I Failed to Reform the Protagonist [Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Pei Jing’s lips curled into a grin as he listened.

The fact that a corner of Chu Junyu’s icy mask had cracked was a good thing in his eyes. Over the past few days, his interactions with Chu Junyu had always felt somewhat surreal. The youth he had glimpsed through the Profound Water Mirror, the one whose single look toward “hell” radiated danger was indeed not as simple as he seemed.

“I won’t regret it,” Pei Jing smiled, flashing a row of bright white teeth. “I’m a very good judge of character. Trust me.”

Chu Junyu quickly concealed his violent side. His expression returned to indifference, and his pale eyes held no trace of a smile. “Then remember what you said today.”

He flicked his sleeve and stepped onto the cloud stairs, heading deeper into the courtyard.

Pei Jing stayed behind for a moment, looking down and chuckling.

The kid’s got quite a temper.

But in this world, something that could make Pei Yuzhi regret his choices simply didn’t exist yet.

The mountain path was clean and bright, the mist light and thin.

As they walked one after the other into Xiuya Courtyard, the wind caused the jade ornaments hanging from Chu Junyu’s hair crown to clink melodiously.

Pei Jing asked from behind him, “You were so fierce just now, completely different from your usual self. Usually, even though you’re cold and don’t like talking to people, you aren’t scary. Why the sudden change of face?” Naturally, he would never admit it was because he himself had been annoying.

Chu Junyu walked ahead without saying a word.

Pei Jing attempted to guess the reason: “Based on my vast experience in judging people, when someone has two faces, the one they usually show is mostly fake. So, is that fierce side your true nature? You were so scary!”

Chu Junyu replied with cold perfunctoriness, “Yes. Scared?”

Pei Jing was highly amused but answered with feigned certainty, “Not scared. You won’t hurt me anyway.”

Chu Junyu remarked, “You certainly have courage.”

Pei Jing laughed. “Confidence is everything.”

“You said that back then too that I’d get into the Inner Peaks.”

Pei Jing froze for a second, then remembered. He said sheepishly, “That was an accident.”

“Is that so?”

The mountain breeze blew softly, making Chu Junyu’s voice sound somewhat ethereal. His usually aloof tone carried a hint of mockery, making him seem like a god pulled down from his altar—a bit more human.

Pei Jing planned to get to know Chu Junyu gradually; today was enough.

A person’s darkness always has a cause. Given Chu Junyu’s age, he likely suffered some indelible trauma during his childhood, perhaps at the hands of parents or relatives.

One day, I’ll help him resolve that knot and clear his demonic thoughts. I hope he can go far on the path of cultivation.

They boarded the flying ship in the afternoon and didn’t reach the mountain range until late at night. That time happened to be when wild beasts came out to forage, making even the outer perimeter unsafe. The senior brothers decided to dock the ship in Yunlan City, not far from the Yunlan Mountains.

The Yunlan Mountains were famous for two things: the perpetual thick fog and the Lingzhi (Ganoderma) mushrooms that grew all over the hills. The Lingzhi here had many miraculous effects; they could extend the lives of mortals and neutralize toxins, and for cultivators, they were excellent for cleansing the marrow and meridians. Such plants often attracted spirit beasts that had just begun to gain intelligence to guard them, making harvesting the Lingzhi no easy task.

Elder Cao had chosen the Yunlan Mountains for the trial specifically for this reason. The task he set was for them to work in groups of five to collect Lingzhi. Within half a month, the more they collected, the better.

Pei Jing felt he had already won the moment he heard the task.

However, competing against a group of new disciples felt like bullying. He decided to give them a fourteen-day head start. He had other things to do. Entering the mortal world meant experiencing human life, so eating, drinking, and having fun couldn’t be ignored.

Entering Yunlan City, Pei Jing first bought himself a pile of candies and stuffed them into his sleeves. He had a sweet tooth before he reached the stage of Bigu (fasting from grains), and now he finally had the chance to indulge. He popped a candy into his mouth, satisfied by the long-lost sugary richness sliding down his throat.

