After Refusing Marriage to the Dao of Slaughter Patriarch (10)

There was no wind tonight.

Warm orange light devoured the night sky, replacing the stars. Sky lanterns rose one after another, covering the sky and blocking out the sun, visible from every corner of the Yushui Sect.

Ji Zhaixing slightly tilted his head up, and the radiance fell on his cold, white skin. Every exquisite feature of his was illuminated; even his pitch-black hair and crimson lips were vividly beautiful, like a painting.

Anyone would favor him.

Tan Lang thought to himself.

Yet he could hardly control himself, continuously recalling Rong Zhou's words as if engaging in self-torment.

"Although rumors say that only those with Nascent Soul cultivation can ascend to the Middle World, as long as one possesses the Ascending Dragon Token and gathers ten Golden Core Patriarchs to protect the formation, this boundary can be broken. Tan Lang, Sect Master Tan requested my father to exert effort for this matter, but the person he wants to send away is not you."

"What do you think is the point? The Upper World that others dream of, Ji Zhaixing discarded like worn-out shoes. But now, there are still people eagerly coming forward, offering him another bright path to the Dao."

Tan Lang almost uncontrollably grew furious at Rong Zhou. But Rong Zhou was not angry; his gaze was sticky and focused, carrying a joy that made one tremble.

"Tan Lang, only I am on your side."

——

"Tan Lang." These two words were spoken with gentle warmth. A voice entirely different from Rong Zhou's suddenly awakened Tan Lang from his daze.

Ji Zhaixing slightly turned his head. That dancing warm light fell on his long, dense eyelashes, and then beside his eye, like a bright and beautiful mole.

"You are distracted."

Tan Lang should have taken his anger out on Ji Zhaixing. He was jealous of his heaven-blessed favor, and loathed how, even when Ji Zhaixing was favored so partially, he found it difficult to sustain his hostility.

Even at this moment, Tan Lang couldn't manage to make his tone stiff. He only averted his eyes and said coldly, "I'm not."

Ji Zhaixing looked thoughtful. "You seem very unhappy."

The black-haired cultivator moved slightly closer, his swaying sleeves almost brushing against Tan Lang's hand. And that hidden, extremely faint scent, like a patch of fresh snow on pine and cypress, immediately crowded over.

Tan Lang's reaction was surprisingly big. His whole body stiffened, and he suddenly backed away two or three steps. "Don't come so close to me."

As if Ji Zhaixing were a man-eating monster.

Ji Zhaixing paused slightly, asking, "Are you angry with me?"

In fact, Tan Lang had long discovered that toward the people he was familiar with, Ji Zhaixing's temper was astonishingly good. Just like at this moment, his rejection was obvious, yet Ji Zhaixing only lowered his eyes slightly and asked him calmly.

This was never his fault.

Tan Lang said again, "I'm not."

It was still these same words.

Wave after wave of sky lanterns had almost all been released, occupying the entire night sky. Hearing Tan Lang's reply, Ji Zhaixing did not press further; he just slightly cast his gaze to the side, reflecting the warm orange lantern light in his eyes.

"The Qiming Festival will last for three days, and there will be just as many lanterns tomorrow. Tan Lang, tomorrow you..."

"Ji Zhaixing." Tan Lang interrupted his words. He slightly turned his face away, deliberately blurring all those scenes related to Ji Zhaixing in his memory.

Heartache and innocence.

"Being with you is really quite boring," Tan Lang said. "Your injuries should be just about healed by now."

Very tactfully, he hinted at a touch of heartlessness.

All the warmth from the past was shattered, as if their prior reconciliation was merely an illusion.

Ji Zhaixing blanked slightly, a smile still resting on his face. He seemed to be contemplating something, his dense eyelashes concealing the light in his eyes.

"Alright."

He still replied calmly.

......

The disciples of the Yushui Sect noticed that Young Sect Master Tan was no longer sticking together with Senior Brother Ji every day.

Tan Lang did not relapse into his old ways, returning to being the famous romantic playboy of the cultivation world. Instead, he seemed to have truly settled his mind, entering secluded cultivation every day, dedicating even more effort than the previously most hardworking disciples.

