A world polluted by evil gods (12): A group of sweeping monks

Si Qi would rather face an ambush of a hundred Omniscient Church followers than deal with this kind of disaster.

He glanced at Chu Feng, who smiled awkwardly and said, “You didn’t come downstairs for breakfast this morning, and you weren’t in your room, so…”

Neither Andel nor Si Qi knew that Chu Feng was aware Si Qi was the Legion Commander—and that he had a double. Andel knew Si Qi had been in Chu Feng’s room at the time, and didn’t dare go downstairs in his place. If Chu Feng discovered that Si Qi was sleeping upstairs while also eating downstairs, it would have been a catastrophe.

As a result, when the Marchioness noticed that Si Qi hadn’t come down for breakfast, she worried he might be unwell and unable to get out of bed, so she went upstairs and knocked on his door.

When the door opened and she found the room empty, terrified that something might have happened to Si Qi, the Marchioness quickly called everyone in the household to search for him.

And then…

Then they found Si Qi in Chu Feng’s room, lying on Chu Feng’s bed, dead asleep.

Along with the mess of Si Qi and Chu Feng’s clothes scattered on the floor.

Si Qi didn’t even want to imagine how Chu Feng had endured the gazes of two parents and one older brother in that moment—it had to be the kind of embarrassment one would never forget for a lifetime.

Although… it was still very awkward even now.

The Marchioness and Marquis, who had witnessed the scene, were devastated. They didn’t dare wake the sleeping Si Qi, fearing the boy might mentally collapse from the trauma of being “violated.” Everyone withdrew from the room. The always gentle Marchioness was so distraught she couldn’t stop crying, trying to punch Chu Feng with fists that were too weak from grief to land a single blow. The Marquis had to coax and support her away.

Only the congressman remained, scolding Chu Feng with the darkest, most terrifying tone, threatening to tie a rope around Chu Feng’s leg, attach the other end to a train, and drag him to death for this unforgivable act—grinding his flesh and bones into the tracks until nothing was left but dust. Chu Feng could tell the congressman was truly furious, so he braced himself and explained that he and Si Qi had actually been dating for a while—and last night, it was Si Qi who came to him after drinking too much.

The congressman’s expression was indescribable—he had personally poured those drinks for Si Qi. He looked like a dragon that had guarded a treasure for centuries, only to open the vault door himself and let a despicable thief snatch the treasure right from under his nose. He glared at Chu Feng with clenched teeth, wanting to kill him, but afraid that if his little brother woke up and found out he had indirectly caused his boyfriend’s death, he would be heartbroken. His emotions were a complete mess.

Fortunately, he still had a sliver of reason. Seeing that the room belonged to Chu Feng and not to his brother, it meant Chu Feng hadn’t sneaked into Si Qi’s bedroom—Si Qi had come to him. (After all, Chu Feng had returned later than Si Qi the night before.) Forcing himself to calm down, he asked what exactly had happened last night.

Chu Feng, incredibly embarrassed, explained that Si Qi had gotten drunk, acted impulsively, and suddenly came to his room looking for him, and then…

And then what, Chu Feng didn’t say—but both men understood very well.

The congressman began pacing the hallway without any composure, one moment pressing his hands against the wall, the next knocking his head against it. He undid his suit buttons and tie, squatted down and grabbed his head in despair.

After a long while, with red eyes and a hoarse voice, he said, “If you ever betray my brother, I swear I’ll make you regret being born into this world.”

Chu Feng nodded immediately and promised, “I won’t. I truly love him—just as much as you all love him.”

The congressman didn’t reply. He stood at the door, exhausted, head bowed, waiting in silence.

He waited from early morning until noon before he finally heard movement inside. Then the door opened, and his disheveled little brother came out, clothes askew, hair messy, with unmistakable finger and kiss marks on the pale skin beneath his shirt.

The congressman wanted to beat someone up again.

But more than that, he was worried about his precious brother. Cautiously, he asked, “Sweetheart, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?”

Si Qi: “…” Even if he were, he couldn’t admit it.

Si Qi cleared his throat, lowered his head shyly, and said, “Brother… why are you here…”

Congressman: “Oh, nothing. I just happened to be passing by.”

