On the way back, Xue Ying’s face was expressionless, while Guanhuo re-tied his mask. Yan Gou breathed a slight sigh of relief and ran over to chat with Xue Ying, “Senior Sister, your swordsmanship is truly impressive.”
Xue Ying wasn’t in the mood to talk much. Although Zhangyue was a promising talent, it was a pity he didn’t use it for righteous causes.
Feeling restless, she pulled Yan Gou along, “Let’s spar again when we get back.”
Yan Gou, who had been eager to please, wilted at the thought.
Not long after returning, Baizhu arrived, claiming to help Xue Ying recuperate. Xue Ying initially wanted to refuse, but under Baizhu’s gentle smile, she obediently lowered her head and made small talk, “Will you be going to the arena tomorrow, fellow Daoist?”
Baizhu handed Xue Ying a stick of candied hawthorn he had just bought, “The preliminary rounds are short on staff, so they had to borrow us demons for help. It’ll get better during the elimination rounds.”
Xue Ying thought for a moment, “I’ll come help you too.”
It would at least be a way to relax.
Baizhu happily stuffed sweet cakes into Xue Ying’s mouth, smiling warmly, “You need to eat well to have the strength to work.”
Even though they could fast, the feeling of being full was still a source of happiness.
The next day, when they set out, Baizhu was dragging along a loudly protesting Su Yu, “I said I’m not going!”
The moment Su Yu saw Xue Ying, his demeanor changed instantly. He straightened his back and coughed a few times, pretending to be dignified, “Since you begged me…”
Baizhu smiled sweetly and twisted Su Yu’s ear, making him yelp in pain, “Senior Sister, don’t grab a rabbit by the ears!”
Freed from her grip, Su Yu didn’t dare to act up again and obediently followed behind Baizhu. Within a few steps, he struck up a conversation with Xue Ying.
“You, what are you here for?”
Xue Ying answered honestly, “I’m here to help Fellow Daoist Baizhu.”
Su Yu cleared his throat and adopted the tone of a senior, “There are a lot of rules in the arena matches. When we get there, stay close to me and don’t run around, understand?”
Baizhu said softly, “Su Yu.”
Su Yu stiffened, “Yes?”
After being disciplined by Baizhu, Su Yu didn’t dare to misbehave again. The three of them arrived at the same venue as before. Once familiar, twice at ease—Baizhu was now adept at bossing Su Yu around, while Xue Ying was assigned to guide the contestants.
The task was quite easy, but Su Yu grumbled from the back, “Why me?”
Baizhu sorted through the day’s materials and tossed him a carrot, “Do you want to get hit on again?”
Every time Su Yu went out, it was always women asking, “Can I add your WeChat?”
It was annoying as hell. Who wanted to be sisters with him?
Su Yu gnawed on the carrot without replying. The only sound in the room was the shuffling of heavy objects. After a while, Baizhu said, “No crawling around.”
Even in human form, he still insisted on moving like a rabbit.
Outside, Xue Ying guided many contestants. As the fighters prepared to step onto the stage, Xue Ying withdrew, planning to head back, but someone stopped her.
“Little sister, which way to the Martial Arts Evaluation?”
The woman was stunningly beautiful, with striking features, fiery red lips, and eyes that held an indescribable allure.
Most importantly, Xue Ying instinctively touched her own chest—feeling a twinge of envy.
So big.
She quickly snapped out of it and politely replied, “Follow me.”
The woman smiled and nodded, her long legs striding alongside Xue Ying as they walked together.
“I see you’re a martial artist, little sister. Are you here to participate in the Martial Arts Evaluation too?”
Xue Ying wasn’t fond of walking so close to others. The faint fragrance emanating from the woman made her slightly uncomfortable, and she rubbed her nose, “I passed the preliminaries. I’m just here to help.”
The woman giggled and looped her arm through Xue Ying’s, “In that case, we’ll be opponents. When we meet on stage, you’ll go easy on me, won’t you?”
