âSect Leader Yun, donât waste any more effort.â After Yun Xie finished speaking, another voice rang out. Everyone looked in that direction to see a beautiful woman dressed as a Daoist nun walking towards the crowd: âYou have always demonstrated a moral character high enough to reach the clouds, valuing friendship so highly as to sacrifice yourself for its sake. Everyone has always admired you for these characteristics. But unfortunately, even now, you have not yet realized the true face of this villain who has won fame through deceiving the public. I really cannot bear to watch Sect Leader Yun continue to be deceived. Therefore, today we shall clean the filth from our sect and dispose of this traitor.â
Watching Wanderer Zihui denounce him with such righteousness, Jiang Xunyi was utterly speechless. By this point, he was now completely aware of this worldâs maliciousness. The system was effectively manifesting itself in reality through numerous forms, all to tell him: Do not reject your given task. In this instance, since you have refused to take the initiative to become a rapist, then you can only passively be labelled a rapist. Thatâs right, youâre getting no benefits from resisting, and youâre even losing out on the opportunity to get some pleasure out of it.
The sheer brazen shamelessness on display shocked him to his core: âZihui, what do you mean by this?â
Wanderer Zihui looked at him coldly, her eyes holding no traces of yesterday nightâs affection and reluctance: âYou arenât even calling me Shishuâit seems even you yourself know your crimes are so serious you have no face to stay at Hidden Spirit Sect, hmm? But after committing such a great sin, this is no longer a matter of you getting to leave as you wish. Before the spirit of Ti Ming-shixiong, I shall execute a punishment of thunder, to atone to the Feng family and to the ancestors of my Hidden Spirit Sect.â
She no longer gave Yun Xie and Jiang Xunyi the slightest room to interject, and raised her voice: âOld Chen! Come out, tell everyone what you saw yesterday.â
An old man wearing coarse clothes slowly emerged from the crowd.
Ever since realizing Feng Qiu truly had been assaulted, Jiang Xunyiâs entire body had been trapped in a state of unreal numbness. He originally believed no future event would be able to stir any more emotions in his heart, but when he saw that familiar and kind face, Jiang Xunyi felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured on himself. He was so frozen that he couldnât speak or move, so frozen that he could feel the chill to his very bones.
His lips trembled, and parted for a hoarse: âUncle Chen?â
Uncle Chen did not respond with his usual friendliness and joy, but instead silently looked away. His eyes seemed to be full of contempt, as if he didnât even want to say a single sentence to Jiang Xunyi.
Wanderer Zihui glanced at Jiang Xunyi and said lightly: âVery well, you even admit it yourself.â She pointed to Uncle Chen and announced to the surrounding people: âThis person is Chen Li, a servant who specializes in the tidying and sweeping of the sect masterâs yard. He has followed my shixiong Immortal Master Ti Ming for decades and has always been loyal and honest. There is absolutely no way he would lie. Old Chen, tell everyone, what exactly did you see last night.â
Jiang Xunyi stared closely at Chen Liâs face, but the other party didnât look at him. His lips moved a few times, but didnât speak. Instead, with a pair of trembled hands dotted with age spots, he took out a piece of cloth that had been torn off a sleeve, and offered it to Wanderer Zihui.
Wanderer Zihui did not take the piece of cloth. Her hands remained hidden in her sleeves as she said indifferently: âShow it to everyone.â
Uncle Chen indeed displayed the piece of fabric in front of everyone, and dully said: âAt dawn this morning, I saw Miss Feng running out of the eldest young masterâs room, even though the eldest young masterâs room appeared to be empty without any lights on. I saw Miss Feng weeping as she ran, so I wanted to go forward and ask her what happened. I wasnât able to catch up, and only⌠picked this up from the ground.â
He had watched Jiang Xunyi and Jiang Molou grow up all this time, and had always called the two âyoung mastersâ in a manner that normally sounded very familiar and intimate.