Si Qi: “Oh…”

Seeing only embarrassment on Si Qi’s face and no sadness, confirming that Si Qi had indeed been willing last night and hadn’t been forced by Chu Feng, the congressman forced a smile and said, “Alright, it’s getting late. Go wash up and come downstairs for lunch.”

“Okay.” The “pure young boy” who thought his brother hadn’t figured anything out, completely unaware that his brother knew everything, bashfully ran back to his own room.

Only after Si Qi left did the congressman start kicking the wall in rage with his polished leather shoes, venting all the fury in his chest until he was out of breath. Then he turned to glare viciously at Chu Feng and said, “Later, you’re taking Xiao Qi to see a doctor—and get him some medicine!”

If he or his mother took Si Qi, the kid would be too embarrassed to face them. He could only leave it to Chu Feng, and then go tell the rest of the family not to bring up what happened last night, so the younger one wouldn’t feel awkward.

Also, he had to go reassure his mother, who had misunderstood everything earlier, and explain the truth—otherwise the poor woman might really faint from grief over her “tragically wronged” youngest son.

…

After finally pulling herself together, the Marchioness, eyes swollen from crying, saw her youngest son appear at the dining table.

Si Qi, seeing her state, asked worriedly, “Mom, what happened to your eyes? Did you cry?”

“No, no. I just had a bit of an allergy,” the Marchioness said, her voice hoarse and choking back tears.

“Oh no, you must be careful and take care of your health,” Si Qi said, setting down his utensils and walking over to her, holding her cold hands. “Did you ask the family doctor to come check on you?”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry, Mommy is fine…” the Marchioness couldn’t help tearing up again. “My poor baby…”

Si Qi felt a little uncomfortable, but didn’t show it. He smiled and said, “I’m not pitiful at all. I have the best mom and dad in the world, and my brother too! I’m happy every day. I love you all.”

“Yes, yes…” the woman hugged her child tightly, unable to stop the tears from falling again.

The Marquis gently patted his wife’s back. The Marchioness sniffled, let go of Si Qi, and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. “Alright, go eat now. Once the food gets cold, it’s bad for your stomach.”

She let Si Qi return to his meal, while she sat beside him, quietly watching.

Once she was sure Si Qi’s expression was normal—just as her eldest son had said, showing no sign of sadness—her heart felt conflicted and she didn’t know how to begin. After a long while, she gently said, “Child, you’re already an adult. If you’ve met someone you like, don’t keep it from your mother.”

The fork in Si Qi’s hand paused, and his face flushed slightly. He glanced cautiously at his family, who were all looking at him expectantly, and whispered, “N-no…”

“Really? If you lie to Mommy, I’ll be sad.”

Hearing that would make his mother sad, the boy who had been about to lie immediately looked uneasy. His face turned red, and after the family patiently waited, he finally squeezed out two words: “I… I do…”

The Marchioness’s eyes welled up again, but she still forced herself to smile gently and ask in the kindest voice, “Who is it? Can you bring them to meet Mom?”

“It’s… it’s…” Si Qi stammered, burying his head in his chest and muttering in embarrassment, “It’s a boy…”

The Marchioness clutched her chest—her heart ached again. She took a deep breath and said, “A boy is fine too. I’m not an old-fashioned person.”

Si Qi suddenly looked up, eyes bright and shining. His look of surprise and joy made the Marchioness forget all her earlier pain—if Si Qi liked someone, what did her feelings matter? If Si Qi was happy, she could accept anyone.

“Really?”

“Really,” the Marchioness said, her eyes red but her smile incredibly gentle. “As long as it’s someone Xiao Qi loves, Mom will love him too.”

Si Qi instinctively glanced at Chu Feng, completely unaware that the rest of the family was also watching Chu Feng with complex expressions. Si Qi smiled and said, “I… I like Brother Chu Feng…”

Maybe afraid that the parents would be shocked or angry, the boy shrank his neck a little and didn’t dare look at them.

But after a moment of silence, his older brother suddenly said, “So it’s Chu Feng? He’s a good guy—witty, reliable, and good-looking. He’ll definitely take good care of you.”

Si Qi looked up in delight. “You think so too, Brother?!”

The Marchioness also smiled warmly. “No wonder Xiao Qi is always sticking to Mr. Chu. So you two are dating?”

