I Faked My Death After Choosing the Wrong Protagonist - Chapter 30

Beneath him, the snow-covered ground collapsed under the immense pressure. Qi Ye had no more blood left to cough up.

He recognized this man: the Old Master of the Shen family.

“Where is Shen Qingzhuo?” Qi Ye struggled to rise from the ground. Though no part of his body remained unharmed, he lifted his head to meet the elder’s gaze without fear. His eyes were filled with absolute murderous intent and unbridled violence.

“You will never see him again,” the Old Master replied. He produced an artifact resembling a tripod pagoda. As it activated, a beam of light instantly sucked Qi Ye inside.

Huangfu Ying stumbled out, following the tracks. After the night’s events, the entire Imperial City was on high alert. He had lost a hundred elite warriors, and the remaining mercenaries and guards under his command had rushed to the scene.

Seeing the Old Master Shen, Huangfu Ying quickly cupped his fists in a respectful bow. “Many thanks to Master Shen for subduing this demon and for the welfare of the people of the Nine Provinces!”

The surrounding troops followed suit, bowing their heads. The Old Master eyed him with authority. “And who are you?”

“I am Huangfu Ying, the Crown Prince of the Cloud Kingdom.”

“Mm.” The Old Master gave a neutral response, showing little emotion.

At that moment, the pagoda in his hand vibrated violently. White light erupted through a sudden surge of black mist, and the square tripod exploded into countless fragments right in the Old Master’s hands.

Qi Ye had shattered the demon-subduing artifact and escaped.

Meanwhile, because the Life-Sharing Contract remained active, the heavy toll Qi Ye took while fighting for his life caused Qi Yannian to vomit a large mouthful of blood before falling unconscious.

Having lost a spiritual artifact, the Old Master Shen fell into deep thought as he looked at the poisonous mist and the spot where Qi Ye had vanished. Huangfu Ying, belatedly choking on the toxic air, covered his nose and mouth. He barked an order: “Pursue him! Increase the guard and lockdown Yun City do not let a single fly escape!”

This area was still within the Imperial Palace of Yun City.

Qi Ye had fought with the intent to shatter his own soul. Before the pagoda’s karmic fires could refine him, he had absorbed the flames into his meridians to break free. In that instant, his meridians were completely shattered.

Yun City was now sealed tighter than an iron drum. Everyone was hunting for him: the three great families (Shen, Jun, and Qi), Principal Li Lan of the Canglan Academy, and the various princes and lords of the Huangfu royal family. Even the Master of the Cold Moon Palace though his whereabouts were unpredictable had sent his nephew, Lei Yuze, as the palace always answered the call during times of great crisis.

Qi Ye did not try to leave the city. Instead, he hid within the Imperial City itself.

More specifically, he hid within Huangfu Ying’s Eastern Palace.

He had escaped the Old Master with shattered meridians and a body full of karmic fire. He knew that as this continued, he wouldn’t live long. Those were the flames of the Ancient Divine Lotus. Circling within his body alongside the fire were the imprints of three lotus seeds.

Qi Ye lay dying, enduring an agony from his limbs and bones that he had never experienced before. It felt as though he were being incinerated from the inside out. Yet, outwardly, there was nothing on him. He frowned deeply, his body twitching and rolling on the ground in pain. Unbeknownst to him, a black lotus totem appeared in the center of his forehead.

In ancient times, there were four Divine Lotuses: the Red Lotus of Karmic Fire, the Golden Lotus of Merit, the White Lotus of World-Purification, and the Black Lotus of World-Destruction.

Qi Ye endured the burning of his meridians, drifting in and out of consciousness. He felt as though the soul-reapers of the Asura Hell were walking toward him, wrapping a noose around his neck to drag him away.

He didn’t want to go with them. He hadn’t seen Shen Qingzhuo one last time. As long as Shen Qingzhuo hadn’t personally said he didn’t want him, he wouldn’t leave.

Suddenly, Qi Ye remembered the Seven-Leaf Jialan Shen Qingzhuo had given him. The first time he met Shen Qingzhuo, he hadn’t actually gone to the Illusory Mist Forest to find a divine herb; he had simply gone because he felt like it.

With shattered meridians, every movement was a struggle. It took a long time during which the herb slipped from his hands multiple times but he finally managed to pick it up. He didn’t use it immediately.

Qi Ye looked at the herb and hesitated. He had killed people. If Shen Qingzhuo knew, would he still want him to live? Should he just die?

The herb fell to the ground again. Qi Ye reached for the spiritual transmitter he shared with Shen Qingzhuo and held it to his ear with difficulty. He thought to himself: If I admit my wrongs, will Shen Qingzhuo be less disappointed?

But he waited a long time until he was on the verge of passing out and the transmitter never responded.

Did Shen Qingzhuo throw his half away?

The karmic fire finished burning through his heart meridians and began to consume the herb and the transmitter in his hands. Only a fraction of a second remained before Qi Ye would be completely incinerated from within. Before losing consciousness once more, Qi Ye protected the transmitter and swallowed the Seven-Leaf Jialan.

He remained in a deep slumber for three days. Even so, he wasn’t entirely asleep; he felt a shred of awareness, but his body wouldn’t obey him, as if his soul and flesh had been separated.