With a spirit of sharing, Pei Jing offered one to Chu Junyu: “Want one?”

Chu Junyu didn’t take it.

Pei Jing peeled the wrapper and held it to the boy’s lips, grinning. “Open up, I’ll feed you. It’s really sweet.”

Chu Junyu pushed his hand away with a look of utter disgust.

Pei Jing popped it back into his own mouth and followed behind him, muttering, “So boring.”

The streets of Yunlan City were bustling, and many gazes fell upon them. The two youths walking one after the other were both exceptionally good-looking but had completely different temperaments. The black-clad youth in front walked with a sword, his expression as cold as ice. The brown-clad youth behind him gave off a friendly vibe, his eyes seemingly speaking when he smiled.

After resting at the inn for a while, they were gathered at the first light of dawn, ready to set out.

The one leading them was a senior brother at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Before they left, he warned: “You are to stay in the outer perimeter of the mountain range. No matter what happens, you must not enter the deep mountains. You must return before nightfall. If something truly goes wrong, crush the bead on your sword tassel, and I will come to save you. But you only get one chance. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

The journey from Yunlan City to the mountains took one or two hours on foot. By the time they arrived, day had broken completely. Pei Jing had been eating candy the whole way, and his cheeks were starting to ache from chewing.

The fog in the Yunlan Mountains was heavy, shrouding the entire forest in a layer of gray. With one glance from afar, Pei Jing knew why that senior brother had been so cautious. Deep within the thick fog, there was a faint, bloody glow—it was subtle, but it made the atmosphere feel incredibly eerie.

Pei Jing thought: Strange. When I passed through here a few years ago, it wasn’t this sinister.

Perhaps a demon was causing trouble again.

However, the bloody light was only in the depths, and no humans lived there, so there shouldn’t be any casualties yet. Since Yunxiao was already aware, they would deal with it soon. He didn’t need to worry about it now.

While Lingzhi were numerous in the Yunlan Mountains, they weren’t everywhere. The fog was so thick that you couldn’t see someone just a short distance away, let alone find a tiny mushroom.

Pei Jing had been following Chu Junyu, but midway, a protruding branch caught his sleeve and sent his candies spilling out. By the time he bent down to pick them up and stood back up, Chu Junyu was gone.

“Where is he? Does he have no sense of teamwork?”

Pei Jing popped a plum-flavored candy into his mouth and called out Chu Junyu’s name. No one answered.

The forest was foggy and the shadows of the trees were distorted. Echoes bounced back and forth, giving the place a frightening feel. Pei Jing could have easily flown up on his sword to find the boy despite the fog, but there was no need.

He had found something more interesting.

The outer mountains were devoid of living creatures—dead silent. In the dim light, a silhouette was faintly outlined. Footsteps sounded ahead.

Pei Jing stopped.

Grotesque branches reached through the fog as a hunched figure slowly emerged.

It was an old man, bent nearly ninety degrees, carrying a hoe on his back and a basket in his hand. His pant legs were rolled up, and his clothes were stained with mud. His hair was white. He kept his head down as he walked past Pei Jing.

Pei Jing stopped him. “Hey, old gentleman, can I ask you something?”

The hunched old man was startled, nearly dropping his basket. He instinctively hugged the basket to his chest and barked, “What do you want?”

Pei Jing said, “I have a friend who got lost nearby. Did you see him?”

The old man looked up and glared at him. His forehead was covered in deep wrinkles, and he was as thin as skin and bones. He looked utterly impatient.

Just as he was about to refuse, his nose suddenly twitched.

He craned his head forward, his neck twisting at a horrifying angle. He took a deep sniff, and his cloudy eyes filled with greed as he looked back at Pei Jing. The longing and excitement in his gaze were unmistakable. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: “What does he look like?”

Pei Jing marveled: It’s rare to see such a stupid demon these days. However, he still needed to get information out of him, so he said sincerely: “Very tall, very thin, about three-tenths as handsome as me, wearing black clothes. Have you seen him?”