Ch. 84 – Impending Storm

“Aaah.” Standing in the martial arts square, Feng Ye yawned widely as he leaned on his broom.

As if it was contagious, Hao Chen nearby began to yawn as soon as Feng Ye finished.

The two of them automatically exchanged a glance.

Although Hao Chen looked tired, he still managed a smile for Feng Ye.

Feng Ye, however, remained expressionless. He had not fully let go of what had happened not long prior.

If Hao Chen hadn’t licked his hand, he wouldn’t have pulled back in shock and hit the bedframe, drawing Ji Chengyue’s attention.

However, although he couldn’t personally investigate what secret those spirit tablets held, based solely on Ji Chengyue’s reaction at the time, Feng Ye was quite certain that the Jianmu fragment was hidden there.

Although Hao Chen had used a clever trick to prevent Ji Chengyue from discovering them, the abrupt sound had still aroused the sect leader’s suspicion.

And what would someone do if they suspected there might be a thief in their house, but couldn’t find any trace of him and had to leave?

Naturally, he would take the most valuable items out with him, so that if there really was a thief, all he could steal were some worthless trinkets.

And what did Ji Chengyue take with him? He took away the two wooden spirit tablets that were probably worth no more than two or three spirit stones.

Feng Ye hadn’t examined the incense burner closely, but from the one glance he took at its exquisite carving, it couldn’t be a cheap item; its value was certainly far greater than that of a spirit tablet.

Anyone with a sound mind would know which item was more important.

Of course, there was another explanation: spirit tablets were for commemorating lost loved ones, and their significance couldn’t be measured in gold. 

But this wasn’t a very convincing argument, because although the spirit tablets were significant to Ji Chengyue, they were worthless to others.

If a thief were to steal something, they would steal the incense burner, not the spirit tablet behind it.

But in the end, Ji Chengyue took nothing of value – just a worthless spirit tablet that nobody would think of stealing.

There was only one possibility: that spirit tablet held a secret, and it must be an extremely important one, something much more valuable than anything else in the house.

And that thing was most likely a Jianmu fragment.

Now that Jianmu had resurfaced, even if Ji Chengyue took the fragment with him, Feng Ye could just go and snatch it back……if his goal was simply to obtain Jianmu.

Having found what he was looking for, whether or not his identity was exposed would no longer be a concern. 

However, Feng Ye’s goal was not just Jianmu.

Jianmu was merely a tool; what he truly sought was the nefarious person behind the scenes.

To nip a problem in the bud, one must remove the roots. Even if everything was as he suspected and the spirit tablet really did contain a Jianmu fragment, if he tried to take it, what would the black-robed man he’d met at the exit to the Floating Island Secret Realm do?

He would likely go back into hiding again and pursue other ways to achieve his goal, laying low so that he was even more difficult to find.

Therefore, Feng Ye did nothing when Ji Chengyue took away the spirit tablet.

Xue Ren’s inexplicable questions about Jianmu indicated that the other party had already tracked it down to this point. It wouldn’t be long before they made their move.

Although there had been a minor mistake, the end result was still the same.

Even if nothing had occurred at the time and Ji Chengyue hadn’t taken the spirit tablet with him, Feng Ye wouldn’t have touched it after investigating. He needed it as bait to catch that big fish.

The reason Feng Ye hadn’t let go of this other matter wasn’t because of any near-failure, but rather…..why had Hao Chen licked him for no reason?

The warm, moist sensation, and the feeling of teeth lightly tugging at his palm…..even now, recalling it gave Feng Ye goosebumps.

The situation had been urgent, and there wasn’t time to settle accounts with Hao Chen. Once Ji Chengyue left, the two didn’t linger further, and returned to their lodgings at the foot of the mountain before dawn.

After climbing through their own windows, they emerged from their rooms wearing the clothes they hadn’t taken off. 

Then they took their brooms to the martial arts training square and commenced their daily work while yawning.

Now, Feng Ye finally had the chance to settle the score with Hao Chen.

He stared blankly at Hao Chen’s smile, then threw down the broom and stalked toward him with an unfriendly expression.

He looked like he wanted a fight.

Hao Chen’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained standing there and tried to maintain his composure.

He’d already had a premonition that Feng Ye would ask for an explanation, since Hao Chen was the culprit who had caused a commotion and aroused Ji Chengyue’s suspicion. 

He hadn’t intended to, but…..he couldn’t help it…..

When the person he was attracted to placed his hand over his mouth and their skin touched, it was difficult for an old ten thousand-year bachelor like Hao Chen to resist.

It was like holding a meat bun in front of a dog’s mouth – if it was able to resist when the aroma hit its nose, then it wasn’t a dog.

Although this analogy wasn’t quite suitable, the principle was the same.

In short, when it came to who to blame, it wasn’t his fault. It was the fault of his damn male instincts.

