The Villainous Senior Brother Doesn't Want to Wash White [Transmigration] - Chapter 47

It… really was like this.

Emperor Fengdu of the Underworld had originally thought that Ji Yanqing might instinctively deny the question. He hadn’t expected him to admit it so directly.

Looking at his son’s undisguised affection, the annoyance Fengdu felt toward Qi Ye instantly transformed into a bittersweet ache. He carefully searched his divine sense for fragments of memory regarding Qi Ye…

Just as Ji Yanqing had said, the youth in white was indeed exceptionally handsome and a sword cultivator of superior talent. Judging from Qi Ye’s previous behavior, it wasn’t hard for Emperor Fengdu to see that the boy also harbored feelings for his son.

Having confirmed this, Emperor Fengdu reluctantly abandoned his plan to throw the youth into the Purgatory of a Hundred Ghosts for a trial. Of course, the main reason was that after Ji Yanqing confessed his love for Qi Ye, his eyes held not only shyness but also a trace of trepidation—as if he were terrified that his father would not accept the person he loved.

Emperor Fengdu’s heart gave a little thud as he realized: if he truly hurt that boy, his son would be heartbroken.

However, he had completely misunderstood the meaning behind Ji Yanqing’s gaze.

Ji Yanqing was indeed nervous, but it wasn’t because he was worried about his father’s acceptance of Qi Ye; he was worried the Emperor would see through his lie. After all, Emperor Fengdu was a powerhouse of the Fourth Tribulation and possessed the Heaven-grade spirit tool, the Book of Life and Death. Most things could not escape his eyes. If he discovered that there was absolutely nothing between him and Qi Ye, how would he explain it?

Fortunately, Emperor Fengdu merely paused for a moment in thought before speaking. “Since the two of you share mutual feelings and are fellow disciples, you can support each other on the path of cultivation. Naturally, I wouldn’t want to tear you apart.”

Mutual feelings?

Didn’t I just imply that I was the one pining after Qi Ye?

Ji Yanqing was slightly confused. He had no idea how Emperor Fengdu had deduced that the feelings were mutual. Well, it’s probably because my acting is just that superb.

Since Emperor Fengdu had said as much, and his original goal had been achieved, Ji Yanqing didn’t bother to deny it. He simply let the misunderstanding continue.

After that exchange, Emperor Fengdu didn’t pry further. He showed his concern for Ji Yanqing as usual and ordered his ghost cultivators to prepare various items that Ji Yanqing wouldn’t even be able to use back in the cultivation world. Ji Yanqing was deeply moved but rejected them anyway. Finally, the Emperor departed reluctantly.

Ji Yanqing thought the matter was over, but early the next morning, he was summoned to the Emperor’s palace for a meal.

Do people in the Ghost Realm eat? I wonder how it tastes…

Hearing the Spirit-Gathering stage ghost cultivator’s summons, Ji Yanqing suddenly perked up. Over the past few days, he had been busy either refining spirit tools or chatting with his old man; he hadn’t treated his stomach in a long time.

He followed the cultivator to the great hall with eager anticipation. However, when he pushed open the doors, what greeted him wasn’t a feast of Ghost Realm delicacies, but Qi Ye and Emperor Fengdu sitting face-to-face.

There was a cup of hot tea on the table before each of them. Emperor Fengdu’s face was grim. Although Qi Ye still wore his usual expressionless mask, the “thank God you’re here” look in his eyes the moment he saw Ji Yanqing completely betrayed his inner panic.

What… is going on?

The moment he entered the hall, Ji Yanqing sensed the atmosphere was incredibly tense. He instinctively took a step back to leave, but the hall doors closed silently behind him. Having no choice, he braced himself and walked forward, standing beside Emperor Fengdu.

This action caused the Emperor’s face to turn from cloudy to slightly clearer, though his gaze remained stern and scrutinizing when he looked back at Qi Ye. He asked, “Where are you from? Where are your parents? How did you meet our Yanqing?”

Qi Ye glanced at Ji Yanqing and answered in a low voice, “I grew up in Qingzhou. I have no parents. I met Senior Brother when I joined the Qingmen Sect.”