The Marquis, sitting quietly to the side, didn’t say a word. But since he didn’t object, that meant he agreed.

Seeing that all the adults were supportive, the boy was overjoyed. He even started eating with bigger bites than usual, his cheerful expression making the adults feel both sour and soft-hearted.

Chu Feng, seeing that the family had accepted their relationship, stepped forward and said, “I’ll spend my whole life with Xiao Qi and protect him forever.”

The Marquis looked at Chu Feng expressionlessly for a long time before suddenly saying, “In that case, pick a day and get engaged. Make the relationship official.”

Si Qi’s hand trembled, and he almost let an inappropriate expression slip.

“You’re not going to refuse, right?” the Marquis said to Chu Feng. “Our family’s conditions are good. If you want to do business in the Imperial Capital, having this connection will be beneficial for you.”

At the same time, because of this relationship, unless a woman was utterly brainless, she wouldn’t dare throw herself at Chu Feng anymore. Doing so wouldn’t bring benefits—it would only offend the entire Marquis household.

Chu Feng understood the Marquis’s message, but he didn’t think it was a bad thing. He nodded and said, “Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

Only then did the Marquis’s expression soften slightly. He sighed and fell silent again.

As everyone took turns finalizing things, Si Qi wasn’t even given a chance to speak. By the time they were done, the boy—who had always been used to following the adults’ arrangements—found it too late to protest.

But deep down, Si Qi was actually willing.

Before he left, he also wanted to experience what it felt like to walk into a church hand in hand with the one he loved, blessed by family and friends. That would surely be a very happy thing.

As for whether it would burden Chu Feng…

With Chu Feng’s strength, if he truly wanted to do something, was there anyone who could stop him? The fact that Chu Feng had said what he did meant that he was willing too.

So in the end, despite his hesitation, Si Qi didn’t voice any objection and just agreed.

…

…

The news that the young master of the Marquis’ household was going to marry a wealthy businessman from out of town spread throughout the entire capital in just a few days.

If this had happened in any other typical noble family, such a marriage alliance between nobility and a businessman—where both sides get what they want—wouldn’t have been surprising at all in this era where aristocracy was in decline. Everyone understood the transaction behind it.

But this time, the subject was the Marquis’ family—one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the Imperial Capital. They owned makeup and wine industries that were practically money-printing machines, and had the support of a prominent congressman son in Parliament. The amount they donated to charity each year alone could support several noble households. Why would they need to sell off their youngest son to secure a businessman’s fortune?

So, instead of hearing people mock them—like “look how far the nobility has fallen, needing to marry into business to stay afloat”—people were instead envious of the lucky businessman, jealous that he had somehow fooled the innocent young master of the Marquis family with sweet words and landed himself a bright and boundless future.

“I heard the young master is gentle and sweet, nothing like those difficult noble ladies. He’s like an angel.”

“I’ve seen him before—he really is a beautiful person. Even without the powerful family behind him, just being with him is something to be jealous of.”

“Not to mention he’s in poor health. Who knows how long he’ll live… Even if the Marquis family were heartless, they wouldn’t expect that businessman to remain single for life. He doesn’t need to worry about loneliness in the future.”

“It’s just too unfair. How did that guy get so lucky?”

Many nobles were green with envy at Chu Feng’s fortune, and when they talked about it among themselves, their tone was inevitably tinged with sourness.

After enough gossip circulated, people began to take it as fact that Chu Feng was just a lucky outsider. On the day of the engagement banquet, when they finally saw him—and saw the “assistants” he had summoned from the legion—many couldn’t help but look at him through a tinted lens.

“My god, could this businessman not hire a proper team of professionals to organize this banquet? He dragged in a bunch of unemployed peasants from his backwater town? I’ve seen more disabled people than I can count! The scars on their faces will give me nightmares!”

“Look at the calluses on their hands! Even our busiest maids don’t look that rough.”

“Someone is selling egg pancakes at such a high-class event?! I nearly passed out!”

“…But why are so many important guests lined up at that egg pancake stall? Is that the new trend in the capital now?”

In fact, those high-profile guests had never expected that they would attend an engagement banquet and end up standing in line for pancakes.

