CH 4

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

Ji Chaoyun backed away in panic.

The ground of the trail was made with limestone, which was slippery as it was constantly wet from the water vapor. Backing away, he happened to step on a moist limestone and slipped down.

Ji Chaoyun felt dizzy as his fall was quite heavy. A pair of bare feet on the limestone ground entered his vision.

The other’s ankles were white and slender, and looking up he saw a pair of lean and powerful calves, with the rest hidden in the shadows underneath a wide robe.

Feng Qi’s robe was gathered loosely, the ends of his hair still dripping wet. A droplet ran across his delicately shaped collarbone and sank into his neckline, leaving a meandering water mark.

It was truly an image full of impact. It took a long time for Ji Chaoyun to regain his breath. His gaze slowly moved upward, and he met the other’s teasing gaze. “Seen enough?”

“I’m not—” Ji Chaoyun hurriedly stood up, his cheeks slightly hot. “I apologise, I was not aware of your presence.”

Feng Qi looked him up and down, weighing him. There was not much anger in his expression after being spied upon. On the contrary, he even seemed a little happy. “Why are you here?”

“I…”

“Night is approaching. Sneaking into one’s home, peeping at someone bathing…” The smile in Feng Qi’s eyes deepened. He took a half step forward. “I heard that towards such matters, your dragon clan takes… much initiative. Seems like it’s not mere empty talk.”

“You—”

Ji Chaoyun’s breath was stuck in his throat. He shut his eyes, and tried his best to steady his tone. “I went to the mountain to report, and they assigned my residence here… It was the jade token that brought me to this place.”

Feng Qi raised his eyebrows. Only then did he notice the jade token that Ji Chaoyun hung around his waist.

He walked towards Ji Chaoyun, who instinctively backed up until his back met the green bamboo beside the limestone path.

“Don’t move.” Feng Qi held his shoulders, leaned down slightly, and picked up the pass token with his wet hand.

Ji Chaoyun was trapped, just inches away from the other. The humid warmth assaulted his senses; mixed with the unique fragrance of the bamboo leaves, it made one breathless.

Feng Qi didn’t notice. He lowered his head, his fingertips glimmered and the glow sank into the token.

So close, Ji Chaoyun could see that his face was exactly the same as in his memory. The eyelashes that cast a low shadow when lowered, the slight curve of his eyes when he spoke, even the subtle outlines on his face were too distinctive, too similar. Even the most exquisite of illusion techniques couldn’t achieve such a vision.

Were there really two people so similar in this world?

Ji Chaoyun suddenly found it difficult to breathe. The emotions that had been suppressed surged back, and his fingertips trembled softly.

He leaned back as much as possible, forcing himself not to look at that face.

It was too close, so close that it almost seemed… like having a long embrace.

After the three matches, Ji Chaoyun’s physical exhaustion was already at its limit. At this moment, the emotional turmoil caused his immortal spirit to leak. The faint radiance within his eyes could no longer be suppressed; slowly, a pair of beautiful glass-like vertical pupils appeared

“Sure enough, the spell leading to Wenqu Peak was cast, but you…” Feng Qi said as he raised his head, then halted.

Ji Chaoyun trembled silently. His eyes were red, and a pair of silver dragon horns appeared on the front of his forehead. In the afterglow of the setting sun, he could even see a fine layer of soft fur.

“…” Feng Qi cursed under his breath. His throat was suddenly dry.

He had gone out a few days ago for stuff, only returning to the academy today. Then he’d heard whispers of a little beauty in Changqing Garden who had hooked the hearts of half of the academy.

A quick glance to the white jade stage showed that this person’s appearance indeed stood out from the rest, his martial arts nimble and lithe. The rumours were true.

A pity it was a dragon.

Feng Qi had actually never met any from the dragon clan, but the two dragon and phoenix clans had always been at odds. He held no favourable impressions toward dragons, but now…

He quickly glanced at the other’s forehead, at the pair of trembling dragon horns.

…They looked so soft, he wondered how it felt to touch?

Feng Qi felt impetuous. He straightened up, licked his lips, and his voice was slightly low and hoarse. “What? I’m just looking at the spell on your token. Not doing anything to you…”

Ji Chaoyun’s back arched slightly, the line on his back stretched taut. He hardly dared to look up at the person in front of him.

