The Five Disciples He Took In After Transmigrating Into The Book Were All The Same Person - Chapter 9

Ji Lan felt as if he were staring directly at a blazing sun.

His snow-white hair was swept up by an agate hairpin, revealing a face of stunning, transcendent beauty. Dressed in a robe of vibrant crimson, he looked as radiant and alluring as a blossoming peach tree. Ji Lan finally understood why Zhen had claimed this person’s protagonist halo was stronger than Mo Chenxiao’s.

Is this how Zhen judges things? Based solely on appearance? A truly beautiful person transcends gender, yet one should still be able to discern their true sex.

“Ji Lan, are you satisfied with what you see?”

The question pulled Ji Lan from his trance; the sheer impact of the remark left him feeling profoundly awkward.

“Young Master Yu, why on earth would you want to marry me?” Ji Lan had no intention of marrying another man. If marriage were inevitable, he would rather fight for Xiao Yuwei’s hand against Mo Chenxiao. At least his fiancée was a proper, breathtaking beauty.

“Why? What do you mean, why?” Yu Zhengyang tilted his head, his loose strands of hair cascading down to brush against his cheek. “Because I like you. I want to be with you.”

Ji Lan assumed this was merely the whimsy of a child wanting to possess whatever caught his fancy. The definition of like was far too broad; who was to say when Yu Zhengyang might take a shine to someone else and drag them off to be married instead?

Attempting to reason with him, Ji Lan said, “Being together does not require marriage. Young Master Yu, we do not need to go to such lengths.”

Yu Zhengyang’s expression clouded with a flicker of confusion, as if he were actually considering the logic. “Really?”

“Really,” Ji Lan insisted, hoping to drive the point home. “My disciple and I do not need to be married, yet we can still be together forever.” Hearing his name mentioned, Mo Chenxiao’s expression softened slightly. So what if Ji Lan was momentarily bewitched? He knew better than to think Ji Lan would actually be foolish enough to marry a man.

Mo Chenxiao narrowed his eyes at the gaudily dressed Yu Zhengyang. Just wait, he thought. I will make you pay for this.

“Your disciple is truly an eyesore,” Yu Zhengyang said with a thin smile, his eyes curving into crescents. “Why do you care about him so much?”

Is he jealous? The thought left Ji Lan feeling utterly stunned and revolted. A grown man, jealous of another man because of a third man? That was beyond bizarre. Ji Lan feared that if this kept up, he would never be able to look Mo Chenxiao in the eye again.

“Because he is my disciple,” Ji Lan continued, trying to stall. “Our master-disciple bond is ordained by fate.”

“Ji Lan, are you just stalling for time?” Yu Zhengyang suddenly sharpened. “You are right here, next to me. Even if you delay, nothing will change.”

Ji Lan turned a pleading gaze toward Mo Chenxiao. Regardless of whose protagonist halo was stronger, he felt certain that something was wrong with Zhen. Mo Chenxiao was the definitive protagonist; if he truly wished to, would not crushing a Yu Zhengyang be a simple affair?

“Ji Lan, you are looking at him again.” Yu Zhengyang squeezed Ji Lan’s chin in displeasure, leaving faint red marks on his skin. “If you keep looking at him like that, are you not afraid I will kill your disciple?”

“I was not looking at him,” Ji Lan said, frowning as the pain spiked. “I was looking at the children.”

Yu Zhengyang seemed to notice Wan Song and A-Yue for the first time. He glanced at them briefly, looking even more displeased. “If you look at them again, I will kill them both.”

To hear such venomous words spoken with such a beautiful face—Ji Lan dared not look at them again. The casual way he spoke of murder reminded him of how Mo Chenxiao acted toward Shangguan Ran.

“Young Master,” Shangguan Ran finally could not help but interject. “This Immortal Conglian is an elder of the Sword Pavilion. If you marry him, you will be making an enemy of the entire sect!”

Shangguan Ran’s face was twisted with anxiety. He did not want to interrupt, but his master’s behavior was truly improper. Did the Young Master not want to see the Rujing Sword? A-Yue was fast asleep, making it the perfect time to claim the weapon, yet here his master was, earnestly proposing marriage to an elder? Had he finally gone mad?

“So what if he is an elder?” Yu Zhengyang asked, sounding completely unfazed. “Even if Ji Lan were the Sect Leader of the Sword Pavilion, I would still marry him.”

Shangguan Ran: “…” His master had truly gone insane. He had felt the same way when they rushed from the snowy peaks to the Demon Realm, and now, after staying here for so long, he had clearly spiraled further.

“Waa… mm…” A-Yue let out a soft whimper, rubbing his eyes with his tiny hands. He looked around in a daze before locking eyes with Ji Lan. Suddenly, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward Ji Lan, throwing his arms around his legs.

The entire sequence took less than two breaths; even Yu Zhengyang was caught off guard. Ji Lan quickly scooped the child up.

Back in the safety of familiar arms, A-Yue yawned, pressed a kiss to Ji Lan’s cheek, and nuzzled him contentedly.

Yu Zhengyang’s expression darkened. “Ji Lan, do you want this child to die?”

