Chapter 062
Chapter 62: He Decided He Would Never Be Soft-Hearted Again!
Ye He Qi glanced sideways, his eyes meeting Shi Zi Chu’s serene, gentle face, her almond-shaped eyes filled with unreadable emotion. “Daoist Shi, why do you ask?”
Shi Zi Chu raised an eyebrow.
Clearly, a question asked with full knowledge.
“Yes.” Ye He Qi replied with a warm, charming smile. “Chu Zhi Sheng’s uncles are eyeing him closely. He has left behind such a large handle for others to grab; his future won’t be easy.”
A case of a failed scheme turning against the schemer.
This time, it wasn’t just a few of Chu Clan’s elders who were dissatisfied with Chu Zhi Sheng, but even the ancestor from the back mountain was displeased.
Shi Zi Chu rested her hand against her snow-white cheek and looked at Ye He Qi. “Clan Chief Ye, don’t you want to add fuel to the fire?”
Profiting from the chaos was certainly tempting, but it wasn’t the most pressing matter at the moment.
“The elder from Limitless Sect, Ji Mo Li, has also incurred the wrath of Venerable Xing Lan.” Ye He Qi leaned back in his chair. “He strongly disagrees with Venerable Xing Lan’s actions and has called for a duel with a compensation clause.”
Shi Zi Chu raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You and Ji Mo Li have signed a life-and-death contract to duel in three rounds, best of three,” Ye He Qi explained. “If you win, the compensation will be decided by Venerable Xing Lan, and if you lose, it will be up to the elder from Limitless Sect to decide.”
Ye He Qi relayed the information all at once to Shi Zi Chu.
After a moment, Shi Zi Chu laughed softly, asking, “Is the elder from Limitless Sect even still alive?”
Everyone knew she was at the later stage of Foundation Establishment, and to face someone in the Early Nascent Soul stage? Even with ten lives, she wouldn’t lose!
The very idea of such a duel amused her.
“Half alive,” Ye He Qi replied.
Seeing Ye He Qi’s serious yet amused expression, Shi Zi Chu couldn’t help but smile. “Half alive? Or half dead?”
Ye He Qi nodded, his eyes glinting with a sly amusement. Venerable Xing Lan didn’t even care about the Chu Clan’s clan chief, let alone an elder from Limitless Sect.
In the words of a simpleton, a fight would settle it all.
Shi Zi Chu laughed at the thought.
“The sect master of Limitless Sect is also involved,” Ye He Qi continued. “It was the eldest Miss Yao’s words that caused Sect Master Yao to step aside.”
Sect Master Yao doted on his only daughter, and when she spoke, he gave in. With Ji Mo Li and the elder from Limitless Sect on the losing side, Sect Master Yao chose not to intervene.
Shi Zi Chu blinked in confusion. “Ruo Ruo is Sect Master Yao’s daughter, so why is Young Sect Master Yan in charge?”
Ye He Qi, with a smile in his eyes, asked in return, “Between Miss Yao and Young Sect Master Yan, who has better qualifications?”
“Yan Zhou Bai,” Shi Zi Chu responded objectively.
Ruo Ruo’s talent was impressive, but Yan Zhou Bai was a cut above.
Yet, Shi Zi Chu still didn’t quite understand.
The position of Young Sect Master was a significant one. Even though Ruo Ruo might not have the same potential as Yan Zhou Bai, her identity—being the daughter of the Supreme Virtue City’s lord—meant she could easily secure the position with a little effort.
“Yan Zhou Bai becoming Young Sect Master was the recommendation of Miss Yao.” Ye He Qi explained.
Seeing the confusion in Shi Zi Chu’s eyes, Ye He Qi’s smile deepened. “Isn’t this a clever move by Miss Yao?”
In terms of talent, Ruo Ruo couldn’t match Yan Zhou Bai. In terms of status, Yan Zhou Bai’s mother was the city lord of Supreme Virtue City. If a competition for the position of Young Sect Master were to take place, Ruo Ruo might not win.
In that case, why not simply recommend Yan Zhou Bai, ensuring he remembered her favor, while also avoiding a confrontation that could lead to a lifetime of hostility?
Shi Zi Chu thought about it carefully.
What Ruo Ruo did wasn’t wrong, but Shi Zi Chu didn’t agree with it.
Power should always be in one’s own hands to feel truly secure.
