I Faked My Death After Choosing the Wrong Protagonist - Chapter 2

The capital of the Kingdom of Yun was situated within Cloud City. Here, the Shen family stood as the most prestigious of the three great clans. Their resources and influence rivaled that of the state itself, so much so that even the Imperial Family treated them with significant deference.

The four cardinal directions were guarded by the Four Divine Beasts: the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger, and the Azure Dragon. For generations, the Shen family had been the sworn guardians of the Vermilion Bird. The youngest priest in the kingdom’s history, Shen Shuangyi, hailed from their ranks, and the current Patriarch was the only person in the Kingdom of Yun to reach the semi-divine Saint Profound realm.

As for the young master, Shen Qingzhuo, he remained a figure of deep mystery across the continent. Few had ever seen his face, yet rumors of him were ubiquitous. No one ever dared to dispute his title as the “Number One Beauty of the Nine Provinces.”

Before Qi Ye, the man’s simple, pale blue robes fluttered gently in the breeze. He wore no extravagant ornaments; his silken black hair was tied back with nothing more than a single white ribbon. When he smiled, his phoenix-shaped eyes curved like crescent moons noble, ethereal, and seemingly out of reach.

Qi Ye stared blankly, lost in thought for a long moment.

“So, what do you say? Is that a deal?” Shen Qingzhuo nudged him. His eyes still sparkled, and when he spoke, his voice was like a clear spring flowing over ice pure and gentle.

Qi Ye quietly withdrew his gaze. He looked down at the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass in his hand, then opened his palm to offer it.

The corners of Shen Qingzhuo’s eyes crinkled again. “So, you agree?”

“Take it,” the youth said.

He tried to return the dagger and the beast core along with the herb.

Shen Qingzhuo laughed but only took the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass.

“Keep those for now. What if I really decide to go back on my word?” Shen Qingzhuo joked, gesturing toward the frost-forged blade.

Qi Ye’s expression was unreadable. “It’s for you.”

Shen Qingzhuo stowed the herb away. Hearing the boy’s words as he turned, he paused in surprise.

“You should keep them. Otherwise, I won’t feel right taking the grass,” Shen Qingzhuo insisted. “There are too many beasts here to linger. Other cultivators might arrive soon, let’s head out first.”

The youth remained silent for a beat before nodding.

As the mist thinned, the overhead sun beat down more directly, casting their shadows short upon the ground. Sure enough, the sound of voices soon drifted through the trees.

“This Illusory Mist Forest is treacherous. I suggest you lot head back and rest; otherwise, you’ll be eaten by beasts before you even see the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass!”

“The Qi family is determined to claim the grass today!”

Neither side was willing to back down. The shouting grew more heated, followed shortly by the sounds of a scuffle.

“Hmph! My Jun family has served the Imperial Family for generations. Even if the great Young Master Shen were here himself, I would still take this grass. I don’t know why a ‘Master’ who relied on a woman to rise to power is even barking.”

From the argument, it was clear the newcomers belonged to the Qi and Jun families. In the Kingdom of Yun, the Shen family reigned supreme, while the remaining two the Jun and Qi families were constant rivals, locked in a never-ending cycle of open and secret conflict.

The protagonist Shen Qingzhuo sought was a member of the Qi family.

The System hadn’t given him the full book to read. He only knew that the protagonist, Qi Ye, had been a child prodigy. At the age of three, he was tested to have a “Pure Primordial Spirit Root,” after which his progress was meteoric. Without ever joining an academy, he was self-taught and had broken through to the Green Profound realm by age twelve.

Unfortunately, his luck didn’t last.

At fourteen, an “accident” occurred. Qi Ye lost all his cultivation and became unable to practice ever again. The System hadn’t specified what that accident was.

The reason Shen Qingzhuo was here fighting for the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass was also for the sake of the protagonist. The System told him that with this herb, the protagonist could resume his cultivation.

Shen Qingzhuo glanced back at the nameless youth in black. Obtaining the grass had been much easier than he anticipated; the fact that the boy gave it up so readily surprised him. Because of this, his favor for the youth grew.

He wondered how the protagonist was doing now. Based on typical tropes, the Qi family likely treated him poorly. It was probable that the protagonist’s later personality was a direct result of their cruelty.

The Qi family hadn’t always been among the three great clans; they had only risen to prominence seventeen years ago. The reason was that the current Head of the Qi family had married a specific woman the personal maid of the Shen Patriarch’s only daughter. Everyone knew the Shen family’s power; the Patriarch doted on his daughter like a precious pearl, and the Shen Heiress was as close to her maid as a sister. When the maid married, the Lady Shen provided nearly half of the Shen family’s assets as a dowry, making the wedding more extravagant than her own.

The couple had been famously devoted. Their love story was the talk of tea houses and street corners. But heaven is often jealous of such beauty; the bliss lasted only a year. The maid died during labor while giving birth to the Qi Patriarch’s son.

