CH 15

Just like this, Ji Chaoyun stayed at Wenqu Peak.

With Feng Qi’s deterrence that day, fewer people in the academy were against Ji Chaoyun. The latter could finally have some peaceful days thereafter.

As the quarterly exam approached, Ji Chaoyun practiced harder and harder. Every night, Feng Qi had to fetch him from his classroom before he would willingly return to Wenqu Peak for rest.

It wasn’t that he was making a big fuss, but Ji Chaoyun honestly didn’t know what was wrong with his body during this period. He was often tired and lethargic. After checking with the Immortal Physician, nothing could be found; the old man simply suggested it might be due to his too strenuous cultivation training and told him to get a good rest.

Early in the morning, Ji Chaoyun rubbed his eyebrows tiredly and slowly stepped into the classroom. Since he started feeling more lethargic, it had become more and more difficult for him to get up in the morning.

The disciple who arrived first in the classroom had the task of ringing the first bell to enter the room. But upon walking in, Ji Chaoyun noticed an unusual atmosphere.

At this hour, the sky had just started to brighten, and the first bell for morning reading had already rang. The disciples should have returned to their seats to prepare for it, but instead everyone was gathered in a circle, so loud and noisy that he had no idea what they were talking about, completely uncaring of the bell’s ring.

Furthermore, intentionally or not, Ji Chaoyun’s seat was occupied.

“What is going on?” Ji Chaoyun asked.

Everyone jumped at the sound of his voice, though upon seeing it was merely Ji Chaoyun, they relaxed again.

“Don’t you know? A newcomer has arrived at the academy, and everyone is talking about him,” someone in the crowd explained.

“Have any of you really seen what that person looks like? I heard that he’s a very beautiful young master.”

“Can he be as beautiful as Ji Chaoyun?”

“That’s right. There’s Chaoyun here. This year’s top appearance ranking among the academy disciples definitely belongs to our Yellow class.”

“Very promising. The top three must be us!”

“What, must we add you in too?”

The person this comment was targeted to was a little fatty. His face flushed with shame, and he hit the offender. Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere turned momentarily warm.

“…” Ji Chaoyun sighed and said helplessly, “I would like to remind you all that the first bell for morning reading has already rung. Today, the teacher is going to test us on the third volume of the Heaven and Earth text that was explained yesterday. Has everyone memorized it yet?”

As soon as he said this, cries of complaints filled the classroom, everyone immediately scattering back to their seats.

Ji Chaoyun returned to his desk and took out the scrolls, paper and writing stationary needed for morning reading. Ye Chenxing poked him from behind. “Chaoyun, are you not curious about the newcomer?”

“New people come to the academy from time to time. What could I be curious about?”

The children of immortal households had no need to take an assessment for enrollment, only needing to go through a few simple trials to enter. Therefore, it was not uncommon for newcomers to enter the academy at any time throughout the year.

“But that person is different.” Ye Chenxing leaned forward, unconsciously lowering his voice. “I heard that he is from Lingyuan Sea.”1

Ji Chaoyun’s hand trembled, the tip of his brush leaving a winding trace on the paper.

Ye Chenxing didn’t notice any anomaly, and continued saying, “Lingyuan Sea has always been disdainful of other immortals, and has never sent anyone to Hongmeng Academy for hundreds of years. However, there have been rumors these past few years saying that Lingyuan Sea has been suffering from several internal struggles, and their strength is not as comparable to before. It seems that unfortunately, there’ll be no one to succeed.”

Bei Ran also elaborated, “I heard that Lingyuan Sea was once as famous as Fengming Valley2. It’s the place legends say the dragon clan gathered and lived in. It would be a pity if it really ended up like this.”

Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes, clenched the pen in his hand, and shivered imperceptibly.

“…Speaking of dragons, Ji dage3 is also a dragon. Have you ever been to the Lingyuan Sea?” Bei Ran asked from behind him.

Ji Chaoyun did not answer. Ye Chenxing said, “Do you even need to ask this? Chaoyun came from the mortal realm just like us. How could he have been there? I heard that the dragons there are descendants of gods, commanding the numerous seas, and encompassing the four directions in the mortal realm. It really wouldn’t be a bad thing to visit such a place.”

Ji Chaoyun suddenly asked, “Who is the person Lingyuan Sea sent?”

“This matter is not clear, but I heard…”

Before Ye Chenxing could finish speaking, footsteps suddenly came from outside the classroom. He quickly sat back in his original position, pretending to be sitting upright.

