After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

After the grand feast at the Dragon Palace, everything gradually fell quiet again.

Feiyan had drunk a little too much and was sprawled out asleep, limbs flung in every direction. His snores were so loud that the surrounding sea trembled faintly with each one.

The group said goodbye to Li Ji, and amid the distant rumble of dragon snores, Tianji Zi carried them back above the surface.

Yu Qingtang shifted around on the little white cloud and happened to turn just as half the sun emerged from the sea, casting dazzling brilliance across the water.

“Wow—the bright moon rises over the sea... sun!”

Yu Qingtang corrected himself at the last second, then admired the scenery for a moment before asking Tianji Zi, “Are we going straight back like this? Aren’t we going to wait until our bodies switch back first?”

He rubbed his chin.

“If we go see everyone like this...”

Ye Chenyan immediately grew wary. “What?”

Yu Qingtang broke into a grin. “Obviously I’m thinking about how to embarrass you! Like suddenly using your body to perform a sexy dance for everyone!”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

Tianji Zi burst out laughing. “Now that you mention it, I’d like to see that too. Unfortunately, it’s about time.”

He smiled and pointed at the sun.

Almost simultaneously, the world began spinning around Ye Chenyan and Yu Qingtang. Their vision blurred, and they slumped against each other on the little white cloud, briefly losing consciousness.

“Hiss—”

Ye Chenyan was the first to sit up, holding his head. He immediately raised a hand and cautiously checked whether the Realm Stone was still with him.

Only after confirming that everything had gone exactly as Tianji Zi predicted—that the Realm Stone had indeed followed his soul back into his own body—did he relax and turn toward Yu Qingtang.

Yu Qingtang was holding up his own hands and inspecting them with what looked suspiciously like regret.

He muttered, “If I’d known, I would’ve used your body to do that sexy dance at the banquet first.”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

His brow lifted slightly. “You know how to do a sexy dance?”

Yu Qingtang answered honestly, “No.”

He raised both hands and traced an S-shaped curve in the air.

“But I could sort of wiggle around. Details don’t matter. It’s all about the atmosphere!”

Ye Chenyan chuckled.

The next instant, Yu Qingtang’s vision went black.

The dense black haze from the Sea of Returning Ruins spread around him, wrapping him completely inside it and blocking Tianji Zi’s view just as thoroughly.

Yu Qingtang had barely opened his mouth when Ye Chenyan pressed him down onto the little white cloud and kissed him soundly.

“Mmph!”

Yu Qingtang’s face turned bright red in an instant. He tried to resist at first, but soon gave up entirely, closing his eyes and lying still. All he could do was give Ye Chenyan’s sleeve a few faint tugs in surrender.

Tianji Zi could not see anything.

That did not mean he had any difficulty guessing what they were doing.

He closed his eyes in exasperation, flicked the whisk in his hand, and sighed toward the heavens.

“My disciple. You gain the power of master of this realm, and this is what you use it for?”

“Ah. With a master of this realm like you, and the heavens already on the verge of collapse, the future truly looks bleak...”

The black haze gradually dispersed.

Yu Qingtang lay facedown on the cloud, playing dead.

Ye Chenyan finally looked away from him and cast Tianji Zi a knowing glance. “Wasn’t I the one you chose?”

Tianji Zi shook his head mournfully. “True. I chose you. I brought this suffering upon myself.”

“Come on, come on. Back to Four Books Academy.”

Yu Qingtang struggled upright and glanced warily overhead.

“We’re going back openly this time? We don’t need to hide our tracks or anything?”

Tianji Zi laughed. “No need. The Realm Stone is already in our hands. What’s done is done. Besides, Bu Yetian already knows.”

He pointed at Ye Chenyan.

“There. This brat already came face-to-face with him during the trial.”

“Huh?”

Yu Qingtang froze, then stared at Ye Chenyan in shock.

“You saw that immortal too?”

Ye Chenyan’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh...”

“Hm?” Tianji Zi glanced sideways at him. “You didn’t tell him? Something that important happened and you didn’t tell him?”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

“No wonder it was so dangerous!” Yu Qingtang sucked in a sharp breath. “So you ran into that immortal too!”

“It wasn’t like that.” Ye Chenyan scratched his chin and muttered, “He...”

His expression turned strange.

“He thought the Realm Stone was going to kill me and was planning to come save my life.”

“Huh?”

Yu Qingtang looked completely lost. He raised a hand for Ye Chenyan to stop.

“Let me sort this out.”

A moment later, he honestly looked up.

“Never mind. I can’t.”

“I don’t understand what he’s thinking either.” Ye Chenyan frowned. “Isn’t he supposed to be against us? Then why did he say something about me being ‘the child of an old friend’...”

Tianji Zi chuckled. “That isn’t strange.”

“You already know Tianxuan Nü was a disciple of the Esoteric Sect. Her position was much like Ji Ruxue’s today—she was being raised as their holy maiden.”

He lifted his gaze.

