MMJWQC Chapter 47

Torture, even a thousand cuts, and ten thousand slashes.

What kind of heinous acts must one commit to deserve such an extreme punishment? Or is it all just a sinister conspiracy and false accusation?

If it weren’t for overwhelming hatred, Feng Qi wouldn’t have become a vengeful ghost. If he had truly done harm to others and himself, how could he have become a vengeful ghost and, on the seventh day after his death, massacred the entire capital city?

Chu Ruochun had expected Feng Qi to react with anger or tears upon regaining his memories, but he merely sat up. However, the murderous intent in his eyes couldn’t be concealed; this was the true face of the suppressed vengeful ghost.

As Feng Qi slowly absorbed his memories and adjusted, the murderous intent in his eyes gradually diminished.

Chu Ruochun’s face remained pale. He closed the door, blocking the view of the others, and asked cautiously, “Have you remembered everything?”

Feng Qi’s throat tightened, and he stared at Chu Ruochun intensely. “I was sealed for too long. I can’t remember many things.”

“Before you died or after?” Chu Ruochun asked succinctly.

Feng Qi now recalled both what happened before his death and after. “I killed that wretched emperor, but now, I can’t even remember his face. There were 135 people in his family, and they all died under his oppressive rule. Who cast the sealing curse on me? Was it you, Junior?”

Chu Ruochun asked, “Do you genuinely know, or are you pretending not to know?”

There was still a faint scar on Feng Qi’s forehead, which he had just caused himself by knocking against the bedpost. If his makeup artist saw it, they would be heartbroken. The face he wore every day was worth billions.

Suddenly, Feng Qi moved close to Chu Ruochun, his hands gripping Chu Ruochun’s shoulders tightly. His previously subtle expression was gone, and his eyes were as deep as ink.

In a low voice, Feng Qi whispered in Chu Ruochun’s ear, “Why? Why did you resurrect me?”

Chu Ruochun pressed him against the wall, abandoning his usual gentleness, and demanded, “Don’t you know it yourself?”

“Chu Ruochun, who gave you the right to do those things?” Feng Qi growled, his eyes reddening with anger. “What does my death have to do with you? Why didn’t you obediently wait on the mountain?”

“Why shouldn’t it concern me? There’s nothing wrong with resurrecting you. Your life should not have ended! You’re my senior, my only family!” Chu Ruochun cradled Feng Qi’s face in his hands, smiling with relief. “I was the one who saved you. My life is intertwined with yours. What’s wrong with letting you live? I couldn’t bear to watch you die in front of me!”

Feng Qi closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Chu Ruochun’s. Tears, which he hadn’t shed even during his gruesome execution, now flowed down his cheeks, landing warmly on Chu Ruochun’s thumb.

“The day of your execution, I was there too,” Chu Ruochun’s emotions welled up naturally. He watched Feng Qi’s tears and his own eyes brimmed with tears. They cascaded down his cheeks with every blink. “The scavenging dogs feasted on your flesh, while the Dog Emperor and his consort sat in their high seats, laughing. They never valued human life. I regretted it deeply. I was too weak back then, unable to save you. However, after you killed the Dog Emperor, those who framed you will die, never to rise again.”

“You asked me earlier if there was anything I couldn’t remember. Now, I’ll ask you. What did you do after my death, apart from transforming me from a vengeful ghost into a human? Why have you become like this, and why did you go to the Ghost Abyss?”

His series of questions left Chu Ruochun unsure of how to respond.

Chu Ruochun attempted to avoid the question, saying, “It’s been hundreds of years, and I can’t explain it all at once.”

Feng Qi stared at him intently and wiped away his tears. “Well, I have time. You better tell me honestly, as if I’m still your senior!”

Indeed, Feng Qi was Chu Ruochun’s senior. They shared the same master and the same martial arts school, growing up together since childhood.

When Feng Qi was five years old, he was taken as a disciple by their master, while Chu Ruochun returned to the martial arts school a year later. 

