it was in fact made of some kind of extremely scorching iron, and was extremely tough. After Ji Chaoyun bore this blow, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. The sword fell from his grasp.

He subconsciously leaned forward, but with the wind swept out by the opponent, he stumbled a few steps back.

Behind him was the edge of the ring!

Ji Chaoyun’s body lost its balance and fell quickly, about to completely drop off the high platform. A hand suddenly stretched out and firmly grasped his arm.

The palm of the other was warm and dry. In this short distance, Ji Chaoyun could see in the other’s eyes a faint smile that had never changed.

This face was outstanding and handsome. When he smiled, it added a touch of seductiveness. But this smile didn’t make people feel as though it were easy for them to get close at all. On the contrary, the unfamiliarity and coldness in his eyes were so dazzling that people could hardly breathe.

Feng Qi looked down at him. He said softly, “You lost.”

At the same time, Ji Chaoyun’s sword fell to the ground, reverberating with a crisp sound on the silent white jade platform.

His body left the ring, and his weapon fell on the ground; they were rules he’d set himself. There was no doubt that he lost.

“Your martial arts are good, but unfortunately, you met me.” Feng Qi raised his hand, and the sword that fell was lifted by blue smoke and returned to his hand. He held the hilt and handed it to Ji Chaoyun. “Come back in a hundred years.”

Ji Chaoyun took the sword. The person in front of him left easily, turning and walking down the stage.

He hurriedly caught up. “You… Are you from the Feng clan?”

Feng Qi paused, then turned. “Yes. What’s the matter?”

“Then you…” Ji Chaoyun looked at this overly familiar face, his voice trembled slightly. “Don’t you recognise me?”

Feng Qi looked at him for a moment. He asked, “Should I know you?”

“I—”

As the two talked, a crowd had gathered. Feng Qi glanced around and chuckled. “It doesn’t matter, you are not the first person who wants to strike up a conversation with me. But you still… choose a not so old-fashioned way.”

“…Who doesn’t know that the dragon and the phoenix clans have been fighting with each other for a long time. The children of the phoenix clan are forbidden to privately befriend anyone from the dragon clan. Little demon dragon, don’t hurt me ah.”

Ji Chaoyun’s voice was stuck in his throat. “Feng…”

But Feng Qi ignored him and turned to walk down the steps.

“Chaoyun, Chaoyun? Are you okay?!” Ye Chenxing squeezed past the crowd and came to Ji Chaoyun’s side with worry in his eyes. “Why’s your face so pale? Are you hurt? I’ll send you back to rest.”

“No need.” Ji Chaoyun pushed Ye Chenxing’s hand away, his eyes fixed on the distance. “You continue… I, I shall take my leave.”

“But—”

Ye Chenxing wanted to say more, when from the high jade stage, the appointed disciple called out his name.

He was the next freshman to participate in the assessment.

“Tsk.” Ye Chenxing turned to Ji Chaoyun and shouted loudly, “Chaoyun, please go back to Changqing Garden to wait for me. I will come to you after I finish my assessment!”

Ji Chaoyun did not respond. He left the ring without looking back.

The test arena was located at the open square in the front mountain of Hongmeng Academy. At the end of the square was the tens of thousands steps in front of the mountain gate. Ji Chaoyun brushed past the crowd, but the light golden figure just now was nowhere to be found.

The golden gong sounded again in the distance, and the white jade stage opened a new round of assessment amidst the voices. Behind the elevated platform, a towering palace carved with white jade stood on top of the mountain, surrounded by several peaks, quietly hanging beside the main summit.

Gazing at the sight in front, the entire Hongmeng Mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, as if standing amidst the clouds.

Ji Chaoyun reached into his sleeves and took out the purse.

The golden phoenix feather within was still exuding a slight warmth, but other than that, nothing had changed.

It was really not him.

Ji Chaoyun had lived two lives.

In his previous life, he’d stayed in the mortal realm and waited for his return, according to their agreement. But even after three hundred years had passed, instead of waiting for the person he so yearned for, he ended up waiting for a murderous disaster. The plumes of a phoenix were the rarest treasure in the world. It was also the source of his life.

Fortunately, thanks to fate, he was reborn and returned to a hundred years prior to his death.

In this life, he practiced assiduously, spent a hundred years splitting from his demonic body, ascended into an immortal, and finally came to Hongmeng Academy.

A pity it all still fell short.

Ji Chaoyun slowly tightened his fingers until he felt the tingling pain from his right hand. He looked down, and on the back of his palm, a bloody trail went from the back of his hand to his wrist bone. The injury was already red and swollen.

The sharp tingling pain continued to spread into his heart. Looking at the red and swollen wound, Ji Chaoyun gritted his teeth and his eyes gradually turned red.

He didn’t see it, but a figure stood under the ancient pine tree not far behind him, staring quietly in his direction.

Feng Qi stared at the thin figure, and was about to step forward, when a voice came from behind, “Your Highness, the Honorable Immortal’s discussion is over, and wishes for you to see them. What are you… what are you looking at?”