Childhood sweethearts. No wonder, Fengdu thought. He nodded and asked, “What is your current cultivation level?”

Before Qi Ye could answer, the Emperor followed up with two more questions: “Do you and Yanqing live together at the Qingmen Sect? Do you plan to establish your own separate cultivation site later?”

“If your sword and Yanqing fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?”

Ji Yanqing: “???”

Wait, why do these questions feel exactly like a pre-marriage interrogation? “What’s your salary?” “Do you own a house in a good school district?” “If your mother and my daughter fell into a river, who would you save?”

Ji Yanqing finally realized: Emperor Fengdu had called them here specifically to grill Qi Ye in front of him.

He couldn’t help but worry. It was all because of the lie he told earlier; the Emperor fully believed they were in love, which led to this “test.” For anyone else, failing these questions might lead to a breakup; for Qi Ye, failing meant losing his life.

Fortunately, Qi Ye didn’t hesitate long before answering them one by one. “I am currently at the late Soul stage, but I will work hard to cultivate so I can protect Senior Brother.”

“Currently, Senior Brother and I live on two separate main peaks of the Qingmen Sect. Future arrangements will depend on Senior Brother’s wishes.”

“Naturally, I would save Senior Brother first.”

Not a bad score for a triple-threat death trap, Ji Yanqing thought. He breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze toward Qi Ye now tinged with a bit of admiration. Although this guy looked cold and aloof, he was actually quite good at pleasing elders.

Hearing these answers, Emperor Fengdu’s stiff expression finally softened completely. He then turned his back to them.

“I won’t see you off when you leave later,” the Emperor said, his voice sounding rather cold and harsh. As soon as he finished speaking, he walked forward, his figure vanishing into the depths of the hall.

Ji Yanqing knew his father simply couldn’t bear to watch him leave again. But perhaps it was better this way—a final meeting might be harder than no meeting at all.

Emperor Fengdu had already prepared everything necessary to guide their souls back to the cultivation world. Even without external help from other cultivators, they could leave smoothly.

As they walked down the long corridor toward the Soul-Guiding Room after leaving the palace, Qi Ye quickly caught up to Ji Yanqing.

Qi Ye hesitated for a moment before asking, “Senior Brother, did you say something to the Emperor?”

From Qi Ye’s perspective, Ji Yanqing already knew about his feelings and had said he would “see how he performed.” Therefore, while Qi Ye had been confused by the Emperor’s questions at first, he quickly realized that Ji Yanqing must have said something to his father. Driven by curiosity, he decided to ask.

Ji Yanqing stopped in his tracks, shot Qi Ye a look, and then averted his eyes, answering coldly, “Don’t overthink it.”

In Qi Ye’s eyes, however, such a reaction was basically a confession. Every time Ji Yanqing lied out of embarrassment, his eyelashes would instinctively flutter downward and he would avoid eye contact. Based on that reaction alone, Qi Ye was certain: Senior Brother really had said something to Emperor Fengdu.

But what exactly did he say?

Qi Ye looked calm on the surface, but his heart was itching to know. Knowing Ji Yanqing as well as he did, he knew that if he kept pressing, his Senior Brother wouldn’t tell him and might even give him a beating.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

Taking advantage of the moment Ji Yanqing’s gaze was turned away, Qi Ye took a half-step forward, closing the distance between them. His face was only half an inch away from Ji Yanqing’s, and his eyes were filled with joy and trust.

To Ji Yanqing’s shock, Qi Ye spoke in an incredibly earnest voice: “No matter what Senior Brother said, I believe it was for my own good.”

After speaking, Qi Ye didn’t forget to give him a wink.

Ji Yanqing: “!!!”

He had been thinking that if Qi Ye kept asking, he would never admit it even if it killed him. Who knew Qi Ye would use this tactic?

That face—which hit every single one of Ji Yanqing’s “preferences”—suddenly loomed close, staring at him intently while expressing such trust… and then a wink.

Who could possibly withstand that?!

For a moment, Ji Yanqing couldn’t even tell if his previous claim of liking Qi Ye was just to save the boy’s life or if he actually did like him.

On Qi Ye’s side, his plan had succeeded. Just as Ji Yanqing was spiraling, a notification for the Favorability System rang in Qi Ye’s ear:

[Ji Yanqing’s Favorability: 55 points. This person previously said he likes you.]

