Is This How It Starts? I Choose To Fake My Death [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 1

Midsummer.

The scorching sun blazed mercilessly.

A wave of heat resembling liquid fire blanketed the earth, rolling in a dense and oppressive heatwave.

Golden light poured down from the sky like solid metal, enveloping the land. It felt as if it were steaming straight into one’s blood, leaving even sweat no time to condense.

Shen Ji lay upon a fur-backed mount that felt entirely devoid of any bumps or jolts. He instinctively felt as though every single breath he took was like inhaling and exhaling molten lava, his throat so dry it was practically cracking.

Even more unbearable than this searing heat was the ferocious pain brewing deep within his internal organs.

A tearing sensation akin to the blade of a knife continued to spread, relentlessly extending toward his limbs and bones.

Fortunately, as time ticked by, a trace of numbness began to temper the torture, and it no longer possessed the agonizing torment of the initial flare-up.

Suddenly, however, the previously steady, rapid pace beneath him slowed.

The subtle sway triggered the agony within Shen Ji. He furrowed his brows, and an irrepressible tickle surged straight up, causing him to cough twice.

Though it was merely a mild cough, the sensation of his internal organs shifting instantly intensified by a notch.

The muffled, hoarse cough immediately caught the attention of the man in front of him.

“Behave yourself!” A trace of irritable anxiety leaked across the man’s face. He glanced left and right, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he turned back to look, only to find himself clashing directly with Shen Ji’s gaze as he lifted his eyes. His movements abruptly froze.

This sickly wretch had been frail, pale, and sickly-looking ever since they first met. Now, poisoned into helplessness and lying there limply, he appeared even more pitiful and weak.

Yet, his mannerisms lacked any hint of sickly fragility. Clad in a minimalist golden-threaded black robe, even while lying down his figure was tall, straight, and pleasing to the eye, not to mention this unforgettable face with its cold, sharp contours and strikingly fine bone structure.

Especially his eyes. When their gazes accidentally met, those pitch-black pupils resembled a cold pool under the blazing sun, mixed with a faint, mocking amusement. Gazing out with a deep, unrippled calm, they possessed a chilling stillness that inexplicably made one feel somewhat awed.

Before long, the man collected himself with a trace of discomfort, sneering inwardly in his heart.

So what if his appearance was striking? His cultivation was low, and he came from a lowly mortal background, making him fit for nothing more than to be slaughtered at will.

With this thought, the man grinned maliciously and continued to form hand seals as he flew toward the tall, majestic city gates.

Shen Ji noticed the three vigorous and powerful characters inscribed above the city gates. The script was archaic, with gold-like brushstrokes outlining a dazzling posture, faintly exuding a shocking and fierce aura that resembled a golden phoenix spreading its wings to take flight.

The man, however, had no leisure to observe anything else. The closer they got to the entrance, the greater the tension on his face. He lowered his voice and barked at Shen Ji: “I am warning you, this is the foot of Qishan in the Three Spirit Realms, not your lowly mortal world. If you dare make even the slightest sound once we enter Minghuang City, I will make you pay dearly!”

Shen Ji ignored the man’s threats, choosing instead to replay the keywords from the other’s words in his mind.

Three Spirit Realms.

Qishan, Minghuang City.

The information overlapped to such an extent that it could not possibly be a coincidence.

The moment he arrived in this world, the content that had inexplicably appeared in his mind, if it were true…

“Listen well. Once we enter Minghuang City, follow my instructions in everything and do not cause me trouble!”

The man’s voice grew lower and lower. Seeing someone coming out to greet them from inside the gate, he hurriedly pulled out a token, handed it over with both hands, and respectfully explained: “This is…”

The other party had no leisure to listen to his nonsense. Confirming that the token was genuine, he impatiently waved a hand: “Go on in!”

The man did not dare to retort. He offered a bow and hurriedly formed hand seals to speed away.

Inside the city, various strands of spiritual energy flashed back and forth like dragons, and no one paid any attention to the newly arrived figures. He still carefully avoided the main road, taking a detour through side paths to reach a secluded courtyard.

