I Failed to Fake My Death After Scumming the Demon Lord [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Outside the illusion, in the bamboo forest.

As time ticked by second by second, Ji Yun’s expression grew increasingly grave.

A deathly pale hand rested against his neck, the sharp black nails scraping against his skin, sending pulses of minute pain. But Ji Yun ignored this, his eyes fixed on the young man sitting against a bamboo stalk not far away.

Even coarse cloth clothes could not mask the young man’s exceptional features, but the maple leaf mark on his brow now looked as if covered by a film of shadow, and his normally clear peach-blossom eyes were dim and lifeless, like a puppet without a soul.

Behind him, the monster asked leisurely: “What is your surname, sir? How old are you this year?”

Qin Gu replied: “Surname Qin, sixteen years old this year.”

The monster asked again: “Are you married?”

The question turned abruptly, but Qin Gu, having lost his consciousness, still answered truthfully: “I am not.”

Ji Yun felt his heart accelerating uncontrollably. He had cooperated by allowing himself to be held as a hostage without fighting back because he trusted that with Qin Gu’s strength, he would not be defenseless against invading demonic energy. Qin Gu must have had his own plan for allowing the energy to enter. But looking at Qin Gu’s current state, there was not the slightest sign of him waking up.

The monster continued to pry: “Do you have someone you love?”

Qin Gu shook his head: “I do not.”

As the words fell, Ji Yun felt the nails at his neck press slightly closer, and he instinctively wanted to dodge. A sigh of pity followed. The monster seemed very unsatisfied with Qin Gu’s answer: “Listen, sir, he does not regard you as his beloved.”

Ji Yun: …

He had no time to question the monster’s train of thought, his jaw aching from clenching it so tightly.

The monster soon asked that most fatal question.

“Sir, are you willing to trade lives?”

Trade lives.

The Qin Gu from before the amnesia would have wished for his death, and even though the Qin Gu after the amnesia was worlds apart from before, Ji Yun still did not think he would answer “I am willing.”

This question went against human nature; Ji Yun could not imagine who would answer “I am willing” in the face of such a question. But if one answered “I am not willing,” they would be killed by the monster for being a heartless lover. This was an inescapable dead end, and it was the reason the monster had been able to devour humans recklessly and remain rampant until today. Because human nature is selfish, and cultivators are not exempt from this.

Yet, unexpectedly, Qin Gu did not answer immediately. On his blank face, there appeared a hint of hesitation; he seemed to be struggling deeply.

The monster let out a puzzled “Eh?,” stepped down from the giant rock, and walked toward Qin Gu. It had never encountered a human who hesitated on this question, and it couldn’t resist wanting to find out why.

Ji Yun’s hand was already pressed against his sword hilt, cold sweat dripping: Senior Brother, hurry up and wake up!

Qin Gu had no idea what was happening outside the illusion. He was still forced to be bound to Chan Niang’s shell.

Bamboo edges tore through the robes, and filth stained the embroidered shoes. Chan Niang finally arrived in Lin’an. Guided by a kind-hearted person, she found Merchant Jia’s mansion. The steward Qin Gu had seen looked at her haughtily: “Really, every village woman wants to get close to the Master.”

“Please, let me see him just once,” Chan Niang pleaded sorrowfully, “Give him this; he will see me!”

The steward took the silk pouch, and the grand gates of the Jia mansion slammed shut with a “Bang!” in front of Chan Niang. For a long while, until the sun dipped below the horizon, the gates opened again. The steward’s guidance felt more like charity as he led her to the front hall.

The scholar she had longed for day and night had become a greasy, fat man. Merchant Jia was snuggled by two young women in his arms. Seeing her arrive, he did not even stand up. He had become infinitely like a stranger. Chan Niang’s heart went cold, bit by bit.

Merchant Jia looked at the disheveled Chan Niang, not bothering to hide the disgust in his eyes: “How much money do you want?”

Chan Niang shook her head: “I only want to hear one truth from you. Sir—no, Jia Baogui—do you have some hidden hardship for betraying me?”

Chan Niang told herself: If only he said it, I would believe him.

