A Small Gesture of Respect, and We Become Brothers
Amid the chaos of squawking chickens, barking dogs, and billowing smoke, the first round of the Five Provinces Quiz—group matches—finally came to an end. Though, if half the stage collapsing counted as “coming to an end,” that was.
The second round began soon afterward. Ye Shusheng was the first to take the stage, facing another disciple of the Tianyan Sect.
This one was dressed like a proper scholar, wearing a long gown and a scholar’s cap. He even had a pair of round spectacles as thick as bottle bottoms perched on his nose. Supposedly, they had the ability to ward off illusions.
Shu Fu couldn’t help sighing once again. The Tianyan Sect really did have everything under the sun. It truly was the cultivation world’s Doraemon.
The two scholars exchanged names and politely yielded to each other for a while before the host announced the start of the questions.
A beam of light projected the first question into the air. It read:
“A disciple of the Tianyan Sect has forged seven magical artifacts, three of which are defective. An elder inspects one artifact at a time and does not return it after inspection. What is the probability that the elder will find all three defective artifacts exactly on the fourth inspection?”
Someone saw the first three characters and immediately complained indignantly, “This is completely unfair! One of them is a disciple of the Tianyan Sect. How can you ask a question about the Tianyan Sect?”
Before he had even finished speaking, the rest of the question slowly appeared:
The audience: “Huh????”
Shu Fu nearly spat out her tea. “What the heck kind of question is this?”
Wasn’t this a math problem?
And the kind found in elementary-school Olympiad competitions, no less!!!
Jiang Xuesheng calmly explained, “Mathematics is also a form of knowledge. Cultivators are not necessarily proficient in it. Many people are eliminated at this stage.”
Shu Fu: “…”
The cultivation world really knew how to have fun. I, a modern person, have been thoroughly defeated.
Ye Shusheng had prepared thoroughly before entering the competition. He had no weak subjects or blind spots, and answered correctly within thirty seconds, clearly stating that the answer was three thirty-fifths.
Shu Fu: …That was fast! I really have lost!
Starting with that question, the problems grew increasingly unconventional, with each one stranger than the last:
“There is a jug of wine here weighing eight liang, not counting the weight of the container. Two liang of poison has been dissolved into it. There are also several jugs of highly toxic liquor, in which the liquor and poison are present in equal amounts—that is, the poison makes up fifty percent. How much of this highly toxic liquor must be added to the first jug to increase the proportion of poison in it from twenty percent to forty percent?”
Shu Fu: I don’t want to calculate it. All I know is that anyone who drinks this jug will definitely die.
“Zhang San and Wang Wu depart simultaneously from the Nine Flowers Sect and the Tianyan Sect, flying toward each other on their swords. Upon reaching their destinations, they immediately turn around and return. They continue traveling back and forth at a constant speed. When they meet for the second time, they are five hundred li from the Nine Flowers Sect; when they meet for the fourth time, they are seven hundred li from the Tianyan Sect. What is the distance between the Nine Flowers Sect and the Tianyan Sect?”
—Leave Zhang San and Wang Wu alone already! What did they ever do to deserve this?!
In a certain sense, Ye Shusheng’s ability to answer question after question in such a uniquely bizarre knowledge competition and advance without obstruction proved that he truly was a man of many talents. Even if he were transmigrated into the opposite direction, he could still make a living.
As the saying went, “Great wisdom may appear foolish.” The ancients had not deceived her.
Before long, Ye Shusheng defeated his opponent in an invisible clash of wits—or rather, mathematics—and successfully advanced.
By the second round, the questions had taken another sharp turn. They had become some strange language that sounded a little like English, a little like German, and perhaps even a little like French. In short, Shu Fu couldn’t understand a word of it.
Jiang Xuesheng explained, “Fu’er, this is merfolk language. The merfolk live deep beneath the sea. To communicate and conduct trade with them, one needs translators. Therefore, ‘merfolk language’ is also considered a field of knowledge.”
Si Fei nodded. “That’s right.”
Shu Fu: “…Fine, I understand. You merfolk are pretty worldly.”
No wonder Third Senior Brother’s Chinese was so poor. Foreigners—no, foreign fish—really did have a hard time learning Chinese.
The merfolk had always been a renowned and influential demon clan, and they were also friendly toward humans. Many cultivators had studied some basic merfolk language, though their levels varied. After a round of foreign-language testing, Ye Shusheng and Ji Shaoguang once again emerged as the best.
The questions that followed were even more varied. Aside from mathematics and foreign languages, they covered poetry, music, physics and chemistry, biological anatomy, and countless other fields. They ranged from “How many species of birds have currently been recorded in the Five Provinces?” to “If a male seahorse demon marries a human woman, which side is responsible for giving birth?” Nothing was too strange, leaving everyone utterly dumbfounded.
Amid this astonishingly bizarre contest, Ye Shusheng and Ji Shaoguang fought their way through one round after another, winning all the way to the semifinals.
At last, Ye Shusheng came face-to-face with a female cultivator from the Soaring Heavens City.
