C192 — Kill that Nine-Tailed Fox (28)

Xue Wenchun had recognized him, and since he was sitting on the Tianshui Sect’s side, his identity was most likely also exposed.

“You’ve been staring that way all this time—don’t tell me you’ve taken a fancy to that fellow?” Suddenly, Fu Jiuyin’s voice sounded beside him, and at the same time, Shen Jue’s silence spell was lifted.

Shen Jue lowered his eyes slightly, giving no reply. From what he had just seen, Xue Wenchun killed the moment he stepped onto the stage. If Xie Chen were to face him later, survival would be slim. But with Fu Jiuyin’s personality, he would surely think of something.

…

Xie Chen and Fu Jiuyin left at midday, while Shen Jue stayed until the very end to accompany Jiang Yunji, whose match would be tomorrow. But with Fu Jiuyin gone, more and more gazes fell openly upon Shen Jue. From the righteous sects led by the Tianshui Sect, the looks were manageable, but from the demon cultivators’ side, the stares were nothing short of blatantly predatory.

Shen Jue’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter. That bastard Fu Jiuyin hadn’t just broken his disguise spell—he had also laid another on him, preventing him from concealing his true appearance.

Only after the final match ended did that spell’s effect wear off.

Jiang Yunji reluctantly pulled his gaze back from the arena, turned to Shen Jue, and said, “Yuqing, let’s head back.”

By then, the golden crow had already set, even the last streaks of dusk swallowed into darkness. Because the Celestial-Demon Duel was being held, Xiangping’s night markets stayed open, so on their way back to the inn, they passed by Wanwuxing.

Shen Jue couldn’t help but glance up at the upper floor—and immediately saw Xue Wenchun standing at the window. Dressed in black, his pallor looked even more ghastly, like a water ghost. He too saw Shen Jue—or rather, he had likely been staring at Shen Jue the entire time.

He extended a hand, and in it was the jade vial Shen Jue had given him earlier.

Shen Jue’s steps halted. He then turned to Jiang Yunji beside him. “I have something to take care of. Go back to the inn first.”

Jiang Yunju froze for a moment, but still nodded. “Then I’ll wait for you at the inn. Come back soon.”

“Mm.”

Only after Jiang Yunji left did Shen Jue walk into Wanwuxing. At this time, the shopfront bore a sign that read “Closed,” so there was no line outside. As he approached, a cultivator on the first floor stopped him.

“Apologies, customer. We’re closed for the day.”

“I’m here to see your Manager Xue,” Shen Jue said, looking at him. “He called me here.”

The cultivator’s eyes flickered, then he quickly smiled. “In that case, please head upstairs.”

Shen Jue went all the way up to the third floor, lifted the door curtain, and saw Xue Wenchun seated in a chair, his indifferent gaze fixed on the entrance. When he saw Shen Jue, he merely cast a glance at the opposite chair. “Sit.”

“No need. Why did you call me here?”

Shen Jue knew Xue Wenchun had already uncovered his Azure Dragon identity, so there was no point in hiding it any longer—so long as the other didn’t know he was Shen Jue.

At his words, Xue Wenchun’s pale fingers moved lightly, and all the items Shen Jue had left behind last time appeared in midair.

“Didn’t you want to buy the Supreme Spirit Pill before? Not buying anymore?”

His tone was unnervingly calm, to the point that Shen Jue couldn’t read him.

“You’re willing to sell to me?” Shen Jue tried cautiously.

Xue Wenchun nodded, but then added, “But I have conditions.” The items hanging in the air vanished, replaced instead with a red-lacquered box and a gold-sealed one.

“The golden one contains the true Supreme Spirit Pill. The other is fake—eat it, and it will temporarily boost your cultivation, but the more spiritual power you use, the more chaotic your qi becomes. In the end, you’ll suffer qi deviation, your cultivation will collapse.”

