FIMA Ch173: Design

Gu Siyuan nodded, “Yes, I can’t stand it. We should definitely retaliate.”

Xie Xueyi looked at him dissatisfiedly and asked, “Is that all?”

Gu Siyuan reached out and pinched Xie Xueyi’s cheek, his lips slightly curved, “From now on, wherever I go, I’ll take you with me. We’ll always be together, and I won’t let you be alone or one step behind.”

Xie Xueyi hummed, holding onto Gu Siyuan’s arm, “That sounds about right.”

Gu Siyuan looked at Xie Xueyi and said, “So, how do you want to retaliate specifically? You think Ruan Li was let go by Ji Jinghuan and Xiao Xinchi, and you plan to teach them a lesson through him?”

Xie Xueyi nodded, huffing, “If not them, then who else? Who else would risk offending me to release such an insignificant minor character like Ruan Li? Besides, he still carries your tracking device, so he can’t slip away from my grasp.”

Gu Siyuan found it amusing internally, nodding, “Well said, Junior Brother Xie, very imposing.”

Xie Xueyi raised an eyebrow proudly, “I have deductive evidence. Didn’t you hear them talking as we entered the city? Because our Third War Zone has the deepest enemy casualties and faces the strongest opponents, recently there have been significant losses in personnel. So, just a few days ago, personnel were transferred from the First and Fourth War Zones to support us. Ji Jinghuan was previously active in the Fourth War Zone, and now, coinciding with the arrival of the reinforcements, he manages to rescue Ruan Li.”

“You see, Ruan Li was rescued at just the right time. Ji Jinghuan was assigned here just before, so it naturally raises suspicions given their previous relationships. He won’t be able to shake off this connection!”

“Fair point,” Gu Siyuan toyed with Xie Xueyi’s fingers, speaking calmly, “But considering Ji Jinghuan’s position in the Tai Xuan Sect, even if there’s suspicion, it won’t deal a significant blow to him. Some might even think he’s simply nostalgic.”

Xie Xueyi pouted unhappily, “You have a point there. So… what do you think we should do?”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes, speaking softly, “You should realize that Ji Jinghuan didn’t really want to save Ruan Li himself. His efforts to save him were just due to Xiao Xinchi’s request.”

“Hmm?” Xie Xueyi looked up at Gu Siyuan.

Recalling the situation when they first met, he reluctantly nodded, “It’s true. Although Ji Jinghuan appears gentle, he’s actually cold-blooded and indifferent. Now that he’s moved on to Xiao Xinchi, he has no sentiment left for Ruan Li. Although he occasionally asks me about Ruan Li, it seems he’s being pressured by Xiao Xinchi. Hmph, so it seems Xiao Xinchi has a deep bond with his cousin and rival.”

“Yeah,” Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes, “Since you don’t like seeing them flaunt their relationship in front of you, why not make things more thorough and ensure they can’t do it again in the future?”

Xie Xueyi widened his eyes, “Brother, what do you have in mind?”

Gu Siyuan chuckled, “Tell me, who’s more important to Xiao Xinchi? Ji Jinghuan or his cousin whom he grew up with since childhood?”

“Haha…” Xie Xueyi burst into laughter, seeming to understand something. He could already imagine the interesting scenes that would follow, “Brother, whoever offends you will definitely have a hard time.”

Gu Siyuan pinched his chin and said coldly, “They offended you.”

Xie Xueyi giggled happily, nodded quickly, and said flatteringly, “Yes, you did all this to vent my anger. Brother, you’re so good to me. Brother, don’t be mad. Come here, give me a kiss.”

As he spoke, he leaned in to kiss him right on the street.

“…” Gu Siyuan.

This clinginess was really too much.

He said to Xie Xueyi, “Before the plan starts, we must quietly capture Ruan Li first.”

“Okay.”

…

As one of the four major righteous forces, Taixuan Immortal Sect has its own station in the Third Fortress. Most of the Taixuan people serving in the Third War Zone live here.

People like Xie Xueyi and Ji Jinghuan, who have higher status, have a separate courtyard to rest.

Ji Jinghuan was sitting quietly in a chair drinking tea, while Xiao Xinchi was restless, occasionally looking outside.

After a long time, he finally couldn’t help but ask, “Jinghuan, do you think cousin can leave the city safely?”

Ji Jinghuan frowned and looked up.