The woman’s name was Ling Qingyue. She had a long, oval face and a slender figure, with a somewhat delicate and pleasant appearance. Although she wore the golden-yellow robes emblematic of the Soaring Heavens City, she was nothing like Ling Fengqing or Ling Fengming, who were both arrogant and overbearing. Her temperament was as gentle as the golden osmanthus blossoms of autumn.
Shu Fu paused in the middle of taking notes. “Ling Qingyue?”
At first hearing, the name sounded more like a sibling pair with Ling Xiyue.
“That’s right. The Soaring Heavens City compares itself to the Golden Crow—the sun. Thus, in addition to ‘Feng,’ they also revere the character ‘Ri,’ meaning sun. Though the sun and moon may shine together, the moon is ultimately considered a step lower, so the character is generally given to members of branch families.”
Jiang Xuesheng was usually too lazy to explain such things, but whenever Shu Fu asked, he would patiently break everything down in meticulous detail.
“The three Ling brothers were originally named Ling Fengqing, Ling Fengxi, and Ling Fengming. Ling Fengxi was kidnapped when he was young and ended up on the black market run by demonic cultivators. His Yuan-chu bloodline was taken by others, and after he returned, he changed his name.”
“‘Yue,’ or moon, signifies being a rank lower than others. ‘Xi’ refers to someone who was once a slave. Though he is Ling Shanhai’s biological son, he lost both his bloodline and his dignity. After that, he was nothing.”
“…”
Shu Fu felt a complicated mix of emotions. It wasn’t enough to change her opinion of Ling Xiyue, but when it came to his grand undertaking of killing his brother, she was quite willing to offer him a little support.
Back on the stage, Ling Qingyue was clearly a diligent person as well. She answered one question after another with remarkable fluency, and for a time, she and Ye Shusheng stood evenly matched. The two went back and forth for dozens of questions. Even the audience outside had begun yawning, yet neither side was able to gain the upper hand.
Compared with Ye Shusheng’s immovable composure, the longer the stalemate continued, the more nervous Ling Qingyue became. The color slowly drained from her cheeks, and her originally calm voice began to tremble faintly.
It wasn’t difficult to imagine that she had entered the competition not only for her own sake. Like Ling Fengming, she had probably been assigned a “mission” by Ling Fengqing without any regard for her wishes.
If she failed to complete it, the consequences awaiting her upon her return to the Soaring Heavens City were obvious.
Contestants were also allowed to interfere with their opponents’ answers during the rematch. Ling Qingyue was deeply reluctant to do so, but before long, she could no longer hold out. She took a small thunderfire bomb from her storage bag and threw it toward Ye Shusheng’s feet.
The thunderfire bomb looked astonishingly powerful, but in reality, when it struck the ground, it merely kicked up a fierce gust of wind. It would throw people off balance and blow them several yards away at most, perhaps causing them to fall flat on their faces if they were caught off guard. Among the tools contestants were allowed to use, its effect could be considered relatively mild.
However, although Ye Shusheng was a thickheaded, hopelessly honest fool, it was precisely this very honesty that had given him, at such a young age, the bearing of a grandmaster—deep and still as an abyss, imposing as a mountain. He was far beyond any ordinary young man. No matter how violently the wind roared around him, whether he was running, dodging, or being swept up by the gale, he answered every question flawlessly.
Seeing that he was unstoppable, Ling Qingyue’s face grew paler and paler. The tip of her finger slipped, and a thunderfire bomb fell from her hand. It exploded with a boom right beside her feet!
“Ah—!!”
The sudden blast sent Ling Qingyue’s slender body soaring into the air. She flew straight toward the top of Ye Shusheng’s head.
“?!!”
Under ordinary circumstances, Ye Shusheng would have used his protective aura to bounce her away. There were always people nearby who could catch her.
But at that moment, the two of them were on the platform, with no one around them. If he did not reach out to catch her, Ling Qingyue would inevitably crash to the ground in front of everyone—and might even be injured.
With that thought, Ye Shusheng stepped forward without hesitation. He swiftly pulled a spare outer robe from his storage pouch—he had many identical ones—and spread it across both his forearms. Then he advanced toward the falling Ling Qingyue.
“Wait!”
Shu Fu sprang to her feet and shouted instinctively, “Something’s wrong with that girl!”
Ling Qingyue was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, after all. Being struck by one of her own usual tools was one thing, but how could she have no defenses whatsoever after being hit? How could she have failed to show even the slightest instinct for self-preservation, flying straight over like a wooden club?
When something was out of the ordinary, there was usually foul play involved.
Sure enough, the instant Ye Shusheng’s outstretched arms touched her, he felt an enormous force that was strangely familiar. It shook his footing and sent his entire body flying right out of the arena!
“It’s the Golden Bell Shield!”
Shu Fu slapped the table and cried, “That girl can use the Golden Bell Shield too! Ye Shusheng didn’t bounce her away—she bounced him away instead!”
As she spoke, she stepped onto the windowsill, preparing to leap out and catch Ye Shusheng as he fell. Thirty seconds passed in the blink of an eye. By the time he landed and climbed back onto the platform, it would be too late.
