The Possessive Beauty Desires Me in Vain - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Back Then

The destruction of the Nine Pools of Fortune, his killing of Qi Yu… being imprisoned by Qi Yu, Qi Yu’s flight to the Demon Realm…

Chen Hexuan remembered everything. This was the first time he possessed memories of the world outside while within a dream, but he had no heart to ponder the anomaly.

He only cared that he remembered: starting from this very night, Qi Yu would return to the Xingzhou Sect the following day. Then, he would admit to being a natural “Demon Seed.” Everything began on this night.

If he could stop Qi Yu from returning to the sect tonight, the subsequent events wouldn’t happen. Perhaps Qi Yu could remain his junior brother, and he could continue being Qi Yu’s senior brother.

By the time he finished processing the influx of memories, it was already the next morning.

Merging the memories from inside and outside the dream, Chen Hexuan pushed open the door to Qi Yu’s room, only to find it vacant. The bedding was neat and clean, looking as if it had never been touched.

He was too late; Qi Yu was already gone.

With Qi Yu’s current cultivation, traveling a thousand miles in a single night was not difficult. Chen Hexuan didn’t know exactly when he had left, but he knew he had to catch him at all costs.

Tossing aside his unfinished mission, Chen Hexuan raced toward the Xingzhou Sect, using every ounce of his spiritual energy.

This was merely a remote border town of the human realm, far from the sect. At this moment, Chen Hexuan cursed himself for choosing a mission here simply because it was far enough away to avoid Qi Yu.

Despite his greatest speed, Chen Hexuan only managed to reach Garan City—the main city surrounding the Xingzhou Sect—by noon.

His Message-Seeking Bird stopped in front of a post house. Chen Hexuan retracted the bird and entered. He found a waitress and asked, “Have you seen a man about this tall, with black hair and silver robes?” As he spoke, he gestured to the height of his own shoulder.

The waitress looked confused. “Immortal Master, could you be more specific?”

Chen Hexuan was about to describe him again when he saw a familiar figure walking upstairs. He muttered a quick “Excuse me” and followed immediately.

Despite the use of an illusion spell, Chen Hexuan was intimately familiar with this person’s aura. He couldn’t understand why the Sect Leader of Xingzhou—his own Master—was appearing here.

For a moment, Chen Hexuan faced a dilemma: follow his Master to see what was happening, or continue searching for Qi Yu.

He saw Pu Xuefeng stop in front of a room and knock. The door opened, and the person standing there was Qi Yu.

Seeing Pu Xuefeng, Qi Yu was stunned. “Master? Why are you here?”

Pu Xuefeng scanned the surroundings. Seeing no suspicious people, he hurriedly pushed Qi Yu inside the room.

Evading Pu Xuefeng’s line of sight, Chen Hexuan realized something was terribly wrong. Why weren’t the Sect Leader and Qi Yu meeting at the sect? Why a secret meeting at a post house?

Thinking quickly, Chen Hexuan moved to the window at the end of the hallway, vaulted out onto the eaves, and positioned himself outside the room where they were meeting.

Perhaps due to their urgency, neither Pu Xuefeng nor Qi Yu noticed Chen Hexuan eavesdropping outside.

Pu Xuefeng spoke with a heavy expression. “I sent you a message telling you to leave and not return. Why have you come back?”

Chen Hexuan’s heart jumped. A suspicion formed: perhaps his Master, like him, had known all along that Qi Yu was a demon.

Qi Yu pursed his lips. “Master, I… I don’t want to implicate you and Senior Brother. If I don’t come forward and confess, they will suspect both of you.”

Chen Hexuan’s expression froze; his heart felt an agonizing pang. Even though he had wondered many times why Qi Yu had admitted to being a demon, he never imagined it was to protect him and their Master.

They said demons were cruel by nature, unable to distinguish good from evil. Yet why was Qi Yu always like this… making his heart ache so much?

Pu Xuefeng seemed stunned as well. He stared at this disciple—one he hadn’t particularly looked after, and for whom he had often harbored the most malicious suspicions.

“Are you being a fool?” Pu Xuefeng snapped. “Do you think if you confess, they won’t still suspect Hexuan and me?”

“No, Master. I have a plan,” Qi Yu said calmly.

Pu Xuefeng gave a cold laugh. “A plan? Tell me.”

Qi Yu’s voice remained steady:

“When the time comes, you must wound me, Master. Issue a pursuit order against me before anyone else does. Draw a clear line between us so they won’t suspect you.”

Chen Hexuan clenched his fists. That’s not right, he thought. In reality, it was Master who was attacked. What is different here?

Pu Xuefeng’s gaze lingered on Qi Yu. “And what about Hexuan?”

Qi Yu continued, “Senior Brother and I have always been at odds. As long as you send him to hunt me down afterward—and I allow him to stab me a few times—they won’t suspect him either.”

Chen Hexuan didn’t expect that in such a short time, Qi Yu had already planned how to preserve the two of them. He didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh; a surge of fury rose in his chest.