When they arrived at the venue and saw men and women walking past them in elegant butler uniforms—who, no matter how you looked at them, still seemed more like thugs—they began to suspect they had come to the wrong place.

But when the Marquis and Marchioness, along with the congressman, personally greeted them with less-than-pleasant expressions, they had to accept that this was, indeed, the right place.

“If you need more staff, I can send my butler to bring over some maids and footmen,” a few important guests offered, trying to help.

“No, no need,” said the Marquis couple helplessly. “For some reason, all the staff we hired were delayed on the road. These people had received favors from Chu Feng before, and offered to help when they heard the news. Once our original staff arrives, they’ll replace them.”

The guests looked puzzled. “How could such a thing happen? Could it have been intentional…?”

The Marquis couple didn’t answer, but when they thought about how these people “just happened” to show up and solve the problem—while also “coincidentally” all had uniforms that fit—they couldn’t help but suspect that this whole thing was premeditated. That maybe someone had deliberately taken this opportunity to make the Marquis household look bad.

Especially considering how crude and unruly these people were. They completely ignored the butler’s instructions and shamelessly went about doing their “old trades”—like flipping pancakes—almost driving the typically graceful and mild-tempered couple to the brink of madness.

They decided to go talk to Chu Feng, to tell him that no matter what, he had to do something. They couldn’t allow so many people to laugh at them—especially not at their precious youngest son. If people kept using this incident to mock Si Qi every time he came up in conversation, it would be a humiliation of the highest order.

After greeting the major guests, the couple left to find Chu Feng. The important guests left behind looked at each other in confusion. A moment later, they shook their heads with a wry smile and said, “As expected of an outsider merchant—so uncultured.”

But in the very next moment, they noticed that their bodyguards—hired at great expense—were standing stiffly behind them, faces pale with fear and tension.

“What’s wrong?” One of the important guests immediately tensed. “What happened?”

One of the bodyguards was visibly shaking as he said, “T-that man over there flipping pancakes… he’s… he’s incredibly strong!”

The guest froze. “But aren’t you…”

After glancing around to make sure no one else was listening, the guest lowered his voice. “You possess two sealed artifacts. You’ve never lost a fight. Are you certain that man is that powerful?”

“Absolutely certain,” said the bodyguard, who usually looked down on everyone—even royalty—his face now full of dread. “Not just him. That waiter over there sneaking a drink… and the butler cleaning the silverware… all of them are terrifyingly strong!”

The important figure tensed up and said in disbelief, “What did you just say? How is that possible? Are you telling me all of them possess sealed artifacts? Didn’t you say the imperial capital is well-managed by the Temple Knights, and there aren’t that many people with such power…”

“I don’t know!” The bodyguard was so frightened he was nearly having a breakdown. “It’s too dangerous here. There are so many transcendents gathered in this place—what are they planning?!”

The important figure pursed his lips and frowned deeply in thought.

Like him, the other high-ranking guests each heard the same news from their own bodyguards and were shocked that such a small banquet venue was hiding so many formidable figures. A few of them, being seasoned veterans of political games, not only weren’t frightened away, but even tried to approach and talk with these so-called transcendents. Despite being mocked and scorned by them—who clearly didn’t regard the capital’s officials as anything worth noticing—they remained polite and deferential.

If they could win over such people, bringing them to their side, it might be a golden opportunity to eliminate rivals and rise in power.

Or at the very least, they could leave a good impression—just in case they ever accidentally offended someone from that world, maybe this connection would save their lives.

Everyone who had made it to their position in the capital knew one thing: it was better to offend the king or Parliament than to offend a transcendent. You could still wrestle with the former over money and power, or cut your losses and escape. But the latter played by no rules—if you said the wrong thing one day, they might just show up and kill you, and there’d be no one to appeal to.

Especially since out of ten transcendents, at least eight were lunatics—and the last one was particularly insane. They didn’t care about money or power, yet each of them was more mysterious and terrifying than the last. No one knew how to deal with them.

After being brushed off with comments like “don’t bother me while I’m working,” these cunning bigwigs quickly adjusted their approach. Bravely, and despite the horrified looks from their own bodyguards—who clearly thought this was suicidal—they politely asked if they could have a drink or some clean utensils from the transcendents, since that was exactly what the latter were currently doing.

