The Villainous Senior Brother Doesn't Want to Wash White [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Ji Yanqing felt like he was about to fall apart.

He desperately wanted to tell himself that things definitely weren’t as he thought, but looking at Qi Ye now, that usually expressionless face was full of words left unsaid.

The deep black eyes looking at him were even tinged with a few shades of chagrin and guilt.

After Ji Yanqing’s tireless “courting of death” over the past few years, Qi Ye had long since become cold and disheartened toward him. When had he ever looked at him with such an expression?

Recalling when Qi Ye’s passion poison flared up earlier, it seemed he only had a reaction when facing Ji Yanqing?

Could it be…

Ji Yanqing’s eyes widened slightly. If he hadn’t spoken so certainly before, the increasingly outrageous guesses in his heart would have made him want to ask Qi Ye directly—

That night you mentioned! Which night was it exactly!

“Host, Qi Ye is referring to the night before you left Falling Star Pavilion.”

A single sentence from the system finally interrupted Ji Yanqing’s wild imagination.

Ji Yanqing finally understood why Qi Ye thought he chose Cloud City for the Golden Light Glazed Lamp of Recurrence.

It all started from that night three years ago.

At that time, Ji Yanqing and Qi Ye still lived together in Falling Star Pavilion. Although Ji Yanqing didn’t particularly care for Qi Ye, they lived in relative peace.

Until that day, a wandering disciple brought Qi Ye several flasks of immortal brew from the Western Continent. Since Ji Yanqing happened to run into them, Qi Ye reluctantly gave Ji Yanqing a flask.

Carrying that flask of “free” brew—said to be worth a full thousand top-grade spirit stones—Ji Yanqing returned to his room in high spirits. But he had just poured a cup when he sensed something was wrong—

There was realgar in the wine.

In ancient Earth myths, even a snake demon with a thousand years of cultivation would reveal its true form after drinking realgar wine, literally scaring its partner to death.

Having read the main plot of The Path of Immortal Demons, Ji Yanqing naturally knew that Qi Ye possessed half-demon blood, and that half happened to be a snake.

Thus, without waiting for the system to speak, Ji Yanqing immediately set down his wine cup and went straight to Qi Ye’s room.

When Ji Yanqing opened the door, he could already faintly smell that familiar mellow aroma of wine. He knew he was too late.

With no other choice, Ji Yanqing had to pretend he had been provoked by something and demanded a duel with Qi Ye in the back mountains.

Qi Ye looked hesitant but couldn’t withstand Ji Yanqing’s verbal provocation. Finally, Ji Yanqing said, “If you don’t dare accept the challenge, I’ll consider you a coward and never look at you again.”

Qi Ye looked up and gave Ji Yanqing a deep look, ultimately agreeing to the duel.

Just as Ji Yanqing had guessed, Qi Ye was indeed affected by the realgar wine.

As they fought, Qi Ye’s pupils gradually turned gold, and his sword moves began to carry demonic energy. The signs of demonization were becoming more and more obvious.

“Qi Ye, it’s all because of your appearance that I’ve become this miserable.”

To prevent Qi Ye from scaring himself to death after fully demonizing, Ji Yanqing repeatedly threw out harsh words and attacked with increasing severity.

Listening to Ji Yanqing’s hate-filled words, Qi Ye felt as if two completely different bloodlines were intertwining within his body, causing him more and more pain. Finally, under a heavy blow from Ji Yanqing, Qi Ye collapsed.

Thus, when the various elders of the Qingmen Sect arrived, what they saw was Qi Ye covered in blood, unconscious and heavily injured, with Ji Yanqing standing beside him.

Naturally, Ji Yanqing was identified as the culprit who attempted to murder his junior brother. All the elders jointly petitioned the Acting Sect Master, Si Hongzheng, stating that if Qi Ye’s cultivation path was severed because of this, Ji Yanqing should be expelled from the sect. If the Sect Master blamed them after coming out of seclusion, they would bear the consequences together.

Fortunately, Qi Ye woke up the next morning.

The moment he opened his eyes, Qi Ye saw Si Hongzheng standing by the bed.

Seeing Qi Ye awake, Si Hongzheng immediately leaned down and asked with concern, “Qi Ye, what exactly happened last night?”

Qi Ye recalled carefully, only to find that his memory stopped at the moment of the duel when Ji Yanqing unleashed his natal artifact for a heavy blow. However, strangely enough, upon waking, he found his injuries were merely superficial; his cultivation wasn’t damaged in the slightest, and his soul felt even lighter than before.

He shook his head and asked, “Uncle, I’m fine. Where is Senior Brother Ji?”

Seeing that Qi Ye, upon waking, asked about Ji Yanqing’s situation without regard for his own injuries, Si Hongzheng’s voice turned colder than before. He replied, “Ji Yanqing attempted to murder a fellow disciple. Several elders want to expel him from the Qingmen Sect.”

Hearing that Ji Yanqing might be expelled, Qi Ye’s eyes widened. He pleaded for Ji Yanqing without a second thought: “Uncle Si Hong, last night Senior Brother Ji and I were merely having a normal duel. The fault does not lie with him…”

Before Qi Ye could finish, Si Hongzheng interrupted directly: “Qi Ye, I know you have feelings for Ji Yanqing.”