“Why did you revert back to your original form from just a few words, hm? You’re so easily frightened.” Feng Qi’s hand was still on Ji Chaoyun’s shoulder, and his fingertips randomly poked his cheek. Unexpectedly, the feeling was extremely soft.

Ji Chaoyun stiffened, tilting his head to hide.

Feng Qi smiled. “Afraid of me?”

“No.” Ji Chaoyun lowered his head and quickly rubbed his eyes, whispering softly, “Apo-apologies…”

The pair of dragon horns swayed as he talked, acting like little claws itching one’s heart.

Feng Qi swallowed. He turned his head and walked away. “Your token is indeed a spell that leads to Wenqu Peak. I believe you are not lying, but your residence is not with me.”

Ji Chaoyun had no desire to be alone with him at all. He quickly followed up with, “I must have gone the wrong way. I shall take my leave.”

“No, it can’t be that you took the wrong path.” Feng Qi laid down on the bamboo couch and said leisurely, “You didn’t notice when you entered just now? The whole Wenqu Peak is my residence.”

“…In other words, I am the only person who resides on the entire Wenqu Peak.”

Ji Chaoyun realised something and looked up at him.

Feng Qi lifted a wine jug and poured himself a glass. He raised his head and drank until the last drop, suppressing the inexplicable restlessness in his heart.

He rubbed the mouth of the cup and explained, “This Highness enjoys peace and doesn’t want to be disturbed. So every time one is assigned to Wenqu Peak, they will all be driven away by me. If things go on like this, they would not dare to let people enter Wenqu Peak again.”

Ji Chaoyun: “…”

It was the first time he saw someone speak so arrogantly about bullying.

However, this explained why the two disciples had sent him here.

He closed his eyes. “I understand. There is no need for you to kick me out, I shall leave by myself.”

Ji Chaoyun quickly stepped onto the stone bridge.

“Wait,” Feng Qi called out to stop him. “This Highness hasn’t finished speaking yet. Are you dragons all so rude?”

“…” Ji Chaoyun held back his anger. “What else do you wish to say?”

Feng Qi asked, “Where will you go?”

Ji Chaoyun kept silent. As he turned to leave, he heard Feng Qi say, “The assignment of the disciple courtyards has ended. You can only go find Yao Guang-jun to re-register, but he is busy. If you bother him with such trivial things, he will say it’ll take another month or so. Of course, that is if only there is still free space among the disciple courtyards in the seven peaks.”

“…Don’t even think about finding lodging with others. One pass token is for one person. Even if someone else lends you their token, it is still impossible to enter another disciple’s courtyard.”

Feng Qi glanced at the slender figure far on the stone bridge. A smug smile appeared on his lips. “It’ll be curfew soon. If you leave Wenqu Peak, you’ll violate the curfew. Little dragon demon, you don’t want to violate the rules on your first day of enrolment, right?”

Ji Chaoyun turned around and asked him, “…What do you want?”

“Rather, it’s what you want.” Feng Qi fixed his eyes on that pair of dragon horns for a moment and smiled slightly. He jokingly said, “Why don’t you come and beg me, make me happy and maybe I’ll allow you to live here.”

—”Obediently serve me a good apology, and be my attendant for the next school year. Perhaps when this young master is in a good mood, he will show you compassion and let you attend school.”

Truly the same kind throughout.

The two quietly looked at each other across the lotus pond. Ji Chaoyun’s expression was cold, and his originally turbulent mood rapidly calmed down, but his true appearance was not so easy to restore. Those eyes of his which were extremely pale, making him look even more detached than before, looked a little arrogant.

It really wasn’t him.

He laughed at himself. It had been such a long time, so long he would be truly ridiculous to treat anyone as that person.

Even if the other had the same face, it was still a world of difference.

Thinking clearly, Ji Chaoyun only felt relief. He looked at the person leaning on the bamboo couch from a distance, and gave an unexpected smile.

Feng Qi was startled.

He had seen this person’s lithe posture in the fighting stage, and he had also seen his wronged look when he was scared back to his original form. No matter which kind of situation, his face was always reserved, and there was a kind of almost rigid coldness to it.

But when he smiled like that, the concealed demeanor under the skin of that icy beauty could no longer be hidden. The brilliance flowing in his glaze-like eyes made one feel stunned.

“You…”

Feng Qi’s throat felt parched. But without waiting for him to say anything, Ji Chaoyun said, “There is no need for me to stay. I will temporarily borrow Wenqu Peak for a short nap tonight and leave tomorrow morning. I thank Your Highness for his kindness.”

