FIMA Ch173: Design

Gu Siyuan nodded. “Mm. Unbearable indeed. You should definitely take revenge.”

Xie Xueyi shot him an unhappy look. “That’s it? Nothing else?”

Gu Siyuan reached out and pinched his cheek, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. “From now on, wherever I go, I’ll bring you with me. The two of us will be inseparable. I absolutely won’t let you be left all alone again and lose out to others.”

Xie Xueyi gave a little huff and hugged Gu Siyuan’s arm. “That’s more like it.”

Gu Siyuan looked at him. “So, how exactly do you want to take revenge? You think Ruan Li was let go by Ji Jinghuan and Xiao Xinchi, and you’re planning to use this to teach the two of them a lesson?”

Xie Xueyi nodded, still huffing with displeasure. “If not them, then who else could it be? Who else would bother risking offending me just to rescue some unimportant nobody like Ruan Li? Anyway, Ruan Li still has your tracking artifact on him. He can’t escape the palm of my hand.”

Gu Siyuan felt inwardly amused and nodded. “Junior Brother Xie is perceptive indeed. Very impressive.”

Xie Xueyi raised his fine brows, looking completely self-satisfied. “I have reasoning and evidence to back it up. Didn’t you hear what people were talking about just after we entered the city? Our Third War Zone has been pushing deepest into enemy territory and facing the strongest enemies, so lately our casualties have been rather heavy. That’s why just a few days ago, both the First and Fourth War Zones transferred some manpower over as reinforcements. Ji Jinghuan was previously active in the Fourth War Zone, and this time he just so happened to come over to our Third War Zone with the support force.”

“Look. Ruan Li wasn’t rescued earlier, and he wasn’t rescued later. He just happened to be rescued right after Ji Jinghuan was transferred here. Add in all their previous shady ties, and anyone would suspect him, right? He can forget about wriggling free of responsibility.”

“Not bad reasoning,” Gu Siyuan said lightly, playing with Xie Xueyi’s fingers. “But given Ji Jinghuan’s standing within Taixuan Immortal Sect, even if people suspect him, this matter still probably won’t hurt him much. If anything, some might even think he’s deeply loyal and sentimental.”

Xie Xueyi puffed out his cheeks unhappily. “What you’re saying does make some sense. Then… what do you think we should do?”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes and replied blandly, “You should be able to tell that Ji Jinghuan himself doesn’t actually want to rescue Ruan Li all that much. He went through the trouble only because of Xiao Xinchi’s request.”

“Hm?” Xie Xueyi tipped his head up to look at him.

He thought carefully back over the previous encounters, then nodded reluctantly. “That’s true enough. Ji Jinghuan may look all elegant and noble on the surface, but in reality he’s cold-blooded and heartless. Now that he’s shifted his affections to Xiao Xinchi, he has no real feeling left for Ruan Li at all. Even though he occasionally came to ask me about Ruan Li, it always seemed like Xiao Xinchi was the one pushing him to do it. Hmph. In that case, Xiao Xinchi really is deeply attached to his cousin-rival-in-love.”

“Mm.” Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes. “Since you dislike the two of them flaunting themselves as a pair in front of you, then why not do this more thoroughly—and make it so that from now on, they can never do so again?”

Xie Xueyi’s eyes widened. “Gege, what are you planning?”

Gu Siyuan gave a cold little laugh. “Tell me—for Xiao Xinchi, who matters more? Ji Jinghuan, or that cousin he grew up with from childhood?”

“Haha…” Xie Xueyi burst out laughing, as if suddenly understanding something. He could already picture the entertaining scene to come. “Gege, anyone who offends you really has a hard life ahead of them.”

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

Xie Xueyi grinned happily and nodded at once in a fawning way. “Right, right. You’re doing all this to vent my anger. Gege, you’re so good to me. Don’t be mad now—come here, let me kiss you.”

And with that, he directly leaned in on the street, trying to kiss him.

“…” Gu Siyuan.

This clinginess was really too much.

He said to Xie Xueyi, “Before the plan begins, we still need to quietly capture Ruan Li again first.”

“Alright.”

…

As one of the four great righteous powers, Taixuan Immortal Sect naturally had its own station within the Third War Fortress, and most Taixuan cultivators serving in the Third War Zone lived there.

As for those of higher rank and status, like Xie Xueyi and Ji Jinghuan, they each had separate little courtyards of their own to stay in.

Ji Jinghuan sat quietly in a chair drinking tea, while Xiao Xinchi was visibly uneasy, glancing up toward the outside every so often.

After a long while, he finally could not help asking, “Jinghuan, my cousin should be able to get safely out of the city, right?”

