Oh My, He Snuck into the Nest

The bright moon hangs high in the sky.

The bright moonlight shone on both sides of the stone bridge.

Inside the Lady of Anyang's mansion, the lights were on. Giddens Nine Sabers Chen Dahai) had prepared the imperial dish "Crispy Roast Suckling Pig," determined to use this signature dish to redeem the reputation of his mansion's head chef.

Unfortunately, the referee didn't show up.

Inside the banquet hall of the mansion, five fair-skinned and beautiful dancers dressed in low-cut tops were dancing listlessly.

A song, so lonely~

At the round table ahead, An Yurou propped her cheek on her hand, observing Ye Xingge's performance today. She was also secretly pondering how such a gifted Crown Prince of Western Shu could venture into the lion's den and reach Great Yan. Just how confident was Long Zaiye to dare to throw a meat bun to a dog like that...?

Beside her, Shen Yueyao, who had been watching with great excitement all day, had come back dressed up beautifully to celebrate Ye Lang's victory. She even wore her gold rabbit hair clip, which she only wore during holidays. Now, she was peering eagerly out the window.

"Sister Luo, could it be that Brother Ye has been lured to a brothel by Chen Xiaobao?"

Luo Xuanqing had also been waiting for a long time. He took out the United Hearts Pendant, frantically recalling his chest and abdominal muscles, and poked out:

Why aren't they back yet?

A reply came quickly from the sign:

[I went back to the inn to visit my parents. I've arrived in Yingtian Ward and will be there soon.]

Upon seeing this, Luo Xuanqing stood up and said:

"It's coming soon, I'll go check on it."

After saying that, Luo Xuanqing left the banquet hall, lightly leaped over the wall, searched around, and came to the front street.

Before long, a young man dressed in a gray-white robe was seen jogging across the stone bridge. Upon seeing her, he waved from afar.

"Sister Luo."

"Shh~!"

Fearing that his colleagues living nearby would hear, Luo Xuanqing quickly stopped him, leaping down in front of him, intending to strike a pose like a female boss.

But Ye Xingge today was truly astounding. Even if she were brought back to Mount Jiuhua to meet their masters, the Great Daoist nun probably wouldn't say anything. For a moment, I held back, but still lightly bumped her with my delicate shoulder:

"You did well today. I expected you to take down Cao Ba in one move, but I really didn't expect you to be able to pull out the Immortal's Knock and the Earthbound Heavenly Communion..."

When Ye Xingge saw that the Great Beauty Luo had changed into a light blue palace dress, looking just like a noble concubine, he knew that today's fight had been worthwhile. He immediately felt proud of his achievement and patted his Three Feet One...

"I'm glad Sister Luo is satisfied. This dress is really beautiful!"

Luo Xuanqing had been taking photos of each other remotely for the past two days. Because the touch was similar, they didn't react immediately and even bit their lower lip coquettishly.

But he quickly realized that this wasn't just an online chat, but a real offense to his female boss!

Luo Xuanqing paused, turned around, grabbed Ye Xingge by the collar, and his fox-like eyes revealed a dangerous glint:

"You're rebelling, aren't you? You dare to be so insolent to my face? Do you really think I wouldn't have the heart to beat you?"

Ye Xingge could tell from his eyes that he was fierce but cute, but he still put on a serious face and stretched out his hand:

"I couldn't help myself, Sister Luo, how about you give me a few smacks?"

"Hmph~"

Luo Xuanqing coldly scrutinized him for a moment, but he really couldn't bear to hit him. Thinking of Ye Xingge's amazing performance today, he hesitated for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips before quickly letting go.

"You did well today, so this is a reward. Don't let it happen again!"

Ye Xingge felt that the Great Beauty Luo was as generous as ever, and smiled:

"My mother just said she wanted to see Sister Luo..."

"Um?"

Luo Xuanqing's face flushed red as she struck a pose of an icy beauty. Upon hearing the sound, her expression froze, and she slowed her pace slightly.

What do you want to see me for?

"It's my boss, he wants to host a banquet and offer me more support in the future. What does Sister Luo think he's doing?"

"?"

Luo Xuanqing thought it was something like a mother-in-law meeting her daughter-in-law, but upon hearing this, she thought the boy was incredibly presumptuous and snorted:

"You think you're causing trouble for me, treating me like a donkey?"

How could that be?

Ye Xingge chuckled, "My mother kept praising her, saying that Sister Luo was a great mentor; in just a few days, she killed more thieves than I had in the previous three years..."

Luo Xuanqing truly felt unworthy of such praise, after all, her boss hadn't done anything besides handing out benefits.

