"That killing aura is purple. Didn't master say...something about purple being the one who slaughters an entire kingdom in cold blood? In the recent history, Lingyu Kingdom has not been in a war." Liyu shuddered at the thought as they sat in Cangtian's room.
Cangtian smirked. "Maybe he enhanced it with a pill."
The rest sighed in hopelessness and shook their heads. Cangtian was not paying attention to their sage of a teacher's lecture on Killing Auras.
Panhong coughed politely. "People can lie about or suppress their cultivation level, but not their killing aura once revealed. It is fixed by the number killed. I don't think he is disabled. I think he is suppressing his true level and pretending to be disabled to escape assassinations. The revelation is a warning."
"You might have seen wrongly. We all had a bit to drink. Maybe we can return tomorrow with that prince."
They sighed in unison again. Cangtian was too used to getting his way. They all knew why he hung around the then eight-year-old Ji Feng in the past. To use Ji Feng as a puppet to get what he wanted. Tonight, they already got the feeling that Ji Feng was only playing along with their act tonight.
"Cangtian, the third prince isn't that simple... Royals are screwed up. A prince cannot be only of benevolence but has to hold malevolence in order to survive. If he can survive another 5 years after his assassination, god only knows how much change he has been through," Xiuye added. "He definitely isn't that former innocent eight-year-old ardent fan of yours anymore."
"Yeah, he used to squeal if he didn't get his way. Now he doesn't even make a noise and people just back away. Best to be nicer to him. Lianfeng is sucking up to him too. Think of your future," Panhong added.
"He is only a vegetable now. Do you think he can even launch a fight against his two brothers? Perhaps if his meridians were not blocked and his cultivation was not damaged, it would be worth keeping him as a usable friend."
"Well, what I have seen so far is not a vegetable. He resisted the spring magic while all of us did not. No man can't resist that type of magic unless they cultivated to a high level. He isn't ordinary and was never in the first place," Liyu pointed out.
***
"Killing aura?" Lianfeng stepped back. Obviously, he had heard gossip from last night. So did the others. The younger disciples seem to scurry away from me as fast as possible. Like I was about to devour their souls. Lingyu Kingdom's version of a high school was this sect.
Then he boldly took a step forward. "Can you demonstrate what you did to produce a killing aura?"
I glared.
He blinked his eyes and shrunk back as though in fear .
"No offence, Third Prince, but why are you staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?"
I frowned. Did the killing aura pop up?
"I was following your instructions. Showing what I did to produce it."
"Huh!?" He exclaimed. "There isn't a killing aura on you. Have you ever killed someone?"
I shook my head. Not from Ji Feng's memories.
"No killing aura if you have not shed a life. I don't have one too. Cangtian has a yellow one, but that's because he had to make two kills to survive in the battle trials. Soon, I might gain one too."
Lianfeng? Kill someone soon? His face had this gentle, compassionate glow. He would be great as an assassin. People could underestimate him based on appearance.
"But can you show me the pendant I gave you yesterday?" He pointed at it dangling from my waist belt.
I untied it and popped the cold stone into his hand. Lianfeng examined the back very carefully. He looked up at me, as though trying to figure out something.
A quick sweep of his hand and a glowing bluish circle formation appeared on the ground with both of us in it.
The formation's whitish bluish energy force field quickly climbed up into a dome, like the ones seen in Earth's sci-fi movies. Maybe the screenwriters were also from another world, like me, and posted to Earth to describe their world to Hollywood.
"Sorry, but I have to ensure that no one hears or sees us..." he said.
With that, I blinked. A swift fist flying forward towards me. I dodged.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Enraged, I glared furiously at him. My fist clenched, and my body went into a quick defensive stance.
"You do have a killing aura..." he stood back and rubbed his chin as he stared at something around me. "A purple...but you killed no one."
Huh? Was this about to force the killing aura out? Still, that d** k move pissed me off.
"You know well what you did is a capital offence , attacking a prince?"
"That's why I created the formation. If I really wanted to attack you, I won't leave you alive. With that, I apologise and seek your forgiveness." he got down on a knee.
"Just get up. At least, tell me about that talisman you have on the back- what happened to it?"
He bit his lip, and two charming dimples appeared.
Damn what I am thinking?
Lianfeng is way hot. He is 17. I am 13. Um… no, that's pederasty.
But ...shit, I have to act like a guy who like the opposite sex. No lustful thoughts of the same gender.
"See for yourself." he passed me the pendant. "And that aura faded quicker than expected."
I flipped behind. The talisman was gone.
"It fades only if it cannot continue to absorb any qi used against you. It acts as a conduit for this yellow jade stone pendant to become a qi vessel if you were attacked. That can even contain my golden dragon or ten of them. So you are not possessed. Anything happened to you during your recovery?"
"I don't know. I was almost dead. I woke up and a lot of my memories were gone."
Lying through my teeth, Ji Feng was dead as a door nail. Zaixing only brought in me to occupy his body.
"I read somewhere that the celestial deities sometimes supplement souls. Only the primeval deities can do that. Rarely, those of their ranks will descend to check on us. Just the ascended ones and those I won't approach to ask."
Primordial rather. It isn't a legend. I am proof. Then again, it isn't actually a supplement in Ji Feng's case, it is a full replacement. Owner changes hands.
"Why not approach them? What will they do?"
"Most are extremely arrogant. Sometimes to the point of being unreasonably using their powers on others. I guess you don't have that problem with your ancestors descending. You can try asking them."
~Heck no~, what if they find out that I am only the tenant and not the actual owning soul of their descendant?
Then again, Ji Feng had not been to the big ceremonies ever since he suffered the large blow. Was his father ashamed of him?
"Heh, Father doesn't involve me in the ceremonial sacrifices because I am a vegetable. Be the thorn in their flesh to appear. The only royal vegetable."
Lianfeng patted me on the shoulder, as though trying to comfort me. My face must look pathetic now.
"I see...hmmm... well, let me check something out. And whatever you do, if my father or uncle asks, never demonstrate anything to summon that aura again. Think happy thoughts."
Talk is easy. I don't even know how the bloody hell it appears or what the trigger is.
Why is Lianfeng even nice to me?
For a second, a sliver of Ji Feng's memory popped up. Left abandoned in the heavy rain after playing hide and seek with Cangtian.
Someone came out looking for him with an extra umbrella. It was Lianfeng with a bruised face from confronting Cangtian. For a second, a pang of regret was Ji Feng's po trying to make amends. Ji Feng knew Cangtian was not his real friend, yet at the age of trying to please the more popular boy.
Hold up...the po - Ji Feng's po was showing some sentience. Regret requires sentience and never meant to be expressed in a po.