Ji Jinghuan frowned and lifted his head.

He was somewhat unhappy with Xiao Xinchi’s excessive concern for Ruan Li, but he still answered patiently, “Don’t worry. Getting him out of the prison was already the hardest part. Everything afterward follows naturally. I already prepared a concealment robe for him and gave him a special city-exit token. Nothing will go wrong.”

A bright smile spread across Xiao Xinchi’s face. “That’s wonderful. At least this way I can face my aunt and uncle.”

Ji Jinghuan thought for a moment, then added, “Xinchi, you promised me. Once I rescue him, from then on you and Ruan Li will have nothing more to do with each other.”

Xiao Xinchi froze briefly, then nodded lightly. “Mm…”

Seeing his expression, Ji Jinghuan continued, “You should know that because he stupidly got mixed up with a demonic-path spy, things have become very difficult for me within the immortal sect. Especially since you are his cousin. In order to keep you from being implicated and protect you, I even had to go ask my grandfather to intervene.”

Xiao Xinchi naturally cared deeply for Ji Jinghuan, so hearing this, guilt rose in his heart as well. He stepped forward and hugged him. “I know, Jinghuan. This time it’s all thanks to you. I’ll listen to you. I won’t contact Cousin anymore, and I won’t interfere in his affairs again.”

A trace of a smile tugged at Ji Jinghuan’s lips. “Good. From now on, there will only be the two of us. I’ll take good care of you. I’ll be your family.”

“Mm.” Xiao Xinchi nodded, his face turning slightly red.

For a moment Ji Jinghuan found himself somewhat entranced. His heart stirred, and he reached out, pulling him onto his lap and lowering his head to kiss him.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

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

“Senior Brother, it’s me.” A somewhat low male voice came from outside.

Ji Jinghuan lowered his eyes to Xiao Xinchi. “Yue Tai’s back.”

Xiao Xinchi instantly brightened and quickly pushed himself off Ji Jinghuan’s lap, standing up in excitement. “Quick, let him in. He must already have seen Cousin safely out.”

Ji Jinghuan looked at the suddenly empty space in his arms, and a faint displeasure stirred in his heart.

After a moment of calming himself and suppressing those desires, he finally said toward the door, “Come in.”

Yue Tai still wore the black robe that concealed his aura. After pushing the door open and stepping inside, he reached back and gently shut it again.

Xiao Xinchi immediately asked impatiently, “Senior Brother Yue, how is my cousin? Is he safe now?”

Yue Tai glanced at Ji Jinghuan first, then nodded toward him. “Mm. He’s already been escorted outside the city, and I also handed over the spatial ring you prepared for him. I personally watched him leave.”

Xiao Xinchi looked overjoyed and quickly said, “Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Yue.”

Ji Jinghuan gave a light cough.

Yue Tai quickly added, “Junior Brother is too polite. I only did these things because Senior Brother Ji instructed me to.”

Xiao Xinchi immediately understood and turned, smiling shyly at Ji Jinghuan.

Ji Jinghuan smiled back and nodded to him, then looked at Yue Tai with a stern tone. “Nothing unexpected happened on the way out of the fortress, right?”

At those words, Yue Tai’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly looked as if something were difficult to say.

Ji Jinghuan’s face immediately sank. “What? Someone saw you? Someone discovered it? How did you handle this? I arranged everything so carefully, and there was still a flaw?”

“No, Senior Brother Ji, nothing happened on the road.” Yue Tai hurriedly shook his head in explanation, then added with some difficulty, “But… we ran into Da Shixiong.”

Ji Jinghuan’s eyes changed in an instant, turning incomparably dark, and he rose from his chair.

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

“Yes. Xie Xueyi was with him too,” Yue Tai nodded lightly.

Ji Jinghuan did not care about that part at all. He only stared fixedly at Yue Tai and demanded, “He actually came out of seclusion now? Did he succeed in forming his Nascent Soul?”

Under that icy stare, even Yue Tai could not help growing tense. “He probably did.”

“Probably?” Ji Jinghuan’s voice almost cracked.

Yue Tai gave a difficult little “mm.” “I heard one of the Golden Core gate guards address him as… Senior Gu.”

Ji Jinghuan stared at Yue Tai with fixed eyes, so hard that the corners of his eyes almost flushed red.

Only several breaths later did he slowly withdraw his gaze, his face slightly pale as he stepped back and slammed a palm down on the table.

Instantly, with a loud crack, the spirit-wood table shattered into pieces, splinters flying everywhere.

Even Xiao Xinchi was frightened by the hostile aura radiating from him and could not help calling softly, “Jinghuan…”

“Mm…” Hearing that call, Ji Jinghuan’s expression tightened slightly, and he came back to himself a bit.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Yue Tai again. “Did he discover that you were sending someone out of the city?”