Hearing this, Qi Ye felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He stood frozen on the spot, unable to move. He had imagined Senior Brother might have mentioned him or even praised him to the Emperor, but he never dreamed that his Senior Brother had said he liked him.

Was he… really not dreaming?

“Walking so slowly, do you not want to leave the Ghost Realm?”

Ji Yanqing had walked a few paces ahead when he noticed Qi Ye hadn’t followed. He stopped and turned back to glare at him. Then, without looking back, he continued forward, looking nothing like someone who actually liked another person.

Even so, Qi Ye quickly caught up, his heart nearly exploding with joy.

With the soul-guiding technique personally prepared by Emperor Fengdu, the process of the trio leaving the Ghost Realm and returning to the Ji family was incredibly smooth. Even Shen Xiao and the others guarding the Ji family didn’t notice their return until they were already back in the tomb.

“So, do I have to wait for them to come before I can leave?”

Ji Yanqing realized the tomb door had been sealed. Ruling out the possibility that Ji Qidan wanted to trap him there, the only reason was likely that Shen Xiao had sealed it to prevent anyone from entering and disturbing the soul-guiding beacons.

As it turned out, he was right. Before long, Shen Xiao arrived.

“It seems your trip to the Ghost Realm went quite smoothly,” Shen Xiao said, fanning himself with a smile.

However, the response from the other two was unexpectedly cold. Ever since learning what Ji Yanqing said to the Emperor, Qi Ye had been in a state of outward indifference but inward euphoria. He was still immersed in his happiness and had no time for Shen Xiao.

As for Ji Yanhui, he should have been happy. He had retrieved the Cloud Pendant, obtained the spirit tool his father left behind, and cleared up his brother’s origins. But the thought that Ji Yanqing would return to the Qingmen Sect—severing their only remaining connection—made his mood sour. Naturally, he didn’t respond to Shen Xiao either.

Seeing no response from the others, Shen Xiao turned his gaze to Ji Yanqing. After looking him over, he smiled and said, “A Heaven-grade spirit tool? It seems the young master had quite an encounter.”

Shen Xiao’s cultivation wasn’t high enough to realize that Ji Yanqing was now at the Golden Core stage, but he had a talent for identifying artifacts. One look at Ji Yanqing told him the boy was carrying a treasure that was at least Heaven-grade.

“It’s pretty effective,” Ji Yanqing said. Although he was still brooding over the fact that he had formed a “High-grade” Golden Core (which sounded like a step down from the “Perfect” one he wanted), he was quite satisfied with his new weapon and couldn’t wait to show it off.

Ji Yanqing spoke with a hint of pride. With a thought, he summoned the “rifle” from his dantian. In his mind, a black iron rifle floating in mid-air was the peak of coolness.

However, the expected look of awe on Shen Xiao’s face didn’t appear. Instead, Shen Xiao’s expression froze, and even his trademark smile vanished.

After a long silence, Shen Xiao managed to squeeze out a compliment: “The young master’s encounter was truly… unique.”

Ji Yanqing could hear the hidden meaning. He quickly turned to look at his new treasure, only to see a mass of blurry, black, pixelated squares floating beside him.

Wait, where is my cool rifle? Why has it become a black mosaic?

…

Now, the person in a state of “self-isolation” switched from Ji Yanhui to Ji Yanqing. Holding the bundle of pixels, Ji Yanqing sat in the coffin, feeling like he wanted to go back to the Ghost Realm.

Finally, the spirit inside the artifact told him through divine sense what was going on.

“Master, the Emperor upgraded the core of the spirit tool, but the Ghost Realm is different from the cultivation world. If you want the tool to return to its original form, it needs to be refined again using a Dark Iron Furnace and Nine-Heaven Lightning Fire.”

The Dark Iron Furnace was easy; the Ji family had one available for use. The hard part was the Nine-Heaven Lightning Fire. To summon it, one needed to be a fire-rooted cultivator who had passed their first Nine-Heaven Lightning Tribulation. Currently, Ji Yanqing only knew of one person who fit the bill: Ji Qidan.

