Chapter 26: A Confession and a Pact

Upon receiving the servant’s summons, Shui Jingxuan entered Ji Wushuang’s room, only to find the siblings looking at him—one with a cheerful smile, the other with a dark, brooding expression.

“Axi greets the Sect Master,” Shui Jingxuan announced, steadying his composure before stepping forward to offer a respectful salute.

“What brings you to my presence?” Ji Wushuang demanded, seated imperiously on the divan, cutting straight to the chase.

Though he harbored deep resentment towards Elder Mu, he felt a profound affection for the loyal and righteous boy. The thought of the boy coming to rescue Elder Mu made him frantically search for a way to protect him.

However, a burning jealousy gnawed at his heart, causing a searing pain that prevented his expression from softening in the slightest.

Having already made up his mind, Shui Jingxuan was not deterred by Ji Wushuang’s gloomy demeanor. After carefully choosing his words, he spoke calmly.

“Reporting to the Sect Master, Axi has come to request that you release my master.”

“Oh? And why should I?” Ji Wushuang’s expression darkened further. He arched his thick, winged brows, leaning forward to glare down at Shui Jingxuan.

Ji Wushuang’s twin sister curved her lips, a look of keen interest gracing her features. ‘How will the boy confess?’ she wondered. ‘I’m very much looking forward to this.’

“Reporting to the Sect Master, I was the one who killed the High Priest. It has nothing to do with my master,” Shui Jingxuan stated, wasting no words as he directly revealed the truth.

“You killed him? Why did you kill the High Priest? And how did you manage it?” Ji Wushuang’s twin sister pressed, her eyes gleaming with unconcealed curiosity. ‘For the boy to face the High Priest was akin to a mantis trying to stop a chariot, yet, unexpectedly, the mantis actually overturned the chariot. What an extraordinary feat!’

Ji Wushuang also fixed his piercing gaze on Shui Jingxuan, clearly intrigued by his answer.

Shui Jingxuan lowered his eyes slightly, exhaled a turbid breath, then resolutely raised his right hand. With his left index finger, he channeled a surge of internal energy, harshly slashing across the back of his right hand.

A half-inch-long, blood-soaked wound instantly appeared on his fair skin.

“Because of this,” Shui Jingxuan declared, raising his hand and presenting it before Ji Wushuang. They watched as the wound healed at a visible rate.

In mere moments, aside from a faint trace of blood, no injury could be found, as if his self-inflicted wound had been nothing but an illusion.

Since Ji Wushuang had witnessed his body’s self-healing ability, he would inevitably realize that the meridians in his right hand were not truly severed. Shui Jingxuan decided to be even more thorough in his confession.

He continued slowly, “He accidentally discovered that my right hand was not crippled and intended to dissect my body to examine it. To protect myself, I demonstrated what you just saw. As he was stunned and caught off guard, I flicked a poison pellet, which I had secretly obtained earlier, into his throat.”

Shui Jingxuan omitted the part about his ability to detoxify, instead fabricating a half-truth that was completely flawless.

The Ji Wushuang siblings stared blankly at Shui Jingxuan’s smooth, unblemished hand for a long moment before finally snapping back to reality.

“You… your body, how could it…” A true display of supernatural power unfolded before her eyes, and even Ji Wushuang’s twin sister, despite her formidable nerves, found it somewhat overwhelming.

“Your right hand wasn’t crippled after all?” Ji Wushuang’s tone was aggressive, his expression almost grotesque. His focus was entirely different from his twin sister’s.

He remembered regretting the crippling of the boy’s right arm for two whole years, only to discover it had all been a deception. A flash of bloodlust flickered in his eyes, his emotions teetering on the brink of an enraged outburst.

‘Little brother, this isn’t the main point, is it?’ Ji Wushuang’s twin sister thought, casting a glance at her sibling, who was radiating a murderous aura. She felt a strong urge to palm her forehead.

Shui Jingxuan had already anticipated Ji Wushuang’s reaction. Ji Wushuang loathed deception above all else, yet he was still managing to control himself and question Shui Jingxuan instead of instantly killing him.

This indicated that Shui Jingxuan still held some significance in his heart.

With that thought, a glint flashed in Shui Jingxuan’s eyes. He did not retreat; instead, he took two steps closer, looking directly into Ji Wushuang’s eyes. His tone was calm, but a careful listener would detect a hint of resentment.

“How could I dare tell the Sect Master? That day, when Wolf Girl struck with such cruelty, the Sect Master immediately reprimanded me without discerning right from wrong.

With such blatant favoritism, if I had revealed that my right hand was fine and could even heal itself after being crippled, would the Sect Master not have been delighted, just like the High Priest, to flay me, dismember me, and dissect me thoroughly?”

“At that time, I was nothing to you. My life or death would never have mattered to you. Tell me, how could I have dared to speak?”

At this, Ji Wushuang shivered violently, feeling immensely grateful for the boy’s foresight.

Two years ago, he might not have cared, but today, the mere thought of the boy vanishing from his life entirely felt like an invisible hand clutching his throat, nearly suffocating him.

The realization that the High Priest had wanted to flay and dismember his boy rekindled Ji Wushuang’s fading anger. He yearned to flog the High Priest’s corpse into a bloody pulp.

‘How regrettable,’ Ji Wushuang’s twin sister sighed. ‘Little brother’s favoritism was boundless back then.

Just thinking about it is infuriating.’ Stirred by the boy’s words, she spoke sarcastically, “Isn’t that right! Little brother, no wonder the boy didn’t trust you.”