Feng Qi retracted his gaze. “Nothing,” he brushed it off.

The person next to him followed his gaze. Surprised, he asked, “Isn’t that the surnamed Ji—”

Feng Qi turned around and left. The man realised something and smiled as he caught up with him. “That kid is really good-looking. If you also like him, then why are you so ruthless? Just let him come to enroll.”

“Stop it. Do you really think this Highness is like you, whom to men and women alike is not untouchable?” Feng Qi jokingly cursed as he walked forward, never turning his head.

“…What’s more, it’s still a dragon demon.”

.

Only when the sun fell did Ji Chaoyun return to Changqing Garden.

The assessments were completely over. Inside Changqing Garden, some were happy, while others worried. The wandering immortals who’d passed the assessment had been assigned an entry token to enter Hongmeng Academy’s enchantment to report to the academy. Those who failed the assessment would have to pack their things and head down the mountain.

Ji Chaoyun lowered his head and passed the noisy crowd, entering the room he’d stayed in when he was stopped from behind.

“Chaoyun!” Ye Chenxing hurriedly ran towards him. Ji Chaoyun turned and saw an extra pass around his waist.

He had passed the assessment.

Ji Chaoyun’s lips curled. He sincerely said, “Congratulations.”

“Congratulations to you, too.” Ye Chenxing held his shoulders affectionately and pushed him into the room. “Where have you been, I’ve been looking for you for a long time. Yao Guang-jun, who just came to distribute the passes, was looking for you. Since you hadn’t returned, he gave it to me. Here, it’s yours.”

He took out a pass token from his sleeve and handed it to Ji Chaoyun.

Ji Chaoyun was startled. He reached out to take it.

Hongmeng Academy’s pass token was transparent, filled with spiritual power. Ji Chaoyun turned it around and saw that his name was indeed engraved on its back.

How could… Was it not a rule that only those with three consecutive victories could be enrolled?

“You fought so well today. It would be unfair if you were not allowed to enter the school. Yao Guang-jun said that because you performed well in the ring, the academy made an exception to allow you admittance.” Seeing what he was thinking, Ye Chenxing explained, “I’ve inquired, the disciples of Hongmeng Academy are divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. The disciples originally in charge of assessing the new people had to be from the ‘Yellow’ level. But today, those three people that you fought with were all at the ‘Heaven’ level. Otherwise, how could they have bullied you so much?”

When he said this, his voice was slightly lowered, “Moreover, if it were not for the Flower Peacock, you wouldn’t have lost the last round.”

“…Flower Peacock?”

“They all call him that,” Ye Chenxing said. “That person is Feng Qi. I heard he’s the second prince of the Feng clan. He has been at the top of the rankings for the past fifty years. Not to mention, even if we all combined our forces together, we still wouldn’t necessarily be able to beat him.”

“So his name is Feng Qi…”

“He’s still a phoenix but where does he look like the ones from the legend? He swaggers through the market all day. Saying that he’s a peacock is not wrong at all,” Ye Chenxing said. “Alright, it’s getting late. Pack up your things and go up the mountain with me. We’re waiting for you.”

When Ji Chaoyun arrived, they didn’t bring much with them. The two of them simply packed up, climbed up the 10,000-level stone steps, and came to the square where they had previously participated in the assessment.

The two of them had arrived late; the admission reporting time was almost over. The noisy crowd in the square had dispersed, and in front of the white jade stage, only two appointed disciples, one tall and one short, were still waiting for the reportees.

Ji Chaoyun stepped forward, but his eyelids twitched.

These two people had entered and exited with Jiang Cheng earlier. They were basically Jiang Cheng’s men.

However, the two disciples did not show anything unusual. They nodded at them and started to explain a few things to note after enrolment, as per usual. Then, the tall disciple took the bamboo sticks cylinder2 from the side and handed it to the two of them.

In the cylinder were only two bamboo sticks.

The disciple named Xu Zixing explained without hesitation, “The rules of Hongmeng Academy require a draw of ballots to allocate the disciples to their courtyards. Since you two came late, the others have been taken away. Only these two are left.”

Ji Chaoyun and Ye Chenxing looked at each other, and saw similar hesitation in each other’s eyes. Ji Chaoyun shook his head imperceptibly, and took the lead in picking a bamboo stick, holding it in his hand.

“Pojun Peak, No. 12 Courtyard. Chaoyun, what’s your number?” Ye Chenxing took the last stick, and immediately turned his head to ask Ji Chaoyun after reading it.

Ji Chaoyun unfolded the bamboo stick in his hand, but it was a blank piece; nothing was written on it.

Ye Chenxing frowned, and was about to say something, but was stopped by Ji Chaoyun. He raised his eyes to the two disciples and asked calmly, “What is this?”

“You got a blank stick?” Xu Zixing was not surprised. He explained with a smile, “There are a total of 27 new students this year, and every two will be assigned to a courtyard. There’ll be one who’ll be alone, and has to stay with the other single disciple of the previous enrolment year.”

