Chapter 10

Inside the bedroom.

Gu Changqing sat by the bedside, and as if seeking some petty revenge, pinched Ji Yan’s pale cheeks.

The texture wasn't bad at all.

He poked him again.

"Tsk!"

"You got what you wanted," he remarked.

"Risking your life like that... you truly have courage, though you clearly didn't fear the possibility of things going wrong."

Watching Ji Yan’s face, which looked as though it were lost in a deep slumber, Gu Changqing shook his head, gaining a deeper understanding of the man's nature.

To achieve his goal, he would stop at nothing, even casting life and death aside.

Courageous.

Truly courageous.

He was certainly ruthless toward himself.

Gu Changqing had already checked; Ji Yan’s body had recovered quite a bit, and most importantly, his dantian had been unsealed.

Recalling Ji Yan’s strange attitude yesterday and the peculiar expression he wore when mentioning leaving the sect, Gu Changqing quickly deduced Ji Yan’s motive. He had feared that once he left the sect, he would never be able to unseal his dantian again, which was why he had gambled with his life. Otherwise, once outside the sect, unsealing his dantian would be an insurmountable task. Outside the sect, no one would be willing to risk offending the Lingxu Sect to help him. Inside the sect, it was even less likely; they simply wanted Ji Yan to behave himself.

Thus, today was the only golden opportunity.

The buzz of the new marriage had not yet died down; by causing such an incident, the sect was forced to deal with it. He had gambled his life for a future, and although he had earned the disdain of the Sect Leader, he had at least achieved his goal.

"Such a troublemaker," Gu Changqing muttered under his breath. He stopped paying attention to him; he had already checked on him, after all.

Returning to the main hall, it wasn't long before the Law Enforcement Hall paid a visit.

"Is Junior Brother Gu here?"

"I am."

Gu Changqing hurried out to greet them, feeling puzzled as to why the Law Enforcement Hall had come. Two senior brothers stood at the entrance.

Well, to be precise, they were standing on the broken ruins of the entrance, as the main door to his cave dwelling had been completely destroyed.

Gu Changqing’s mouth twitched, and he put on a look of sorrow, already realizing why the Law Enforcement Hall was here.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers," he said mournfully.

"Junior Brother Gu, try to look on the bright side," one of them consoled him. They looked at Gu Changqing with pity; there was no such thing as being the most miserable, only being even more miserable. Gu was truly unlucky.

After offering a forced comfort, the taller senior brother got straight to the point: "Junior Brother Gu, according to sect rules, this cave dwelling of yours..."

"I will pay for it," Gu Changqing said, looking pained. According to the rules, one had to pay for damages to a cave dwelling. Although the true culprit was Master Ji, he was the master of the dwelling, and the Law Enforcement Hall would only hold him responsible.

The taller senior brother smiled: "Junior Brother Gu, this is a Tier 2 dwelling. You need to pay two thousand spirit stones."

The shorter brother added, "It is fortunate the spiritual veins were not damaged, otherwise..." He glanced at Gu Changqing with pity. Otherwise, even bankrupting himself wouldn't be enough to pay the indemnity.

Sect dwellings were connected to spiritual veins and were divided into five grades, primarily to aid in a disciple's cultivation. If a spiritual vein were damaged, it would require a Nascent Soul True Lord to repair it, a cost far beyond the reach of a Qi Refining disciple.

Gu Changqing took out two thousand spirit stones: "Senior Brother, please count them."

"Haha, Junior Brother Gu is certainly straightforward." The taller senior brother laughed, secretly relieved. After all, if Gu Changqing had decided to default on the debt, there was really nothing they could do—the blame lay solely on Master Ji for causing such a massive commotion.

Gu Changqing sighed deeply. Two-thirds of the three thousand spirit stones Ji Yan had given him were gone in the blink of an eye. Still, building a good relationship with two Law Enforcement Hall disciples was worth it. The Law Enforcement Hall was under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Hall, and he would have to make a living in North City in the future.

"Two Senior Brothers, I intend to head to North City in a few days. I wonder if I might accompany you?"