The moment they landed, a streak of crimson spiritual light flashed out from the house.

“Why have you come so late?”

Upon seeing this light, the man hurriedly leaped down from his mount, kneeling down in a panic: “Pardon me, Envoy Feng! This person was captured from the mortal world. You cannot be unaware that spiritual energy is thin in the mortal realm, and whether immortal, demon, ghost, or monster, everyone’s cultivation is severely suppressed upon descending to the lower realm. It truly took this little demon quite a bit of effort to complete the task and return to the Three Spirit Realms!”

The person addressed as Envoy Feng swept a glance at Shen Ji. His originally indifferent gaze landed on Shen Ji’s face, lingering abruptly for a moment before he raised a hand and used spiritual energy to lift Shen Ji from the mount’s broad back down to the ground.

“Is this the Heavenly Spirit Cauldron you found?”

Hearing the words “Heavenly Spirit Cauldron,” Shen Ji’s lowered gaze grew slightly heavier.

A term with such strong directional pointing, coupled with his current situation, undoubtedly verified his earlier conjecture.

The plot currently unfolding also matched the contents of the book that had been inexplicably uploaded into his mind.

He remembered a minor supporting character in the book, Li Chenyin, who possessed the constitution of the so-called “Heavenly Spirit Cauldron.”

As for Qishan, which the man had just mentioned, according to the book, it was the territory of the Supreme Phoenix Clan within the Three Spirit Realms, commonly known as the Demon Realm.

Qishan’s Minghuang City was the inner city of the Phoenix Clan, inhabited by pure-blooded phoenixes. The closer a dwelling was to the Minghuang Palace, the more noble its status.

Inside the Minghuang Palace dwelt the ultimate villain of the story: the master of this city and the Phoenix Emperor, Xie Feng.

Shen Ji looked toward the distant horizon.

The palace shrouded in clouds stood between heaven and earth, majestic and ethereal. Even viewed from afar, one could catch a glimpse of a soul-stirring grandeur. The boundless, brilliant golden light was impossible to conceal, illuminating celestial mountains and pavilions far more majestic than daylight, draped in a heavy layer of breathtaking, scorching golden flames.

Minghuang Palace was the epitome of past Phoenix Emperors’ strength, and Xie Feng’s tyranny was fully embodied in this sturdiest palace in the history of the Phoenix Clan.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Noticing a peculiar wave of heat arbitrarily pouring into his body, Shen Ji remained expressionless.

Upon arriving in this world, all his perceptions ran counter to his original understanding, and he had already suffered once from the effects of “spiritual energy.” What he needed right now was to wait and watch developments unfold.

The kneeling man explained: “Reporting to the Envoy, do not let this brat’s low cultivation fool you; his footwork was bizarrely tricky and difficult to deal with, and this little demon almost fell for his tricks. That is why I gave him a dose of Soul-Dropping Powder before bringing him here!”

“Hmm.” Envoy Feng offered a perfunctory acknowledgment, continuing his careful inspection. Confirming that the cauldron constitution was genuine, a satisfying expression finally surfaced on his face.

Reading his expression, the man let out a breath of relief: “Phoenix—”

Before the words could fall, a strand of compressed-to-the-limit crimson flame silently pierced straight through his chest.

Envoy Feng raised his hand in a light beckoning motion, and the red thread retreated from his Dantian.

The man widened his eyes, reaching forward futilely as if wanting to question something. Unfortunately, his movement only got halfway before the residual heatwave trapped inside his body erupted mercilessly, baking him from the inside out until he was warped and scorched.

“Ah!” He let out a brief, shrill scream, his entire body twisting and curling up.

The primordial flame seed of the Phoenix Clan was simply something ordinary demons could hardly withstand.

Hearing the dull thud of someone collapsing behind him, Envoy Feng did not care in the least. He casually executed the troublesome mount, spread crimson feathered wings from his back, and then raised his hand into a claw, virtually scooping up Shen Ji to transform into a stream of light flying toward the city center.

