Chapter: Caught in a Secret Romance
"..."
Shuangjian's heart skipped a beat.
He lowered his eyes to gaze at Yingshi, watching as her half-closed eyes suddenly widened.
The drowsiness and confusion in her eyes vanished instantly. As if burned, she quickly let go of his hand, sprang up from the bed, and stared at him in a daze, speechless.
...Had she already seen through the massive lie he had fabricated since their very first meeting?
Why?
For a moment, Shuangjian's mind went completely blank.
The curses Yingshi had hurled at him during their first encounter echoed in his ears. He froze, staring fixedly at her expression, trying to catch any trace of disgust or loathing... but there was none.
To his immense relief, there was absolutely none.
She was merely bewildered and shocked, which then gave way to joy and delight—Shuangjian confirmed there was no aversion in her emotions.
That question, which had struck his absolute weak point, seemed to be nothing more than an unconscious murmur...
"Shuangjian, is it really you? I thought I was dreaming!"
Yingshi spoke with a heavy nasal tone, hurriedly tidying her hair and clothes as she got out of bed.
Seeing her like this, Shuangjian's heart settled back down a little, though he couldn't completely relax just yet.
He suddenly realized that the lie lay between them, and on the day it finally blew up, it might leave him completely defenseless.
...The only way was to find the connection between Yingshi and the rules before that happened, or to find a way to permanently break free from his restraints.
Then, even if Yingshi rejected him and refused to have any more contact with him, he wouldn't have to force her—but even if he did force her, so what?
A dangerous thought quietly crept into his mind. Shuangjian paused for a moment, quickly closing his eyes and holding his breath to suppress it.
"How did you get in?" Yingshi asked hurriedly.
By now, she was completely awake. Her mood was a mix of shock and excitement, coupled with an indescribable shyness.
Initially, she really couldn't tell reality from a dream, but when she presumptuously grabbed Shuangjian's hand and held it, the warm and distinct touch made it hard for her to keep mistaking it for a dream.
She didn't dare think too deeply about why she felt the urge to hold his hand just because she dreamt of him. What on earth was going through her head?
Flustered, Yingshi led him to sit at the table and pretended to busy herself by pouring two cups of tea, trying to use the activity to cover up her wildly beating heart. She pressed on, "It's so late, why did you choose to come at this hour? And you didn't even wake me up! What if I was a heavy sleeper? Wouldn't we have missed the chance to talk?"
"..."
Shuangjian couldn't answer this question.
He quietly raised his cup and took a sip of the tea, which was cold and bitter from sitting out too long.
He had indeed planned to see Yingshi, but why would he choose such an intrusive time, late at night when she was already asleep?
But the surging demonic aura brought about by devouring Mi Ruotian had muddled his consciousness. By the time he regained his senses, he was already in her room.
He... didn't even know why himself.
Perhaps it was the innate pursuit of freedom in his bones, along with the anxiety of being controlled, that drove him to seek out Yingshi.
His first thought had been to leave immediately, but cracks had already appeared in the barrier. If he didn't see her, it would feel like a waste of the flaw he had exploited. While he was hesitating, Yingshi woke up.
For once, Shuangjian couldn't come up with a suitable lie. He ultimately chose to dodge the question and simply apologized.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I disturbed your rest."
"What are you saying! I didn't want to rest at all. I just wanted to see you, to get out of here, to clear my name, and to get revenge on Mi Ruotian!"
After being cooped up for days, Yingshi had become a highly combustible powder keg. She slammed her hand on the table, the force of it causing the papers on it to hover in the air for half a second.
But she also knew that many of these desires were difficult to achieve; right now, she was just venting to relieve stress.
Drawn by Yingshi's outburst, Shuangjian's gaze landed on the flying papers. They were still Yingshi's drawings, but slightly different from the chibi comics she had drawn in the thatched hut.
Her method of depicting characters had undergone a subtle change.
With similarly distorted proportions, this time a crude human figure was formed by just a circle, a square, and four vertical lines.
Tiny ink dots served as the character's eyes, and jagged squares as its teeth. While sloppy, it also looked somewhat wicked—Yingshi had drawn a clownish villain and written the three large characters Mi Ruotian in the blank space next to it.
The Mi Ruotian in the drawing seemed to be undergoing torture. The little stick figure was tied to a rack, a noose around its neck, machetes embedded in its limbs, and a raging fire burning beneath its feet...
Shuangjian slowly withdrew his gaze and said casually, "The clone of Mi Ruotian is already dead."