The two boxes floated in front of Shen Jue, close enough for him to reach out and take them.

“As long as you give the red one to Fu Jiuyin to eat, the golden one will be yours.” Xue Wenchun said this with a faint smile toward Shen Jue. “Don’t you like Xie Chen? Without Fu Jiuyin, Xie Chen will be yours.”

Xue Wenchun actually thought he liked Xie Chen?

Although Shen Jue was inwardly shocked, he dared not show even a trace of it on the surface, not even denying it aloud.

Xue Wenchun’s target was Fu Jiuyin. So, to capture him, he was willing to dr-ug him?

“Does the red one have an antidote?” Shen Jue asked.

Xue Wenchun replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. All you need to do is make Fu Jiuyin swallow the pill inside the red box.”

Shen Jue thought for a moment, then reached out to grab the red lacquer box, while the golden box disappeared at the same time.

Seeing this, Xue Wenchun suddenly rose to his feet and walked over. Shen Jue watched warily as he approached.

“Once the matter is done, I’ll give you the Extreme Spirit Pill.” Xue Wenchun stopped in front of Shen Jue and suddenly said something completely out of the blue: “Show me your true form.”

—

When Shen Jue returned to the inn, Jiang Yunji was still meditating. Not wanting to disturb him, Shen Jue went to the backyard.

In the yard was a pavilion. Shen Jue walked over, took out the red lacquer box, opened it, and inside lay a dark brown pill that looked unremarkable.

It was strange—why did Xue Wenchun think he could trick Fu Jiuyin into taking the fake pill? His relationship with Fu Jiuyin wasn’t just bad—it was downright hostile. Yet Xue Wenchun had given him the fake pill.

Naturally, Shen Jue would never dr-ug Fu Jiuyin. This pill… he intended to use it on Xie Chen.

Whether or not it truly caused qi deviation didn’t matter—so long as Xie Chen was the one to consume it. The only issue was finding a way to make him take it.

—

The next day, Jiang Yunji had three matches. Shen Jue stayed at his side, and although the battles were dangerous, he still managed to pass safely.

The semifinals were set for four days later, with matches eliminating contestants round by round until the top ten were chosen for the finals. Jiang Yunji was regretfully eliminated, but Xie Chen and Xue Wenchun both advanced into the top ten.

Especially Xue Wenchun—he only fought one round in the semifinals before directly qualifying for the finals, and no one dared to object.

The judges, considering everyone was tired from so many days of fighting, scheduled the finals for five days later. The beast battles were considered an extra event and were arranged after the finals.

Over the following days, Shen Jue kept trying to find a way to get Xie Chen to take the pill, but never found the right opportunity—until the night before the finals.

As the competition neared its peak, Xie Chen would train late into the night every day, then head to the bathhouse in the deep hours of night. After a few days of observation, Shen Jue noticed that Fu Jiuyin was never there when Xie Chen bathed, so he quietly followed him.

Casting an invisibility spell, he slipped around to the back of the bathhouse.

The sound of water came from inside. Shen Jue listened for a while, then transformed into Fu Jiuyin’s appearance and deliberately shoved the window open with a loud noise.

Inside, the person heard the sound, immediately stood, grabbed a robe from behind the screen, draped it over himself, and turned toward the window, calling out sternly, “Who’s there?”

When he saw who it was, Jie Chen seemed a little exasperated. “Jiuyin, didn’t I tell you to rest first?”

Imitating Fu Jiuyin’s usual manner, Shen Jue curved his lips into a smile, jumped through the window, closed it behind him, and set up a soundproof barrier. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come see you. Didn’t expect to catch you in the middle of bathing.”

That guy Fu Jiuyin usually never acted proper, so Shen Jue imitated his usual unruly manner. He slowly walked to the side of the bath barrel and lightly traced a finger across Jie Chen’s shoulder—only to have his hand immediately caught in return.

