I Faked My Death After Choosing the Wrong Protagonist - Chapter 33

Shen Qingzhuo watched Shen Shuangyi depart and then knelt to pick up the massive black dragon. Qi Ye had already passed out. He reached out to gently stroke the dragon’s neck and body.

As he began to clean and bandage Qi Ye’s wounds, he realized how foolish his earlier thoughts about the “simplicity” of this mission were. The system had said they would meet again at a critical moment; if Shen Shuangyi hadn’t appeared just now to rescue Qi Ye, would the system have shown up instead? If no one had saved Qi Ye, would he have simply died? If the mission was to change the protagonist, what would happen to him if the protagonist died right before his eyes?

Shen Qingzhuo had always known his cousin was powerful, but only today did he realize Shen Shuangyi was even stronger than the Old Master, who had broken through to the upper level of the Saint Profound stage years ago. To take them both away from the Old Master’s grasp, Shen Shuangyi’s realm must be above the Saint Profound. Above Saint Profound lay the Emperor Profound and Divine Profound stages, but according to records, no one had reached those levels in the last hundred years.

Principal Li Lan was also at the Saint Profound level, the Cold Moon Palace Master Lou Jinhuan’s cultivation was unknown, and there was absolutely no record of Shen Shuangyi’s abilities. The rest of the world’s elite consisted of only a handful of Heavenly Profound practitioners.

As Shen Qingzhuo was applying medicine, the great dragon moved, and his eyes opened a sliver. Shen Qingzhuo was delighted to see him wake so soon.

Qi Ye was still in dragon form and looked incredibly weak. He drifted in a daze before shifting into his human form; ever since the ordeal with the Red Lotus fire, he had learned how to control his transformation. However, Qi Ye used too much force. His clothes were already tattered and weren’t made of any special spiritual fabric. The moment he became human… they shredded completely.

Shen Qingzhuo, initially happy to see him wake, was suddenly faced with a naked Qi Ye sitting right in front of him. For a moment, he forgot to look away. Qi Ye belatedly realized the situation and scrambled to cover himself, but it was too late.

Seeing the boy’s flustered and shy reaction, Shen Qingzhuo realized what he was looking at and hurriedly turned his head. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to look at your body, I…”

Wait, Shen Qingzhuo thought, the more I explain, the worse it sounds. His face began to heat up as he feigned composure. “Hurry and put some clothes on. I’ll apply more medicine for you afterward.”

Qi Ye’s pale face flushed as he pulled out fresh clothes and dressed himself. Only then did Shen Qingzhuo turn back, acting as if nothing had happened. However, having been halfway through applying the medicine earlier, he now found it difficult to continue.

Qi Ye had many injuries across his body that required treatment, but they were now covered by his clothes. Since he had just told the boy to dress, wouldn’t asking him to undress again seem… predatory?

Shen Qingzhuo handed him the bottle. “Can you reach your wounds? Or would you prefer to do it yourself?”

Qi Ye hadn’t quite recovered from the embarrassment. His face was still tinged with pink as he took the medicine. (If he weren’t so deathly pale, the blush would have been much more obvious.) Seeing him remain still, Shen Qingzhuo added, “If it’s inconvenient, I can help?”

Qi Ye immediately handed the bottle back. Shen Qingzhuo sat down in front of him. “But… your injuries are severe. You’ll need to remove your upper garments so I can reach them properly. You can’t leave them untreated.”

Qi Ye obediently pulled his clothes off again.

Suddenly, a dried, translucent white pear blossom preserved as a dried flower fell from Qi Ye’s person. It was the flower Shen Qingzhuo had given him many days ago. Qi Ye had thought it would live if he put it in water, but it had withered the next day anyway, so he used his demonic power to preserve it and carried it with him. Whenever he missed Shen Qingzhuo, he would take it out to catch its scent.

Seeing Shen Qingzhuo staring at the flower, Qi Ye snatched it up and clenched it in his palm. Terrified that his secret feelings had been exposed, he lowered his head in a panic.

Shen Qingzhuo’s tone suddenly grew a few degrees colder. “Tell me the truth were those mummified corpses your doing?”

Qi Ye looked up at him abruptly and shook his head. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill them! I… I killed people, I killed Huangfu Ying’s guards, but I didn’t kill those citizens!”

But even those guards if he hadn’t killed them, they would have killed him. Regardless, he hadn’t killed anyone after that; he had only knocked them out.

He shifted from his kneeling position to crawl toward Shen Qingzhuo on his knees. He reached out as if to grab the man’s shoulders but stopped just before contact. He stared intently at Shen Qingzhuo, his hands and teeth trembling.

Shen Qingzhuo looked into his eyes. “Alright. I believe you.”

As if a weight had been lifted, Qi Ye’s trembling hands finally dared to touch Shen Qingzhuo. He lunged forward and pulled the man into a tight embrace. Shen Qingzhuo was stunned for a moment before placing his hand on the boy’s back to comfort him.