Yue Tai steadied himself with effort and shook his head. “I don’t think so. When we brushed past each other, his eyes didn’t even shift. He just walked right past with Xie Xueyi.”

Ji Jinghuan’s mood improved slightly, and he nodded. “Mm. That’s more like it.”

Yue Tai lifted his head a little and could not help reminding him, “But they got back here even earlier than I did. They may discover very soon that Ruan Li has been rescued. Senior Brother, what should we do next?”

Ji Jinghuan froze.

Then a faint smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth. For some reason, though, that smile made one’s scalp tingle and one’s spine turn cold.

Standing directly in front of him, Yue Tai felt it especially strongly.

“You’re right. Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi just happened to return at exactly this moment, which makes things troublesome. I only arrived from the Fourth War Zone a few days ago, and then Ruan Li gets rescued. That will definitely make them suspicious.” Ji Jinghuan’s gaze swept lightly across Yue Tai’s face, and he suddenly asked, “When you came back, no one saw you, right?”

“No.” Yue Tai shook his head and explained, “Senior Brother, didn’t you say we had to be especially careful and keep things secret, and that no one could see me leave today?”

Ji Jinghuan smiled warmly and crooked a finger. “Good. Then come closer. I’ll tell you what we should do next.”

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

In the very next instant—

“Ah…” A low, muffled cry rang out inside the room.

Yue Tai clutched his abdomen as blood began pouring constantly from his mouth, his eyes full of disbelief as he stared at Ji Jinghuan.

Xiao Xinchi was stunned by the sight before him. “Jinghuan, you… how could you… you actually killed…”

Ji Jinghuan released his hand and tossed Yue Tai aside, his tone indifferent. “Gu Siyuan isn’t easy to deal with. Ruan Li is already gone, so someone has to take responsibility for this. It definitely can’t be you or me. That leaves only him.”

Thinking of how terrifying Gu Siyuan was, Xiao Xinchi could not help feeling a deep chill himself. At once, he had no extra energy left to dwell on Ji Jinghuan killing someone in front of him.

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

Ji Jinghuan let out a derisive laugh. “Whether he believes it or not is his business. Yue Tai’s death is the explanation I’m giving him. A fellow like this—who can’t be found alive and can’t be found dead—is perfect to serve as the culprit for closing the case. We’ll just say that after rescuing Ruan Li, he fled together with him.”

“In the end, only the three of us know what really happened. Yue Tai is dead, with no testimony left behind. What can Gu Siyuan do? Can he kill me without hard evidence? Or search my soul? My grandfather is still around.”

“If Gu Siyuan is a smart man, then he should naturally understand when to stop.”

After hearing that whole explanation, Xiao Xinchi nodded reluctantly, feeling that this really was the best solution available.

He stepped forward, wanting to embrace Ji Jinghuan, and said softly, “Jinghuan, it’s all because of me…”

Ji Jinghuan hugged him back and sighed lightly. “Good that you know.”

At that moment—

suddenly, with a huge bang, a violent crash sounded from the front door, dust flying everywhere as someone directly smashed the door apart from outside.

Ji Jinghuan narrowed his eyes, then erupted in fury. What was his identity? In the entire immortal sect, who would dare smash down his door?

“Courting death!”

He turned toward the doorway.

And in the next instant, his entire expression changed drastically. “Grandfather…”

Five figures stood at the doorway, every one of them extremely familiar to Ji Jinghuan.

His own grandfather, Ji Hong, Mountain Lord of Ziji Mountain. Also Baiqing Mountain Lord, Gu Siyuan, Xie Xueyi, and—despite the fact that he should already have been sent away—Ruan Li himself.

Among them, Xie Xueyi still held a flaming-red spirit whip in his hand, making it obvious that he had been the one to smash open the door.

Whether inside or outside the room, everyone’s emotions were complicated at this moment, and for a time the whole scene froze solid.

Until Gu Siyuan moved first.

Without saying a word, he simply stepped into the room and went to help up Yue Tai, who lay collapsed in a pool of blood. He pressed lightly on the man’s wrist for a moment, and in the end his brows drew tightly together.

The dantian was completely shattered. The meridians were all severed. There was no saving him.

He laid the man back down, rose to his feet, and swept an icy gaze toward Ji Jinghuan. “Killing a fellow disciple is a crime equal to betraying the sect.”

Only then did Ji Jinghuan snap out of his stunned state.

His gaze swept back and forth across the faces of the five people present, and in the end he glared viciously at Gu Siyuan and shouted in fury, “You set me up!”

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