However, Merchant Jia laughed without the slightest hesitation: “Hahahaha! Ridiculous. After singing in plays for so long, don’t tell me you actually believe those stories of enduring love are real? Look at this mansion. How does it match someone like you?”

Merchant Jia snapped his fingers, and the steward brought a bag of loose silver and handed it to Chan Niang.

Chan Niang shook her head: “I do not want your money. Jia Baogui, give the silk pouch back to me; I am leaving.”

Merchant Jia’s brows knitted together. He turned his head and spat: “Putting on an act.”

He took the silver from the steward, picked up the silk pouch from the table, and walked toward Chan Niang, step by step. Qin Gu felt an external force manipulating him to turn and leave. He figured that the Chan Niang of that time must have left Merchant Jia’s mansion in the midst of this humiliating, sorrowful indignation. She did not take the silver; she only took that silk pouch.

Ten years, nothing more than a joke. Until this moment, she had never thought to expose Merchant Jia’s hypocrisy and ruthlessness, instead attributing it all to her own poor judgment of character. Even so, Merchant Jia did not let her go. He not only strangled Chan Niang to silence her for the sake of his wealth and status but also colluded with a demonic cultivator to have Chan Niang’s soul suppressed in the Soul-Locking Array for all eternity.

Through Chan Niang’s eyes, Qin Gu looked coldly at Merchant Jia. This was the full picture of the Lady of Double Happiness case. He knew the cause and effect. It was time to leave this illusion.

The demonic energy panicked, realizing it could no longer control the young man’s soul. The next moment, spiritual energy that had long been lying in wait gathered at Qin Gu’s fingertips. The moment Merchant Jia stepped in front of Chan Niang, Qin Gu suddenly raised his hand—

“Slap!”

He dealt Merchant Jia a solid, ringing slap across the face. Qin Gu had been holding his spiritual energy in anticipation of this moment for a long time. The slap sent Merchant Jia stumbling back several steps.

Before his anger had even subsided, the constructed scene crumbled into dust. The steward, the servants, and the face-clutching Merchant Jia disappeared one by one, leaving only hollow darkness. Qin Gu lowered his head, discovering that he was no longer in Chan Niang’s likeness, and his clothes had changed back.

He felt a foreign object in his palm. He opened his hand, and his pupils shrank—

The silk pouch containing the Unity Knot was lying quietly in his hand. The Unity Knot was also Chan Niang’s heart-knot.

The flow of time accelerated. The nights in the mist were long enough for Chan Niang to ask “Are you willing to trade lives?” countless times, and every interrogation meant a reenactment of the past. She had trapped herself forever in this mist, trampling her broken heart over and over again through self-torture. Yet, in Qin Gu’s view, this was not her fault.

Spiritual energy transformed into a bright flame, leaping onto the edge of the silk pouch and devouring it bit by bit. The tangled strands of hair turned to black ash in the flames. The darkness was burning, the firelight illuminating Qin Gu’s eyes even more brilliantly.

Before the silk pouch was completely swallowed by tongues of fire, Qin Gu spoke softly: “Why punish yourself for another’s mistakes?”

At the same instant, in the bamboo forest, Chan Niang had already reached Qin Gu and reached out with a grab; the demonic energy lunged straight toward the youth’s face.

Ji Yun could no longer hold back. He pushed off the ground for leverage and drew his sword—

“I am willing.”

The demonic energy and the sword energy stopped in unison. Ji Yun even staggered. Qin Gu’s previous actions were not as shocking to Ji Yun as this moment. He felt a sense of indescribable bewilderment. Ji Yun held his sword: Willing? How could he be willing? Does he know that it means using his own life to trade for mine?

Looking at Chan Niang, she was even more stunned, as if struck by lightning.

The stagnation of the atmosphere lasted only a second before golden light flared brilliantly ahead!

The golden-red radiance shattered the shackles of the demonic energy. The maple leaf mark was far more vivid than before. Wherever the sword light reached, the fleeing demonic energy was severed at its roots. Standing at the center of the sword light, Qin Gu’s lips moved, chanting.

As the sound grew louder, several strands of spiritual energy wrapped around Chan Niang like silk ribbons. Shredded by the black nails only to rapidly re-form, they clashed with the demonic energy for several rounds in the blink of an eye. All others saw was a blend of black and red. A shrill, miserable wail escaped Chan Niang’s lips, and her ten black nails were severed all at once!

She turned her body sharply, retreating rapidly, but as she turned, she met Ji Yun, who was already lying in wait. Ji Yun’s sword momentum surged like a wave, cutting off her retreat in an instant!

The roles of attacker and defender had reversed. Qin Gu finished his spell and shouted: “Imprison!”

The spiritual energy whipped up the bamboo leaves on the ground, swirling to form a cage. Chan Niang emitted the angry roar of a trapped beast, but she could not change the fact that there was nowhere left to retreat.

The bamboo forest soon returned to silence. The thick fog dissipated, and the moonlight poured down without obstruction. Qin Gu walked toward Chan Niang in the cage. He could clearly feel that at the final moment, not only did Chan Niang not make a desperate last struggle, she even faintly showed an intent to give up.

He squatted down and looked into the monster’s vacant eyes. From her misty pupils, he actually saw a glimmer of desperate sadness.

Qingli trotted over: “Young Alliance Leader, Junior Brother Ji, the monster has been subdued. Let us take it back to Qingsong Temple to await judgment.”

The Immortal Alliance had orders: monsters like Chan Niang who had eaten many humans, regardless of their past, were to be executed immediately to prevent future trouble. Qin Gu lowered his eyes. Without that trip through the illusion, he probably wouldn’t have trapped Chan Niang but would have executed her on the spot—as the Young Alliance Leader of the Immortal Alliance, Qin Gu had that authority.

But he untied the Demon-Suppressing Gourd from his waist and, amidst Qingli’s exclamation, released the seal on the gourd. The Earth Soul immediately rushed out, like a dancing snake, swimming into the cage and merging with Chan Niang.

The Chan Niang in the bamboo forest represented the human soul. Now that the Earth Soul and human soul were one, the mist that had already dissipated showed signs of gathering again.

“Chan Niang,” Qin Gu waited until there was focus in her eyes, “You have harmed the common people and your crimes are unforgivable. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

Although Chan Niang’s three souls were not complete, she could already communicate. Chan Niang stared blankly at Qin Gu, seemingly recognizing him: “Many thanks, Immortal Lord… for speaking out for me.”

She was referring to the slap Qin Gu had dealt Merchant Jia. Qin Gu understood and smiled, shaking his head.

Chan Niang’s gaze shifted to the unconscious commoners in the bamboo forest: “The disaster was caused by me. Apart from death, I do not know how I can redeem myself.”

Among the three souls, Chan Niang uniquely lacked the heavenly soul that governs virtue. For her to be like this under the dominance of the Earth Soul was enough to prove that she had been a person of pure and genuine goodness during her life.

Qin Gu’s eyes flickered: “Junior Brother, what do you think?”

He noticed that Ji Yun had something to say, so he simply handed over the right to speak. Ji Yun did not answer directly, only saying: “Senior Brother, you told me… every rule has exceptions.”

Ji Yun’s attitude was tactful but clear. Qin Gu felt relieved and went with the flow: “Since Junior Brother says so…”

Pressing his palms together and joining his fingers, the spiritual energy forming the cage shrank, transforming into a ring that locked onto Chan Niang’s wrist. Chan Niang widened her eyes, watching as Qin Gu smiled faintly: “Chan Niang, considering you were a kind person in life, before the Immortal Alliance’s judgment, you may go and say goodbye to your ‘family’ in the human world.”

Saying this, he inverted the Demon-Suppressing Gourd and drew Chan Niang into it. Chan Niang did not struggle at all, and the gourd flew back to Qin Gu’s waist steadily.

This was blatantly helping a monster seek revenge. Qin Gu held a finger to his lips and winked at Ji Yun: “Junior Brother, you must keep this a secret for me.”

Ji Yun looked at Qin Gu with an even more complex gaze. After a long while, he looked slowly ahead: “I didn’t see anything. Let’s hurry and tell Merchant Jia the good news that the monster has been subdued.”

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