He was somewhat displeased with Xiao Xinchi’s excessive concern for Ruan Li, but he patiently replied, “Don’t worry, getting him out of the dungeon was the hardest part, and that’s already done. The rest will go smoothly. I prepared a robe that conceals identity and gave him a special pass to leave the city. There won’t be any problems.”

Xiao Xinchi forced a bright smile, “That’s great, this way we can face uncle and aunt.”

Ji Jinghuan thought for a moment, then said, “Xinchi, you promised me that once I save him, you will cut all ties with Ruan Li.”

Xiao Xinchi was stunned for a moment, then lightly nodded, “Yes…”

Seeing his reaction, Ji Jinghuan continued, “You should know that his foolish involvement with the evil sect’s spies made things difficult for me in the sect. Especially since you are his cousin. To avoid implicating you and to protect you, I even asked grandfather to intervene.”

Xiao Xinchi, deeply affectionate towards Ji Jinghuan, felt guilty upon hearing this. He stepped forward and hugged him, saying, “I know, Jinghuan. Thanks to you this time, I’ll listen to you. I won’t contact cousin anymore or involve myself in his matters.”

Ji Jinghuan’s lips curled into a slight smile, “Good, from now on it’s just the two of us. I’ll take good care of you. I’m your family.”

“Mm.” Xiao Xinchi blushed and nodded.

Ji Jinghuan, momentarily mesmerized, felt a surge of emotion and pulled him into his arms, lowering his head to kiss him.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

Ji Jinghuan frowned and called out, “Who is it?”

“Senior brother, it’s me,” came a low male voice from outside.

Ji Jinghuan glanced down at Xiao Xinchi, “Yue Tai is back.”

Xiao Xinchi, delighted, quickly pushed Ji Jinghuan away, stood up from his lap, and said excitedly, “Let him in, he must have gotten cousin out.”

Ji Jinghuan felt a slight displeasure at the suddenly empty embrace.

He calmed down, suppressing his emotions, and then said towards the door, “Come in.”

Yue Tai, still wearing the black robe that concealed his aura, entered and gently closed the door behind him.

Xiao Xinchi immediately asked eagerly, “Senior brother Yue, how is my cousin? Is he safe?”

Yue Tai glanced at Ji Jinghuan, then nodded to him, “Yes, he has been sent out of the city. I also gave him the spatial ring you prepared. I watched him leave.”

Xiao Xinchi beamed with joy, repeatedly thanking, “Thank you, senior brother Yue.”

Ji Jinghuan cleared his throat lightly.

Yue Tai quickly said, “Junior brother, you’re too kind. I was just following senior brother Ji’s orders.”

Xiao Xinchi, realizing his lapse, turned and gave Ji Jinghuan a shy smile.

Ji Jinghuan smiled back and nodded, then looked at Yue Tai and asked sternly, “No accidents on the way out of the fortress, right?”

At this, Yue Tai’s expression changed slightly, hesitating with some difficulty.

Ji Jinghuan’s face immediately darkened, “What happened? Were you seen? Discovered? How could this happen despite my meticulous arrangements?”

“No, senior brother Ji, there were no accidents on the way,” Yue Tai quickly shook his head and explained with difficulty, “But we encountered senior brother Gu.”

Ji Jinghuan’s expression instantly turned dark and gloomy, and he stood up.

“You mean Gu Siyuan?” he asked, staring at Yue Tai.

“Yes, and Xie Xueyi was with him,” Yue Tai nodded slightly.

Ji Jinghuan didn’t care about the latter. He only stared at Yue Tai and asked, “He came out of seclusion at this time? Did he successfully form his core?”

Under the cold gaze, Yue Tai also became a bit nervous, “It seems he succeeded.”

“Succeeded?” Ji Jinghuan’s voice broke slightly.

Yue Tai answered with difficulty, “I heard the Golden Core seniors at the city gate calling him… Senior Gu.”

Ji Jinghuan glared at Yue Tai, eyes wide and slightly bloodshot.

After a few moments, he slowly looked away, his face pale, and he stepped back a few paces, slamming his palm onto the table.

With a crash, the wooden table shattered into pieces, splinters flying everywhere.

Xiao Xinchi, frightened by his hostile demeanor, softly called out, “Jinghuan.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing his call, Ji Jinghuan’s expression softened, and he regained some composure.

Taking a deep breath, he asked Yue Tai, “Did he notice you sending someone out of the city?”

