When Wangshu passed the tea over, Feng Yao naturally looked her way.
Wangshu blinked, and saw the girl who had collided with her setting give a slight tilt of her head, then say with a smile: "Pretty little sister, are you startled?"
Her teeth were clean and neat when she smiled, and the pine-green forehead ornament suited her lively, nimble air.
"Big sister already avenged me." Wangshu held up the tea with both hands, acting meek and obedient.
Then, as if curious, she took the initiative to ask: "How did you know he was someone the Ming family sent?"
"Huh?" Feng Yao wore an expression that seemed to say wait, you guys didn't know? "I bought that piece of intelligence on the road."
"Shuozhou is up in the northern lands. You have to travel a long way overland to reach the sea, so we were worried our news wouldn't be fresh. We bought a dossier from a merchant, which had a simple rundown on the nominations for the twelve Seal-Holding sects."
Wangshu's fingers lightly traced the rim of her teacup, her expression unchanged.
Merchants. Shangzhou's Shang clan.
Shangzhou was the smallest landmass among the Nine Provinces, but the Shang clan's people were scattered across all Nine Provinces and Three Kingdoms.
They loved doing business, loved money and spirit stones, and when they had nothing better to do, they didn't mind dabbling in intelligence work.
Qinghe tilted her head: "You bought it from the merchants? A lot of those merchants are swindlers, you know?"
They would fabricate and fake news without a shred of guilt.
Now it was Feng Yao's turn to be baffled. She pulled out a jade slip and handed it over: "Here, take a look."
True or not, this was intelligence someone had paid money for. Qinghe didn't immediately reach for it. Instead, she glanced at Wangshu.
Wangshu reached out and took it, curving her lips into a smile: "Thank you, pretty big sister, for the welcome gift." It was her way of returning the earlier "pretty little sister" remark.
Feng Yao's eyes flickered. She said: "You're welcome. Our two families are in similar situations, so in the Dao Palace later, we can look out for each other."
Wangshu channeled spiritual power into the jade slip, and text soon floated up on its surface. She skimmed it roughly.
Qiong State's Zhao clan, Yan State's You clan, Liang State's Li clan.
Yuezhou's Baili clan nominates two: Baili Beichen and Baili Lingyue.
Yuanzhou's Ming clan nominates: twin siblings, Ming Yun and Ming Chen. (Ranked in order.)
...
Wangshu focused on two key pieces of information: the strongest among the Seal-Holding clans, the Yan clan, and of course, her own Chu clan.
Wangshu's gaze stopped on one line: Qizhou's Yan clan: raised through a fight-to-the-top system, only one nominee, Yan Shu.
There was even a short comment on Yan Shu: "Certain top-ten placement. Strong candidate for top overall."
Wow, that high a rating? It can't be real, can it?
Then she looked at the Chu clan entry: Two nominees, Chu Wangshu (daughter of Chu Daixi), Chu Qinghe.
"Chu Wangshu bears a golden seal on her brow, suspected to have awakened a golden-grade spiritual seed talent."
Quite a few words dedicated to me.
Wangshu handed the jade slip to Xu Miaoying, who was sitting next to her. While Miaoying read it, Lu Qi craned her neck over too.
After Miaoying finished, she passed it to Qinghe.
It went around the circle like that until the jade slip came back to Feng Yao's hand. "Is it fake?" she asked.
Qinghe clicked her tongue: "Looks fairly legit. Though there isn't much meat to it." She added that things like this could be found out quickly enough if you did a little digging.
Feng Yao puffed out her cheeks: "Cost me ten spirit stones."
Wangshu said: "I get the feeling it's real. Not a loss."
Feng Yao smiled at Wangshu at that. She didn't stay much longer. When she got up to leave, she reminded them: "Scouting-type talents are rare, but if each family really puts their minds to gathering people, they can still find some. Be careful~"
Watching her walk away, Qinghe said: "She's actually kind of nice."
Wangshu didn't comment.
Xu Miaoying lowered her eyes and quietly sipped her tea. With her ability to perceive a thousand faces on one person, she could tell that this Miss Feng also wore a mask or two on her face.
The first floor was crowded and noisy anyway. Each time a new family boarded the ship, there were always a few rounds of probing. Wangshu and the others later found a private room to rest in.
