I Don't Believe I'm a Good Person Either, Ji Qingxuan's Plan
I Don’t Believe I’m a Good Person Either, Ji Qingxuan’s Plan
“It seems I’ll still need to make some arrangements.”
“This time, accompanying the Vermilion Bird Empire’s Third Prince back, there’s actually a Sacred Lord Realm expert hidden in the shadows.”
“It seems to be a Dao Protector-type existence, though this Third Prince’s cultivation appears to be above the Sacred Lord Realm, at the Perfect Prodigy level.”
On the eaves of a palace, Gu Changge stepped out, his figure appearing there.
His robes fluttered, his hair gleamed crystalline, his whole person like a banished immortal about to ascend into the sky.
Within his field of vision, the Fortuity changes of the entire Vermilion Bird Empire surfaced before his eyes.
Some mansions had phenomena rising from them, dragons soaring and tigers leaping; some palaces bore the image of the Nine-Five Sovereign, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth—exceptionally obvious even under the scorching sun.
However, it was only because he had refined the Dao of Reincarnation into his eyes that he could perceive the transformations and evolution of this world.
Other cultivators, even Source Masters proficient in terrain, would be unable to see it.
“Heh, the image of a python-sparrow devouring a dragon...”
The smile at the corner of Gu Changge’s mouth was rather intriguing.
Whether python-sparrow or True Dragon, in his eyes at this moment, they were all merely changes arising from the Vermilion Bird Empire’s Fortuitous One.
Before this, the Vermilion Bird Empire’s Fortuity could only be considered a little sparrow. Because of Chu Hao’s birth, the Fortuity transformed and evolved, becoming a python-sparrow.
And now, the Vermilion Bird Empire was actually planning to devour a dragon and metamorphose.
This kind of change—even a Source Master who cultivated the shifts of terrain probably couldn’t see it. Gu Changge figured that even the current ruler of the Vermilion Bird Empire hadn’t noticed it.
If this were any other Cult of Immortality or supreme immortal dynasty, changes in the Fortuity Dragon Vein would have dedicated experts responsible for watching and guarding it, constantly vigilant of Fortuity shifts, thereby allowing them to foresee future changes in advance.
Such Fortuity, concerning the future grand plans of a sect’s lineage, was actually going unnoticed in the Vermilion Bird Empire, left to develop and evolve on its own.
“Speaking of which, without the birth of a Fortuitous One, a little sparrow would naturally remain a little sparrow. With the image of growing into a dragon, that’s at least the trend of a small-scale great sect...”
The next moment, Gu Changge took a step, the void blurred, and he had already located the place where the Dragon Vein’s Fortuity resided.
Soon, at a depth of a full thousand zhang beneath the earth.
Gu Changge appeared here.
Before his eyes, a vast Dragon Vein was converging, immensely majestic and dense, like a True Dragon swimming through the darkness.
What somewhat surprised Gu Changge was that this Dragon Vein already had the embryonic form of a dragon—a dragon head, dragon whiskers, dragon claws, and dragon tail had appeared; only the dragon’s body had yet to solidify.
If given a bit more time, it would very likely grow into a True Dragon.
One must know, the Vermilion Bird Empire didn’t even have a Sacred Emperor Realm expert. To grow from a tiny sparrow to this stage was simply unimaginable.
“This Dragon Vein...”
“I’ll graciously accept it.”
In Gu Changge’s hand, waves of divine light erupted, like a terrifying tide about to surge forward and submerge everything.
His movements were swift, transforming into a terrifying pitch-black Void Palm Imprint that sealed off this stretch of void, preventing the Dragon Vein from escaping.
As for what consequences the Vermilion Bird Empire would suffer after losing this Dragon Vein—that was not something he concerned himself with.
Roar!!
And that True Dragon, quietly devouring dragon qi and Fortuity in the darkness, now noticed Gu Changge as well.
From this young man who had suddenly barged in, it sensed a terrifying feeling of danger.
It already possessed intelligence and couldn’t help letting out a low roar, attempting to intimidate Gu Changge.
A vast and terrifying aura surged through this darkness. Had Gu Changge not sealed off all directions with his Void Palm Imprint, the cultivators outside would inevitably have detected it.
“Don’t be nervous, I mean no harm.” Gu Changge smiled, stepping through the void, walking over and drawing closer to it.
“Look at what I have in my hand?”
“Do you want it?”
In his palm, a jade jar opened, and green radiance immediately emerged from within, its aura incomparably rich—celestial spirit energy drifting through the darkness.
This was the Celestial Spirit he had found back then on the Celestial Path, which he still hadn’t finished refining to this day.
Something like this, for existences like a Dragon Vein, was no different from poison—possessing an indescribable temptation and allure.