Shen Qingzhuo’s hands were always warm. Qi Ye, who was shirtless, felt the soft, warm touch on his bare skin. The sensation was so comfortable that he nuzzled against the man’s neck. Though Shen Qingzhuo didn’t mind the hug, he was anxious to finish the medicine. If he waited any longer, the wounds might worsen; it was a miracle the boy had woken up today at all.

But seeing Qi Ye like this, he couldn’t bring himself to push him away. In this current predicament, he was likely the only person Qi Ye trusted. Feeling heartache, Shen Qingzhuo stroked the boy’s head. Qi Ye followed the movement, burying his face deeper into the crook of the man’s neck.

“Master,” Qi Ye murmured unconsciously, enjoying the scent.

Shen Qingzhuo finally remembered that Qi Ye had called him that several times now. “Why do you call me Master?” he asked, loosening the embrace.

Qi Ye flinched, thinking Shen Qingzhuo didn’t like the title. After all, the immortal Master in his dream hadn’t wanted him as a beast at first and never signed a contract. Qi Ye rubbed his face against the man’s and said honestly, “Because… I had a dream, and in the dream, I called you Master.”

Shen Qingzhuo found it amusing and gave the back of the boy’s head a light flick. “You can’t tell dreams from reality? I’m not going to exploit you; you don’t have to call me that.” In this world, only slaves had “Masters.”

However, Qi Ye clearly misinterpreted his meaning. As soon as he spoke, the boy’s face grew visibly dejected, and his arms fell away. “What’s wrong?” Shen Qingzhuo asked.

Qi Ye lowered his head, looking completely despondent, and said nothing. Even when he was nearly killed by the Old Master half a day ago, he hadn’t looked this defeated. “What is it?” Shen Qingzhuo pressed, not understanding.

But just then, Qi Ye suddenly turned his head and vomited another mouthful of blood before collapsing.

What?!

Shen Qingzhuo was terrified, but this time, no matter how he called, the youth wouldn’t wake. His healing spells were useless. Qi Ye remained unconscious for three days.

During these three days, Shen Qingzhuo channeled his spiritual power into Qi Ye daily, constantly checking his breath to ensure he was still alive. He read in his books that common demons could be killed; only those who transcended a certain realm to become immortal could exist forever, beyond the reach of gods and men. But such beings were essentially gods themselves; if they wished to ascend, they could.

Shen Qingzhuo once again felt the fragility of life and how difficult it was for Qi Ye to survive. A thousand years ago, the demons had committed great atrocities, and though they were sealed away, the world’s memory of them was fixed in that time. The people weren’t wrong to fear them, but Qi Ye was still a pitiable person caught in the middle.

Unbeknownst to Shen Qingzhuo, Qi Ye was again enduring the burning of the karmic fire. It burned until he was on the verge of waking, but his eyes felt sewn shut and his body wouldn’t move.

He had another dream. In the dream, he was trapped in a sea of fire. A long chain pierced through his heart, locking his hands. Divine lightning struck him repeatedly, while Shen Qingzhuo died in front of him, having blocked one strike after another for him. Qi Ye roared at the heavens in a frenzy, but it was useless; he couldn’t even touch the man one last time. He could only watch as Shen Qingzhuo’s body fell into the flames, the last of his clothes turning to ash.

Suddenly, Qi Ye broke through the nightmare and sat bolt upright. His scarlet pupils were twice their normal size as he snapped his eyes open.

Shen Qingzhuo had stayed by his side for three days without sleep. Having just channeled more power into him, he had closed his eyes in exhaustion, lying down on the other side of the jade bed.

During the past three days, Shen Qingzhuo had ventured out a few times. Shen Shuangyi was never in the Hall of Priests, and the place was perpetually empty of servants cold and quiet. Shen Qingzhuo had expected the Old Master to be furious after he defied him and left the family, but everything was peaceful, as if the Old Master hadn’t even come out of seclusion. Rumor was that the elder was back to leisurely watering the flowers in his courtyard.

Shen Qingzhuo had visited the thousand or so families whose members had been turned into mummies. He gave them silver to bury their dead; for those families with no survivors, he buried them himself. He had once been very wealthy, but after this trip, he had almost nothing left. He had hidden his face, listening to the citizens who once revered him now cursing his name, and he said nothing.

Shen Qingzhuo was asleep, but he was a light sleeper. Feeling a presence pressing down on him, he opened his eyes.

He found Qi Ye pinning him down, kneeling with a leg on either side of his waist. The youth was staring at him, his eyes frighteningly red. Before Shen Qingzhuo could react, a dominant, forceful heat hit his face as Qi Ye leaned down and kissed him.

The moment his mouth was forced open, Shen Qingzhuo finally remembered to push him away. But his mind was in a whirl, and Qi Ye quickly pinned his hands down, following up with a fiercer, more aggressive kiss.