The Villainous Senior Brother Doesn't Want to Wash White [Transmigration] - Chapter 35

“Does Senior Brother want more?” Aboard the cloud carriage, Qi Ye asked Ji Yanqing.

Ji Yanqing looked at the pastries Qi Ye held on a small plate. It was an exquisite dish of Fresh Flower Cakes; the outer skin was crystal clear, while the filling was made from celestial plants. One bite released a burst of fragrance that was not only delicious but also replenished spiritual energy.

He swallowed his saliva, but patting his stomach, he shook his head: “Enough, enough.”

Ji Yanqing remembered very clearly that from the time they set out this morning until now, Qi Ye had produced no fewer than ten plates and over twenty different kinds of snacks.

Ji Yanqing had gone from “I’ll just have a taste” at the beginning to being truly unable to swallow another bite now.

“Mn, I’ll put them away for now.”

Qi Ye replied, carefully wrapping the pastries and stowing them in his storage bag, preparing to continue the feeding next time.

Qi Ye’s voice was cold, and dressed in white, he looked ethereal and detached. If one didn’t look closely at his movements, they might think he was painting some Heavenly-grade talisman.

But truth be told, Qi Ye’s culinary skills were truly outstanding.

Reminiscing about the delicacies born from Qi Ye’s hands over the past few days, Ji Yanqing simply leaned back against the soft couch, eyes narrowed slightly in a look of utter contentment.

Fortunately, people in the cultivation world didn’t have to worry about gaining weight, so he could eat this shamelessly.

Because he had been fed by Qi Ye these past few days, Ji Yanqing didn’t bring up the matter of knowing about Qi Ye’s demon blood again, and Qi Ye didn’t speak of it either. He simply became increasingly attentive in his care for Ji Yanqing.

The two maintained a tacit understanding, both believing the other knew what they thought they knew.

After half a day like this, the cloud carriage finally arrived at Jingtian Prefecture.

Jingtian Prefecture is located on the Northern Plain Continent, backed by the Lingxiao Mountain Range, and is rich in spiritual energy. From the cloud carriage, Jingtian Prefecture looked quite vast, with a lake in the center dividing it into the Inner Prefecture and the Outer Prefecture. The Inner Prefecture is where the Ji family members live and cultivate, while the Outer Prefecture is a small town inhabited by ordinary people of the Northern Plain. Protected by the Ji family for a long time, the local customs were quite simple and honest.

Ji Yanqing’s cloud carriage landed directly within the Inner Prefecture.

“Young Master.” Just as Ji Yanqing stepped down from the carriage, he heard someone call out.

He turned his head and saw Shen Xiao, holding a folding fan and wearing a face full of smiles.

“Third Young Master asked me to wait here.”

Ji Yanqing wasn’t surprised that Ji Yanhui knew he would arrive at Jingtian Prefecture at this time. After all, the Drunken Cloud Pavilion was owned by the Ji family; knowing when he left required only a single Sound-Transmission Talisman.

However, Ji Yanqing hadn’t expected Ji Yanhui to have Shen Xiao personally come to receive him.

But then he had a second thought: his return to the Ji family was directly related to whether Ji Yanhui could obtain the Cloud Pendant and officially become the Clan Head. Naturally, Ji Yanhui wanted to ensure his safety.

Furthermore, Shen Xiao was a manager of the Ji family. Having him lead Ji Yanqing on a walk through the Inner Prefecture would serve to curb the intentions of those looking to cause trouble for him.

“Lead the way.”

Ji Yanqing donned his arrogant facade again, lifting his chin at Shen Xiao as he spoke.

However, because he had eaten too much on the cloud carriage, Ji Yanqing almost let out a burp while speaking. Fortunately, he swallowed it back down just in time.

Shen Xiao naturally saw this. His hand holding the fan tightened slightly, and he almost felt like telling Ji Yanqing: Look at the little “Lei” fluffball on your shoulder; you are destined to never look truly fierce.

As Ji Yanqing, Qi Ye, and the “Lei” fluffball perched on Ji Yanqing’s shoulder officially entered the Ji family’s Inner Prefecture, various buildings appeared before their eyes.

The Ji family was, after all, a family that had endured for a thousand years on the Northern Plain. The overall architectural style was solemn and majestic. Backed by the Lingxiao Mountains and featuring internal lakes, it possessed a grand and rugged atmosphere, completely different from the style of the Qingmen Sect located above the East Sea.

