Poor Qi Hao

"I've met Senior Brother Qi!"

Though Ye Yun was a little unhappy with Qi Hao, he still bowed. After all, Qi Hao really was his senior brother.

Qi Hao nodded. He glanced at Ye Yun, then turned his gaze to Tian Ling'er and smiled. "Could you be the famous Tian Ling'er, Junior Sister Tian?"

Tian Ling'er raised an eyebrow. "How do you know who I am?"

Qi Hao smiled faintly and stepped closer, looking at her. "Junior Sister Tian is only sixteen, yet her mastery of the Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao is already extraordinary. Everyone in our sect knows this. I've admired you for a long time. Now that I've finally met you, you certainly live up to your reputation."

A trace of pride showed on Tian Ling'er's face. She glanced at Ye Yun beside her and said, "You've never even seen me fight. How do you know I live up to my reputation?"

Ye Yun chimed in quietly, "Exactly. You've never seen Senior Sister fight, so how do you know she lives up to her reputation? You're obviously just a flatterer."

Qi Hao hadn't expected Ye Yun to say something like that. He froze for a moment, then simply ignored him and continued smiling at Tian Ling'er. "Junior Sister Tian is not only as beautiful as a flower, but also quick-witted. You've made me, your senior brother, feel ashamed."

Admiring beauty was human nature. And Qi Hao was handsome and tall, too. His praise pleased Tian Ling'er immensely, though she pretended not to care. "You're just making things up. What kind of senior brother says things like that? Aren't you ashamed?" But the corners of her mouth lifted, betraying her delight. Watching the scene, Ye Yun felt an inexplicable ache in his heart, as if something precious was slowly slipping away from him.

Seeing this, Tian Buyi furrowed his brow, about to speak, but Su Ru beat him to it. "Ling'er, don't talk nonsense."

Qi Hao hurriedly said to Su Ru, "Martial Uncle Su, please don't blame Junior Sister. I spoke carelessly and offended her." He paused, then took a small brocade box from his robes and offered it to Tian Ling'er with a smile. "Junior Sister Tian, the Cooling Bead in this box is something I happened upon years ago while accompanying my master, True Person Cang Song, on a righteous mission to wipe out a demonic sect. It's not a rare treasure, but carrying it can ward off heat. I've also heard it can help women maintain their beauty and care for their skin. I'd like to give it to you today as an apology."

Tian Ling'er blushed again, but before she could speak, Su Ru said, "Nephew Qi, the Cooling Bead is a treasure in its own right. Ling'er can't accept it. You should put it away."

Qi Hao smiled. "Martial Uncle Su, you don't understand. The Cooling Bead is of little use to me; it's practically dead weight. But Junior Sister Tian is young and beautiful, so it suits her perfectly. It's only a small token of my goodwill. I hope you won't refuse it, Junior Sister."

Tian Ling'er looked at Qi Hao, her expression full of approval, and was just about to accept the box when the corner of her eye caught Ye Yun looking downcast. Her heart twinged, and her raised hand stopped in midair. She glanced at Qi Hao, then at Ye Yun beside her, and made up her mind. Smiling faintly, she said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Qi, but I shouldn't accept a gift without earning it. Please take it back."

Qi Hao hadn't expected Tian Ling'er, who had seemed so moved, to refuse him. His smile stiffened at once. Beside her, Ye Yun abruptly raised his bowed head and gazed at her lovely face, eyes shining.

Tian Ling'er didn't say anything. She simply squeezed his hand gently and gave him a knowing smile.

Seeing this, a flicker of anger passed through Qi Hao's eyes. He was the genius of Dragon Head Peak, destined for a bright future. The only women worthy of him were Lu Xueqi of Little Bamboo Peak and Tian Ling'er standing before him. He had thought winning over a girl of fifteen or sixteen would be a piece of cake, but somehow he'd failed—and from what had just happened, the reason was the boy in front of him.

