Chapter 5

Their sword tips pointed at each other, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

[Fight! Come on, fight!]

Ye Zhenzhen watched from the sidelines, eager for things to get even more exciting. Her little fists pumped nonstop; she wished the original male lead and second male lead would start fighting right away. She even took care to keep this thought quiet. As long as she whispered in her mind, no one could hear her.

But a half-grown boy stood no chance against a young man who had already come into his own. Shen Xingyan was also at the late Golden Core stage, on the verge of breaking through to Nascent Soul, while Ye Qingchuan had only just reached Foundation Establishment. Their cultivation levels were as far apart as heaven and earth.

Sensing trouble, Ye Qingyao hurried between them. "Stop, both of you! This is all a misunderstanding. I'm Ye Qingyao of the Cloudsky Sect, and this is my junior brother, Ye Qingchuan. May I ask who you are?"

"Shen Xingyan of the Kongtong School." Shen Xingyan saluted with his sword.

"So you're Immortal Venerable Shen's son. A misunderstanding, then—all of it." Ye Qingyao had naturally heard of Shen Xingyan. She motioned for Ye Qingchuan to sheathe his sword, then released the Beast-Binding Rope and let the Xingxing go.

The Xingxing finally woke. It opened its eyes in a daze and scratched its head. "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?" The creature had no idea that people had just been pointing at its head, which had nearly been separated from its shoulders.

"You wretched beast, look at the trouble you've caused! What are you standing there for? Fetch her shoe."

Shen Xingyan ordered the Xingxing to retrieve the baby shoe from the treetop. He even lowered himself to slip the rabbit shoe onto Ye Zhenzhen's foot, explaining as he did, "I was careless just now and let this wretched beast get away with its prank. You were nearly hurt. I'll be sure to discipline it strictly from now on."

And just like that, he brushed off a plot as a prank.

Ye Zhenzhen didn't want to listen to him, much less have him so close. His nostrils filled her entire view, and her little legs kicked in disgust.

[You stinking scumbag! Stop pointing your nostrils at me. They're too big, too deep, and too scary!]

[Why are you touching my shoe? My foot's dirty now QAQ]

"Pfft." Ye Qingchuan was still a child, after all. He looked at Shen Xingyan's nostrils too, then lost his composure and laughed, two adorable dimples appearing in his cheeks.

Shen Xingyan covered his nose. His speechless expression seemed to say, Is there something seriously wrong with you Cloudsky Sect people? Why do you all stare at other people's noses?

Until then, he had always thought the middle of his face was full and his nose bridge tall and straight—a mighty, imposing "king among noses." He had never imagined it would one day become a child's laughingstock.

There had to be something wrong with the child's eyes or his taste.

Still, a scumbag was a scumbag. Though Shen Xingyan had nearly been exposed, he hadn't forgotten his main objective. He nodded to Ye Qingyao. "Junior Sister Ye, I admire how understanding you are. Forgive my boldness, but you're as graceful and beautiful as your name, a flawless piece of white jade."

He delivered that corny line without a flicker of embarrassment. His skin really was thicker than a city wall.

"You flatter me, Senior Brother Shen." Ye Qingyao smiled politely. "As the saying goes, you can't know someone without first crossing swords. I'm glad we've cleared up the misunderstanding, and I must thank you for coming to our rescue."

Beside her, Ye Qingchuan glanced sidelong at Shen Xingyan, his whole manner dark and brooding.

Shen Xingyan ignored the boy's obvious hostility. From his glittering Heaven-and-Earth Ring, he took a gold-mounted jade token bright enough to dazzle the eye and respectfully offered it to Ye Qingyao. "Junior Sister Ye, this is a communication token I had specially made. If you ever need me, or you're simply bored and want someone to chat with, I'd be delighted to keep you company."

"Senior Sister, don't take anything from him." Ye Qingchuan hurried forward and gripped Ye Qingyao's wrist, urging her not to accept the token.

In the

cultivation

world, communication tokens had always been exchanged among friends, family, and fellow disciples. Giving one to someone of the opposite sex after a single meeting carried implications that were hard not to imagine.

Ye Qingyao pulled free of Ye Qingchuan's hand, a little annoyed. She had meant to decline anyway. But before she could get a word out, Shen Xingyan pressed the token into her hand. "It's only a jade token, Junior Sister Ye. No need to be polite. The Kongtong School and Cloudsky Sect have always been branches of the same tree. We ought to keep in closer touch."

[Heavens! That scumbag's tricks run deep, and his skin is thicker than a city wall.]

[Who wants to keep in touch with you? So you can make her your cultivation furnace? Torment her body and heart? Wipe out her entire sect?]

Ye Zhenzhen kept grumbling to herself. If she were her senior sister, she would throw the token in his face and shout, "Take your lousy trinket and get lost!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Shen. I'll hold on to it for now." Ye Qingyao looked helplessly at the communication token he had forced into her hand. Ye Qingchuan was so furious his face turned green.

"Don't call me Senior Brother Shen. That sounds so distant. You can call me Senior Brother Xingyan."

"Senior Brother Xingyan?"

"Junior Sister Qingyao." Shen Xingyan gazed at her with his large, lovestruck puppy eyes, his voice faintly suggestive.

Ye Qingyao lowered her head, her cheeks turning red.

Ye Qingchuan: ...

Ye Zhenzhen: ...

Ye Zhenzhen: [That scumbag's tricks run deep. I want to go back to the countryside.]

As Ye Qingchuan watched Shen Xingyan walk away, the clouds suddenly cleared from his face. It was as though he had changed faces in an instant.

"Senior Sister, that scare must have worn you out. Let me hold our little junior sister for a while." He held out his hands eagerly. His bright eyes brimmed with an innocent little boy's smile, and two dimples appeared at the corners of his mouth.

The little demon king changed faces so quickly it sent a chill down her spine.

Ye Zhenzhen felt a sudden, inexplicable panic. She wanted to say, No! But the look he gave her seemed to carry a warning. She didn't even dare think carelessly.

After what had happened, the delicate Ye Qingyao really was a little drained, so she handed Ye Zhenzhen to him. "Junior Brother, the weather's lovely today. You can take our little junior sister out to get some sun. She's so small, so hold her carefully. Don't let her get bumped or bruised."