Chapter 11

When Luo Bingyao saw that Shen Xingyan did not pull away, she went a step further and hooked an arm around his neck, striking a provocative pose at Ye Qingyao.

Ye Qingyao felt as though her eyes had been sullied. She was about to leave when Ye Qingchuan beat her to it. "We won't disturb your tryst. My senior sister and I will be off." With that, the two strode away without looking back.

"What tryst? It's not what you think." Shen Xingyan had wanted to chase after them and explain, but that would be beneath his dignity. Instead, he stood where he was and shouted at their backs.

Once they were gone, Luo Bingyao shook Shen Xingyan's sleeve coquettishly. "My dear Shen, that Ye Qingyao is as skinny as a bamboo pole. I barely touched her, and she looked ready to fall over. Was she pretending to be hurt to win sympathy?" Even as she spoke, she made sure to put down Ye Qingyao's figure for being too thin, not full enough, and insinuated that she was scheming.

But to Shen Xingyan, the tactic was painfully crude. Too many women had torn others down in front of him since childhood to make themselves look better. Hearing it now only struck him as stupid.

Shen Xingyan looked at her affected face and shook off her hand in disgust. "How many times have I told you? Don't call me 'my dear Shen'!"

"The man has affection, but the woman does not. Why not cherish the one before you?"

"But the one before me isn't the one in my heart."

Watching his cold retreating figure, Luo Bingyao flushed with humiliation and rage. Her nails dug deep into her palms. "Ye Qingyao, just you wait!"

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Chapter 11

"Well, if it isn't Ye Qinghui, the genius sword cultivator! I'm Jiang Kui of Thousand Mechanisms Palace. I've long admired your reputation. While we wait for the forest entrance to open fully, why don't we have a little match?"

When Ye Qingyao and the others returned to meet up with First Senior Brother, they found someone challenging him. The newcomer had a roguish face with a conspicuous scar on his right cheek, and his expression was smug and arrogant.

Thousand Mechanisms Palace was a small sect that had risen only in recent years. It was neither one of the Five Great Sects nor an established sect or cultivation clan. It had made a name for itself by using hidden weapons to catch many people off guard, earning the disdain of righteous cultivators. Jiang Kui was its most famous disciple. Though a sword cultivator, he secretly carried more than a hundred kinds of hidden weapons, earning him the title "Shadow Venomous Spider."

[You never came looking for a match when First Senior Brother's Inner Core was intact. Now that you've heard something happened to him, you want to pick a fight and climb on his reputation.]

[First Senior Brother, don't fight a petty man like him. Even if he can't beat you, he'll ambush you with hidden weapons.]

"We're all here for the Illusory Forest. Why resort to fighting? If you want a match, we can have a proper one at the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament." Ye Qinghui cupped his hands politely and declined the invitation. He had come solely for a Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi seed and had no wish to invite trouble.

"Exactly. Don't spoil everyone's treasure hunt," Ye Qingyao chimed in.

"Does he not want to fight, or does he not dare?"

"I heard Ye Qinghui lost his Inner Core. He's useless now."

"Without an Inner Core, he's no different from an ordinary person. All that fine Swordsmanship has no power behind it." Jiang Kui's companions deliberately spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

Jiang Kui grew even more brazen. He drew his sword and advanced, pointing its tip straight at Ye Qinghui. "They say you have an Innate Sword Bone, extraordinary talent, and a Supreme Heavenly Spiritual Root. You're ranked the number one sword cultivator among the disciples of every sect in the Cultivation World. Or is it all an empty reputation? Today, you'll fight whether you want to or not!"

A violent wind howled in with his Sword Qi, and the atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

More people gathered around, Shen Xingyan among them. Ye Qingyao looked to him for help, hoping he would step forward and stop Jiang Kui from causing trouble. But he gave her a cold glance, then looked away, content to stand by and watch.

Ye Qingyao's heart grew colder still, while Luo Bingyao smiled in smug delight.

Ye Qinghui had been a favored son of heaven since childhood, admired by all and aloof by nature. He had held back again and again for fear of hurting Junior Sister, but now, seeing Jiang Kui push too far, he put his hand on his sword, ready to draw it and fight.

So what if I don't have an Inner Core? I can be killed, but I won't be humiliated.

"Look! The entrance to the Illusory Forest is wide open! Hurry in and claim the treasures!" A man in white robes embroidered with red sword patterns called out, conveniently breaking the standoff.

Every gaze snapped to the golden vortex before them, and the crowd surged into it, each person trying to get ahead. Heavenly treasures were limited, after all. First come, first served—seizing the advantage mattered.

Jiang Kui sheathed his sword as well. "We'll fight at the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament," he said, then hurried into the Illusory Forest. Its entrance was said to appear only once in hundreds or even thousands of years. Inside were thousand-year-old Spirit Plants, thousand-year-old spirit fruits, and supreme-grade Dragonblood Stone. Who wouldn't want to hurry in and grab more treasure?

Ye Qinghui was about to lead his junior brother and sisters into the golden vortex when Junior Sister's childish voice sounded by his ear:

[First Senior Brother, Zhenzhen's tummy is hungry. Zhenzhen wants milk.]

[I want it now. Right now!]

She twisted and wriggled in the basket on his back, looking as though she would not stop until she got her milk.

"Of course, Junior Sister." Ye Qinghui stopped at once, took the bottle he had prepared from his Storage Pouch, warmed the milk with Spirit Fire, and tested its temperature on his wrist. Then he gently fed the baby in his arms.

Ye Zhenzhen puffed out her cheeks and suckled, mouthful by mouthful.

[Mua~ mua~ Milk tastes so good.]

Ye Qinghui smiled indulgently. "Slow down. Take your time, or you'll choke."

Ye Qingyao's maternal instincts overflowed. "Junior Sister sounds so adorable when she drinks her milk."

Ye Qingchuan: ?

Junior Sister really knows how to pick a time for milk. And neither of them is in a hurry? Am I the only normal person in the entire sect? By the time we enter the Illusory Forest, everyone will have snatched up all the Spirit Plants and treasures.

Only after Ye Zhenzhen leisurely finished her milk and let out a satisfied burp did the four of them finally enter the Illusory Forest.