Chapter 35: Someone, Drag Him Out and Execute Him

Chapter 35: Someone, Drag Him Away and Behead Him

When the little ball replayed the third scene, Chi Yu couldn't bear it any longer. He snatched the recording stone back and fumed, "Are we going to stand here being punished until dark?"

Xie Xiyi collected himself, turned, and walked away. "Let's go."

The little ball chuckled quietly and said to Chi Yu, "His Highness loves listening to it."

No sooner had he spoken than a golden light flashed, sealing the little ball's mouth.

The little ball's eyes widened. "Mmph!"

Chi Yu: "..."

Is "loving to listen" something unspeakable?

Chi Yu muttered inwardly. As he followed Xie Xiyi, a sudden thought struck him, and he belatedly realized—when the Crown Prince said he didn't like it back then... was he actually being sarcastic?

Chi Yu: "..."

How awkward.

Even though he was already a Golden Core Stage cultivator, at his core, wasn't he still a nineteen-year-old boy?

Thinking this, Chi Yu couldn't help but smile.

He felt that Senior Brother Xuan Ji seemed rather endearing.

They journeyed westward, slaying a few low-level demons along the way, until they finally reached a city.

The city was predominantly gray and dim, with a large plaque above its gates boldly proclaiming "City of Ultimate Pleasure."

Chi Yu went to pay the entry fee in spirit stones. Upon hearing it cost five high-grade spirit stones, he was dumbfounded and couldn't help but exclaim, "Five high-grade spirit stones? Isn't it five low-grade spirit stones?"

The city guard, also a Golden Core Stage cultivator, rolled his eyes disdainfully at Chi Yu's words. "Five low-grade spirit stones? You could toss those on the roadside and no one would bother picking them up! If you can't afford it, scram. Can't you read the city's name? Pleasure, pleasure—people come here to revel in it. If you don't even have this many spirit stones, how do you expect to enter? Go back to your mortal mother and suckle, you brat."

Chi Yu rolled his eyes. "...Like I care."

Chi Yu turned to leave but was grabbed by the collar from behind by Xie Xiyi. With a slight curve of his lips, Xie Xiyi smiled and said, "I'll cover your five high-grade spirit stones."

Chi Yu resisted. "Senior Brother Xuan Ji, let's not go in. For three people, that's fifteen high-grade spirit stones. This city isn't worth it."

Chi Yu didn't lack spirit stones, but he preferred to use them for meaningful purposes, not on pointless tolls like this.

Xie Xiyi insisted, "We're entering the city. I'll cover it."

Chi Yu didn't understand the Crown Prince's persistence, but since he was determined to enter, Chi Yu changed his mind. He walked back and reluctantly retrieved five high-grade spirit stones from his spatial ring, telling Xie Xiyi, "No need, Senior Brother Xuan Ji. I'll pay for myself."

He added grumpily, "I hope there's really some 'ultimate pleasure' here, or these spirit stones will be utterly wasted."

Once inside, Chi Yu realized the city was bustling beyond anything he had ever seen, teeming with cultivators. At first glance, their cultivation levels were surprisingly high, with very few at the Qi Refining stage—most likely, the five high-grade spirit stone entry fee had filtered out many Qi Refining cultivators.

Not only that, but there was an extraordinary number of vendors, with stalls crammed along every street.

Chi Yu had visited many cultivator cities but rarely one as prosperous as this. He couldn't help but marvel, "I never imagined such a thriving city could exist in the wilderness."

The little ball exclaimed, "It's a gambling den!"

Chi Yu paused and followed the little ball's gaze. Sure enough, rows upon rows of gambling dens lined both sides of the street—in fact, the entire street was filled with them.

The little ball eagerly reached out to pull Chi Yu. "Brother Aotian, let's go play in the gambling den!"

Chi Yu was horrified. "No way! Kids shouldn't gamble!"

The little ball rarely saw Chi Yu's expression change so drastically and was surprised for a moment before asking, "Why not?"

Chi Yu said emphatically, "Gambling is something you should never touch. It ruins your mind. The human brain has a reward mechanism—if you can win a lot of spirit stones with just a few, eventually you won't be able to do normal work. It's addictive and very bad."

The little ball: "...Brother Aotian, I don't understand what you're saying. This sort of thing isn't addictive. Mortals might get addicted, but we are cultivators. We can go in, play, and come out just as ordinary cultivators. Nothing will change."