Suddenly lifted into the air, Shen Ji furrowed his brow to forcefully suppress his churning Qi and blood, closing his eyes to calm himself while briefly organizing his thoughts.

They had already reached Minghuang City. According to the subsequent developments in the book, Li Chenyin would first be delivered to the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable, one of the five great elders of Minghuang City. After being drugged by the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable, he would then be offered as a gift to the Phoenix Emperor Xie Feng. On the surface, this was meant to help Xie Feng awaken his ten-thousand-year heritage, but in reality, it was an attempt to use the cauldron to destroy Xie Feng’s foundation.

After all, the Phoenix Emperor’s strength was so formidable that it was peerless under heaven; dealing with him could only rely on such underhanded methods.

However, the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable did not expect that even though Xie Feng fell into the trap, his state of completely lost cultivation would only last for a brief three months, and during that time his whereabouts remained unknown, leaving them no chance to root out the problem.

Three months later, the Phoenix Emperor returned, and all related demons, including the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable, were wiped out without a single survivor left behind.

The cauldron was at the center of this conspiracy and did not even last through those three months. On the very day the plan succeeded, he was silenced by the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable, turning to ashes within the primordial flame seed, his soul utterly destroyed without a trace, leaving not even a chance for reincarnation.

“Wait here.”

Before long, the stream of light landed. Envoy Feng spoke as he put Shen Ji down, walking to the center of the hall to form hand seals and transmit a message.

The intense high temperature was finally blocked out, though the toxins within his body found no relief. Shen Ji raised a hand to press against a golden pillar nearby, turning to lean his back against it and sit down.

In that instant, an invisible, sea-of-fire-like wave of Qi poured into the hall, whipping up the hem of his robes to flutter noiselessly in the silent gale.

“Venerable!” Envoy Feng immediately saluted.

“You have handled this well. Tonight is the exact time selected by His Majesty for the heritage transmission, and a Heavenly Spirit Cauldron is most urgently needed to serve by his side.” A red-haired elder materialized from the wave of Qi. Without even glancing at Shen Ji, he simply pointed a single finger at Shen Ji’s Dantian, and a moment later, turned to Envoy Feng with a smile.

“This is merely this subordinate’s duty,” Envoy Feng lowered his head and said.

“Very well,” the red-haired elder waved a hand, looking at Envoy Feng with meaningful eyes, “The heritage transmission is approaching, and time is running out. Take him down to wash and clean him up, and make sure this cauldron is presentable and clean, lest he ruin His Majesty’s mood. Do you understand?”

Envoy Feng paused, meeting the other’s expression before lowering his head to reply: “This subordinate understands!”

The red-haired elder smiled and then vanished without a trace.

Envoy Feng took a deep breath, turned back to see Shen Ji, and flicked a pill with his fingertips directly toward the back of Shen Ji’s hand, which was casually resting over his chest.

The pill rolled down, tumbling into a fold beneath Shen Ji’s waistband.

“Swallow it, and it will temporarily neutralize your Soul-Dropping Powder.”

Temporarily.

As expected.

Shen Ji glanced at him, unhurriedly picking up the pill and tossing it into his mouth.

Watching his actions, Envoy Feng was quite surprised by his indifference and cooperation. It was only after Shen Ji reopened his eyes that he spoke: “Follow me.”

The pain that had previously penetrated deep into his marrow disappeared by more than half. Shen Ji used one hand to push off the ground and slowly stood up.

Now that he had replaced the identity of the cauldron, counting from the present moment, he actually did not have much time left to escape. Of course, the most ideal state would be to leave Qishan before being presented to Xie Feng, but reality was too harsh, and the conditions to achieve this goal were too difficult.

First, he had not yet obtained the antidote to thoroughly cure the Soul-Dropping Powder; second, he was unfamiliar with the terrain here; and most importantly, his strength was insufficient to support any escape plan.

The only viable option now was to lay the facts out in the open after meeting Xie Feng tonight. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable probably would not give him that chance.