It was a polite remark, but Xue Ying corrected her seriously, “Going easy on you would be an insult to my opponent.”
The words struck like thunder. For the first time in years, someone didn’t disdain her beauty and was willing to treat her sincerely.
She had always hated her face—this damned beauty that only attracted sycophants. She was sick of this degrading life.
“Little sister, I like you!”
Xue Ying, “Huh?”
Realizing the misunderstanding, the woman quickly amended, “I admire you greatly. I wish we could become sworn sisters.”
Xue Ying displayed the arrogance unique to sword cultivators, “First, prove yourself against this sword in my hand.”
The woman was nearly moved to tears. Finally, someone was treating her as a martial artist. She grabbed Xue Ying’s hand and declared, “If I win, you have to call me ‘big sister.’”
Xue Ying nodded. She’d call her “mom” if she had to.
Satisfied, the woman swayed her hips and went to register.
“Name?”
“Nü Hou.”
“How many times do I have to say it? Stop using titles as real names.”
“But my real name is Nü Hou.”
Born without parents, she had only known survival through bloodshed in the Crimson Sea. It was Shen Jin who found her, pulled her out, clothed her, and gave her a name.
Even if it was just a title, Nü Hou loved it.
When she returned to her temporary shelter, the Crimson Feather in her bosom ignited. Shen Jin examined her surroundings through the flame and asked, “Where is this?”
“An abandoned temple outside Jing City.” As she spoke, the pancake in her hand fell to the ground, and the pain of loss nearly suffocated her.
She had only taken one bite.
She hurriedly picked it up, dusted it off, and ate it—what didn’t kill her would only make her stronger.
Shen Jin watched Nü Hou’s pitiful state with disbelief, “How did you end up like this?”
He remembered Nü Hou wasn’t poor. Every season, she returned with bags of new clothes, changing colors like a chameleon.
Nü Hou didn’t answer. She had spent all her savings buying Shen Jin’s body and still owed Ming Gong 3,500 demon crystals.
That stingy Ming Gong even charged interest on loans. One day, she’d make the Demon Lord shut down his credit line.
A woman’s resentment was terrifying. Shen Jin wisely changed the subject, “How’s the mission?”
At this, Nü Hou perked up, “Reporting to the Lord, I’ve met Yuheng’s disciple and challenged her to a duel at the Martial Arts Evaluation.”
The first half was normal, but the second half was anything but. Shen Jin stared at her in disbelief, “Martial Arts Evaluation?”
Ming Gong, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, “Some women lose their minds the moment they leave the Demon Realm.”
Shen Jin scolded, “As the Demon Realm’s top assassin, you’re joining a martial arts tournament? An assassin fighting a swordsman head-on—who gave you the guts?”
Nü Hou snapped back, “You sent me to seduce a woman! Are you insane?”
Seduction was one thing when it came to men, but who ever heard of a woman seducing another woman? Did he think her charm was like demon crystals—universally appealing?
Shen Jin ignored her protests, “Don’t you get why I sent you? If men don’t work, try women. I refuse to believe she’s immune.”
He even threw in a sweeping generalization, “Women are no good.”
Nü Hou, “…”
Pay me back, you bastard!
Despite her frustration, Nü Hou began pondering the epic battle from days ago. She had arrived late and missed it, but rumors said Yuheng’s disciple had defeated the Holy Maiden of Tianyin Pavilion with just a few words. She had never heard of the “Art of Speech,” yet Yuheng’s disciple had used it to win.
Truly terrifying, as expected of Yuheng’s disciple.
After some thought, Nü Hou decided to seek advice from Ming Gong—specifically, how to master cheesy pickup lines.
Ming Gong struck a pose, “The charm of language is boundless.”
“No, I just crave that silver tongue of yours.”
…
Armed with newfound flattery techniques, Nü Hou started brainstorming. She had never tried this before—would it work on Yuheng’s disciple?
