Is This How It Starts? I Choose To Fake My Death [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 9

Seeing Xie Feng, the one who rejoiced the most was the system.

It cheered in pleasant surprise, then added with careful restraint: “Host, do you see this? This is destiny. You and the main villain are fated to be together, and no one can ever tear you apart!”

Shen Ji pressed his fingers to his temples.

This was not destiny.

This was purely sheer misfortune.

Worried that Shen Ji might not see clearly, Luo Ning pushed the medicine basket further forward: “When I found the little bird, it was buried in the snow covered by tree branches, and I almost missed it. Fortunately, Uncle’s eyesight is sharp!”

With every word she spoke, the cold gleam in the foolish bird’s eyes deepened a fraction, making it impossible to ignore.

With no other choice, Shen Ji took the medicine basket.

Luo Ning smiled and said: “It looks a bit different than before. If it were not for how pretty it is and how unique its eye color is, I would have thought I recognized the wrong bird!”

While she talked a blue streak, she was actually terrified of this ancestral deity’s combat prowess and did not even dare touch the medicine basket holding the bird much.

Watching Shen Ji fish the foolish bird out from inside, she added: “Brother Shen, look how well-behaved it is in your hands.”

Luo Ning hoisted the foolish bird by its wing, meeting its murderous glare as he retorted, “Well-behaved?”

Vaguely sensing the shift in his expression, Luo Honglin patted Luo Ning’s shoulder: “The items have been delivered, let Shen Ji eat his meal. We should head back too, or we will not make it before dark.”

“Alright…” Reluctant as she was, Luo Ning nodded anyway. Throwing a couple more glances at the foolish bird, she waved goodbye to Shen Ji.

Before they left, Shen Ji looked toward Luo Honglin: “These things will not be necessary from now on.”

Luo Honglin opened his mouth, then nodded: “Alright.”

Watching the two leave, Shen Ji turned back and placed the foolish bird on the table.

The foolish bird stood beside the dishes, its length not even matching a single chopstick, yet its aura was overwhelmingly arrogant. It clearly was not going to let the matter of being abandoned rest easily.

Thus, Shen Ji perfunctorily patted his collar and pointed out its mistake: “When did you fall out? Be more careful next time.”

The system: “”

The foolish bird’s reaction appeared calm.

Except that the wooden tabletop beneath its talons instantly cracked apart, making the scene thoroughly unfriendly.

The system’s voice trembled with fright as it submissively negotiated with Shen Ji: “Host, can you save these grudges until after three months…”

Mid-system speech, Shen Ji swept his robes and sat down.

Seeing the foolish bird standing frozen in place, he picked up his chopsticks, plucked a grain of rice from the bowl, and waved it before its eyes: “Want to eat?”

The system: “…………”

That is the main villain, not a real bird, Host!

Perhaps hearing its inner thoughts, Shen Ji retracted his chopsticks: “Almost forgot, you are the Phoenix Emperor, above mundane food.”

The system chimed in repeatedly: “Exactly, exactly!”

Just as it waited for the host to pull out spiritual stones and hand them to Xie Feng, it watched the host casually pick up a bowl and start eating his lunch.

The system: “…?”

Xie Feng cast a cold glance at Shen Ji as well, closing his eyes for a moment before the silver-gold light surging around his body abruptly stretched outward, landing by the edge of the table.

Shen Ji’s hand holding the chopsticks paused, turning his gaze toward him.

With a wave of his hand, Xie Feng materialized a long robe, parted his lips, and stated: “Fear not, I shall not kill you.”

Shen Ji raised an eyebrow.

Luo Ning dropping Xie Feng off had already exposed this wooden cabin. Too lazy to seek another safehouse just to avoid Xie Feng, and wishing to spare himself a hassle, he had originally intended to sit down and have a calm conversation with Xie Feng.

Judging by Xie Feng’s tone, however, the other party seemed willing to proactively declare a truce.

And indeed.

Xie Feng stated: “Guard my meditation. For all past grievances, I can let bygones be bygones, and upon completion, I promise to grant you one condition.”

Shen Ji looked at him with an inscrutable smile.

No wonder the plot had suddenly taken a turn; so he had a favor to ask.

Meeting the mortal’s gaze, the hand Xie Feng held behind his back slowly tightened, his voice sinking deeper: “In exchange, I shall aid your cultivation.”