Yet judging by Xie Feng’s personality in the book, even if he learned the truth, he would undoubtedly wipe away the additives added by the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable and keep the main course intact.

After all, Li Chenyin had genuinely helped Xie Feng smoothly weather the heritage transmission, showing that this once-in-a-millennium Heavenly Spirit Cauldron was immensely useful.

In other words, acting as a cauldron was a certainty.

“Sizz.”

Shen Ji stopped in his tracks.

A faint electronic static noise seemed to ring in his mind, very clear and unlike a hallucination.

In the next second, however, Envoy Feng, who was walking ahead, spread his wings once more and carried him flying toward a courtyard beside the grand hall.

“You will rest here and do nothing superfluous.” Envoy Feng looked at Shen Ji upon landing, softening his tone slightly as he finished: “Rest assured, once tonight’s business is concluded, not only will the Venerable reward you, but His Majesty has always been clear-headed with rewards and punishments, and he will not treat you unfairly.”

Traps meticulously prepared for doomed prey always carried a deceptive allure.

Hearing this, Shen Ji turned his gaze to meet Envoy Feng’s, a nonchalant, mocking smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

“Is that so?”

From the moment they met until now, this was the first time Envoy Feng had heard a mortal speak.

The prolonged torture made the mortal’s naturally deep voice carry a hoarse texture, yet it was neither abrasive nor piercing. He spoke the two words lightly, bearing an indescribable charm, coupled with the faint flavor of sarcasm in his speech that made one want to listen closer and ponder.

Yet by the time Shen Ji finished speaking, he had already walked straight toward the luxuriant phoenix tree in the courtyard.

Envoy Feng furrowed his brow, deeply disliking this arbitrary behavior.

Shen Ji paid no mind to his thoughts.

In the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable’s conspiracy against Xie Feng, the Heavenly Spirit Cauldron was the most crucial link. Before the plan succeeded, his safety was absolutely guaranteed, and a hard battle was imminent. He had to seize every single second to strive for a favorable situation when the time came.

“I need to replenish my fluids as soon as possible.” Walking into the shade, Shen Ji pulled open the collar of his outer robe, which had long been soaked through with sweat, and stated his demand. “Also, I am hungry.”

Watching his pitch-black forehead, similarly drenched in sweat, Envoy Feng flipped his palm to produce a jade-green fruit and tossed it toward Shen Ji.

“The Pearl-Condensing Fruit can help you fast for a day.”

The fruit melted upon contact with his tongue, and a wave of moist, subtle coolness slid down his throat, almost instantly dispelling the dry heat raging within his body.

Following that, a red medicinal pellet appeared out of thin air before him. Shen Ji raised a hand to catch it, only then hearing Envoy Feng’s explanation.

“Wear this Phoenix Pill close to your body; it can mask the stench of a mortal on you. If your aura leaks out, bear the consequences yourself.”

With those words, Envoy Feng’s figure vanished within the courtyard, exactly like the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable before him.

After he left, Shen Ji looked at the crimson firelight enveloping the entire courtyard, casually pulled off the jade pendant tied at his waist, and hurled it forward.

The jade pendant silently burst apart upon contact with the barrier.

The firelight distorted slightly, rippling with minute waves before quickly returning to stillness.

The exit was sealed shut. Shen Ji’s hand resting on his waistband lightly stroked back and forth before he turned and walked into the main room.

About ten minutes later, Envoy Feng reappeared in the courtyard.

He stepped through the doorway, motioning to the people behind him who were carrying a tall bathtub inside, and looked at Shen Ji.

“You have half an hour,” he said. “In half an hour, I will come to fetch you.”

The three individuals came and went in a rush.

Shen Ji watched the vanishing figure before him, raising a finger to lift the layer of white cloth left behind by Envoy Feng on the screen rack.

The gauze-like fabric had an ice-smooth texture, sliding like water across his fingertips and revealing fleeting patches of skin. It was clear that it could serve none of the screening purposes it was meant for, instead exposing spring scenery completely and inviting wild imaginations.