During these three days, Huangfu Ying busy as he was never once stepped into the Eastern Palace.

When Qi Ye finally rose from the ground, the karmic fire remained in his body, unable to be extracted, but his shattered meridians had been restored. He transformed into his black dragon form and, taking advantage of the lingering effects of the divine herb, spent a rare moment grooming his scales.

Shen Qingzhuo liked him looking like this; it was the only thing he had left.

The Qi Residence

Three days after Qi Yannian had vomited blood and collapsed in the water dungeon, he finally woke up. Imperial doctors and physicians from the Cold Moon Palace had visited countless times.

Qi Anning was slumped by the bed, crying uncontrollably. “Father, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death; I thought I’d never see you again!”

Despite the medicine, Qi Yannian’s head throbbed with a splitting pain. He looked muddled for a moment. “What happened to me?”

Qi Anning hugged his neck and wailed, “Father, it’s all because of that monster Qi Ye! You were unconscious for three days. When I arrived at the water dungeon, I saw you had vomited so much blood. It must have been his doing!”

Qi Yannian remembered. The searing pain made him clutch his chest and cough, his face darkening. Indeed, it was Qi Ye the Life-Sharing Contract…

He glanced at his chest and asked urgently, “Where is Qi Ye? What happened to him?”

At this time, members of the Cold Moon Palace and the royal family were present in the Qi residence. Seeing his reaction, they marveled that even though Qi Yannian usually seemed indifferent to Qi Ye, he still worried for him in times of crisis.

Only Huangfu Ying knew the truth: Qi Yannian was simply afraid that if Qi Ye died, he would die too.

Huangfu Ying had been working himself to the bone these past few days. He had also been injured at the dungeon but hadn’t had time to treat himself. Hearing that Qi Yannian was waking up, he made time for a visit.

Initially, he hadn’t wanted to come. In his mind, Qi Yannian was hardly worth a second glance. In fact, he realized now that if Qi Ye weren’t a Demon Seed that had to be destroyed, he would actually admire him. And of course, if the person engaged to Shen Qingzhuo wasn’t Qi Ye.

He admitted to himself that his targeting of Qi Ye was due to that connection as much as the demonic blood. Nothing was beyond Huangfu Ying’s reach not even the person he loved.

The city had been locked down for several days. News of a “Demon Seed” had frightened the commoners and many cultivators into staying indoors. The streets were deserted, and only the high tower of Yue Shang Shao remained un-desolate.

Qi Ye remembered coming there that night with Shen Qingzhuo to listen to the zither. He thought to himself that one day, he would buy that tower and give it to Shen Qingzhuo.

While the city was under tight control, the Imperial Palace was actually the most lax. Qi Ye didn’t know if Shen Qingzhuo would still want to see him. He had used up the herb and had nothing else to give.

Qi Ye easily bypassed the guards and entered the heart of the palace; everywhere he passed, the guards collapsed unconscious. He went to the Imperial Alchemy Room and looked at the various furnaces.

Long ago, Qi Ye knew how to refine pills. He had once found a furnace, but after it broke, he hadn’t tried again. He didn’t know why he knew how to do it; the skill seemed innate. Just as he was born with demonic blood when all demons had supposedly been sealed away.

Qi Ye preferred poisons, but after meeting Shen Qingzhuo, he hadn’t used them either. He realized his own blood was toxic darker than that of a normal person. He didn’t dare let Shen Qingzhuo find out.

With the city’s focus on the gates and the Emperor Huangfu Chicheng away on a journey, the palace was nearly empty. Qi Ye knocked out the remaining guards and spent three days in the alchemy room.

The Red Lotus fire remained in his blood, occasionally torturing him, but Qi Ye discovered it could be controlled. As long as he was more dominant than the fire, he controlled it, rather than it controlling him. However, late at night when he lowered his guard, he would still be woken by the pain—a pain so great he wanted to sever his own hands or choke himself.

After exploding his eighth imperial furnace, Qi Ye finally managed to channel the karmic fire into the vessel; its effect was far superior to normal fire.

One day, an imperial alchemist entered. Seeing Qi Ye, the man turned pale and tried to run, but Qi Ye knocked him out before he could reach the door.

Qi Ye didn’t want to stay here anymore. It was filthy.

Carrying thirty-three finished pills of various grades and functions, he took a black hooded cloak from the palace to hide himself completely. He suppressed his demonic aura and headed for the Underground Market.

Together, these were likely worth less than the single pill Shen Qingzhuo had bought for him, but he still exchanged them for hundreds of thousands of Profound Stones. If he had the patience for an auction, he could have gotten more, but he just wanted the stones so he could leave.

After his departure, the market was thrown into an uproar. Each of his pills was marked with an astronomical price by the middleman for auction.

Outside, the men hunting him were everywhere. Beneath his hood, Qi Ye’s face was ice-cold as he walked right past them. The guards never suspected that the Demon Seed they were scouring the city for was right in front of them.

Qi Ye had an excellent memory. He returned to the place where he and Shen Qingzhuo had stayed, only to find it burned to the ground. Shen Qingzhuo was long gone.

Passing the vicinity of the Shen estate, Qi Ye stopped for a long time before lowering his head and walking away.