Chi Yu was stunned. "...Is that so?"

The little ball laughed. "Yes. If cultivators can't overcome something like this, how can they cultivate?"

Xie Xiyi remained silent and simply walked into a gambling den first.

The little ball quickly followed him and, at the entrance, turned back to beckon Chi Yu. "Brother Aotian, hurry up!"

Chi Yu: "..."

He hesitated for a while, but seeing both of them had gone in, he pressed his lips together and followed.

Although the little ball was confident, Chi Yu viewed gambling as a dangerous vice and had no intention of touching it.

The gambling den was filled with cultivators, but the atmosphere wasn't particularly boisterous. Everyone seemed to possess a calm excitement, creating a subtle contrast to the wild emotional swings of mortal gamblers.

Seeing this, Chi Yu reluctantly believed what the little ball had said.

It seemed cultivators truly didn't get addicted, but Chi Yu still adhered to his principles and had no intention of touching gambling.

The little ball said he was there to play, but he only played Mantouzi, a dice game where players guess high or low using a dice placed inside an artifact that blocked spiritual sense.

The little ball happily went to play, Chi Yu watched from the side, and Xie Xiyi surveyed his surroundings, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips.

Catching sight of that smile, Chi Yu felt sure Xie Xiyi was up to no good—it was practically the Crown Prince's signature expression. He couldn't help tugging on Xie Xiyi's sleeve and asking in a low voice, "Senior Brother Xuan Ji, is there something wrong with this gambling den?"

Xie Xiyi glanced down at him and chuckled softly. "No."

Chi Yu said, "...Then why do you have that meaningful expression?"

"Meaningful?" Xie Xiyi's voice was pleasant. "I didn't expect you to be so good at discerning your superior's intentions. You have remarkable talent. If I were emperor, I'd appoint you as a royal aide."

Chi Yu laughed. "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!—But I feel a royal aide doesn't fully utilize my talents. Your Majesty should at least make me a chancellor."

Xie Xiyi snorted. "Chancellor? If someone as lazy as you could be a chancellor, the country would be on the brink of ruin."

Chi Yu retorted, "If an emperor doesn't even have the ability to steer the country right, then he shouldn't be emperor. He should go home and farm."

Xie Xiyi narrowed his golden eyes and said with authority, "How dare you speak to me like this? Someone, drag him away and behead him!"

Chi Yu shouted, "Since Your Majesty is so cruel, don't blame me for being disloyal! Hmph, you dog emperor, prepare to die!"

The nearby cultivators: "..."

They took a few steps back, distancing themselves from the two.

The little ball: "..."

This is so embarrassing.

Chi Yu withdrew his power and asked Xie Xiyi, "Senior Brother Xuan Ji, aren't you going to play?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Boring."

Chi Yu was puzzled. "Then why did we come in?"

Xie Xiyi glanced at him. "Didn't the little ball want to play?"

"..." Chi Yu said, "Oh."

Although the little ball appeared to be a servant, Senior Brother Xuan Ji seemed quite fond of him.

Just as he thought, Senior Brother Xuan Ji truly was a good person.

*Good Person Card +1.jpg*

The two of them stood on either side, watching the little ball play. Chi Yu observed that the little ball showed no signs of addiction; he was just playing casually, like a game, without getting carried away with his bets on spirit stones. Chi Yu relaxed.

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly reached Chi Yu's ears: "Junior Brother Long."

Chi Yu was startled and turned to look. It was none other than Qing Xuan. He was shocked and pulled up his system panel, only to realize that at some point, Qing Xuan and his senior brother's coordinates had overlapped with theirs.

He asked stiffly, "Senior Brother Qing Xuan, what brings you here? What a coincidence!"

Qing Xuan remained as aloof as ever. "It is quite a coincidence."

He paused, looked at Chi Yu, and smiled slightly. "Since we've met here, why not travel together?"

Chi Yu instinctively wanted to refuse, but unexpectedly, Xie Xiyi spoke up: "Sure."

Chi Yu was surprised and turned to look at Xie Xiyi, who wore a faint, knowing smile at the corner of his lips. "The barren lands are so vast—meeting by chance is fate. Since that's the case, let's travel together."

Qing Xuan hadn't expected him to agree. His pupils dilated slightly before returning to their usual calm expression. "That's excellent—Senior Brother Xuan Ji, aren't you playing?"

Xie Xiyi said, "My little servant enjoys playing, but I don't partake."

