Ch59 - Story

Ji Qinghuai waited at home for Xie Yan and the sky gradually darkened but there was no sign of him. He sent a message to him and received nothing but silence. As time passed, he became more anxious.

On Ji Qinghuai’s left hand, the silver bell that he once disliked was tied around his wrist. The bell would ring out with every slight movement of his wrist. Each time it rang, it was a reminder.

Waiting with no response in sight was especially torturous. Apprehensive and tense, he paced back and forth in the living room to calm himself down.

Xie Yan’s body hadn’t recovered yet, so hopefully, nothing will happen…

As he made up nonsense in his head, there was finally a movement outside the door and Ji Qinghuai’s heart lurched.

When Xie Yan opened the door, a chill permeated the room but Ji Qinghuai ran over and hugged him.

“You’re finally back.” He wrapped his arm around his neck and asked with concern, “Are you hurt?”

Xie Yan let Ji Qinghuai hug him and replied calmly, “No.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Only then did Ji Qinghuai put his heart down, and his eyes inadvertently glanced at the band-aid on Xie Yan’s neck.

The wound was located at that spot and to cover it up, Xie Yan wore a turtleneck sweater today. However, the wound wasn’t located too high or low, just along the neckline of the sweater so even the sweater couldn’t cover it.

He had no choice but to take a band-aid and put it on the wound to hide it.

Ji Qinghuai helped Xie Yan straighten the collar of his sweater, “Did you find Xu Luo?”

“Couldn’t find.”

“Ah?” Ji Qinghuai let go of Xie Yan and asked worriedly, “Xu Luo wouldn’t have been killed too, right?”

“Don’t worry.”

“It’s good if we couldn’t find his body,” Xie Yan reassured. “Maybe Xu Luo is still alive.”

Listening to his words, Ji Qinghuai felt a little relieved. He suddenly remembered something and pulled on Xie Yan’s face. “Yanyan, I remembered something.”

Ji Qinghuai pulled Xie Yan inside. Xie Yan was not in a hurry to ask and sat down with him on the sofa.

Ji Qinghuai then opened his mouth, “When I just finished filming the movie, I went to Lu Yun Street with Xu Luo to investigate Xiang Yunfei’s clinic. I met you that day, do you have any impression of this?”

“Yes, I met you that day.” Xie Yan replied.

“Oh.”

Ji Qinghuai thought that he found an important clue, so he was a bit lost upon hearing Xie Yan’s affirmation.

Xie Yan lifted his hand and touched Ji Qinghuai’s head, his white hand moving down along the soft hair and wrapping his ears. “I mean, the person you met that day was me, not Xie Yan.”

Once his voice fell, a sudden pain erupted from the back of Ji Qinghuai’s neck. He didn’t have time to react and instantly lost consciousness. Then he collapsed.

Ji Qinghuai didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. When he woke up, he found himself lying on a bed. He was sitting beside a person with familiar delicate features, familiar noble temperament, familiar golden-rimmed glasses, and familiar beautiful eyes.

But Ji Qinghuai knew that the person in front of him was not Xie Yan.

He tried to sit up but found that his hands were bound by rope. After struggling for a bit, he realised that the rope was extremely strong and couldn’t be broken with ordinary force.

He tried to activate his demonic force, only tried once and gave up. Unsurprisingly, his demonic power was being suppressed by something and he couldn’t use it.

He sat up and asked the person beside him, “Who are you?”

“Let me introduce myself first.” The man took off the golden glasses on his nose leisurely and revealed the red eyes behind the lens. “My name is Shen Qiuli.”

Ji Qinghuai was stunned.

The red pupils were a unique feature of the Shen family, and the person in front of him was also surnamed Shen…This definitely couldn’t be a coincidence.

Just then, Ji Qinghuai remembered his father saying that there was only one descendent of the Shen family alive; Shen Xie. Furthermore, why would Shen Qiuli look the same as Xie Yan? Even their voices were the same.

There were many doubts in his heart, but he could not solve them.

“I guess you must have a lot of questions in your mind.” Shen Qiuli casually put the golden glasses aside. “Let me tell you a story. After listening, you can find the answer to all your questions.”

This was the fastest way to understand everything, so of course, Ji Qinghuai wouldn’t refuse. He changed to a more comfortable sitting position and said, “I’m listening.”

Shen Qiuli glanced at Ji Qinghuai and began recounting his story.

“It started more than a thousand years ago. “Shen Qiuli began to recall the past, “At that time, it was an eventful autumn, filled with war and turmoil. The people who were chatting and laughing at one moment would be dead in the next. That era was the eternal nightmare of all those who participated and survived.”

“At that time, they all understood that to put an end to the chaotic situation, they had to carry out a large-scale purge of the demon clans. Only by completely cutting off the root of the problem could they integrate the world and bring peace. Thus, they pinned their hopes on the Shen family.”