Hearing this, the smile on Shen Ji’s face faded slightly as he politely declined: “I appreciate Your Majesty’s deep kindness, but I must pass on that.”

Xie Feng’s fingers, which had yet to relax, tightened repeatedly before he finally suppressed the flames sparking across his palm: “I shall aid you in comprehending the path of ascension and cultivation.”

“…” Maintaining a completely expressionless face, Shen Ji corrected himself and asked, “When do we begin, then?”

He could not be blamed for misunderstanding.

Earlier, when Xie Feng twice uttered “aid my cultivation,” both instances referred to dual cultivation.

Xie Feng replied: “Three days hence, I shall personally assist you in reshaping your foundation.”

Such a personal promise, if bestowed upon anyone else, would have drawn kowtows of boundless gratitude.

Yet the mortal asked nonchalantly, “You will not go back on your word this time, will you?”

Xie Feng’s tone was cold and unyielding: “I will not.”

In the past, the aura of the ancient divine beast bloodline posed not an ounce of threat to him. Yet due to the medicinal properties within the cauldron’s constitution, his cultivation had been wiped out, rendering that very aura domineering, thorny, and completely uncontrollable.

Shen Ji had personally assisted in awakening his bloodline, causing the bloodline to feel an affinity toward him. That was why an overwhelming yearning for Shen Ji had arisen, and the desire to drain the cauldron’s power stemmed from pure instinct rather than his own conscious will.

However, this fact was something he would never divulge to Shen Ji.

Now that anomalies plagued his heritage awakening, letting anyone discover it would constitute his greatest vulnerability, and not a soul ought to know.

Especially Shen Ji.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Xie Feng forced down the inexplicable and repeated emotional stirs he had experienced lately. When he reopened them, his gaze was aloof, detached, and ruthless as ever.

With a flick of his wrist, he produced a jade slip out of thin air.

Shen Ji inquired: “Since you can summon objects from thin air, do you not possess items that can help restore your cultivation?”

Unwilling to elaborate, Xie Feng replied: “Hmph.”

He commanded Minghuang Palace, retrieving items from it as naturally as breathing, though most bore heavy seals on them, leaving behind little more than useless clutter.

He extended the jade slip toward Shen Ji.

“This mental cultivation method suits you.”

Taking the jade slip, Shen Ji harbored reasonable suspicions: “Are you truly feeling so charitable?”

The system noted: “The appraised grade of this mental method is top-tier Double-S…”

The host’s linguistic artistry invariably terrified it; it could only comfort itself by assuming the host was practicing for future quest tasks involving accumulating animosity.

The hand Xie Feng retracted paused mid-air.

Though his expression remained impassive, a trace of invisible, distorted shockwave carved fiercely through the air right before Shen Ji.

Changing tactics immediately, Shen Ji asked instead: “How does one use this thing?”

Xie Feng spoke coldly: “Infuse your divine sense, and the method shall manifest.”

Shen Ji was currently the only person he could utilize.

To guard his meditation, Shen Ji naturally could not remain too weak. This mental method belonged to the immortal grade; while useless to the beast clans, it served as a premier choice for mortals.

As those words fell, just as he turned to leave, Shen Ji’s voice called out from behind: “Hold on.”

Sensing that his not-fully-calmed state of mind was once more fluctuating wildly, Xie Feng closed his eyes: “What is it.”

“Catch.”

Xie Feng glanced back.

A dark bundle came hurtling toward him.

Lifting his right hand slightly, the incoming Qiankun pouch halted mid-air and settled smoothly into his palm.

The Qiankun pouch was unbonded; the two hundred spiritual stones piled inside radiated the dense spiritual energy so scarce in the mortal realm, overflowing the moment the opening was unsealed.

Xie Feng shifted his gaze back to Shen Ji.

Shen Ji pinched the jade slip between two fingers to gesture toward him: “Nothing is earned without compensation, let us treat this cultivation method as a purchase.”

Giving him a deep, silent look, Xie Feng turned on his heel without a single word and flashed into the inner room, clutching the pouch.

The system was deeply moved: “Host, have you finally found your conscience and decided to take responsibility for the quest!”

Maintaining the consciousness-level communication, Shen Ji did not fret about Xie Feng overhearing: “Your quest is to keep a tight eye on him.”

