Vindicated After a Wrongful Death - Chapter 22

Xiang Zhongjing’s neck was incredibly sensitive. Normally, even a slightly tight collar would bother him enough to pull it away, so the sensation of the small dragon’s cool body slithering rapidly past his throat sent an involuntary shiver through him, making his scalp tingle.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Gu Congxu fiercely bared his tiny, sharp teeth and bit down hard on Qu Weixian’s hand, his vertical pupils burning with rage. “Die!”

This strike was nothing like the playful nips Gu Congxu usually gave Xiang Zhongjing. He showed no mercy toward Qu Weixian, the man who had desecrated his master’s remains. With one bite, Qu Weixian’s pale hand was instantly drenched in blood.

Qu Weixian seemed oblivious to the pain. He didn’t even glance at the dragon on his wrist, his gaze remaining fixed on Xiang Zhongjing, his expression unchanged.

Xiang Zhongjing finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly tried to pull Gu Congxu away.

Gu Congxu’s pupils were crimson, as if locked in a stubborn battle with someone, and he refused to let go.

Behind them, Man Qiuxia and Song Youqiu were about to catch up. Fearing they would discover Gu Congxu, Xiang Zhongjing immediately raised his right hand to grasp Qu Weixian’s arm. His wide sleeve concealed the small dragon as he threw out a quick excuse: “I have urgent business, I must go.”

Without waiting for a reply, he quickly dragged Qu Weixian away.

Gu Congxu truly hated Qu Weixian. Even when Xiang Zhongjing was sealed away for sixty years, he hadn’t seen the dragon harbor such deep-seated resentment. By the time Xiang Zhongjing left the arena and found a quiet spot, half of Qu Weixian’s palm had been bitten into a bloody mess.

Gu Congxu was still cursing in the sea of knowledge: “The more I think about it, the more I want to kill him! Nothing less than grinding his bones to ash will satisfy my hatred!”

Xiang Zhongjing felt a headache coming on from the noise. He shook his sleeve and said, “Let go first—where on earth did you learn this foul habit of biting people at every turn?”

Gu Congxu’s eyes were red with anger, yet he was still unwilling to release his hold.

Xiang Zhongjing sighed. “Do you plan to just use those two tiny fangs to slowly drain the life out of him?”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Gu Congxu hesitated for a moment, only then realizing that in his current form, he couldn’t actually kill anyone. He was merely venting his grievances, and he was nearly chipping his own teeth in the process.

Seeing the small dragon reluctantly loosen its grip, Xiang Zhongjing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was about to use his right hand to guide Gu Congxu back to his left sleeve, but the small dragon dove into the fabric on its own, slithering all the way back through the same path it had come.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing almost couldn’t help himself; he clamped a hand over his neck, his ears flushing red.

For the first time, he felt a spark of embarrassed frustration. “Don’t just crawl all over me!”

Gu Congxu was still sulking. Coiled around Xiang Zhongjing’s left hand, he muttered, “Bring him back to the Wujin Building. Once it’s the third watch and I can come out, the first thing I’ll do is swallow him whole.”

Xiang Zhongjing ignored him, lowering his eyes to look at Qu Weixian’s hand—bloody, yet still stubbornly clutching his sleeve.

Qu Weixian stared at him without blinking, his pupils like ashes after a fire, devoid of any light.

Seeing that the man seemed even more vacuous than before, Xiang Zhongjing felt a complex mix of emotions.

Toward Qu Weixian, Xiang Zhongjing wasn’t as cold as he was toward Jin Chuling or Su Cansheng. After all, when he was sealed away back then, Qu Weixian had also been heavily injured by the Netherfire, his fate unknown.

However, he didn’t know if Qu Weixian had been part of the conspiracy against him. Someone like Qu Weixian was easily manipulated.

Meeting Qu Weixian’s gaze, Xiang Zhongjing asked softly, “Do you have something…”

Gu Congxu coached him: “Be meaner. Talk to him the way you talk to Su Cansheng and Jin Chuling—sarcastic and hostile.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing’s lips twitched slightly. It took him a moment to collect himself and speak as dispassionately as possible. “Do you have something to say to me?”

Qu Weixian’s eyes suddenly lit up. He tugged at Xiang Zhongjing’s sleeve and opened his lips to utter two syllables: “Bell… Ling.”

Xiang Zhongjing frowned. “What?”

Qu Weixian used his blood-stained fingers to point at the golden bell on Xiang Zhongjing’s wrist, repeating, “Bell.”

Xiang Zhongjing looked at his own wrist. Before he could react, Qu Weixian added another sentence.

“Zhongjing’s bell.”

Xiang Zhongjing froze.

Because of the veil artifact from Qiu Manxi, Qu Weixian hadn’t recognized Xiang Zhongjing, but he had spotted the golden bell peeking out from his cuff.

Xiang Zhongjing watched Qu Weixian’s eyes in silence. After a long while, he reached out and gently patted Qu Weixian’s head, saying, “Go back.”

Qu Weixian gave him a dazed look.

Xiang Zhongjing took half a step back. Qu Weixian instinctively tried to grab his sleeve again, but Xiang Zhongjing brushed his hand away and turned to leave without looking back.

Gu Congxu was livid. “Why are we leaving? Take him with us!”

“Take him for what? To have as a midnight snack?”

Gu Congxu: “Yes!”

Xiang Zhongjing couldn’t help but laugh.

Gu Congxu fumed in impotent rage for a while, but he knew the history between Xiang Zhongjing and Qu Weixian ran deep. Until it was certain that Qu Weixian had harmed him, he wouldn’t be allowed to swallow the man. He could only nurse his anger in private.

Xiang Zhongjing tried to tease him with various comments to get him to speak, but eventually gave up when the dragon remained silent.

After quite some time, it was Gu Congxu who couldn’t resist speaking up again. “Didn’t you say you had questions for him? Why didn’t you ask just now?”

Xiang Zhongjing’s footsteps paused. Instead of answering, he pointed toward the distant horizon.

A peacock was flying slowly through the sky, its magnificent plumage exceptionally dazzling.

Gu Congxu glanced at it and huffed, “Just a tiny peacock. What’s there to look at?”

“That is the guardian spirit beast of the Qu Yi Sect.” Xiang Zhongjing kept his eyes fixed on the bird. “If I had asked Qu Weixian things I shouldn’t have, that peacock would only need one look at him to peer into what we discussed.”

Gu Congxu frowned. “It can capture souls?”

Xiang Zhongjing nodded.

The Qu Yi Sect peacock’s soul-capture ability could not only spy on memories but also manipulate the soul with various unbreakable suggestions. Back then, it was because the peacock had placed a soul-capture on him that Xiang Zhongjing had been unable to defect from the Qu Yi Sect.

Xiang Zhongjing spent the walk back to the Wujin Building dwelling on this. Eventually, he did something out of character and went to find Man Qiuxia.

“Is the soul-capture still on me?”

Man Qiuxia was busy painting a “Portrait of a Beauty,” surrounded by scattered sketches of Xiang Zhongjing. He chewed on his brush, his eyes lighting up when he saw him. “Want me to examine you? Fine, but let me paint you.”

Xiang Zhongjing glanced at him. “Aren’t you already painting?”

Man Qiuxia said, “Painting from memory can’t compare to having the real person here.”

Xiang Zhongjing had no choice but to agree.

Man Qiuxia was more excited than ever, making Xiang Zhongjing change into countless outfits before finally nodding in satisfaction.

As Xiang Zhongjing sat on the soft couch for the painting session, he reminded him, “The soul-capture.”

Man Qiuxia’s mind was entirely on the portrait, sounding quite distracted. “After you were left in the secret realm sixty years ago, your life lamp at the Funerary Pavilion went out. Even Qiongnian’er thought you had perished. Naturally, the peacock’s soul-capture dissipated.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Xiang Zhongjing and suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Knowing that look meant there was a “but,” Xiang Zhongjing waited patiently.

Soon, Man Qiuxia continued his brushwork, saying, “However, there seems to be a soul-capture placed by someone else on you.”

Xiang Zhongjing had vaguely suspected this, so he wasn’t flustered. “Can you tell who placed it?”

Man Qiuxia: “Difficult.”

Xiang Zhongjing fell into deep thought.

Man Qiuxia drew dozens of sketches, only letting Xiang Zhongjing go at midnight, feeling quite satisfied.

Xiang Zhongjing had only napped for a short while on the couch. Curious to see how Man Qiuxia had depicted him, he walked over to look at the portraits. His face immediately turned green.

The dozens of sketches looked like a complete set of sword techniques, showing Xiang Zhongjing in various poses with a sword and a flower. Every page was different. Resisting the urge to hit someone, Xiang Zhongjing flipped to the very end, finally reaching the pose he had just been in.

Except, on that final page was a white cat with twin flame earrings, lounging lazily on the soft couch.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing’s face went blank. Netherfire suddenly erupted, burning the portrait in his hand to ashes.

Man Qiuxia: “…”

Man Qiuxia shrieked, “Aaahhh!”

Xiang Zhongjing’s lips curled, thinking he had intimidated Man Qiuxia, only to see the man rush forward in a panic, using his sleeve to wipe Xiang Zhongjing’s face.