“The Shen family had an innate talent. They seemed to be born for this chaotic world, and indeed as those people wished, the Shen family brought about the dawn of a new world. But unexpectedly, a change of events completely changed the lives of two people.”

Ji Qinghuai listened quietly, silently guessing who the “two people” Shen Qiuli was referring to.

Shen Qiuli continued. “It was a devastating battle. Heaven gave the Shen family an outstanding talent, but then destroyed them with their own hands. The adults in the family perished, leaving behind only a juvenile teenager and a boy. That boy was called Shen Yan.”

“Shen Yan…” Ji Qinghuai whispered the name and suddenly reacted.

Xie Yan!

Therefore, Xie Yan was also a member of the Shen family!

Seeing Ji Qinghuai’s reaction, Shen Qiuli knew that he had understood.

“Later, the young man was forced to take on the unfinished burden of the Shen family. However, even though he was extremely talented, he was only a young teenager after all. Several people were willing to follow him, so the heart of the military shook and an internal struggle began.”

“This was exactly what the enemies wanted. Who knows how many people were waiting for them to fall apart so they could reap the benefits, while others set themselves on the child.”

Even though he knew that Shen Qiuli was narrating his experience as a youngster, Ji Qinghuai couldn’t help but worry.

“War is chaotic and full of animosity. If the heart is selfish, the chaos that follows is endless.” Shen Qiuli sighed and continued, “Before the Shen family fell, the head, along with the elders and other adults of the family, fought a vicious battle with a demon dragon. However, for some reason, they couldn’t kill it. So they worked together to seal it. After that, there was a rumour that if you wanted to break the seal, you must sacrifice a true descendent of the Shen family.”

Ji Qinghuai’s eyebrows could not help frowning upon hearing the last part.

“Those people captured that child and pushed him down into the abyss without mercy, but it didn’t turn out the way they wanted. Shen Yan died, but the seal was only loosened and not broken fully. Because of that, the rumour was proven to be false.”

Hearing this, Ji Qinghuai, who had not yet figured out what was going on, was even more confused, “That child is not Mr Xie?”

“It is him,” Shen Qiuli replied.

Ji Qinghuai thought to himself, “He didn’t die at the time, but changed his surname, hiding his red eyes, and left the Shen family?”

“Very clever.” Shen Qiuli praised him, both sincere and perfunctory.

So that’s why. Ji Qinghuai finally understood.

No wonder Ji Xianzhi would say that Shen Xie was the only one left in the Shen family now.

So the only question now is…

Ji Qinghuai asked Shen Qiuli, “Then, what about you? Who are you?”

“I…” Shen Qiuli smiled, but there was a hint of irony in his smile, “You can consider me…a twin.”

“Don’t fool me.” Ji Qinghuai retorted, “Mr Xie said he had no brothers.”

“He doesn’t have brothers.” Shen Qiuli’s tone turned cold, “He doesn’t even know I exist.”

Shen Qiuli had a face identical to Xie Yan. Every word and action seemed to be carved out of a mould. Even if they were twins, the degree of similarity could never be so high.

Ji Qinghuai had a bad feeling and vigilantly asked, “Who are you exactly?”

Shen Qiuli didn’t answer Ji Qinghuai, but instead asked him, “Do you know why Xie Yan didn’t die?”

Shen Qiuli approached Ji Qinghuai and spoke slowly, “Because it was me who was pushed down that time.”

Ji Qinghuai’s clear eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

Shen Qiuli had expected this reaction. “Before Xie Yan was captured, our Master took his blood and used some of his power to create me using wood as my body. When I was pushed into the abyss, the seal was loosened because I had the Shen family blood inside me, creating the illusion that Shen Yan was dead while dispelling the rumours at the same time. It was killing two birds with one stone.”

“Since then, there was no more Shen Yan in the world, and the Shen family was left with only that young man as the descendant.”

Having said that, the story was now over, and Ji Qinghuai finally figured out what was going on.

Therefore, Shen Qiuli was created artificially, but problems followed one after another.

“Did you kill Ma Wenbin?”

“Yes.” Shen Qiuli answered frankly.

Ji Qinghuai was puzzled, “He didn’t provoke you, right? Why did you kill him?”

“Because he was unlucky.” Shen Qiuli explained, “That night I went out to take care of business. He mistook me for Xie Yan and came to chat with me. I thought that since the new year was over, I should reconcile with Xie Yan and send him a gift.”

His tone was light as if human life was insignificant to him. The body of an ant was not worth mentioning.

Ji Qinghuai asked again, “The person I met at the door of the community is also you?”

“Yes.” Shen Qiuli laughed. “You said that the fruit juice was delicious. It was the second meeting gift for Xie Yan.”

“Then what about Xu Luo?”

