After Returning from a Faked Death, My Crazed, Rebellious Disciple Forced His Love Upon Me - Chapter 17

Once Ji Chen saw that Yuan Yi’s mind was made up, he stopped dwelling on the matter. He had no intention of forcing Yuan Yi; it was Yuan Yi’s own choice not to leave. Kui Mu also had no choice but to respect Yuan Yi’s decision.

Ji Chen and Yuan Yi planned to go together to find Guitong and confess their guilt. However, they did not know where to find him. Although Yuan Yi carried a transmission jade that could contact Guitong, no matter how much he spoke into it, there was no response from the other side.

In the end, Yuan Yi had to take the initiative to contact the Left Protector.

“His Lordship is in the seclusion stone chamber.”

The Left Protector gave only that brief prompt before cutting the connection.

After hearing this, Ji Chen asked Yuan Yi curiously, “Why is this Left Protector even more mysterious than the Demon Venerable? I have never seen him show his face.”

“He is not in the city.” Yuan Yi put away the transmission jade and turned toward the direction of the seclusion stone chamber.

Ji Chen followed closely behind him. “If he is not in the city, how does he know everything that goes on here so well?”

“That is his ability. He is much more powerful than I am. Moreover, he is not a personal bodyguard; he is specifically tasked by His Lordship to handle matters outside. Therefore, he does not manage the city’s security. I usually handle those things.”

“So you are the personal one?”

“Yes, I am always with His Lordship. I am responsible for all matters in the city, including gathering surrounding intelligence.”

Ji Chen understood now. The Left and Right Protectors had a clear division of labor. One focused on external affairs, while the other focused on internal ones.

Outside the stone chamber, three demon cultivators guarded the entrance. This entrance was not the one Ji Chen had used to exit earlier; although the interior consisted of stone chambers, there were many entrances and exits.

Upon entering, they found that the terrain inside was quite complex. Ji Chen had a poor sense of direction, so he had to follow Yuan Yi through various winding corridors until they finally stopped before a large stone door.

Pushing the door open, they entered a space that was likely the largest stone chamber Ji Chen had ever seen. It was over a dozen feet high, with eighty-one stone pillars supporting the massive ceiling. At the far end of the chamber stood a high flight of stone steps.

As Ji Chen walked in, he felt as small as an ant. Looking up at the ceiling, it felt like a night sky without stars. Fortunately, there were skylights that allowed faint morning light to filter through, illuminating the dark chamber.

His gaze followed the stone steps upward. At the very top stood a wide stone chair. Guitong sat upon that chair, leaning his head on one hand in a casual yet cold posture, looking down at the two men as they entered.

Ji Chen and Yuan Yi walked forward and stopped at the base of the steps. Yuan Yi was the first to drop to both knees before Guitong. He lowered his head, not daring to look at him or speak.

Guitong, however, ignored Yuan Yi. His gaze fell solely on Ji Chen. He remained silent, but a faint, cold smile gradually curled at the corners of his mouth.

Ji Chen was sensitive to that smile. There was clearly a blade hidden within it.

“Kneel.”

Guitong finally spoke. His voice was filled with suppressed cruelty and gloom. He was giving an order to Ji Chen.

Ji Chen understood Guitong’s meaning because the contrast between his attitude and Yuan Yi’s was stark. Those in power often care most about the authority to crush the world beneath them. But Ji Chen remained standing tall. Not only did he refuse to kneel or bow, but he also lowered his head and let out a soft, faint laugh.

“Heh.”

Yuan Yi was terrified by this move and hurriedly looked up to whisper a reminder, “Kneel! Do you want to die?”

It was unclear if he was worried about Ji Chen or afraid that Ji Chen would provoke his Lordship further.

Ji Chen remained unmoved. A master kneeling to his disciple? What kind of custom was that? Ji Chen was afraid of death, but that did not mean he could not die. He even raised his head and dared to look Guitong directly in the eyes.

Their eyes met, and all light was swallowed by the dark, surging tides within the stone chamber. Suddenly, Guitong’s fingertips manifested a long, thin, blood-red whip. It lashed down fiercely from above, striking Ji Chen’s cheek.

The whip cracked.

A bloody welt appeared on his fair, youthful skin. Ji Chen felt a sharp pain in his face, and the force of the blow caused his head to snap to the side. He raised his right hand to touch the new wound, his fingertips coming away with a trace of blood.

But it was not much. The skin was only slightly broken. Other than that, he was not injured elsewhere.

Ji Chen was not angry. He had struck Guitong many times in the past; being hit this time could be considered as paying him back. However, he was puzzled. With Guitong’s current strength, if he had used even a tiny bit of spiritual energy, Ji Chen would not have escaped with just a scratch. For a mortal body, his meridians should have been severed and his bones shattered.

Ji Chen was not the only one who noticed this; Yuan Yi, who was kneeling nearby, noticed it as well. Yuan Yi looked at the almost unharmed Ji Chen in shock. He opened his mouth and only managed to speak after a long pause, “You are not dead?”

He said “not dead” rather than “unharmed.” It seemed that in Yuan Yi’s subconscious, he thought Ji Chen was a dead man.

After taking the blow, Ji Chen laughed even more wantonly, “Hahaha!”

Guitong narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, “What is so funny?”

Ji Chen stopped laughing. “I am merely laughing at your inability to distinguish right from wrong.”

Guitong did not answer, and no emotion could be seen on his face.

Ji Chen continued, “A loyal subordinate who has followed you for a long time, and you would kill him simply due to personal emotion. Do you not know in your heart whether he colluded with the Immortal Path?”

“By doing this, you will only make others feel that you are increasingly cruel and tyrannical.”

Yuan Yi looked at Ji Chen in astonishment.

After a long silence, Guitong’s mocking voice drifted down from the high steps.

“Indeed, I am cruel and tyrannical. So what? The blame lies with my scumbag master for not teaching me well, or rather, for having no intention of teaching me at all!”

Guitong stood up and walked down the steps, his expression remaining cold. “Why not try some perspective taking?”

“If it were like this, a loyal disciple who followed you for a long time, and you threw him away simply due to personal emotion. Did you not know in your heart whether he truly wanted to fall into the Demon Path?”

“If I am cruel and tyrannical for this, then were you not the same for that!”

Ji Chen did not expect him to turn the tables like this!

Furthermore, listening to the meaning of those words, it seemed as if Guitong already knew he was his master.

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