“Bu Yetian was the young sect master of the Esoteric Sect. If everything had followed the fate the sect planned for them, then back then, Tianxuan Nü should have merged herself with the Heavenly Dao, completing it and repairing those fissures in the process.”

“Afterward, Bu Yetian would inherit the Esoteric Sect and ensure that the sect devoted to upholding the Heavenly Dao continued on, generation after generation.”

Ye Chenyan’s expression shifted slightly. “But she didn’t mend Heaven.”

“Tianxuan Nü possessed an innate Dao fetus. The moment she ascended to immortality, she had already formed a connection with the Heavenly Dao.”

Tianji Zi glanced up at the sky.

“Strange. Normally, whenever anyone starts talking about this, the Heavenly Dao sends lightning tribulations rolling down. I’ve said this much already, and somehow it still hasn’t struck me?”

He addressed the empty sky, sounding certain that the person he meant could hear him.

“If you don’t come now, I’m going to tell them everything.”

Ye Chenyan narrowed his eyes and immediately prepared himself. “If he dares come...”

“Then we’ll ask our esteemed master of this realm to teach him a lesson and knock some of that arrogance out of him.”

Tianji Zi obligingly made a little gesture, then clicked his tongue.

“He really isn’t coming? Fine. Then I’ll continue.”

“Tianxuan Nü sought out the sect master of the Esoteric Sect and told him with absolute certainty that even if she merged herself with the Heavenly Dao and repaired its existing fissures, it still wouldn’t stop the otherworldly evil demons for many years.”

“Those otherworldly evil demons already possessed the ability to tear open fissures in the Heavenly Dao. Even if it were repaired, having it ripped apart again would only be a matter of time.”

“Looking at things now, she wasn’t wrong in the slightest. But back then...”

Tianji Zi sighed softly.

“The sect master of the Esoteric Sect didn’t believe her. He thought she was simply afraid, so he locked her in the sect’s dungeon. Then the Nine Nether Demonic Sovereign brought the demon race in, caused an enormous uproar, and broke her out of the Esoteric Sect.”

“By the standards of the time, the two of them were committing the ultimate act of rebellion.”

“Even now, quite a few people who call themselves members of righteous orthodox sects still harbor prejudice against the demon race. A fair amount of that can be traced back to this.”

Ye Chenyan’s gaze shifted. “The sect master of the Esoteric Sect at the time...”

“Died.” Tianji Zi shrugged. “Once Tianxuan Nü fled, there was no one left to mend the Heavenly Dao. So the Esoteric Sect moved on to its second plan: use the greatest geniuses as heavenly materials and refine a Heaven-Mending Pill capable of patching the hole in the sky.”

He closed his eyes.

“That sect master possessed the legendary Heaven-Questioning Body. He willingly entered the furnace himself and became the first immortal sacrificed to it.”

Ye Chenyan was silent for a beat.

“...Madman.”

Tianji Zi burst out laughing. “Exactly.”

“People of the Esoteric Sect don’t treat other people’s lives as lives, and they don’t treat their own lives as lives either. Calling him shameless and despicable isn’t quite right. Calling him selfish isn’t quite right either.”

“‘Madman’ fits best.”

“That whole pack of madmen was far too stubborn. They refused to believe another path could exist. They wouldn’t turn back until they hit a wall—and after they hit the wall, they started thinking about tearing it down.”

Tianji Zi closed his eyes and shook his head.

“But it’s also true that he kept the collapsing heavens propped up until this very day. Everyone beneath heaven has, in one way or another, benefited from what he did.”

Ye Chenyan said nothing.

Tianji Zi glanced at him and chuckled.

“Good thing you aren’t someone who gets trapped by things like this. If it were Little Yu making the decision, I’d worry he might go softhearted.”

“Huh?”

Yu Qingtang turned his head blankly.

“I don’t think I could go softhearted that easily. Mostly because it’s kind of complicated and I still haven’t sorted it out.”

Ye Chenyan laughed and rubbed his head, then raised a brow as he egged him on.

“If you can’t sort it out, don’t bother. Listen to me. We’ll go up there and beat him up.”

Yu Qingtang nodded along with great solemnity, then immediately distanced himself from the responsibility.

“Not ‘we.’”

“You go up there and beat him up. I’ll clap and cheer.”

He even demonstrated by applauding on the spot.

“That works too.” Ye Chenyan smiled, his eyes curving. “It’s settled.”

He looked toward Tianji Zi.

Tianji Zi was smiling at the two of them. A trace of relief flashed through his eyes before he gave a small nod.

“Good. First, back to Four Books Academy.”

“After that...”

“Trouble will be coming to our door.”

He urged the white cloud forward.

In a single instant, they crossed ten thousand miles and returned beneath the Sage’s Book at Four Books Academy.

Light streamed down from the Sage’s Book.

Ye Chenyan seemed to sense something and looked up.

To his surprise, it spoke.

“Congratulations.”

Ye Chenyan raised a brow and asked with a faintly mocking smile, “Next time I want to see your Academy Head, do I still have to take the exam?”