“I just want to be friends with you.”
Gu Changge was still smiling. Seeing the Dragon Vein’s attention entirely fixed on the jade jar in his hand, he said, “I’m not a bad person.”
At the same time, the Grand Flask, trailing black light, emerged, rising and falling behind Gu Changge, emitting wisps of dark radiance.
Faintly, a terrifying, sky-devouring intent of devouring transmitted from within it.
“You don’t believe me?” Seeing the disbelief showing in the Dragon Vein’s already-spirited eyes, Gu Changge couldn’t help shaking his head with a sigh. “Actually, I don’t believe it either.”
Weng!!
As his words fell, a terrifying and vast Grey Fog swept out from behind him, blotting out the sky, instantly submerging this dark underground space.
The Dragon Vein was terrified and tried to flee this place.
But high above, Gu Changge had already reached down with a palm, covering and shrouding it!
At this moment, the Grand Flask seemed to transform into an endless black hole, swallowing the Dragon Vein into it in an instant.
“What a pity—it was destined to become a True Dragon in the future...”
“Still, the taste is quite nice.”
Gu Changge sat down cross-legged. His cultivation, already at the peak of the Sacred Noble Realm, at this moment, after devouring the Dragon Vein, violently broke through—breaking through to the Sacred Lord Realm!
......
Within the courtyard, all was serene and quiet, dappled bamboo swaying, rustling softly.
What Su Qingge wanted to explain wasn’t actually anything particularly important.
For her, it was merely the details of daily cultivation—things concerning Gu Changge’s personality, preferences, habits, and so on; of course, this included the ways she and Gu Changge got along.
For example, when Gu Changge drank tea, he liked to use Tree Heart Spring water of a million years of age; every tea leaf had to be picked from ancient Mystic Mountains, and the brewing time couldn’t be too long; the flame required had to be three-tenths Heavenly Cold Flame.
The spirit fruits he ate had to be at least eight hundred thousand years old, and he wouldn’t eat ones with too many seeds, and so on.
In short, Gu Changge’s demands in these areas were very exacting—in his own words, it was called “enjoyment.”
Ji Qingxuan, for her part, listened very carefully, practically not missing a single word.
It was clear she was taking this very seriously.
“Got it all memorized?”
After Su Qingge finished speaking, she smiled slightly, looking at the somewhat thoughtful Ji Qingxuan.
“I’ve memorized it, jiejie. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t let Young Master Changge notice anything amiss.” Ji Qingxuan nodded, as if she had accepted a very grave mission.
Su Qingge smiled. “That’s good then.”
“Then let me tell you about the situation on my side. Besides Eldest Senior Brother Chu Hao, you need to be careful of everyone else, especially that Wang Xiao—he’s not a good person. Jiejie, you must be careful. The Dao Protector who followed me down the mountain this time is actually from the Wang Family, not from the Ji Clan.”
Ji Qingxuan said. When she mentioned Wang Xiao, there was obvious disgust in her eyes.
“Even your Dao Protector isn’t from the Ji Clan...” Su Qingge was stunned, her gaze turning somewhat pitying.
What did this mean?
It meant that even though Ji Qingxuan’s talent was quite good now, she still wasn’t valued within the Ji Clan—to the point that even the Dao Protector for this trip down the mountain was sent by the Wang Family.
This kind of circumstances could only be described as utterly wretched. Moreover, from Ji Qingxuan’s words, she could also tell that the disciple named Wang Xiao likely had designs on Ji Qingxuan.
That was why he had deliberately followed her here, and he would very likely use the backing behind him to bully Ji Qingxuan.
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
Su Qingge smiled slightly and comforted her, “Don’t worry. Jiejie is here for everything. That so-called Wang Xiao won’t be able to bully you.”
Hearing this, Ji Qingxuan was slightly taken aback, the look in her eyes somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting Su Qingge to say such a thing.
Where did her confidence to say this come from? Was it because she was Gu Changge’s person?
“I understand, jiejie.”
Still, she nodded in agreement, not asking further—after all, everyone had their own secrets.
“This ancient talisman can conceal the aura on your body. I usually rely on this to hide my own aura, so you don’t need to worry about being detected either.”
Then, Su Qingge took out an ancient talisman of antique design from her bosom and handed it to Ji Qingxuan.
Although the two looked identical, their auras still differed considerably. Su Qingge normally relied on this item to conceal her own aura—after all, she was the Successor of Demonic Arts, and to guard against any eventuality, she had made many preparations.
“Mm, I understand, jiejie.”
Ji Qingxuan accepted it. She couldn’t figure out why Su Qingge had so many tricks up her sleeve.
She seemed to possess more than one artifact capable of concealing one’s aura.