"North City?" The shorter brother looked slightly surprised, then nodded. "It might be good for you to leave." Staying behind would certainly invite idle gossip.

The taller brother patted his chest readily. "No problem. My name is Cao Gang. Just come to the Law Enforcement Hall to find me. Remember, don't wait more than five days, or you'll have to wait until next month."

"Thank you both, Senior Brothers," Gu Changqing said quickly.

Now his safety was guaranteed. The Criminal Hall sent disciples to North City for shift changes periodically. Traveling with them meant no one with eyes would dare to rob them.

Gu Changqing never overestimated human nature. He and Ji Yan were currently like two toddlers clutching gold bricks. Once they left the sect, there would always be someone blind enough to dream of striking it rich. The sect was at least five days' journey from North City; he had to be cautious and then cautious again.

...

After the two senior brothers left, Gu Changqing hadn't even had a moment to catch his breath when Gu Xing'an came to visit. He looked at the chaotic mess of a dwelling and exclaimed in shock, "What happened?"

Gu Changqing’s mouth twitched. "Nothing." Just Master Ji venting his anger.

Seeing that he was truly unharmed, Gu Xing'an turned his gaze to Chen Jian. "Who is he?"

"He is an outer sect laborer, helping me look after Ji Yan and handling chores."

"Greetings, Senior Brother," Chen Jian said with a bow.

Gu Xing'an waved a hand. "Go back to your work." Then, looking at Gu Changqing with concern, he asked, "Thirteenth Uncle, is it true that Ji Yan tried to commit suicide?"

"What?" Gu Changqing was dumbfounded.

Gu Xing'an was indignant. "I heard that he was unhappy with the marriage and, on the wedding night, intentionally severed his own vitality to take revenge on you! Who does he think he is? It wasn't your idea to marry, so why is he acting so recklessly? If he wants to die, he can go die on his own, why drag you into it?"

He didn't envy his Thirteenth Uncle at all right now. Ji Yan was too vicious.

Gu Changqing frowned. "Who did you hear that from?"

"It’s already spread all over the outer sect."

Gu Changqing: "..."

Chen Jian quickly defended, "That’s not true, Senior Brother Ji didn't commit suicide."

Gu Xing'an glared. "Then what happened?" There is no smoke without fire. Looking at the ruined dwelling, he felt it was a major incident, and it was a fact that Ji Yan was severely injured.

Gu Changqing gave him a sharp tap on the head. "Use your brain. How can you believe such hearsay?"

Gu Xing'an was startled. He and his Thirteenth Uncle were at the same cultivation level, so why couldn't he dodge that slap? But he quickly found a reason—his Thirteenth Uncle was a direct disciple and must have a trick or two up his sleeve; it was only natural he couldn't dodge.

"What do you mean hearsay? Thirteenth Uncle, stop pretending. I know you're hurting inside. If you want to cry, just cry; you don't have to hold it in front of me. I just hate that my strength is so low I can't help you. Senior Brother Ji has gone too far."

If he didn't want to get married, he should have said so earlier. Committing suicide after the contract was signed was just dragging others down for nothing.

"Shut up." Gu Changqing’s face was expressionless. He really wanted to crack open his head to see if it was filled with water.

Gu Xing'an retorted, his neck stiff, "I didn't say anything wrong."

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha, that’s hilarious!" Fang Yaowen’s voice came from not far away.

This guy had also come to watch the fun, laughing uncontrollably. He mimicked Gu Xing'an, saying with mock concern, "Junior Brother Gu, if you're sad, just cry. Don't hold it in."

Gu Changqing’s face darkened. It was true that the people who knew you best weren't your friends, but your enemies. Fang Yaowen had always taken pleasure in watching his misfortunes, and he had finally gotten his wish. Gu Changqing glared fiercely at Gu Xing'an—it was all his fault.

"I..." Gu Xing'an was bewildered, feeling that something was wrong. He quietly nudged Chen Jian. "What’s going on?"

Chen Jian shook his head. He didn't know either, but Senior Brother Gu was definitely very sad. He had heard that he and Senior Brother Fang were on good terms, so why did Senior Brother Fang look so happy?