“Xu Luo was originally the third meeting gift.” With a playful smile on his face, Shen Qiuli said, “You know, Xu Luo has a good relationship with Xie Yan. If I throw Xu Luo’s corpse before Xie Yan, how do you think Xie Yan will react?”

Ji Qinghuai sincerely asked Shen Qiuli, “Are you sick?”

“Actually, I am sick.” Shen Qiu didn’t care about Ji Qinghuai scolding him, “I’m not only sick, but I’m also extremely sick, I can’t live long.”

Ji Qinghuai was startled when he heard this.

“Actually, I should have disappeared from this world long ago.” Shen Qiuli laughed at himself and asked Ji Qinghuai, “Aren’t you curious why I’m still alive?”

Ji Qinghuai didn’t answer because he knew that it was not going to be a pleasant story.

Shen Qiuli looked at Ji Qinghuai’s serious expression. He reached out his hand and touched his head to comfort him. That gentle move dazed Ji Qinghuai for a moment, it was as if the person in front of him was his Mr Xie.

“Back then when I was pushed down, I accepted my death intending to fulfil the purpose of my existence.” Shen Qiuli said calmly, “When I fell into the abyss, I turned back into a puppet, trapped in that dark place. The corrupted energy there was very heavy, constantly eroding my body while being conscious the whole time.”

“Later, the barrier was broken and the demon dragon brought disaster to the world. The God of War slaughtered him and I used the corrupted energy to turn into a human again and finally ran out of that damn place, however…”

Speaking of this, Shen Qiuliu paused and sighed. “I’m just a puppet after all. My body was too badly eroded by the corrupted energy. I simply couldn’t survive while dragging this crippled body. Just when I had resigned myself to death, I met a person.”

“You must think that this man saved me so that I could live safely until now. But ironically, he saved me not out of sincerity, but intending to use me to take revenge on his former Master.”

The last sentence provided a very important piece of information, and combined with what Xie Yan had said earlier, Ji Qinghuai guessed the identity of that person, “Zuo Lan?”

“En.” Shen Qiuli said, “He and your father are also old acquaintances but he’s now a fugitive. Xie Yan has been tracking him down for some time.”

As expected.

Ji Qinghuai thought about it and raised his head, “Where is Mr Xie? Where is he now?”

“Dead.”

Ji Qinghuai didn’t believe it, “There is a fated connection between you, who was created artificially, and Mr Xie. If he dies, you probably won’t be able to live either.”

“You know quite a lot.” Shen Qiuli laughed. “Your Mr Xie is locked up, but I can’t guarantee long he’ll still be alive.”

Ji Qinghuai’s bound hands tightened and loosened again, forming a plan in his mind.

“Although you are an artificial creation, your demonic power should be comparable to Mr Xie. How could someone as powerful as you be willing to be used by someone else? You were threatened by Zuo Lan in some way, right?”

“Why don’t we make a deal?” Ji Qinghuai probed. “If I defeat you, can you free me?”

“Good suggestion.” Shen Qiuli’s face suddenly cooled down. “But I didn’t plan to.”

Ji Qinghuai no longer wanted to fight Shen Qiuli anymore and asked straightforwardly, “What do you really want to do?”

“As I said before, this body of mine can’t last much longer on my own.”

“Mr Xie can help you.” Ji Qinghuai tried to persuade Shen Qiuli, “Since you helped Mr Xie before, he will definitely help you. You can live for a long time to come.”

“That being said, how can you be sure that he will help me?”

“He…”

Shen Qiuli raised his hand and interrupted Ji Qinghuai. “I know what you want to say, but I have a better idea.”

Shen Qiuli looked at Ji Qinghuai. “Do you want to see your Mr Xie?”

After that, Shen Qiuli reached out his hand and grabbed Ji Qinghuai’s arm, bringing him close to his body. Ji Qinghuai was shocked and exclaimed, “Oi, oi, oi, don’t touch my feet. I’m a person with a lover. I’m not so casual, I…Hey, don’t move my bell!”

Shen Qiuli ignored his struggles and forcibly removed the silver bell on his wrist.

“Give it back!” Ji Qinghuai tried to grab it, but Shen Qiuli deftly evaded him.

“This bell originally belonged to Shishu. Xie Yan is really generous, giving you such a precious thing.” Shen Qiuli gently shook the bell and the crisp bell sounded in Ji Qinghuai’s ear, “Do you know the use of this bell?”

Ji Qinghuai shook his head.

“Then I’ll tell you.” Shen Qiuli raised his mouth and smiled in disdain. “Didn’t you want to see Xie Yan? I’ll take you to see him now.”

I think the author changed her name on JJWXC and she also released another extra ljrfrejnfi I think there will be more extras in the future idk when its gonna fully end cuz extra 4 was posted 3 months after extra 3 LOL but yes main story is still completed