Chapter 243: Returning Together (13)
“I am not, I didn’t, don’t speak nonsense.”
Zhong Yinnian immediately denied it:
“How could you think that?”
Xiao Ji stared at Zhong Yinnian: “Rumor has it that when Tianque Palace’s divination techniques are cultivated to the extreme, one can not only calculate fate but also alter it.”
In the past, Xiao Ji only thought that altering fate should be a rather tedious process. But after seeing Zhong Yinnian’s set of divination techniques, it was clearly evident that after reaching the pinnacle of perfection, whatever fate he decreed for others, that was the fate they had to accept. There was fundamentally no such thing as altering or not altering.
Zhong Yinnian pursed his lips: “That’s something that happens after cultivating to the extreme. You overestimate me too much. If I had that kind of ability, why would I come here to learn weapons and spells?”
“Besides, when I first met you that day, it was so rushed. How could I possibly alter things on a whim? That is your destined marriage. You shouldn’t push the responsibility onto me.”
Xiao Ji let out an “Oh” and said, “Then currently, this marriage destiny of mine should still be able to be altered.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yinnian first froze, then said, “Your marriage destiny is perfectly fine. Altering it blindly isn’t a good thing. Be good, and don’t bring this matter up again in the future.”
Xiao Ji lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Zhong Yinnian looked at his expression. He wanted to say that if Xiao Ji completed his apprenticeship in the future and reached the pinnacle of perfection, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to alter it himself.
But when the words reached his lips, he ultimately didn’t say them out loud. Instead, his entire demeanor suddenly became downcast, looking far less enthusiastic than before.
After sitting quietly for a moment, Zhong Yinnian stood up and said to Xiao Ji:
“I’m leaving. We’ll stop here for today. You should rest early.”
With that said, he left Xiao Ji’s sleeping quarters without even turning his head.
Xiao Ji watched the retreating figure of Zhong Yinnian. After thinking carefully for a moment, he felt that Zhong Yinnian seemed to be angry because of his words.
But he didn’t know exactly what made Zhong Yinnian angry. After all, he was only asking; he never said he truly wanted to alter it.
With Zhong Yinnian leaving just like that, Xiao Ji felt even more unsettled in his heart.
He extinguished the candle and lay back on the bed. After pondering for a while without figuring out a reason, he began to carefully think over what Zhong Yinnian had taught him today.
As he thought about it, his mind began to wander again.
He didn’t know where his thoughts had drifted, but sleep continued to elude him.
That was until someone pressed against his back once again, resting a hand on his waist just like yesterday.
Having experienced it once, the second time was familiar. This time, Xiao Ji didn’t even react.
The person behind him, however, pushed their luck by tightening their arms and even kissed the back of Xiao Ji’s neck.
After the kiss, he even asked Xiao Ji, “Do you despise it?”
Xiao Ji carefully felt it for a moment.
When the lips of the person behind him pressed against the back of his neck, Xiao Ji was indeed a bit uncomfortable. But the so-called disgust truly did not exist.
However, he was not very accustomed to this overly intimate contact, so he did not speak. He was afraid that if he said another word, that person would push their luck even further.
At that time, he would once again not know how to respond.
However, his silence did not bring him the result he desired.
Because the person behind him still pushed their luck.
His slender index finger flicked open Xiao Ji’s sleepwear, slipping through Xiao Ji’s lapels and sliding down to his lower abdomen.
Xiao Ji raised his hand to grasp the man’s wrist, saying faintly:
“You are overstepping your boundaries.”
The person behind him then backhandedly grabbed Xiao Ji’s hand, saying softly, “You’d best not resist, or I will tie you up. You won’t have to live these leisurely days anymore.”
Xiao Ji asked him, “Why me?”
He had long been unable to figure out the reason behind this. In his twenty-three years of life, he had always lived in seclusion and rarely went out. He had never provoked any romantic debts outside.
At first, he only thought it was an accident. Now that he thought about it, during their trip to Fu’an Village, the other party had clearly been waiting specifically for him.
The man behind him lowered his head again and, through Xiao Ji’s thin sleepwear, kissed his shoulder:
“You provoked me first, Xiao Ji. But you forgot me.”
His tone was very complex. It was hard to say whether it was love, hate, grievance, or disappointment. Every agonizing word pierced Xiao Ji’s heart like the tip of a needle.
Xiao Ji had never empathized with anyone before. His heart ached, but he did not understand the reason why.
He opened his mouth: “If I forgot you, then you should forget me too. Only then is it fair.”
But the man said, “Shut your mouth, Xiao Ji. I don’t want to hear you speak right now.”
If they were talking about fairness, he didn’t know how many times he had forgotten Xiao Ji. Now, with Xiao Ji forgetting him while he remembered everything—that was what you called fair.
But he didn’t want to say these words. Even if he said them, Xiao Ji wouldn’t understand.
He told Xiao Ji to shut up, and Xiao Ji did not open his mouth again. He also stopped getting handsy with Xiao Ji. Instead, he simply buried his cheek in the crook of Xiao Ji’s neck, holding Xiao Ji tightly and refusing to let go.
Xiao Ji was squeezed so tightly by him that he was somewhat short of breath. As he groggily fell asleep, it felt as though he had been possessed by a ghost. When he woke up early the next morning, his entire body was exhausted.
During the day, Zhong Yinnian was always fluttering around him, chattering endlessly. Xiao Ji had a terrible headache. He wanted to tell Zhong Yinnian to be quiet, but every time he saw Zhong Yinnian’s innocent eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
For half a month straight, the two of them entered and exited together during the day. At night, Zhong Yinnian would leave after “unreservedly teaching” him. Then, in less than half an hour, that inexplicable man would suddenly appear and forcibly sleep in the same bed as Xiao Ji.
But ever since the day he told Xiao Ji to shut up, Xiao Ji had completely kept his mouth shut. The two of them never had another conversation.
Xiao Ji’s divination skills were improving. He began to try and secretly calculate Zhong Yinnian’s fate. Unfortunately, it remained a mass of fog; he couldn’t see anything clearly.
That was until a month later, when that broken bell on the main peak of Qingyang Mountain began to ring incessantly for no reason once again.
Sect Leader Xiao received a distress letter overnight from a minor immortal sect affiliated with the Xiao family. By the time he arrived, the entire minor sect had already been slaughtered. He was powerless to save them.
Sect Leader Xiao was furious. He immediately assembled the members of the other three major immortal sects on the main peak of Qingyang Mountain to discuss the matter.
“It has been more than three months since the Demon Co-Lord descended to the world. We originally thought he was one who cultivated his moral character and nourished his nature. Who would have thought that the moment he made a move, it would be a full sect annihilation. Truly detestable!”
A square-faced man stood in the grand hall and spoke with bitter hatred.
Sect Leader Xiao’s expression was exceptionally ugly: “From the time the distress letter was sent until I rushed there, it took less than three hours. The entire Lin family, over a hundred and fifty cultivators, were completely wiped out. Not a single chicken or dog was spared. Even if the ten elders of my Xiao family came out of seclusion, they might not necessarily be able to do it so cleanly and efficiently.”
At this time, that old ancestor of the Zhong family was also standing inside the grand hall. He looked somewhat deeply worried, occasionally glancing at Zhong Yinnian without leaving a trace.
Zhong Yinnian gave him a reassuring look, indicating that this matter was not his doing.
But in Zhong Du’s eyes, he felt that Zhong Yinnian was telling him: Just rest assured. I am the one who did this, but I won’t make a move against your Zhong family.
“Seven hundred years ago, the Demon Co-Lord descended to the world, plunging the people into misery and suffering. I fear we are going to repeat the same disastrous mistakes now…”
A beautiful woman revealed a sorrowful expression. She had just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by the Fourth Elder of the Xiao family:
“So what! Even if this old man has to shatter these old bones, I will absolutely not let this go unchecked!”
Xiao Ji stood in the corner in a daze. His gaze fell on the back of Zhong Yinnian’s head, who was standing in front of him. It was unknown what he was thinking about; he only felt that the noisy clamor inside this grand hall was extremely annoying.
He didn’t know how long those people had been arguing before Sect Leader Xiao suddenly spoke up and called Xiao Ji’s name:
“Wu Yan, do you have any thoughts on this matter?”
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