The Transmigrator's Cultivation Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 313: Twin Brother's Identity

Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 313: Twin Brother's Ident.i.ty

Little did they know that Xu Ziqing was such a dense person; they hadn’t expected him to be so foolish. That act earlier truly was “casting flirtatious glances at a blind man.”

The twin brothers exchanged glances and then smiled.

In the past, they had encountered numerous cultivators from both the immortal and demonic realms, and as long as those cultivators beckoned with a finger, they could easily be captured. Even those who could resist usually only did so after sensing something amiss. Unless their cultivation was significantly higher than the twins’, there were rarely exceptions.

Yet today, they had encountered this person, who hadn’t even considered such possibilities… Clearly, in his eyes, there wasn’t the slightest hint of malicious intent.

Having roamed for many years, the two brothers were accustomed to acting as they pleased. Although they no longer cared about human feelings, it was indeed rare for them to be treated so gently by someone.

Speaking of these twin brothers, they were actually not as youthful as their appearance suggested.

Thousands of years ago, Jin Cheng and Jin Shi were the offspring of a scholarly family in the mortal realm. They were gifted from a young age, and under their father’s guidance, they diligently studied every day, hoping that when the time came, they could achieve success and serve alongside their father and brothers in the imperial court.

However, when the brothers were thirteen years old and heading to the capital for the imperial examination, they encountered the once-in-a-thousand-years opening of the Dragon Ascension Gate during their journey. Caught in a gale, they were swept into this vast world.

The Dragon Ascension Gate was originally quite secretive, and the gale there was hundreds of times weaker than that of ordinary Dragon Ascension Gate. Thus, in their daze, they only sustained minor scratches. However, this was not necessarily a good thing.

After being swept away by the strange winds, the brothers were naturally very frightened. They were even more terrified upon occasionally witnessing the magic of cultivators.

With their handsome appearances, it wasn’t long before they caught the attention of demonic cultivators.

Earlier, Xu Ziqing had thought that despite the brothers’ pretense this time, their experiences had been real back then.

At that time, the brothers had been captured by demonic cultivators and taken back to their lair for use as sacrificial vessels.

It turned out that they were pure-bodied, had yet to lose their innocence, and possessed dual spiritual roots, making them excellent candidates for refinement.

The demonic cultivators were ruthless; after using them, the two brothers should have died. However, perhaps their lives were meant to be preserved, for during the refinement, they somehow managed to turn the tables and drained the life force of the demonic cultivators.

Afterward, the brothers were extremely frightened. By a stroke of luck, they managed to control the power within them, and after perusing the books left by the demonic cultivators, they understood that since the demonic cultivators had already formed their cores, while they had never practiced cultivation, this act of counter-refinement had surprisingly allowed them to successfully lay their foundations.

As for why their mortal bodies could achieve such transformation… it was due to their const.i.tution.

They possessed the Tai Yin and Yang body¹Highly Yin and Yang Body. Meaning their body is filled with high amount of Yin and Yang energies..

This is the most greedy and lascivious const.i.tution. Individuals with this const.i.tution, if maliciously refined, would certainly suffer a backlash, but they also craved pleasure. If they went without being defiled for a year, it would be fine, but once it happened, it would be hard to contain.

The brothers were originally genteel²gen·teel /jenˈtēl/ adjective polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way. individuals, and learning that their true nature was like this was an overwhelming shock that others truly couldn’t imagine.

Thus, they struggled to cultivate diligently within the lair, finally realizing that this const.i.tution could only be controlled after achieving the Nascent Soul stage.

It was easy to imagine that if they wanted to survive, they would have to indulge with others. As the years pa.s.sed, how could their temperaments not change?

However, the more reckless they were, the worse their reputation became, and their natures became increasingly distorted.

By the time they had to hide and finally achieved their Nascent Souls, although they could control their const.i.tution, their natures could no longer change, and their bodies, accustomed to indulgence, could not withstand loneliness.