Pu Xuefeng sneered. “And you? First wounded by me, then hunted by the masses, then wounded by your Senior Brother… if you manage to escape to the Demon Realm, fine. But what if you die on the way?”

Qi Yu replied indifferently, “Why should you care so much, Master? You are human, I am a demon. Does the life or death of a demon matter that much?”

At those words, both Chen Hexuan and Pu Xuefeng were moved to a bitter, angry laugh.

“Qi Yu, you are my disciple. I personally brought you into the Xingzhou Sect,” Pu Xuefeng roared, grabbing Qi Yu’s collar. “Teacher for a day, father for a lifetime. I will always be your Master.”

“Master, would you have me watch while they take you and Senior Brother away for interrogation?” Qi Yu lowered his eyes, his voice muffled. “You don’t know how cruel they are. Even if you are the Sect Leader and Senior Brother is the First Disciple, if they catch you, they will flay the skin right off you.”

“I’m not afraid of pain, but I don’t want anything to happen to you because of me.”

Hearing this, Chen Hexuan clenched his fists so hard that he realized his palms were bleeding. He wanted so badly to jump down, seize Qi Yu, and stop this ridiculous, delusional plan.

“But have you considered what happens if you are caught? What if you die out there?” Pu Xuefeng glared into his eyes, the veins on his forehead bulging.

“Master, believe me. I won’t be caught. I will stay alive,” Qi Yu forced a smile. “I am a natural Demon Seed. Unless I want to die, no one can kill me.”

Chen Hexuan felt the blood rush to his head. He had no other thoughts except to shut Qi Yu’s mouth—to stop him from saying so confidently that he wouldn’t die. He did die. He died by Chen Hexuan’s own hand.

“Have you considered how sad your Senior Brother and I would be?” Pu Xuefeng let go of him, his breathing ragged. He sat down in a nearby chair.

“Master has Senior Brother. Senior Brother will surely take good care of Master in my stead,” Qi Yu said with a light, somewhat philosophical smile. “As for Senior Brother… he has wanted me far away from him for a long time. He might actually be happy.”

Hearing this, Chen Hexuan desperately wanted to tell Qi Yu that he hadn’t been happy at all. Instead, he wanted to crack open Qi Yu’s head to see what on earth he was thinking.

Pu Xuefeng was too angry to look at him and turned toward the window. Then, a “thud” rang out. He turned back to find Qi Yu kneeling on the floor.

“Master, back then it was you who saved me. You took me in as a disciple and taught me magic. Without you, I would have disappeared from this world long ago.” Qi Yu finished speaking and kowtowed.

Thud—

“Xiao Yu, there is no need for this. Get up.” Pu Xuefeng hurried forward to pull him up, but he stopped when he met Qi Yu’s tearful eyes.

“Master, please let me finish,” Qi Yu said slowly. “After today, I likely can’t call you ‘Master’ anymore. Qi Yu only wishes to thank you for your years of teaching.”

Pu Xuefeng’s expression softened. His hands trembled as he reached out to help Qi Yu up. “Xiao Yu, we still have a chance. Let’s think of another way.”

Qi Yu shook his head firmly. “Master, if you try to stop me, I will die right here before you before they even have a chance to act. You know I keep my word.”

Pu Xuefeng’s hand shook. “Fine… fine, Qi Yu. You’ve actually learned to use your life to threaten me.”

“Whatever. I won’t interfere. I only care that you stay alive.” Meeting Qi Yu’s resolute gaze, Pu Xuefeng knew he couldn’t persuade him. He knew that while Qi Yu seemed easygoing, once he made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to change it.

“Thank you, Master.” Qi Yu gave a heartfelt smile and kowtowed once more.

When he looked up again, Pu Xuefeng was gone. In his place was a pile of magical artifacts and medicinal pills.

Chen Hexuan, having heard everything, felt it was all utterly absurd. He couldn’t fathom why Qi Yu had such thoughts, nor why his Master had agreed to it. He only wanted to take Qi Yu to the Demon Realm and never let him return.

Just as he was about to seize control of his body to act, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

A transparent figure appeared beside Chen Hexuan. He had the same face as the man inside the room.

However, while the Qi Yu in the room had bright black eyes, this figure had eerie green ones.

He picked up Chen Hexuan and placed him on the bed in another room. Looking at Chen Hexuan’s furrowed brow, he muttered gloomily, “How annoying. Why did Senior Brother have to see that?”

Qi Yu remembered that after his Senior Brother finished dealing with the Nine Pools of Fortune, he had sat watching him sleep, eventually falling asleep himself. He had woken up in his Senior Brother’s dream, watching him race here in anger and listen to the things Qi Yu had said all those years ago.

Thinking back now, Qi Yu felt the things he had said were truly naive. It wasn’t nearly that simple. Reality was much more complex; the people who had changed weren’t just the Master, but himself as well.

Perhaps the only one who hadn’t changed was his Senior Brother—hating him as always, never having cared for him.

Qi Yu leaned over the bed and whispered softly to Chen Hexuan, “Senior Brother, some things… it’s better if you don’t know them at all.”