Walking past a courtyard rockery, Qi Ye sighed in admiration: “The Ji family truly deserves its place as the head of the three great families of the Northern Plain.”

In saying this, three parts were for Ji Yanqing’s sake, but the other seven were from the heart.

“It’s merely average.”

Ji Yanqing let out a cold snort, wearing an expression of someone who had seen it all.

Despite saying this, the envy and appreciation in his heart for the Ji family were no less than Qi Ye’s.

Ever since following Shen Xiao into the Inner Prefecture, he had been surreptitiously surveying the surroundings with his divine sense.

The buildings, the courtyards, the rockeries—in the era Ji Yanqing came from, these would absolutely be national-treasure-level luxury mansions. Not to mention, what he was walking through now was only a small part of the Ji family.

Ji Yanqing briefly estimated the price and location of Jingtian Prefecture and quickly arrived at an astronomical figure—one he likely couldn’t earn in ten thousand years of work.

He couldn’t help but shed internal tears of bitterness, even suddenly regretting having given up the position of Clan Head so easily.

Just then, several Ji family disciples emerged from a nearby artifact-refining workshop.

“Manager Shen, where are you going?” Seeing Shen Xiao and the others, they stopped and stepped forward to ask.

The clothing of the Ji disciples was somewhat similar to what Ji Yanqing was wearing—a light-green inner robe with a ring of white fox fur on the outer cloak. One could tell at a glance they were from a prestigious family.

Shen Xiao replied: “To the Main Hall. These two are the people the Third Young Master wishes to see.”

Most of the Ji disciples with external surnames didn’t recognize Ji Yanqing. Hearing that the two cultivators Shen Xiao was leading were going directly to the Main Hall to see the Third Young Master, they scrutinized the pair with curiosity.

One of them, upon seeing Ji Yanqing clearly, suddenly changed face. Pulling the two disciples beside him, he said, “Manager Shen, we’ll be taking our leave first.”

With that, he departed in a great hurry.

As they walked away, Ji Yanqing could still faintly hear the man saying things like “Do you know who that person is?”, “Do you want to die?”, and “Why would he come back?”

Ji Yanqing glared at Shen Xiao with dissatisfaction.

Fine, fine. He knew he was unpopular in the Ji family, but there was no need to remind him like this, was there?

Shen Xiao wore an innocent smile, appearing as though he couldn’t tell this was his deliberate arrangement.

Passing through the Inner Prefecture courtyard, the Main Hall lay ahead.

Although named a “Hall,” it was more like a small city. Surrounded by green walls, a main gate led through a plaza where Ji family disciples could be seen entering and exiting.

Seeing that gate from afar, Qi Ye focused his eyes and asked Shen Xiao, “Is there some significance to this gate?”

Shen Xiao waved his folding fan and said with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Qi is indeed sharp to see it at a glance. In fact, there is a story about this gate. Are you interested in hearing it?”

What? Even a gate has a story? He was naturally—

“Don’t want to hear it. Where is Ji Yanhui?”

Ji Yanqing urged impatiently. He couldn’t be bothered to hear the story of a gate. He looked around but saw only those Ji disciples watching him from a distance; Ji Yanhui was nowhere to be seen.

But Shen Xiao acted as if he hadn’t heard Ji Yanqing at all and continued on his own.

“Since the first Clan Head, Ji Canghai, established the family in Jingtian Prefecture, the Ji family has become a peak family of the Northern Plain after three generations of accumulation. By the time of the third generation head, Ji Yunsheng, his nine younger brothers each controlled one of the Ji family’s nine external outposts. But there could only be one head. Over time, they developed the desire to break away from the Ji family and establish their own sects.”

“These thoughts reached Ji Yunsheng’s ears. One day, he called his nine brothers together and took out ten chopsticks. He said: ‘I do not object to you wanting to leave and start your own lineages, as long as any of you can break this bundle of chopsticks.’ The various young masters were eager to try, but one by one they tried and failed. The chopsticks were made of an unknown material and simply wouldn’t break no matter how they were bent.”

Ji Yanqing: “…”

Wait, why does this story sound so familiar??

Ji Yanqing originally wanted to hear what kind of story Shen Xiao could tell about this gate, but… this was it?

He had heard this story in primary school, okay!

Shen Xiao naturally didn’t know Ji Yanqing’s thoughts. His gaze looked quite wistful as he continued: “Ji Yunsheng then reached out and separated the ten chopsticks, giving one to each of them to break. This time, they broke the chopsticks with ease. The young masters were lost in thought, then suddenly realized.”