"...Huh?!"
Yingshi was dumbfounded, unable to process it for a long time.
Because Shuangjian's tone was so calm, as if he were merely discussing the weather with her, yet the content of his words was absolutely earth-shattering!
"Are you serious?" Yingshi's eyes went round, her lips trembling a few times before she managed to make a sound. "How could he die? It's not time for his character to be written off yet! When... when did this happen?!"
"Two hours ago."
"...Could it have been during that bizarre, sudden storm?"
Shuangjian nodded.
Under Yingshi's shocked gaze, he briefly described the whole sequence of events, not forgetting to observe her emotions throughout the process.
But strangely, Yingshi didn't show the slightest look of satisfaction or relief. She was merely utterly dismayed, confused, and worried.
Yingshi furrowed her brows tightly and said, "So he died because of the seal on you... That's completely different from what happens in the book! The Mi Ruotian in the book knew to stop when things felt off. But now, after forming a grudge against us, he'd rather risk coming back to the Cloud Water Sect and let the backlash kill him than give up... What I'm most worried about right now is that the commotion earlier was so huge. Will the others notice anything amiss? Will they suspect you?"
...Was it because she was too worried about the subsequent troubles to feel any gratification, or was it because she hadn't dealt the killing blow herself, halving the satisfaction?
Shuangjian looked at Yingshi thoughtfully, his fingers gently rubbing the teacup. After a long while, he took another sip of the sour, bitter tea.
Ignoring the subtle sense of disappointment in his heart, he spoke to reassure her, "The dark arts Mi Ruotian practiced were rather peculiar. After he died, no ghostly mist dispersed. There were only collapsed courtyard walls and broken tree roots left at the scene. Tomorrow morning, everyone will just assume it was caused by a lightning strike."
There was also a knocked-out Sun Xuanyi at the scene, but who cared about him.
"...This is just too sudden."
Yingshi took a good while to digest the information before finally closing her drop-jawed mouth.
She couldn't articulate how she felt; everything just seemed so surreal.
To think she had spent all that time drawing a voodoo doll of Mi Ruotian to curse him, only for the man to die so cleanly...
She stared blankly at Shuangjian, only now belatedly marveling, "You're so amazing."
Shuangjian turned his head away, deliberately using a term Yingshi had mentioned before to reply: "Just protagonist halo."
"Not at all. It's because you're like a protagonist; you naturally possess those rare abilities," Yingshi said with utmost sincerity. "I thought I wouldn't be able to see you until my confinement ended."
After all, she had only received his letter that afternoon. She truly hadn't expected to see him in person that very night.
Shuangjian remained silent for a moment. He didn't mention how Sun Xuanyi had relayed that Yingshi was "so lovesick to see him she couldn't eat or sleep." Instead, he simply explained why he hadn't come personally that afternoon: "Relying on talismans, I can indeed break through the barrier set by the Sect Leader, but doing so leaves a gap in the ward, which would inevitably draw his attention. Sun Xuanyi, on the other hand, had a legitimate reason to enter the inner sect. Moreover, his cultivation is extremely low. Him stepping into the barrier is like a fly blundering in; it wouldn't alert the Sect Leader. Therefore, I asked him to deliver the letter."
He paused for a couple of seconds before asking, "Did this person offend you?"
"Not really. I was just surprised at how quickly he could change his tune!" Yingshi bit her lip as if recalling some troublesome matter, asking worriedly, "But now that you've come to find me, won't Xu Mingcheng be able to sense it?"
"The Sect Leader can indeed sense that a gap has appeared in the barrier," Shuangjian said calmly. "But I have already thought of an excuse so he won't suspect our meeting."
"What excuse?"
"That you have been confined to your room cultivating, and while practicing your arts, the force of your energy broke the barrier."
Yingshi's small face flushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Xu Mingcheng desperately wants his daughter to succeed. If you really say that, he'd definitely be thrilled... The problem is, I actually tried using force to break the barrier before, but I failed every time. It'll be hard for him to believe that with my current strength, I could casually create a gap in the ward..."
"Since it is your 'current' strength, it doesn't mean it can't be improved." Shuangjian looked at her quietly. "Are you willing to learn the Heavenly Water Cascade Art?"
Yingshi snapped her head up to look into his eyes, asking with eyes full of hope, "Are you saying you can teach me?"