The bodyguards thought for sure that the transcendents would explode with rage and bash their employers’ heads in. But instead, the transcendents looked… happy.

Finally, someone came over asking for a drink! One of them cheerfully put down the bottle and poured a glass of wine for the VIP.

The important figure accepted it with a mix of gratitude and fear. He didn’t dare drink it—he had a gut feeling that anything touched by these people was dangerous. Carefully, he asked, “Forgive me for asking, but someone like you working as a server here—is there some special reason for that?”

The transcendent took another swig from his stolen bottle, looked at the guest with an amused smile, and said, “Drink the wine, and I’ll tell you.”

“…”

Since the transcendent himself was drinking, the guest figured it probably wasn’t poisoned and downed the wine in one go, face flushing. “Can you tell me now?”

The transcendent topped off his glass again and replied, “Did I say just one glass? I said the whole bottle.”

“…”

The important figure knew he was being played, but didn’t dare object. Gritting his teeth, he finished the entire bottle, one glass at a time. By the end, he was dizzy and about ready to pass out.

Only then did the transcendent casually say, “Why am I a server? Because I want to be a server~~”

Leaving behind that clearly meaningless response, he happily bounced off to fetch another bottle of wine.

He seemed genuinely pleased with how quickly and efficiently he had poured the wine—convinced he’d done an excellent job as a server.

Behind him, the VIP’s bodyguard was drenched in cold sweat, supporting his dazed employer like someone just returned from the brink of death. Quietly, he said with gratitude, “You handled that perfectly. If you hadn’t finished that wine, he definitely would’ve held a grudge.”

And with a transcendent’s volatile personality, that grudge would’ve led to revenge—and it would be the bodyguard who’d suffer for it.

The still-dizzy VIP gave a wry smile. “You warned me before about how to deal with transcendents. Of course I wouldn’t go against that advice…”

“Shall I take you out of here?” the bodyguard asked uneasily.

“No. I can’t.”

With great danger often comes great opportunity. Every high-ranking figure who’d made it this far was a gambler willing to take risks at critical moments. Cautious, conservative people never rise to the top—especially after that unsettling global catastrophe not long ago. Right now, without a few transcendents to protect them, no one felt truly safe.

His eyes locked onto a seemingly “easier” target: the egg pancake stall.

“Eating an egg pancake should be fine…” he muttered.

And so he, along with a number of other bigwigs who’d also noticed something off about the vendor, all made their way over. When they caught each other’s eye, they exchanged knowing smiles.

“Could I have an egg pancake, please?”

The burly vendor with one missing leg looked at them in surprise and delight. “Of course! What filling would you like?”

This pancake vendor—who moonlighted as an Executor—had been standing there feeling glum while noble ladies sneered at him, questioning why someone like him would be allowed in such a place. He’d been sad and dejected, worried he wouldn’t complete his task.

But now, so many people wanted to eat his egg pancakes! He was overjoyed and greeted them warmly.

None of the VIPs had ever eaten this kind of street food before—they wouldn’t even glance at it under normal circumstances—but they smiled and said, “Whatever you recommend is fine.”

The vendor gave a hearty laugh. “Got it, boss!” Then, with practiced speed, he cracked eggs and started cooking. He really did look like a hard-working street vendor—ordinary and diligent—not a powerful, dangerous transcendent at all.

However, having personally heard from their bodyguards about the other party’s formidable strength, they naturally weren’t foolish enough to question them face-to-face. On the contrary, they respectfully addressed them as “sir” with every sentence, warmly asking various questions, casually probing into their background as if they were just making small talk.

Their lively back-and-forth conversation left the nobles—who had earlier looked down on Chu Feng and found the whole banquet as laughable as a circus—completely baffled.

That confusion peaked when Her Highness the Royal Princess , the king’s most beloved daughter and the most beautiful red rose of the empire, made her appearance.

They saw the princess, full of grace and dignity, engaging in an animated conversation with an old man who clearly looked like he came from a lowly background. She even greeted an uncouth old woman passing by with familiarity and warmth… Everything about it was utterly incomprehensible.

Just what kind of power did these people—called in by that merchant to help—possess, that made so many high-ranking figures treat them with such deference?