After much hesitation, she decided to test it out on a few subjects.
Men and women, preferably a control group.
Unfamiliar with the area, she didn’t dare target Martial Arts Evaluation contestants and instead chose another group—unofficial arena matches, where cultivators fought for fun, also known as street brawls.
To avoid detection, she covered her face and blended into the crowd, waiting quietly for someone to step onto the stage.
Before long, two bickering men approached the registration desk.
“Who are you calling a sissy? I’ll cut you down with one strike!”
Once they were on stage, Nü Hou recognized one of them—the cross-dressing little demon from before. What was his name? Su Yu.
As Su Yu stepped onto the platform, Nü Hou changed her tone and shouted, “Are you the great Su Yu? I’m your biggest fan! I admire you so much! Go, Su Yu! Defeat your opponent! I’ll always support you!”
Su Yu was so furious he nearly dropped his sword, yelling at the crowd, “Xue Ying, if you’ve got the guts, use your real account!”
The cultivators below murmured, “Who is this person? How dare they challenge the Sword Immortal’s disciple?”
“Calling themselves ‘great’? How arrogant.”
Su Yu paled. His opponent sneered and walked away without a backward glance, as if fighting Su Yu was beneath him.
Chaos erupted on and off the stage. Nü Hou slipped away unnoticed, marking her experiment as a success. She decided to try again in a few days.
Meanwhile, Su Yu, fuming, went looking for Xue Ying, only to learn she had been with Baizhu all day and hadn’t left at all.
“Then who the hell messed with me?”
Su Yu was livid. Ignoring Baizhu’s attempts to calm him, he slammed the table and declared, “I’m going to wait here and catch them red-handed.”
Baizhu glanced at the twitching rabbit tail behind him but kindly refrained from pointing it out.
For days, Su Yu kept watch, his eyes red from exhaustion. Baizhu couldn’t take it anymore and tried to drag him home. Su Yu begged, “Just one more day, then I’ll go back.”
Baizhu relented. The two sat below the stage, munching on steamed buns, when a familiar stranger stepped up—Ao Fugui.
Also known as Ao Fugui, Crown Prince of the East Sea, the Ice-Blue Swordsman. He was probably bored and had arranged a sparring match, fanning himself ostentatiously with a bone fan, oozing arrogance.
Su Yu had no interest in watching Ao Fugui fight and was about to leave when someone in the crowd shouted, “Prince, I love you! I’m your biggest fan! You’ve stolen my heart! I want to follow you forever! You’re my sun! I revolve around you! Your handsome face captivates me! You’re so dashing, I just want to scream!”
Su Yu nearly vomited. He expected Ao Fugui to rage, but when he looked up, Ao Fugui was beaming, practically preening, as if begging for an encore.
“Why isn’t he mad?!”
Su Yu couldn’t believe it.
Baizhu’s gaze was profound, tinged with pity for the fool.
Su Yu missed the subtext. Furious, he abandoned Ao Fugui and searched the crowd for the culprit.
Since no fight broke out, Nü Hou lingered, planning to try again. But the moment she opened her mouth, Su Yu caught her.
“It’s you! The one who slandered me last time!”
Su Yu demanded an explanation. Nü Hou, not wanting trouble, tried to leave, but Su Yu blocked her path.
During the struggle, her veil slipped off. Su Yu froze, staring at the stunning woman before him.
Had he seen this beautiful sister somewhere before?
A commotion broke out behind them. Someone shoved Su Yu, and he lost his balance, his face plunging straight into Nü Hou’s chest.
So big. So soft.
Blushing furiously, Su Yu stumbled back just as Ao Fugui arrived. With sharp eyes, Ao Fugui recognized Nü Hou as his “fan.” Seeing Su Yu’s face buried in her chest, Ao Fugui exploded with rage.
“Why does little brother get to, but big brother doesn’t?!”
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