"Yes." Shuangjian prepared to make up a random excuse to explain why he knew this high-level offensive spell of the Cloud Water Sect's inner sect. However, Yingshi didn't seem curious about it at all. She simply jumped up from her chair, her eyes sparkling. "Really?! Can you teach me tonight? Will you guarantee I learn it?"
Thus, Shuangjian swallowed the excuses he had prepared and just nodded. "...Guaranteed."
"Ah!" Unable to suppress her excitement, Yingshi darted behind Shuangjian. Her hands naturally grabbed his shoulders, and she formed small fists to lightly pound on his back. Like a joyous puppy pouncing on a human to show affection after being satisfied, her happiness was beyond words. "Teacher Shuangjian, you are truly my savior!"
Yingshi fell right into the natural habit of how she used to act spoiled and cute with her parents in her past life; she flattered him without any psychological burden.
But for Shuangjian, it was the first time being fawned over like this. He couldn't help but stiffen all over. The spots where Yingshi's small fists touched seemed to petrify bit by bit, their presence incredibly distinct.
Unable to endure such discomfort, he hurriedly shifted his body slightly and stood up, giving a light cough. "...There is no need for this."
But the whole room still seemed filled with Yingshi's joy. His lack of cooperation didn't dampen the mood in the slightest. In fact, even though he felt a bit awkward, the corners of his own lips curled up slightly.
"We shouldn't delay. I will tell you how this spell operates right now," he said.
"Mhm!" Yingshi stood up straight and gave a mock salute, saying with a bright smile, "I will definitely study hard, Teacher Shuangjian!"
"...No need to be so polite, Teacher Yingshi."
"Huh? Why are you calling me that too!"
"You explain the plot to me and answer my doubts; naturally, you deserve the title of 'Teacher'."
"But it sounds so weird... By the way, is the first step still to look inward at the spiritual veins?"
"Yes. Follow me and silently recite the mantra..."
...
The sky was clear for miles.
Although the ground had already been baked dry by the sunlight, the air remained moist and fresh. After all, a terrifying thunderstorm had just passed last night.
Nanny Zhong carried a food tray, unable to resist taking a deep sniff to enjoy the unique, refreshing scent of the post-rain morning.
When she reached the door of Yingshi's room, she felt a bit puzzled. She actually hadn't heard the young miss making a fuss today?
Ever since Yingshi was locked up in confinement, she had been banging on the door almost daily, shouting things like "Let me out, give me back my freedom" every day like a prisoner in a dungeon...
Creak—
Nanny Zhong pushed the door open and peeked her head in to look around. To her surprise, she saw the young girl sitting cross-legged in front of the table, seemingly regulating her breathing, looking incredibly well-behaved.
Oh! Has she finally changed her ways?
Nanny Zhong was very gratified. Not wanting to disturb Yingshi's cultivation, she was just about to place the food box on the table and quietly back out when the girl with her eyes closed called out to stop her, "Nanny Zhong!"
"Yes, Miss! You must be tired from cultivating, right? Just in time to have some pastries!"
"I am indeed a bit tired," Yingshi said solemnly. "I have attained enlightenment in my solitude! For many days I have studied tirelessly through the nights, and today I have mastered our sect's high-level secret art, the Heavenly Water Cascade Art. When I operated this art last night, my spiritual energy was so swift and powerful that it could even break a corner of this barrier!"
"Oh?" Nanny Zhong was not a cultivator, so she didn't understand many of the details, but she was very happy to see the young miss working hard. She immediately beamed with joy. "That's amazing! If you keep this up, Miss, the Sect Leader might just get happy and lift this confinement!"
"Hmph!"
Before she even finished speaking, Xu Mingcheng walked in from outside the courtyard with a dark expression.
Yingshi kept her eyes focused downward in deep concentration, standing up from her chair and looking extremely demure.
The words she had just said to Nanny Zhong were merely meant for her cheap dad to hear.
Since Xu Mingcheng had noticed the gap in the barrier caused by Shuangjian's entry, he would definitely come over to investigate.
It was just that he first had to deal with the collapsed courtyard walls and the giant tree that had been split by lightning within the sect, so he arrived a few moments late.
"Sect Leader."
Nanny Zhong gave a cautious bow. At Xu Mingcheng's wave of dismissal, she walked out, looking back with every step.
For a moment, only Yingshi and Xu Mingcheng were left in the room.
"Dad," Yingshi took the initiative to greet him. "You've come at just the right time. How about your daughter shows you the results of her cultivation?"
Xu Mingcheng, however, remained silent, keeping his hands behind his back and glaring at her.