Ji Qidan was already furious about the Golden Phoenix Hairpin falling into the Ghost Realm. Getting him to help now would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Fine, I’ll just use this bundle of pixels as my attack weapon. Ji Yanqing tried to console himself. At least no one would ever be able to tell what his Heaven-grade tool actually was.

Ji Yanhui noticed the shift in Ji Yanqing’s expression from excitement to disappointment. Upon learning that the tool needed refining, he realized this was a golden opportunity. He had been worrying about how to keep Ji Yanqing at the Ji house—or at least ensure he would return to visit. If he wanted Ji Yanqing to stay, he needed to mend the bridge between him and the rest of the family.

Seeing Ji Yanqing ready to give up, he quickly advised, “That won’t do. When fighting others, they bring out weapons that intimidate. If you bring out a black, blurry mass, you’ve already lost half the momentum.”

It’s called a mosaic, Ji Yanqing thought. But he had to admit his brother had a point. As a villain, if he said something like “I’m going to kill you” and then summoned a bundle of black pixels… the image was a bit too much to handle.

Still, the thought of asking his grumpy Second Uncle for help made him a bit nervous. “Is it… really okay?” He looked at Ji Yanhui with sparkling, expectant eyes. Ji Yanhui froze for a second before nodding calmly. “I will try my best to persuade Second Uncle.”

As expected, even though summoning the lightning fire wasn’t difficult for Ji Qidan, getting him to agree was another story.

In the Ji family discussion hall, Ji Qidan sat on a cushion, fiddling with the Golden Phoenix Hairpin. Without even looking up, he refused: “I disagree.”

Ji Yanhui had just spent more words than he probably had in his entire life trying to convince him. But Ji Qidan wouldn’t budge. The moment he heard the fire was for Ji Yanqing’s spirit tool, he shut down.

Ji Yanhui’s expression grew even colder. He produced the jade pendant he had retrieved from the Ghost Realm and asked, “What if I command you in my capacity as the Head of the Family?”

Ji Qidan looked at him, his expression arrogant and firm. “Even if I am expelled from the Ji family and perish in the outside world, I will absolutely not help Ji Yanqing.”

Ji Yanqing: “…”

Alright, alright, I get that you hate me, but there’s no need for such a poisonous vow.

He knew why the man hated him. Perhaps telling him the truth about his identity would lessen the hate, but he couldn’t let too many people know his secret. What if Ji Qidan hated him even more, thinking he was the reason Ji Qixue couldn’t return?

“In that case, let’s forget it…” Ji Yanqing stood up to leave, but Ji Yanhui stood up first.

“Everyone, please wait outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with Second Uncle alone.”

As the Head’s command, the other elders left the hall. Outside, those elders couldn’t help but gossip through their divine sense. Normally, Ji Yanqing (a Soul stage) wouldn’t be able to hear them, but since he was now at the Golden Core stage, their whispers reached his ears perfectly.

“Why is the Head so set on helping Ji Yanqing?” “Brotherly love, I suppose. Do you think the Second Elder will agree?” “Doubtful.” “Why bother? Ji Yanqing is only at the Soul stage. Offending the Second Elder for him…” “What if the Second Elder strikes the Head with lightning in a fit of rage? Let’s move further away so we don’t get hit.”

Ji Yanqing thought that last elder made a lot of sense and took a step back himself. He didn’t want to get struck by stray lightning either.

Just then, the Fifth Elder’s gaze was drawn to Ji Yanqing. He had felt something was different about the boy since they met, but he couldn’t place it. Now, looking closer, he realized the Soul stage pressure was gone. Ji Yanqing’s aura was refined and restrained, looking almost like an ordinary person’s.

The Fifth Elder had been stuck at the peak of the Soul stage for centuries and understood the Golden Core stage better than most. He frowned and asked, “What’s going on? Your aura is wrong. Are you…?”

Halfway through, he came to a conclusion and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Ji Yanqing knew what he was going to say. But since everyone was going to find out eventually, he decided to say it himself this time. Without any expression, he replied:

“Yes. I have formed a High-grade Golden Core.”

The surroundings went silent for three seconds. Then, the notification for “Villain Points” from the system nearly drowned him.