He’d held himself back for a long time, and only gave Feng Ye a light nip in the end, which demonstrated his excellent self-control.

Hao Chen inwardly attempted to shirk responsibility while simultaneously wracking his brains for a solution. Of course, he couldn’t use that explanation on Feng Ye. Were Feng Ye to hear it, he likely wouldn’t care about so-called male instincts and simply roll up his sleeves to beat him.

Feng Ye came to a stop when he reached Hao Chen. He crossed his arms and asked: “Do you have an explanation for me?”

There was no need to spell it out; both of them knew perfectly well what Feng Ye was referring to.

After long consideration, Hao Chen ultimately decided on his usual solution – deny, deny, deny.

He feigned surprise: “An explanation for what?”

Feng Ye raised his left hand, which he had used to cover Hao Chen’s mouth.

However, Hao Chen maintained his look of innocent confusion.

Feng Ye proceeded to remind him: “What you did to my hand before.”

Hao Chen blinked, then suddenly reached out and placed a hand over Feng Ye’s mouth, saying in confusion: “I don’t quite remember. Perhaps Fellow Daoist Feng Ye should reenact it.”

How dare he ask him to reenact it?

Feng Ye smiled and nodded at Hao Chen, but rather than acquiescing to his request, he silently rolled up his sleeves.

Hao Chen’s eyebrow twitched. He took a few quick steps back, attempting to reason with Feng Ye as he did so: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, let’s talk this out…..”

Maintaining his smile, Feng Ye pressed forward step by step: “I don’t think it’s so easy to discuss.”

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, how about you ask me again, I’ll be reasonable this time…..” Hao Chen continued his efforts, but Feng Ye was unmoved.

As Feng Ye closed in, Hao Chen recalled that he had already experienced his ruthless methods once not long ago.

Feng Ye was truly merciless when he attacked. At that time, Feng Ye hadn’t known who he was. His moves were brutal, and he had gripped Hao Chen’s throat so tightly that even his bones hurt.

Of course, it wasn’t like he was unable to break free or fight Feng Ye; it was just that without spiritual power, he really couldn’t beat Feng Ye in close combat.

As a Kunpeng, he wasn’t particularly skilled at combat in his human form. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and there was no shame in admitting that. 

It was like putting Feng Ye in water – his combat power would definitely decrease…..although it seemed that it actually hadn’t last time…..

Hao Chen suddenly remembered that Feng Ye was also very agile in water, and could even manipulate it like a fellow aquatic creature.

Then how about another analogy: put Feng Ye in the sky. Hao Chen refused to believe that anything other than a Kunpeng could both swim in the water and fly through the sky.

He subconsciously excluded Yinglong, since Feng Ye couldn’t possibly be him.

Therefore, losing to Feng Ye in combat didn’t mean that he was weaker than Feng Ye. It simply meant that he was in a weakened state. In terms of overall strength, how many were capable of defeating him, the dignified Lord of the North Sea?

People walked through this square from time to time, so he couldn’t possibly get into a real fight with Feng Ye here. So if Hao Chen remained here, he could already picture his fate.

His skin might develop a few new colors.

This fish would change from black…..to black and blue.

A wise man knew when to yield, or as the saying went, a wise man knows when the odds are against him.

Anyway, he would just run and figure out the rest later.

Feng Ye watched as Hao Chen suddenly spun around and ran off in a flash.

He didn’t pursue him, and only after Hao Chen had run some distance away did he let out a chuckle.

He had only been trying to scare Hao Chen, but never expected that the fish would react so strongly. He probably had a guilty conscience from all of his bad behavior.

But after laughing, Feng Ye came to a sudden realization.

Hao Chen had run away. 

Which meant he was the only one left here to clean.

Feng Ye’s smile instantly vanished. He could only let out a resigned sigh and finish his work quickly, then go back and catch up on his sleep.

He had been cleaning intently for a while when a sudden, joyful shout came from nearby.

“Shixiong!”

Feng Ye looked up to see Fang Yang flying overhead on his sword.

It was his first attempt, and his erratic flying made it seem as if he would fall off at any moment.

Just as this thought occurred to Feng Ye, Fang Yang really did fall.

Fortunately, he wasn’t flying very high, only three or four meters. He reacted quickly and rolled to disperse the force of his landing, so he was able to avoid any serious injuries. 

Feng Ye walked over and pulled Fang Yang up from the ground. He examined his cultivation level: “You’ve reached Foundation Establishment?”

Flying on a sword was the threshold between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining.

Although Fang Yang’s flying skills were lacking, he was at least flying.

Once Feng Ye helped him to his feet, Fang Yang dusted himself off and told his shixiong the good news: “After eating the pill made from the Ice Grass, not only did I recover my lost cultivation, but my cultivation increased significantly and I even broke through to Foundation Establishment stage!”