“Speaking of these two, they should be arriving soon,” Ye He Qi added. “Jade Void Sect will be lively shortly. Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t be able to watch the spectacle.”
Shi Zi Chu tapped her cheeks twice.
For now, the most important task was to appease Xing Lan. Everyone else was secondary.
“Young Master Jiang and his team are on a training expedition and won’t be able to make it for a while.”
Seeing the glint in Shi Zi Chu’s eyes, Ye He Qi’s expression shifted slightly, and with a sly smile, he asked, “Is that good news?”
“Clan Chief Ye coming all this way to see me is the real good news,” Shi Zi Chu responded with a smile, putting on an exaggeratedly moved expression.
It was so fake, it couldn’t be more fake!
“…” Ye He Qi’s eyes betrayed his distaste.
When it came to irritating people, Shi Zi Chu truly excelled.
“Zhi Rou is recovering at Vigilance Peak, so you two senior sisters will have company,” Ye He Qi added, while also teasing Shi Zi Chu with the news.
Shi Zi Chu smiled slightly.
“Boom—”
Suddenly, the loud crack of thunder startled Shi Zi Chu, her body stiffening for a moment.
The two of them stood up and walked to the palace door, where they saw dark clouds gathering in the sky.
“Tribulation Crossing, the Heavenly Tribulation for ascending to the next level,” Ye He Qi murmured, his eyes narrowing as he selected a person in his mind. “Your junior sister.”
Shi Zi Chu leaned against a pillar, watching the thunderclouds in the distance.
Despite her severe injuries, her cultivation level hadn’t regressed. Now, she was attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage.
[This is the female protagonist! Do you know what that means? The female protagonist is the daughter of Heaven’s Will!]
The voice of the Female Villain System echoed proudly in the spatial storage ring.
Xue Gu jumped out of the attic, swiping its claws through the air. In an instant, the Female Villain System was reduced to static.
Shi Zi Chu furrowed her brow, her tone soft with concern. “With Sixth Junior Sister in such a state, will she survive the Heavenly Tribulation?”
Ye He Qi withdrew his gaze and turned to Shi Zi Chu. “Right now, you should be more worried about whether the Heavenly Tribulation will affect us here,” he said gently. “Looking at this, I won’t be able to return for a while.”
With his little sister facing the Tribulation, how could a good big brother not check on her?
Looking at the storm clouds that were drifting further away, Shi Zi Chu remarked, “It seems Master has made his move.”
Ye He Qi took out a porcelain vial and handed it to her.
Shi Zi Chu eyed it cautiously. “Clan Chief Ye, assassination shouldn’t be this blatant.”
“…” Ye He Qi stared at her for a moment before grinning dangerously. “I’m here to collect your body.”
“How unenthusiastic. I suggest you go as well,” Shi Zi Chu replied with a playful smile.
Ye He Qi tossed the porcelain vial into the air, then, with a slight movement, shrank and vanished from sight.
Shi Zi Chu caught the vial.
After retrieving the star gem, she slowly made her way toward the back mountain.
Chu Zhi Rou’s Heavenly Tribulation was unlikely to fail, but whether it would leave any lasting damage was uncertain.
Thinking of this, Shi Zi Chu’s eyes hardened.
Since she had suffered this much, she couldn’t let it go to waste!
With a slightly healthier body, she poured her soul force into it and immediately pushed herself to a more serious injury.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Shi Zi Chu leaned against a bamboo stalk, blood dripping from her mouth as her eyes, once full of determination, now reflected fear and helplessness.
Xing Lan sensed something was wrong and quickly returned to find her. She was sitting against a bamboo, bloodstains scattered on the ground nearby.
“Master, cough, cough…” Her weak voice trembled as she raised her hand to cover her mouth.
Moments later, blood began to spill from her fingers.
The air around Xing Lan grew colder, his aura darkening. Wordlessly, he strode forward and lifted Shi Zi Chu into his arms.
Back at the bamboo hut on the back mountain, Xing Lan prepared another medicated bath. This time, Shi Zi Chu was unceremoniously thrown into it.
The action seemed rough, but there was a fleeting touch of spiritual power that cushioned her fall to prevent injury.
Shi Zi Chu, coughing up the bitter liquid, surfaced quietly, obediently using her cultivation to adjust her breathing.
Xing Lan stood by the bath, hands clasped behind his back, his cold eyes simmering with anger.
When the time came for reprimands, he would never be soft-hearted again!