Yue Tai steadied himself and shook his head, “I don’t think so. When we passed by, he didn’t even glance at us, just walked by with Xie Xueyi.”

Ji Jinghuan felt a bit better, nodding slightly, “That’s more like it.”

Yue Tai raised his head slightly and couldn’t help but remind, “But they returned here earlier than I did. They might soon discover that Ruan Li has been rescued. Senior brother, what should we do next?”

Ji Jinghuan was stunned for a moment.

Then, the corners of his mouth suddenly lifted into a faint smile. For some reason, however, that smile sent shivers down one’s spine and made one’s scalp tingle.

Yue Tai, standing directly in front of him, felt this especially acutely.

“You’re right. It’s rather troublesome that Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi happened to return at this time. I just came from the Fourth War Zone a few days ago, and Ruan Li was rescued immediately. This will inevitably arouse their suspicion.” Ji Jinghuan’s gaze lightly swept across his face, and he suddenly asked, “You weren’t discovered when you came back, right?”

“No,” Yue Tai shook his head and explained, “Senior brother, you told me to be extra careful and secretive, not letting anyone see me leave today.”

Ji Jinghuan smiled, beckoning him, “That’s good. Come closer, I’ll tell you what to do next.”

“Alright.” Yue Tai nodded without hesitation and stepped forward.

The next moment.

“Ah…” A suppressed cry echoed inside the room.

Yue Tai clutched his abdomen, blood continuously gushing from his mouth, staring at Ji Jinghuan in disbelief.

Xiao Xinchi was stunned by the scene, “Jinghuan, you… you actually killed…”

Ji Jinghuan let go and tossed Yue Tai aside, speaking indifferently, “Gu Siyuan is not easy to deal with. Ruan Li is gone now, someone has to take the fall. It can’t be you or me, so it has to be him.”

Remembering the fearsome nature of Gu Siyuan, Xiao Xinchi couldn’t help but feel uneasy, losing any further thoughts about Ji Jinghuan killing someone in front of him.

He asked with difficulty, “But… will killing Senior Brother Yue be enough? Will Gu Siyuan believe it?”

Ji Jinghuan sneered, “Whether he believes it or not is his business. Yue Tai’s death will be my explanation to him. A person who is neither seen alive nor dead can serve as the culprit. We’ll say he fled with Ruan Li after rescuing him.”

“Ultimately, only the three of us know about this. With Yue Tai dead and unable to testify, what can Gu Siyuan do? Can he kill me without solid evidence or perform a soul search on me? My grandfather is still around.”

“If Gu Siyuan is smart, he will understand the need to stop at the right time.”

After listening to this explanation, Xiao Xinchi reluctantly nodded, feeling this was indeed the best way to handle the situation.

He stepped forward a few paces, wanting to embrace Ji Jinghuan, speaking softly, “Jinghuan, it’s all because of me…”

Ji Jinghuan hugged him back, sighing lightly, “As long as you know.”

At this moment.

Suddenly, “Bang…” a loud noise came from the door, with dust flying everywhere, as someone forcibly broke it from the outside.

Ji Jinghuan squinted his eyes and then became furious. Given his status, who in the entire sect would dare to smash his door?

“Seeking death!”

He turned to look towards the door.

The next moment, his face changed dramatically, “Grandfather…”

Five figures stood at the doorway, all extremely familiar to Ji Jinghuan.

His own grandfather, the master of Ziji Mountain, Ji Hong, along with the master of Baiqing Mountain, Gu Siyuan, Xie Xueyi, and Ruan Li, who was supposed to have been sent away but was now present.

In Xie Xueyi’s hand was a fiery red spirit whip, indicating that he was the one who had just broken the door.

Both those inside and outside the room had complex emotions at this moment, causing the scene to freeze.

Until Gu Siyuan moved first.

Without a word, he stepped inside, went to lift Yue Tai from the pool of blood, lightly pressed his fingers on his wrist, and finally frowned deeply.

Dantian shattered, meridians severed, beyond saving.

He laid him down, stood up, and coldly swept his gaze over Ji Jinghuan, “Murdering a fellow disciple is equivalent to betraying the sect.”

Ji Jinghuan finally snapped out of his daze.

His gaze swept over the five faces present, ultimately glaring fiercely at Gu Siyuan, angrily shouting, “You set me up!”

…