Ji Wushuang’s expression was awkward. His previous towering rage, which had felt so righteous, now faltered.

Shui Jingxuan knew that if he didn’t secure Ji Wushuang’s complete understanding, not only would saving Elder Mu be impossible, but his own safety would also be jeopardized. Therefore, he continued.

“Having a body different from others is not Axi’s fault. Our bodies, skin, and hair are gifts from our parents; how can we allow others to trample upon them arbitrarily? If the High Priest desired to defile my body, Axi would have sacrificed his life.”

“The reason Axi chose to tell the Sect Master now is because time reveals hearts, and I feel that the Sect Master and Axi are kindred spirits, sharing the same experiences.”

Shui Jingxuan strenuously instilled in Ji Wushuang the notion that his killing was justified, even drawing him into his own circle under the guise of being ‘kindred spirits.’

This struck directly at Ji Wushuang’s lonely, cold heart, a testament to Shui Jingxuan’s eloquence.

Ji Wushuang also had a past of being treated as a freak and trampled upon. Shui Jingxuan’s words instantly stirred his deepest memories, and a powerful sense of identification surged from his heart, making his pulse thunder.

He had always believed his own body was shocking enough, yet he never imagined the boy shared a similar hidden worry.

Moreover, compared to himself, the boy’s situation was even more perilous. If the world knew of his constitution, he would surely be treated as a human medicine, suffering the fate of being devoured and torn apart.

“Hmph! Well said! Bodies different from others are still born of parents. What wrong is there in that? The High Priest truly deserved to die! Killing him ten thousand times over wouldn’t be enough!”

Before Ji Wushuang could fully extricate himself from his complex emotions, his twin sister spoke indignantly, her deep eyes filled with a murderous aura.

The humiliation of being stripped naked, hung upside down from the city gates, and trampled upon by Immortal Ziyang surged back.

“Hah! Fortunately, he’s already dead. If he weren’t, this Venerable One has plenty of ways to make him beg for death but be unable to find it!”

Ji Wushuang sneered, his words laced with chilling intent. In his mind, the High Priest’s image had merged with that of his enemy, Immortal Ziyang.

It worked! Ji Wushuang’s weakness was indeed their unique bodies! Shui Jingxuan, having received the expected response, subtly lowered his eyelids, concealing the faint glint in his pupils.

He cupped his hands and spoke solemnly, “Thank you for the Sect Master’s understanding. Axi does not regret killing the High Priest, but Axi cannot stand by and watch his master suffer on his behalf.”

“Now that I have confessed, I implore the Sect Master to release my master. Axi will bear all the charges alone!”

“Your master is an Elder. Taking the blame would at most result in his martial arts being crippled. If it were you, it would undoubtedly mean death. Even so, do you still wish to bear it all?”

Ji Wushuang’s heart ached with an unspeakable bitterness upon hearing the boy’s words, and he warned in a chilling tone.

“Having one’s martial arts crippled is worse than death! Rather than have my master suffer for the rest of his life, Axi would rather die a swift death!”

Shui Jingxuan declared with a righteous expression, though in his heart, he was employing a strategy of feigning retreat to advance. He knew full well that since Ji Wushuang had acknowledged him, he wouldn’t stand by and watch him die.

As expected, Ji Wushuang frowned deeply, pondering in silence for a long while, his mind in a fierce struggle. He had never imagined that Elder Mu held such importance in the boy’s heart.

He suddenly felt an impulse to eliminate Elder Mu immediately.

“What’s all this talk of death? With me here, neither of you will die!” Seeing that her younger brother remained silent, Ji Wushuang’s twin sister couldn’t help but interject.

Having finally encountered someone whose body was even more unusual than theirs, her maternal instincts surged, making her want to protect Shui Jingxuan like a fledgling.

“This Venerable One has a way to protect both of you,” Ji Wushuang said slowly, giving his impatient twin sister a cold glare. “However, you must agree to one condition of mine.”

“What condition? As long as it can save my master, Axi would not dare disobey!” Shui Jingxuan lowered his head, his voice filled with gratitude.

“Very good.” Ji Wushuang was pleased with his decisive attitude. He leaned forward, meeting Shui Jingxuan’s gaze, and spoke slowly, word by word,

“Renounce Elder Mu, become my disciple, and cultivate the Demonic Poison Art with me. I will then let bygones be bygones. How about it?”

His tone was stern and calm, yet his deep eyes held a hidden blend of anticipation and urgency.

If he were to spend every day with the boy from now on, he refused to believe he couldn’t erase the imprint Elder Mu had left on the boy’s heart. The boy should have been his disciple; all love and reverence belonged to him!

Ji Wushuang’s twin sister, unaware of her younger brother’s private intentions, thought it was an excellent idea and readily agreed.

Shui Jingxuan displayed a troubled expression, yet inwardly, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. This gamble, he had finally won! Ji Wushuang, as a person, indeed had admirable qualities, and his affection for him was not feigned!

At this moment, he had no right to refuse Ji Wushuang’s condition. Moreover, he was not an ancient person; as long as he held respect in his heart, what did a formal master-disciple relationship matter?

“Hahahaha~” Ji Wushuang released the breath he had unconsciously held, throwing his head back in laughter. Then, he pulled Shui Jingxuan into his embrace, patting him repeatedly, calling out, “Good disciple!”

After two long years of waiting, he had finally claimed this child as his own. He felt an indescribable sense of elation.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Could It Be That I’m Actually the Strongest Final Boss?

ComedyFantasyFemale Protagonist

Read Now →
Not interested