That piece of sleeve was woven out of brocade, so white as to dazzle the eye, resembling a cloud that had fallen to earth. In the sunlight, one could see hints of a faint dark golden pattern, gorgeous and elegant. With a single glance, one knew it must belong to Jiang Xunyi. Seeing this, Xue Li shouted fiercely: âQiuâer, stop crying! Why donât you tell us what exactly is going on here!â
Feng Qiu choked on her own sobs, unable to speak. Only after a long while had passed was she able to squeeze out in a broken voice: âI, I found an opportunity to hit his God House acupoint1 to knock him out, and ran away while he faintedâŚâ
The God House acupoint was located on the back of the skull. A martial arts master like Jiang Xunyi usually would not allow anyone to touch such a critical area of his body. However, at a time of delirious passion, anything could be possible. As a result, there was an extra layer of disdain in the gazes of the crowd directed at Jiang Xunyi, and Zihui seized this opportunity: âTherefore, the entire truth of this matter is now clear as day. Jiang Xunyi, do you have anything else to say?â
Feng Qiu, Uncle Chen, Zihui⌠The figures of these people seemed to gradually morph into inhuman beasts, twisted and ferocious. Jiang Xunyi had originally been uncomfortable ever since he got up this morning, and now with fury filling his heart, he felt the world grow dim before his eyes. It seemed as if the lips of his accusers seemed to open and close faster and faster, and it drained an extreme amount of effort out of him to understand what was being said. Vital energy and blood alike roiled and churned within his chest, and a mouthful of fresh blood rose to flood his mouth, before Jiang Xunyi managed to swallow it back down.
He said: âI donât believe it, Uncle Chen⌠Shizun has already passed away, I donât believe even you would betray me. All these years, these decades⌠unless I die on the spot right now⌠no, even if I die, Iâm not willing to accept this! Uncle Chen, tell me, why are you doing this, are they threatening you?â
His voice was quiet, his words faint and weak. Yun Xie was very distressed and instinctively stepped forward to help support him with his arm. But when he pressed Jiang Xunyiâs thin shoulders and his nose was filled with that familiar cold fragrance akin to pine branches buried in snow, that irritability and rage, that feeling of yearning to destroy everything, surged up once again.
He seemed to hear someone asking himself: âSect Leader Yun, the first person to see Jiang Xunyi this morning should be you, correct? If I may dare ask, did Sect Leader Yun see anything?â
Yun Xie heard his own voice answer calmly and indifferently: âEverything was normalââI will say it once more, Jiang Xunyi would absolutely never do such a thing. If you refuse to believe this, then let him and I bear this together.â
His soul seemed to be split into two halves, one half feeling heartache and tenderness for Jiang Xunyi, the other half filled with anger and suspicion. His very own words sounded strange and unfamiliar to his ears.
However, like a drop of scalding heartblood2 , this sentence emerged from Yun Xieâs mouth and dropped on Jiang Xunyiâs heart, warming his almost frozen numb body and allowing him to recover a shred of consciousness. He took a deep breath and straightened his back, before raising his hand to pat Yun Xieâs supporting arm. His voice was still hoarse: âYun Xie, thank you.â
Staring at the two, Chen Yuanxin smiled slightly upon seeing Jiang Xunyiâs reaction. A shred of tenderness actually appeared in his harsh and unkind face, which looked particularly perverted. He said: âYoung master Jiang, if youâre saying this, does that mean you refuse to confess?â
Jiang Xunyi gently pushed away Yun Xieâs arm, about to reply with âOf course I donât accept this.â But just as these words were on the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back down. He had come to the realization: he didnât dare.
After many years of slaying demons and monsters, experiencing countless dangers, Jiang Xunyi naturally held no fear of death and was always willing to jump at an impetuous gamble. However, this time he could not afford to ruin Yun Xieâs destiny and future. This was his deepest bond in this world, his best brother.