Yingshi didn't panic at all. She said seriously, "Ever since I was reprimanded by you last time, I felt deeply ashamed that I couldn't execute a complete Heavenly Water Cascade Art! During this time, I couldn't sleep at night and devoted myself to cultivation. I suppose heaven rewards the diligent..."
"Have you truly learned the Heavenly Water Cascade Art?" Xu Mingcheng interrupted her with wide eyes.
"Could this be fake? If you don't believe me, Dad, I'll demonstrate it for you right now!"
Yingshi formed hand seals, her gaze resolute. She held her breath and concentrated. As her arms flipped, two bang, bang sounds rang out. It was as if splashes of water appearing out of thin air had exploded in mid-air, the popping sounds crisp and clear...
More importantly, as the caster of the barrier, Xu Mingcheng could feel that the place where the barrier was hit by the water splash was actually cracking... Was all of this truly done by Yingshi?
"You..."
Xu Mingcheng was somewhat stunned. He still felt that something was not quite right, but after a brief moment of thought, he couldn't figure out what it was. Ultimately, the pleasant surprise of realizing that his daughter had actually learned a high-level spell gained the upper hand.
His rigid face revealed a hint of unconcealable joy as he asked in astonishment, "How did you learn this spell? Among the disciples of the same generation in our Yunshui Sect, only one person has mastered it. If you can keep this spell by your side, you might actually achieve something in the future Tiangang Martial Gathering!"
"Since your daughter is so clever, Father, please lift my grounding and let me go to class with my fellow disciples!" Yingshi took the opportunity to say. "If my cultivation is delayed for over a month, I might even regress!"
Hearing her reveal her true intentions, Xu Mingcheng's face immediately grew much colder. He sternly questioned, "You are so anxious, you clearly want to go out and see someone!"
"No, I don't! I just want to go to class, I want to improve!" Yingshi met Xu Mingcheng's gaze with absolute confidence, raising her hand to cast the spell again. "Look, Father, my control over this spell is not thorough enough yet. I really need an immersive environment to hone myself..."
As she spoke, the spiritual energy flying out from her palm actually struck towards Xu Mingcheng. His expression froze as he leaned sideways to dodge, but the small mustache that grew down to his collarbone was suddenly sliced off!
"..."
Xu Mingcheng raised his hand to touch his severed beard, his face instantly turning red with anger. "You rebellious child!"
"I didn't mean to, Father!" Yingshi apologized with a bitter face, looking incredibly terrified. "My spiritual power wouldn't listen to me when I cast the spell, and it actually wandered around randomly. Fortunately, it only cut your beard and didn't hurt your body..."
That wasn't it at all.
She
CR
Of course she did it on purpose! She wanted to prank Xu Mingcheng and cut off his beard!
Even though he had clearly realized that something was wrong with Mi Ruotian, he still made his daughter take the blame to save face and out of various considerations. Even if the blame was reduced by several times, it was essentially still blame, so of course Yingshi wanted to get a little revenge.
"You are so complacent just because you comprehended a single spell. Do you know that there is always someone better out there? At your current age, your heart and mind should be entirely devoted to cultivation. You had better keep your mind clean! Stop thinking about those affairs between men and women!" Xu Mingcheng, unable to vent his anger, said with a furious face, "From today onwards, a master will personally come to teach you! Until the time is up, your grounding will not be lifted, so you might as well give up on that idea."
"Even if Father refuses to lift my grounding, I'm afraid I'll soon break through using my own strength."
Yingshi, acting like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, declared unhappily.
"Hah? Then I will just complete the barrier again! Do you think I can't control you?!"
Xu Mingcheng glared at her, his trembling hand touching his horizontally sliced short beard, and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Yingshi couldn't really say she was disappointed in her heart; after all, she originally just wanted to put a reasonable packaging on destroying the barrier.
Being unable to gain freedom immediately was certainly disappointing, but the time spent in grounding didn't seem that hard to endure...
She even looked forward to the arrival of the night.
As for why, naturally it was—
"Shuangjian, can you come every night?"
On the second night of private tutoring, seeing that it was almost time to part at sunrise, Yingshi couldn't help but voice out her insatiable request.
The young man obviously hesitated for a moment. He didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "Is there still some obstruction in the operation of the Water Bath Heavenly Splendor Spell?"
Before leaving yesterday, Yingshi had also asked him like this: Can you come back tomorrow night? She felt that she still needed to consolidate her cultivation.
But today, what she proposed was "every night".