“Yes,” the Sage’s Book replied with perfect impartiality. “However, if you fail and decide to force your way through anyway, I cannot stop you.”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

Yu Qingtang looked around curiously.

“Where are Brother Chi and Brother Xiao? Did Ziyun come back? Where’s Big Sister Bamboo? Where are my kittens?”

Wen Tianxia silently appeared behind him and turned his head.

“When do I make the list?”

Yu Qingtang jumped, then laughed awkwardly.

“Academy Head Wen! You’re here?”

Wen Tianxia nodded slightly. “They’re all inside the formation. Why are you in such a hurry to find them?”

Yu Qingtang pulled an enormous crab from his storage ring, unfolded it until it was larger than he was, and hoisted it over his head.

“We brought them Yuezhou specialties!”

Wen Tianxia’s gaze sharpened slightly.

He turned toward Tianji Zi.

Tianji Zi spread his hands with a grin. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t bring you anything. If you want some, you’ll have to shamelessly steal it from the youngsters.”

“All right.” Wen Tianxia nodded slightly. “Then...”

“No, no!” Yu Qingtang waved him off. “Li Ji said we could take as much seafood from the Dragon Palace as we wanted. We brought your share too!”

“Just not this crab. This one’s missing both claws and a leg. They won’t care, but I’d feel a little bad giving it to you.”

With practiced movements, he pulled another enormous, perfectly intact crab from his storage ring and stuffed it into Wen Tianxia’s arms.

Then he added a basket of shellfish and seaweed, as though he had prepared everything in advance.

Once the delivery was complete, Yu Qingtang took out his transmission stone and called to the others.

“Food’s ready! Food’s ready! Everyone come out and eat! We’re back!”

The people inside the formation sprang into action the moment they heard him and quickly leaped out.

Chi Yantian threw his arms wide toward them.

“You’re finally back! I can’t cultivate anymore! I need to get out and find some excitement! I’ve been sitting so long my ass is going flat!”

Scholar Xiao’s gaze shifted.

“If you’re back, then that means...”

The Girl in the Bamboo spoke with certainty.

“You succeeded.”

“Ahem.”

Yu Qingtang cleared his throat and gestured for Ye Chenyan to step forward.

“And now, please welcome—the newly appointed master of this realm, here to serve everyone lunch!”

Ye Chenyan raised a brow and sighed wordlessly.

Still, he played along and stepped forward, staring at Ziyun, who had already squeezed all the way to the front.

“Anything you don’t eat?”

Ziyun was practically drooling. Her head whipped back and forth so quickly it became a blur.

“No!”

Impatient as always, Chi Yantian called out, “Why bother portioning it out? Just take everything out! Whoever manages to eat the most wins by skill!”

Scholar Xiao laughed helplessly.

He gave Yu Qingtang a second, thoughtful look, opened his folding fan to cover half his face, then leaned closer and asked in a low voice,

“Brother Yu, Brother Ye seems positively radiant. Could it be that... good fortune came in pairs?”

Yu Qingtang met his eyes.

His face instantly turned scarlet.

“What! Y-you—how did you know?”

Scholar Xiao smiled with satisfaction and gave a small nod.

“I didn’t.”

“But now I’m certain.”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

This did not seem to be the first time he had fallen for that trick.

Chi Yantian had already seized control of the largest crab. With one hand, he held back Ziyun, who had stretched out four limbs to snatch at it, while shouting toward Scholar Xiao,

“Xiao! Get over here! This thing can eat like crazy! If you don’t hurry, all we’ll have left is the shell!”

“Haha.”

Scholar Xiao gently waved his folding fan, looking immensely pleased with himself.

“No hurry, no hurry. Apart from this rare seafood feast, these two have brought me something even better.”

“Hm?”

Chi Yantian immediately looked up, offended.

“Why didn’t I get anything? What good thing?”

“Oh, hey! Did you get that Realm Stone or whatever it was? Does it look like a rock? Can I use it for artifact refining?”

Ye Chenyan sat down, amused.

“Careful. It might refine you instead.”

“That stone holds grudges. Watch what you say.”

Wen Tianxia had an enormous crab tucked in his arms.

He watched the group bicker, his expression shifting slightly, then suddenly reached out and slapped away Tianji Zi’s hand as it stealthily crept toward one of the crab legs.

“Ow!”

Tianji Zi snatched his hand back and pointed accusingly at him.

“The older you get, the stingier you become!”

Wen Tianxia descended toward Four Books Academy, leaving only one calm sentence behind.

“Fat crab should be paired with chrysanthemum wine. Go buy some from the Immortal Wine Workshop, and I’ll save you a bite.”

“Ha—”

Tianji Zi laughed.

“I’m the one who takes advantage of other people. You think you’re going to take advantage of me? Dream on!”

Wen Tianxia did not even look back.

Tianji Zi watched him for a couple of seconds.

Then, in the end, he still could not resist turning toward Scholar Xiao.

“Young friend, where exactly is this Immortal Wine Workshop?”

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