Half an hour before the evening banquet, a servant came by to remind them. Wangshu thought for a moment, then said: "Big sister, do my makeup for me."
"Huh?" Qinghe was confused. "Kid, are you not pretty enough already?"
Wangshu smiled and said: "Between being the strongest and being the prettiest, being the strongest is a bit hard for now." The Dao Palace had too many geniuses, and she still needed time to grow.
"So let me at least try for prettiest for now."
In this cultivation world where the strong are revered, everyone naturally cared more about power. If you stacked too many points into beauty, people would inevitably start to suspect you hadn't put enough points into strength.
Wangshu wasn't the least bit afraid of that kind of suspicion. In fact, if they got the wrong idea, that was even better.
After all, her spiritual seed still needed plenty of Dao resonance to advance.
If there were no beautiful misunderstanding between us, how would you ever take the bait on your own?
The simulator caught Wangshu's inner thoughts and started typing away in her head again.
[The repeated opening encounters make you realize that geniuses these days have it rough. The ones with real strength are all lying low and watching, while the ones without strength are cowering in caution.]
[You know that the essence of playing a genius is to display something special. But the market's cautious mood makes your act seem unremarkable. You decide to differentiate yourself — from playing an ordinary entry-level genius to playing an ordinary entry-level·slightly pretty·genius.]
[Even a vase among geniuses is still a genius. You think I'm fragile, so you reach out and break me, and cut your own hand in the process. What does that have to do with this genius?]
[Everything is a tool for me. Beauty isn't necessarily a weapon, but it can always be bait.]
[Genius points +30!]
-
At the banquet, Ming Chen thought long and hard, steeled his resolve, and decided to give it another shot.
On the small table in front of Du Mei sat a plate of peanuts, and he was picking at them one by one. "Why can't we just fight it out directly?"
Ming Chen looked at him like he was an idiot: "In the Dao Palace, all you need to worry about is winning and losing. But for us Seal-Holding nominees, there's a lot more to consider."
Du Mei grinned. Fine then!
The Chu family hadn't arrived yet. He cast a lazy glance around the room, stuffing peanuts into his mouth as he said: "There's word going around that this year, Yan Shu is likely to take the top spot."
Ming Yun, sitting beside Ming Chen, opened his eyes: "Where's that news from?"
"Bought it from the merchants," Du Mei replied from behind. The banquet was arranged so that each person had their own small table. The nominees sat in the front row, while those who had boarded the ship alongside them sat behind their family's nominee.
Du Mei was sitting behind Ming Chen, with Ming Yun at his diagonal front.
"You actually believe that?" Ming Chen scoffed.
Ming Yun said flatly: "The merchants love money more than anything. Rather than believe this news is real, it's more likely that the Yan family paid the merchants to build up Yan Shu's hype."
Maybe Yan Shu's strength was genuine, but this whole "destined for top" momentum definitely had water in it.
Du Mei smacked his lips. He honestly hadn't thought of that angle. He mused to himself that these big clans really knew how to play the game.
Ming Yun had a kind of cold, cutting sharpness to him. He only said that one line, then his gaze drifted away.
Just then, a faint stir rippled through the hall. Ming Yun lifted his eyes and saw a young man in white robes with a jade crown, his brow bones strong and heroic, sword-like brows slanting into his temples.
Behind him followed three people, all dressed in white, arranged in a protective arc around him.
There was an intangible pressure to him that made the room go quiet.
Du Mei pursed his lips and sent a voice transmission to the two in front: "That's Yan Shu."
Before he could add more, the servants began ushering more people into the hall. Yan Shu was tall and blocked the view a bit, so Du Mei craned his neck upward, then suddenly froze.
"That's... the Chu family," he said, his tone unreadable.
Ming Chen frowned and looked over along with Ming Yun.
The atmosphere was strange—the previously noisy banquet hall suddenly fell silent. Yan Shu keenly sensed that this silence was not directed at him.
Without moving his eyes, he turned toward the source of the quiet. The person behind him happened to lift her gaze at that moment, and their eyes met.
Yan Shu was imperceptibly taken aback.