Qing Xuan said, "The Zen School has no such prohibition. Senior Brother Xuan Ji, feel free to play if you wish."

Xie Xiyi narrowed his golden eyes, smiled at him again, and said, "In that case, you play with me."

Qing Xuan paused, then smiled lightly. "Since Senior Brother Xuan Ji requests it, I shall accompany you."

The little ball stopped playing Mantouzi and retreated to Chi Yu's side to watch the excitement.

Xie Xiyi said, "Mantouzi, lowest number wins."

Qing Xuan nodded slightly. Xie Xiyi smirked. "As for the bet, let's make it bigger. How about one supreme-grade spirit stone?"

Qing Xuan paused and replied calmly, "Senior Brother Xuan Ji, that's excessive."

But Xie Xiyi said firmly, "Just one supreme-grade spirit stone. Anything less isn't worth playing."

As he spoke, he looked at Qing Xuan with a smile, his golden eyes intense and challenging.

Watching from the side, Chi Yu felt that the Crown Prince had a bit of an antagonist vibe—after all, what grudge did he have against Senior Brother Qing Xuan? Why was he targeting him like this?

Chi Yu was puzzled but didn't show it on his face.

There was no way he could step in to smooth things over now, so staying out of it was the best choice.

Qing Xuan didn't take the bait and simply said, "In that case, I'll play one round with Senior Brother Xuan Ji."

He made a gesture of invitation. "Senior brother, you go first."

Xie Xiyi declined politely, "No, junior brother, you go first."

Qing Xuan paused, then stopped insisting. He picked up the dice cup and began shaking it.

After a few moments, he stopped, set the cup down, and lifted it to reveal three dice, each showing one dot.

There was no skill involved—it was pure luck. Since the dice cup was an artifact that blocked the five senses and spiritual sense, only an intuition for luck could produce the desired outcome.

For cultivators, this game essentially tested their perception of fortune.

And Qing Xuan made no attempt to hide his practice in this area.

Xie Xiyi smiled slightly, picked up a few dice from the table, and placed them into the dice cup.

The surrounding cultivators had all gathered to watch the excitement. Unlike mortal gambling halls, the atmosphere wasn't rowdy—it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The little ball whispered to Chi Yu, "His Highness seems to dislike this senior brother."

Chi Yu whispered back, "You just noticed? I realized it a while ago."

Xie Xiyi paid no attention to their chatter. A subtly mocking expression appeared on his handsome face, made even more pronounced by his commanding golden eyes. "Junior brother, if you lose, can you produce a supreme-grade spirit stone?"

Qing Xuan remained calm and aloof. "Please rest assured, Senior Brother Xuan Ji. I can produce one supreme-grade spirit stone."

Xie Xiyi raised his arm, his wide sleeve sliding down to reveal his pale, toned arm and exceptionally long finger bones, which exuded an unusual sense of power. The dice cup was an artifact that couldn't be manipulated with spiritual power or probed with spiritual sense or hearing, so the only way was the most primitive method of shaking and guessing the dice. It was a return to simplicity, offering cultivators the most fundamental form of fun.

Xie Xiyi didn't find it particularly fun, but he loved shaking things up. So he shook the black dice cup vigorously and seriously.

After a few moments, the cup landed. Xie Xiyi released it and opened it to reveal three dice stacked in a tower, with only the top die showing a single dot.

Xie Xiyi curled his lips. "Junior brother, you're still too by the book."

He added, "Little ball."

The little ball immediately jumped out and reached out to Qing Xuan. "Hello, senior brother. Just give the spirit stone to me. Our Highness doesn't handle these things."

Watching from the side, Chi Yu felt this scene was familiar—

It seemed Senior Brother Xuan Ji had been relatively gentle with him, only charging him five hundred mid-grade spirit stones the first time... or not!

*Poor Tom, being played like a fiddle.jpg*

Qing Xuan's expression remained unchanged. He naturally took out a supreme-grade spirit stone and placed it in the little ball's hand. "A bet is a bet," he said.

His calm, humble, and polite demeanor quickly gained sympathy from bystanders. "Since you're fellow disciples, why play for such high stakes? Fellow disciples shouldn't harm each other."

"Exactly. As a senior brother, you're being out of line. Your junior brother kindly played with you, and you went for such a high stake. That's a supreme-grade spirit stone—if it were a low-grade spirit stone, it'd be one thing, but a supreme-grade spirit stone could fund a Foundation Establishment cultivator's training for over a year. That's precious cultivation resources!"

