After Transmigrating into a Book, I Turned the Straight Bigshot Gay (BL) - Chapter 8

With a muffled grunt, Qing Ao was suddenly sent flying back several meters. Before the crowd could even register the movement, Xie Yunshen had already closed the distance and was standing right in front of him.

Clearly, Qing Ao hadn’t gained the upper hand in the initial clash. He hadn’t expected Xie Yunshen to abandon defense for a counter-attack, charging forward with a heavy punch aimed directly at his throat.

Qing Ao’s heart tightened. This is a practitioner with terrifyingly high combat experience and reaction speed! The man standing still and the man in motion were two completely different people.

The two traded blows, their arms clashing and separating with crisp, decisive movements—not a single motion was wasted.

The onlookers were stunned to find that not only was Xie Yunshen holding his own, but Qing Ao’s throat and face had been struck by two consecutive punches in the blink of an eye. Qing Ao didn’t even have time to spit out his loosened teeth; his face twisted and twitched as he channeled his strength for an explosive burst.

With a side kick, Qing Ao finally landed a hit on Xie Yunshen’s neck and shoulder. He had found Xie Yunshen’s weakness: his physical resistance was very low. Simply put, the “software” was powerful, but the “hardware” was poor. As long as he could land a hit on a vital point, he could immediately gain the advantage.

Thinking this, the shell-shocked Qing Ao finally saw a glimmer of hope. Every cell in his body burned with a fighting spirit. However, while the ideal was beautiful, reality was cruel. He soon realized he had vastly underestimated Xie Yunshen’s true strength.

For the remainder of the fight, he found no opportunity to touch Xie Yunshen’s body. The opponent’s speed allowed him to land a three-hit combo within a single second, leaving Qing Ao exhausted just trying to parry.

Everyone’s nerves were pulled taut by this combat; the atmosphere was solemn. The members of the Bai family looked on with grave expressions and conflicted hearts. On one hand, they wanted someone to humble the arrogant Top Star Sect; on the other, they didn’t want the Yan family to grow even stronger.

The only shortcoming the Yan family had in the Southern Province was their scarcity of top-tier martial experts. Among the Five Families, the other four had cultivated numerous fighters, with seven or eight ranked in the Top 100 per family. The Yan family only had three names on the list, and the only one truly comparable to others was Yi Wuyi.

But looking at today… the Yan family was hiding their strength deep.

While everyone harbored their own hidden agendas, only the professional Yi Wuyi watched with rapt attention. Xie Yunshen’s explosive power was deepening, his moves were getting faster, and his techniques were becoming more unorthodox. Most people grew weary as a fight progressed—how could someone become more proficient as they fought?

Back at the Yan residence, Xie Yunshen’s clash with the masked man had been surprising enough. But looking at it today, Xie Yunshen hadn’t even utilized 50% of his strength back then.

Qing Ao was a stubborn one. Even at this point, he refused to admit defeat. Even when his right wrist bone was audibly snapped, he didn’t let out a single groan.

Shangguan Hong’s face darkened. “Enough!”

No one stopped. To be precise, Xie Yunshen didn’t stop.

After another round, Xie Yunshen’s foot connected with Qing Ao’s head, slamming him into the ground. Qing Ao spat out two teeth he had cherished for a long time. Just as Xie Yunshen was about to bring his elbow down to crush Qing Ao’s temple, Shangguan Hong finally couldn’t help but look at Yan Shiqi.

“Mr. Yan, what is the meaning of this?!”

Yan Shiqi spoke: “Yunshen.”

Xie Yunshen’s attack stopped at the final moment. Qing Ao felt a gust of wind whistle past his ear before vanishing. Xie Yunshen stood up; the man’s life was spared.

Shangguan Hong regained his suave, elegant smile. “So it was a master from the Yan family. Mr. Yan, why didn’t you say so earlier? You see, I’ve misunderstood.”

Yan Shiqi replied, “Mr. Shangguan, you should also discipline your men better. If it hadn’t been my man today, but someone from the Bai family without a combat background who was ‘misunderstood’ by you, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”

The faces of the Bai family members turned pale.

Shangguan Hong froze for a second, then let out a hissing laugh from his throat. “You are right. My master is waiting for me to return. I shall take my leave.”

After the farce ended, Yan Shiqi didn’t linger. He bid farewell to the Bai family. The new head of the Bai family was visibly more humble and polite than before. “Mr. Yan, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend my father’s funeral.” He personally saw Yan Shiqi and his team to their car.

Once the car had driven out of the villa district, Yi Wuyi suddenly ran back.

He approached the head of the Bai family and whispered, “Master Bai, there might be a problem with the Golden Talisman on Old Mr. Bai. Of course, this is just a suspicion. Whether you believe it is up to you—those were my Master’s exact words.”

With that, Yi Wuyi turned and caught up with the black Lincoln.