"Please!" Yingshi was noncommittal, only focusing on clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Anyway, Xu Mingcheng already believes that all the gaps in the barrier were caused by me, so you won't be discovered if you come..."
"..."
Shuangjian was a little afraid to meet her eyes.
Even though he knew this proposal was inappropriate, he found it difficult to say words of refusal.
...Perhaps this was actually a guarantee? At least in the days to come, Yingshi would be able to exert her influence on him, so that his freedom would not be threatened...
After Shuangjian found a reason to convince himself, he hurriedly nodded and said quickly, "It's almost dawn, so I'll be leaving for today."
The young man's figure disappeared like he was fleeing before the first light of dawn bloomed—and then, when night fell, he reappeared under the young girl's anticipation.
The grounding period sounded very long, but in reality, it passed in the blink of an eye.
During the day, Yingshi received makeup lessons alternately from Xu Mingcheng and Master Xuanzhen, and caught up on her sleep during class.
At night, she received one-on-one private tutoring from Shuangjian and chatted all night long.
Although it was mostly her talking and Shuangjian listening, the days passed very happily, as relaxed and comfortable as chatting with a desk mate during high school evening self-study.
Except for the occasional times when Nanny Zhong came too early and almost bumped into Shuangjian who hadn't left yet, which added a bit of anxiety, the days passed incredibly smoothly!
Until the final night of her grounding—
Yingshi never expected that Xu Mingcheng would return!
He had never come looking for her after the hour of the dog before!
The biggest problem was that by the time he arrived outside the door, Shuangjian was already in her room!
Listening to the footsteps close at hand, it seemed too late for Yingshi to rush over to extinguish the candle lamp and pretend to be asleep.
Her throat tightened, and she quickly smoothed out her breathing, trying her best to make her voice sound calm: "Father, it's so late... why are you here? Please wait for your daughter to tidy up her appearance before coming in!"
She exchanged a glance with Shuangjian beside her. Shuangjian frowned and seemed about to say something to her in a whisper. Yingshi's heart was pounding wildly. She reached out to cover Shuangjian's mouth, generating a burst of strength to pull him past the indoor folding screen.
Until she pressed the astonished Shuangjian onto her bed and covered him firmly with the quilt, Yingshi couldn't think too much.
She had only one thought in her mind: Xu Mingcheng absolutely must not find out!
What if he interpreted all this as an illicit late-night romantic rendezvous? Although it did look very much like one...
With no time to care about Shuangjian's reaction, Yingshi hid him well and then dashed to the door in a flash.
"Father—" She put on an extremely stiff expression of surprise, pulling open the door along with Xu Mingcheng's force, but her whole body stood by the threshold, invisibly blocking him outside. "Your daughter was just getting ready to sleep, so as to have a good mental state for the sect's grand competition tomorrow... Do you need something from me this late?"
Xu Mingcheng glanced at her and walked past her into the room.
A layer of sweat seeped out of Yingshi's back. Like a helpless high school student caught in an early romance, her scalp tingled, but she didn't dare to stop him again.
She could only place her hopes on Shuangjian being able to utilize his intelligence as usual, using some breath-concealing method, so that Xu Mingcheng absolutely wouldn't detect his presence!
"I am exactly here to talk to you about the inner sect grand competition."
Xu Mingcheng habitually tried to stroke his beard, but only touched empty air, and his face twitched involuntarily.
From the corner of her eye, Yingshi caught sight of the two cups of tea conspicuously placed on the table, and her pupils couldn't help but shrink. She completely couldn't hear what Xu Mingcheng was saying anymore. Subconsciously, she slammed her hand over one of the cups, while her other hand reached for the teapot, pretending to be brewing fresh tea for Xu Mingcheng right then.
"Enough, I don't have the habit of drinking tea," Xu Mingcheng frowned. "As a cultivator, you live like a pampered young lady of the mortal world. You indulge in every luxury, yet you fail to follow a single rule!"
"Ha, ha, really? Perhaps it's just because your daughter is still young, so being a little greedy for good food is understandable." Yingshi's laugh was strained, and she spoke more than twice as fast as usual. "What did you want to talk to me about? Why not wait until my confinement is lifted tomorrow..."
Xu Mingcheng turned his head to look at her suspiciously. "Have you done something guilty again? Just speak normally, why are you trembling!"
"I haven't! It's just that the selection day is approaching, and I can't help but feel nervous... I'm afraid I won't perform well enough to rightfully win a spot in the Tiangang Martial Gathering, and that it would cause people to gossip about you!"
"Why do you worry about such trivial matters?! As the master of a sect, do you think I care about the idle gossip of irrelevant people?"
Despite his words, Xu Mingcheng's expression softened slightly.
"In tomorrow's tournament, you will only face disciples from the outer sect... Just focus all your attention on the upcoming Tiangang Martial Gathering," he instructed in a low voice. "Once you arrive at the Daoyi Immortal Alliance, things won't be like they are at home. The disciples will be housed separately from the leading elders of the sect. You must restrain your temper and keep a low profile. I don't ask you to make friends everywhere, just don't cause any trouble..."
The man's rambling words continued without pause. On the other side of the folding screen, Shuangjian, who was covered by the quilt, saw nothing but a soft aquatic blue.
The air was suddenly cut off. Before he even had time to react, his vision went dark as the soft fabric enveloped his face, trapping him tightly within.
It was extremely stuffy under the covers. There was no lingering body heat because Yingshi had her days and nights mixed up and barely had time to sleep here, but it still carried a faint scent of floral dew...
This light fragrance seemed to have some bizarre corrosive effect, actually causing Shuangjian to feel a faint stinging sensation all over his body... Though to call it a stinging sensation wasn't quite right; it was an indescribable discomfort, slight yet distinct.
Shuangjian subconsciously held his breath, instinctively concealing his presence.
In truth, he had other ways to avoid Xu Mingcheng, but Yingshi had already thrust him into a "sea of fire" far more terrifying than Xu Mingcheng himself.
He couldn't move, passively listening to Yingshi's tight voice not far away, hearing her clearly anxious yet trying hard to maintain a relaxed and endearing facade as she spoke to Xu Mingcheng.
He could even imagine what she looked like right now: her eyes wide and round, her mouth pulled into a somewhat stiff smile, her hands and feet perhaps trembling slightly, occasionally unable to stop herself from glancing toward his side of the screen from the corner of her eye...
Shuangjian's chest was pressed tightly by the bedding, his heart beating like a drum, but these undulations had to be hidden. His Adam's apple bobbed gently. The suppression made him feel a bit dazed, and in that daze, he began to ruminate over the memories of the past forty-odd days...
He trespassed into a young woman's boudoir night after night, accompanying her until dawn. Regardless of whether he would be suspected, he taught her everything he knew. Even knowing that the more he spoke, the more flaws he would reveal, he still took up Yingshi's casual conversation topics every time... What was his purpose?
Why was he doing these strange, bizarre things with no clear objective?
He clearly had the red string in hand, so he didn't need to worry about being controlled in the short term. Why didn't he make good use of this rare time to plan for the future, instead of being at Yingshi's beck and call to play out this ridiculous childhood sweethearts charade?
The question that had appeared in his mind several times surfaced once again, and its voice was deafening—
Han Shuangjian, what on earth are you doing?
...
"Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" Xu Mingcheng asked in displeasure.
"Of course I'm listening. I understand, Father. There will still be time for you to come and tell me all this before I leave."
"Hmph!" Xu Mingcheng scoffed coldly at Yingshi as usual, turning around rather haughtily, as if preparing to leave.
Seeing that he hadn't noticed someone else in the room after speaking for so long, Yingshi's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down a bit.
She even called out to stop him, clearing her throat to say, "Since Father has already started with the intimate pre-departure talks, then may your daughter make a small request? Before this long journey, shouldn't Father prepare a little something for me?"
Xu Mingcheng stopped in his tracks, his voice cold and hard. "What do you want?"
"Your daughter is a bit short on funds," Yingshi said coyly. "And a storage bag. Since I'm going on a long trip, one really isn't enough..."
"Short-sighted! And here I thought you would ask me for some life-saving magical treasures, yet you ask for these vulgar items!"
"The more the merrier, the more the merrier. I can take magical treasures too..." Yingshi said, blinking her eyes.
Xu Mingcheng neither agreed nor refused. He just glared fiercely at Yingshi for a long moment before dropping a noncommittal, "We'll talk about it on the day of your departure!"
The moment the door closed, the air in the room began to flow again.
"Phew..."
Yingshi watched his figure disappear, and her entire body went limp like a deflated balloon.
Her hands and feet were ice-cold. She turned and darted behind the folding screen to lift the quilt. The name "Shuang" was already halfway out of her mouth when she found it completely empty.
Shuangjian was not there.
There was no one under the covers.