At this point, even if they didn’t need to engage with others constantly, they had already become accustomed to such matters.

Before long, they began to seek out skilled pract.i.tioners for their enjoyment.

Despite this, the brothers lived very dull lives.

Since then, they preferred to wear masks, enticing others and seeking pleasure, not caring about the other party’s cultivation level, and only focusing on their own enjoyment.

If they grew weary of it, they would practice for a while, but since the Tai Yin and Yang body could absorb the cultivation of others to replenish itself, there was naturally a limit. The two brothers had relied on their const.i.tution to smoothly achieve their Nascent Souls, yet they remained the weakest of the other Laozu, mostly lingering at the Nascent Soul stage for their entire lives without further breakthroughs.

Fortunately, being Nascent Soul Laozu was already quite impressive. The two brothers transformed into wanderers, and after over a thousand years, few could remember them.

Thus, they faded out of the immortal and demonic realms, and no one spoke of their names anymore.

This time, the brothers had a sudden whim to go to the Tai Gu Desert, having heard that it was a den of debauchery, and they wanted to try the methods of the demonic cultivators there.

So, they pretended to be inexperienced young boys, allowing the demonic cultivators to capture them.

Regardless of appearance or cultivation level, they seemed somewhat similar to how they had been thousands of years ago. However, they hadn’t expected that while indulging in pleasure, they would suddenly be interrupted by two celestial cultivators who came to exterminate demons.

Afterward, they pretended to be innocent, allowing the junior brother to protect them as they left with the two senior brothers.

On the way, the twin brothers observed how the two senior brothers interacted, which piqued their interest. They laughed at the two for being so stiff, while also wanting to test whether this more easily swayed junior brother could be tempted by them.

Yet when the moment arrived, the junior brother not only didn’t overthink things but also urged them to recall their past experiences, making his thoughts inevitably complex.

If the demonic cultivators they had encountered back then had been immortal cultivators like Xu Ziqing, perhaps the two of them could have entered a proper sect and wouldn’t have to suffer because of their const.i.tution.

However, they only received such treatment after becoming Nascent Soul elders; how could they have acted sooner?

In an instant, their feelings became a mix of emotions, but ultimately, the two brothers had strong mental fort.i.tude and quickly suppressed it.

After all, it was too late.

They had become demons unable to escape their craving for pleasure, unfit to be seen.

Their father and brothers had long since pa.s.sed away; even if descendants remained, what face did they have to return and meet them in their current state?

They were merely a pair of wicked offspring, and it would be better to think of themselves as already dead than to dishonor their family’s reputation.

Thinking back to the past, Jin Cheng and Jin Shi lost all interest and would no longer engage in any tempting acts.

The bedding they had was warm, so they simply pretended to be nothing more than frightened foundation-building boys and closed their eyes to rest.

Xu Ziqing was completely unaware of the Jin brothers’ complicated thoughts. He genuinely believed they were merely frightened and honestly took care of them for the night, thinking, after all, they were just two children who had encountered misfortune and were truly pitiable…

There was nothing amiss during the night. The next morning, Xu Ziqing opened his eyes and saw that the twin brothers had yet to get up. After glancing at them, he quickly understood.

The two had been suffering in the demon’s lair, and the clothes they wore didn’t fit well. He hadn’t paid much attention to it yesterday, but now realizing it, he felt a bit apologetic.

Afterward, Xu Ziqing stepped outside and instructed the innkeeper to bring up two sets of properly fitting clothing.

The brothers changed quickly, and Xu Ziqing sensed they seemed much closer to him and introduced themselves.

Upon hearing their names, he smiled gently: “Little brother Jin Cheng, little brother Jin Shi.”

The Jin brothers still showed a hint of timidity, but they had regained some youthful vigor: “Senior, you can just call us by our names.”

Seeing the brothers relax a bit, Xu Ziqing felt comforted.

After chatting for a while, Xu Ziqing noticed Yun Lie walking in from outside.