After exchanging a few words, Luo Xuanqing remembered his business:

"By the way, Duke Zhang just told me that the imperial court will arrange for you to go to Temple of Vast Compassion. My master will also be there to watch the excitement. Would you like to add some prize money?"

"Oh?"

Ye Xingge only found out about this then:

What kind of prize should we add?

Luo Xuanqing leaned closer and said mysteriously:

"When the martial arts world in the north holds a grand gathering, the Three Mountains take the lead in pooling funds, with the Twelve Gates joining in. Each sect contributes resources to reward the younger generation. As my master is the head of the Mount Jiuhua, the more she contributes, the less Lü Chuan and Monk Ming'an can afford to be stingy, so..."

Ye Xingge understood the meaning:

"Aunt Liu took the lead in donating money, and the more she donated, the more other groups contributed. Afterwards, Aunt Liu returned all her money, and the remaining 30%..."

Luo Xuanqing revealed a look of aptitude for teaching:

"Pretty much, but this isn't a scam to swindle money; you have to have real skills to get it."

Ye Xingge asked, "Does that mean I'll win the championship?"

Luo Xuanqing nodded:

"Originally, the reward for the first place in the competition was to receive some spiritual materials for free at Temple of Vast Compassion. But my master found a legitimate reason to increase the reward, such as the world being in turmoil and supporting the younger generation. The first place winner would receive an extra hundred pieces of sword-nurturing materials and a top-tier weapon, and Martial Emperor Mountain and Temple of Vast Compassion would also have to provide them."

"The Three Mountains have all been very generous, and each of the Twelve Gates will contribute at least fifty pieces of material, which adds up to nine hundred pieces of sword-nurturing material and three top-tier weapons! If you can win the championship, you don't need to repay your master's share; we'll split it 30/70, you get 70% and I get 30%, consider it my master's contribution to our cultivation."

"Just kidding~"

Ye Xingge felt that Aunt Liu was also wealthy and generous, and asked:

"What if we don't win the championship..."

"I failed to win the championship, and my master's treasures went down the drain. I must return them in full!"

"Well..."

As the master of greedy soldiers, Ye Xingge didn't hesitate for more than a second when faced with a potential gain of nearly ten times the initial investment.

"No problem. How difficult will the martial arts competition be then?"

Luo Xuanqing, a prodigy from the Three Northern Mountains, was familiar with the ways of the world:

"It's difficult, but based on your performance today, you have a chance. However, you're still lacking something."

What's missing?

"The grand competition tests the younger generation, bringing everyone's skill level down to a manageable range. Those who were originally ranked higher will have an absolute advantage, while those with too low skill will be separated from the main group. Even if you get in through connections, there's no way to improve your skill level."

Ye Xingge understood the meaning:

"Do I need to aim for a higher ranking, to catch up with or even overtake the rest of the pack?"

"Yes, once you break into the Third Rank or the top one hundred, your skill level won't be a problem anymore; the rest depends entirely on your individual ability."

"Top 100..."

Ye Xingge's latest ranking is 269; she just needs to aim for 170.

With the blessing of the Great Nine Yang, his cultivation level can improve by about 24 places in a year. After consuming the Martial Emperor Pill, he can theoretically improve to 36 places.

However, across a span of 170 places, the skill gap between adjacent individuals will widen, and their speed will decrease.

On average, this translates to an improvement of about 30 places in skill level per year.

To be among the Third Rank or even the top 100, you'll need at least another five years of hard work.

Five years of training means defeating five equally matched opponents, and even if you win against a stronger opponent, you can reduce that number to three or four.

When was the Zen Debate at Temple of Vast Compassion?

"June 1st, including travel time, will take about ten days."

Ten days...

Ye Xingge felt lucky; he could play for eight days. He shrugged slightly.

"No problem, there's plenty of time. If I'm lucky, I could even get into the Second Rank."

"?"

Luo Xuanqing thought this was outrageous.

But given Ye Xingge's resume, it wouldn't be surprising if he actually did something so outrageous. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Killing isn't hard; the hard part is finding a suitable opponent. Reaching the top 100 is good enough. Use the rest of your time to improve your skills and avoid injuries. If you actually make it into the Second Rank, and Monk Ming'an finds out and kicks you out, you'll have no recourse..."

"Clear..."

The two chatted idly and soon arrived at the residence of Lady of Anyang.

Five scantily clad dancers, upon seeing the arrival of their distinguished guests, immediately perked up, their graceful movements and elegant dance moves even more enthusiastic than the last time at the hot springs.

Lady of Anyang and Baby Bunny, like an incomparably beautiful mother and daughter, along with the fair-skinned and beautiful Da Xiyue, made it seem as if they had entered the Hehuan Sect at first glance.

