Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

Qi Yang pushed open the door and went in. Ji Chuyi was not there, and the courtyard was quiet.

At this hour, it's likely that Brother Chuyi went to sweep the floor early in the morning, probably wanting her to sleep a little longer, and therefore didn't wake her.

Qi Yang breathed a sigh of relief, went straight back to her room, closed the door, and stood with her back against the door for a while. The events of the past two days had been too complicated, and the girl had to calm herself down before slowly walking to the bed.

As she passed the bronze mirror, her face was briefly glanced at it.

Qi Yang stopped abruptly and moved closer. In the bronze mirror, her face was clearly reflected.

Her face looked normal, but her lips were much redder and more swollen than usual.

Qi Yang's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but gasp. No wonder she had felt a bit numb earlier.

Just how intense were her kisses with Senior Brother Pei yesterday?

She thought of Pei Qingyun's lips, which didn't seem to be in much better condition either; there were even tiny bite marks on his lips. And below her lips, on her neck, there were several ambiguous marks that she tried to wipe away, but couldn't.

Qi Yang simply pulled her collar up a bit to cover herself up.

She then put the porcelain bottle in her hand into the storage bag. Inside the small storage bag, besides her own things, were the gifts from Pei Qingyun.

Every now and then, the young man would somehow find some novel gadgets to give her.

Over time, I accumulated quite a bit.

But she didn't see Pei Qingyun again for the next two days.

The Cangshan disciples continued their lives as usual. Qi Yangchen went to tend to the small vegetable garden outside the courtyard. She planted a few Waling grasses, which were one of the medicinal ingredients used to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

In the past, when Pei Qingyun came, he would always use his spiritual energy to help nurture her, and now she is growing very strong.

Qi Yang squatted in the field pulling weeds, his fingers brushing away the warm, moist soil, but his mind was on other things.

Jin Zihua was expelled from Cangshan. The notice from the Punishment Hall was posted on the stone tablet outside the mountain gate. It was written clearly in black and white: Jin Zihua, an inner disciple, had a wicked heart and plotted to harm his fellow disciples. He was expelled from the sect and would never be enrolled again.

No one knows exactly how the murder was planned. Senior Brother Pei didn't know what method he used, and no one knew what happened between her and Jin Zihua in the back mountain.

Qi Yang also went to see it once, and felt relieved.

A few days later was the sect's grand ceremony. The Cangshan Sword Sect has been established for over ten thousand years, and it holds a grand ceremony every hundred years, inviting various sects to attend and discuss the Dao.

On this day, the mountain gates were opened wide, and disciples from both the inner and outer sects changed into newly made sect robes.

Qi Yang was among them, standing in the line of outer disciples.

She saw the inner disciples at the front from afar and easily spotted the familiar figure among them.

His light blue robe was more formal than usual, making him look handsome and upright. Several elders stood beside him, talking to each other with their heads down.

The young man listened with his head slightly tilted to the side; his profile was sharp and his expression remained as composed as ever.

Qi Yang glanced at it twice and then looked away, lowering her head to straighten her cuffs.

The ceremony was lengthy, with each sect leader taking turns to give a speech. Qi Yang's legs were aching from standing, so during the break, he quietly moved half a step back and tugged at the tips of his shoes.

Just then, someone touched her shoulder from behind.

She turned around and met a somewhat familiar face.

The young man had his long hair tied up, and his face was dignified and gentle. He appeared behind her at some point and said in a low voice, "Junior Sister Qi, we meet again."

Qi Yang was taken aback. "Senior Brother Meng?"

This Senior Brother Meng Chuan was an inner disciple she had met by chance at the Hidden Treasure Pavilion. They had shared mission information with each other. He was gentle in nature. She met him a few more times at the Hidden Treasure Pavilion and they exchanged a few words.

Meng Chuan smiled and said, "I saw you from afar and came over to say hello."

Qi Yang nodded. The two of them were not conspicuous in the crowd, but from the Asking Platform, the view was wide and the disciples' ranks were right below, so Pei Qingyun easily found them.

From the moment Meng Chuan appeared behind Qi Yang, the young man's entire face turned cold.

Throughout the entire event, his peripheral vision kept lingering in that direction. He saw Meng Chuan leaning closer to talk to her, the girl's eyes occasionally curving upwards, her lips pursed in a smile.

She didn't know what damn joke that person had told to make her so happy.

Under the sunlight, the young man's aura grew colder and colder. His jawline tightened for a moment, and he furrowed his brow.

What does that mean?

If he doesn't respond, does she just find someone else?

On the high platform, Pei Qingyun took several deep breaths to suppress his anger.

