I Failed to Reform the Protagonist [Transmigration] - Chapter 11

After the demon hunt concluded, Pei Jing was finally able to move out of that place devoid of spiritual energy.

“Tianzhong Tian” (Heaven within Heaven), also known as Xiuya Courtyard, was nestled within a bamboo grove. Walking along the mountain path, one encountered rare and exotic herbs at every turn. A white mist lingered among the bamboo, and the wind stirred the leaves into a sound like crashing waves. Birds occasionally skimmed past, their feathers catching the moonlight like floating shards of light.

The person leading him was the same senior sister who had previously advised him to focus on his cultivation. She smiled thoughtfully and said, “You truly are the most peculiar newcomer I’ve seen in years. I can’t say whether you’re unlucky or lucky.”

Pei Jing replied, “I should be lucky. After all, I met a benefactor.” Namely, myself.

The senior sister laughed. “In a way, yes. Meeting a benefactor in one’s life is a form of destiny.”

They stopped before a mountain staircase.

“The Xiuya Courtyard is just above,” she said. “Now that you’ve changed residences, you must work even harder at your cultivation.”

“I will.”

After bidding her farewell, Pei Jing climbed the stairs. The path was steep but short.

At the entrance of Xiuya Courtyard, the spiritual energy was dense and fresh, truly comparable to the Inner Peaks. The courtyard featured an open space with a scholar tree, several banana plants, and lush greenery—perfect for early morning sword practice. From the entrance, it looked like a very comfortable environment.

The only pity was that there was only one room.

This meant that from now on, he and Chu Junyu would have to sleep in the same space.

Before even entering, Pei Jing called out Chu Junyu’s name. Even though Chu Junyu remained lukewarm and indifferent toward his arrival, Pei Jing remained enthusiastic.

Upon entering, he saw Chu Junyu reading a book. Chu Junyu had already changed his clothes; his hair crown was removed, and his ink-black hair spilled like clouds over his snow-white sleeping robes. He wasn’t holding a brush; instead, he was tracing something on the page with a single finger.

However, he was no longer reading the Yunxiao introductory heart sutra from yesterday. It was another book that looked somewhat eerie from a distance. It was pitch black, very thin, and the characters on it were so faint they were almost invisible from afar.

Pei Jing walked over and asked, “Did you hear me calling you?”

Hearing his voice, Chu Junyu’s finger paused. He made a light stroke across the page, and a faint blood-red glow was absorbed into the book. He tilted his head back slightly, frowning almost imperceptibly. “You actually came?”

Pei Jing thought: I went through all that trouble to arrange this myself, how could I not come?

He sat down opposite Chu Junyu, his gaze falling on the book. He became intrigued. “What is this? A wordless heavenly book?”

Chu Junyu didn’t answer. He closed the book and said bluntly, “I am not in the habit of living with others.”

Pei Jing thought: What a coincidence, neither am I. One room was fine, but sharing a bed was out of the question.

Pei Jing quickly raised his hands. “Don’t kick me out! I can sleep on the floor.”

In his mind, no matter how much of a genius Chu Junyu was, he was currently just a kid in the Foundation Establishment stage; sleep was still important. He had forced his way into the boy’s proximity, but not to interfere with his cultivation.

Chu Junyu stared at him silently, his pale eyes as cold as glass.

Pei Jing immediately began to babble to show his resolve. “My family was poor when I was a kid, so I slept on the floor for over ten years. I’m thick-skinned. Nowadays, I can’t even sleep soundly in a bed. It’s perfect—we’ll each have our own space and won’t bother each other.”

Chu Junyu continued to look at him coldly for a few seconds before saying, “Fine.”

With that, he stood up and snuffed out the lamp.

Before Pei Jing could even react, the room was plunged into darkness, save for the moonlight spilling in through the window, outlining the silhouette of the person across from him.

He was dumbfounded. The lights were out already? He hadn’t prepared a thing, and he was supposed to just sleep on the floor right now?

Chu Junyu didn’t give him a chance to speak, saying coldly, “Shut up now.”

Pei Jing opened his mouth but swallowed his words.

This kid…

He felt around in the dark, quietly spreading out his bedding.

The moonlight was faint, and the mountain mists outside the window looked like a dreamscape. In the quiet room, only the sound of their breathing remained.

Pei Jing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After struggling for a long time, he gave up. He rolled onto his side and whispered toward Chu Junyu’s direction, “Let’s chat.”

He knew Chu Junyu wasn’t asleep either.

Chu Junyu opened his eyes, the chill within them enough to freeze a man solid.

Ignoring the gaze, Pei Jing blinked and continued in a low voice, “Why did you come to Yunxiao?”

He thought Chu Junyu might get angry, but the boy just stayed silent for a while, closed his eyes again, and turned his back to him.

Pei Jing pushed his luck. “Come on, tell me. I’ll go first: I came here because I want to become more powerful.”

After turning away, Chu Junyu’s eyes actually remained open. Under the cover of the starlight and mountain mist outside the window, his extremely pale eyes were pure and icy.

Behind him, the youth’s clear, boyish voice continued, full of sincerity: “Because they say Yunxiao is the head of the immortal sects. It has the most powerful techniques and the most powerful elders. If you want to become strong, this is the only choice.”

Sincere yet ignorant…

Chu Junyu lowered his gaze and asked, “How strong?”

Pei Jing let out a smile. He knew Chu Junyu would eventually respond. He adjusted his position to lie flat on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

Recalling himself when he first transmigrated into the book, Pei Jing said, “I don’t aspire to be number one in the world; number two is fine.”

After all, the number one spot definitely belonged to the protagonist.

Thinking for a moment, he added, “Strong enough to protect myself and the things I want to protect. Of course, it would be even better if I could become a legend in the cultivation world.”

Chu Junyu slowly closed his eyes. “Not enough.”

Pei Jing paused. “What’s not enough?”

Chu Junyu replied, “Even being number one in the world wouldn’t be enough to protect you.”

Pei Jing: “…”

Technically, I’ve already offended four of the top five on the Heaven-Asking List, and the fifth one is me.

And technically, I’m the big villain of this book. But you don’t have to be so blunt about it.

Pei Jing said seriously, “Why? Am I really that hated? If even being number one can’t protect me, then I’ll just have to transcend this heaven and trample the ‘Heavenly Dao’ under my feet while I’m at it.” At this point, he let out a snort. “Brother, you’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

Hearing his laugh, a trace of a smile flickered on the corner of Chu Junyu’s lips.

He whispered, “Yes.”

An intense crimson flash flickered through his pale pupils; a world-destroying hatred and thirst for slaughter vanished in an instant. A sliver of moonlight fell upon his black hair, making it look as white as frost for a fleeting moment.

Pei Jing: “…You really were teasing me. So, what about you? What did you come to Yunxiao for? If you answer me, I’ll shut up. I mean it.”

Chu Junyu didn’t bother to correct his understanding and said, “Also to become strong.”

“The same as me?”

Pei Jing was shocked. You won’t even practice the Yunxiao sword techniques if you don’t feel like it; people would think you’re just here on vacation.

Pei Jing asked again, “How strong?”

Chu Junyu said calmly, “Strong enough to trample the Heavenly Dao under my feet.”

Pei Jing: “…” It seemed that back on the broken bridge, when Chu Junyu said Pei Yuzhi was “nothing much,” he was actually being polite.

A newborn calf fears no tiger. For a young person like this, Pei Jing decided to offer encouragement.

“Alright. Good luck. Goodnight, go to sleep.”

You can have anything you want in your dreams.