Yet there were clearly wrinkles on the bed from someone lying there, and as the fabric shifted, she could faintly smell the cold fragrance unique to a certain someone—the memory of her hiding Shuangjian here was not a delusion. It was just that now... he had already left.
"..."
Yingshi remained frozen in the posture of lifting the quilt, her eyes dazed, unable to tell whether the knot of emotion welling up in her chest was lingering shock or something else entirely.
After standing there blankly for a long while, she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the ambiguously flickering candlelight in the corner, feeling that this night was unprecedentedly quiet.
Shuangjian had left and probably wouldn't come back, even though it wasn't even midnight yet... So, he had other ways to slip away right from under Xu Mingcheng's nose after all...
"Sigh." Yingshi let out an inexplicable sigh, not knowing what she was feeling so melancholy about.
She stood up calmly and cast a spell to extinguish the candle.
Anyway, they would see each other again tomorrow—she was finally going to be free!
...
Selection day was a foggy, overcast day.
Between the inner and outer sects of the Cloud Water Sect lay a massive stone platform. Due east of the platform, a row of seats had been set up, with banners hanging on both sides. The other three sides of the platform were surrounded by sect disciples.
Whispers rose and fell from the crowd below, the quiet discussions never ceasing from the moment the names of the next competing disciples were announced—
Xu Yingshi versus Sun Xuanyi!
Was there any reason at all to watch this match?
Everyone began to lose interest, but upon seeing the young woman appear, their attention was somewhat drawn back, and the eyes of the entire audience locked onto her.
Spiritual energy surged beneath Yingshi's feet. With her long sleeves fluttering, she leapt into the center of the stone platform with unparalleled grace and lightness.
She raised her head, her gaze piercing through the sea of people to look straight toward the seats on the eastern side.
Xu Mingcheng sat in the Sect Leader's seat, his expression cold and unfathomable. He was also quite deceptively avoiding any eye contact with her.
Last night, when he mentioned arranging an outer sect disciple to spar with Yingshi, she had fought hard against it, declaring that her own strength was enough to let her stand out and win a spot in the competition fair and square.
As a result, her opponent was indeed no longer an outer sect disciple, but it turned out to be Sun Xuanyi...
With such obvious under-the-table manipulation, she felt as though the gazes cast by the onlookers were filled with disdain...
Yingshi could hear the murmurs of the disciples below the stage gradually swelling:
"That's the Sect Leader's daughter, Xu Yingshi? Seeing her in person really is something else..."
"I heard she was locked in confinement a while ago. She's probably just going through the motions this time."
"Who knows? But looking at her aura, it's extremely steady, much stronger than it was a few months ago... The Sect Leader must have given her special tutoring!"
"Wait, look at Sun Xuanyi! Is he going to pee his pants on stage?!"
"Uh, I heard he actually did pee himself not too long ago..."
"Shh... we're not supposed to talk about that! He paid everyone off to keep the news from spreading!"
Yingshi tuned out the noise. Facing the shivering man opposite her, she felt quite helpless.
Normally, she would be more than happy to beat up this cannon fodder, but seeing him look like this... a proper sparring match had turned into what looked like one-sided bullying!
Yingshi took a deep breath. Her hands fell to her sides, her palms growing slightly warm. Just as she was about to launch a strike to the sound of the battle drum, Sun Xuanyi unexpectedly dropped to his knees with a loud thump.
"Ugh!"
He let out a groan, suddenly clutched his chest, and fell to the ground, unable to get up. Then he rolled and rolled, rolling right off the edge of the stage.
Everyone: ...
Yingshi: ...
Even if he really wanted to act, couldn't he have at least waited until she made a move first?
What kind of situation was this supposed to be!
Yingshi felt incredibly uncomfortable and frustrated. She stood frozen in place, turned her head to glare at Xu Mingcheng, and called out, "This person has surrendered. Please arrange another opponent for me!"
Xu Mingcheng acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
"Since the victor has been decided, step down," an elder in the seating area responded in a deep voice. "There is more than one match to get through."
It would indeed be awkward to insist any further, so Yingshi had no choice but to step off the stage.
She was not very happy, because winning like this was completely dishonorable—even worse than how it happened in the original novel!
But her annoyance didn't last long, because the next names called were enough to capture her entire attention:
"The next pair of battling disciples: Xu Xiaoran versus Han Shuangjian!"
"...!"
The crowd below the stage erupted into an uproar.