Lanterns hung throughout the hall, but because it was a night banquet, the light was not harsh—soft, hazy orange glow lined both sides, stretching all the way to the entrance. A servant was leading a group of people inside, and one of them walked at the very front.
She had brows and eyes as if painted with meticulous brushwork—delicate arched brows, a refined nose, pupils dark and deep. The golden seal at the center of her brow was faint and ethereal, so exquisitely beautiful that she seemed almost otherworldly, yet around her neck hung a jade longevity lock on a crimson cord, fastened neatly, pulling that celestial air back down to the mortal realm.
A sheer, pale gold immortal-style dress draped down from her form. She stood in the shadows, yet shone brighter than the light itself.
Wangshu lifted her lashes, looking puzzled at the group blocking her path.
"Excuse me..." Wangshu spoke, her gaze landing on Yan Shu, her head tilting slightly. "Aren't you going to take your seats?"
The banquet hall, though not small, was packed with low tables—one seat per person, leaving little space. This group stood near the entrance, blocking their way.
In her clear black pupils, aside from reflecting the lantern's orange glow, she also reflected his silhouette. Yan Shu jolted, snapping back to himself.
A faint frown touched his brow. He turned his head aside, avoiding the young woman's gaze, and stepped back to clear the way.
"Apologies." His voice was low.
Wangshu smiled in acknowledgment, then swept past the group and walked further in. The servant led them to the Chu family's four tables.
Wangshu and Qinghe sat in front, Xu Miaoying and Lu Qi behind them.
The hem of her skirts seemed to stir a breeze. Yan Shu couldn't help but glance sideways, watching the servant settle them at the seats designated for... the Chu family.
The attendant beside Yan Shu looked a bit lost, for they had been standing there for some time. He murmured, "Young master."
"Lead the way." Yan Shu's expression turned cool again.
They were seated at the very front of the banquet, at the head of the hall. The You Princess lounged at the topmost seat, having her wine poured, and when she saw him, she raised her cup in greeting.
Yan Shu lifted his own chalice in response to the princess, but as the wine touched his lips, he was thinking of those eyes.
"Who is she?" He sent a voice transmission to the person behind him without moving his gaze.
Yan Qiu considered for a moment, then replied, "With the seal on her brow, she should be the daughter of Chu Daixi, the Chu clan leader."
"And her name?"
Yan Qiu paused, then gave a strange answer: "I believe... Chu Wangshu."
Chu Qinghe had already taken her seat. Wangshu was smoothing her skirts, and Qinghe leaned her head over, transmitting: "Little sister, I guarantee—just now, he froze looking at you."
Wangshu picked up the cup the servant had poured, lifting it to her lips, a subtle curve tugging at the corner of her mouth.
The night banquet followed the form of the "floating cup on the winding stream." Translucent screens divided each clan's section, lanterns suspended before each screen, their light muted through sheer fabric, casting hidden, dim illumination.
Water flowed from the top of the hall, winding downward past each section. Wine, snacks, and small dishes floated along the current. If one saw something they liked, they signaled a servant, who would hook the cup or dish out of the water and set it on a small personal table.
Wangshu glanced over casually, then transmitted to her companions: "Among the floating drinks, some have had extra things added."
Qinghe was already eating. A night banquet, after all—what else was it for if not to eat?
At that, she paused mid-bite: "What, is it poisoned?"
Wangshu: "... Not quite. It's something good. A bit like Essence Harmony Base Liquid."
Oh, now that caught Qinghe's interest. She swallowed the half-eaten pastry in her throat: "Really? How many?"
"Five cups, all in the wine, their scent masking them."
Because of her awakened talent, Wangshu was sensitive to dao resonance, and the Essence Harmony Base Liquid carried trace amounts of that resonance—well within her perception.
A little meager. "Girl, so what do we do? Five cups aren't enough to split. Should we grab them?"
Wangshu smiled softly beneath the lamplight.
"I won't fight for them. You will."
The Chu family already had someone who appeared "not very formidable"—so it was time for someone to look "very formidable."
Otherwise, the Chu family's high-profile boarding of that ship would have been meaningless.
But then again—her elder sister's talent was borrowing the tiger's might by putting on a fox's airs.
And with her, this very "tiger," behind her, who could say her sister's fierceness wasn't real in its own way?