Therefore, on the whole, this was truly a good thing—in the past, whenever they got close to Senior Brother Ji, they would be frightened off by the Young Sect Master's glare. But now, it was every man for himself, seeing who could capture a bit more of Senior Brother Ji's attention.

Qi Baishan was exceptionally outstanding at hogging his senior brother.

He was the youngest disciple taken in by Sect Master Tan, and also the junior brother who had taken care of Ji Zhaixing from the very beginning. All day long, he chattered 'Senior Brother this' and 'Senior Brother that', unbelievably soft and clingy like a piece of milk candy.

And yet, Ji Zhaixing treated him with unmatched gentleness and particular tolerance.

He was especially envied and hated by others, but his temperament was too straightforward; he couldn't even realize when others were trying to trip him up.

The only thing Qi Baishan noticed... was probably the gaze of his Senior Brother Tan Lang, the Young Sect Master of the sect.

It was truly so gloomy as if he wanted to eat him alive, making Qi Baishan reflect on his faults in his heart countless times, and try to recall when exactly he had offended Senior Brother Tan Lang.

Running into Tan Lang on the road once again, Qi Baishan first bowed obediently. This time, the Young Sect Master did not glare daggers at him, but instead gave an "En" and asked, "Yesterday, you took wine to find Ji Zhaixing?"

Qi Baishan let out a slightly confused "Ah" and carefully answered, "Just a little Pear Blossom Wine sent from the foot of the mountain."

"Don't bring him wine," Tan Lang said. "His injuries haven't fully healed."

Qi Baishan didn't dare say anything else. He agreed with a "Yes," and added, "Senior Brother Ji didn't drink. He said he doesn't like drinking."

Tan Lang once again froze in place.

It turned out Ji Zhaixing didn't like drinking wine.

Qi Baishan only felt that Senior Brother Tan Lang was acting a bit strange. But he had been summoned by his Master and had already delayed for a long time on the road, so he couldn't afford to bother with it now and excused himself first.

In the main hall, apart from Sect Master Tan, Ji Zhaixing was also there.

Today, Ji Zhaixing wore a long azure robe. Tightly bound at the waist, it outlined a slender and beautiful curve, and his hair was simply pinned up with a jade hairpin.

So upon seeing him, Qi Baishan's eyes went somewhat straight. He first bowed to his master, and then, full of shyness, called out to Senior Brother Ji in a cloyingly sweet voice.

Ji Zhaixing was originally sitting on a chair to the side, flipping through something in his hands; seeing his little junior brother arrive, he stood up. His black hair was like a waterfall, his skin white and lips red. Just by giving a slight smile to his junior brother, he appeared even more richly striking and soul-captivating.

Qi Baishan foolishly pressed his chest, his heart truly beating like a drum.

"Baishan," Sect Master Tan said. "For this session of the Hanlin Sword Trial, you will be the leading senior brother, taking ten disciples from the Yushui Sect to attend."

Qi Baishan was currently turning his head to peek at Ji Zhaixing, his heart rippling with joy, so he was slightly stunned by this news.

The Hanlin Sword Trial did not necessarily involve sword fighting; rather, it was an opportunity for the young disciples of major sects in the cultivation world to display their strength. Winning brought not only sect glory but also highly substantial rewards in spirit stones and spiritual weapons.

Qi Baishan had actually gone more than once, but he had never been the leading senior brother. He immediately panicked and refused: "How can I do that? It would be better, better... to let Senior Brother Ji do it!"

Ji Zhaixing couldn't help but laugh.

"Nonsense," Sect Master Tan said. "Your Senior Brother Ji's age fits, but his cultivation—I'm afraid that once he makes a move, those old fogeys will all turn against the Yushui Sect."

For Ji Zhaixing, at the Golden Core stage, to go and compete with Qi Condensation stage disciples was truly bullying them a bit too much.

Seeing Qi Baishan's face flush completely red with anxiety, Ji Zhaixing called out gently: "Master."

Sect Master Tan paused slightly and stopped teasing his youngest disciple.

"However, your Senior Brother Ji will indeed be going this time," Sect Master Tan said. "He will be the leading elder for this trip."

Due to a previous incident where sect disciples were ambushed and killed by demonic cultivators while heading to the Hanlin Sword Trial, every session thereafter, regardless of sect size, a sect elder would be dispatched to protect the disciples and ensure their safe arrival. The higher the sect's background, the deeper the cultivation of the dispatched elder.