Upon entering and seeing this scene, Ye Xingge suppressed his distracting thoughts and bowed in apology.

"I just went home and didn't know Lord An was hosting a banquet, I'm so sorry..."

Shen Yueyao had been waiting for a long time. She hopped over to him, her eyes filled with adoration as if she were seeing a god, and gave him a thumbs up.

"Brother Ye is amazing!"

"You flatter me Lord Shen!"

Ye Xingge thought that when Baby Bunny was dressed up, she really had the feel of a girl next door growing up, both cute and pretty, and he even wanted to reach out and pinch her cheeks:

"Magistrate Shen didn't come?"

An Yurou, with her graceful demeanor, rose to greet him and jokingly said:

"We wouldn't dare call our martial uncle for this. This was specially prepared for you. Please sit down. Xiyue, serve the dishes."

"Oh dear, Lord An has really gone to great lengths."

Surrounded by more than a dozen beauties, Ye Xingge was a little overwhelmed. He sat down at the table, and Baby Bunny sat down in front of him to pour him wine, saying slyly:

"Today, when Brother Ye was competing, Sister Luo was completely stunned. She bit her lower lip, her heart fluttering with girlish longing..."

"Oh, really?"

Ye Xingge looked at the Great Beauty Luo beside him.

Luo Xuanqing, however, was not intimidated and chuckled:

"You're the same way. If Lord An hadn't been holding you down, you probably would have skipped over and given him a couple of kisses..."

"Eh~"

The Baby Bunny immediately blushed, embarrassed, and picked up its wine glass:

"Come on, let's drink! I'll start by toasting Brother Ye!"

"Hehe..."

Ding~

On the other side, the Wujian Inn.

As night deepened and all was quiet, the inn also fell silent.

The cloaked bird obediently squatted at the doorway to stand guard, while inside the room, the chilling atmosphere gradually dissipated, and the mother and daughter had returned to their places.

Hongyu had been focusing on conditioning her body to help her master stabilize his physique. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw her elegant and otherworldly master in white robes sitting cross-legged on the bed, his phoenix eyes, which seemed to rule the world, glancing at her indifferently.

It felt like a supreme being atop a celestial palace, looking down upon a foolish child in the vast mortal world.

She knelt on the prayer mat...

Huh?

Why am I kneeling?

After regaining her senses, Hongyu found herself kneeling obediently before her master, her eyes somewhat dazed, but she still realized that she had probably caused trouble.

But she didn't do anything just now!

Did the pot fall from the sky...?

Wrong!

It seems Ye Xingge just arrived...

That lecherous fellow wouldn't mistake her for her master and do whatever he wanted to her, would he...?

Seeing her master's expression, Hongyu knew he was very angry, so she didn't dare to get up and only said cautiously:

"Master, Ye Xingge just now..."

Cloud and Rain Tower was still reeling, but couldn't openly recount what had just happened. He simply said calmly:

"It's nothing, the boy has already gone back."

"Oh..."

Why should I kneel? Hongyu, not understanding the situation and not daring to get up, asked again:

"Did he offend Master...?"

"No, it's just that their words are frivolous and they have no respect for the strong."

Cloud and Rain Tower put on a serious face at this point:

"Yu'er, you've already ranked Second Rank in the second class. As the leader of the Mountains and Rivers Association Society, you must pay attention to your demeanor even in front of your future husband. Hmm... You are a woman who is no less capable than men, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, with the bearing of a leader. Set a good example for this young man..."

"..."

After listening for a moment, Hongyu finally understood what he meant—her master felt that her daughter was like a submissive wife, and as her mother, she couldn't stand it anymore and told her to be more assertive in the future!

But she didn't want to either. Ye Xingge so amazing, impeccable, and a great cook; she couldn't beat him yet...

"I understand, disciple. I will pay attention in the future."

"Also, don't let Ye Xingge know that I can appear at any time using your body, so that he won't become dependent on me and bother me in everything."

"Good..."

Hongyu kept nodding and admitting her mistake, her attitude was very sincere.

As a result, halfway through the scolding, she suddenly heard some sounds coming from Ye Xingge's side:

"Go to the bedroom, take off your clothes."

"Oh, okay..."

?!

Holy crap, that slut broke into our base!

Hongyu's expression changed drastically. She no longer cared about the Grandmaster in front of her and got up to run outside, startling Fat Snow exclaimed, "Gurgle?!"

Tap tap tap...

Cloud and Rain Tower was still earnestly reprimanding his disciple when he noticed that Great Yu'er had stormed off without a word. Thinking he had spoken too harshly, he frowned and called out:

"Yu'er? Will you come back?"

Having said that, he went to the window to look again, only to see Great Yu'er disappear into the street like the wind, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye...