“Alright.”
Jiang Huai put away the silver needles and looked back at Mu Yao beside him.
Bright sunlight streamed down, falling on the girl’s porcelain white cheeks. The only downside to having such fair skin was that any hint of blush would be easily noticed, leaving nowhere to hide.
But why were you blushing?
At this moment, Mu Yao’s earlobes were still faintly pink, and she was frowning slightly as if nervous. Her eyes, which had been tightly closed, now slowly opened, meeting Jiang Huai’s gaze.
Mu Yao instinctively wanted to avoid his eyes, yet she was inexplicably drawn to the light within them, as if it were a vortex, slowly pulling her in.
“Why are you staring at me?” Jiang Huai asked, confused.
After a long while, Mu Yao finally came to her senses. Her delicate pink lips moved, and the answer she spoke was, “You’re handsome.”
This left Jiang Huai speechless for a moment. It took him several seconds to think of what to say, “Sense the evil spirits in the acupoints of your arm. Are there any that haven’t been expelled from your body?”
Mu Yao then finally collected herself and seriously began to sense her arm. At this moment, her arm no longer felt sore and cold as it usually did. Instead, it felt warm and comfortable, as if warm water were flowing within it.
“You…” Mu Yao’s lips parted slightly, her eyes filled with astonishment.
She knew her own body very well. Her parents had found many skilled doctors for her since she was young. Yet, even the most renowned Granny Jiu in the Eastern Region could only prescribe medication to regulate her condition. Here, Jiang Huai had only used a silver needle, and in just over ten seconds, her arm had recovered completely.
Since birth, a strange soreness had accompanied her entire body, which was why she preferred quietude over activity. Now, the feeling of warmth and comfort in her arm was somewhat unfamiliar, leaving her dazed and unable to speak. Jiang Huai, however, had already stood up. “My Dao Companion should have finished her trial. I need to go back and find them. I’ll find some time another day to bring your mother to my courtyard and discuss healing the other acupoints.”
With that, Jiang Huai stood up. Mu Yao remained seated, gazing at him as he slowly walked away.
***
Wen Wanwan had passed the trial concerning the Sword Dao and obtained a blood-red sword tassel that could unleash power and amplify the strength of sword moves when activated. She carefully hung it on her Clear Profound Sword.
As for Luo Qingyu, she had also learned the dance and received a small harmonica. The harmonica wasn’t a particularly special magic tool, but it sounded very pleasant when played. She brought the harmonica to Jiang Huai’s lips as if presenting a treasure, and Jiang Huai lightly played a tune for her.
He knew the basic musical instruments in this world. He had directly purchased introductory skills from the System, so his proficiency was generally high. Only his zither skills were upgraded to a master level through skill books, because Chu Xianning liked listening to the zither.
And so, the three of them continued to wander around Qingmu Immortal Palace, spending the whole day. They didn’t find much else. As the sun began to set, they returned to the courtyard. Jiang Huai went to his own residence, where there were simple cooking utensils. Before he left, he had purchased a lot of ingredients from Tian Xuan Sect, enough for him to eat for a very long time.
After dinner was ready, he called Wen Wanwan and Luo Qingyu. The three of them ate dinner together in the courtyard. Luo Qingyu performed the dance she had learned that day for Jiang Huai, while Wen Wanwan sat quietly, listening to Jiang Huai play the zither.
It wasn’t until the night fully descended that Luo Qingyu suddenly leaned forward and playfully covered Jiang Huai’s eyes with a piece of gauze. Then, she softly said, “Wanwan and I are both in front of Brother Jiang Huai. Whoever Brother Jiang Huai catches tonight will accompany Brother Jiang Huai.”
Jiang Huai stood up and began to grope around like a blind man. Wen Wanwan and Luo Qingyu dodged around him. It took Jiang Huai a great deal of effort to finally seize the opportunity when Luo Qingyu lost her footing and tightly embrace her in his arms.
***
The saying “a brief separation makes the hearts grow fonder” is not without reason.
At this moment, Luo Qingyu nestled in Jiang Huai’s arms. Her soft, fair, and tender body still bore a few red marks, especially on her delicate buttocks, where the marks were particularly evident. When Jiang Huai’s fingertips brushed against her skin, he leaned close to her ear and said in a gentle voice, “Does it still hurt?”
Luo Qingyu shook her head and reached out to cup his face. “Brother Jiang Huai always asks.”
“I’m just worried.”
“Qingyu isn’t afraid of pain.” Luo Qingyu nuzzled his chest again. “As long as it’s Brother Jiang Huai, Qingyu likes you no matter what.”
Jiang Huai gently patted her back and looked down at her eyes. “Story time.”
Luo Qingyu obediently closed her eyes, snuggling into Jiang Huai’s embrace, relying on their skin contact to feel each other’s warmth.
***
The next day, early in the morning.
Jiang Huai and Luo Qingyu both woke up very early. After eating breakfast in the courtyard, they saw a line of text appear at the courtyard gate: The Eastern Region Grand Competition will officially begin in one shichen. Please proceed to the martial arts arena in the Main Hall of Qingmu Immortal Palace.
So, the three of them set off together. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived. The crowd was also gradually gathering, including Luo Yueguan and Chu Xianning.