Shen Ji let out a laugh, his palm brushing past the light gauze as he untied his waistband, stripped off the clothes repeatedly soaked through with sweat, and lowered himself into the bathtub.

Envoy Feng arrived promptly.

Barely an hour had passed when a knock sounded.

“Creak.”

The door opened. Seeing Shen Ji dressed in his old black robes, Envoy Feng frowned. He looked past Shen Ji’s shoulder to glance at the white gauze on the screen, but when he pulled back his gaze, he noticed that un-wiped droplets of water were clinging to the black fabric, tightly adhering to Shen Ji’s body.

The pitch-black robe wrapped around the mortal’s weak frame, accentuating his pale, jade-smooth skin even further. Yet this face was too cold and rigid, the aura belonging to a male impossible to ignore, and his words and actions differed from the soft and docile cauldrons he had seen in the past.

Lost in thought, Envoy Feng accidentally caught a glimpse of the outline the mortal inadvertently revealed through the mottled wet marks. His gaze swiftly slid downward, and when it rose again, he unexpectedly locked straight into those aggressively invasive eyes.

The illusion of being seen through instantly churned up unnecessary associations.

Envoy Feng’s hand hanging by his side tightened abruptly, and he said in a cold voice: “Let’s go.”

Without waiting for Shen Ji to speak, he spread his wings and carried him flying toward the brilliantly radiant Minghuang Palace.

Shen Ji’s vision was shrouded by spiritual energy, leaving him able to hear only the whistling wind rushing past his ears.

Gradually, the bustling sounds of string instruments and chatter drifted up from below, indicating they were approaching the central location.

Still high in the clouds, he was taken over by another stream of spiritual energy possessing even heavier oppression, pushing forward.

Within the artificial darkness, Shen Ji’s senses grew sharper.

The spiritual energy wrapping around his body tightened further; he could sense fine threads pressing closely against skin and flesh, before suddenly loosening after a long moment to vanish into his pores as nearly formless spiritual energy. Following that, an imperceptible warmth traveled through his meridians, dissipating quickly as well.

Shen Ji’s eyelids twitched slightly.

The text described the Scarlet Phoenix Spiritual Venerable’s drug-administration process as silent and undetected by Li Chenyin. This must have been the moment.

When they landed again, absolute silence surrounded them.

“Your Majesty?” An aged voice carried a tone of inquiry.

Shen Ji heard the wide doors in front of him slowly swing open.

“Go in.” The aged voice now commanded Shen Ji.

The moment Shen Ji stepped across the threshold, catching an indistinct, sweet floral scent drifting to his nose, he furrowed his brows slightly and immediately held his breath, but it was already too late.

A strange, burning heat surged wildly from his lower abdomen, and he instantly realized what the floral scent was.

Perhaps he had paused at the threshold for too long, as a heavy force shoved him from behind.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang!

The spiritual energy covering his eyes expanded downward, continuing to seal his vocal cords.

Simultaneously, however, a strand of spiritual energy locked around his waist, forcefully dragging him all the way from the entrance and tossing him onto the bed.

The movement could not be called gentle, but it definitely could not be considered tender.

Shen Ji lay on the bed, one foot pressing against the mattress, propping up his upper body on bent elbows. Before he could sit up, a hand pressed down on the back of his neck, forcing him back down.

“Don’t move.”

The temperature of this hand was hotter than that of an ordinary person, yet the tone of the voice was exceptionally cold and detached.

As the words fell, the scorching fingertips inadvertently brushed across Shen Ji’s Adam’s apple, about to slide downward.

Shen Ji raised a hand to grip the other’s wrist, looking toward the owner of the hand by sound alone in the darkness, and silently said: “You’ve fallen for a trap.”

The other person paused.

The next instant, both vision and voice were restored, but the moment Shen Ji opened his eyes, he was stimulated by the blinding golden light of the palace and forced to close them again.

The hand on his chest returned, clamping down like iron pliers upon Shen Ji’s jaw.

The owner of the hand spoke in a tone that remained level, carrying the autocratic oppression of one who had held a high position for a long time.

“Tell me, what do you know?”