The door had not been closed, but his entrance brought with it an extremely cold aura, making the atmosphere somewhat solemn.

Xu Ziqing, however, paid no mind and smiled as he spoke: “How was your night, Shixiong?”

Yun Lie nodded slightly: “Not bad.” He paused briefly before adding, “How about you?”

Xu Ziqing was taken aback, and his smile softened even more: “I’m also doing quite well.”

The cordial interaction between the two made the Jin brothers roll their eyes.

Jin Cheng wanted to send a sound transmission.

Jin Shi tugged at him and exchanged a glance.

After their eyes met, they both understood.

Although Yun Lie was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, he could surpa.s.s the two who were half a step into the Nascent Soul realm. His swordsmanship was incredibly formidable, far beyond that of ordinary people.

The two brothers wanted to continue this act, so they needed to stay vigilant around Yun Lie to avoid revealing any flaws. Yesterday, they had communicated through sound transmission while hiding to the side, but now, facing Yun Lie directly, they could not make any moves.

After the four of them had eaten together, Yun Lie instructed the brothers to stay in the room and set up a sword intended for defense.

Xu Ziqing was to follow his senior brother, heading to the long street.

Yun Lie remained silent, and Xu Ziqing did not ask anything until they reached a rather tall building, at which point they both stopped.

Xu Ziqing looked up and saw the plaque clearly marked with the four characters “Longhang Firm.”

It turned out to be a branch of a major trading company that spanned several regions.

However, was his senior brother bringing him here to purchase something?

Yun Lie still did not speak and simply walked in, heading to the right.

Seeing how familiar Yun Lie was with this place made Xu Ziqing even more curious.

Sure enough, after a few steps, Yun Lie entered a side room. It was much smaller than the main hall, but the walls and floor were covered with dense runes—anyone with ill intentions who dared to act here would be immediately attacked.

After entering the side room, Yun Lie took out a token and tossed it aside, revealing a pitch-black opening. He reached out to grab Xu Ziqing and stepped into the hole.

Xu Ziqing felt a moment of darkness before the area brightened.

Inside the opening was a secret chamber.

Behind a long table sat an old man with a long beard, leisurely seated. The table was covered with various storage items—rings, bracelets, bags—everything one could imagine.

When the old man saw Yun Lie enter, his eyes lit up, and he smiled broadly: “So it’s the Execution Sword Master. I haven’t congratulated you on your significant improvement in strength yet.”

Yun Lie did not say much; he simply placed a storage bag on the table.

The old man seemed quite familiar with Yun Lie and directly probed with his divine sense, his expression shifting to one of surprise: “You’ve collected quite a bounty.”

Yun Lie said, “What is its worth in spirit stones?”

The old man stroked his beard, pondering for a moment: “There are a considerable number of demonic items here, although some are damaged… The price for the lower-quality spirit stones is five hundred and twenty thousand, and that is the actual price.”

Yun Lie nodded slightly.

The old man continued, “There are also two magical treasures among them, each less powerful than their counterparts, priced at ten thousand middle-grade spirit stones each.”

Yun Lie also agreed.

Xu Ziqing understood the situation now.

It seemed that his senior brother often traded with this old man while hunting demons and monsters, making him a regular customer.

The old man was delighted by Yun Lie’s straightforwardness and immediately handed him a storage ring filled with spirit stones. After securing the demonic items and treasures, he casually asked, “Does the esteemed one have any other matters to attend to, or will you be leaving?”

Previously, Yun Lie seldom had affairs to handle, but now he said, “You will follow me for a trip.”

The old man was taken aback, looking at Yun Lie before tentatively asking, “Is there a major business deal you wish to conduct?”

Yun Lie replied, “I am getting married.³SUGAR INCOMING”

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

Support me on ko-fi if you like what I do^^

• 1Highly Yin and Yang Body. Meaning their body is filled with high amount of Yin and Yang energies.
• 2gen·teel /jenˈtēl/ adjective polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way.
• 3SUGAR INCOMING