Chapter 39#

Take Down That Gentleman (2)#

After Shen Jue and Liu Xuan arrived at the Ten Extremes Island, they were ostracized by the other Tianluo bodies.

This was because all Tianluo bodies wanted to find a powerful master, so their own lives would be protected. If their master wasn’t strong enough, once their enemies came knocking, they would surely kill the Tianluo body first.

For Tianluo bodies, the more competitors there were, the more detrimental it was to them.

Thus, Shen Jue and Liu Xuan, as newcomers, were naturally rejected by those who had arrived earlier. Moreover, neither Shen Jue nor Liu Xuan had very likable personalities—Shen Jue was withdrawn, and Liu Xuan was clumsy with words. The two simply couldn’t integrate into the circles the others had already established.

At this moment, Shen Jue was injured—he had been pushed into the lake. If Liu Xuan hadn’t noticed in time and immediately called over a patrolling outer disciple of the Ten Extremes Island, Shen Jue would have likely died on the spot. However, after being rescued, Shen Jue had been feverish and ill, drifting in and out of consciousness. Liu Xuan hadn’t dared to sleep these past few days, watching over Shen Jue constantly, afraid that he might just pass away.

They had grown up together, practically relying on each other. Liu Xuan was three months older than Shen Jue and treated him like a real younger brother.

Now, looking at Shen Jue lying there with his eyes closed, Liu Xuan let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, Shen Jue was organizing his memories in his mind. He and Liu Xuan had already been on the Ten Extremes Island for over half a year.

In three more months, he would turn eighteen.

According to his memories from previous lives, not long after he turned eighteen, he was sent to Sang Xinghe’s bed.

Compared to him, Liu Xuan had a slightly better fate—he was given to the Right Protector of the Ten Extremes Island. That man seemed to genuinely care for Liu Xuan, at least during the time Shen Jue was still alive. Liu Xuan often smiled back then, though he was always worried about Shen Jue.

Everyone on Ten Extremes Island knew the Island Lord’s feelings for Sang Xinghe. If Shen Jue was given to Sang Xinghe, he probably wouldn’t live long…

…

Liu Xuan stayed by Shen Jue’s side for a while, then suddenly heard sounds from outside.

“Liu Xuan! Are you there?”

Liu Xuan’s eyes widened slightly. He glanced at Shen Jue on the bed, and seeing that his eyes were still closed, he quietly got up and went out. Standing outside the door was another Tianluo body named Ji Lian.

Ji Lian was one of the few people willing to interact with them.

“Ji Lian, why are you here?” Liu Xuan kept his voice very low, afraid of waking Shen Jue inside.

Ji Lian glanced at the door, which Liu Xuan had gently closed, and asked in a low voice, “Has Shen Jue woken up?”

“He woke up, but he’s gone back to sleep now.” Speaking of Shen Jue, Liu Xuan’s expression darkened.

“It’s good that he woke up. Don’t worry too much—surviving a disaster brings good fortune.” Ji Lian handed Liu Xuan the things in his hands. “These are some tonics. Boil them for Shen Jue to help him recover. I can see he’s very frail.”

As he said this, his face flushed slightly. “For us Tianluo bodies, the most important thing, to be honest, is still the body itself. They all prefer the strong ones, the ones who can endure rough treatment.” After all, the more one copulated with a Tianluo body, the more it benefited cultivation.

Of course, there were also those who especially liked delicate, fragile-looking ones.

Hearing this, Liu Xuan’s face also reddened. Although they knew their future fates well, they were still terribly afraid of such matters. Liu Xuan thought for a moment and said, “I’ve heard that there are women on the Ten Extremes Island too. Maybe a woman might take a liking to Xiao Jue.”

Ji Lian couldn’t help but laugh at that. “A woman would probably think Shen Jue is even weaker. His physique is even more delicate than a martial woman’s—he’s almost like an ordinary woman. But even if he ended up with an ordinary woman, she wouldn’t be able to protect him.” He paused, then added, “It would be better to follow a powerful man, at least that way he could keep his life.”

…

Shen Jue didn’t know that the two outside were discussing him. He had been lying down for a long time and felt thirsty, so he got up to pour himself some water. However, this body of his was truly fragile—as soon as he stepped off the bed, he collapsed to the ground.