"Right, right."

Chi Yu looked at Xie Xiyi, who showed no reaction. Xie Xiyi asked Qing Xuan, "Junior brother, do you still want to play?"

Qing Xuan said, "Senior Brother Xuan Ji, I'm broke. I can't play anymore."

Xie Xiyi curled his lips. "Then we're done here."

He was the first to walk out of the gambling den, with Chi Yu and the little ball quickly following, and Qing Xuan also followed along.

Chi Yu originally wanted to object to Qing Xuan joining them, since he was inseparable from that senior brother of his, who was rather unpleasant. However, since the Crown Prince had given his consent, he didn't say anything more.

Since they were now companions, Chi Yu felt it was his unavoidable responsibility to break the ice, so he smiled and asked Qing Xuan, "Senior Brother Qing Xuan, where is that Senior Brother Ming Xin?"

Qing Xuan replied, "He's playing on the second floor. We don't need to worry about him."

Chi Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh."

Chi Yu asked, "What is Senior Brother Qing Xuan's mission?"

Qing Xuan said, "Five hundred mid-stage Foundation Establishment demons."

Chi Yu gasped. "Mid-stage Foundation Establishment! Five hundred! Senior Brother Qing Xuan, your mission is huge! How much have you completed so far?"

Qing Xuan paused, then calmly answered, "So far, I've only killed six."

*The word 'only' hangs in the air.jpg*

Chi Yu exclaimed in amazement, "Mid-stage Foundation Establishment demons are comparable to Full Foundation Establishment or early Golden Core Stage! For Senior Brother to have killed six in just a few days is already incredibly impressive!"

With his overly pretty face, soft and tender, carrying a childlike innocence, he was clearly a Foundation Establishment-stage cultivator, yet he expressed genuine admiration and worship when saying such things.

Qing Xuan looked deeply at Chi Yu and asked, "What is your mission?"

Chi Yu naturally didn't hide it: "We have to kill three hundred Qi Refining Eighth Layer demons. So far, we've only completed one."

He added somewhat sheepishly, "Mainly because I'm holding them back—"

Before he could finish, his head suddenly throbbed with pain. Turning to look, he saw Xie Xiyi (Senior Brother Xuan Ji) holding a fist, having given him a knock on the head. Seeing Chi Yu look at him, Xie Xiyi said with a dangerous edge, "You talk a lot, huh."

Chi Yu: "???"

Chi Yu said loudly, "Senior Brother Xuan Ji! Why did you hit me? If you don't want to listen, just block your ears instead of telling me to shut up! Everyone has the freedom to speak! OK?"

Xie Xiyi narrowed his eyes, his smile fading, and said, "Fine, I won't interfere with you then."

With that, he turned and walked away.

The little ball hesitated between the two of them, then hurriedly said to Chi Yu, "Brother Aotian, His Highness is angry. I'll go calm him down."

After saying that, he ran after Xie Xiyi.

Chi Yu rubbed the spot on his head where Xie Xiyi had knocked him, then turned to Qing Xuan and said, "Senior Brother Qing Xuan, you see! Senior Brother Xuan Ji's temper is really terrible! He hits people without warning. I didn't even say anything just now, and he rapped my head. What if he makes me stupid? I have no choice but to be in the same team as Senior Brother Xuan Ji. Senior Brother Qing Xuan, since you have a choice, please don’t partner with us!"

Qing Xuan looked at his lively, vivid face, and his own coolly handsome face revealed a faint smile. He said, "It's fine. But Junior Brother Long... if you can't bear the grievances from Senior Brother Xuan Ji, why not join our team?"

Chi Yu was stunned. "Huh?"

Qing Xuan said, "You don't need to worry about Ming Xin giving you a hard time." He paused, pursed his lips, and added, "I'll protect you."

Chi Yu: "??"

Chi Yu: "Uh, Senior Brother Qing Xuan, are you serious?"

Qing Xuan said, "Of course I am serious."

Chi Yu fell silent for a moment. "..."

An utterly unexpected and bizarre move had appeared.

Chi Yu showed an awkward yet polite smile and declined gently, "Uh, Senior Brother Qing Xuan, there's an old saying in the mortal world: 'Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog.' Since I'm with Senior Brother Xuan Ji, I will stay loyal to him from beginning to end. So I'm sorry, and thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Qing Xuan. I appreciate it."