He raised his hand and waved. The bamboo sticks in the hands of the two turned into a gleam and sank into the jade tokens on their waists. “…The two of you can now enter the teleportation circle next to us. It will take you to your respective residences.”

“You—”

“Ye Chenxing.” Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes. “Forget it.”

“How can I forget it?” Ye Chenxing refused to give up. “There’s nothing written on your stick. Only ghosts will know where they’ll assign you. Where’s Yao Guang-jun? I want to see him!”

“Xianzun is busy with important matters. How can he have time to meet a freshman?” Xu Zixing said. “Since you have entered the big gate of my Hongmeng Academy, you must act according to our rules. If you don’t want to go, leave the pass token and leave Hongmeng Academy.”

“You guys—”

Ji Chaoyun interrupted him. “It’s okay, I’ll go.”

“Chaoyun!”

“It is a blessing to be able to go to school. It does not matter where I live,” Ji Chaoyun told Ye Chenxing. “You and I have just entered school, don’t cause trouble. I shall see you tomorrow.”

After saying so, he raised his eyes, giving a profound stare at the two disciples. He stepped into the teleportation formation, Ye Chenxing snorting coldly as he followed into the array.

The two figures disappeared. The disciple who had never spoken had a lingering fear. “Brother Xu, don’t you think this trick is a bit too cruel? If you annoy that one…”

“There is Brother Jiang here, what are you afraid of? Who told this surnamed Ji to fight Brother Jiang. He deserves it. There’s going to be a good show soon.”

Xu Zixing said triumphantly, sat back into his original position and stretched his waist. “It’s finally over, we’re—! Ouch! Fuck, what’s biting me?!”

“Where? There’s nothing?”

“Clothes, it got inside my clothes! Ah, it bit me again!”

“Don’t move, don’t move. Let me see—”

.

When Ji Chaoyun opened his eyes again, his surroundings were completely different from before.

The frost and snow in the mountains in front of Hongmeng Academy did not melt all year round, but the climate here was warm, nourished by the lush trees on both sides of the road. Presently, it was sunset, and the horizon was dyed red by the setting sun, the afterglow shining upon the forest, revealing a bit of unseen mountain scenery on earth.

Ji Chaoyun had lived in the mortal realm for many years. After his ascension, he had never returned. When he saw such a scene, he felt a little nostalgic.

But… Why did they send him here?

From the attitude of those two, even if Ji Chaoyun stepped through the teleportation circle and saw a simple and dilapidated thatched hut, he would not be surprised.

It made no sense to be in such a good place.

Ji Chaoyun continued to walk along the mountain road, until a green bamboo forest opened up in front. The green bamboo had new sprouts, and the fragrance of the bamboo leaves spread throughout the air. A courtyard stood quietly in the depths of the bamboo forest.

Outside the courtyard, a wooden sign carried a few large characters: “Wenqu Peak, No. 1 courtyard.”

Was this really a disciple’s courtyard?

Ji Chaoyun opened the concealed courtyard’s door and walked in.

Though said to be a disciple’s residence, it looked more like the mansion of a wealthy man in the mortal realm. Inside, the flowers and grass were lush and plentiful, a sycamore tree stood in the courtyard, while tall shrubs made shade from the sun. Under the sycamore tree, a bamboo couch was placed by the lotus pond, and a pot of wine was still being warmed on the small table beside it.

There was none of Hongmeng Academy’s bitter frost.

The owner of the courtyard didn’t seem to be at home. Ji Chaoyun stood still by the stone bridge, waiting quietly.

That pool of golden-tailed koi had never seen outsiders. They curiously poked their heads from the water surface.

Ji Chaoyun had always been very fond of aquariums. He grabbed the bait by the stone bridge and threw it into the water.

The host here even used the freshest of small fish, shrimp and pine nuts to feed these fish. Fried with special spices, it truly smelt delicious. Ji Chaoyun squatted by the bridge, looking down at the bait in his hand, and swallowed unconsciously.

A gasp of koi fish ate better than him.

In his heart, Ji Chaoyun had a fight between heaven and man for a while. He hardened his heart and sprinkled all the bait in his hand into the lotus pond. At least he didn’t make the embarrassing move of rushing to eat with the fish.

He stood up, but heard a faint sound of running water coming from behind the houses.

Ji Chaoyun followed the sound of the water, passing by the houses in front and behind the courtyard. A secluded path extended to the depths of the forest. The deeper the path went, the mistier it became. Ji Chaoyun only realised later that this path led to a hot spring.

He was about to step back, when up front, he heard the sound of water splashing.

“Who?”

The familiar voice caused Ji Chaoyun’s mind to freeze. He subconsciously looked up. Across the overlapping limestone orchid grasses (), the person in the spring water had his back to him, showing the thin and powerful lines of his smooth back.

The man turned his head, revealing the side profile of a very handsome face.

Ji Chaoyun’s breathing ceased.

It was Feng Qi.