After arriving at the scene of the Martial Arts Tournament, Shen Lingxi realized she had indeed arrived too early. There wasn’t a single person at the venue yet. But since she was already here, she couldn’t just turn back. It would be far too much trouble to go back and forth.
Furthermore, she had dragged Elder Zhong out with her. If she told him now, “Sorry, we’re early, let’s go back,” or something to that effect, Elder Zhong would likely lose his temper.
Ultimately, she decided to just sit down and wait.
Not long after Shen Lingxi sat down, her mind began to wander. As she thought, a strange sense of irritation bubbled up in her heart for no reason.
‘Annoying.’
‘Truly annoying.’
‘This is just too annoying!’
The feeling of being unable to do anything and having her hands tied made Shen Lingxi seethe in silent frustration.
As time passed, the participants for the Third Day began to arrive one after another.
At first, these contestants were chatting and laughing as they usually did, but as they continued to talk, they realized something was wrong.
The Saintess!
They were astonished to see the Saintess sitting upon the high platform. Elder Zhong was there too, of course, but the Saintess was much more pleasant to look at. However, her expression was quite dark. They didn’t know who had provoked her, but she looked utterly miserable.
None of them dared to ask or express any dissatisfaction. They wanted to chat and laugh like they usually did, yet they found it impossible to do so. They felt as though a pair of eyes was watching them from behind, radiating pure displeasure.
Consequently, the first batch of people to arrive at the venue fell into a somber silence.
When the second batch arrived and saw that the first group wasn’t speaking, they didn’t dare say much either and became silent.
Then came the third batch, the fourth batch… those who arrived later followed suit.
Naturally, there were those who didn’t care about the atmosphere and tried to break the strange tension, but they all failed. In the end, they joined the others in their silence.
Gradually, the atmosphere at the venue became incredibly bizarre.
Elder Zhong saw this and grew anxious. Every time he wanted to speak with the Saintess, he was deterred by the aura she exuded, which seemed to push everyone a thousand miles away. He could only sit there obediently.
Shen Lingxi naturally ignored them. Her heart was in a state of turmoil, and she felt a sudden urge to break something. But since there was nothing suitable to destroy at the scene, she could only sit there in her gloom.
It wasn’t until she saw Gu Ming appear that a light slowly flickered in Shen Lingxi’s eyes.
However, when she saw Ling Yuyan by Gu Ming’s side, that light faded and grew dim.
She had originally told herself not to care. Yet, Ling Yuyan had the audacity to provoke her time and time again.
First, the girl took his arm.
Then, she intentionally leaned in close.
Next, she even rested her head against Gu Ming’s shoulder.
Finally, she actually called Gu Ming “Husband” in public and even helped him straighten his collar?!!!
‘This was supposed to be mine—all mine! What right does Ling Yuyan have!’
Shen Lingxi was driven mad with rage. Leaving the confused Elder Zhong behind, she departed on her own.
She would definitely teach that woman a lesson for provoking her.
—
The Third Day of the Martial Arts Tournament proceeded smoothly, and Gu Ming advanced to the finals without any issues.
Only one thing baffled Gu Ming: the opponents he encountered seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. They were incomparable to Ling Yunfeng from the first match. He didn’t even need to use Forbidden to restrict their movements; he could dodge their attacks relying solely on physical instinct.
Of course, his method of ending the matches remained a single, heavy kick.
Aside from his opponents getting weaker, another strange thing happened at the tournament grounds.
After Gu Ming won his first match of the third day and stepped off the stage, Ling Yuyan walked up to wipe the sweat from his brow.
He was originally a bit reluctant, but he listened when Ling Yuyan said they needed to appear affectionate in front of others. She claimed this was the only way to ensure their relationship as a betrothed couple didn’t seem too distant.
Therefore, he had no choice but to let her.
However, even though this was a perfectly normal occurrence, a Saintess Mountain Law Enforcement Disciple actually stepped forward to intervene. “Displaying affection is forbidden at the tournament grounds.”
Gu Ming was stunned.
‘Wait.’
‘When did this become a rule?’
When they first arrived at the venue, Ling Yuyan was holding his arm. Why didn’t you stop us then? Now that she’s just wiping some sweat, you suddenly run over to stop us?
‘What is the meaning of this?’
‘This is completely backward.’
Gu Ming felt that the logical behavior of the Saintess Mountain Law Enforcement Disciples was extremely bizarre.
Ling Yuyan was also stunned, but she seemed to have realized something and nodded quite readily.
Seeing that they were now behaving themselves, the Saintess Mountain Law Enforcement Disciple left with peace of mind.
After watching them leave, Ling Yuyan’s expression instantly collapsed. ‘Hmph, Saintess, you think you can compete with me for a man?’
‘I, Ling Yuyan, will not lose!’
She then looked at Gu Ming with burning eyes. “Husband, why don’t you just surrender in the next match?”
“Huh??”
Gu Ming was completely bewildered, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Surrender? The Sect Leader would probably tear him into eight pieces!
“No,” Gu Ming refused decisively.
*Whimper—*
*Sob, sob—*
*Whimper—*
*Sob, sob—*
Ling Yuyan wiped away non-existent tears while stealing glances at Gu Ming, choking back a sob. “Can’t… can’t you just surrender once for me?”
“You already have me, so why do you still want to join Saintess Mountain? Is it that important to become the Saintess’s disciple?”
Looking at Ling Yuyan acting this way, Gu Ming felt a massive headache coming on. The cold sweat continued to pour down his face. What was this woman trying to do? What kind of act was this now?
The strange looks from the surrounding people made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
‘Hey, you guys don’t actually think I’m bullying her, do you?’
Gu Ming’s head felt like it was about to explode…
—
After the matches for the Third Day concluded, Ling Yuyan wanted to head back with Gu Ming, but Gu Ming righteously refused.
As for his reason…
‘Just let me be alone for a bit. I need some peace.’
Ling Yuyan’s crying act had completely thrown Gu Ming for a loop. He needed to re-evaluate this woman.
She was not nearly as simple as she appeared on the surface.
Ling Yuyan couldn’t win against Gu Ming’s persistence and had to return alone. However, before she left, she still urged him, “Don’t come home too late. I’ll be worried.”
Of course, she said this quite loudly so that everyone paying attention to them could hear.
Gu Ming cooperated and nodded. “Alright.”
After parting ways with Ling Yuyan, Gu Ming walked alone along the path by the river.
By this time, it was getting late, and the sky was draped in a dark red hue.
Looking up at the sky, he could occasionally see flocks of birds returning to their nests. From the tall grass, the croaking of frogs or the noisy chirping of insects could be heard.
Immersed in such scenery, Gu Ming felt his body become exceptionally relaxed. This rare moment of leisure allowed him to forget many of his troubles.
But as he walked, a small boat caught his eye, and Gu Ming froze for a moment.
The small boat was docked at the shore, and a familiar figure was sitting at the bow.
It was an exquisite woman. Just looking at her profile was enough to make one lose themselves in her beauty.
She wore a high-slit, one-piece dress, gently swinging her snow-white, crystalline long legs. She sighed softly every now and then, as if something was weighing on her mind.
Gu Ming rubbed his eyes, hardly able to believe it.
“SAINTESS?!!!”
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