Giving up wasn't Qi Hao's style, so he gathered his thoughts and smiled. "Junior Sister Tian, this isn't a matter of accepting a gift without earning it. It's my apology for offending you just now. You deserve it."

Ye Yun had already disliked Qi Hao, and now Qi Hao was ignoring him again and again. Ye Yun was furious—very furious. He decided to teach Qi Hao a lesson he wouldn't forget, and spoke before Tian Ling'er could. "Senior Sister, just take it. You're always complaining that your fan doesn't cool you down enough. With this, you won't have to worry about the heat during the day."

Qi Hao hadn't expected Ye Yun to speak in his favor. He looked at him more warmly, though the smile at the corner of Ye Yun's mouth made Qi Hao feel that something wasn't quite right. But so what? All that mattered was that Tian Ling'er accepted his Cooling Bead.

Tian Ling'er hadn't expected Ye Yun to help Qi Hao, either. When she saw the smile at the corner of his mouth, she silently mourned for Qi Hao for three seconds. Whenever Ye Yun smiled like that, someone was sure to have a bad time—and this time, the unlucky one was obviously Senior Brother Qi.

After she understood what was going on, Tian Ling'er smiled, thanked Qi Hao, and happily accepted the little box from his hands.

As soon as Tian Ling'er had thanked him, Ye Yun tugged at her hand and muttered, "Senior Sister, why are you thanking him? This is the least he could do. He's so old, yet he still doesn't know better than to say something like that. If anyone outside heard him, they'd think there was something going on between you two. If someone acted like that in our village, we'd break his legs."

Though Ye Yun had spoken quietly, nobody there was ordinary, and everyone heard him. The expressions of the people in the hall turned strange, and Qi Hao's smile stiffened again.

Qi Hao had lived for decades, after all, and had a thick skin. He recovered after only a brief pause and smiled at Ye Yun. "May I ask who this junior brother is?"

Tian Ling'er answered for him with a smile. "This is my junior brother, Ye Yun. He's only ten and doesn't know any better. I hope you won't hold it against him."

Qi Hao's eyes lit up at that. He'd been ready to give up, but Tian Ling'er's words had given him a glimmer of hope. He's only a ten-year-old little kid. I actually thought of him as a rival. Now that's ridiculous.

Qi Hao put on a very kind smile. "So you're the junior brother from Great Bamboo Peak! You're too kind, Junior Sister Tian. Why would I hold it against a child? A cute little junior brother like him is impossible not to like. By the way, little brother, have you started cultivating yet? Would you like your senior brother to take you for a ride outside?" He emphasized the words "little brother" and reached out to pat Ye Yun on the head, but Ye Yun easily dodged him.

Ye Yun dodged Qi Hao's hand with a look of disgust, then pretended to be excited. "My Martial Mistress has already taught me how to cultivate, but I'm a little slow and my cultivation is too low, so Senior Sister is always bullying me. By the way, Senior Brother, what level are you at? Are you stronger than Senior Sister? She's already a master at the Jade Pure Fifth Layer."

Qi Hao smiled confidently. "I've been in the sect for over seventy years, and with my master's guidance, I've reached the Seventh Layer of Jade Purity. I hope to break through to the eighth layer before the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament. I've at least managed not to disappoint my master's efforts..."

Qi Hao had been about to talk up his future and use his strength to impress Tian Ling'er, but then he saw the disdain in Ye Yun's eyes and had to stop. Looking at him in surprise, Qi Hao asked, "Junior Brother, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with my cultivation level?"

"Nothing. I just think it's a shame. Senior Sister is only sixteen and already at the Jade Pure Fifth Layer. In another seventy or eighty years, she'll probably have reached the Shangqing Realm. I guess I'm doomed to never beat her in this lifetime."

Qi Hao nearly spat up a mouthful of blood at Ye Yun's words. The boy was practically saying that he'd wasted his life despite his age. The other people in the hall had colorful expressions, too. Some of them might have achieved even less than Qi Hao, but that didn't stop them from enjoying his embarrassment.