“Ice Grass has such a function?” Feng Ye was somewhat surprised.

Fang Yang nodded: “Generally, this wouldn’t happen. Even Elder Zhou, who was watching over us, found it strange. He took my pulse afterward and speculated that a previous blockage in my meridians had stifled the flow of spiritual energy and caused it to accumulate.”

“Ice Grass has the ability to cleanse the marrow and rejuvenate the body, so it immediately opened up all of my meridians. The pent-up spiritual power circulated within my body and surged all the way to my dantian, and I achieved Foundation Establishment!” Fang Yang exclaimed happily. “And with my meridians opened, my speed will be much faster, comparable to a dual spiritual root cultivator!”

Feng Ye congratulated him with a smile: “Then you’ve turned misfortune into a blessing.”

Fang Yang touched his nose: “I might have turned misfortune into a blessing, but Cao Zirui is even more amazing. He got double the good news! Not only did he recover his lost cultivation, but he’s about to become the next sect leader!”

Feng Ye was somewhat taken aback. The next sect leader?

Seeing Feng Ye’s expression, Fang Yang gleaned that his Useless Shixiong probably hadn’t heard the news yet. He explained: “Sect Leader Ji made the decision this morning. In three days, the thousand-step trial ceremony will be held, which the previous sect leader went through one hundred years ago.”

“So hastily?” Feng Ye asked with a frown.

Immediately after asking this, he realized that it wasn’t the case.

Last night’s conversation had made Ji Chengyue’s attitude very clear. Having discovered what Xue Ren had done, he couldn’t bear to lose this disciple he had raised. He wanted to protect Xue Ren.

But even if he was able to protect this disciple, there was no guarantee that Xue Ren wouldn’t turn against Cao Zirui again, so he needed to completely cut off Xue Ren’s ability to do so.

Giving the position of sect leader directly to Cao Zirui would cut off all of Xue Ren’s hopes. At the same time, he would likely put Xue Ren under house arrest. 

Just as Feng Ye was considering this, Fang Yang said: “Yes, we were surprised too. Cao Zirui was really stunned. And in addition to the trial ceremony, Sect Leader Ji also wants Xue-shixiong to cultivate in the Cold Mountain Secret Realm. That place is supposed to be an extremely harsh environment covered in ice and snow, and it takes ten years to get out once you go in.”

Everything was just as Feng Ye had imagined.

Ji Chengyue’s actions were not inherently wrong. He was reluctant to part with this eldest disciple, and equally reluctant to part with his youngest. But since the eldest could not tolerate the youngest, he was sending Xue Ren to the Cold Mountain Secret Realm for arduous cultivation.

Although this was indeed to keep Xue Ren away from Cao Zirui, Ji Chengyue also hoped that Xue Ren’s character could be tempered, that he could resolve his inner conflicts within the Cold Mountain Secret Realm and release the obsessive jealousy he held toward his shidi. 

The method seemed feasible, but only because Ji Chengyue was unaware of a crucial piece of information.

Xue Ren had a backer.

A backer so powerful that even Feng Ye was wary of him.

Ji Chengyue’s move was essentially driving Xue Ren to a dead end. Would he resort to desperate measures?

If Xue Ren only possessed the strength of a Golden Core stage cultivator, his abilities were limited, but perhaps with the assistance of his backer…..

“Shixiong, what are you thinking about?” When Feng Ye didn’t reply to his words, Fang Yang looked up to see that his brow was furrowed.

“It’s nothing,” Feng Ye said in a perfunctory tone. Then he seemed to suddenly remember something: “Where is that God-Summoning Talisman you bought in North Sea City?”

“Ah, that?” Fang Yang rummaged through his storage bag. He found the talisman at the bottom, then took it out and handed it to Feng Ye: “Although it’s not very useful, I did spend a thousand spirit stones on it, so I carry it around with me and treat it as a lucky charm.”

Feng Ye held the talisman and rubbed his thumb across it. Due to Feng Ye’s superior height, Fang Yang was unable to see this movement.

“Shixiong, what do you need the talisman for?” Fang Yang couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Feng Ye smiled and handed the talisman back to Fang Yang: “Don’t leave your lucky charm gathering dust in your storage bag all day. Let it air out. After all…..”

He looked up at the sky and murmured: “A storm is brewing…..”

After placing the talisman back into his storage bag, Fang Yang mimicked Feng Ye and looked upward. The sun hung high in the cloudless sky, with no signs of rain to be seen.

But since Useless Shixiong had said it, he probably wasn’t wrong.

So Fang Yang immediately said his farewells: “I haven’t taken in the clothes I hung out to dry yesterday. I’ll hurry back and collect them!”

Having said this, he rushed off before Feng Ye could respond.

Feng Ye: “……”

He wasn’t talking about an actual storm…..

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