Si Hongzheng’s expression remained gentle and tolerant, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. On the contrary, Qi Ye was momentarily stunned.

So, he actually… has feelings for Senior Brother Ji?

Qi Ye was still quite ignorant regarding emotional matters. Before, he had only acted on instinct to protect Ji Yanqing. It was only upon hearing Si Hongzheng say this that he somewhat understood his own heart.

But next, Si Hongzheng continued, “But Ji Yanqing wants you dead.”

This sentence from Si Hongzheng made Qi Ye recognize a stark reality: Ji Yanqing didn’t like him—one could even say he detested him.

If he continued to blindly protect Ji Yanqing, it would only make Ji Yanqing notice his feelings. Being liked by the person one detests… Qi Ye could almost guess what Ji Yanqing’s reaction would be.

Now, all Qi Ye could do was restrain his feelings and end this fruitless unrequited love early.

Seeing Qi Ye remain silent, Si Hongzheng knew he understood the meaning behind his words. He sighed and said, as if to comfort Qi Ye, “Since you are not in any major danger, Ji Yanqing doesn’t truly need to be expelled. Let him leave Tianshu Peak and go to Yaoguang Peak as a Peak Head.”

Qi Ye, having just clarified his feelings only to have them crushed in the cradle, was still in a bit of a daze. Thinking only of wanting some peace and quiet, he replied, “I shall follow your arrangements, Uncle.”

Thus, everything played out as the rumors among the Qingmen disciples went: Ji Yanqing intended to murder his fellow disciple but only left Tianshu Peak as a result.

Qi Ye knew that although Ji Yanqing hadn’t been expelled, for someone as proud as him, being kicked out of Tianshu Peak was a massive humiliation. For three years, Ji Yanqing had obstructed and retaliated against Qi Ye in various ways, both openly and secretly.

And because of Si Hongzheng’s words three years ago, Qi Ye’s feelings for Ji Yanqing had gradually faded.

Until that favorability system appeared.

After Ji Yanqing left that day, Qi Ye realized the shift in their relationship started from that night, and he wanted to know what had truly happened.

Not long ago, Qi Ye finally learned that Cloud City possessed a spiritual treasure that could trace back events in specific scenes. As long as he had that glazed lamp, he could relive everything that happened that night.

Combined with seeing that Ji Yanqing’s chosen training location was Cloud City, Qi Ye was even more certain: Ji Yanqing chose Cloud City because he wanted to get that lamp and clear his own name.

What Qi Ye wouldn’t know, however, was that Ji Yanqing had no intention of clearing his name; his greatest wish was that the events of that night three years ago would never be known by Qi Ye.

Especially after learning that Cloud City actually had such a spiritual treasure, alarm bells instantly rang in Ji Yanqing’s mind.

That glazed lamp thing seems like a problem. I’ll take the chance in Cloud City to find it and destroy it.

Fortunately, Qi Ye’s chosen training location wasn’t Cloud City. If he got his hands on it, not only would his villain persona completely collapse, but Qi Ye would also learn of his true identity prematurely.

While Ji Yanqing was plotting this in his heart, in Qi Ye’s view, his silence was an admission of his guess.

Qi Ye hesitated, then asked Ji Yanqing again, “Senior Brother, three years ago in the back mountain secret realm, what exactly happened?”

To this day, Qi Ye still couldn’t remember what happened that night at Tianshu Peak. However, after reflecting during this time, he vaguely recalled that when he collapsed, his vision was a sea of crimson, but his body felt incredibly relaxed.

This made Qi Ye slightly suspicious: perhaps Senior Brother Ji wasn’t trying to harm him back then, but was helping him?

“You’re still asking me? I was just having a normal duel with you. Who knew you’d suddenly collapse? Wasn’t that just a pity play on your part?”

Hearing Qi Ye mention the events from three years ago, Ji Yanqing gave a cold laugh, pushing all the blame onto Qi Ye.

Strangely, regarding Ji Yanqing’s baseless accusation, Qi Ye didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he made a quite sincere promise: “I am the one who implicated Senior Brother in the events of that year. Before the truth is clarified, whatever Senior Brother asks of me, I will surely not decline.”

Surely not decline? You said it yourself.

“If you truly want to do something, come to Cloud City with me.”

Ji Yanqing scoffed in his heart. Knowing Qi Ye definitely wouldn’t change his training location, he said this on purpose, even preparing various cold remarks for when Qi Ye refused, just to stabilize his persona as a passive-aggressive villainous senior brother.

However, what Ji Yanqing absolutely did not expect was that Qi Ye had no intention of refusing his proposal.

“Does Senior Brother already know?”

Qi Ye’s eyes lit up, a hint of pleasant surprise flashing through them. Seeing Ji Yanqing’s confused look, he simply said, “For this experiential training, I chose the same as Senior Brother: Cloud City.”

Ji Yanqing: “…”

Wait, I just said that offhandedly! Why isn’t Qi Ye following the script!