The system froze: “Huh?”

Recalling its dismal comprehension skills, Shen Ji repeated: “Keep a tight eye on Xie Feng.”

The system: “”

It was not an idiot; of course it knew who the host meant. “But the main villain said he would help you reshape your foundation, and even gifted you such a top-tier mental method, is he not showing goodwill? You agreed to cooperate with him too, so I thought you trusted him. Why do you still need to keep an eye on him?”

Shen Ji glanced at the jade slip beside his hand.

He had already deduced that Xie Feng’s awakened heritage seemed bound to some fixation regarding him, which was why it repeatedly overrode Xie Feng’s personal volition and prevented him from killing him. Until that dynamic concluded, his personal safety possessed a basic guarantee.

Barring accidents, this reason alone accounted for Xie Feng’s shifted attitude.

This also formed the primary reason why he did not mind Xie Feng tracking him down.

Yet every previous encounter proved that Xie Feng was hardly a trustworthy ally.

He had no desire to entangle himself with Xie Feng any further, nor did he care about Xie Feng’s so-called promises.

Besides, Xie Feng’s grudge-bearing nature was explicitly detailed in the book.

He preferred to believe Xie Feng intended to use him to survive this dangerous phase, only to settle scores afterward once his cultivation was recovered.

Even if that were not the case, maintaining an extra layer of caution remained essential.

After all, if Xie Feng could lay aside prejudices today, there was no guarantee he would do so tomorrow.

Maintaining the current superficial peace for three months was ideal; by then, he would swiftly find a method to acquire points.

Vanishing completely from Xie Feng’s world constituted the safest escape route.

“Host?”

Shen Ji snapped out of it: “Hm?”

The system queried: “You still have not told me why!”

“Because—” Shen Ji started, only to realize how troublesome it was to explain things clearly to a single-minded system. Better to just give up and save time, “Never mind, you would not understand even if I told you.”

The system: “…………”

In the host’s mind, exactly what kind of image did it project??

Ignoring the system’s brief period of self-isolation, Shen Ji picked up the jade slip and injected his divine sense into it.

At that instant, wave upon wave of obscure, profound characters crashed into his sea of consciousness without affording him a moment’s buffer, carving themselves stroke by stroke into his flesh and leaving indelible memories amid the scars.

Shen Ji furrowed his brow, his temples throbbing with veins from the bone-deep expansion pain.

Fortunately, the torture did not endure long.

Once the entire mental method finished displaying, the jade slip trembled, cracked from the top down, and then dissolved into fine dust right in his hand, vanishing as it slipped through his fingers.

Shen Ji stared at the residual moisturizing white light lingering in his palm.

Disposable?

The system explained: “Top-tier cultivation techniques copied into jade slips mostly originate from major sects. To prevent the leakage of techniques, they all utilize a mechanism where the moment it is used, it is instantly destroyed. Your mental method, Host, originates from the immortal realm, sharing the same origin as the male lead Xuan Chen; it is an extremely precious heritage.”

Shen Ji could not help feeling surprised.

He had not expected Xie Feng to be quite so generous in this regard.

The system added: “For the main villain to acquire a top-tier sect’s cultivation technique, it definitely cost him a lot of trouble. Host, he cares so deeply about you!”

In order to trick the host into helping Xie Feng recover his cultivation swiftly and repairing the quest progress, it prepared to deploy the exact same set of rhetoric it previously used to brainwash Shen Ji into helping Luo Ning, aiming to build up Xie Feng’s favorability in Shen Ji’s eyes.

Shen Ji stated: “You like him caring deeply about you? I will hand him over to you.”

The system: “”

Where would it find the courage?

Shen Ji had already risen from the table. Noticing Xie Feng meditating and healing inside the inner room, he turned and stepped outside.

Though sparsely populated here, the region made little difference to those from the immortal and demon realms; he needed to be ready to counter enemy attacks at any moment.

The system’s inventory held few items of limited quantity. Measuring the courtyard’s perimeter with his eyes, he pulled down the firewood-chopping axe stuck in a tree stump and headed down the mountain to gather materials.

When he returned, Xie Feng’s healing session had concluded, though he remained seated in meditation.

The two hundred spiritual stones paid for the mental method were piled in the corner, their spiritual energy completely sucked dry, leaving not a single piece intact.