Boos, gasps, and discussions filled the air—
"Why doesn't the Sect Leader's son just go down to the mortal realm and drag out an old man to fight? That might actually be fairer!"
"I say we might as well cancel this match! The spots have clearly already been locked in, so why bother going through this formality? It's a waste of time!"
"Is Han Shuangjian a newly initiated disciple? Why have I never seen him before... Where has he been hanging around lately? Does anyone know?"
"Don't be fooled by his pretty face, he's a famous piece of trash from the outer sect! The Sect Leader really put a lot of thought into arranging such brilliant opponents for his son and daughter..."
The undercurrents of dissatisfaction that had previously been unspoken were now brought to the surface, and the scene briefly spiraled out of control.
Yingshi mingled in the crowd and earnestly joined in by shouting, "Xu Xiaoran is a total loser!"
The people around her turned to look at her as if they had seen a ghost.
In the original plot, Xu Xiaoran was already half-crippled by this point. The fact that he had been parasitized by Mi Ruotian would be exposed right around now, so the path Xu Mingcheng had paved for his son would ultimately end up benefiting the male lead.
Although the premise of Xu Xiaoran being parasitized didn't exist anymore, Shuangjian's strength was more than enough to openly beat him to a pulp several times over. As Shuangjian's self-proclaimed number one disciple, Yingshi felt she had every right to speak up.
She wasn't worried at all that Shuangjian would miss out on the chance to participate in this competition.
She believed in him just as much as she believed in herself!
"Silence!" the elder in the stands shouted sternly. "Anyone who continues to make a racket will be thrown out of the arena!"
His voice carried a heavy spiritual pressure, forcing everyone into silence.
Amidst the boundless quiet, a young man wearing the plain robes of the outer sect walked onto the stone stage. It was only at this moment that many people realized there was someone named Han Shuangjian in the sect who looked like this... Just how low-key had he been all this time?
He clearly possessed the kind of striking looks that left people stunned and unable to forget him, yet his temperament was entirely restrained and cold.
Yingshi stood in place, slightly dazed just like everyone else.
Last night, due to Xu Mingcheng's sudden attack, the two of them had parted without saying goodbye. Now, their reunion was taking place in such a crowded setting.
Shrouded in mist, Shuangjian stood quietly on the stone stage, looking truly like an immortal descended from the heavens...
She stared blankly in his direction. Quite abruptly, a passage from the original novel describing the male lead inexplicably popped into her head.
It was from the end of the story, the very section that a multitude of readers had criticized as confusing and the epitome of a terrible ending: After killing the Demon Lord, Han Shuangjian returned to the peak of the Holy Spirit Mountain and stood there all alone, from dusk until dawn.
What was he thinking about at that time?
He seemed to have gained everything: worldly success, the fulfillment of his long-cherished wishes, overwhelming combat power that crushed all obstacles, and the admiration and love of the masses.
Yet no one knew what he was truly thinking.
Jing Fengliu never described his internal thoughts. The author merely used a supporting character who witnessed the scene to indirectly describe how handsome and cool the male lead looked.
Then, a sense of humble sourness arose in the supporting character's heart, feeling that the distance between him and Shuangjian had grown ever wider, making it impossible to see through his heart. Thus, the character blandly sighed: "Shuangjian seems to have had an epiphany, as if he is about to ascend to immortality... The dust has settled, so why is he unhappy?"
The story ended just like that—calling it a terrible ending was by no means an exaggeration.
No reader wanted to see the protagonist merely have an epiphany at the end of the story, not to mention that the scene Jing Fengliu wrote only made people feel oppressed and lonely. The text even explicitly stated that he was unhappy.
Yingshi didn't understand why she had suddenly thought of this passage, but it made her realize that Shuangjian and the original male lead... were actually quite similar.
At certain moments, the vibes they gave off were incredibly alike...
While she was lost in thought, she happened to see Shuangjian turn his head slightly, seemingly casting a glance in her direction.
Across the vast distance, Yingshi's breathing subtly paused for a second. The distracting thoughts in her mind were instantly wiped clean, and her fingers curled inward.
All the surrounding sounds seemed to suddenly fade away, leaving only the sound of her own heartbeat, which had completely lost its rhythm.
Subconsciously, she swallowed. Just as she was about to mouth the words "good luck" while enduring her racing heart, Shuangjian had already withdrawn his gaze.
She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but his lowered eyes seemed to carry a faint sense of... keeping people at a distance?
Yingshi froze slightly.
...Keeping who at a distance? Her?