The noise startled the two outside. Liu Xuan’s expression changed, and he immediately turned and rushed into the room. Seeing Shen Jue lying limply on the floor, he let out a cry of alarm, quickly set down whatever he was holding on the table, and hurried over to help him up. Ji Lian followed behind and also went over to assist.

Shen Jue was half-carried, half-supported back onto the bed. Liu Xuan checked to see if Shen Jue was injured anywhere, then gently rubbed his knees with concern. “Why did you get out of bed by yourself? You haven’t eaten for days—you can barely walk. Does your knee hurt?”

Shen Jue sat wearily on the edge of the bed, feeling somewhat annoyed with this body of his—it was even worse than his previous life.

Ji Lian stood to the side, carefully observing Shen Jue. To be honest, he thought there was reason why Shen Jue and Liu Xuan were rejected by everyone. Even among the naturally beautiful Tianluo bodies, the two of them had exceptionally striking features. If they were sold at a black market auction, they would fetch a very high price. In particular, Shen Jue—he had never seen a Tianluo body more beautiful than him. If he were an ordinary man instead of a Tianluo body, he might well have been drawn to Shen Jue.

But Shen Jue had such a low presence—always hunched over, hiding behind Liu Xuan—that people easily overlooked him. However, once someone noticed Shen Jue, they could no longer take their eyes off him.

But Shen Jue, beautiful as he was, was not only withdrawn in personality but also so physically weak. Who knew how long he could live?

“I’m fine,” Shen Jue said softly, moving his knee slightly, unwilling to let Liu Xuan touch him.

Once his memories had fully returned, Shen Jue had also regained some of his habits from his time as an immortal—he never liked being touched by others or being waited on like this.

But Liu Xuan misunderstood. He thought Shen Jue was reluctant to trouble him, afraid that he might tire himself out, so instead, he held Shen Jue’s leg even tighter. “Xiao Jue, don’t be difficult. Let me rub it for you, or it might bruise.”

Shen Jue frowned slightly, but he could only let it go.

Ji Lian laughed from the side. “You two brothers really have a close bond. I envy you. I never had a brother, older or younger, otherwise I’d have someone to keep me company here too.”

Shen Jue didn’t respond to Ji Lian’s words. He knew that Ji Lian, though appearing friendly on the surface, was not truly a good person. Back then, when Shen Jue was selected, half the reason was Ji Lian’s doing.

At that time, the Island Lord himself was choosing someone, and everyone knew it was for Sang Xinghe, so no one wanted to go.

The Island Lord had looked around for a while and was about to point at someone else when Ji Lian suddenly gave Shen Jue a gentle push from behind. Although Shen Jue managed to keep his balance, he stumbled slightly, and that caught the Island Lord’s attention.

The Island Lord was a meticulous man. He saw through the deceit at once.

He knew Shen Jue had been pushed, and when Shen Jue nearly fell, almost everyone around brightened. Since the Island Lord had noticed this, he decided to call Shen Jue forward. He found that among the line, except for one person who looked shocked and grieved, everyone else looked relieved—even sighing in great relief.

Shen Jue was not likable.

The Island Lord thought to himself. There must be a reason why someone was so unlikable among the crowd. And coincidentally, he was looking for a Tianluo body that was not likable. If the person were charming, wouldn’t that steal his beloved’s heart away?

…

Shen Jue ignored Ji Lian, but Liu Xuan, that fool, would not.

He smiled at Ji Lian. “Xiao Jue and I grew up together. We’re practically real brothers.” Speaking of this, Liu Xuan suddenly sighed. “But we might be separated later.”

Once a Tianluo body was claimed by a master, they became personal property. People who owned Tianluo bodies generally did not allow them to wander freely, for fear they might be killed. So even on the same island, Liu Xuan and Shen Jue might not see each other often.

Ji Lian’s eyes darted around, then he suddenly said, “I heard the Island Lord only keeps two Tianluo bodies. If the two of you were to follow the same person, you wouldn’t have to be separated.”

“Follow the same person?” Liu Xuan was taken aback. That idea had never occurred to him. He looked at Shen Jue, then back at Ji Lian. “But what are the chances of that? It’s too low.”

“It’s still possible,” Ji Lian said. He then turned and went to the door, stuck his head out to check if anyone was outside, and closed the door before coming back. “Do you know who lives on this island? The great warrior Sang Xinghe?”

“Great Warrior Sang?” Liu Xuan and Shen Jue had little information flow and still didn’t know that Sang Xinghe was on the Ten Extremes Island.