That child the son of the maid and the Qi Patriarch, was the protagonist, Qi Ye.

The Shen Heiress, meanwhile, was the mother of the original Shen Qingzhuo. This meant that Shen Qingzhuo and Qi Ye were actually betrothed to one another.

The Lady Shen and her maid had been so close that they made a pact while the maid was still alive: regardless of the gender of their children, the two would be joined as partners.

There were many things Shen Qingzhuo didn’t understand about this world’s script. For instance, why did the System make him wait a year before meeting the protagonist? And why arrange a male fiancé for him? In this world, same-sex marriage wasn’t exactly common.

The System’s answer? Because that’s the script. The mission could only start after a year. As for the male-male engagement. What era is this? We should promote freedom of love! As long as two people are in love, does gender even matter?

Shen Qingzhuo: “…”

He had also asked: “What if he actually falls in love with me?”

The System had been incredibly confident: Rest assured, host. According to my analysis, the protagonist has a ‘cold, arrogant, and emotionally detached’ character archetype. He won’t fall in love easily. Even if he does, once you finish the mission and return to your own world, there’s no way he can pester you.

Anyway, I have 198 other transmigrator projects waiting for me. I’m off to the next world. We’ll meet again if necessary. Good luck, host!

Shen Qingzhuo only half-listened to the fading bickering of the rival families; other people’s grudges were none of his business. He just needed to find the protagonist and help him whenever necessary.

He glanced at the youth again. The boy’s eyes were downcast, his face a mask of calm. He didn’t seem to belong to either of those two clans.

The Illusory Mist Forest was truly a nightmare hard to enter, and just as hard to leave. It was common for people to find a world-class treasure only to be killed by a high-tier beast or die of exhaustion in the mist on their way out.

Shen Qingzhuo and the youth encountered a few more beasts, but none were as formidable as the Blood Python. Neither of them were injured. Shen Qingzhuo was relieved; had they run into a Tier 9 beast, even he wouldn’t have been certain of their survival.

He also noticed the youth had zero interest in beast cores. They had encountered several Tier 7 beasts whose cores were extremely valuable but the boy didn’t even spare them a second glance after the kills. Seeing this, Shen Qingzhuo eventually stopped bothering to harvest them as well. The youth’s sole focus seemed to have been the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass.

After another hour of trekking, they finally reached the forest’s edge.

Shen Qingzhuo sighed with relief. Having a companion really did make things easier; it had taken him two hours just to get in by himself. Breathing in the fresh outside air, his mood lifted significantly. He turned back to the boy with a smile.

“Though we’ll likely never meet again, thank you for today. I’m heading off.”

“Wait.”

The youth called out to him, his voice sounding somewhat raw and adolescent.

Shen Qingzhuo blinked as the boy walked toward him. The youth pulled out the frost-white, blue-gemmed dagger, trying to return it once more.

Despite the boy’s cold and aloof features, Shen Qingzhuo found his earnestness incredibly endearing.

“I am definitely taking the Seven-Leaf Kalpa Grass today, so you must keep that. If there’s really nothing else you want, then consider it a favor I owe you. If you ever need me in the future, I will come.”

“Goodbye!”

Shen Qingzhuo waved with a grin. A gentle breeze brushed past, as warm and comfortable as his smile.

Qi Ye watched as Shen Qingzhuo’s long robes and dark hair fluttered in the wind until he vanished from sight.

Cultivators flocked to the Illusory Mist Forest every month, but less than half had the courage to actually enter. Even among those who did, many gave up halfway, were eaten, poisoned, or trapped in illusions. Those who reached the end and gained a treasure were few and far between.

However, even without entering the deep forest, the surrounding few miles held many treasures. Those without the cultivation to go deep would hunt low-level beasts and gather common herbs or spirit stones nearby.

A group of cultivators from smaller families were hunting at the outskirts. Upon seeing Qi Ye, they all showed looks of contempt. One man scoffed, his face full of mockery.

“Yo, isn’t this the eldest young master of the Qi family? What’s the matter? Did your father forget to bring you along, so you ran out here on your own?”

“That won’t do. It’s dangerous out here. What if the Great Young Master Qi gets a scratch? How about this since your dad won’t protect you, call me ‘Daddy’ today and I’ll look after you. What do you think? Hahahaha!”

Qi Ye remained expressionless, simply stepping around him to continue on his way.

“Stop right there!”

The man was intent on humiliating him. Back when Qi Ye was still a prodigy, the man had watched him from the shadows many times with envy. After Qi Ye’s spirit root was destroyed and the Qi family left him to rot, the man had rushed to provoke him. He hadn’t expected that even when Qi Ye’s life was in danger, he would still maintain that aloof, arrogant air. The man had failed to get a reaction and was later beaten by his own father for it.

Lin Sheng gritted his teeth. What right does Qi Ye have to act like this?

“Young Master Shen of the Shen family has returned to Cloud City. Did you know that?”