He couldn't help but grip Zhaoxue's sword hilt tightly, and even his sword seemed eager to strike, wishing he could just chop down the person who was talking to the girl and making her happy.

His eyebrows twitched slightly, and his fingers, gripping the sword hilt tightly, turned white involuntarily.

At that moment, he felt a weight on his shoulder, and the young man immediately came to his senses. He subconsciously turned his head to look and saw that Sword Master Li Xuan was standing behind him at some point, looking at him with a frown.

Sword Master Li Xuan removed his hand from his shoulder, glanced at him for a few moments, and then resumed his usual lazy demeanor. "Qingyun, what are you standing there for? Take a seat."

"...Oh." Pei Qingyun responded somewhat slowly. He lowered his eyes, calmed down, and was shocked by his own thoughts.

What was he thinking just now? He almost drew Zhaoxue and was about to rush towards that disciple.

The young man silently touched his chest, where a fine, persistent pain throbbed, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. Before the Sword Master Li Xuan could look at him again, Pei Qingyun withdrew his gaze, composed himself, and sat down beside his master.

After the speeches at the ceremony, the disciples were free to move around and dispersed in twos and threes.

Today is the sect's grand ceremony. In addition to receiving a newly made disciple robe, each disciple will also receive many gifts.

Qi Yang slowly fell behind the crowd. She looked around but didn't see Ji Chuyi.

There were too many people, and the two of them had already gotten separated.

She rubbed her aching lower back, realizing that her body was too weak and hadn't been cleansed by spiritual energy. How could those powerful cultivators have such poor physical strength?

Meng Chuan suddenly caught up from behind and handed her a throat lozenge. "Junior Sister Qi, here you go. You've been standing all morning, and your throat is all dry."

Qi Yang didn't think much of it, took it, thanked him, unwrapped the candy, and put it in her mouth. The cool mint sensation spread from the tip of her tongue, which did make her feel a little better.

Meng Chuan suddenly said, "Recently, there has been a batch of new missions at the Hidden Treasure Pavilion, and the contribution points are quite considerable. However, Junior Sister Qi hasn't been there these days. I wanted to look for you, but I don't know where you live."

Qi Yang casually replied, "I've been quite busy lately."

Meng Chuan nodded. "I see. Then why don't you tell me where you live? I can help you from now on..."

"Junior sister."

A very faint voice came from behind, exceptionally clear and cold. Qi Yang paused and turned around.

Pei Qingyun had somehow followed behind them. The sunlight slanted down, shrouding half of his face, making it impossible to see his expression. All that could be seen was that his expression was cold, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

Qi Yang, who was already quite familiar with Senior Brother Pei, could sense that he was in a very bad mood at the moment.

She paused, and upon seeing him again after several days, she couldn't help but feel a little disoriented. "Senior Brother Pei?"

His gaze swept across Qi Yang's face, then landed on Meng Chuan, pausing for a moment.

Meng Chuan unconsciously straightened up, and when he saw his face clearly, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "You...you are Senior Brother Pei Qingyun. I met you a few years ago when I first entered the sect. I wonder if you still remember me?"

He glanced at Qi Yang again, "So Senior Brother Pei knows Junior Sister Qi too."

Junior Sister Qi?

Pei Qingyun sneered inwardly, calling her "Junior Sister" aloud. His thoughts were laughably shallow. He tried to suppress Zhao Xue under his palm, and then shifted his gaze back to Qi Yang's face.

The girl who had smiled shyly at Meng Chuan in the crowd just moments before now stared blankly at him, her lively and vibrant energy completely gone.

Pei Qingyun clenched her fists.

"Junior sister, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you," the young man said seriously. "May I ask if we can step outside?"

He was once again his refined and aloof senior brother, as if he truly had something important to discuss with Qi Yang.

Even Qi Yang herself was fooled. She couldn't help but step forward, looking puzzled, "Senior Brother Pei, what's the matter?"

"Junior sister, just come with me." He spoke gently to Qi Yang, his dark eyes fixed on her face. Before Qi Yang could sense anything was amiss, he looked away and calmly glanced at Meng Chuan beside him. "Junior brother, you have no objections, right?"

Seeing that Senior Brother Pei had turned to ask him, Meng Chuan quickly waved his hand, "No, no, please do as you please."

Qi Yang, confused, followed Pei Qingyun. Meng Chuan's voice still echoed behind them: "Junior Sister Qi, see you at the Hidden Gold Pavilion another day—"

Qi Yang merely nodded to him, and when she turned around, she met the young man's eyes.