The two of them had chosen adjacent courtyards yesterday. Now, one in a pale purple long dress, the other in a white Daoist robe, one exuding laziness, the other coldness, one with a full figure, the other slender, standing together created a subtle contrast, making each other appear even more beautiful.
Jiang Huai casually looked around. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt as if many eyes had been watching him just now. But when he looked, those gazes had quietly disappeared.
True Person Qingmu soon appeared in everyone’s sight and began to preside over the first round of the Eastern Region Grand Competition. The first round used a drawing of lots. There were a total of twelve participants, and he would draw lots to divide them into six groups, with each pair competing once. Cultivators from the same continent would not be drawn into the same group.
The first to draw was Mu Jiaoyang. Everyone’s gaze turned to him. His cultivation aura was not intentionally hidden. At this moment, he was the cultivator with the highest cultivation level among those present.
It was unknown what fortuitous encounters he had experienced in these two months. His cultivation had now reached the Spirit Transformation tenth layer, just one step away from Void Refinement.
The drawing of lots soon ended. His opponent was Feng Chulan, the Saint Son of Feng Huo Sect from Rimon Continent. Feng Chulan’s cultivation was at the Spirit Transformation sixth layer. The moment he drew Mu Jiaoyang, although he hid it very well, there was a trace of subtle regret in his eyes.
No one wanted to face Mu Jiaoyang first. The Spirit Transformation tenth layer cultivation level was there. The spiritual qi in Qingmu Immortal Palace was now more than ten times that of the outside world, and there were so many cultivation opportunities within. If he could find more opportunities within this month, there might be a possibility of clashing with Mu Jiaoyang later. Having drawn him now, he could only consider himself unlucky.
Mu Jiaoyang had already walked onto the stage. His eyes scanned Feng Chulan below the stage with a detached gaze, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
“Please,” he said to the crowd below the stage.
Feng Chulan walked onto the stage, a long saber in his hand igniting with scarlet flames. Spiritual qi surged behind him, and a pair of fiery wings grew from his back, also burning with scarlet flames.
Compared to his ostentatious display, Mu Jiaoyang calmly drew the blade from its hilt, its sharp, cold gleam directed at Feng Chulan before him.
In a flash of lightning, their bodies turned into afterimages. In almost an instant, the sound of blades clashing rang out, and scarlet flames exploded across the entire Sword Discussion Platform. The wings in Feng Chulan’s spiritual energy erupted like blades and swept down, but before they could touch Mu Jiaoyang, a sword light flashed, and the wings formed by his spiritual energy were completely severed and dissipated.
Mu Jiaoyang stood still the entire time, not taking a single step back. When he actually began to swing his sword, with every step he took forward, Feng Chulan was forced to take a step back. There was no other way to dodge. A mountain-like pressure surged from Mu Jiaoyang’s side. When Feng Chulan came to his senses, he realized he had retreated to the edge of the platform, about to fall.
He gritted his teeth and poured all the power within his body into the saber strike. The moment the blade was swung, the teeth-grinding sound of air being cut through echoed from the ripples. Yet, Mu Jiaoyang still did not retreat. He simply held his sword calmly in front of him. Even though it was his all-out strike, it only caused Mu Jiaoyang’s arm to tremble slightly, nothing more.
Dazzling firelight illuminated the entire Sword Discussion Platform, but when Mu Jiaoyang swung his sword, water from nowhere appeared in the air, all the flames extinguished, and mist rose, blurring all sight. When the mist was blown away by spiritual qi, Mu Jiaoyang’s sword tip was already touching Feng Chulan’s chest. One more inch forward, and it would pierce his heart.
The victor was decided.
Feng Chulan knew he was defeated and had no choice but to concede. He walked off the Sword Discussion Platform.
The entire competition was a near-crushing victory. However, Mu Jiaoyang’s eyes did not show much pride. His gaze searched among the crowd below until he found Jiang Huai’s position. He looked deeply at him.
But Jiang Huai still just smiled.
Then, the indifference on his face disappeared again. He didn’t know why, but the moment he saw Jiang Huai’s smile, he became furious and wanted to stab his sword into Jiang Huai’s chest and make two holes.
He was a peerless genius, having reached Spirit Transformation seventh layer at a young age. But that day, he was tragically defeated by Jiang Huai. To this day, he still remembered the sword strike he couldn’t dodge. That sword strike appeared in his nightmares countless times. Every time he woke up from a nightmare, he would be drenched in sweat.
“What are you laughing at?” Mu Jiaoyang asked in a deep voice.
“I’m just laughing,” Jiang Huai shrugged innocently. “Can’t I laugh?”
“Do you… dare to fight me right now?” Mu Jiaoyang raised his hand, pointing his sword tip at Jiang Huai in the crowd.
The crowd below was somewhat taken aback. A few people had heard about the conflict between Jiang Huai and Mu Jiaoyang back then. And the outcome of that incident… Mu Jiaoyang had lost to Jiang Huai, who had no spiritual energy at all. This incident sounded somewhat unbelievable, so no one completely believed it. But looking at the way the two of them were acting now, it seemed… the rumors were actually true.
But Jiang Huai just shook his head innocently. “Don’t rush it.”
A moment later, Jiang Huai thought for a moment and added, “Anyway, you’ll be beaten by me in a couple of days. There’s no need to rush.”
