Qin Kaiyi was a bit hesitant when he left. He knew that Shen Feixiao’s reaction when he woke up and didn’t see him there would definitely be a bit extreme, but he didn’t want to stay there. Qin Kaiyi didn’t know why, but he always had a strange sense of danger. It was as if his instincts were warning him–if he didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag, he had to stay far away from Shen Feixiao.

Helpless, Qin Kaiyi had no choice but to make a decision–he would let Shen Feixiao stay alone in God’s Medicine Valley, and he himself would return to Lingshan Sect earlier.

If there was no further chaos in the plot, Shen Feixiao would stay in the God’s Medicine Valley for six years. These six years were too precious for Qin Kaiyi, because once Shen Feixiao returned to Lingshan Sect, he himself would face a cruel reality–Qin Shi was about to start betraying Qing Xuzi and the plot would eventually have him be expelled from the Lingshan Sect. When he thought of how that always kind and benevolent old man treated him like a dear son, and of how that old man would damage and lose so much cultivation for his own sake–even to the point that he would fall when he reached the Ascension stage.

Qing Xuzi was probably the only person he cared about in this world. Others were almost indistinguishable from NPCs in the eyes of Qin Kaiyi. Knowing of such a plot, Qin Kaiyi had a feeling of powerlessness. Wanting to prevent this kind of thing from happening, he found that as long as he was still struggling towards his ultimate goal, he could not avoid such an ending. He could only harden his heart and grind his teeth to bear it.

Not only that, but Qin Kaiyi also needed to use these six years to vigorously improve his strength. The day when Shen Feixiao returned was when they broke off relations. At that time, a large part of his life needed to be protected by his own strength. If he continued like he did now without seeking to make progress, Qin Kaiyi couldn’t live safely even if the system no longer gave him its ruinous tasks.

Qin Kaiyi knew clearly how deeply Shen Feixiao now hated the shixiong who wanted to kill him, and he knew that there was no possibility of mending the relationship between him and Shen Feixiao.

This was the destiny between them, with no rest until death.

The original plot had been partially changed. When Shen Feixiao reached God’s Medicine Valley in the novel he was only at the foundation-building period, but now he had speedily reached the fasting period–Qin Kaiyi did not know whether this change was good or bad. Shen Feixiao’s progress may speed up his own return value accumulation, but it may also make it more difficult for him to complete the tasks.

The twists in the plot would always be a double-edged sword. Qin Kaiyi found it difficult to predict future developments, but his energy should obviously not be placed on that misted future… he must instead cast his gaze on the present.

The God’s Medicine Valley was in remote terrain, and did not allow for flying spells. Therefore, Qin Kaiyi took a long time to pass through these deep mountains and wild valleys. If not for the abundant supplies in the storage ring, Qin Kaiyi might even have the misconception that he would die within the valley… but the heavens extended pity. Half a year later, Qin Kaiyi returned to the Lingshan Sect.

Qing Xuzi was incredibly excited when he saw Qin Kaiyi. He embraced that head disciple whose circumstances he had thought were all inauspicious, and his old man’s tears fell so hard that they criss-crossed on his face. All sorts of feelings welled up in Qin Kaiyi’s heart, and the rims of his eyes also began to moisten as Qing Xuzi’s trembling voice sounded.

“Qin’er, where did you go in the end, I thought you… were harmed inside.” As the head of a sect, being able to lose himself to this degree has fully demonstrated his feelings for Qin Shi: “I blame it on my confusion in my old age. At that I don’t know what evil came over me, telling someone so sick and not yet healed to follow along… it’s all shifu’s fault! I heard the news from your shidi of an incident occurring… shifu almost couldn’t hold himself back from following you!”

Qin Kaiyi’s eyes were sore when he heard this. He naturally knew who the culprit who caused Qing Xuzi to make such a decision was. But what could he do? He couldn’t tell Qing Xuzi that they could never escape fate, so he had to try to appease the old man in front of him: “Shifu, don’t say that. I encountered an accident and fell into a strange formation, and it took me a lot of time to escape… I let you worry.”

Qing Xuzi didn’t say anything. He patted Qin Kaiyi’s shoulder vigorously: “Since you’re back, then let’s not exchange any more pleasantries. Qin’er, although this trip to pick spiritual grass did not achieve its original purpose, as long as you come back, shifu will be relieved.”

“Yes.” Qin Kaiyi lowered his head slightly, exposing a docile expression: “It’s a blessing to be able to return to the Lingshan Sect.”

“Then shifu won’t disturb you, you should go and have a rest.” Qing Xuzi had a relieved expression: “Ai …it must be shizu’s blessing and protection.”

All that should be said was said. Qing Xuzi sent someone to take Qin Kaiyi to rest.

Although he thought his disciple had had an accident, Qing Xuzi still maintained Qin Kaiyi’s dongfu. Judging from the lack of dust accumulated inside, it seemed that there were still people cleaning it regularly.

With such a shifu, could one really be willing to let him down? Qin Kaiyi didn’t know what Qin Shi thought in the novel. Qin Shi had all these resources at his fingertips: spirit stones, spirit elixirs, a dongfu, magical treasures, and Qing Xuzi’s favor. But just because of a little jealousy and resentment, the Qin Shi from the original work was set upon the demonic path.

This was the wheel of fate. Qin Kaiyi sighed with regret and sat on the cleaned stone bed. As the author of the novel, he claimed to have no feelings about what happened. This was absolutely false. He had thought about it more than once. If he hadn’t written this novel, he would not experience these tortures.

Just as Qin Kaiyi relaxed and let go of his flights of fancy, a familiar voice suddenly sounded outside his dongfu.

“Shixiong? Are you here?” Liu Ling’er’s voice didn’t change much, always crisp and sweet.

“Ling’er?” Qin Kaiyi froze at the sound of her voice, and then inexplicably felt guilt in his heart.

“Shixiong! Open the door quickly! Let me come in!” Once Liu Ling’er heard Qin Kaiyi’s voice, her tone immediately became urgent.

“Come in.” Qin Kaiyi looked at Liu Ling’er, who was wearing a green dress, entering the dongfu. He looked at the little shimei who he hadn’t seen in months, and found that she had a more mature temperament.

“Shixiong!” Liu Ling’er was undoubtedly happy to see Qin Kaiyi. As soon as she entered the door, she threw herself into Qin Kaiyi’s arms and grabbed the shixiong she thought she would never see again, weeping.

This scared Qin Kaiyi, who had no experience coaxing girls, or dealing with a girl messily crying. Helpless, he had to hug Liu Ling’er while patting her back and comforting her, thinking to let her ease her collapsed mental state.

This should have been a harmonious and touching scene, but such a scene was completely destroyed after Liu Ling’er’s next question.

With tears on her face, Liu Linger raised her face and looked at Qin Kaiyi, her lips quivering while she asked, “Shixiong, why didn’t Shen Feixiao come back?”

Qin Kaiyi was stunned for a moment, then remembered the conversation between Liu Ling’er and Shen Feixiao under the tree before he left. It was this crying with an appearance like raindrops on a pear blossom little shimei in front of him who warned Shen Fei Xiao… don’t be afraid of your shixiong. In fact, everyone would be clear on what the implications of this sentence were.

“Him ah.” The emotion in his eyes slowly became as indifferent as usual. Qin Kaiyi and Liu Ling’er pulled away from each other a short distance: “Him and I separated, I don’t know how he is.”

“…” With this sentence, Liu Linger’s complexion instantly turned white. She bit her lip and looked at Qin Kaiyi with a desolate look: “Shixiong … you…”

“What about me?” Qin Kaiyi suppressed the sigh in his throat into his chest. He let go of Liu Ling’er and sat back on his bed again. He looked at the little shimei in front of him with no expression.

“Did you…” Liu Linger’s words were on her lips, but she couldn’t say anything.

“Did I kill Shen Feixiao?” Qin Kaiyi said Liu Ling’er’s unfinished words, and he gently let out a sigh: “Ling’er, did you want to ask this?”

“No, I didn’t!” Qin Kaiyi suddenly hit the nail on the head, and Liu Ling’er shook her head in a panic, stuttering: “I, I just want to ask, does shixiong know where Shen Feixiao is?” No other meaning!”

“Is it.” Qin Kaiyi wanted to smile bitterly, but felt that was a little inappropriate, so he could only hang an out-of-place smile on his face: “Then shixiong thinks too much.”

“…” Liu Ling’er didn’t know what to say.

Just because of Liu Ling’er’s words, the atmosphere between her and Qin Kaiyi became inexplicably awkward. After a while, Liu Ling’er couldn’t stand it anymore. After saying goodbye to Qin Kaiyi, she left in a hurry without trying to say anything else.

Qin Kaiyi just sat by bed, watching Liu Ling’er leave in a panic. He suddenly discovered at this time… It turned out that he didn’t recall this little shimei as fondly as he thought he did, but instead had a feeling as if his circumstances were just that he came to this world and saw her as his first little bird–no one would enjoy being robbed of what he once had.

“What are you going to do next?” Yan Gu, who spoke less and less, opened his mouth in his sea of ​​knowledge. During the past six months, he had transformed into a new human form, but the appearance of this person was no longer like Qin Kaiyi. His appearance was that of a stranger’s.

“Practice.” The poisonous insect in his dantian, surrounded by layers of demonic energy, seemed to be moving restlessly again. Qin Kaiyi’s eyes were calm and indifferent: “Otherwise what else can I do?”

“What the hell are you doing this for?” Yan Gu asked this Qin Kaiyi more than once, but there was never an answer that satisfied him.

“Doing what?” This time, Qin Kaiyi didn’t bother to half-heartedly reply for show. He smiled with irony: “Actually, from the beginning, it was not what I wanted to do, but… what can I do.”

The choice was never in his hands; he was just a pawn who couldn’t look back.

“I get it.” Yan Gu finished saying these three words, and then fell silent again. He left Qin Kaiyi to sit quietly on the stone bed alone, looking at the scenery outside the door and falling into an unmoving daze.

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Still open to reader recs for other projects to translate!

Though I am partial to xianxia/xuanhuan, modern-day settings and other different ones work well too! I’ve read wayyyy ahead on certain Beastman novels and found myself enjoying them too… cough

(FYI this translator is basic and can only do Chinese BL novels)