The young man's jaw was taut, and the melancholy in his eyes was almost overflowing.

"Senior brother," she called out in confusion.

Pei Qingyun didn't respond. Instead, he took her hand and suddenly led her around the area to a secluded corner. When she turned her gaze, Qi Yang realized that the surrounding scenery had changed. She had been here just a few days ago and remembered it vividly.

Pei Qingyun brought her to the side peak.

Qi Yang's wrist was still being held by the young man. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, Pei Qingyun suddenly turned around. He looked at her with a dark and deep gaze. It seemed that something was finally about to burst forth from his eyes, but he pressed it back down firmly.

Qi Yang was a little confused by his appearance. "Senior brother, what's wrong with you?"

When did Senior Brother Pei become somewhat frightening, his gaze towards her filled with an ambiguous possessiveness?

Pei Qingyun remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly asked, "Are you very familiar with him?"

Qi Yang blinked, surprised that Senior Brother Pei had gone to such lengths to ask her such a question. "You mean Senior Brother Meng Chuan? He's alright, I met him at the Hidden Treasure Pavilion. He's helped me a few times."

Pei Qingyun held her wrist, and although he was filled with resentment, he still dared not use force.

"How many times have I helped you?" he repeated in a low voice, his tone unreadable. "So you chatted with him so happily, laughing so cheerfully? We've known each other for so long, but it seems we're not as close as you two have been together for just a few meetings."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yang stared blankly at the young man so close to her before finally realizing that Pei Qingyun's sudden offer to take her away wasn't because he had anything to discuss, but because he was clearly jealous.

Just because she had exchanged a few words with Meng Chuan?

"I was just chatting casually with Senior Brother Meng." Qi Yang realized Pei Qingyun's thoughts and couldn't help but laugh. She turned around and leaned closer to Pei Qingyun, saying, "Senior Brother Pei, Senior Brother Meng and I are just ordinary fellow disciples. Please don't overthink it."

The girl leaned closer with her eyes crinkled, and he couldn't help but look down at her, his gaze landing precisely on her still-reddened lips. The tender and intimate scene from that day instantly flooded his mind, and the pent-up bitterness in his heart that had been building up for days surged up completely.

"It's just a normal friendship between fellow disciples, yet you accepted his candy, smiled at him, and were willing to tell him where you lived." The young man spoke in a low voice, listing each point in detail: "And what about me? Junior Sister, are you just a normal fellow disciple to me too?"

Qi Yang quickly retorted, "Of course they're different."

The girl said in a sweet, soft voice, "Senior Brother Pei is different from others in my heart. Senior Brother Pei, wasn't I obvious enough that day?"

Her wrist was still gripped by him, and the girl leaned forward slightly.

Pei Qingyun didn't let go; the two were almost touching. He looked at Qi Yang, his gaze deep and heavy. The melancholy he felt didn't dissipate because of her closeness; instead, it intensified. "Really?"

Qi Yang nodded: "Really."

"Senior Brother Pei, didn't you say the other day that you needed to think it over carefully? What's your decision?"

Her almost naive yet sincere words made Pei Qingyun pause slightly. His Adam's apple bobbed, and sometimes he really wanted to grab the girl's shoulders and question her: if she could only choose one between him and Ji Chuyi, who would she choose?

But Ji Chuyi had grown up with her since childhood and was the one who saved her from dire straits.

Logically and emotionally, Pei Qingyun himself did not feel that Qi Yang should choose him.

That's why he didn't dare to ask anything, nor did he dare to ask how important he was to her. If he made things clear, would she still be as interested in him as before?

Sometimes Pei Qingyun would fantasize about how wonderful it would be if he were the one who grew up with Qi Yang when she was little.

Unfortunately he is not.

"Junior Sister," he called her, his voice a few decibels hoarseer than before. He suddenly raised his free hand, his fingertips touching her lips lightly. His fingertips brushed against her lips, which had already recovered from swelling, sending a tingling sensation through him.

Qi Yang didn't dare to move.

"I've been holding back for a long time these past few days. From that day on, I told you that I needed to think things over and let us both calm down. After all, if this relationship really starts... then it will never be the same again."

"I gave myself time, I thought I could be rational, but I was wrong. I keep dreaming about you these past few days, and in my dreams we kiss like that day. I know this is what I want."

The girl's breath hitched; how could Senior Brother Pei say such a thing to her?

He paused, a dark glint in his eyes, and said, "I've made up my mind."

Qi Yang was encircled by him, her small face pressed against his chest, and she continued to hear him say, "I do."

He was willing to begin this immoral and unacceptable relationship with her.