His every step was careful and solemn, a lonely journey trudging through the dark. The world of ăRising Clouds, Billowing Skiesăhad been established with Yun Xie as the protagonist. If Jiang Xunyi went against the tide and defied destiny, no one could say what irreversible impacts such a decision might have on Yun Xie.
The perturbation in his heart crashed down in waves, each larger than the last. Probably every transmigrator in existence would inevitably think of themselves as high up, proud and unparalleled, feeling as if they were above the world and therefore different from everyone else. However, when standing before that immense destiny, they would then come to the realization: it turned out they were so small and insignificant, nothing but specks of dust to be crushed between destinyâs fingers.
Jiang Xunyi could clearly feel his own frustration at being beaten back like this, the feeling of helplessness from knowing the truth yet being unable to change a thing. This was only amplified by his own confusion as to what conspiracy was actually brewing beneath the surface. It seemed as if this despicable destiny knew he had always acted with arrogance and followed his heart, and was therefore attempting to derive amusement from grinding down his proud bones.
Jiang Xunyi clenched his fists tightly, his face as cold as ice. He tried to make his voice appear smooth, but a hint of uncontrollable disorder in his breathing still revealed his true mood. In his entire life, there had never been a sentence so difficult and so humiliating for him to say as âNo, I confess, itâs me.â
The surrounding chatter of the crowd receded like the tide, but an even louder buzzing sound seemed to be passing through his ear and striking his very soul. Yun Xie suddenly turned his head to look at Jiang Xunyi like he was a distant stranger. On the side, the bitterly weeping Feng Qiu even forgot to sob.
After getting that sentence out, Jiang Xunyi actually calmed down completely. He simply crossed his arms and spoke in a frozen tone: âAlright, thatâs enough. All those efforts and manipulations of yours were just to get me to confess. Now Iâve confessed, is there anything else?â
Yun Xieâs voice trembled as he struggled to restrain himself: âJiang⌠Jiang Xunyi, this is not something to joke about.â
The plot had finally gotten on the right track, but there was not a shred of joy in his heart. Jiang Xunyi now had nothing left to lose3 so his voice was casual and careless: âIâm not joking. Iâve always liked Qiu-shijie, but donât you know that sheâs only ever had you in your heart?â
At this moment, Yun Xie really wanted to kill him. But in the entirety of this heaven and earth, there was only one Jiang Xunyi, and he could not bear to say anything.
At the same time, the hateful system popped up: [Friendly Reminder: the task completion progress has reached 90%, may the host continue to work hard.]
Thank you very fucking much for your friendliness!
Jiang Xunyi sneered in his heart, wishing for all the world that he could dig this garbage system out of his brain on the spot. 90%? Such fast progress, I wouldnât be able to tell myself. I really want to see how exactly youâre going to have Yun Xie kill me.
This wasnât blind self-confidence on his part, but the product of many years of understanding. Yun Xie was definitely not the type of person to abandon friendships for the sake of romanceâthis didnât match his personality setting as the protagonist. Even though Jiang Xunyi was publicly announcing he liked Feng Qiu, anyone with eyes in their head would find that difficult to believe. Therefore, although Jiang Xunyi was furious at having to falsely confess to this matter, he really did not believe Yun Xie would kill him because of this alone. Therefore, following this line of reasoning, there should be another new storyline in the future for him where he would be truly looking for death. As a result, Jiang Xunyi was caught off guard when the completion degree did jump up to 90% instantly.
Footnotes:
1. çĽĺşçŠ´ lit. âgod+house/manor+apertureâ is an acupuncture point. According to Baidu itâs located slightly below the sternum, but again all these acupoints seem to be highly variable depending on the source haha.
2. ĺżĺ¤´čĄ lit. âblood from the tip of the heartâ is supposed to be the most precious, vitality-packed blood of the body. Itâs usually given magical properties in xianxia/wuxia settings.
3. ç ´ç˝ĺç ´ć lit. âafter a single crack in the pot, smash the pot to piecesâ basically means that since the situation is hopeless anyways, might as well give up and act irresponsibly the rest of the way