Song Yao didn't know whether she should feel fortunate or sorrowful.
The man in front of her coughed, and a drop of bright red blood trickled down the corner of his lips. His already pale face looked frighteningly white.
Her chaotic thoughts were pulled back to reality. She rummaged through her spatial pouch and fished out the leftover Clear Spirit Ointment from last time. “Should I help you undress, or will you do it yourself?”
Xie Zhou was choked by her bluntness, and another metallic sweetness surged in his throat. “I can't move.”
That meant she had to do it.
Song Yao didn't see anything wrong with undressing her Fourth Junior Brother.
She reached out cleanly and decisively, untying his waistband before pulling off his clothes, exposing most of his shoulders and back.
He was naturally tall and lean, with sharp, smooth shoulder lines. It was the slender yet un-feeble physique unique to a sword cultivator, and even his joints were beautifully formed.
The hideous wound lay so abruptly on his fair skin, looking exceptionally glaring.
Song Yao had seen all kinds of wounds. She unscrewed the porcelain bottle and began applying the ointment directly to his wound.
Xie Zhou turned his head slightly and saw her nose wrinkling slightly.
Her face was slightly tense, her expression serious. However, her movements were a bit rough, and she lacked a gentle touch. The ointment ended up smeared all around the wound, occasionally scraping against his raw flesh.
Just like before.
Whenever she was focused, she would unconsciously pout her lips a little.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but it vanished in an instant.
The effects of the Clear Spirit Ointment were powerful. Within moments of applying the entire bottle, the bleeding of the hideous wound stopped. The mangled flesh slowly closed up, and much of the dark bruising around it faded away.
The wound on Xie Zhou's shoulder healed by more than half, visible to the naked eye.
He unhurriedly adjusted his collar when a fair, slender hand suddenly stretched out in front of him.
Looking up in confusion, he saw Song Yao blinking her beautiful eyes at him. “The Clear Spirit Ointment. That'll be one hundred and fifty thousand.”
Xie Zhou: “...”
She really hadn't changed at all.
Still so domineering.
His full-of-flaws little Song Yao.
He chuckled again and stood up. A few talismans floated up to support him. “No money. Put it on my tab.”
Song Yao watched him vanish into thin air, her face falling.
Fourth Junior Brother had indeed gone dark.
How could he have ever done something like owing someone money in the past?
Besides, she hadn't even had the chance to ask how someone of his strength could have been so severely injured.
...
In total, disciples of five different age groups competed, and there were also various assessments among the sect's cultivators.
Logically, Song Yao was supposed to participate in a pill cultivator competition, but her age group mainly focused on written exams. Since she felt dizzy the moment she looked at books, she could only regretfully sit it out.
Within a few days, the annual grand tournament came to a close.
On the day of the annual festival, a banquet was held on Yunzuo Mountain. Except for the cultivators on duty and the elders in seclusion, everyone could attend.
However, this year's banquet was a bit different.
—The Hall Master was still in seclusion in the forbidden area, and of the usually highly-anticipated personal disciples, only Zhu Zhao showed up. Even more than half of the elders were absent.
Fortunately, there were many new disciples who joined the sect this year, and they had accumulated plenty of spirit and gossip during the annual grand tournament.
The youths gathered in groups of two or three, clinking glasses, discussing swords, and talking about pills. Their laughter and chatter, mixed with the crisp aroma of spiritual wine, drifted across the entire mountain peak, making the banquet feel lively and bustling.
Song Yao had decided not to attend the banquet after learning she was to become a personal disciple.
In the past, she hadn't attended many times either.
Whenever she showed up, all the elders and disciples would look as if they were facing a formidable enemy, terrified she might flip the tables and start a rebellion.
To let everyone have a good New Year, she would sneak into her master's treasure vault to steal wine and drink.
Although she couldn't go to the treasure vault this year, she could still go down the mountain to find a tavern to have some fun.
