CH 24.2

The sword edge was coming in an instant, it was too late to escape. Ji Chaoyun only had time to protect his vital point, prepared to suffer an injury.

But at this moment, a golden light hit the side of the sword, and Ji Chaoyun was pulled hard from behind, crashing into a chest.

Feng Qi held Ji Chaoyun and retreated slightly. He hurriedly asked, “Are you okay? Are you injured? Who told you to catch up, couldn’t you wait for me?”

Ji Chaoyun looked up at the person in front of him with a dazed expression.

For the golden phoenix plume, those people in his previous life had chased him, the only one who could open the purse that housed the plume within. That was why he was not killed by those people in his first life.

Like a hunter teasing his prey, he was chased by those men for days, leaving him exhausted.

At that time, he had prayed in his heart that someone, no matter who that was, would come and save him.

But up until he’d died, none ever came.

Ji Chaoyun lowered his eyes, his throat a little dry. “I’m sorry, I was afraid he would run away…”

“I’ll take care of you later.” Feng Qi pulled him to behind his back, and raised his eyes to look at the person in front of him. A strange sense of familiarity flashed in his heart. “You’re…”

Before he could finish speaking, the man in black suddenly crushed a talisman, and his figure turned into a ray of light, disappearing in place.

“……” A teleportation talisman.

Only Feng Qi and Ji Chaoyun were left in the courtyard looking at each other. After a while, Jiang Cheng came panting. “What happened? Have you caught that person?”

Feng Qi spread his hands and said innocently, “Ran away.”

“…”

Ji Chaoyun stepped forward and squatted beside the corpse that had gradually started to chill. “This should be the half-demon person that Lady Ah Tao mentioned. He was silenced.”

“A killing strike of a sword, leaving no room for struggle,” Feng Qi declared. “I don’t know whether that person is too strong, or if this half demon is too weak.”

“Very strong.” Ji Chaoyun raised his eyes to look at Feng Qi and said, “If we really fight, the man may not be beneath you.”

Feng Qi snorted. Jiang Cheng asked, “So who is he? How did he know that we found this place and still be able to ambush us beforehand? Damn it. I thought it was one of the Academy’s disciples who wanted to make a stumbling block for Ji Chaoyun. What’s going on in the end?”

“…”

“What are you both looking at me for? Am I wrong?”

Ji Chaoyun lowered his head and stared at the dead body. He suddenly reached out his hand and closed the other’s eyes gently.

Feng Qi looked away and patted Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “Little Island Master Jiang, stop asking and hurry up to find out if there is anything useful. The Sea Market is not safe. We should head back to the academy as soon as possible.”

The three of them almost turned the courtyard upside down, yet they found no valuable clues; they had to return empty-handed.

When they returned to the academy, the sky was already dark, so Feng Qi declined Jiang Cheng’s request to return to Wenqu Peak with them. He then re-analysed the current clues they got and ensured that Ah Tao would immediately notify him of the result before driving the other away, only bringing Ji Chaoyun back to Wenqu Peak.

The two walked slowly on the mountain road of Wenqu Peak. Ji Chaoyun’s eyes were down, no words left his mouth.

Feng Qi wanted to reach out and pulled him. “Chaoyun.”

Ji Chaoyun instinctively shrank back and avoided his hand. Feng Qi’s hand froze in the air, Ji Chaoyun looked away and asked, “I apologise. What were you saying?”

Feng Qi calmly retracted his hand, and said with a natural expression, “It’s nothing, I just wanted to chat with you about the person we met.”

Ji Chaoyun: “Didn’t you say that because there are no clues now, there is nothing to say?”

“That was to answer Jiang Cheng’s questions.” Feng Qi smiled and said, “Come with me if you’re not tired. I’ll take you somewhere.”

The two diverted their way up the mountain and into the depths of the bamboo forest, walked halfway up the mountain before quickly reaching the peak. When they reached the top, the sun was just setting, and the rays of sunshine in the sky had not yet dissipated, reflecting on the distant peaks.

“It’s not bad here, right?” Feng Qi greeted the glow and said proudly, “It is said that Jiutian Cliff1 has the most beautiful scene in the Academy. But that’s because they have never been to my Wenqu Peak. I cast a spell on Wenqu Peak. The changes of the four seasons are the same as in the mortal world: spring, summer, autumn and winter, the sun and the moon alternating. Isn’t this scenery much prettier than the Jiutian Cliff, which has been unchanged since thousands of years?”

Ji Chaoyun was in no mood to joke with him. He questioned, “You brought me here just to see this?”

“Well, not really.” Feng Qi sat down on the limestone on the top of the cliff, observing Ji Chaoyun’s expression. He probed, “Have you guessed what the other party’s purpose is?”

Ji Chaoyun fell silent.

After a long time, he said softly, “I think… they might just want to kick me out of the Academy.”

“…When I was in the mortal world, I met the men in black. They wanted to steal my purse.”

Feng Qi: “Why didn’t they succeed?”

Ji Chaoyun’s eyes evaded, and he said slowly, “I was lucky. Someone rescued me.”

Feng Qi nodded, and didn’t ask any further. He elaborated, “So the reason they made a comeback this time should be for this item. They drugged you to kick you out of the academy because they can’t do anything in the Academy?”

“Perhaps.”

“……” “But I still don’t understand. Why do they want to rob the phoenix plume?”

Ji Chaoyun was surprised. “How do you know there is a golden phoenix plume inside? Have you opened this purse before?”

“…”

Ji Chaoyun turned his head to look at him. The latter’s expression was erratic. After a long while, Feng Qi sighed and said truthfully, “I admit, I did open this thing. At that time, I redeemed the purse from Luo Huan Building, and I was a little curious about what was in it, so… I accidentally opened it. I really didn’t mean to see your secret.”

Ji Chaoyun was so startled, his mouth open. “But, but he said, this thing is only for me and him…”

Feng Qi interrupted, “I know that there is a divine deed on it, it’s only you and him, and those who share the same bloodline as him, can open it.”

Blood is blood. No matter if it was father, son, brother or kinship descendants.

The more Feng Qi thought about it, the more unhappy he became. He furrowed his eyebrows, and his voice was a little weak, “Let’s not talk about it anymore, I really don’t want to know at all what kind of blood relationship I have with that person.”

The author has something to say:

After I was jealous of myself and I scolded myself, our Highness finally developed a new idea, and treated myself as a son. [facepalm]

九天崖 Alternatively, Nine Days Cliff.