As a sensible laborer disciple, Chen Jian quickly reined in his thoughts and went back to working silently. He knew nothing.

Fang Yaowen put on an act, his face full of concern. "Junior Brother Gu, I heard you were filled with sorrow today, shedding tears all over the sect. I came specifically to pay you a visit."

Gu Changqing: "..."

He knew he couldn't hide his thoughts from this guy. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome, you're welcome. How is Junior Brother Ji?" Fang Yaowen’s expression turned serious. Although he liked to watch the drama, he didn't want to lose this friend.

"He's passable. His life was saved, but he still hasn't regained consciousness."

Fang Yaowen sneered. "Master Ji didn't take him away for treatment?"

Gu Changqing shook his head and pointed at Chen Jian. "He only left a laborer to look after him."

"Ha!" Fang Yaowen sneered. "That’s a coincidence. I heard that some monsters escaped from the Black Wind Cave today and happened to flee toward the Cliff of Repentance."

Gu Changqing was slightly surprised. "Are they so impatient?"

Gu Xing'an’s eyes widened. "The Black Wind Cave? How is that possible?" The Black Wind Cave was not only a training ground for sect disciples but also a place where monsters were imprisoned. It was a restricted area of the sect with tight security; it was impossible for monsters to escape.

Fang Yaowen curled his lip. "What’s impossible about it? If you bribe a few guarding disciples, as long as no one dies, the sect won't investigate deeply."

"This..." Gu Xing'an couldn't accept it. "How could they dare?"

Gu Changqing glanced at him. "Look at how naive you are." He really thought the sect was strictly law-abiding? There were plenty of underhanded dealings. As long as it didn't turn into a major problem, they generally turned a blind eye.

However, the Ji family was truly impatient, causing a stir on the second day of the marriage. Ji Heng was currently at the Cliff of Repentance, and surely it wouldn't be long before he returned to the Ji family. The so-called punishment was just for show; he hadn't even been imprisoned for two months.

It was fortunate that Ji Yan was unconscious, or he would likely be infuriated.

Fang Yaowen sighed. "Sigh, why does Ji Yan bother? His spiritual roots are already ruined, yet he insists on continuing his cultivation, ending up covered in wounds. Even the Sect Leader has given up on him now."

Gu Changqing thought to himself that the Sect Leader would have given up on Ji Yan even if he didn't cultivate. Once he left the sect, the matter would effectively be over. No one would care about a person with ruined spiritual roots. As long as he stayed alive, that was enough. Even if he lived in agony, as long as he was alive in this world, others would feel they had done their duty by him. The attitude of Master Ji was the same.

"What? He got hurt from cultivating again?" Gu Xing'an immediately started shouting. "How can he be like this? Doesn't he know his body is weak?"

Fang Yaowen nodded. "Isn't that right?" He looked at Gu Changqing with sympathy. "It will probably be hard for you from now on." He had only heard a while ago that Ji Yan was severely injured while breaking through; he didn't expect him to be injured again.

Gu Changqing remained silent. It wouldn't be hard. He firmly believed that a reincarnated person had their own destiny; Ji Yan wouldn't kick the bucket that easily. The only thing he needed to worry about was for him not to cause any more trouble. And if he did, he shouldn't drag him into it. He was truly sick of the messy affairs of the Ji family.

"By the way," Fang Yaowen reminded him, "Tomorrow when you go to the Scripture Pavilion, remember to choose the 'Prime Essence Nourishing Scripture.' Although that technique is incomplete and its offensive power is weak, it can consolidate your foundation and extend your lifespan."

Gu Changqing showed a look of gratitude. "It is still you who cares about me, Senior Brother."

Fang Yaowen looked disgusted. "Just hurry up and reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Your cultivation is so poor; be careful not to get dragged down by Ji Yan."

Gu Changqing sighed. "I want to, but my aptitude is poor."

Fang Yaowen sneered, the implication in his eyes clear: *Keep on pretending.* Others might believe Gu Changqing was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but he didn't. This guy was cautious, cowardly, and afraid of death; he had absolutely hidden his true cultivation.