“Ash!” Man Qiuxia cried out in frustration. “The floating ash got your face dirty! Can’t you be more careful?! If you didn’t like the painting, I would have burned it for you!”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Pfft.

Xiang Zhongjing swept out of the room.

Even after returning to his bedchamber, Gu Congxu was still laughing, showing no mercy.

Xiang Zhongjing didn’t feel humiliated. He pulled off his outer robe, tossed it aside, and said, “Sangeng, let’s make another deal.”

Gu Congxu was in a great mood after seeing Xiang Zhongjing suffer a setback. “Hmm? Let’s hear it.”

“My being sealed in the secret realm was never as simple as it seemed. It might be related to that other soul-capture on me.” Xiang Zhongjing propped up his chin, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his cheek. “You help me find the truth, and I’ll help you find the Dragon Bone and your master.”

Gu Congxu sneered. “You just can’t beat that peacock and want to use me to protect you, right?”

Xiang Zhongjing acted surprised. “You actually figured it out? As expected of Sangeng.”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Gu Congxu said coldly, “Just how stupid do you think I am?”

Xiang Zhongjing smiled. “So? Is it a deal?”

Gu Congxu let out a cold huff. “If I don’t protect you, that peacock can easily place another soul-capture on you. But if you don’t help me, I can find the Dragon Bone myself. This is clearly a bad deal for me. Since it’s unfair, how can it be a deal?”

Xiang Zhongjing wasn’t in a hurry. “Then, my True Dragon Lord, why don’t you think about it?”

Gu Congxu certainly intended to think it over. He planned to deliberate for a while, wait until Xiang Zhongjing was anxious, and then slowly list his conditions one by one. By then, a desperate Xiang Zhongjing would surely agree instantly.

Excellent, excellent.

The True Dragon Lord envisioned the scene perfectly, even imagining Xiang Zhongjing respectfully calling him “True Dragon Lord.”

That night, after the third watch.

Xiang Zhongjing’s red robes were a mess as he clutched the quilt tightly, fast asleep.

Gu Congxu silently transformed into his human form. He tiptoed off the couch, acting stealthily like someone sneaking off to a secret tryst.

Xiang Zhongjing wouldn’t allow him to kill Qu Weixian, so the True Dragon Lord had to go alone in secret. After all, killing a helpless cultivator wouldn’t take much time.

He might as well slaughter that peacock while he was at it.

Gu Congxu pulled back the bed curtains and stepped out lightly, careful not to wake Xiang Zhongjing and waste time.

However, as he moved further away, a strange invisible shackle grew tighter and tighter. He managed to reach the outer room with great difficulty, but he couldn’t take a single step further.

Gu Congxu was stunned.

Could it be that he wasn’t allowed to leave Xiang Zhongjing’s side at all?!

Just then, amidst the dead silence, a muffled mumble came from behind the curtains in the inner room.

“Sangeng?”

Gu Congxu immediately held his breath and sent a telepathic message into the sea of knowledge: “What?”

Xiang Zhongjing was half-awake. Seeing that the dragon was still there, he rubbed against his pillow and prepared to go back to sleep. “Nothing. I thought you might try to go kill Qu Weixian while I was asleep.”

Gu Congxu: “…”

He… he had seen right through him!

Gu Congxu felt an odd sense of guilt, but he quickly steeled his resolve.

He would not let a single person who had harmed his master go free!

Gu Congxu gathered his strength again, struggling to break through the shackles on his body. He tried for a long time, but instead of moving forward, a sudden force from behind yanked him backward with great violence.

Caught off guard, the True Dragon lost to the shackles of the seal. With a sudden release, he was dragged backward uncontrollably, his body crashing heavily through the bead curtains and bed hangings before slamming right back onto the bed.

Gu Congxu: “…”

Gu Congxu flew back in a mess, stumbling onto the couch. In his haste and confusion, he instinctively grabbed something warm and soft, rolling across the bed several times before his back finally hit the wall and he came to a halt.

That side of the bed groaned with the sound of cracking wood from the impact.

With a loud thump, it collapsed.

Before Gu Congxu could recover from the shock, he heard a low chuckle right by his ear.

The evil dragon suddenly had a bad feeling. He looked closer and realized that Xiang Zhongjing was pinned beneath him. Due to the rolling just now, their robes were tangled together. Xiang Zhongjing’s right hand was hooked around his neck, his eyes dancing with mischievous laughter.

Gu Congxu: “…”

They were extremely close. Gu Congxu stared at that stunningly beautiful face, and for some reason, he suddenly felt his own face heat up.

Xiang Zhongjing’s dark hair was a mess, trapped between Gu Congxu’s arms. His eyes were half-closed as he asked with a faint smile, “Sangeng, were you planning on being up to no good with me in the middle of the night?”