A young man followed behind Immortal Lord Tianquan, slowly stepping inside.

The youth had handsome eyebrows, his long hair tied in a crown. As he had just enrolled, there was no time to change into the disciples’ attire; hence he was still in a white brocade robe with silvery-white dragons stitched on them, adorned with brocades, revealing a sense of extravagance.

Tianquan said, “This disciple was newly enrolled in the Academy today. As Yaoguang-jun went out recently and is thus unable to conduct the root bone test, he will stay here at the Yellow level for the time being in order to familiarize himself with the schoolwork. From now onwards, you will be classmates, so make sure to take care of one another. Ruzhuo, why don’t you introduce yourself.”

The young man politely bowed towards Tianquan and respectfully agreed. “Understood, Immortal Elder.”

He turned to face the dozens of students in the classroom, his expression not having the slightest sign of anxiousness, his gestures elegant and self-confident. “I am named Jun Ruzhuo, from the Lingyuan Sea dragon clan, nephew of the Lingyuan Sea Dragon King. It is fortunate to be in the same class as all of you. In the future, I hope—”　　

His gaze fell upon Ji Chaoyun who was sitting in the lower part of the hall, and his voice suddenly stopped.

In that instant, the blood on his face suddenly drained, and his eyes were full of consternation. However, that strangeness lasted for only a moment. Jun Ruzhuo closed his eyes, thus concealing his turmoil, though the faint tremble in his voice remained slightly noticeable. “In the future, I hope to be able to get along peacefully with you all, and to help each other along the way.”

Tianquan briefly explained a few more things, and Jun Ruzhuo took a seat in the classroom. His position was exactly in front of Ji Chaoyun, and from Ji Chaoyun’s perspective, he could see the slender and clear profile of the young man’s face. Ji Chaoyun dazedly stared at his silhouette, not even noticing when the morning reading finally started.

During the entirety of the morning reading and the morning class, for a total of six whole hours, not a single word passed through Ji Chaoyun’s ears or eyes.

When class ended, he slowly cleaned up his things. Jun Ruzhuo took the lead in exiting the classroom, surrounded by the rest of the disciples. From beginning to end, his gaze never strayed towards Ji Chaoyun even once.

Jun Ruzhuo was born superior, treated people politely, and possessed pleasant and outstanding looks; he was easily likable. In addition, the Lingyuan Sea dragon clan had always been mysterious. Even Ye Chenxing and Bei Ran wanted to talk to him.

Along with the other two, Ji Chaoyun walked past the pine forest outside the classroom. Seeing the two being absent-minded, he muttered, “I just remembered that I have left a book in the classroom. You can go to Swordplay Arena first.”

“Alright. Come as soon as possible.”

The two didn’t think much of it, and quickly headed towards the arena.

It wasn’t until the two figures disappeared inside the pine forest path that Ji Chaoyun sighed softly, turned around and walked towards the classroom.

Lunch break was about to begin. The classroom should have been empty, but when Ji Chaoyun walked inside, he heard a familiar voice speak.

“—Be it bandits or gentlemen, polishing through debates amongst one another, seeking never ending knowledge.”[mfn]It’s from a poem from 《诗经·卫风·淇奥》. I took the liberty to be similar but if you have a better translation, please let me know! The raws are here: “——有匪君子，如切如磋，如琢如磨.[/mfn]

Ji Chaoyun’s footsteps stopped. He raised his eyes and saw the young man sitting in his seat.

Jun Ruzhuo leaned lazily on the side of the table and propped his chin. Just like that, his previously pleasant gentleman’s attitude that was displayed to outsiders vanished.

He tilted his head to look at Ji Chaoyun, his lips curved up in a playful arc. “These disciples of Hongmeng Academy are nothing more than this, can’t even see past such a simple substitute technique.”

Ji Chaoyun’s hands slowly clenched beneath his long sleeves, his cheeks so pale it seemed there was no blood left. “What are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking that to you instead?” Jun Ruzhuo picked up the book on the desk and turned a few pages, idly asking, “Why are you here again?”

Ji Chaoyun: “Cultivation.”

“Cultivation?” Jun Ruzhuo seemed to have heard some great joke. He laughed until his waist was bent forward. Finally controlling himself, he asked, “So you still need to cultivate? What do you need to learn? How to be a demon?”

“…” Ji Chaoyun closed his eyes and whispered, “I was born from a demon clan. Young master, why are you making things difficult for me?”