After speaking, Ji Chaoyun no longer looked at him. He quickly headed out of the courtyard.

Night descended quickly. Ji Chaoyun leaned against a tree trunk, his face almost transparent in the moonlight.

“I have entered Hongmeng Academy, and I also met a person… who looks very much like you,” he whispered softly, lightly rubbing his fingers on his purse. “It is strange. How could I treat others as you? I obviously know that it can’t be you. No one can be you…”

He raised his head and stared at the endless night sky, stars filling his sight. “When I finally see you, I will once more apologize to you. You can do whatever you want.”

“…Good night.”

.

Early the next morning, those who had enrolled were required to test their roots in the Main Peak’s Lecture Hall to rank as disciples. As the hour approached, everyone passed through the teleportation array one after another, and gathered at the open space outside the Lecture Hall.

Ji Chaoyun was currently outside the hall, reading a book under the morning rays.

The admission time had ended only yesterday, hence there had been no time to distribute the disciples’ clothing yet. Ji Chaoyun was still wearing his silvery-white thick robe, which he tightly wrapped around himself, fearful of the cold in the morning mist. Only his slender fingers holding his book peeked out, like the new buds of willow leaves.

“Chaoyun!” Ye Chenxing quickly walked towards him. “How did last night go? Where did those two bastards send you to?”

Ji Chaoyun kept the book in his hands and shook his head. “No need to mention it. I plan to look for Yao Guang-jun today.”

“Alright, I’ll accompany you.” Following behind Ye Chenxing was a young man whom he pushed forward. He said, “Why are you hiding? Didn’t you always want to meet Chaoyun?”

“This is…”

The young man had delicate facial features, and a bookish air, appearing very nervous. His face flushed. “My, my name is Bei Ran. You may not remember me, but you saved me from the suspension bridge before. Thanks to you, I was able to…”

“It turned out to be you.” Ji Chaoyun thought for a moment, and remembered that this was the little youth he had rescued on the suspension bridge the day before the assessment.

Bei Ren trembled as he confessed, “Brother Ji, I really… admire and also…”

“Okay, shut up. You’re making me nervous.” Ye Chenxing patted him on the back of his head, making Bei Ran stagger. “This kid’s in the same courtyard as me. He kept pestering me all night, insisting that I introduce him to you, yet look at him now. How shameful.”

Bei Ran made a small noise, flushing red as he touched his nose in embarrassment.

Ji Chaoyun: “Do not worry. We will be classmates in the future, we can keep a lookout for each other.”

“Heard that? From now on, you’ll be taken care of by your big brother Ji.”

Ji Chaoyun looked at him helplessly. “Ye Chenxing…”

Ye Chenxing continued on, “Chaoyun, you don’t know how popular you are among the freshmen. You fought so beautifully in those three matches yesterday.”

“Speaking of which…” Bei Ran raised his head and looked at Ji Chaoyun with sparkling eyes. “The scimitar couldn’t be used to its full ability in the fighting ring, and Jiang Cheng is said to have neglected sword practice since he was a child. Brother Ji must have considered these things to choose to test on martial arts, right?”

Ji Chaoyun gave a noncommittal “oh”.

When the people around heard them talking, they unconsciously gathered closer. Under all these gazes, Ji Chaoyun was a little embarrassed. He mumbled the truth, “I didn’t think too much, but I’ve fought Jiang Cheng before and found that his martial arts… is relatively ordinary.”

“If the top ten masters in Hongmeng Academy are all like him, then those under him should be more or less the same.”

Ye Chenxing: “…”

Bei Ran: “…”

Everyone: “…”

In the dead silence, Ye Chenxing’s heavy eyes swept over his surroundings. “I heard that Jiang Cheng went mad for most of the day after losing in the arena yesterday. Don’t tell this to others. If he knew, he’d be furious.”

The hour had arrived, the Lecture Hall slowly and finally opened its doors. A young man in an ink-colored brocade with a bamboo scroll in hand came out. Behind him were two attending disciples.

This was Yao Guang-jun, the immortal in charge of enrolment matters.

“Don’t make noise.” Yao Guang-jun cleared his throat. His voice was not loud, but it nevertheless reached everyone’s ears. “Line up and come in with me.”

Everyone walked into the Lecture Hall.

