Wiping Away Past Humiliation

Si Ming squinted and said, "Why do you seem so happy?"

"Haha, isn't other people's jealousy the best proof of my charm? Being beautiful is a skill, why should I reject it? I want to prove my talent and show off my beauty; I want to have my cake and eat it too."

"Using 'show off' instead of 'prove'—you really are a narcissist."

"However, sometimes I envy those who are not good-looking. They only need to put in one time the effort to receive twice the recognition and four times the sympathy, while I only get jealousy... Sigh, they say time is a butcher's knife, but unfortunately, this knife only targets good-looking people like me. It has no effect on ugly people."

"You're such a brat, you deserve a beating!"

Si Ming was speechless. At this moment, he really wanted to be like Yuezheng Yao's fans, only seeing the beautiful side of her, even if it was just an illusion, and not wanting to know the truth.

From this perspective, what Yuezheng Yao said earlier makes a lot of sense. For the sake of others, it's best not to reveal your true nature.

"Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and tell me what you want? You don't want to waste too much time and make your sister wait for me, do you?"

Yuezheng Yao dropped her teasing expression and said seriously, "Alright, I just want to ask you, did you enjoy singing, sister?"

"If her acting doesn't reach your level, then I think she's happy because she's genuinely enjoying the process, and she doesn't really care how many people are in the audience."

"That's good."

"Why don't you just ask her about this? Aren't you sisters?"

Si Ming brought it up casually, not expecting an answer, as it involved privacy. Unexpectedly, Yuezheng Yao said, "I have no right to speak, because it's my fault that she can't sing..."

How am I supposed to respond to such a heavy topic?

If this were a dating game, there would definitely be three options: "Ask for the reason," "give a perfunctory answer," or "laugh out loud."

Si Ming had absolutely no desire to enter Yuezheng Yao's storyline, so he decided to choose the third option.

However, before he could even show a mocking expression, Yuezheng Yao preemptively said, "I won't go into the specifics. If you want to know, go ask my sister."

Then, with her hands behind her back, she flashed a perfect idol smile, tiptoed, spun around on her heels, waved, and left with a giggle, making it impossible to discern her true thoughts.

She's several years older than me, yet she's pretending to be a young girl.

Si Ming pursed his lips, not intending to chase after him to ask. He wanted to completely eliminate the possibility of stepping into this line, otherwise he always felt that the future would be very dangerous.

In the park, after the performance, Si Ming and Yuezheng Qiong bowed slightly to thank the audience. Several people shouted, "One more song!" and "We didn't get enough!" but neither of them agreed.

Just as Si Ming, Yuezheng Qiong sings for herself, not for others, so she won't accommodate them and will end the performance on time.

"Your harmonica playing is already perfect. Sometimes I worry that your playing might drown out my singing. If everyone only listens to your melodies and doesn't want to listen to my songs, I'll be embarrassed. Have you ever considered switching to a different instrument?"

Although Yuezheng Qiong's words were somewhat roundabout, Si Ming knew that it was for his own good. The body tempering technique of "Nine Shao Pitch-Setting Art" required the use of different musical instruments to achieve better tempering effects. From a performance perspective, if Si Ming switched to other instruments, it would undoubtedly affect the performance level, since Yuezheng Qiong did not know that he had the talent to quickly master the techniques.

"Sure, what instrument would you recommend?"

Si Ming thought about it for a moment and decided to accept the offer. After all, the older sister's personality was different from her younger sister's, so there was no need to worry about any traps. Refusing would only make the other party feel uneasy.

"Why don't you try the xiao? Many famous musical martial arts pieces use the xiao as a weapon."

"Why do you guys keep recommending I play the xiao (vertical bamboo flute)? I don't lack musical skills, so learning it wouldn't make much of a difference. Let's try something else."

In terms of practical value, a song like "The Jade Sea Tide Rising Song" is less effective than a Lion's Roar, especially when facing an opponent with higher Internal Cultivation; playing the song is essentially meaningless.

"Then let's use the flute. I know a little about flute techniques, and I can teach you, if I can."

Si Ming thought for a moment, and since the flute didn't seem to have any hidden meaning, he nodded in agreement.

After telling Si Ming that he didn't need to buy any musical instruments, and that she would prepare the flute, Yuezheng Qiong said goodbye and left.

Si Ming didn't rush back to his dorm. Instead, he waited under a nearby streetlamp for a while until there were no pedestrians around before saying, "Come out already. You've been watching long enough. Can't you just say what you want to say to my face? Why be sneaky? This isn't like you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a heavy object slashed through the air towards him, its force roaring like waves, scattering all the sand and dust on the ground.

Si Ming countered with Mighty Vajra Palm strike, as fierce and unparalleled as a Buddha throwing an elephant.

The two powerful forces collided, and the sound was like a car accident. Both "drivers" were thrown back. Si Ming left three shoe prints on the ground with a "whoosh" sound. His expression was somewhat solemn, but he was outmatched in strength.

"I saw that you didn't want to attract attention, so I waited with you. It was out of good intentions, how can you call it sneaking around?"

Lin Qingtong emerged from the darkness, carrying a giant sword.

Si Ming, "You kidnapped a criminal from the Mohist Knight Guard and dared to leave him in Linked Mountains City. It seems you really do have some kind of conspiracy."

"You've misunderstood. I'm not the one plotting this. I'm just an assistant, wandering around and observing. I'll help if I can, and I'll leave if I can't. After all, that person is very possessive and doesn't seem to like others interfering with her plans."

"Oh, so why are you here? Are you feeling guilty about the ambush you committed back then and want to give me a chance for revenge? Let me make it clear beforehand, I won't go easy on you just because you're Qingqing's sister, Qingqing wouldn't want me to do that either."

"Ha! You're clearly flirting with other women, and you still have the nerve to mention my sister? I'm going to teach you a lesson, you philandering man, and show you that my sister isn't so easy to bully. She has family too."

The two reached an agreement not to continue fighting, but instead left along the street, intending to find a place where they would not be disturbed to discuss their business.

After a while, Nie Wanzhi emerged from the dark corner, looking in the direction the two had left, and murmured, "I thought the person Si was talking about was me... I just wanted to ask him for the Martial Arts Illustrated Compendium back, what should I do now, should I chase after them?"

Chapter 444 Avenging the Shame

Si Ming and Lin Qingtong eventually arrived at an abandoned demolition building.

"Let's do it here. It won't bother anyone, and no one will find it strange if we make a noise. Plus, they can help us demolish the building for free."

Si Ming took off his school uniform jacket, put one hand on his hip, and stretched the other arm high, bending it towards the side where the hand was on his hip. Then he switched to the other side and began stretching. Finally, he interlaced his fingers, pushed his palms outward, and his whole body crackled.

"Sorry, I've been busy recovering from my injuries lately and haven't had much combat experience, so my body is a bit rusty."