Chapter 7

Cui Youyi, despite the Zhou family's sour looks, contentedly enjoyed the most human-like meal she had ever eaten since she traveled through time.

"The time is up, can we start?" Zhou Yunchao urged according to the time, and shouted loudly whenever he had the chance, as if this could vent his dissatisfaction.

Cui Youyi thought that she couldn't delay any longer. After all, the barking of a mad dog was really annoying. Moreover, when people were full, they always wanted to curse when they saw a barking dog.

Alas, she can't be a vulgar person. She should use ice sculpture to teach the dog how to behave!

Cui Youyi returned to her seat slowly. Wang Jun brought all the guests to the stage at the right time. The atmosphere on and off the field suddenly became lively, and the ice fighting competition really began.

As soon as the competition started, everyone on the field picked up their tools and started carving ice sculptures. Everyone was racing against time, except Cui Youyi.

"What is she doing?"

The spectators in the audience couldn't help but question Cui Youyi's strange behavior.

"She doesn't think that if she keeps touching the ice, it will melt into whatever shape she wants, right?"

"Who is spreading the rumor that a talented and beautiful ice sculptor has arrived in Ningguta? Does she even know what ice sculpture is?"

"A woman shouldn't go back home to take care of her husband and children, but instead comes here to show off. How can that be?"

"That's right. What was originally a good ice fighting competition has now been exposed as a bad apple. Isn't this a waste of all our time?"

The discussions in the audience grew louder and louder, but Cui Youyi was not affected at all and continued to do her own thing.

Hou Yi looked at Cui Youyi worriedly and wanted to say something, but swallowed his words at Zhao Boqian's signal.

Zhou Yunchao became more arrogant as he listened to these words, and felt that this was the case.

If Cui Youyi, a woman, had not interfered in what these grown men were doing, Zhou Yunkai would not have been unlucky and brought shame to their Zhou family.

Sending him to teach Cui Youyi a lesson is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!

Wang Jun maintained his usual smile and observed Cui Youyi calmly.

According to the news he had received earlier, although Cui Youyi, the fifth daughter of the Cui family, was as weak as a willow in the wind, she was well-known for her talent and was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. She was well-regarded among the girls in the boudoir and was a typical noble lady in the capital.

All the way north, her words and actions were the demeanor of a lady from a wealthy family. How could such a person suddenly pick up a sword and kill people? How could she become a master of ice sculpture overnight?

Wang Jun did not believe in ghosts and gods. Rather than the police officer's claim that Cui Youyi was possessed by an evil spirit, he suspected that someone in the north had established connections with the capital. As for who it was, he believed that Cui Youyi's ice sculpture would give the answer.

Wang Jun dismissed the officers who wanted to control the situation and let the situation develop.

"You must have eaten shit in your mouth, and you keep spewing shit here." The lady in the crowd couldn't help but stand up to defend Cui Youyi when she heard the increasingly outrageous words.

"What a waste of your time! Did you even get on stage to compete? The young lady standing there is at least pretty and pleasing to the eyes. You don't mind that you look ugly and unlucky, but you even look down on the young lady."

The people below were arguing endlessly and making a fuss, the people on the stage were drinking tea and watching the fun, and the people on the stage became the center of the fun.

People with unstable minds will always be distracted by various things. Once they chisel at the ice, the pain may be light or heavy, but they can never reach the ideal state. The busier they are, the more annoyed they become, and they scratch their heads.

Only Cui Youyi and Zhao Boqian were not disturbed at all.

Zhao Boqian's work already had a rough outline, but Cui Youyi's was just beginning.

Cui Youyi used an ice chisel to slightly modify the shape of the ice block, but when she was nearing the end, she felt something was wrong - there was a thin wooden stick hidden in the place where she had originally planned to carve the crane's wings!

The small wooden stick was buried very deep and happened to be in a blind spot. Cui Youyi did not notice it during her initial observation. She did not expect that it would cause her such a big trouble now.

The shape of her Heshouyannian has already been determined. Once the wooden stick is carved out, the proportions of the finished ice sculpture will not be in the most harmonious state, and she cannot keep the wooden stick.

Cui Youyi frowned. It was already noon and she had no more time to think. She had to carve out the wooden stick first, and during this time she reconceived and designed a new crane longevity picture.

For Cui Youyi, carving cranes was a very simple thing, and carving trees such as pine and cypress was also a very simple thing.

But now she needs to carve an ice sculpture of a crane and longevity that conforms to the aesthetic of this era. It must be exquisite while also taking into account freehand brushwork and leaving blank space. This is a new method of shaping ice sculptures and also a new challenge.

What's even more difficult is that she has to adapt to these somewhat primitive tools again.

There was no point in thinking too much, so Cui Youyi picked up the slightly rough V-shaped chisel, found the most suitable angle, and carefully carved out the wooden stick.

Cui Youyi tried her best to control the strength, but in the first few times she still left some unexpected marks on the ice, some light and some heavy.

The wind started to blow hard, and the ice carving lines were faced with more force majeure.