“That’s the stone sundial for testing spiritual roots?”

Bei Ran sat behind Ji Chaoyun, frowning. “I don’t need to be tested. I must be at the lowest level. What can I do in the future…”

Hongmeng Academy was not like the mortal realm which divided disciples by school year, but rather by one’s innate roots and bones. The spiritual root test after enrolment determined the ranks of the new disciples. The four levels of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow corresponded to the spiritual roots of heaven, earth, high-level, and middle-level respectively. As for the lower-level spiritual roots… So far there was no precedent for the successful ascent of lower-level spiritual root holders, so it was not even in the scope of the academy’s consideration.

Either the spirits were transformed into demons, or mortals ascended. Most of those present already knew their spiritual root level, and the test was just a formality.

“I’m not much better either.” Ye Chenxing sat on Ji Chaoyun’s right side and muttered, “What else can I do? My spiritual root is weak. We just have to work hard the day after tomorrow. As long as one doesn’t fall to the third rank, they still have a chance.”

Ji Chaoyun turned his head. “Third rank?”

He didn’t have much knowledge about Hongmeng Academy’s system. Ye Chenxing was also aware that this young master didn’t listen to things outside of his interests so he explained, “Although the disciples of the academy train together, the assessment rules are different. Heaven-level and Earth-level disciples face one test every three years, and a big one every twelve. For the Black and Yellow levels, however, there’s one test every quarter and a big one every year.”

“The top five in the assessment will obtain Rank 1, while the last five Rank 3. If you manage to obtain Rank 1 in both three tests and in the major exam, you can participate in the leapfrog assessment2. If you pass it, then you can be promoted.”

Bei Ran then asked, “Then, if the four test results all end up as Rank 3…”

Ye Chenxing cast a look at him, as if saying “what nonsense are you spouting?”. He reached out. “Four exams, and Rank 3 every single time. What else can your future be besides dropping out of school?”

Bei Ran angrily shrank back.

Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes, his expression unclear.

The test for spiritual roots soon began. Disciples whose names were pronounced by Yaoguang-jun walked to the stone sundial one by one to take the test. Heavenly spiritual roots and Earth spiritual roots were extremely rare in the mortal realm. Most of the wandering immortals enrolled this time were merely of high-grade or middle-grade spiritual roots. Hence, they were divided into the Black and Yellow levels.

Ye Chenxing and Bei Ran both had middle-grade spiritual roots, and were also classified under the Yellow level.

Soon, it was Ji Chaoyun’s turn.

“Brother Ji is so powerful, he must possess a high-grade spiritual root, right?”

“I think it is more than that. Enough to defeat Song Zhifei and Jiang Cheng, and even able to fight back and forth with Feng Qi. Could it be an Earth root or a Heavenly root, instead?”

“Hopefully, it’s a Heavenly root.”

“But for nearly a hundred years, the Academy only had Feng Qi with the Heavenly spiritual root. The chance is too small…”

As if Ji Chaoyun didn’t hear the comments from the bystanders, he walked up to Yao Guang-jun and bowed.

As he’d missed the enrolment announcement yesterday, this was his first time meeting Yao Guang-jun.

But remembering Ye Chenxing’s words, it had been this Yao Guang-jun yesterday who’d explained, in front of the freshmen, that due to Ji Chaoyun’s outstanding performance in the arena, the elders had decided to make an exception and allowed him to enter the academy after further consideration.

“So you are Chaoyun.” Yao Guang-jun had always looked at the others with a listless and lazy appearance. Yet upon seeing Ji Chaoyun approaching, he turned more energetic. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at him up and down for a while. His smile was kind and loving. “Don’t be nervous, just stretch your hand up.”

“Understood.” Ji Chaoyun did as told.

…Nothing happened.

The Lecture Hall was silent. Yao Guang-jun murmured, “Is it broken? It was still okay just now… Don’t worry, let’s try again.”

“There is no need to.” Ji Chaoyun pointed to the stone sundial’s scale and in a low voice, reminded, “The result has come out.”

The upper stone dial was divided into five scales, namely Heaven, Earth, High-grade, Middle-grade, and Lower-grade. At this time, the scale on the stone sundial had only moved forward a tiny bit. It was even possible to miss the change if one didn’t look closely.

Yao Guang-jun looked at the stone sundial. The smile on his face finally couldn’t be held any longer, and gradually turned into astonishment.