“Don’t mess around.” A flush of red spread across Xie Chen’s fair, handsome face. “Go back to sleep first. I’ll return in a while.”

Shen Jue frowned inwardly. But today was the best chance—and also the last chance—for him to make a move. Right now, Fu Jiuyin was still in his room, and Jie Chen hadn’t noticed the imposture. If he missed tonight, there might never be another chance to dr-ug Xie Chen.

With that thought, Shen Jue chuckled again, slowly withdrawing his hand from Xie Chen’s grasp, then instead let it slide up to touch his brows and eyes. Since Xie Chen had just been bathing, beads of water clung to his face, softening the usually mature air he carried.

“No rush. The match is tomorrow. I just feel a little uneasy.” As Shen Jue deliberately brushed against Xie Chen’s face to distract him, he secretly pulled the pill from his storage ring. He had already removed it from the box—he only needed to find the right moment to slip it into the other’s mouth.

But how could he do it without being too abrupt? If Xie Chen resisted, it might alarm others nearby, and then Fu Jiuyin would come storming in at once.

“Jiuyin, you…” Jie Chen’s blush deepened, his composure wavering as he stood awkwardly in the bath barrel. At last, he caught Shen Jue’s hand again. “Stop fooling around. Go back.”

Suddenly, Shen Jue looked past him and let out a startled gasp. As expected, Jie Chen turned his head to look—and in that instant, Shen Jue popped the pill into his own mouth, then tugged Xie Chen toward him.

The pill was pressed across by his tongue. To keep Xie Chen from spitting it out, Shen Jue didn’t just brush past and let go—he gripped tightly, refusing to release him.

Xie Chen’s long lashes quivered, his whole body seeming to tremble. Even as Shen Jue forced the pill into his mouth, he didn’t resist. Instead, his hands slowly came up to circle Shen Jue’s waist.

Shen Jue kept his eyes fixed on him, and only after seeing Xie Chen swallow did he abruptly push him away, deliberately smiling. “That pill can increase your cultivation. Think of it as my apology kiss. I’ll go now.”

With that, he turned quickly to leave—lingering any longer risked exposure. But just as he turned, Xie Chen grabbed his arm.

“Wait. That didn’t count as a kiss just now.”

Xie Chen suddenly stepped out of the bath barrel, blocking Shen Jue’s way. His face was still tinted red, but his eyes stared straight at Shen Jue’s lips.

Shen Jue froze, instinctively retreating half a step. But the next instant, Xie Chen was already leaning in.

Shen Jue’s body went stiff. He wanted to resist, but feared revealing himself. His fist clenched hard inside his sleeve, yet he had no choice but to endure—and even give the proper response.

—

“Yuqing, you’re back!” A voice sounded from inside the room the moment someone heard him return. “You were gone so long, I was about to look for you.”

Turning his body sideways toward Jiang Yunji, Shen Jue mumbled a vague reply. Walking to the water jar, he caught sight of his reflection.

His lips looked distinctly redder than usual.

Annoyed, he bit them—but pain shot through, making him sharply suck in a breath.

“Yuqing, what’s wrong?” Startled by the sound, Jiang Yunji almost got out of bed to come over.

“Nothing. I’m going to sleep.” Shen Jue hastily tossed out the words, then shifted into his dragon form and slipped into the water.

Restless, he swam circles around the pool. But no matter what, Xie Chen had swallowed the pill. Whether it worked or not would be revealed tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Xue Wenchun should face Xie Chen in the ring. If Xie Chen lost control and died in battle, Fu Jiuyin would most likely lay the blame at Xue Wenchun’s feet.

It was a dangerous gamble, one that could easily be exposed—but Shen Jue had no other way. If Xie Chen lived, Shen Jue could forget about breaking through.

This was a do-or-die move.

TN:

Why is SJ so fixated on Xie Chen? I was sure he’d just target the fox ༼⁠⁰⁠o⁠⁰⁠；⁠༽