Qing Xuan was silent for a while before saying calmly, "It's fine."

After a moment, he asked Chi Yu, "Junior Brother Long, will you go to the Buddhist sect to take monastic vows in the future?"

Chi Yu was taken aback and replied, "No." After a pause, he asked in return, "What about you, Senior Brother Qing Xuan? Did you join the Zen School because you want to take monastic vows in the Buddhist sect?"

Qing Xuan said, "Most likely not."

His answer was vague, and Chi Yu wasn't sure what he meant, so he didn't press further.

Actually, Chi Yu had also figured out why the Crown Prince had knocked him on the head—it was to stop him from saying too much to Qing Xuan.

Chi Yu had always remembered what he said, but then again, the Crown Prince liked to tease people. When they first met, he had even swindled five hundred mid-grade spirit stones from him, which was no small sum. Had Chi Yu done anything wrong? Not really.

This showed that the Crown Prince was indeed a bit of a troublemaker, as the little ball had said, and this mischief seemed to have no reason.

Wait a minute, that was somewhat similar to the antagonist.

But it couldn't be. The Crown Prince couldn't be the antagonist—there was a five-hundred-year gap. Why was he thinking about the antagonist again?

Chi Yu fell silent. Perhaps he was just homesick.

Just as Chi Yu was lost in thought, Qing Xuan spoke up proactively, "Pleasure City is strange."

Chi Yu snapped back to attention. "What?"

Qing Xuan said, "It's too clean."

Chi Yu asked humbly, "Senior Brother Qing Xuan, how is being too clean strange?"

Qing Xuan explained, "The barren lands are where demons, monsters, and demonic cultivators gather. Yet this city is very clean, completely free of demonic or monstrous aura."

Chi Yu understood and said solemnly, "What is the reason for that?"

Qing Xuan looked at him—an exceptional talent who had reached Foundation Establishment in his teens, yet he appeared so delicate and reliant on others.

Qing Xuan couldn't say he didn't appreciate it. On the contrary, he quite liked Chi Yu like this. Though his gaze was on Chi Yu's face, his spiritual awareness was sweeping over every inch of Chi Yu's skin—his red lips, white teeth, and clear, bright eyes.

The cultivation world was not lacking in beautiful young cultivators, but one like Chi Yu, with profound cultivation, exceptional talent, lively cheerfulness, and devoid of the arrogance and extravagance typical of geniuses, was extremely rare.

Qing Xuan's eyes darkened for a moment before he said, "This means that Pleasure City most likely has a major player."

Chi Yu immediately grew nervous and instinctively said, "I need to tell Senior Brother Xuan Ji."

Qing Xuan stopped him and said, "Senior Brother Xuan Ji already knows. When he forced me to use a supreme-grade spirit stone as a bet in the gambling den, it was probably to attract the attention of those behind the scenes."

"..." Chi Yu clapped his fist into his palm, his face lighting up with realization. "So there was such a deep meaning! I was too foolish to notice. But, is it really okay for us to talk about this on the street?"

Wasn't this just conspiring in public?

Qing Xuan looked at his silly expression and found it somewhat endearing. He said coolly, "It's fine. No one else can hear us."

Chi Yu belatedly realized that Qing Xuan had set up a sound-isolating barrier around them at some point and couldn't help but praise, "Senior Brother Qing Xuan is indeed thoughtful."

Qing Xuan thought to himself, how had he managed to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage?

He must be another wealthy scion of an immortal family, perhaps with decent talent, but ultimately relying on all sorts of rare treasures to boost his way to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Chi Yu had no idea what Qing Xuan was thinking about him. He didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward Qing Xuan, but due to the Crown Prince's warnings, he remained somewhat guarded. Thus, he mostly resorted to flattery and praise, never really blending in with the cultivation world environment. He didn’t realize there was anything wrong with acting so mild-mannered as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Although Senior Brother Qing Xuan seemed reliable, Chi Yu wasn’t very used to being separated from the Crown Prince, so he still planned to stick with him. As he spoke, "Let’s go find Senior Brother Xuan Ji first," he pulled up his system panel to check where the Crown Prince was.

Turns out, the Crown Prince’s coordinates overlapped with theirs.

Chi Yu: "..."

Ah, so this guy is right nearby?

Author's Corner:

1: Staring.jpg

A cheerful male ghost (x)

Xiao Yu: Goosebumps.jpg