Growing up together, they shared their lives and learned martial arts side by side. Feng Qi’s talent surpassed that of Chu Ruochun, and both were prominent figures in the world of martial arts. They never minded being compared to each other and shared a deep bond.

At the age of eighteen, Feng Qi followed their master down the mountain and entered the palace. The elderly emperor believed in the power of martial arts and hoped that their master and Feng Qi could create an elixir for immortality. However, fate has its ways, and the old emperor eventually succumbed to aging and death.

After the old emperor’s passing, a new emperor ascended the throne, and their master, who had grown old, returned to their martial arts school to retire. Chu Ruochun stayed behind to accompany their master, while Feng Qi remained in the palace as the new emperor’s royal teacher.

The new emperor was unaware that the young royal teacher had once escaped a calamity under his rule many years ago.

At the age of five, Feng Qi, known as Feng Huaijin back then, was still the brilliant young scion of the Feng family. His grandfather held a high position in the government, but due to a salt smuggling case in the southern regions that infringed upon the interests of the Empress’s family, the third prince and the current imperial uncle conspired to frame the Feng family. They accused them of treason and executed over a hundred members of the Feng family, publicly beheading them.

Feng Qi’s family managed to hide him in a cellar, saving him from the massacre. Subsequently, he was secretly sent into the hands of their master, who had previously interacted with the Feng family. From then on, he began learning martial arts under their master’s tutelage.

Despite his extraordinary talents, he carried the heavy burden of seeking revenge against his family’s enemies. At the age of eighteen, he made a determined choice to accompany their master into the palace, driven by his desire to avenge his family. He was determined to live on and exact vengeance for the blood feud that haunted him.

Under a pseudonym, he concealed his true identity and followed their master closely, watching the old emperor breathe his last, knowing that he had finally avenged his family’s massacre.

The one who had ordered the massacre of his Feng family was the new emperor, who happened to be the third prince who had entered the Feng family years ago. While Taoist martial arts offered many options, it was too risky to involve their master and their martial arts school. Feng Qi chose to hide his identity and bide his time.

At first, the new emperor had a great deal of trust in Feng Qi. He believed strongly in martial arts and was initially supportive of Feng Qi’s role as the royal teacher. However, shortly after Feng Qi assumed this position, a cunning eunuch recommended a new Taoist priest to the new emperor. This Taoist priest lacked many other skills but excelled in flattery and manipulation. He often sowed discord and mistrust between the new emperor and Feng Qi.

The old Taoist had intended to tarnish Feng Qi’s reputation in the new emperor’s eyes to secure his own advancement. He desired to become the royal teacher, but Feng Qi remained steadfast and resolute. Despite falling victim to poison, he didn’t let the old Taoist succeed. However, the new Taoist was more cunning and adept in dark arts and treacherous methods. Feng Qi, driven by his deep-seated desire for revenge against his family’s enemies, was raised by their master from a young age. He lacked the craftiness of the old Taoist and fell into the trap, consuming a poisoned tea offered by him.

Shortly thereafter, the old Taoist learned from others that Feng Qi’s appearance closely resembled that of the massacred members of the Feng family. He conducted a secret investigation and discovered that the Feng family had a three-year-old child who had miraculously survived the massacre. The new Taoist reported this information to the new emperor, who was already suspicious and had a bloody history of murders even before ascending to the throne. The effects of the eye medicine further fueled his paranoia, and he began to believe that Feng Qi was a member of the Feng family.

In a fit of rage, the new emperor imprisoned Feng Qi and blamed him for the death of the previous emperor, subjecting him to the gruesome punishment of slow torture.

Feng Qi had considered escape, but where could he run? While he couldn’t clear his grandfather’s name, he harbored no fear of death. His only regret was that he might never see his one and only martial brother again, and he felt deeply indebted to their master for raising him.

Chu Ruochun sighed, choking back tears, and said, “Since you consider me your martial brother, why didn’t you escape back then? You clearly had a chance.”