As Gu Changge’s person, did she still need to conceal her aura? Was there anyone in this world who dared bully her?
Of course, Ji Qingxuan didn’t voice any of this. She only grew more curious about what other identity Su Qingge had—it seemed she wasn’t the type who relied solely on Gu Changge.
Afterward, the two of them swapped dresses and hair ornaments. To make sure there were no discrepancies, Su Qingge specifically had Ji Qingxuan put on light makeup.
This way, even those closest to them wouldn’t be able to detect anything amiss.
“Now the two of us really are exactly alike.” Su Qingge sighed with some emotion, reaching out to touch the face of Ji Qingxuan before her.
“Mm.” Ji Qingxuan nodded gently. “Jiejie, I’ll take my leave first then.”
Su Qingge nodded, then watched Ji Qingxuan leave the courtyard, gradually disappearing in the direction leading back to the Vermilion Bird Imperial Palace.
Then, she let out a soft sigh, her expression somewhat complicated for a moment.
“Qingxuan, don’t you go playing any clever little tricks.”
“Gongzi is not someone you can control...”
As her older sister, she had actually faintly guessed Ji Qingxuan’s intentions, but she hadn’t stopped her.
In truth, she had her own ideas in mind as well—it wasn’t purely out of a desire to help her little sister.
She had also sensed that Ji Qingxuan seemed to harbor a different kind of interest toward Gu Changge.
As her older sister, Su Qingge simply hadn’t exposed it. Moreover, she also wanted to know exactly what Ji Qingxuan was scheming.
She was no simple, naive sweet girl. Whether back in the Overworld or after becoming the Successor of Demonic Arts in the Beyond, she had always had her own thoughts and calculations.
Although the two were sisters, before this, they had never even met.
If one claimed that blood ties alone could make the two open their hearts and trust each other completely, that would be far too fanciful—and unrealistic.
Nor did Su Qingge expect Ji Qingxuan to fully trust her.
This little sister of hers had experienced no fewer things than she had since childhood; the depth of her mind far exceeded her own. She was not as simple as she appeared.
Ji Qingxuan had taken the initiative to mention envying her life—she had likely guessed at her relationship with Gu Changge beforehand, which was why she said such things.
Her maneuver of retreating in order to advance was executed with masterful skill. If Su Qingge hadn’t been at Gu Changge’s side, witnessing and hearing of all manner of schemes through constant exposure, she probably wouldn’t have seen through Ji Qingxuan’s little calculations.
“You scheme even against your own little sister?”
At this moment, the other soul within Su Qingge’s mind couldn’t help but sneer, carrying a faint mockery.
Su Qingge merely shook her head calmly. “This can’t be called scheming. She and I each take what we need. It just so happens that lately, staying by Gongzi’s side, I truly can’t get away...”
She was the Successor of Demonic Arts—she wouldn’t be like those ordinary prodigies, going off to slay Yin Spirits and save the Vermilion Bird Empire.
Su Qingge had her own matters to attend to.
Moreover, after several encounters with Mo Lao during this period,
she had come to understand that in the shadows there existed an organisation of Demonic Arts successors, in which various ancient existences hailed from the great orthodoxies and powers of the Beyond. Though none of them knew each other’s identities,
at critical moments, they could provide her with assistance.
Mo Lao had also told her that within the True Immortal Academy, there were actually other members of the Demonic Arts successor organisation hidden as well.
Therefore, Su Qingge subconsciously believed that the previously uproarious Successor of Demonic Arts incident
had actually been orchestrated single-handedly by this organisation—precisely to muddy the waters and thereby give her the opportunity to develop and grow.
“This trial, for me, is exactly the time to fish in troubled waters. And taking advantage of Ji Qingxuan impersonating me, I can just so happen to clear myself of suspicion before Gongzi...”
“That Heavenly Monarch Ziyang bears a grudge against Gongzi—then I’ll make him my first target.”
Thinking of all this, a trace of a smile couldn’t help appearing on Su Qingge’s face—but this smile seemed rather cold.
......
Meanwhile, on the other side, Wang Xiao, who had been in the pavilion the whole time, staring fixedly at the mansion that “Ji Qingxuan” had entered, was growing somewhat impatient.
Having waited this long, he still hadn’t seen anyone come out of the mansion.
Who knew what might happen during this time.
So he planned to set out and demand answers—to see exactly who Ji Qingxuan was secretly meeting.
In his eyes, Ji Qingxuan would sooner or later be a thing in his pocket. Even though she was currently cold and disgusted toward him,
sooner or later, he would make her kneel on the ground and beg for his affection.
Not to mention, Ji Qingxuan’s situation in the Hidden Ji Family was poor—sooner or later she would be reduced to a chess piece for a marriage alliance.
