The Villainous Senior Brother Doesn't Want to Wash White [Transmigration] - Chapter 21

As soon as the words left Ji Yanqing’s mouth, he realized something was wrong.

Wait, what kind of fox demon would be stupid enough to announce that they are a fox demon!

To Ji Yanqing’s surprise, Qi Ye didn’t immediately call out his lie; instead, he seemed momentarily dazed. Seizing this opportunity, Ji Yanqing pinched a spell gesture, his body beginning to turn transparent again. He prepared to leave immediately—if Qi Ye asked later, he’d just deny everything to the death!

But Qi Ye’s speed was a bit faster than he imagined.

Before Ji Yanqing could vanish using his Illusion Art, several streaks of sword qi shot toward him. Ji Yanqing recognized them as one of Qi Ye’s sword array techniques—non-lethal, but capable of trapping someone. In his haste, the sword qi Qi Ye released even carried a faint trace of demonic energy.

Ji Yanqing waved his long sleeve, and a burst of non-attributed spiritual light met the attack. The sword qi and spiritual light refused to yield, clashing in the inner hall and creating a dazzling radiance.

Seems like a good chance to slip away!

Ji Yanqing thought, preparing to flee the Sword Immortal Hall. But just as he stepped forward, a series of booming sounds echoed, and the doors to the inner hall suddenly slammed shut.

He felt as if he had been hit with a silence spell; both his spiritual light and Illusion Art vanished simultaneously.

Wait, Qi Ye, when did you learn this move? Ji Yanqing thought in shock. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way, a massive gap appearing, and he fell straight through.

The moment he stepped into the void, Ji Yanqing instinctively tried to use a spell. He pinched the gesture, but his Wind-Riding Technique wouldn’t activate at all.

The fall continued, and with his magic sealed, Ji Yanqing felt a sliver of despair. Was his mission going to fail like this? In his current state, he was no different from an ordinary human; falling like this would likely result in death or severe injury.

Just then, he felt a gust of wind rush past his ear… and then, his entire person landed.

“Mhm…”

A deep groan came from beside his ear. Ji Yanqing suddenly realized he hadn’t hit the ground; instead, he had crashed into Qi Ye’s embrace.

That sound had come from Qi Ye. The moment Ji Yanqing fell into the gap, Qi Ye had jumped in after him without a second thought. Fortunately, his Sword-Kiting Technique still worked, and he had managed to reach Ji Yanqing’s side just before he hit the bottom.

The impact made Qi Ye’s chest throb with pain, but seeing that Ji Yanqing was unharmed, his racing heart finally settled.

Ji Yanqing, however, felt quite awkward, his thumb unconsciously rubbing against his index finger. He had intended to destroy the Golden Light Retrograde Glazed Lamp while Qi Ye was away, but not only was the lamp intact, he had been caught red-handed, saved by Qi Ye, and was now being held in his arms.

“Where is this?” As soon as his body, no longer protected by spiritual energy, recovered slightly, Ji Yanqing immediately left Qi Ye’s embrace and looked around.

He asked merely to change the subject and ease the awkwardness, but when he saw their surroundings, his eyes widened.

They were in a sealed secret chamber. The only light source was moonlight stones on the walls. Most bizarrely, on the floor of the chamber were several heart-shaped stones. Connected to the top of these stones were the various magic artifacts that had been placed on the long table above.

Ji Yanqing realized that the faint connection was actually a form of contract. When a cultivator chose to take an artifact, they had to leave something behind according to the contract. Judging by what was left on the scene, those who had visited this secret realm before had left these heart-shaped stones—something Ji Yanqing and the others were completely unaware of.

Looking at this, Ji Yanqing felt a chill run through his body. This room was like a web spun by a spider: alluring treasures above, and hunters waiting quietly below. If Qi Ye had chosen to take the glazed lamp earlier, would he have had to leave behind some unknown stone?

Ji Yanqing felt he was close to knowing the truth, but one last clue was missing. He searched the cramped chamber and indeed found several pieces of so-called “Yunjian Broken Jade” on a corner table. On the table, he could vaguely see a strange pattern that felt inexplicably familiar.

“You’ve been deceived. This secret realm… no, this illusion is a trap for all of you.”

Ji Yanqing hadn’t forgotten his “fox demon” persona. He quickly integrated the information he knew and realized this was a perfect opportunity to prove he wasn’t “Ji Yanqing.”

The faint light in the chamber reflected on Qi Ye’s profile. Hearing Ji Yanqing say this, his expression remained as calm as ever, as if he had known this all along.