After all, when the Island Lord had kidnapped Sang Xinghe, he had done it very discreetly. Many on the island didn’t even know the man the Island Lord had abducted was the famous Jianghu gentleman, Sang Xinghe—they only knew that the Yi Water Pavilion housed the Island Lord’s beloved.

People of the Ten Extremes Island didn’t know, but Ji Lian did. This alone showed that he was not as simple as he appeared.

“How could Great Warrior Sang be on the Ten Extremes Island? Before I came to the island, I heard he had gone missing.” Liu Xuan covered his mouth as he said this, his eyes widening in surprise. “Could it be…”

“Yes, Great Warrior Sang’s disappearance is indeed related to the Ten Extremes Island,” Ji Lian said in a small voice. “I heard he lives at the Yi Water Pavilion, the highest point on the island. You see, the Island Lord himself keeps two. For someone as clever as Great Warrior Sang, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to have two as well.”

Having one Tianluo body was enough for most people, but some martial arts prodigies would keep two to increase their internal energy even faster.

Hearing Ji Lian’s words, Shen Jue couldn’t help but glance at him. So Ji Lian had shown his fox tail this early. Unfortunately, in his previous lives, neither he nor Liu Xuan had noticed it.

“Great Warrior Sang is imprisoned on the Ten Extremes Island. How could the Island Lord allow him to have two Tianluo bodies?” Shen Jue said quietly.

Ji Lian hadn’t expected Shen Jue to suddenly speak. He turned to look at Shen Jue, and seeing Shen Jue’s blue eyes regarding him with a detached expression, his heart gave a slight thump. After weighing his words, he said, “I don’t think the Island Lord intends to kill Great Warrior Sang. He seems to value him greatly. Perhaps in the future, Great Warrior Sang might pledge allegiance to the Ten Extremes Island. Besides, with Great Warrior Sang’s martial arts, protecting the two of you would be more than enough.”

Liu Xuan’s heart stirred upon hearing this. He was about to say something when he heard Shen Jue speak first. “If Brother Ji paints such a wonderful picture of Great Warrior Sang, why doesn’t Brother Ji follow him yourself?”

Ji Lian had already prepared an answer. “I could follow anyone, really. But you two want to stay together, don’t you? Ordinary people can’t support two Tianluo bodies—their internal energy would increase too quickly, and if they couldn’t circulate it, they’d explode and die.”

Shen Jue glanced at Liu Xuan, who was still visibly tempted, and said calmly, “It’s Liu Xuan who wants that. I don’t. I think it’s better if we separate.”

Liu Xuan whirled around to stare at Shen Jue, a hurt expression on his face. “Xiao Jue!”

Shen Jue didn’t look at him. Instead, he focused on Ji Lian. “Actually, I would rather be together with Brother Ji. If Brother Ji and I could both follow Great Warrior Sang, that would be wonderful.”

As he said this, he gave an extremely sweet smile.

Ji Lian was left speechless, while Liu Xuan suddenly stood up, his eyes red, and walked out. He hadn’t expected that while he had been so set on staying together with Shen Jue, Shen Jue didn’t think of him at all—instead, he had already taken a liking to Ji Lian.

Liu Xuan stormed out of the room, leaving Ji Lian standing there awkwardly. He looked at Shen Jue, sitting by the bed, and said after a long while, “This kind of thing depends on luck. Nothing is certain yet.”

Shen Jue broke into another gentle smile, even reaching out to tug at Ji Lian’s sleeve. “Brother Ji, if I’m fortunate enough to follow Great Warrior Sang, I’ll definitely recommend you to him. Don’t worry.”

Ji Lian: “…”

…

Having been dragged into the second realm by Murong Xiu in his previous life, Shen Jue had made up his mind this time to finish off the ruler of this realm—Sang Xinghe—in one go. Thus, he planned to disguise himself even more thoroughly and avoid revealing his true nature.

But even when dealing with Ji Lian, Shen Jue would only touch his sleeve. As for voluntarily holding hands—that was absolutely out of the question.

What Ji Lian didn’t expect was that Shen Jue would take such a liking to him. He studied Shen Jue’s expression carefully and, seeing no sign of pretense, felt even more embarrassed. Now he was caught in a dilemma and could only force himself to say, “I wouldn’t dare to hope for Great Warrior Sang. Besides, Liu Xuan really wants to stay with you. Don’t you want that?”