“From then on, the Ji family no longer had talk of branching out. To warn future generations, Ji Yunsheng specifically built walls and this gate here, and this gate was named—”

Shen Xiao paused, adjusted his emotions, and then continued: “The Ten Chopsticks Gate.”

Ji Yanqing: “???”

This Ji Yunsheng must have been terrible at naming things!

Originally, when Shen Xiao started the story, Ji Yanqing just felt it was too boring and cliché, but hearing the name of the gate, he was so shocked he nearly bit his own tongue.

Shen Xiao continued: “Of course, later, under the firm opposition of several other young masters, the gate was renamed the ‘Gate of One Heart’ (同心門), symbolizing that when brothers are of one heart, their sharpness can cut gold. A restriction was also placed on this gate; only those of ‘one heart’ can enter.”

Those of one heart…

Ji Yanqing began to seriously consider whether he could climb over the wall if no one was willing to go in with him later.

Shen Xiao took in all of Ji Yanqing’s reactions, reaching a conclusion in his heart, and then turned around.

“The Third Young Master has arrived.”

Ji Yanhui actually came out?

Ji Yanqing followed Shen Xiao’s gaze and indeed saw Ji Yanhui appearing outside the Main Hall.

Just as Ji Yanqing imagined, Ji Yanhui’s face was cold. The man was like a walking iceberg. Seeing Ji Yanqing, he only lazily lifted an eyelid and said one thing: “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“Third Brother should know that I have always been a man of my word.”

Ji Yanqing answered shamelessly, not mentioning a word about the Vow of the Dao Heart he had made with Ji Yanhui.

As he spoke, Ji Yanqing felt a bit strange.

Why would someone as shut-in and lazy as Ji Yanhui go out of his way to come here? Wouldn’t waiting in the Main Hall be much better?

With this question in mind, he understood once he reached the Gate of One Heart.

Ji Yanqing keenly discovered that Ji Yanhui intended to enter the gate together with him.

This was likely a test.

Ji Yanqing didn’t mind going with Ji Yanhui. After all, the man had helped him before; using this method to prove he truly had no other intentions seemed like a good idea.

With this thought, Ji Yanqing was about to walk forward with Ji Yanhui, but after only half a step, he felt someone pull him back.

Ji Yanqing turned and saw that it was Qi Ye holding his sleeve.

Qi Ye’s gaze was quite firm, as if he had already made a decision. Seeing Ji Yanqing stop, he turned to Ji Yanhui and said, “Third Young Master Ji, Senior Brother hasn’t seen you for many years, whereas he and I have lived together in the Qingmen Sect for a long time. It is more appropriate for me to enter with Senior Brother.”

I threatened you like that, and you still feel like we are “of one heart.”

And are you sure it’s “lived together for a long time” and not “battled each other for a long time”?

Ji Yanhui didn’t respond immediately, but his face grew even colder. After a long while, he spoke icily: “No matter how long it’s been since we met, brothers are brothers. An outsider can never compare.”

Of course, Ji Yanhui knew perfectly well that these few words wouldn’t make Qi Ye give up.

Seeing that Qi Ye had no intention of backing down, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Ji Yanqing.

“Better to let my younger brother choose for himself.”

Younge… brother???

When Ji Yanqing heard Shen Xiao tell that story, he was worried about what he’d do if no one wanted to enter with him. But the current situation was that Ji Yanhui and Qi Ye were polite on the surface while undercurrents surged beneath; neither would yield, and both insisted on walking through the gate with him.

So, what is wrong with these two?

The Gate of One Heart was right before him. Facing Qi Ye and Ji Yanhui, Ji Yanqing was confused and also a bit conflicted.

Choose Ji Yanhui?

He didn’t know if he could farm Villain Points from the protagonist, but he might lose his supply of Qi Ye’s pastries.

Choose Qi Ye?

…Forget it. He was currently in the Ji family residence. Even if he wanted to cause trouble to spite Ji Yanhui, he should wait until he was about to leave.

Wait. Shen Xiao just said the gate requires being of “one heart” to enter, but he didn’t say it had to be two people.

Ji Yanqing’s eyes lit up as he realized something.

Thus, under the expectant and slightly anxious gazes of the two men, Ji Yanqing reached down, picked up the “Lei” fluffball that was currently licking its fur on the ground, and walked straight forward, passing through the Gate of One Heart.