Miserly, the system muttered: “Wasteful… How incredibly wasteful…”

Shen Ji glanced over without commenting.

Whatever was given away was no longer his concern; besides, given Xie Feng’s cultivation level, two hundred spiritual stones were likely a mere drop in the bucket.

Standing by the window, he issued a warning: “I am going to set up a few traps, do not step outside for now.”

Without opening his eyes, Xie Feng gave a slight nod to indicate comprehension.

Carrying his tools outside, Shen Ji strung a simple alarm wire along the exterior courtyard wall before returning inside to process the wood.

Basic hunting traps were simple to construct.

Their sole drawback was the time consumed. Which happened to be the only thing he had plenty of right now.

Laying out the traps progressively from the outside inward across the entire courtyard, Shen Ji returned indoors to continue.

Having camouflaged the final trap, he checked the date on the system panel and realized precisely three days had elapsed.

Coexisting in the same room with Xie Feng for a full three days had passed remarkably uneventful.

Tossing his dagger down to stick into the tabletop, Shen Ji had barely taken a seat when he locked eyes directly with Xie Feng.

Xie Feng’s gaze narrowed slightly before he rose to his feet.

Shen Ji poured a cup of cold tea: “You are awake.”

Xie Feng glanced at the crude bow and arrow he had secured to the roof beam: “You think such lifeless objects can delay immortals and demons?”

Delay?

Taking a sip of water to moisten his throat, Shen Ji did not bother lowering himself to the level of someone born and raised in high-end worlds.

“You will see when the time comes.”

Yet even without reading the book, Xie Feng knew his enemies extended far beyond the Scarlet Phoenix, showing he possessed decent self-awareness regarding his talent for making enemies.

At that thought, Shen Ji added: “Furthermore, the three days have passed, when do you plan to help me?”

Xie Feng’s steps paused slightly before he walked toward the window, turning his back to Shen Ji.

Over these past three days, despite relying on Shen Ji’s two hundred spiritual stones, the spiritual energy circulating within his meridians remained pitifully scarce.

The bloodline power lay dormant within him, brewing a counterattack at any moment. He had merely reclaimed his Dantian; if he made a move, the golden mark might seize the opportunity to act up.

Yet amidst his momentary contemplation.

The mortal’s predictable, preemptive doubt rang from behind.

“Going back on your word again?”

The mortal’s calm, low voice was not unpleasant. On the contrary, his cadence was unhurried, maintaining steady composure that betrayed a steady temperament.

Yet right now, that composed tone mixed with unmasked sarcasm, sounding exceptionally grating.

“Your Majesty the Phoenix Emperor?”

Whenever he uttered those four words, his pronunciation always carried a peculiar inflection, utterly devoid of reverence and dripping entirely with mockery.

Xie Feng’s face turned icy as he stated coldly: “At your service.”

Hearing this unexpected bonus, Shen Ji smiled: “There is no time like the present, let us do it today.”

Xie Feng’s brow furrowed slightly.

A word spoken was a carriage left behind; he never broke his promises: “Fine.”

Prior to the start of cultivation, Shen Ji inspected every trap outside the courtyard. Upon finishing, he spotted the distant horizon suddenly swirling with wind and clouds, splitting into two distinct streams that surged toward opposite directions.

One streamed with ten thousand rays of rosy light.

The other churned with billowing dark clouds.

The splitting and converging anomalies continued expanding wildly, painting a breathtaking and shocking giant tableau across the sky.

It was the two seals of the Snow Domain.

With a commotion this massive, the individuals crossing the passage were certainly more than just the previous stray cats and dogs.

The collective abandonment of cultivation by those from the immortal and demon realms to descend upon the mortal realm, the target was obvious.

Hearing footsteps approach, Shen Ji did not turn his head: “Your enemies have arrived.”

This actually served as the primary reason why he wished to expedite his cultivation.

Every bullet he fired was one less in supply; even if spiritual energy was suppressed in the mortal realm, it at least provided an extra means of attack.

From the seals, finding this location would take time; he still had breathing room to prepare.

He turned around.

Xie Feng’s figure had already vanished.

Stepping into the inner room, Shen Ji spotted Xie Feng sitting cross-legged on the bed and strode over.

“Where do I sit?”

Xie Feng instructed: “Opposite me.”