When that time came, he need only say a word to the family behind him, and wouldn’t the Hidden Ji Clan obediently deliver Ji Qingxuan to his door?
Just then, Wang Xiao suddenly saw a familiar figure walk out of the mansion.
A tall, slender figure, dressed in snow-white robes, with a coldly beautiful face, fair and delicate skin, and a lustrous, lovely countenance—as if carved from the most flawless jade.
It was, in Wang Xiao’s eyes, Ji Qingxuan having changed into a different dress.
“So she actually knows to come out. I’d like to ask just who this Ji Qingxuan went to meet.”
Wang Xiao’s expression was very ugly. His figure moved, instantly vanishing from the pavilion. With one step, he appeared right in front of Ji Qingxuan.
“Ji shimei, who did you go to meet?”
Wang Xiao spoke first, his voice quite gloomy as he asked in dissatisfaction.
However, the current Ji Qingxuan was impersonating Su Qingge.
So the moment she saw Wang Xiao, though her heart jolted in alarm, her brows immediately furrowed and she asked in an icy voice, “Who are you?”
“Well, well—actually pretending not to know me, Ji Qingxuan...”
Wang Xiao hadn’t expected Ji Qingxuan to say such a thing and was momentarily stunned.
Then, coming back to his senses, he couldn’t help laughing in exasperation, thinking Ji Qingxuan was deliberately pretending not to know him.
After all, something like stalking really couldn’t be justified.
But wasn’t her behavior exactly the sign of a guilty conscience?
“Where did this lecher come from? You must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard—do you know whose person I am?”
Ji Qingxuan’s delicate brows furrowed even tighter, her voice as if tempered in ten thousand years of frigid cold.
Ordinarily, she loathed Wang Xiao to the extreme—she practically wished she could kill him. Now, with such an opportunity, she wouldn’t let it slip by in the slightest.
After all, right now she was her older sister Su Qingge, with Gu Changge standing behind her. Even if Wang Xiao were given a hundred times more courage, would he dare lay a finger on her?
“Ji Qingxuan, you’ve got some nerve. Don’t forget, that old ancestor of your Ji Family is...”
Wang Xiao was stunned once again. Seeing Ji Qingxuan still pretending not to know him—and playing the part more and more convincingly—whose person was she?
The Ji Clan behind her had long since declined from its former glory.
Not to mention, Ji Qingxuan was not valued at all within the Ji Clan. Besides her beauty and cultivation talent, what else did she have left?
Immediately, he sneered. “Out of respect for Eldest Senior Brother, I call you Ji shimei, and you actually take yourself seriously?”
“Who’s behind you? The Ji Family? Can the Ji Family protect you?”
Seeing Wang Xiao reveal his true colors, practically no longer bothering to conceal his real face, the look in Ji Qingxuan’s eyes grew even colder.
Her jade fists couldn’t help clenching tight.
This was the situation she now faced: the Ji Clan didn’t value her in the slightest, while Wang Xiao harbored designs on her.
And with her temperament, it was impossible for her to yield to Wang Xiao.
“You’re courting death!”
However, at this moment she was Su Qingge, not the Ji Qingxuan of before—so she didn’t need to worry about the consequences of her actions.
Almost the instant her words fell, the longsword in Ji Qingxuan’s hand left its sheath, transforming into a terrifying arc of sword light that seemed about to tear the sky apart—its edge astonishing, its momentum tremendous!
“Ji Qingxuan, you dare attack me?”
This scene made Wang Xiao’s expression change instantly, turning pale, somewhat unable to believe it.
He simply couldn’t have imagined that Ji Qingxuan would suddenly explode into action, striking to kill him—and with utterly no mercy at that.
This immediately threw Wang Xiao into a panic. Although he dared act arrogantly before Ji Qingxuan, if it truly came to blows, he was absolutely no match for her.
“Lecher, prepare to die!”
Ji Qingxuan’s expression was icy cold. She was dead set on killing Wang Xiao—such an opportunity was simply too rare.
Chi!
This sword light was incomparably terrifying, as if falling from the distant Outer Territory, imbued with her frigid killing intent. Even the void trembled, seemingly about to shatter, unable to withstand such fluctuations.
At the critical moment, Wang Xiao brought out a golden shield, its divine light brilliant and dazzling.
The shield unfolded and expanded in the air, growing to several zhang in length, with numerous rules and orders flowing and interweaving across its surface. Its material was extraordinary—clearly costly to make.
Kacha!
But under Ji Qingxuan’s sword strike, Wang Xiao’s shield could only hold out for a moment before cracks appeared with a kacha, and then it directly burst apart into pieces.