“Young Master, you cannot!” Shangguan Ran cried out in alarm. “This child has comprehended the Heart Sword; you cannot kill him!”

The Heart Sword? What Heart Sword? Yu Zhengyang recalled that half a year ago, he had sensed the Rujing Sword was about to acknowledge a master, which was why he had sent Shangguan Ran to stir up trouble. Did Shangguan Ran bring back the sword and its master at the same time?

Seeing Yu Zhengyang’s reaction, Shangguan Ran realized his master had completely forgotten the objective, preoccupied entirely with the thought of marriage. He glanced at Ji Lan, thinking, He is just an ordinary man—not even as good-looking as me. Master has really lost his mind.

“Ji Lan, are you trying to threaten me with the Rujing Sword?” Yu Zhengyang’s voice dropped. “Why would you treat me like this?”

Ji Lan felt his head spinning. What is this “I have been betrayed” act? I am the one being coerced into marriage here.

“Chenxiao,” Ji Lan said, hugging A-Yue like a talisman, finally finding the heart to care for his disciple. “Are you alright?”

Mo Chenxiao stood silent, his expression cold and rigid.

Ji Lan: “What is wrong with you?”

“No matter how much you call him, he will not answer,” Yu Zhengyang muttered. “I have placed a Silence Curse on him.”

So that is why the male lead is so quiet.

“Ji Lan, even if you bring the child along, it does not matter,” Yu Zhengyang said, as if making a grand concession. “You can bring him into the marriage with you. Be good now, and go change your clothes.”

“No way!” A-Yue’s face flushed red. “You cannot marry!”

Yu Zhengyang said dismissively, “What would a child know?”

“Why are you bullying him?” Ji Lan said, protective of the boy. “Young Master Yu, there is no future for us. Give up on this idea.”

Feeling his established persona slipping, Ji Lan added, “The sea of bitterness is boundless, but one can reach the shore by turning back. If you want to play, Young Master, there are plenty of others willing to join you. Why force it?”

“Yu Zheng Yang!” The voice; Ji Lan whipped his head around to find Mo Chenxiao, face flushed, having forcibly broken through the Silence Curse. “You deliberately instigated the conflict between the Demonic and Immortal paths. Was this all for the sake of the Imperial Family?”

Ji Lan did not understand the accusation, but Yu Zhengyang’s face shifted, and he gave a cold snort. “I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Host, I know what to do!” Zhen-ai, the cute system, mimicked a pink-fisted cheering motion. “Quick, use the Rujing Sword to break the restraints on the male lead!”

Zhen-ai rubbed its hands together. “No wonder Yu Zhengyang’s protagonist halo is so dazzling—it is because your disciple’s cultivation is being suppressed! Cut those Binding Chains now!”

Ji Lan felt a headache coming on as Zhen-ai chirped in his mind. “How am I supposed to know how to do that?”

“The Rujing Sword is in your hand, dearie,” Zhen-ai twirled. “Just borrow it from your baby.”

Zhen-ai’s cutesiness was truly nauseating. Did “baby” refer to A-Yue?

Ji Lan swallowed his revulsion. “Can I use the sword to chop you instead?”

“Sorry, that option is unavailable,” Zhen-ai suddenly turned serious. “Small prop loaded. Host has been awarded one use of the Rujing Sword. Good luck, please work hard to turn the tides.”

Ji Lan looked at the screen full of “Claim” buttons; easily over ten of them. He clicked one expressionlessly. A thin streak of golden light shot into his body and vanished.

Yu Zhengyang watched as Ji Lan lowered his head in silence. When he looked up again, he was staring straight at Mo Chenxiao. Why is he looking at his disciple again? Could being a disciple make someone more worthy of Ji Lan’s attention than being his partner?

“Chenxiao, pardon me.”

Suddenly, a flash of golden light erupted. A-Yue vanished from his arms, replaced by a long sword adorned with strange, demonic patterns. Before Ji Lan could even process it, the sword flew on its own accord, hacking directly toward Mo Chenxiao with unstoppable momentum.

Yu Zhengyang: “?!” Is Ji Lan trying to kill Mo Chenxiao? His own disciple?

Mo Chenxiao instinctively closed his eyes. The imagined pain never came; instead, as the light of the blade enveloped him, he felt a sudden sense of relief. The ten Binding Chains on his body shattered into pieces.

Yu Zhengyang quickly realized what had happened. He stared at Ji Lan in disbelief. How could this man command a sword that had already chosen a master?

“Master!” Mo Chenxiao dodged the sword’s aura and moved cautiously toward Ji Lan. “Are you alright?”

Alright? How could I be alright? That wretched, scheming Zhen. This was no reward. Why had it not told him using the Rujing Sword would be this agonizing?

That single strike had exhausted nearly all of Ji Lan’s spirit. He shakily raised his hand, placing the sword into Mo Chenxiao’s grasp. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth and forcing himself not to cough up more, he whispered, “Chenxiao, the lives of the three of us are now in your hands.”

Having finished his dramatic performance, Ji Lan collapsed forward.