But no one expected it to be Ji Zhaixing this time.

He would probably be the youngest sect elder in the entire Yushui Sect, perhaps even in the entire history of the cultivation world.

Sect Master Tan was not originally a person who loved showing off. After all, possessing a treasure is a crime in itself. A Golden Core Zhenjun like Ji Zhaixing, who had not even reached twenty years of age—even if he had undergone his tribulation in a Great World—was truly appalling to hear.

But who told Sect Master Tan to still be bothered by those rumors spreading wildly in the cultivation world? Even using the power of the Yushui Sect to suppress them, they could never completely seal the mouths of rogue cultivators and their private whispers. Rather than trying to block the flood, it was better to guide it. Let them see with their own eyes—

Just what the person they were secretly slandering looked like.

......

By the time Ji Zhaixing finished discussing the details of leading the team with his master, it was nearing dusk.

At the end of the winding corridor stood a young man in white. His figure was frail, yet just looking at his back revealed a sense of elegance.

As Ji Zhaixing approached, the young man finally turned around, revealing a slightly sickly face. Smiling faintly, he blocked Ji Zhaixing's path.

The two met on a narrow path.

Ji Zhaixing remembered the face of every fellow sect member. Naturally knowing that the young man in front of him was not from the Yushui Sect, he merely looked at him prudently.

Although the youth was thin, he was very tall, even half a head taller than Ji Zhaixing.

"Ji Zhaixing," he pronounced the name of the person before him heavily, as if he had already rolled it over his tongue a thousand times. "You might not remember me, but I know you."

"My name is Rong Zhou, a successor of the medical cultivator Rong Clan. That day when your wound tore open after you shot the arrow, I was the one who treated it for you." Rong Zhou smiled slightly, his eyes curving into crescents, making him look somewhat cute.

Ji Zhaixing instantly recalled it. The wounds on his body had been carefully bandaged at that time, the technique who knew how much more skilled and meticulous than his own. The speed of healing afterward had also been quite fast. As expected, it was the work of a professional medical cultivator.

It was him who had forgotten to ask and express his gratitude.

Ji Zhaixing said, "Many thanks to Daoist Rong for your helping hand."

The corners of Rong Zhou's lips curved slightly. "No need to thank me. After all, Tan Lang was the one who called me over. At that time, we had a small conflict and hadn't contacted each other for a long time, so when I saw Daoist Ji—especially since Daoist Ji is so good-looking—I was even a little jealous."

The word 'jealous' was used particularly exquisitely.

Rong Zhou's smile grew wider and wider, as if his eyes were brimming with joyous light. "So I... hoped he could keep some distance from Daoist Ji. If he has been giving Daoist Ji the cold shoulder recently, I hope Daoist won't mind or blame him. It was all my idea."

Ji Zhaixing spaced out slightly.

He had wondered why Tan Lang was suddenly so cold; it turned out it was to avoid arousing suspicion.

Ji Zhaixing was entrusted by his master's wife to straighten out Tan Lang's temperament, so naturally, the things he brought Tan Lang to do were all meant for cultivating moral character and nourishing his nature. He originally thought that Tan Lang's boredom meant failure, but unexpectedly, the latter's subsequent hard cultivation clearly showed considerable results. Ji Zhaixing felt relieved in his heart and thus no longer cared about Tan Lang's personal preferences; if he hated him, then let him hate him.

But now learning that it was due to other reasons, Ji Zhaixing was still somewhat relieved.

He said, "That is how it should be."

Rong Zhou, who had originally expected a tranquil person like Ji Zhaixing to be angry or sad after being provoked, was slightly stunned.

Ji Zhaixing's dark, deep eyes fixed on Rong Zhou. He slightly curled his lips, his words containing encouragement: "Since you two are deeply in love with each other, you should support one another and work together with a common purpose."

"Junior Brother Tan Lang still has many shortcomings and requires much of your effort to urge him onto the right path sooner, so he may reach immortality through the Great Dao."

Ji Zhaixing summarized with gentle appreciation, almost as if he were looking at his own younger brother's wife: "You've worked hard."

Rong Zhou: "..."

Rong Zhou: "...Oh, it's not hard work."