To her surprise, before she could even step out of her courtyard, Ning Zhou, Jiang Jin, Ming Ran, and a whole crowd of others blocked her door in a grand fashion, insisting on entering the banquet hall with her.
Song Yao did not understand.
Song Yao did not get it.
She only wanted to make some money quietly, pay off her debts quietly, and leave the sect quietly. How on earth did she end up being forced step by step to sit in the most prominent spot at the center of the banquet?
Countless curious gazes swept over her and Jiang Jin beside her, clearly wanting to see what these two geniuses, who had secured first place right after joining the sect, looked like.
Even more, they wanted to see who would be chosen by the Hall Master to become a personal disciple.
Ming Ran had somehow become her chief supporter, leaning in to whisper, “Master Lin, it's definitely going to be you, that goes without saying! My Senior Brother Jiang is far worse than you. If you don't believe me, you two should spar.”
Ning Zhou sat behind her and nodded in agreement. “Actually, I think so too. Going from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core in just over a month... that's more personal disciple-like than actual personal disciples, isn't it?”
Cheng Yue chimed in, “Agreed.”
Song Yao really wanted to beg them to shut up.
Couldn't they see that Jiang Jin's eyes were practically spitting fire?
What good could come from being marked as a nemesis by an overpowered protagonist?
Seeing her attempts to stop them were futile, she numbly popped grapes into her mouth one by one, wondering how she should reject entering the main peak later.
Before long, the banquet neared its end, and the clamor gradually died down.
Beside the main seat at the very top, Zhu Zhao stood up with a scroll in hand and stepped to the center.
She bowed slightly to the elders seated above, her voice crisp. “It is getting late. Let us begin.”
As soon as she spoke, the entire Yunzuo Mountain fell dead silent. Everyone held their breath, and the air was filled with an undeniable tension and anticipation.
Song Yao stuffed grapes into her mouth even faster.
This was bad.
She couldn't think of an excuse.
She couldn't think of one at all.
Ming Ran patted her back and said thoughtfully, “Master Lin, be careful not to choke.”
...
With a nod from the Great Elder, Zhu Zhao unfurled the scroll.
First to be read were the results of the annual grand tournament.
Song Yao was the first to be called as the champion of the youth division.
Caught off guard, she scrambled up and walked over with a mouth full of grapes to accept the Heavenly Thunder Marrow-Cleansing Pill, bowing to her Second Senior Sister and the elders along the way.
As she prepared to return, Zhu Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Not going to say a few words?”
Song Yao's cheeks were puffed out: “...”
She struggled to swallow the grapes and cleared her throat, only for Zhu Zhao to speak up first, “Never mind, go back.”
Song Yao: “?”
It felt like she had been toyed with.
She wasn't sure.
She would wait and see.
Having finished reading the various results, the disciples held their breath once more. Song Yao stuffed another two grapes into her mouth.
Zhu Zhao put down the scroll, her gaze sweeping across the entire crowd before finally landing on Song Yao and Jiang Jin. Each of her words carried immense weight:
“In addition, during the Hall Master's seclusion, the chosen personal disciples are—”
“Lin Mu and Jiang Jin.”
The crowd erupted into a frenzy, and even the elders looked slightly surprised.
Two people?
Most of the previous personal disciples were either picked up by the Hall Master from outside or had joined his lineage directly due to their extraordinary talent.
This was the first time two were chosen from the new disciples at once.
Jiang Jin's expression relaxed slightly. He turned to look at Song Yao, his eyes holding a hint of excitement he couldn't hide.
Song Yao had no time to look at him. She hurriedly stood up. “This disciple has an objection.”
Instantly, every gaze in the hall fell squarely upon her.
Zhu Zhao looked up, her gaze indifferently sweeping over her. “What objection?”
Song Yao opened her mouth, but her throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. She couldn't make a single sound.
She looked at Zhu Zhao in disbelief.
A silencing spell?
Zhu Zhao had cast a silencing spell on her?
Rate on N.U.