Jun Ruzhuo suddenly got up. He rushed to Ji Chaoyun, grabbed his robe, and cruelly stated, “Don’t layer gold on your face. This young master is from the Lingyuan Sea dragon clan, why would I make things difficult for you?”

“Ruzhuo…”

“Shut up!” Jun Ruzhuo interrupted coldly. “Did you think that I would not dare do anything to you in Hongmeng Academy? Don’t forget, the Lingyuan Sea dragon clan has never—”

His voice was abruptly cut off. A golden light flew obliquely from outside the classroom, unbiasedly heading towards Jun Ruzhou’s face. Jun Ruzhuo pushed Ji Chaoyun away. As he made a quick retreat, his hand flew out, defeating the golden light with only one blow.

Ji Chaoyun staggered back and fell into a familiar embrace.

From behind, Feng Qi held onto Ji Chaoyun to stabilize him, then let go of his hand in discomfort. “What are you two doing?”

Jun Ruzhuo adjusted the front of his clothes, and looked at the unexpected guest vigilantly. Feng Qi narrowed his eyes, and looked him up and down. He asked, “Are you the new disciple from the Lingyuan Sea dragon clan?”

Jun Ruzhuo: “Who are you?”

The corners of Feng Qi’s mouth curled upwards, but there was no smile in his eyes. “From Fengming Valley, Feng Qi.”

Jun Ruzhuo’s expression changed. He quickly returned to the unflustered persona he showed in front of outsiders. “It turned out to be the second prince of the Feng clan. An honor.”

“Don’t dare to bear it,” Feng Qi answered coldly. “What was Young Master Jun doing just now?”

The dragon and the phoenix clans had always been at odds. Jun Ruzhuo’s attitude towards Feng Qi was not any better. He indifferently mentioned, “Nothing much. As a newcomer, I found that this academy is not particular enough. Even people from such an inferior dragon clan are apparently worthy to be a classmate of this young master. The recruiting standards of your academy truly amazes me.”

Feng Qi’s eyes sank, and he was about to say something when Ji Chaoyun gently tugged his sleeve.

He imperceptibly shook his head at Feng Qi, and said in a low voice, “It’s almost time for lunch, let’s go.”

“…Fine.”

Feng Qi took Ji Chaoyun out of the classroom. Jun Ruzhuo gritted his teeth as he caught up. “Hey, they said your name is Ji Chaoyun.”

Ji Chaoyun paused.

Jun Ruzhuo: “My Lingyuan Sea dragon clan has never associated themselves with low-level demonic dragons. Let’s duel. If you lose, you will get out of Hongmeng Academy. Same goes for me. How about it?”

Feng Qi scolded, “Are you finished?”

Jun Ruzhuo ignored him. He looked at Ji Chaoyun, his eyes full of elation. “How about it, Ji Chaoyun? Do you dare?”

Ji Chaoyun sighed slightly and shook his head. “Private fights are forbidden in the academy. I will not fight with you, nor will I agree to such a boring gamble. The afternoon class’ bell has already rung once. Young Master Jun should be careful not to be late on his first day.”

After he finished speaking, he quietly told Feng Qi, “Let’s go.”

Jun Ruzhuo stood in front of the classroom, staring at the two figures walking far away. After a long time, he icily muttered, “Fine. We shall wait and see.”

The two walked out of the pine forest path.

Feng Qi tilted his head to look at Ji Chaoyun’s expression. As if the prior events had never happened, he asked, “That surnamed Jun… why would he make things difficult for you?”

Ji Chaoyun indifferently answered, “What else can it be? The Lingyuan Sea dragon clan has noble blood and has always been arrogant. Naturally, they look down on those demonic dragons from the mortal world like myself.”

“I think you are much better than him.” Feng Qi snorted. “That little bastard, I will teach him a lesson another day.”

“Little bastard?” Ji Chaoyun raised his eyebrows, a smile flashing in his eyes. “He seems to be… nearly a hundred years older than you.”

Feng Qi awkwardly averted his gaze.

On a normal day, His Second Highness Feng would get incredibly annoyed when people mentioned something about his age.

The children from immortal households had to reach two hundred years old to be considered an adult, and they could only enter school at about two hundred and fifty years old. However, when Feng Qi had first enrolled, he directly skipped to the highest level. Even after spending so many years in the academy, if calculated by age, he was younger than most disciples of the ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’ levels.