Obeying, Shen Ji sat down across from him: “What do I need to do?”

Xie Feng replied: “Merely experience it.”

True to his concise nature, he practically spoke like gold was currency, appearing thoroughly displeased.

Displeased again, and for no fathomable reason. Nobody had provoked him today.

Shen Ji found Xie Feng’s emotional shifts impenetrable.

Ultimately, he could only attribute it to phoenixes belonging to the fire element and possessing innate irritability.

“Close your eyes. Center your mind and guard your oneness.”

Gathering his focus, Shen Ji required no further prompting as a scalding trace of spiritual energy pierced through his chest, slowly diffusing outward.

Xie Feng observed the mortal’s unguarded face, surprised by his audacity.

Surrendering one’s body and mind entirely to another, he knew not whether to call it fearless or reckless.

Should he harbor even a shred of murderous intent at this moment, he could easily leave the other without a burial site.

Just as Xie Feng prepared to close his eyes, his gaze unintentionally swept across the deep bite mark buried into flesh beneath Shen Ji’s collar, instantly summoning an ill-timed mental image to vivid clarity.

His hand tightened slightly, his thin lips pressing into a straight line. Darkening his expression, he closed his eyes to clear away stray thoughts.

The silence within the room persisted for a long while before Shen Ji noticed the endlessly channeled spiritual energy suddenly stall for a fraction of a second.

The golden mark between Xie Feng’s brow flashed, his expression shifting slightly.

He immediately formed hand seals to halt the flow, yet he was a fraction too late.

The spiritual energy surging from his fingertips shifted from silver to gold, ceasing to flow into Shen Ji’s body. Instead, it fractured into thousands of luminous threads that crawled past the folds of their garments, wrapping around Shen Ji’s waist and firmly binding him in a tight embrace.

Pulled gently forward against Xie Feng by the familiar force, Shen Ji remained completely calm.

Just as Xie Feng sought to suppress the surging bloodline turmoil, being closed in caused their breathing to lightly cross paths.

Meeting Xie Feng’s gaze at close range, Shen Ji asked: “What is the meaning of this?”

“Silence…”

Indicating downward, Shen Ji noted: “Then let go of me.”

Eyes ablaze with suppressed fury, Xie Feng instead reached out to pull him tighter into his embrace.

Shen Ji: “”

Propping his arms against the bed, trapped by the restricted movement in the forced proximity, he pressed a single leg down to block the Phoenix Emperor’s overly enthusiastic advances: “Forget it, you do not need to help me cultivate, I—”

Xie Feng’s scalding palm continued its provocation, cutting off his words.

The spiritual energy burrowing into his collar ranged wildly everywhere, coordinating internally and externally with its master.

The arm Shen Ji braced beside Xie Feng’s face inevitably tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.

Unable to even execute a simple retraction of his hands, Xie Feng looked up into Shen Ji’s restrained, enduring expression, his breathing trembling and blurring against his will.

Abruptly pinning down the back of the other’s hand, Shen Ji spoke in a deep voice: “Our agreed-upon conditions did not include this.”

Xie Feng’s brow furrowed fiercely.

He could not tolerate being driven by instinct, reduced to cheap solicitation of pleasure from the mortal before him.

Yet the golden mark thirsted for Shen Ji like a starving beast. Suppressed forcefully for three days, the desire seized the opportunity to burn fiercely, blazing far more fiercely and intensely than the previous time.

As Shen Ji struggled slightly, spiderweb-like spiritual energy forced him back down.

Xie Feng averted his face.

The hot, damp breath hovering inches away swept past his temple, scattering behind his ear and provoking an eager, instinctive response that forced out an extremely suppressed, enduring sigh.

Snapping back to his senses instantly, his expression turned dark as water.

Things had reached this juncture, a prompt decision was imperative.

“Xie Feng—”

Forcefully suppressing the raging anger within his heart, Xie Feng coldly interrupted Shen Ji’s refusal.

“Enough nonsense!”

Having loosened his suppression over the golden mark, the desperate, irrepressible instinct erupted violently!

Too slow to react, Shen Ji found the shackles binding him doubled in strength, leaving him zero room for retreat.

The system was flabbergasted too.

Was the main villain committing a forced [censored]?

If it had known this twist awaited them, why on earth did it agree to the host’s conditions in the first place!