Cui Youyi only had the work she was completing in her eyes and heart.

It was unknown how much time had passed, but the servant who announced the time rang the gong at the right time, and Cui Youyi was startled to realize that her eyes were sore.

The moment her spirit suddenly relaxed, physical fatigue instantly surged up. Cui Youyi couldn't help but stretch her muscles and suddenly met Wang Jun's gaze.

Cui Youyi was a little confused about the look in her eyes, and a thought flashed through her mind at the right moment - is this person abnormal? But in a flash, her thoughts were attracted by the ice sculpture in front of her.

"It's the 15th hour of the afternoon. Participants should stop carving. Voting will begin soon."

The servant skillfully struck the gong, and everyone's eyes were focused on the stage.

"Please comment!"

Everyone stepped back behind their ice sculptures and waited for voting and review.

To be honest, Cui Youyi was a little nervous - she roughly reviewed the core purpose of this competition - to get back the Zhou family or the ice sculptor from Ningguta, in other words, to slap her in the face.

The outcome of this match seemed clear, but Cui Youyi was still a little unwilling to accept it. Losing wasn't terrible; what was terrible was when those seeking fame and reputation won!

The guests present were divided into distinct factions and went straight to the works they wanted to see.

Compared to the "crowds" in front of other works, Cui Youyi's work was obviously "unattended".

Cui Youyi stood there bored.

"System, system, have you loaded it?"

"The daylilies are getting cold!"

"I want new ice carving tools!" Cui Youyi burst into tears in her heart.

Using blunt tools to carve large pieces is really detrimental! Her hands are sore! She wants a set of fine, sharp tools, ideally comparable to 21st-century ice carving tools.

Miss her old partners!

The system remains silent.

…

"What kind of carving method did you use?" Wang Jun approached Cui Youyi's ice sculpture, carefully examining the spot where a wooden stick had been embedded. "Your original design wasn't like this, was it?"

Cui Youyi raised an eyebrow: "Why do you think so, sir?"

Could he really be a master of ice sculpture? Cui Youyi couldn't help but wonder, and her interest in Wang Jun suddenly deepened.

Wang Jun stood up and glanced at Cui Youyi: "I have eyes."

What I meant was, I saw you modifying the design.

Cui Youyi touched her nose and smiled embarrassedly.

"Your Excellency has a very good eye!"

"It's my fault for not observing carefully enough. I was tricked by a small wooden stick. I had to make some minor modifications to the original work."

Cui Youyi made some comments with her hand, meaning: I only modified a few details, so you can vote for me!

Facing Cui Youyi's bright eyes, Wang Jun was a little uncomfortable and his heart kept beating faster unconsciously.

Could it be that he was ill? Wang Jun was a little suspicious.

"Cough cough, I'm fine." Wang Jun coughed twice uncomfortably.

"Brother Jun, come and take a look at my work." Hou Yi happily jumped out and pulled Wang Jun away. "I've been practicing my techniques at home for a long time. Come and take a look, brothers!"

Hou Yi held Wang Jun in one hand and Wu Boqian in the other, and went straight to his work.

"Is my work different from my previous works?" Hou Yi was quite nervous while waiting for the answer.

While waiting for the comments, he realized that he had neglected Cui Youyi, so he ran over and pulled Cui Youyi over.

"Beautiful sister, come and comment on my work!"

Cui Youyi couldn't help but wonder, was it really right for them to run around like this? Shouldn't they be staying put and waiting for the guests' comments?

Despite her thoughts, Cui Youyi did not slow down at all in her efforts to see Hou Yi's works.

Hou Yi always gave her a sense of familiarity, perhaps because he was young, or perhaps because looking at him was like seeing her former self.

When carving ice sculptures in the first snow, she always had trouble controlling the strength and would always make mistakes when using ice picks to break the ice or mark fixed points. For this, she was scolded a lot in front of others and behind their backs.

In order to regain her lost face, every time she learned to use a new tool skillfully, she wanted to tell the whole world about it, and she also left behind a lot of black history photos.

It had clearly only been a short time, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. Cui Youyi felt somewhat melancholy.

"Miss Cui." Wang Jun looked at Cui Youyi's obvious loss and couldn't help asking, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, no." Cui Youyi quickly denied.

After much deliberation, Cui Youyi couldn't help but ask, "I wonder when this Ice Fighting Competition will end today?"

Wang Jun pretended to be profound: "Miss Cui, don't you know?"

Cui Youyi: What should I know? This person is really weird, could it be... could it be that he's really mentally ill?

Once the seeds of doubt are planted in people's hearts, all kinds of speculations begin to take root and sprout.

So her mission is to save Wang Jun's lost brain? But she's not a doctor!

Wang Jun saw Cui Youyi's doubts, but he didn't see the struggle in her heart.

"Miss Cui, don't you suspect this is a Hongmen Banquet?"

"So you want my life?"

Could it be that the reason the system hadn't been refreshed was because she was going to die? Cui Youyi's heart was filled with alarm.