Chapter 20

"First Senior Brother!" Ye Qingyao cried out in worry.

"Ye Qinghui will lose within ten moves," Luo Bingyao remarked from the sidelines. For once, she said something Shen Xingyan liked hearing. He curled his lips. "He might not even last ten." Ye Qingyao, Ye Qingchuan, and Ye Zhenzhen all turned to glare at them.

Just as the music's rhythm was about to reach its peak and the notes' power was growing overwhelming, a baby's cries rang out, utterly without rhythm.

"Wah... wah... wah..." The cries resounded between heaven and earth, while their source hid her deeds and fame.

Ye Zhenzhen: Hiding her deeds and fame

Chapter 20

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Just as Gong Ningxian played the deadliest passage of his "Soul-Summoning Tune," intending to kill Ye Qinghui, a vigorous baby's cry suddenly rang through the sky.

The cries seemed to carry a primal, chaotic power. They threw off Gong Ningxian's rhythm and disturbed his mind, leaving him unable to gather his Divine Sense again.

"What is that awful racket?" Gong Ningxian's pupils contracted. His unsettled mind caused his own notes to backfire, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The music stopped.

Enduring the pain in his left leg, Ye Qinghui seized the chance to leap through the air. He knocked Gong Ningxian aside and aimed the Flowing Light Sword at his fingers.

For a music cultivator, his fingers were his most precious asset. Without his instrument, Gong Ningxian had no way to defend himself and reluctantly conceded. But once Ye Qinghui put away his sword, Gong Ningxian charged off the platform and shouted, "Who was crying just now and disrupting my music?"

"That little baby." Someone pointed at Ye Zhenzhen.

Gong Ningxian walked toward Ye Zhenzhen and studied her closely. Then he reached out to seize her throat. Ye Ruheng shoved him away. "What are you doing? You actually tried to kill my daughter?"

"That isn't an ordinary baby. She's a demon child! There's some kind of demonic power in her cries that can disrupt my powerful music."

"How is that possible? You were the one who tried to kill my First Senior Brother. Your music was so fierce and murderous that it frightened my Junior Sister into crying." Ye Qingchuan stepped forward to accuse him. "Your skills weren't good enough, and you couldn't keep your mind steady. What gives you the right to say there's something wrong with my Junior Sister? She's just a baby. What can she do besides cry?"

Ye Qingchuan was only a boy himself, but his words rang firm and true, and the people around him voiced their agreement. "Exactly. The poor baby was just frightened into crying. What gives him the right to call her a demon child?"

"How vicious. He broke the competition rules by trying to kill his opponent, then tried to kill a baby too. Is this how the String-Killing Sect teaches its disciples?"

"She's such an adorable baby. He nearly strangled her to death. How could he bring himself to do it?"

Ye Zhenzhen played along with the crowd's comments at just the right moment. Her cries grew more and more aggrieved, her little features scrunching together, until she was sobbing in high-pitched, kittenish hiccups.

That shameless little performance won her a wave of sympathy and affection.

Seeing public opinion swing entirely against his disciple, Ling Xiao, Sect Leader of the String-Killing Sect, hurried forward. Worried that Gong Ningxian would provoke the crowd's wrath, he caught hold of him before he could argue further and bowed to Ye Ruheng. "My disciple lost control of his mind for a moment and nearly did something that could never be undone. Sect Leader Ye, I'm truly sorry."

"Wretched disciple, come apologize to Sect Leader Ye and his daughter."

Gong Ningxian apologized with ten parts reluctance and eight parts stiffness. "I'm sorry. I was out of line." Yet when he lowered his head and met the eyes of the baby in Ye Ruheng's arms, he thought he saw her give him a mocking smile of victory. It vanished in an instant, but it sent a chill down his spine.

That baby girl was no ordinary child.

They had been away for three days, and Ye Ruheng and Xie Jingshu needed to return to Cloudsky Sect to guard its Mountain-Guarding Formation. Ye Zhenzhen, however, insisted on staying to watch the matches. With no other choice, they left her in Ye Qinghui's care.

As usual, the group took advantage of the evening market to sell grilled fish for a while. In just three days, Ye Qingchuan's grilled fish had become famous across the island. They sold more than thirty thousand Superior Spirit Stones' worth and made money hand over fist.

As night fell and they were preparing to rest, Shen Xingyan arrived.

Having finally shaken off Luo Bingyao, he went straight to find Ye Qingyao. At first, he had only wanted to use her as his Furnace. But after being pestered by Luo Bingyao for so long, he found Ye Qingyao, so radiant, gentle, and kind, more captivating than ever.

"Qingyao, tonight I'll make good on my promise and take you aboard the Flying Boat to see the beautiful scenery around Jade Pool Island. Come with me." Shen Xingyan stood with his hands behind his back, his tall, handsome figure irresistibly alluring in the moonlight.

Senior Sister, I want to go too. Take me with you! Before Ye Qingyao could agree, Ye Zhenzhen was already bouncing with excitement inside.

She caught a whiff of the plot moving forward. In the original book, Shen Xingyan had also taken Ye Qingyao aboard a Flying Boat the night before the second elimination round, and some exciting things had happened.

"Senior Sister, I'm coming too." Ye Qingchuan could hardly rest easy letting his senior sister go out with Shen Xingyan at night. He wanted to stay right beside them and keep watch every step of the way.

So Ye Qingyao held a baby girl in one arm and a little boy's hand in the other. "Can we go like this?"

Shen Xingyan pressed a hand to his forehead in frustration and looked at the two glaring third wheels with distaste. They were about to ruin his romantic moonlit outing on the water with a beautiful woman.

But Ye Qingyao looked ready to stay behind if they could not come, forcing him to bring the two burdens along.

Shen Xingyan strolled ahead and led them to the Land-Sea-Air Flying Vessel that was being offered as a prize.

Ye Qingyao: ?

"Isn't this the grand prize for the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament?"

Shen Xingyan gave a wicked smile. "First place in this tournament is as good as mine. Since it'll be mine sooner or later, why not try it out early? Besides, the Spirit Stones this vessel burns can go on the tournament's account. If I used my own Flying Boat, wouldn't that waste my Spirit Stones?"