The head of the Bai family was shocked. How had he not thought of it? How could the Top Star Sect be fooled by the old man’s fake death? And why would they be kind enough to attend the funeral?

Back in the car, Yi Wuyi turned to Yan Shiqi. “Mr. Yan, I’ve told them. But… is Old Mr. Bai really not dead?”

He glanced at Xie Yunshen, who was rubbing his sore neck with a look of annoyance. Yi Wuyi assumed he was annoyed about his “poor performance” in getting hit by Qing Ao’s leg.

Yan Shiqi replied, “As long as you delivered the message exactly as I said, it’s fine.”

Yi Wuyi realized: yes, Yan Shiqi’s words only mentioned a problem with the talisman, not whether the old man was dead or alive. Even if the old man really was poisoned to death, it had nothing to do with them.

“But why bother reminding the Bai family?”

The Bai and Yan families were only polite on the surface; they had conflicting interests in the shadows. The Bai family would never wish for the Yan family’s success. Yi Wuyi remembered how the Bai family had mocked the Yan family for their low ranking on the combat list last year, making the old Master Yan fuming for days.

Yan Shiqi said, “Old Mr. Bai’s death offers no benefit to the Yan family; instead, it would only bolster the Top Star Sect’s intimidation. But if he lives, the Top Star Sect gains another enemy.”

As he spoke, he looked at Xie Yunshen. Yi Wuyi followed suit. Faced with their direct stares, Xie Yunshen mechanically turned his head to look out the window. Why is everyone looking at me?

Yan Shiqi smiled. He pressed his left hand against Xie’s injured shoulder, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

Back at the funeral hall, the head of the Bai family rushed in with panic. Sure enough, the old man’s face was already turning a slight shade of blue-purple. The ice coffin was specialized—the outer layer was ice, but the internal temperature was normal. The seventy-year-old man had been placed inside after being sedated.

Master Bai immediately tore off the Golden Talisman, lifted the old man up, and called for their family doctor. After a frantic effort, they finally pulled him back from the brink of death.

Upon waking and learning of the events, the old patriarch asked, “How did Yan Shiqi know the talisman was poisonous?”

Master Bai shook his head and sighed. “In any case, we now owe the Yan family a massive favor.”

A bystander worried, “What’s worse is: when did the Yan family secretly train such a master? How can we be sure there aren’t others hidden in the shadows?”

The old man waved his hand. “There’s no need to worry about the Yan family. After this, I’ve realized that the Yan family is our greatest strength against the Top Star Sect. Without them, it would be impossible for our families to escape the Sect’s control.”

“That is my thought as well. So, I was thinking… why not arrange a marriage alliance between the Yan and Bai families?”

“You mean, have Yan Shiqi marry Jingyan?”

“Precisely.”

“Achoo!”

Back at the Yan residence, Xie Yunshen, who was getting his neck and shoulder treated, suddenly sneezed. Why do I have a bad feeling?

Xie Yunshen could never have imagined that after all his hard work, the outcome was heading in the exact opposite direction of his intentions.

Old Man Xie was vigorously rubbing the injured area with medicated oil while humming a tune.

“Your grandson is injured, not winning the top prize in the imperial exams,” Xie Yunshen winced.

Old Man Xie smacked his head, signaling him to sit still. “It’s different. Today, you were the ‘Guan Yu’ of the Yan family.”

Looking at the sparkling pride in the old man’s eyes, Xie Yunshen finally understood why Yan Shiqi often looked at him and closed his eyes.

“Aren’t you afraid I’m an imposter?”

Yi Wuyi and Yan Shiqi had both suspected him, yet this old man accepted his transformation as a matter of course.

The old man mused over the words. “In my life, I’ve seen all sorts of strange twists and turns. Nothing is surprising.”

The next day, before dawn, Xie Yunshen rose early and headed toward the back mountain. Watching the sun rise, his gaze was as hard as iron.

Winning the fight against Qing Ao had brought a deeper sense of crisis. His weakness was too obvious; Qing Ao had only lost in speed and technique. In terms of impact resistance and raw power, he was still nowhere near the experts on the combat list. If he didn’t improve his durability quickly, the next time he met a stronger opponent, he would be the one lying on the ground with broken bones.

He suddenly sensed something and looked back. In the silent, misty dawn, the lights were on in the study of the Yan manor. A proud figure stood by the window.

At this hour, Yan Shiqi was usually already working alone at his desk. So, Xie Yunshen wasn’t surprised.

Yan Shiqi was dressed in comfortable black loungewear, standing by the window with a poise as solid as an ancient bronze vessel. His resolute eyes were like a black sun piercing through the fog.

Xie Yunshen was struck once more: So handsome, where is the justice?

Their gazes met across the distance in the morning light. Xie Yunshen smiled and waved at Yan Shiqi. The tight line of the other man’s lips relaxed.