But before that could happen—
A black figure, faster than lightning, leaped from the window of the teahouse opposite. It shot into the air ahead of Shu Fu and intercepted Ye Shusheng at precisely the right moment.
Shu Fu was one step too slow. She could only lean halfway out of the window, but that was enough for her to see the entire scene clearly.
The person was tall and slender. Their loose, dark-blue outer robe billowed in the gale, revealing an enviable golden-ratio figure. A wasp waist, long legs, and close-fitting soft armor outlined smooth, graceful curves, making it impossible not to imagine the shape of their abdominal muscles.
The person had originally been wearing a veiled hat, its heavy gauze concealing their features completely. But during that leap and catch, the force of the wind blew the hat away, revealing the face hidden beneath.
The first things Ye Shusheng saw were a crown of glossy black hair swept high like a banner fluttering in the wind, and a pair of eyes bright and searing as the rising sun.
Then he realized that the person had one arm around his back and the other supporting his legs, holding him securely in what Shu Fu called a “princess carry.” After spinning halfway around, they landed with effortless grace. From beginning to end, their bearing was as steady as a mountain overlooking an abyss, their movements as natural as flowing water. Not once did they show the slightest hint of panic or wavering.
“Thank you…”
Ye Shusheng instinctively began to offer his thanks, but the moment he saw the person’s face, he was struck speechless.
“You—you are—”
“…………Miss Xiao?”
“What?!”
Shu Fu nearly toppled headfirst from the windowsill.
Miss Xiao?
This person was the “Fox Girl” Ye Shusheng had mentioned?
She had imagined it before, but no matter how she pictured it, this was simply too…
Too…
Too damn hot!!!
“Young Master Ye. It has been a long time.”
The person spoke in a steady, magnetic voice that was unforgettable at first hearing.
Her face was just as striking. Her phoenix eyes slanted upward, her long brows swept into her temples, dark and naturally defined without makeup. Her lips were red without rouge. Not a single jewel adorned her person; her thick black hair was tied back only with a strip of blue satin.
To call her beautiful failed to capture her heroic spirit. To call her handsome left out three parts of her incomparable allure.
She was unquestionably a woman, yet the clarity and dignity of her features, the confidence and vigor of her expression, seemed to carry the grand, impassioned spirit of someone who had “fought across three thousand miles, a single sword standing against a million soldiers.” She made no deliberate effort to imitate a man, yet her bearing was enough to shame every man beneath heaven.
The countdown on the platform was still running. She did not hurry to reminisce. Instead, she calmly urged him, “Young Master Ye, what do you intend to do? Are you going back to the platform?”
“I…”
Ye Shusheng hesitated for a moment before answering firmly, “No. I forfeit. Miss Ling isn’t someone skilled in scheming. For her to go this far, she must have a reason more important than the Matchmaking Flower—perhaps something connected to her safety. To me, this is only a competition. There’s no need to force the other party into a dead end.”
“And besides, I…”
He paused awkwardly. His Adam’s apple bobbed before he continued slowly, “I only entered this competition so I could see you again. Now that I’ve achieved my purpose…”
“Miss Xiao—Miss Xiao Suyi, I’ve been looking for you.”
“Indeed. I guessed you would make that choice.”
The woman smiled faintly. When she was not smiling, she was as steady as a mountain. When she did smile, she possessed a hint of the spirit captured by the phrase, “A fierce tiger at heart, yet pausing to savor the scent of roses”—a blend of ironclad resolve and tender feeling.
“If Young Master Ye were not this kind of person, I would never have stepped in to help you.”
“Miss Xiao, actually, I…”
At this point, Ye Shusheng had intended to explain why he had refused their engagement all those years ago. But when faced with Miss Xiao’s heroic spirit—more striking even than that of the legendary Xiao Lang—his words were forcibly suppressed. His tongue turned of its own accord, and, as if possessed, he blurted out:
“I, well… If you think ‘starting as friends’ is too slow and sounds insincere, why don’t we become sworn brothers instead? We can start as brothers!”
“…”
After a moment of silence, the woman turned her head away. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her tone sounded less angry than as though she were struggling not to laugh.
“Very well. We’ll do as you say and start as brothers. If you had said anything else, I might not have dared to believe you—or acknowledge you.”
“And besides, I’ve changed my name. Call me Xiao Tieyi.”
She gently set Ye Shusheng down, then stood with her hands behind her back and inclined her head in greeting. Facing the bright, warm light of the rising sun, she smiled with effortless boldness.
Several years ago, through a twist of fate, Xiao Tieyi had encountered misfortune that ultimately became a blessing, and she had fallen in love with a truly wonderful person.
Because of that person, she had also become a better version of herself.
In a blue robe and silver armor, she stood radiant and valiant, like a flawless jade tree before the wind.
“‘The northern chill carries the sound of golden clappers; cold light shines upon iron armor.’—Xiao Tieyi, current clan leader of the Qingqiu Sky Foxes.”