No matter how many years had passed, he couldn’t forget the gruesome scene of his martial brother being brutally tortured every night.

He had to fight with wild dogs for pieces of his martial brother’s flesh. If a dog swallowed it, he would retrieve it from the dog’s stomach. Bit by bit, piece by piece, his martial brother’s body couldn’t be pieced back together!

Chu Ruochun resented his martial brother, resented their master even more, and hated those ruthless rulers who killed innocent people.

“I’m sorry. If I hadn’t sought revenge, we could have lived peacefully in the mountains for the rest of our lives,” Feng Qi said. He wasn’t afraid of anything, but he dreaded his martial brother’s frequent outbursts, although they had become less frequent as he grew older.

Chu Ruochun’s eyes welled up with tears as he said, “Even if given another chance, you would still choose to avenge your family.”

Feng Qi asked, “The manual from the Feng family, did you give it to them?”

Chu Ruochun nodded and slowly explained what happened to Feng Qi’s soul after it was shattered. “After you became a vengeful spirit, the Dog Emperor and those who killed you were all eliminated. Later, cultivators from the Martial Arts world came after you. The four major sects joined forces to hunt you down, and even the eminent monks from Jingkong Si nearly scattered your soul. However, we have to thank that old Taoist for planting the curse on you. The offspring of the curse connects to your soul. Without it, I couldn’t have found your soul. It was hidden deep inside. I found the mother of that curse planted by the old Taoist, and it led me to your spirit. Otherwise, you would have been discovered by the people from the four major sects.”

Feng Qi remembered severely injuring the Taoist who came to besiege him, but he recalled one thing, “I remember I didn’t kill that Taoist.”

Chu Ruochun said, “Don’t dwell on that. If you didn’t kill him, he would have followed the curse’s offspring to completely extinguish your remaining soul. Without a soul, how could you reincarnate?”

“You’ve caused bloodshed for my sake,” Feng Qi thought, his whole body aching, even more than when he was subjected to a thousand cuts. He closed his eyes and said, “Chu Ruochun, you’re truly foolish.”

“What am I afraid of? I have no parents, only you and our master. After our master heard about your situation, he couldn’t get out of bed. You’re the only family I have left.” Chu Ruochun didn’t care about right or wrong. If he had caused bloodshed, so be it.

Feng Qi felt a pang of sorrow for his junior disciple. “Which incarnation is this for you?”

Chu Ruochun pursed his lips. When his senior disciple was serious, he couldn’t lie. “Twenty-seventh.”

Furrowing his brows, Feng Qi quickly realized the problem. “But it’s only been five hundred years. Each of your incarnations couldn’t have lived past twenty years old.” He pointed to him and said sternly, “Give me your ID.”

Chu Ruochun lowered his head. “Senior brother, please don’t ask.”

Feng Qi, who himself hadn’t lived beyond thirty due to his incomplete soul being trapped in the descendants of the Feng family, wondered about Chu Ruochun.

“After your long slumber, Chu Ruochun, what have you done?” Feng Qi asked again.

“Ruochun, please tell me.” Feng Qi tightly grasped his wrist. When Chu Ruochun remained silent, he felt frustrated by his own helplessness and called out to him once more.

“Two months,” Chu Ruochun finally confessed. He raised his head and, just like a long time ago, buried it in Feng Qi’s neck. “Seeing my senior brother return to the mortal world made me very happy. These two months were worth it.”

Feng Qi gently stroked the back of Chu Ruochun’s head, unable to calm his emotions, but he still asked, “What did you do?”

Why couldn’t he live past twenty in each incarnation?

Chu Ruochun, crying, managed a bitter smile. His hands wrapped around Feng Qi’s waist, and he nuzzled him, feeling his warmth. At this moment, he was happy, filled with the joy of reuniting, and all those years of persistence finally felt worthwhile.

“Senior brother, you’re alive, back in the mortal world.”

Chu Ruochun produced a contented smile and wrapped his arms around Feng Qi’s waist. “Senior brother, please, hug me.”

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