“Feng Qing’er, what are you doing?”
Shen Lingxi and Ling Yuyan moved almost simultaneously, interposing themselves between Gu Ming and Feng Qing’er at their fastest speeds. Both women spread their arms, their eyes wary as they watched Feng Qing’er.
Feng Qing’er blinked, her expression innocent. “Recruiting a male disciple, obviously.”
“He is my fiancé. You cannot,” Ling Yuyan was the first to object.
“He is your fiancé, not a disciple of your Lingyun Pavilion. As long as he doesn’t belong to another sect, it doesn’t matter,” Feng Qing’er said with a smile. “If anything, wouldn’t our two sects become even closer once he becomes a disciple of our Divine Maiden Palace?”
Hearing this, Ling Yuyan felt it seemed reasonable at first.
If Lingyun Pavilion and the Divine Maiden Palace formed an alliance because of one person, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
However, upon closer reflection, Ling Yuyan realized something was wrong.
‘She and Nameless were only in a temporary alliance. Nameless helped her block the marriage alliance her father arranged, while she provided him protection from the Hundred Flowers Valley and Lingyun Pavilion.’
‘As for the fiancé title, it was just a surface identity for convenience.’
‘They weren’t truly an engaged couple.’
‘Furthermore, the Divine Maiden Palace was full of beautiful female disciples. If a young, energetic man like Nameless went in, wouldn’t he be completely enchanted by those women?’
‘By then, with the Divine Maiden Palace as his backing, both the Hundred Flowers Valley and Lingyun Pavilion would have to think twice before acting against him.’
‘At that point, would her agreement with Nameless still hold any weight?’
Thinking of this, Ling Yuyan shook her head vigorously, her tone hardening.
“No means no.”
Feng Qing’er was stunned for a moment, momentarily taken aback by the woman’s forceful attitude. Then, she spoke in an incredibly relaxed tone.
“Why are you so nervous? He isn’t your real fiancé anyway. At most, you could call him a love interest, right?”
“We among the Five Great Forces know each other’s secrets well enough. Do you really think he’s your fiancé just because you say so?”
“Besides, does the Pavilion Master even know you have a new fiancé?”
The provocation in Feng Qing’er’s eyes was unmistakable.
Ling Yuyan knew she didn’t have much ground to stand on, and her momentum faltered significantly. Still, she stiffened her neck and insisted, “He will know soon enough.”
A spark had ignited between Feng Qing’er and Ling Yuyan. If things continued this way, it would be difficult to resolve.
Shen Lingxi stepped forward at the right moment, breaking the confrontation between the two.
“Feng Qing’er, didn’t you say before that you were only here to pick up the leftovers? Instead of recruiting the runner-up, you’ve come to poach the first-place winner. What is the meaning of this?”
“He is already my Personal Disciple.”
She emphasized the word “my” very heavily.
Feng Qing’er arched her eyebrows. “Lingxi, you have some nerve saying that.”
“I was wondering how a simple Outer Disciple Martial Arts Tournament at Saintess Mountain could attract two such powerful people—and two people who had no prior reputation at all.”
“But I was overthinking it. There was only ever one person who could actually be recruited.”
“As for the other one… hmph.”
Feng Qing’er smiled slightly and glanced toward a certain spot. Over there, the messy-bearded Sword Fanatic with hair draped over his shoulders was currently trying to sneak away on tiptoe.
“Do I need to expose your identity right here, Mister Sword Fanatic?”
She deliberately raised her voice so the Sword Fanatic, who was sneaking away not far off, could hear her. She placed heavy emphasis on the word “Mister.”
“Hehe.”
The Sword Fanatic turned his head and scratched it, offering a forced, pained smile. “No need, no need. I’m just a nobody passing by. I hope the Divine Maiden will show mercy. I’m leaving right now.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Sword Fanatic kicked off the ground. Ignoring all sense of dignity, he vanished at his maximum speed.
Shen Lingxi’s expression shifted. “How… how did you recognize him?”
“Hmph.”
Feng Qing’er let out two small snorts, looking quite proud of herself.
“At first, I really didn’t recognize him. After all, that makeup was hideous.”
“Plus, he deliberately avoided using any sword techniques, opting instead to pull people directly into his Sword Domain. I was actually quite shocked then, thinking that someone had managed to develop the Way of the Sword to such an extent. I thought Saintess Mountain had found a real treasure.”
“However, when he surrendered and forfeited the match with such total indifference, I realized something was wrong. This person’s personality… it was far too similar to someone I know.”
Hearing this, Shen Lingxi couldn’t help but rub her furrowed brow and sigh. “He shouldn’t have surrendered.”
“Given his temperament, that situation was bound to happen,” Feng Qing’er laughed.
“In that case, I have nothing more to say,” Shen Lingxi said, no longer trying to hide it. “He is already my Personal Disciple. It’s a bit dishonorable for you to try and poach him now.”
“It’s better than certain people using behind-the-scenes manipulation,” Feng Qing’er retorted, refusing to back down.
“Who are you calling a manipulator?” Shen Lingxi raised her eyebrows, gritting her teeth. “Say it. If there is sufficient evidence, I will certainly punish them without leniency!”
“No matter who it is!”
Shen Lingxi bit down hard on those final words.
“Giggle.” Feng Qing’er covered her mouth and laughed mockingly. “Can the Saintess truly keep her public and private interests separate?”
“Of course,” Shen Lingxi said one word at a time. “I am the Saintess!”
The three pairs of eyes locked onto one another. None of them were willing to back down. A war without the smell of gunpowder had begun.
Right then, the protagonist of their argument cautiously raised his hand.
“Um.”
The attention of the three women was instantly drawn to him. However, their gazes were extremely unfriendly, as if he had interrupted them at the height of their excitement.
Gu Ming shrank his neck, but he pushed through anyway.
“Could you all stop fighting? I’ll just join everyone, okay?”
To his surprise, his well-intentioned suggestion acted as a bond for the three clashing women. They instantly turned their shared hostility toward him and shouted in unison:
“SHUT UP!!!”
Faced with the overwhelming rage of the three women, Gu Ming felt their presence grow towering and majestic, while he, covered in cold sweat, seemed to shrink. He desperately wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
‘Calm down, calm down.’
Gu Ming prayed humbly.
—
In contrast to the heated scene on the stage, the high viewing platform was quite desolate. Aside from Elder Zhong and Gu Tianba, there were only the dazed disciples from various forces standing around.
Elder Zhong felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he took the initiative to dismiss the disciples. He then bid farewell to Gu Tianba to return to his sect, but he noticed that Gu Tianba’s expression was off.
“Valley Master?”
Staring fixedly at the people on the stage, Gu Tianba’s brow was tightly furrowed. His fist, resting on the arm of his chair, tightened and loosened repeatedly.
Those people—
They actually went back on their word!!!
Gu Tianba was so angry that he almost crushed his back teeth.
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