Ji Yanqing naturally wouldn’t be discouraged. He was used to Qi Ye’s expressionless face, and a competitive spirit even welled up in his heart. Hehe, once you hear my rigorous reasoning, I don’t believe you won’t be utterly impressed!

Thinking this, Ji Yanqing began his analysis: “One of you has been to this secret realm before. He mastered the way to enter and leave, and lets in a batch of cultivators every so often.”

This explained why there were only a few pieces of “broken jade” and why the number of people was controlled: once too many cultivators entered, it would be easy to lose control.

Ji Yanqing looked at the floor. “The items he wants are likely those heart-shaped stones. He probably needs one every hundred years.” There were three stones left with only weak light, and according to the information he knew, the Yunjian Secret Realm opened once every three hundred years.

“The cultivators who entered before mostly perished shortly after leaving; that should be related to losing these heart-shaped stones. He likely also set conditions related to sword cultivators; perhaps these stones only exist within them.”

Ji Yanqing realized this might be why Shen Xiao proactively sent the “broken jade” to him. Thinking about it, Shen Xiao probably knew how dangerous this realm was and was intentionally setting him up!

“From the moment you entered, you became his prey. If I weren’t an observer who remembered him, I likely wouldn’t have known this either.”

At this point, Ji Yanqing’s tone became smug. He recalled that the 50 points of Villain Value he gained before entering came from that person. However, he hadn’t realized that the person didn’t just hate him; everyone entering the realm had been treated as prey. What finally confirmed the person’s identity was the pattern on the table.

He had seen that pattern on someone while he was invisible.

“And that person is—” Having analyzed so much and built up the suspense, Ji Yanqing felt it was time to announce the answer. He deliberately elongated his tone, but before he could finish, the previously silent Qi Ye turned to look at him and spoke the answer directly: “Meng Xingchen.”

Ji Yanqing: ???

How can you just shout out the answer like that!

“How did you know?” Ji Yanqing asked, trying to stay calm. He comforted himself: Steady, steady. Maybe Qi Ye just made a wild guess.

After everything he had said, it wasn’t hard for Qi Ye to guess the person was among the five who entered. Excluding Qi Ye and himself, there were three left—guessing any of them gave a one-third chance.

“It was too obvious,” Qi Ye replied calmly.

“When Meng Xingchen first appeared, he said he encountered trouble on the road. The blood on his face wasn’t dry, yet there wasn’t a trace of true qi on him; that wasn’t the state of someone who had just fought.”

“Although Meng Xingchen held a sword, his hands lacked the marks left by practicing; he is not a sword cultivator.”

“On the way to the rescue, although he spoke little, he instinctively stood in the safest spots and always took the first step in the right direction. His familiarity with the secret realm exceeds the rest of us…”

Ji Yanqing: “…”

Qi Ye seemed to notice Ji Yanqing’s silence. He lowered his head a bit helplessly, explaining softly, “Sometimes, I know a bit more than others.”

Only then did Ji Yanqing suddenly realize. The person before him was the protagonist. He could reach the Primordial Spirit stage at a young age and survive countless desperate situations, finding opportunities others couldn’t. Did he rely on just his face!!

So he basically knew everything, but just didn’t say anything. Especially hearing Qi Ye say, “I know a bit more than others,” Ji Yanqing’s heart skipped a beat.

If he could keenly perceive something was wrong with Meng Xingchen without even knowing the realm was a trap, then his clumsy lie about being a fox demon must have been seen through by Qi Ye at a single glance!

Ji Yanqing’s head buzzed. He turned toward Qi Ye and asked, “Then did you already know…”

“I know,” Qi Ye interrupted. His dark eyes fixed on Ji Yanqing, his gaze shimmering.

“I know that when Senior Brother is happy, his eyebrows tilt slightly. When Senior Brother is awkward, he rubs his fingers. Occasionally, I even know that when Senior Brother is nervous…”

Ji Yanqing couldn’t help but feel nervous. His breathing quickened, his chest heaving.

As Qi Ye spoke, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but reveal a smile. He leaned slightly closer to Ji Yanqing and said softly, “…his heart beats faster, and his breath comes in gasps.”

Ji Yanqing: !!

Ji Yanqing’s breathing almost stopped. Just when he thought Qi Ye was about to expose him, he heard Qi Ye sigh and continue, “But I know even more that Senior Brother has always disliked me. If he were truly here right now, he would never be close to me…”

Qi Ye’s tone carried a hint of grievance, yet the eyes he used to look at Ji Yanqing shone with the light of expectation.