Ji Chaoyun didn’t seem to notice the displeasure of His Second Highness Feng and continued, “Speaking of which, even I seem to be older than you—”

“Shut up!” Feng Qi was both frustrated and annoyed. “I shouldn’t have told you this.”

Ji Chaoyun bore with his own laughter until his shoulders shook, his mood having improved a lot. The two walked side by side towards the back mountain when Ji Chaoyun’s feet softened without warning, and he almost fell.

Feng Qi quickly gave him a hand, and just as his palm touched the narrow waist of the other, he immediately let go.

He coughed. “What’s the matter with you, your body hasn’t recovered yet?”

“I do not know.” Ji Chaoyun didn’t realize his oddity. “I have never been like this before—”

While saying so, he suddenly seemed to have thought of something. Ji Chaoyun frowned slightly, his lips pursed shut.

Feng Qi looked at his pale face. “I’ll help you get leave for your afternoon class, so don’t go to it.”

“How could I do that? The assessment is about to begin, I…”

“Listen to me,” Feng Qi couldn’t help but interrupt him. “Could you even practice if you go like this? It’s the quarterly exam soon. If you don’t recover before it starts, do you plan to faint in the secret realm and wait for someone to rescue you?”

“…”

Ji Chaoyun was made speechless. Feng Qi rubbed his hair. “Come somewhere with me. It should help.”

The forest was filled with mist, and with the humidity, the ground made of limestone slabs was slippery. In the distance between the overlapping bluegrass was warm spring water.

Ji Chaoyun asked, “What did you bring me here for?”

“The spring water here is taken from the abyss of the far north by using immortal techniques. It can relax the muscles, refresh the body, relieve fatigue, and promote the effect of cultivation.” Feng Qi continued, “You can meditate in the water for two hours a day. I guarantee that within seven days, you’ll be alive and kicking again.”

Ji Chaoyun looked at him in surprise.

Feng Qi: “What?”

Ji Chaoyun shook his head. “It’s nothing, it just feels like… you are different from when I first met you.”

“Just different?” Feng Qi leaned over and asked with a smile, “Don’t you think I am a good person with powerful martial arts and such a good appearance that you can’t help but be so moved that you desire to give your body to me?”

Ji Chaoyun had long seen beneath this man’s skin. He expressionlessly replied, “No, scram.”

“You really are too boring…” Feng Qi shook his head and sighed. “Slowly soak. I’ll be outside. Call me if you feel unwell.”

“…Understood.”

Feng Qi turned and left. Ji Chaoyun turned his head to see his back disappear in the forest before slowly untying his belt.

After soaking himself, Ji Chaoyun discovered that the water was actually unlike ordinary hot spring water. The temperature in this pool was neither high nor low, and could change according to the human body’s natural warmth, precisely maintaining the most comfortable climate.

“Really knows how to enjoy oneself most…” Ji Chaoyun murmured, sitting cross-legged in the center and meditating with his eyes closed.

Perhaps because he’d been too sleepy these past few days, after sitting for a short while, Ji Chaoyun felt drowsy. His body unconsciously stretched out, a pair of dragon horns revealing themselves without warning along with silvery dragon scales slowly covering his bare body.

“Ji Chaoyun, have you drowned in the pond?”

His Second Highness Feng waited in the courtyard for almost four hours. Seeing no one coming out, he had to personally go look for the other. “If you seriously drowned, you can shout, I would never laugh at you, you—”

He bypassed the limestone road, and his voice fell abruptly silent.

Ji Chaoyun was leaning on the side of the pool, already asleep.

His long silver hair was floating randomly in the water, and his bare arms, shoulders, neck, and even face had several crystal clear, silvery dragon scales. A long dragon tail lay mostly above the water, glittering under the sunlight and the pool’s water.

“…” Feng Qi’s throat felt parched, a sinful fire rushing through him from the top of his head all the way down, igniting the place it shouldn’t have gone to.

The author has something to say:

Little dragon’s identity is about to be revealed. As for his body, do you know that there is a saying called ‘Nature of Dragons’4…then what cannot be indescribable?

I changed my column avatar, click in the author column in the upper right corner of the copy, and you can see it, nothing else, I just want you to see how beautiful my new avatar is.

By the way, it would be better to click on the author’s collection [This is the real purpose.]

灵渊海

凤鸣谷

Dage also means Big brother but can be not related.

Where dragons are the most lewd 龙性本: http://www.360doc.com/content/17/0330/01/16534268_641285277.shtml